When I was sixteen, I was standing in

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1 General Anthroposophical Society Anthroposophy Worldwide 5/15 24 April 2015 Anthroposophy Worldwide 5/2015 The Anthroposophical Society 1 Pneumatic Anthroposophy 2 General Secretaries Meeting Annual General Meeting 6 Virginia Sease [hier bitte Titel von Douglas Millers Übersetzung einsetzen! 8 Constanza Kaliks introduces herself 9 South Africa: new country representative Wilfried Bohm 14 Obituary: Siegrun A. Price 14 Obituary: Ruth Mosimann 15 Membership News Goetheanum 2 Goetheanum Stage: Simultaneous readings of Faust in other languages Anthroposophy Worldwide 10 Chile: Waldorf project Entorno Educador 12 Czech Republic: graduation of part-time eurythmy training Eurythmea The School of Spiritual Science 11 General Anthroposophical Section: Class work in Sekem 13 Social Sciences Section: Newsletter and professional development Forum 14 The right relationship between monetary problems and global questions Feature 16 Aenigma - an exhibition to celebrate a hundred years of anthroposophical art Anthroposophical society General Anthroposophical Society: 2015 Annual General Meeting Pneumatic anthroposophy The present is very volatile and seems so endangered and yet: this now is becoming a place where anthroposophy finds a new home and where it unfolds its diverse qualities. When I was sixteen, I was standing in front of Rudolf Steiner s complete works in premises of the Hanover branch. I will never forget the sense of awe I felt as I looked at the spines of all those books. Anthroposophy is devoted to the spirit but rooted in matter. The curved shapes and forms of the Goetheanum and hundreds of other buildings everywhere in the world are the foundation of anthroposophical life; the complete works everywhere are its Qualities of anthroposophy: solid, fluid, pneumatic quarry. Awareness of this foundation stone is, for good reasons, part of anthroposophical life. If we are too protective of this gift, however, we underestimate the richness that has flown out of these matters of the spirit into the fields of life: in schools, hospitals and on farms. Anthroposophy became movement and water the metaphor for describing its life. Anthroposophy streams into the fields of life and fertilizes them; it can now become diluted. We can be in the stream or stand beside it; we can be inside or outside; this is the high price anthroposophy is paying for this water power. Hope becomes awareness At the Annual General Meeting Constanza Kaliks reminded us that the way we see and perceive the world depends on our concepts. Relating anthroposophy to the spirit of water means seeing it as being there but with the potential of running dry. It means that anthroposophy itself is most important because it is the bringer of life. Valuing anthroposophy means thinking of its source and its mouth, its origin and its promise; and, as with all doctrines of revelation, the human soul responds with feelings of hope and apprehension. How relieved I was when inspired by a presentation by Robin Schmidt I realized that there is a third way of looking at this: anthroposophy seen as a spirit of the air is the anthroposophy that is happening now, in the present. This pneumatic anthroposophy is not just there, but it can emerge anywhere and at any time. In this view, we, the human beings, are most important because we are creating the anthroposophy of today. Hope becomes awareness, apprehension turns into commitment. Water is related to space, air to time. With water there is an inside and an outside, with air there is a now and a not now. Water-like anthroposophy is exclusive, pneumatic anthroposophy inclusive. Ron Dunselman described how something Manfred Schmidt-Brabant said awakened him to the fact that meditation should form the centre of his work in the Netherlands. I noticed how important this turning point had been for Bodo von Plato. A whole field of life has grown out of a single moment. Cultivating such moments and harvesting the fruit of such working together this is what characterizes a pneumatic anthroposophy. And it seems to become as important to us as the anthroposophy of solids and water. Wolfgang Held

2 2 Anthroposophy Worldwide No. 5/15 goetheanum Goetheanum Stage Faust: simultaneous reading Shaping spaces rather than building stage sets is how Christian Peter summarized the work of the Faust Ensemble at the Annual General Meeting in Dornach. In order to allow as many people as possible to experience these spaces, individual performances of Faust I and II at the Goetheanum will be simultaneously read in other languages. This method has proven successful with Rudolf Steiner s Mystery Dramas, which were read out simultaneously in English, Finnish, French, Japanese, Swedish and Spanish. Making a start with English and Italian From 24 to 26 July 2015 the new production of Faust I will premiere at the Goetheanum, with lectures by Maria Franca Frola, Michaela Glöckler and Wolf- Heinrich Klünker. The play will be in German, but English and Italian readings are available via headphones. The individual acts of Faust II will follow starting from the autumn of Exact dates of these preliminary showings, the premiere of the complete drama at Easter 2016 and performances with simultaneous readings in other languages will be published in the autumn. Sebastian Jüngel Anthroposophy Worldwide appears ten times a year, is distributed by the national Anthroposophical Societies, and appears as a supplement to the weekly Das Goetheanum Publisher: General Anthroposophical Society, represented by Justus Wittich Editors: Sebastian Jüngel (responsible for this edition), Michael Kranawetvogl (responsible for the Spanish edition), Margot M. Saar (responsible for this English edition). Address: Wochenschrift Das Goetheanum, Postfach, 4143 Dornach, Switzerland, Fax , info@dasgoetheanum.ch Correspondents/news agency: Jürgen Vater (Schweden), News Network Anthroposophy (NNA). We expressly wish for active support and collaboration. Subscriptions: To receive Anthroposophy Worldwide please apply to the Anthroposophical Society in your country. Alternatively, individual subscriptions are available at CHF 30.- (EUR/US$ 20.-) per year. An version is available to members of the Anthroposophical Society only at General Anthroposophical Society, Dornach, Switzerland Anthroposophical Society Meeting of General Secretaries Getting more involved After the meeting of general secretaries and country representatives from 23 to 26 March, Marjetta van Boeschoten (GB), Helmut Goldmann (AT), Kristina Lucia Parmentier (BE), Jaap Sijmons (NL) as well as Bodo von Plato and Paul Mackay came together to discuss the developments within the Anthroposophical Society. The way anthroposophy lives in a country and the attitude people bring to it vary greatly. Anežka Janátová (CZ) thinks that people should not live according to the epitaph Rest in Peace seeing that this was not even appropriate for the socalled dead. They should be spiritually active instead! Mats-Ola Ohlsson (SE) saw the anthroposophical work in relation with inner aspects of Rudolf Steiner s work: no one can be happy as long as someone else is unhappy. Encounter is for him a spiritual place, and thinking can be a threshold experience. This, he said, would ultimately lead to the Point-Circle Meditation given in the Curative Education Course (GA 317). Michael Mösch spoke about the tasks of our time based on his country, Brazil: how the drought leads people to question their approach to resources, and