Anthroposophy worldwide What is happening in the Anthroposophical Society 5 /19 ■ Antroposophical Society May 2019 • N° 5 Food for Thought 2 Keeping the anthroposophical impulse alive Anthroposophical Society General Anthroposophical Society: Annual Conference and agm 1 Joyful encounters and intensive work 2 Rudolf Steiner: Disturbed incarnation 3 The world is expecting something General Anthroposophical Society adolescents (Rob Gordon, au). Wolfgang Riss- of anthroposophists mann (de) spoke impressively of a soul exercise 4 Votes on motions and concerns Joyful encounters that involves «walking at the right pace», while 5 Statement regarding photo series and intensive work Gerald Häfner (Goetheanum) highlighted the Impulse for the year 2019/2020 importance of social threefolding in world history. 4 On deepening the second verse Li Zhang from China spoke about the growth and of the Foundation Stone Meditation Dear readers, challenges of Waldorf Education in her country. 6 Experiencing the future: the rising sun The Annual Conference was immediately fol- 7 Christmas conference 2019 The General Anthroposophical Society’s recent lowed by a major international conference on 11 Membership News Annual Conference and agm were attended by Early Years Education. School of Spiritual Science more than 500 members. Entitled ‹In the Heart- We thank everyone who took part in and helped 8 General Anthroposophical Society: beat of Time›, this gathering had moving mo- to shape this Annual Conference, which made The beauty of the mantras ments in the plenary sessions as well as in other many joyful encounters possible, as well as in- 8 Youth Section: Threshold and subnature encounters. It was evident that a new movement tensive work on countless topics and the shar- 8 Medical Section: Oncology training had entered into the relationship between the ing of questions regarding the future develop- 9 Social Science Section: members, who had come from near and far, the ment of the Anthroposophical Society. Next Social threefolding Goetheanum Leadership and the Executive Coun- year, the series of centenaries will continue 9 Education Section: International Early cil. There had been active involvement of young with the hundredth birthday of Anthroposoph- Childhood Conference members both in preparing and presenting the ic Medicine. And we, the four members of the 9 Humanities Section: Metamorphosis conference. The representatives of the different Executive Council, will continue to explore further of the senses countries had organized stalls in the Foyer and impulses for the future. Forum were leading the work groups. Lively discussions We would also like to express our heartfelt grati- 10 News ticker and consultations on possible future amend- tude, on behalf of the Goetheanum Leadership, 10 Letters from Andreas Heertsch, Felix ments to the Society’s Statutes took place. that the members of the Society have reaffirmed Scheuerl and Gabriele Jüngel From reflections on the inner heartbeat and life Justus Wittich for another period in office – a Feature of the Anthroposophical Society and its School of decision that also had the unanimous support of 12 «A world without art becomes Spiritual Science the topics addressed opened up the conference of country representatives. We sclerotic» New Dutch representative to the question as to the effectiveness of Anthro- are looking forward with confidence to the tasks Rik ten Cate posophy in the world: with the big «birthdays» that lie ahead. With warm greetings, | Constanza of social threefolding and Waldorf Education Kaliks, Joan Sleigh and Matthias Girke as a background, the audience heard deeply touching contributions on the future of educa- tion in deprived areas (Alejandro Ranovsky, ar), Image Executive Council: Constanza Kaliks (left), (from right to left) Matthias Girke, Joan on trauma education (Melanie Reveriego, de) Sleigh and Justus Wittich and on psychotherapy for severely traumatized 2 | Anthroposophy Worldwide No. 5/19 ■ Food For Thought Rudolf Steiner Disturbed incarnation Keeping the anthroposophical impulse alive If you look at life, you will find that Internalizing anthropo­ cases like the one I just described occur frequently, particularly in a time that is sophy is the foundation, so materialistic. […] Something is caught not the goal within the individuality and cannot The effectiveness of the anthroposophical come out, because the other develop- work relies on a spiritual impulse and the mental stream was unable to unfold in the right way at the right time. […] The study of anthroposophy, which was not given most horrible confusions happen when to a specific group but is available to every- [the persons in question] don’t have the one. The following are extracts from Alejan- organ for developing primarily their good dro Ranovsky’s contribution to this year’s An- dispositions in their present incarnation. nual Conference at the Goetheanum. They might feel it as a relief that these ‹I›-dispositions destroy, tear apart, the What