November/December 2018 CAMPHILL CORRESPONDENCE “Rose“ circa 1947 by Shirley Seagren Schwartz (1929-2007) Let us move now from the practical how to the theoretical why: Why should we love our enemies? The first reason is fairly obvious. Returning hate for hate multiplies hate, adding deeper darkness to a night already devoid of stars. Darkness cannot drive out darkness; only light can do that. Hate cannot drive out hate; only love can do that. Hate multiplies hate, violence multiplies violence, and toughness multiplies toughness in a descending spiral of destruction. So when Jesus says, "love your enemies," he is setting forth a profound and ultimately inescapable admonition. Have we not come to such an impasse in the modern world that we must love our enemies—or else? The chain reaction of evil—hate begetting hate, wars producing more wars—must be broken, or we shall be plunged into the dark abyss of annihilation. By Martin Luther King. From the Sermon, Loving Your Enemies, Christmas Day, 1957. Celebratory Birthdays November – December 2018 Contents Becoming 93 Advent: This Season of the Refugee …………………………………………….. 3 Jean Surkamp, Ochil Tower November 24 Living with Asperger’s Syndrome……….. 4 Becoming 92 Prism of Peace …….……………………. 5 Report from ICEST ………………………. 7 Christiane Lauppe, Stroud, Glos. December 11 Book Review…..……..………………… 8 Barbara Kauffmann, Perceval December 27 Poem…..……..……………………….… 9 Becoming 91 In Memoriam…………….……………… 12 Elsbeth Groth, Camphill Schools December 7 Becoming 90 Marianne Schneider, Minnesota November 17 Spotlight Becoming 85 Bryan Zecca lives at Camphill Communities Sonja Elmquist, Aberdeen November 30 California. Last summer, he won 2nd Becoming 80 place at the annual Santa Cruz County Heidi Byrde, Perceval December 7 Fair, with his weaving entry. Becoming 75 Brenda Patterson, Delrow November 1 Wilfrid Stitch, West Coast, SA November 29 Daphne Hancock, Newton Dee December 3 Maria Tonin, West Coast, SA December 16 Sylvia Gordon, Delrow December 28 Becoming 70 Ellen Baum, Tonsberg November 6 Danny Miller, Copake November 6 Nicholas Andrew Jennings, Oaklands December 8 Michael Schreiber, Brachenreuthe December 10 Spotlight will be a new regular column. The Correspondence invites our friends to contribute articles to share their stories: how Tom Leonard, Delrow December 28 they came to Camphill; what Camphill means to them. It can be in narrative form; a poem; a 4-panel photo collage with captions; or comics style. Explore your creativity and share your stories with the world. Please spread this invitation with your communities! 2 Advent: this Season of the Refugee by Adam Hewitt, editor As is well known in the Camphill Community, on December 14, 1833, right in the middle of the Advent Season, Kaspar Hauser, the homeless refugee, the “Child of Europe,” was attacked and stabbed in the Ansbach Court Garden, in Germany. He died three days later, on December 17. Advent is the season of hope, looking forward to the birth of the Christ in the human soul, but it is also Arnovis Guidos Portillo the season of significant world events, even if obscure and frequently violent, as the death of Kaspar Hauser tells us. Without going into the In the Gospels an archetypal picture presents itself mysterious and dark circumstances of his death, or to us, which speaks to us today in ever more urgent his identity, we can say this: an innocent and poor and insistent tones. The mother of the Savior of the man, whose life was taken from him became an World rides a donkey, or, we can suppose, archetype of the innocent human soul under siege frequently walks, over a rocky and harsh terrain, by dark and malevolent powers. This is also the toward a purpose and destination of which she Advent story, to which we must awaken in our times. herself, we might imagine, is quite unsure. Her husband, with patience and grace, but also perhaps In the picture above, Arnovis Portillo was deported inner anxiety, walks beside her and tries to attend to back to the violence in El Salvador, while his six her needs as best he can. They walk often in silence, year old daughter was kept at a detention center in each with their own worries and anxieties. Where Texas. “All I hear is my daughter crying,” he says. He do they sleep? Do they have friends? Relatives? is just but one face of the millions of refugees facing Helpers? Do they sleep out in the open? Does Mary a dark and foreboding future in this year, 2018 years have helpers? A bed to sleep on at night? The after the first Advent. Gospels, with their spare accounting, are silent on all these points. They simply say that the Savior of How are we to