how, sociopolitically, ways of dealing with the enormous growth of corruption needed to be found: while the levels of corruption used to be in the millions they were now worth tens of billions. Seven qualities could be helpful: interest, solidarity, unbiasedness, trust in life, joy, courage and initiative. Needs of the younger generation A second central question was that of the younger generation whose needs need to be met. Jaap Sijmons thought that the Anthroposophical Society is open to young people, but that they needed to be made welcome so that they could see it as their place. A eurythmy demonstration from Jan Baker Finch, general secretary of Australia, was related to the same question. Baker Finch does not only perform eurythmy on stage but also in nature or in a shopping centre. She works with projections onto her eurythmy dress and includes the elements in form of rain and sand. Unexpected events such as a helicopter flying over a park she also includes in her performance. Her openness speaks to professional dancers, too, who tend to recognize the particular qualities that distinguish eurythmy from dance. Society news A process was begun in recent years that aims at bringing more clarity into the membership situation. Members who are no longer in contact or can no longer be contacted have been taken off the register. According to Bodo von Plato this clearing process has now come to a conclusion and a reliable basis has been established. In Germany, for instance, the number of members is growing, if only very modestly. Active involvement in the professional fields has led to greater awareness of anthroposophy: farmers in Nepal, for instance, joined the society after Hans van Florenstein Mulder worked with them on questions of biodynamic farming. Bodo von Plato sees the tendency among group leaders in the Anthroposophical Society to notice more strongly than before what is going on and that they ask people who show initiative whether they would like help. Jaap Sijmons carries the annual theme more strongly than before into the work of the Anthroposophical Society in the Netherlands. He sees this as a basis for becoming more active on behalf of the Anthroposophical Society as a world society. The reports reveal that the meetings of the general secretaries are increasingly evolving into meetings for mutual consultation. Looking back on her 31 years at the Goetheanum Virginia Sease felt that the members of this circle are more committed now. Coordinating forty-three country representatives and general secretaries with their different languages and cultural backgrounds, as well as the section leaders and members of the Executive Council at the Goetheanum was not an easy task. At present this task falls to general secretaries Jan Baker Finch (AU) and Hartwig Schiller (DE) and to Paul Mackay and Joan Sleigh as members of the Executive Council. Sebastian Jüngel

3 Anthroposophy Worldwide No. 5/15 3 Anthroposophical Society Picture: Sebastian Jüngel Picture: Sebastian Jüngel The preliminary plenum meeting is about to start General Anthroposophical Society: Annual General Meeting 2015 Facing the reality of life At its Annual General Meeting, which was held at the Goetheanum from 27 to 29 March 2015, the General Anthroposophical Society presented itself with all its facets and nuances and as a society that was prepared to look out into the world. The gathering was on the whole harmonious but with only around 250 members present it was certainly one of the most poorly attended. The inspirational field begins to speak. Bodo von Plato presented this concept in Anthroposophy Worldwide 9/2003 as a vision, expressing his hope that the Goetheanum s international organs could become an organism that was capable of inspiration and of taking up the tasks of our time. One hears people speak of important steps and of increasing mutual understanding but this is still hardly expressed in the reports. During the annual general meeting the fruits of the work of these organs became apparent: light-filled but at the same time fragile and vulnerable. Some of the meetings of recent years contributed to preparing this and now the curtain is becoming transparent. One precondition was certainly that there were few open confrontations this time because they tend to force justifications rather than allow the delicate fruit of the inspirational fields to grow. Conflicts were resolved and promises kept The positive mood was also due to the fact that conflicts had been resolved before and that promises were honoured during the meeting: the conflict surrounding Haus Haldeck that was presented in last year s general meeting has come to a peaceful conclusion; the Representative of Humanity had been projected onto the main stage for the members of a work group who decided to study the question of the sculpture s location in greater depth (Anthroposophy Worldwide, 3-4/2015). One of the promises that were kept is that the intention of the Goetheanum Leadership to look into the relationship of the Anthroposophical Society with the School of Spiritual Science and with the anthroposophical movement and into current issues was made more obvious in various contributions. Jaap Sijmons, for instance, explained topical questions arising in Dutch health law, such as patients rights, assisted dying and the actions of individual physicians in relation to the painted ceiling and coloured windows of the Main Auditorium. Constanza Kaliks used Brazil as an example to show that we need to start with the situations that we find even if they are not ideal (see (page 8). Social credibility This social breathing space also allowed the moderators the members of the Executive Council to experiment more. There was a moderated panel discussion, contributions were generally shorter and if there was nothing more to say, we went into the break earlier, which meant that the next session could start sooner and more time could be devoted At the Annual General Meeting information desk to the next issues. Justus Wittich is good at making members feel that they have been heard. His credibility helps to solve conflicts before they become heated. At the same time he does not put up with behaviours such as individual people insisting on pursuing their concerns although the meeting has rejected them, as happened twice this year. Justus Wittich trusts that solutions can be found if one tries to find them together, even if this makes life more difficult for him. He questioned, for instance, the decision that each member should pay 125 Swiss Francs per year to the Goetheanum, seeing this was a target that had never been met (the average figure is 79 Swiss Francs). He also pointed out that clarification was needed on who, in a global society, was responsible for absorbing currency differences. By making these points, Julius Wittich does not try to blame anyone but to illustrate where it is necessary to come to new agreements. He also made it clear that maintaining the Goetheanum was the task of the members and not that of Weleda and those who buy Weleda toothpaste. The new approach was also reflected in the following discussion. One speaker said he found the appeal for Christmas donations boring. He added, however, that he had no solution to offer but that it was necessary to be creative with these things. There were clearly no longer expectations as to what the Executive Council or the Goetheanum Leadership ought to do. The annual financial statement with its shortfall of almost 400,000 Swiss Francs and the Executive Council were almost unanimously approved.