is the advantage of being so far away, in protective membrane in order to create Argentina? It forces people to become creative. better possibilities for its development in There is also the distance in time: it is a hundred a later incarnation. […] We will not always years since the first Waldorf School was founded. see it as radically expressed, but it occurs It is a treasure that has been given to us. We can in something that is quite ubiquitous in hide this treasure and give it back unchanged, our time: in inner moods of discontent, or we can make it fertile so that it grows into geneous – group and have therefore neglected in hopelessness, in not knowing what to something bigger than what we received. other groups in the country. In short, we did not do with oneself, particularly between the How can we keep the Waldorf movement follow Rudolf Steiner’s threefolding impulse in ages of 14 or 15 and 21. alive and fruitful today, in whatever context? all three spheres of society. Keeping something means «preserving» it, but Source ga 118, lecture of 30 January 1910. the movement needs constant interaction with Adapting to the conditions This passage was referred to during the Annual Conference in a contribution the world around it, which is itself constantly We sought to establish contact with the au- about children and adolescents who dis- changing and being changed. What do we need thorities and looked at the teacher training pro- play violent behaviours (see also page 3, to preserve and what do we need to change in grammes with a view to complementing them central column, and page 11, left column). order to keep the anthroposophical impulse with insights from anthroposophy so that these alive? The spiritual impulse has to remain spiri- insights would become available to all teachers. tual; it cannot be changed. The historical and We will, for instance, not insist on not teaching ‹Anthroposophy Worldwide. What is hap­ local conditions, on the other hand, are no longer geometry to very young children because it is pening in the Anthroposophical Society› ap- valid today. too intellectual but, if the state expects us to, pears monthly in German, English, French and Spanish as a supplement to the weekly ‹Das we do it in an age-appropriate way. For every child Goetheanum›. Publisher General Anthropo- The young teachers and the student teachers sophical Society represented by Justus Wit- We see Rudolf Steiner’s creative gesture in 1919, at our officially recognized Institute are keen to tich. Editors Sebastian Jüngel (responsible when he was active out of the social situation work out of anthroposophy. They do not find for the German edition), Margot M. Saar then. This gesture needs to be nurtured and ideal situations but have to deal with the chal- (responsible for the English edition), Michael preserved. And yet, if we only ever imitated lenges they meet and shape their work accord- Kranawetvogl (responsible for the Spanish edi- the first Waldorf School, we would end up ingly. We hope that we can manage to come out tion), Jean Pierre Ablard and Anselme Killian (French edition; coordinator: Louis Defèche). with ever paler copies. In taking up this creative of the niche of alternative education with this Proofreader for the English edition: Amadeus gesture, we must, according to Rudolf Steiner, approach – because it is a niche of self-defence, Bodenstein. Address Anthroposophy World- enter into dialogue with the legal life, with where the treasure ends up being protected wide, po Box, 4143 Dornach, Switzerland, the academic world and with the social reality. from contamination: a dangerous place of purity, fax +41 61 706 4465, aww@dasgoetheanum. The first Waldorf School was founded for the perfection and stagnation. com • We expressly wish for active support children of workers; today we don’t necessarily When we pass this treasure on as a gift, how- and collaboration. Subscriptions To receive find workers’ children in Waldorf Schools. We ever, it is not diluted but becomes the seed for ‹Anthroposophy Worldwide› please apply to [email protected]. Digital sub- have to make sure that the improvement of the cultural change and transformation. Studying scriptions are free. As a supplement to ‹Das Waldorf School does not happen in a closed and internalizing anthroposophy is not the Goetheanum› ‹Anthroposophy Worldwide› environment and that the spiritual impulse can goal but the foundation. The goal is in the fu- is also free. If the printed edition is posted to be made fertile for every child. ture – and the future lies out there. | Alejandro you directly, we ask for a donation to cover In our work with Waldorf Education in Argen- Ranovsky, Buenos Aires (ar) costs. Printed by Birkäuser + gbc, 4153 Rein- tina we had three Achilles heels: in the cultural ach, Switzerland. Design concept according realm, our internal language was not suited to Karl Lierl, Unterföhring, Germany. © 2019 Alejandro Ranovsky is a primary school General Anthroposophical Society, Switzerland.