respond? How are we to be the the World was born in a lowly stable, because there helpers, the healers? What is our answer to be in this was ‘no room for them at the Inn,’ and, as the Advent season as we light the first candles, and Shepherds’ Play says, “Thus he was born in such enjoy the glow of children, the adults and our lowly fashion that on us he might have revered elders in the light of Advent? compassion.” We can say that the plight of the refugee, and the At almost no time in the last 2000 years, certainly, homeless, stateless person is of deep concern to the have so many homeless, displaced people been on worldwide Camphill Community, because of our the move as there are today, in this Advent season. origins, because of our feeling of brotherhood, All over our globe displaced families, heavily because of our desire for the healing of the Earth pregnant mothers, children and weary fathers are and the healing of humanity, the now ever seeking, frequently desperately, a new life – increasingly tormented humanity. It’s my belief we somewhere, anywhere, just not back to the killing have a role to play now and in the future for the fields they have left behind. The Savior’s family was healing of what ails this suffering earth. Meanwhile, not even in such trouble or desperation as millions this Advent season, we watch and pray. are today, in this season of 2018. 3 Living With Asperger’s Syndrome By Joan Hill I attended the recent presentation at the hall “My when I think someone is mad at me) I have what is Life on the Spectrum: A Tuneful Rally” by Dane called a meltdown. I start crying because of an Brandt-Lubart. It has inspired me to write about my emotional turmoil that’s churning inside of me at own autism experience. that moment. I also tend to repeat myself when I am upset. And you know what’s ironic about having Let me start off by saying that autistic people are like autism? Although we have difficulty relating to our snowflakes: no two people are exactly the same, fellow humans we have no difficulty relating to because everyone experiences autism a little bit animals. I think that’s because animals’ emotions are differently. As autism is a spectrum disorder, there not as complex. You can always tell if they like you are many other disabilities under the Autism without them having to say it out loud. I can Spectrum Disorder (ASD) umbrella. I have definitely feel the love from animals. Especially my Asperger’s Syndrome, which is a mild form of favorites such as horses, cats, dogs, even dolphins! autism. Like all forms of autism, Asperger’s is a neurological disability, meaning that it affects the I could tell you more about Asperger’s but I’ll leave brain. But, by no means are we considered brain it here for now. If you are interested in learning more damaged! Our brains are just wired up differently about autism I have loads of books on the subject, from a neurotypical (the Autism Community’s word both fiction and non-fiction. All you have to do is for a normal person) brain. Scientists are still trying ask! - written by Joan Hill, who lives at Camphill to find out what causes autism. Children with Village Copake, USA. Joan can be reached at Asperger’s usually have no delay in language or [email protected]. communication skills. I, for example, could speak when I was seven months old and I taught myself to read when I was three. People with Asperger’s can be very bright and can have excellent memories. We can also memorize lots of trivia and facts about things that we enjoy, but other people may find uninteresting. When I was little, my Mom would often take me to flower shows and I would identify all the flowers ... by their scientific names! We also love to talk (and talk and talk) about our narrow but happily intense obsessions. These obsessions are not bad ones, in the sense that they make us feel happy! You all know that I love Japanese pop culture. My other Did you know? obsessions include: animation history, Pokémon, ASD is the USA’s fastest growing developmental stories about World War II, the Titanic and anything disability. It occurs in 1 out of every 68 births and a new to do with Tolkien’s “The Hobbit” or “Lord of the case is diagnosed every 20 minutes. Rings”. Source: ejautismfoundation.org I’ve read that many people on the spectrum feel like aliens on another planet. I can understand why. We often have trouble reading people’s facial expressions and emotions. I often misread anger and annoyance as the same thing. When I get upset (or 4 The Prism of Peace By J. Patrick Doyle A rainbow of nationalistic imperatives sending them Patrick Doyle is a former Camphill co-worker.