4 4 Anthroposophy Worldwide No. 5/15 Anthroposophical Society Picture: Michèle Melzer Picture: Sebastian Jüngel Picture: Sebastian Jüngel Information from the Goetheanum Publishers and the weekly Das Goetheanum Warm-hearted confirmation Virginia Sease s address in which she said good-bye to the Executive Council after 31 years (see p. 6f.) was particularly heart-warming. In her 80th year now, Virginia Sease will continue to be a member of the Goetheanum Leadership and to carry a number of tasks within the General Anthroposophical Section. The ongoing applause and standing ovations she received seemed more like a confirmation of her work than the acceptance of her retirement from the Vorstand. Paul Mackay mentioned as some of Virigina Sease s defining qualities reliability, untiring loyalty to the cause, unbroken positivity and an ever renewed focus on knowledge not so much in the sense of intellectual knowledge but of life experience. He spoke of a kind of piety, an enlightened devotion to God that was free from subordination. Virginia Sease, he pointed out, had fulfilled the function of a guardian, always asking, Are we being consistent? Are we aware of what is essential? At the same time she had shown incredible flexibility and the ability to work collegially with the Executive Council in its various constitutions. It was therefore, as Paul Mackay summarized, a joy and an honour to work with you and we are pleased that you do not retire altogether, leaving us all to our own devices, but that you remain with us as a member of the Goetheanum Leadership and continue your work with the class lectors. Virginia Sease said it was most gratifying that the members continue to understand the present impulses of the Executive Council and of the Goetheanum Leadership. These are processes that are evolving. We can really trust the people who now carry the tasks of the Executive Council and the Goetheanum Leadership. The many layers of the Anthroposophical Society Many contributions referred to the annual theme and conveyed an impression of The current situation of the Anthroposophical Society (the theme of the preliminary plenum meeting). Over these three days I realized that there is not one situation the Anthroposophical Society is in, but rather a wide range and many layers of activities. To name but a few: As Justus Wittich pointed out, the Anthroposophical Society is looking back on its own history. But while it has developed traditions, it does not want to be a society of traditions. This has consequences for its forms of life. Looking at the lives of younger people who have children and are working, one member asked whether it was at all possible for them to regularly attend branch meetings. Another member thought that such time could be found if the branch meetings were considered important enough. A third member spoke of the situation in Wiesbaden (DE), where the branch meetings were held at the Waldorf school and where, in addition to the regular evening meetings, morning groups were offered to parents of the school. What might seem like a contradiction can therefore be seen as a truth that applies in a particular place with its particular needs. A branch in Zurich holds regular meetings that include class conversations, esoteric work and a shared meal. During the meeting of the general secretaries (see p. 2), Hans von Florenstein Mulder showed how interest in the Anthroposophical Society can arise from interest in a particular professional field. He was referring to farmers in Nepal. The former General Secretary Ron Dunselman (NL) pointed out how important meditation was for the spiritual world. General Secretary Gioia Falk (DE) referred to this when she said that for us today finding a way to meditation can be a contribution to maintaining a healthy soul life. Bodo von Plato showed how, up to the 1970s, anthroposophical institutions were founded by people who had an active interest in anthroposophy. The people who arrived after them sought out the fruits of the anthroposophical initiatives without feeling the need to experience their original source. He went on to describe a third form: a school in France that he is accompanying and that finds its anthroposophical and non-anthroposophical spiritual basis in Novalis coming-of-age novel Henry von Ofterdingen. Joan Sleigh then shared similar observations using the examples of Waldorf schools in Sweden and Namibia. The danger of dilution could be averted if one developed interest in the other, and out of this interest cooperation could grow. The starting point for this was the meeting of individuals. Openness for something one does not yet know would lead to astonishment, to being astounded a sentiment from which knowledge, recognition, even devotion, and ultimately compassion could grow. Seija Zimmermann also spoke in depth about the importance of human relationships: the Anthroposophical Society as an esoteric community had its share of conflicts ( or rather: growth processes ), she said, but we were also given the tools to discover what

5 Anthroposophy Worldwide No. 5/15 5 Picture: Sebastian Jüngel Picture: Sebastian Jüngel Picture: Sebastian Jüngel Much to talk about during coffee break Look at that and what do you think of this? Two architects in conversation: Yuji Agematsu (JP) and Michael Mösch (BR) was at work behind these conflicts. What, she asked, prevented us from taking seriously the conditions we were confronted with in spirit, soul and body? They allow us to establish a relationship with the phenomena out of freedom. (The challenge of reading these phenomena was also one of the subjects at the preliminary plenum meeting: here lay the strength and the task of the Anthroposophical Society. How, for instance, can one understand the plane crash in Seyne-les-Alpes? What brought the people together who shared this destiny with each other?) A precise description of the General Anthroposophical Society was not even possible in figures. On 31 December 2014 the General Anthroposophical Society had 46,157 members (300 fewer than in 2013). But there are interesting movements within the various countries: in Germany, for instance, the Anthroposophical Society grew slightly in 2014 (by 0.3 per cent). But Hartwig Schiller, although happy about this development, hastened to qualify the outcome. While the figure was based on facts, following the updating of the membership data in the previous year, this could easily be different again in the coming year. Financially, there were not only the shortfalls and depletion of assets shown in the balance, but Justus Wittich also reported about unexpected windfalls, such as an Italian donation of 500,000 Swiss Francs (designated for the new West entrance) and a legacy from Switzerland. Section activities today Examples from three Sections of the School of Spiritual Science showed how their activities depend on what is happening in our time. Ueli Hurter from the Section for Agriculture referred to some aspects of his section s annual conference about the dignity of animals (documented in the Goetheanum Journal Issue 21/2015). Working conditions for animal husbandry have become more difficult due to economic problems and hostile attitudes. There are people who think that animals should not be killed ( No blood must be shed for me! ) or enslaved, and others who are concerned about the effect of animals on the general climate. But animal husbandry is an intrinsic part of biodynamic farming for a variety of reasons, such as soil fertility and the furtherance of animal evolution through the human being. Does this mean that the work of the Section for Agriculture is restricted to its own family, that is, the biodynamic movement? Is the Section not responsible for the promotion of agriculture in the whole world? Justus Wittich asked these questions during the panel discussion. Ueli Hurter replied that biodynamic farming was not just for Demeter farms but for the earth, and that its voice is being heard as was apparent in connection with the World Agriculture Report. Its goal was the humanization of agriculture in the world in the various fields of activity. Michaela Glöckler underlined that it was important to interest the younger generation in Anthroposophic Medicine. While there was interest in the medical training the tasks that followed were often seen as too daunting by young people. In a training for trainers ways are now being developed of encouraging young people to train as anthroposophic physicians. Oliver Conradt gave an example of the practical application of research carried out within the section, when he spoke of the construction of engines based on three prototypes of the hexagon mechanism (Anthroposophy Worldwide 12/2014). He pleaded that enough time needed to be given to the research and implementation of this technology. This work needs individuals who spent more time on it and then something will come of it. Looking at the world with new eyes While this general meeting was filled with light and content, it was also very poorly attended, a fact that makes it the more important that the general secretaries and country representatives are present since they represent the membership worldwide. This year for the first time the councils of the European national societies met ahead of the annual general meeting. 36 people attended this preliminary meeting. There were also critical voices. They referred to the relationship between academic and spiritual science in general and the work of Helmut Zander and Christian Clement in particular. Questions were also asked about the posters and the artistic approach to the Faust production (people missed the work on the dramatic gestures or raised questions regarding eurythmy in connection with singing). Christian Peter and Margrethe Solstad addressed these questions. In his introduction of Constanza Kaliks as the new member of the Executive Council, Paul Mackay chose a motif from the Annual Conference: new ways of thinking make it possible to see things with new eyes and seeing the world with new eyes was now more important than ever. Sebastian Jüngel

6 6 Anthroposophy Worldwide No. 5/15 Anthroposophical Society Goetheanum Executive Council: Virginia Enters Emerita Status Anthroposophy Has Brought Us All Together On March 28 Virginia Sease took her leave from the members with a thoughtful look back rich in experience and anecdote as she retired from 31 years on the Goetheanum Executive Council. The members thanked her with hearty and frequent applause; at the end they acknowledged the caring warmth of her work with a standing ovation. For me, this is a special moment these 31 years seem to have passed very quickly. Some members have not understood my reasons for stepping back now. I am doing so because at 79 I cannot guarantee that I will be able to take responsibility during the years to come for various future-bearing decisions being made today. I am in good health, I love my work, my colleagues, the Goetheanum, and all of you. It was once so that a call to the Executive Council was a lifetime appointment. But these are different times. Over the years I have seen what it can mean not in the Executive Council, but in other institutions if a person fails to step back at the right time. I have decided to take this step in full consciousness and so that I can continue to support my colleagues, but in a different way. A Great Surprise How did I became a part of the Executive Council? I lived in Southern California far from the Goetheanum where I completed my doctoral degree. In hindsight, I believe that I was already known to the members of the Executive Council. Friedrich Hiebel was a professor at the first university where I studied. I met Rudolf Grosse when I was a student at the Teacher s Seminar in Stuttgart; in 1961, he came to Hollywood to help our pioneer faculty as we made a decision about where to build our new school. Around 1975 Hagen Biesantz came to California for a conference; in 1978 Jörgen Smit visited our school and the Anthroposophical Society. In 1980, Gisela Reuther came to America with Wilhelm Ernst Barkhoff and Rolf Kerler to explore founding a bank. Because I spoke German, Gisela Reuther stayed with me. In 1981 she came to Los Angeles from Japan with Manfred Schmidt-Brabant and both stayed with me. Thus I met all the Executive Council members in America. In 1981, the Executive Council with the exception of Rudolf Grosse attended a congress in Spring Valley, New York with the Council of the Anthroposophical Society in America on which I served. Before the event we met in a retreat Carlo Pietzner, Dietrich von Asten, and Henry Barnes from the East, Traute Page and Werner Glas from the Midwest, and René Querido and I from the West. An important Annual General Meeting followed at which we considered the fate of the Society s headquarters in New York City. A change in government policy meant we had to sell our building and the Society was divided about this, splintered. During the Council meeting I was asked to guide the conversation. The reason: No one will toss tomatoes at Virginia! In July 1983, the Goetheanum Executive Council asked me to come to the Goetheanum to discuss the future. It was the greatest surprise of my life. On Palm Sunday 1984 my appointment was confirmed by the membership, and I moved to Switzerland in August of that year. The Goetheanum From Cellar to Attic Moving meant a rather abrupt end to my tasks in the USA: the Anthroposophical Society and its Council, Class holders circle, Waldorf School, Branch, and my family. I can only mention a few of the many individuals who helped me. Verena Thüring, Rudolf Grosse s assistant, explained to officials in Solothurn why a woman had to come from the USA when there were many competent Swiss women. Her answer: It is an international Society and evidently that was the magic phrase. Hanna Dändliker, Manfred Schmidt-Brabant s assistant, was extremely helpful with practical matters. Waldemar Kumm showed me every hidden nook and cranny in the building, from the cellar to attic; he was always there for the Executive Council and the Goetheanum. Thanks are also owed to Johannes Staub who was always there with the car at the train station or airport waiting in winter snow, in summer storms. Werner Meyer took the arrangement of my office well into hand. Finally, my thanks to Franz Active even as an emerita: Virginia Sease Fünfschilling, the leader of the building administration at that time. Immediately after my confirmation by the members I went to the United States in July to attend a large conference. At the close of this conference, just minutes after completing a wonderful lecture, my colleague Dietrich von Asten died of a heart attack. Thus my first task as a member of the Executive Council was to attend his funeral and offer brief words of greeting on behalf the of Dornach Executive Council. My last formal task as an Executive Council member will come this evening when I speak about my colleague Sergei O. Prokofieff at our commemoration of the dead. Our assistants have been an enormous help to me in my primary work as a member of the Executive Council. First there was Katharina Wirz from Switzerland; then came Felicia Werner. Doris Bianchi, who had been Hagen Biesantz assistant, also carried responsibility for my office. Ursula Seiler was a part of our work at the very beginning of the Anthroposophical Studies in English. Rosina Schumacher was greatly appreciated throughout the English-speaking world because of her role in organizing our conferences; she died far too early in Andrea Jeserich arrived at the Goetheanum like a gift from heaven; since her arrival she has been my assistant, providing extremely competent support in all the areas I am responsible for, especially in connection with the School for Spiritual Science. All Picture: Anna Krygier

7 Anthroposophy Worldwide No. 5/15 7 the coworkers here at the Goetheanum are the face we present to the world and that is an enormous responsibility. I am very, very grateful to all of them. Configuration of the Executive Council The composition of the Executive Council has changed over these 31 years. When Gisela Reuther died two years ago, the last member of the Executive Council that called me to the Goetheanum entered the spiritual world. In these 31 years eight colleagues have crossed the threshold; our intensive daily work together shows why it is important to be sure we bridge this gap so they can continue to work with us from beyond the threshold. I worked with Friedrich Hiebel for five years on the Executive Council before his death in Jörgen Smit died in 1991, Rudolf Grosse in 1994, Hagen Biesantz in 1996, Manfred Schmidt-Brabant in 2001, Heinz Zimmermann in 2012, Gisela Reuther in 2013, and Sergei O. Prokofieff in There were also nine appointments: Heinz Zimmermann and Rolf Kerler in 1988, Paul Mackay in 1996, Sergei O. Prokofieff and Bodo von Plato in 2001, Cornelius Pietzner in 2002, Seija Zimmermann in 2006, Justus Wittich in 2012, Joan Sleigh in 2013, and Constanza Kaliks this afternoon. It is clear that the configuration of the Executive Council is always in motion. An Added Responsibility: The Section In 1987/88 a trip to Japan, Australia, New Zealand, Hawaii, and the US mainland began a new phase in my work with Manfred Schmidt-Babant there were several invitations and he wanted to meet the English-speaking Societies. Interpreters were scarce so I had to translate his lectures; I also gave my own lectures. Extensive travel continued to be a significant part of my work in the Executive Council, as it has for my colleagues. An additional phase of my work began in 1991: I led the Performing Arts Section from 1991 to 2001 with great help from Doris Bianchi. I briefly reviewed the three professional areas in the Section, eurythmy, speech, and music actually three kingdoms with little contact. I hoped to make it possible for a connecting element to stream through them; thus these areas had the same Class lesson once a year during those ten years. Each faced its own serious questions. The question for eurythmy: What impulse do we work out of? Together, we saw it was the Rosicrucian impulse, one deeply connected with the Michael School in our time. That became a theme for several world eurythmy conferences. For speech the question was more a practical one: training, and making sure the art of speech did not disappear. Music needed to survey where music is going and what its cultural task is. I hoped to bring a little order and clarity into all three realms so their creative forces could remain strong. Continued Work for the School My work with the Class holders began in the 1990 s. For example, for fifteen years I met with the Class holders from the Romance language countries to discuss their questions, including translation problems and the occult streams in each country. Heinz Zimmermann and I inaugurated an orientation program for new Class holders in 2007; today Seija Zimmermann and Johannes Kühl are also involved. A research group on the Rosicrucian Stream in the Michael School was formed within the General Section. A still-active research group considers Rudolf Steiner s esoteric work before 1914, since it belongs to the whole picture presented by Rudolf Steiner. In the US and elsewhere I often heard that it is wonderful to visit the Goetheanum, but one week of English conference in summer is not enough. Might we study anthroposophy and art for a year at the Goetheanum in English? In 2001 when the Performing Arts Section was placed into Werner Barfod s able hands I set up the Anthroposophical Studies in English. This opened opportunities for the English-speaking world. What will I do in the future? I remain in the Goetheanum Leadership with responsibility for coordinating Class holders and Class holder circles in the General Anthroposophical Section; Andrea Jeserich will work with me. Thus many tasks continue: working with the Class holders, lectures, English and German Class lessons at the Goetheanum, research groups here and in the United States, travel, and more as requested. I am looking forward to having more time for my own research finishing existing topics and starting new ones. There is no room left in my drawers or bookcases for the current materials! I will, of course, continue to fulfill requests for personal conversations, and maintain correspondence with the members. Naturally, my work with the Anthroposophical Studies in English will continue, with Joan Sleigh. Strength for Spiritual Substance Looking back at these 31 years in the Executive Council I see the challenges exoteric-esoteric work brings. I might mention just three conditions that seem essential in this exoteric-esoteric-social work, conditions the Executive Council and the Goetheanum Leadership may also bear in mind. One is to connect to what has already been accomplished where possible and right. In The Course of My Life Rudolf Steiner mentions why he connected to Freemasonry he was recognizing what had been accomplished. The second is continuity in a task. Is what was done before being valued and used where appropriate? I think continuity is a very good corrective for arbitrariness and its two potential dangers: It can easily lead to increased egotism, self-centeredness; and it can introduce chaos into what has already been done. In regard to the third condition, I view mutual agreement as the essential foundation of trust. I experience this as utterly essential in all exoteric-esoteric-social contexts because such agreement has a powerful effect. An example is the School for Spiritual Science the First Class for which Rudolf Steiner set forth very few rules not earthly, administrative rules but rules based on a more profound source. If these rules are taken up in freedom, in agreement, they become new strength not only for our anthroposophical work but for any work today. This strength brings us closer to spiritual substance. In conclusion, I want to express my gratitude to all my Executive Council colleagues present and past, to all the Section leaders and to all the members because they have opened their hearts to the possibility that anthroposophy can find a home on the earth. And, of course, I feel an enormous gratitude one shared by all of us toward Rudolf Steiner and anthroposophy; they have brought us together here so that we can know one another. Virginia Sease, Goetheanum Executive Council emerita

8 8 Anthroposophy Worldwide No. 5/15 Anthroposophical Society Executive Council at the Goetheanum: new member Constanza Kaliks Starting with life as it is Constanza Kaliks is the first South-American member of the Executive Council, but her grand-parents came from Europe. She was confirmed with a great majority, four votes against and five abstentions. Her address, which she delivered freely, is documented here in a slightly edited form. My grandparents are from Odessa, Moscow and Lithuania. They had to flee from the Russian Revolution and ended up on the coast of Chile. I spent most of my life in Sao Paolo where I went to the Waldorf School and where I studied mathematics. We started a family and we have two children. I met anthroposophy during a youth conference with Jörgen Smit in Brazil. Our present treasurer Justus Wittich was also there at the time I helped with the conference organization behind the scenes and heard Jörgen Smit s lectures. As you see, my connection with the Youth Section goes back a long time. When I had finished studying I attended the teacher training in Dornach with Heinz Zimmermann. I was deeply impressed with the way he spoke of Rudolf Steiner s Foundations of Human Experience (The Study of Man). When I was 24 I became a Steiner teacher and I got married. I am still married now but because of my decision to come to the Goetheanum I am no longer working as a Waldorf teacher. While I was teaching at the school, I also taught in teacher training in Sao Paolo. Sugary biscuits and smog I would like to speak about life in a big city like Sao Paolo and about how strongly we are all shaped by the surroundings we grow up in. Because these influences affect the way we deal with questions of knowledge. Because of the shortness of time, I would like to give you two simple and undramatic examples. The first example: I was guardian of class 9. The students had just had a chemistry main lesson about sugar and the chemistry teacher had also spoken about nutrition: that sugar was unhealthy for the human organism if one ate too much of it and when it s been processed badly. He referred in particular to the kind of filled biscuits that are very popular in Brazil and to a yellow lemonade that consists basically only of sugar. At that time the class and I were also The reality of knowledge: Constanza Kaliks Picture: Anna Krygier involved in a social project: the students were to play with children in the poor parts of town when their parents were not at home because they had to work. We went there by coach and because we got lost we only arrived there after a three-hour drive, hungry and thirsty. The teacher there was pleased to be able to offer us refreshments. You need to know that the state schools in Brazil are not at all well off. There are meals for the students, however (which is the reason why some parents send their children to school). Eating together is also a social event. Their teacher said cheerfully, Good! You are just in time. Come and eat with us. And what do you think they offered us: the same biscuits that the chemistry teacher had warned the students against There just were no biodynamic carrots. And the children at that school were so pleased that they could offer us something. This is the reality of life in such a city, even if it had been better and nicer if the students had been given other food you live with what there is; it s the reality. The other example: young teachers often earn very little in state schools in Brazil and can hardly survive on their salaries. They therefore often work in two or even three schools. This is possible because there are morning schools, day schools and also evening schools for young people who have to work during the day. I offered further training courses in maths on weekends, about what you can do with functions, about rhythms and the stars. One of the teachers said, Where I live there is so much smog in the air that you can t see any stars. Wishful within reason After fifteen years at the school I decided to go back to university where I took an MA in educational sciences, with a thesis on Nicholas of Cusa ( Cusanus ), his concept of learned ignorance and its meaning for education. I had come across Cusa through Rudolf Steiner, and Cusa s work enhanced my understanding of Rudolf Steiner. I then completed a doctorate, also on Cusa, but this time on other concepts that are inspiring when it comes to questions of knowledge, and also with a view to the challenges we meet in education now. The main focus today is placed on the value of knowledge: what does knowledge of the world and of the human being mean in a society that can constantly update its information through the media? One of the main questions for me has always been: How does knowledge, or the urge for knowledge, relate to life? This question is closely connected with the work of the teacher, for why should a class ten student want to learn maths? What do I need to address in my students so that they experience the close relationship between a mathematical issue and themselves? This big concern lets me say yes to my work at the Goetheanum as leader of the Youth Section since 2012 and from this year also as a member of the Executive Council because the Anthroposophical Society takes the potential of knowledge so seriously that it is existential for this society. A path of knowledge gives us a glimpse of reality according to the actual possibilities of each individual, their constitution, environment and background. One person alone cannot attain comprehensive knowledge; it needs a community for this, such as the Anthroposophical Society. The seeking for knowledge of the whole reality can then become a joint undertaking a knowledge that is closely connected with the will to work, the sense of being one with the world and the possibilities for transformation. (Warm applause) Constanza Kaliks, Goetheanum Sebastian

9 Anthroposophy Worldwide No. 5/15 9 Anthroposophical Society South Africa: delegate Wilfried Bohm I see the Goetheanum as a contemporary Wilfried Bohm, who was born in Namibia, has been the new country representative for South Africa since March After school he studied architecture in Germany, England and Scotland. He met anthroposophy whilst teaching German at an English Waldorf School. With his wife Tine he has three adult children. Jüngel: What is South Africa? Wilfried Bohm: South Africa is a country of great diversity and contrasts: its landscape and climate range from desert through dry savannah to rain forests and Mediterranean climate, and as a result of the country s history its population includes the indigenous Khoisan population and the great majority of black peoples, as well as the settlers who arrived from Europe. In the seventeenth and eighteenth centuries, Malays were taken here as slaves, bringing Islam with them. In the nineteenth century indented labourers were brought from India and settled on the East coast. There are eleven national languages in South Africa; English is the lingua franca in the economic and political life. The country s variety has grown even more in recent years because of the political and economic refugees who arrived from the Congo, Somalia, Ruanda and Zimbabwe and elsewhere. In a way, South Africa could be seen as a first world country, but large parts of it are still developing regions. The gaps are wide here. Our country has the world s widest gulf between rich and poor populations. Overcoming this is an important task for us. Generosity and forgiveness Jüngel: Europe shares the same time zone(s) as Africa. Is this noticeable? Bohm: I see Africa, like Europe, as a region in the middle between East and West, a region of the heart, of social possibilities. Nelson Mandela has shown us how to be generous and forgiving and in doing so he has created a space of freedom that wants to be further developed: how do I promote and respect the dignity of the other person? Jüngel: What are the colours of South Africa? Bohm: All colours, really. Desmond Tutu, the former archbishop of Cape Town, spoke of God s rainbow nation. He was referring as much to the rainbow of the Old Testament, which was a sign of the heaven s covenant with life on earth (of a great hope), as to the immense diversity among us. The liberation movement brought the colours black, green and gold; the colonial history contributed blue, white and red. These six colours are Promoting and respecting the dignity of the other person: Wilfried Bohm united in the national flag, which makes our flag the most colourful. Jüngel: How did anthroposophy come to your country? Bohm: This is being researched right now. We found that many pioneers came from the Netherlands; Frederik Willem Zeylmans van Emmichoven died whilst visiting Cape Town and his ashes were taken to Table Mountain. The Camphill impulse arrived in the country following a request to Karl König by Mary Redman, who had a son with disabilities. With just over 200 members we are still one of the smaller country societies, but we look back on sixty years of intense anthroposophical activity. Being aware of the individual Jüngel: What is particular about anthroposophy in South Africa? Bohm: It is the commitment to the human being in connection with the social tasks in this country. Especially in the last twenty years, many Waldorf schools were founded, bio-dynamic farming is expanding and more and more people are getting involved in the informal shack settlements (squatter camps). While the Anthroposophical Society is still rooted in the white population, Waldorf schools and kindergartens are now carried by all population groups. Jüngel: How can the anthroposophical work in South Africa enrich the General Anthroposophical Society? Bohm: I m thinking of the country s capacity for encounter. If I walk through Cape Town, I can and will not simply walk past people. Every time I ask myself: Who are you? Where Picture: Michèle Melzer do you stand? What am I to you (can you accept me as a white person, for instance), and what are you to me? This sounds easier than it is; we older ones (on all sides) were brought up, after all, under apartheid and we were taught to focus on what others look like. That sits deep. It is no longer like that for our children. Jüngel: How does the Goetheanum live in your country? Bohm: Only a few people manage to travel to the Goetheanum for professional conferences. But it is still very much present in South Africa. The relationship with anthroposophy outside our country is strongest with the Goetheanum. We are grateful when people come over to work with us. Jüngel: What image do people have of the Goetheanum? Bohm: There are various images, also of the building as such. We have studied the forms of the First Goetheanum, even as a nearsacred space. It seems like an ideal that had connected itself with the earth, but that perhaps was not entirely fit for the earth? I see the Second Goetheanum as a contemporary, a wonderful challenge. Between the West and Asia Jüngel: What have you decided to do? Bohm: What I would like most of all is for impulses to travel increasingly to and fro between the Goetheanum and South Africa, so that the work in South Africa can also be re-enlivened. I also look at Africa as a whole continent. In many African countries there are initiatives that have a connection with Europe because Europe provides funding and ideas. We in South Africa should foster relationships with these initiatives. A further particular concern is to discover what the regions around the Indian Ocean mean for the earth. Most of our coastline faces the Indian Ocean. The Atlantic Ocean connects America and Europe and, especially in the twentieth century, great power and important impulses radiated out from there. In the twenty-first century the weight seems to shift more to the Pacific, which connects East Asia and America. The regions bordering on the Indian Ocean lie between these two, some shaken by deep conflict, others still in a dreamlike state. But there are cultures and relationships here that can inspire new developments and hopefully also balancing forces! We are therefore keen to connect with the anthroposophical initiatives in these regions. ó

10 10 Anthroposophy Worldwide No. 5/15 anthroposophy worldwide Chile: Waldorf project Entorno Educador Visible, meaningful work In 2011 a group of people, supported by Peter Guttenhöfer, founded the project Entorno Educador in Concepción in Chile. Their aim was to make the work people do more visible for children. The project has already proved influential, inspiring others to consider a pedagogical approach that is based on practical activity. Today, a child growing up in our city rarely sees an adult doing work. What? But surely we all work hard, so hard we barely have time to see our children? Perhaps, but our working world today is kept separate from the child. We leave the house in the morning and return late in the evening; the child has no living experience of what we do in all that time in between. Our work is not visible to them. Or we sit for hours, moving our hands across a keyboard or speaking into a mobile phone; we push clothes into a machine and press a button; we nip to the supermarket to buy our supper what shaping, what transformation is visible to the child? None. In school, things are no better. The teacher stands before the class and talks of all she knows; the overloaded curriculum gives her no time to garden, knit or even sweep the floor. Children today, both in the city and in the increasingly industrialised countryside, grow up with almost no direct experience of an adult doing work that is visible and hence meaningful to them. And then we complain that young people today do not know how to work like previous generations! Our environment educates us In 2011, under the guidance of Peter Guttenhöfer, long-time Waldorf teacher and teacher-trainer, a new educational impulse began to awaken within a small group of families here in Concepción; new, or perhaps really very old. An impulse firmly rooted in the ideas of Waldorf education, but freed from the conventions and limitations of a school structure. We wished to create a space for our children to grow and learn. Ah, you mean a school, we were told. But what is school? we asked ourselves. School is the conscious separation of childhood learning from adult work; it is a preparation for the world, apart from the world. What we wanted was to create an entorno educador, an environment out of which our mutual education could arise, a place where families could come together to work visibly and meaningfully in their environment, each individual making their unique contribution to the community as a whole: a Pedagogy of Doing. Working adults But what about maths and language, history and science? The children will never learn all this if they are just gardening! Just gardening. To work the land deeply and meaningfully is not simply to produce healthy vegetables or pretty flowers. It is to learn to perceive and enter in communion with the cycles of the moon, the growth of leaves, the movement of the stars; number is everywhere, waiting to be revealed. And then we must also practise more mundane mathematics, such as measuring areas, calculating yields, dividing up the produce. Language too writing and reading, poetry and prose arise easily from our daily tasks, our observations of the changing seasons, the miraculous awakening of each tiny seed. And as we pause for rest from the heat of the sun, there is time for a story: a folktale, myth or historical account, depending on the ages of the children around us. As for science this is far easier to practise in a garden than shut inside a classroom! And then of course there must also be singing and dancing, moments where all the community comes together to celebrate and give thanks. And so on. In a school, the task of the adult is to teach her class. This work is only meaningful if the children are present; without the children, whatever would the teacher do there? In order to teach anything at all, it must be prepared, staged even, by the teacher to ensure that learning arises in the children. Even in a Waldorf school, where the teacher-child relationship is seen as the heart of any learning process, the class teacher is obliged to meet the child with idle hands she cannot dedicate much time to growing vegetables or knitting blankets or weaving baskets, for she has a main lesson to prepare! In the Entorno Educador, we were seeking to turn this inside-out: to place the adult carrying out meaningful work in the world at the centre of the learning experience. The children would meet us in active work and all learning would arise from this relationship: learning not separate from but rather immersed in the life of work. Being active learning skills: Listening to the earth All very well in theory, but we soon realised we had very little notion of what we meant by meaningful work. Was it something we found personally gratifying? So we each chose to plant flowers, write poetry or bake biscuits while the toilets cried out to be cleaned. Was it any task that could prove educational to our children? So we drew charming botanical drawings together while outside the window the laden boughs of the apple tree groaned for want of pruning. Over the first couple of years the realisation slowly dawned in each of us that our work does not become meaningful simply because it makes us feel good about ourselves, or because it is deemed useful for our children. Work becomes meaningful when we act in communion with what this place and these people need of us here and now, not in some idealised vision of a perfect future. First, I need to learn to hear the voices of my environment human and natural and to seek to understand what they are really saying. Then I need to place myself - my hands, head and heart - in their service. For our little group of families it quickly became clear that very few of us knew how to even begin to work with any depth and meaning. So we needed to seek help. But from whom? The art of listening deeply to the land is practised by very few perhaps only a handful of biodynamic and organic farmers who have not been swayed by the tempting promises of pharmaceutical companies and mass-production. Also craftsmen and women weavers who followed their art from sheep to loom, basket-makers who collected their reeds from the wetlands now drained to make way Fotos: z.v.g.

11 Anthroposophy Worldwide No. 5/15 11 school of spiritual science Handwork in the Etorno Educador project for housing developments, woodworkers who gathered their materials from the long-vanished native woodlands; potters digging clay from the riverbanks and shaping each piece by hand. Emerging micro-schools And the art of listening to the child? This has been consciously and carefully cultivated this last century by Waldorf teachers another all-too-rare breed! Since our Entorno Educador first began in 2011, Peter Guttenhöfer has continued to work with us here in Concepción every February. Over these last four years, an astonishing number of new Waldorf-inspired micro-schools and entornos have started up in the south of Chile, with new ones arising every year. Many of these have been participating in our annual Pedagogy of Doing meetings in Concepción. These are tiny initiatives, seeking the depth of seeing that Steiner shared with us, but increasingly questioning the conventional school structure and instead envisioning an interwoven network of working-learning communities. This February, in the San Francisco de Limache Waldorf School, near the capital city of Santiago, we celebrated our first meeting between farmers and teachers. In the same month, a week long congress took place in Brazil, in the Aitara Escola Waldorf in Botucatù, with some 130 participants and a number of speakers, including Peter Guttenhöfer and with Ute Craemer (from the Monte Azul Community Association, Sao Paolo) sharing her experience in the art of community building. It is to be hoped that in Chile and Brazil this impulse will continue to take root and spread throughout Latin America. Joanna Coghill, Concepción (CL) General Anthroposophical Section: Class work in Sekem (EG) Regular communal activities When Sekem was founded in 1978 its material situation was challenging, but spiritual study was deliberately integrated into the work schedule from the beginning. Without the search for spiritual deepening there would be no Sekem initiative. The spiritual work of those who carry Sekem continues to be the source that keeps this initiative alive. On six days of the week we meet at 6.30 in the morning in order to discuss, knead, work on, illuminate and explore the most diverse topics for half an hour. Guest lecturers bring additional enrichment to the community. Members of the First Class of the School of Spiritual Science have always been among them, especially its founder Ibrahim Abouleish and his friend Hans Werner. But it took some years before the class work grew to be a regular communal endeavour. For some years now, people have been meeting weekly in order to work with Ibrahim Abouleish on the class lessons. Elke and Broder von Laue have been accompanying the Sekem Initiative almost from the beginning the connection was established in 1981 through Elfriede and Hans Werner. After more than thirty years, the class work with Broder von Laue began. The time was right, obviously. The first proposal to work together at this deeper level arose as a result of Ibrahim Abouleish s invitation, and the initial doubts that the one or other may have harboured much valuable time was, after all, taken from the work that was constantly calling were dispersed at the very first meeting, making place for the conviction that something crucial was happening during these gatherings. Guidance and freedom Without making particular arrangements we came together and the seed fell on fertile soil. A group of ten people agreed to meet twice a year for a weekend to work on the class lessons. The weekly class meetings continue as well, framed by intensive weekends with Broder von Laue. This shared work has no fixed structure and gives space to span a wide range of topics; it is supported and accompanied by Broder von Laue, who has worked for many years intensively with the class lessons together with Hans Werner and Ibrahim Abouleish and who gives guidance whilst leaving people free at the same time. Also a generational question After 35 years the third generation is beginning to take responsibility, but the first two generations are still fully involved. The class work is so far carried by the two older generations, and when I look back I really see how we have gradually grown and matured (I belong to the second generation). I was also given enough time until I knew that I was embedded in the class work in a healthy and natural way. It is vital for the future growth of the Sekem initiative that the shared work on the class lessons continues, next to all the other tasks, and that it can metamorphose a wonderful and inspiring development! Should your path ever lead you to our Sekem Farm (you are warmly invited!), you will always be welcome in this circle should you have the wish to work on this spiritual aspect of life. Konstanze E. Abouleish, Cairo (EG)

12 12 Anthroposophy Worldwide No. 5/15 Anthroposophical Society Czech Republic: Graduation performance of part-time eurythmy training Eurythmea Hosted by the Christian Community The part-time eurythmy training Eurythmea, which started in February 2010 and was mentored by the Nuremberg Eurythmy School, will end this summer after five years and five months: seventeen students will graduate with a programme of public performances in Germany and the Czech Republic. Taking responsibility: students of the part-time eurythmy training Eurythmea When the previous training project for eurythmy teachers in the Czech Republic came to an end in the autumn of 2007, my colleague Hana Giteva and the stage group Theodora did such convincing work in the Czech Republic that groups of interested people formed in various cities and began the preparations for a parttime training. Strong women The strongest impulse came from Ostrava, from Anastazie Peskova to be precise. She got to know and love eurythmy due to the work of Hana Giteva and gathered a group of strong women around her who were keen to train. They are all connected with the Waldorf School there. Similar groups formed at the same time in Písek, Budejovice and Prague. In February 2009 the eurythmy school in Nuremberg (DE) and I were asked to support the new initiative and we were more than happy to comply. From the beginning, we were in conversation with the leader of the Performing Arts Section at the Goetheanum, Margrethe Solstad, and together we worked out the criteria for the training initiative based on the guidelines of the training association. On 20 February 2010 the training course started with 39 students in the new premises of the Anthroposophical Society in Prague. Public graduation Together with our colleagues in Prague, Antje Heinrich from the Eurythmy School in Nuremberg and I looked after the groups: Hana Giteva travelled to Ostrava or Písek every week to teach there, while Hana Mandlikova and Daniela Petrova taught in Prague. Once every month all the students met in Prague. Each study year finished with a two-week intensive course in Králíky in Eastern Moravia. In recent years practice times have been increased in the various places, the two Prague groups have merged into one, the joint weekends have been extended by one day and they are now also being held in alternating places. Each term ends with a public performance, either in a theatre or in another public venue. What is special about this course is that some students, with our assistance, already teach eurythmy in Waldorf schools. They are trained teachers and most of them also have an additional qualification from the Waldorf teacher training there. The training is, of course, quite different from a full-time course. Much is left to the responsibility of the individual students, which is an incentive, while other aspects such as speech work with a Czech speech artist are sorely missed. Antje Heinrich and I travelled regularly to the Czech Republic, but every year a larger group of the Czech students came to Nuremberg and participated in various lesson blocks. One of the highlights was the visit in 2014, when all seventeen students joined the German-Czech coproduction Eurythmy Builds Bridges. Together with the Eurythmy Stage Group in Nuremberg we organized a performance, sponsored by the German-Czech Future Fund, which was well-attended and wellreceived. Seventeen students managed to complete this long training period. The soul in the cycle of the year At present we are in the process of preparing for the graduation performances. We have worked out many solo pieces in speech and tone eurythmy, based on our own forms or on the standard forms given by Rudolf Steiner. The group pieces are taken from the Czech and German culture. The working title is The life of the soul in the cycle of the year. The Christian Community in Prague in particular the priests and their wives (Mr and Mrs Peschel, Horak and Boněk) and Karel Dolista, the good spirit of the house, as well as many other helpers in the congregation have worked hard over the years to make it possible for us to practice in the chapel and show our end-of-term presentations there, and they have allowed the eurythmy students and teachers to sleep there and create rather unusual situations. Again and again they bore with us and put up with the whole eurythmy chaos without ever complaining. Such a cultured surrounding was very valuable for our sensitive art. If one has not experienced it, one can hardly imagine what it is like to do eurythmy in a space that sees the daily celebration of the Act of Consecration of Man. Angelika Storch, Nuremberg Eurythmy School (DE)

13 Anthroposophy Worldwide No. 5/15 13 school of spiritual science Section for Social Sciences: Newsletter and professional development Valuable information on current developments Since 2013 the Section for Social Sciences has been publishing a monthly newsletter, keeping its readers abreast of current developments and themes. Since last January the newsletter is also available in English. The Section is moreover experimenting with film as a medium for advertising the next series of further training courses. So far, the Section Newsletter has kept German-speaking readers informed about news, initiatives and events in economics, society and culture. It looks at social and societal questions from many different angles and relates them to anthroposophical concerns, drawing from the international press, renowned specialist journals and anthroposophical publications. The newsletter is integrated into the recently redesigned section website which constitutes a bilingual portal on global economic, cultural and political developments that is updated on a daily basis. Expanded and in English Since January 2015, the scope of the Newsletter has been widened: the aim is to provide those active in the social fields of anthroposophical work with news on what s going on elsewhere, help them connect, and assist in lending greater visibility to their ideas and projects. The Research and Recommended Reading sections are addressed at people who are interested in scientific topics. Since the beginning of the year the Newsletter is also published in English. Interest in a modern, realistic approach to social questions from the anthroposophical point of view is growing and the newsletter now reaches more than 2000 readers. Each newsletter issue includes an extended editorial on a current theme, news from the Section at the Goetheanum as well as references to global initiatives, current news and events. The publication presents contents from both anthroposophical sources and independent sources that are of relevance for anthroposophical work. Active readers worldwide are invited to regularly submit news, initiatives and events for publication (see below for contacts). Bijan Kafi, Berlin (DE) Holding the reins firmly rather than go under: Gerald Häfner in the promotional film Promotional film The Section makes use of a 2.5 minute film to call attention to a new series of professional development courses in 2015 and 2016: Social Art Experience and Practice. Goetheanum visitors and staff were surprised when they found Jesse Osmer blocking the south staircase for half an hour with his camera, filming the lecturers of the various training modules as they commented on their work. Gerald Häfner asked about the ideal structure of a democratic society, Friedrich Glasl spoke of conflict as a chance for redeeming one s own and other people s shadow sides, and Joachim Ziegler was interested in how a productive, social structure can grow from the questions and faculties of individuals. Accompanied by a funky tune the film presents images of the Goetheanum. Franziska von Nell, faculty member at the Section for Social Sciences Newsletter Editor: Bijan Kafi, office@bijankafi.de Section: Seraina Seyffer, sektion.sozialwissenschaften@goetheanum.ch Subscribtions (English): sozial.goetheanum.org/4444.html?&l=1 Subscribtions (German): sozial.goetheanum.org/4444.html Facebook: facebook.com/sswgoetheanum Twitter: twitter.com/sswgoetheanum Film youtu.be/dpk21dpmeau DAS GOETHEANUM WOCHENSCHRIFT FÜR ANTHROPOSOPHIE The German-Language Weekly The World of Anthroposophy Now in Color I would like to subscribe to Das Goetheanum One year 130 Name Address (Including postal code) Country Date Signature Please send to: Wochenschrift Das Goetheanum P.O. Box, 4143 Dornach, Switzerland Fax

14 14 Anthroposophy Worldwide No. 5/15 forum Anthroposophical Society To the appeal for a special donation and the finance report published in Anthroposophy Worldwide 3-4/2015 I just finished reading this issue, and boy! I m truly concerned! How is it possible to put all that attention in money issues as the world is day by day nearer a HUGE artificial conflict between USA (led by their government) plus their partner, and Russia, that could easily lead to WW3 if it keeps worsening? [Not a single word about this as the drums are drumming. Man!] There is really a lot to know and understand about what is going on out there! Where is humanity being led to? And I am not talking about war, I m talking about culture! I really think you should start improving Weleda enterprises and probably start another business, maybe related to agriculture, which is a MOST important topic these days and implies great amounts of revenues to solve your money issues. [You shouldn t be wasting time thinking of those kinds of troubles; they need solving quickly!] So you can start worrying about what really concerns the whole of humanity: The amazing force of expansion that materialism through to the economic world are taking these days. Step by step humanity is being thrown to a really, really bad place and you shouldn t walk through this worrying about your pocket and dreaming about the beauties of Anthroposophy. Yours (the Goetheanum s), is a most important task, please start placing in the centre of your considerations the huge problems that the world is facing right now, because they re way too many and way too big! [You shouldn t be isolated from what is going on out there, and] please start to impart these kinds of considerations to the whole anthroposophical community worldwide. Nicolas Salvador Olmos, Curacaví (CL) 3 September 1941 to 6 March 2015 Siegrun A. Price Siegrun was born on 3 September 1941, in Plöhnen, East Prussia. Her family fled south to Olbersdorf, near Dresden, two years later, to avoid the advancing Russian army. She grew up in what became East Germany. Her family then escaped to the west on the very last train out of East Berlin. In 1961, she was led to the Camphill Homes in Aberdeen, Scotland, where she trained under Dr Karl König. She was so inspired at what she received that she immediately became a member of the Anthroposophical Society. When she returned to Germany, she came into contact with Waldorf education, and soon afterwards became a trained Waldorf Class Teacher in England, together with her husband Colin, whom she met on the same course. In 1980, she and her family emigrated to Canada, where she continued her professional Waldorf teaching career. During these years, she became a member of the First Class, and also of the Pedagogical Section. Her last five years were spent suffering increasingly from Parkinson s disease and dementia, and she passed across the threshold on 6 March, in the early hours of the morning, with great relief. 25 July 1927 to 4 March 2015 Ruth Mosimann Ruth Mosimann seemed to create a mood of dawn around her on her earthly path, particularly in the 25 years of her active and productive involvement in Israel. In 1965, she went to visit a colleague from Ravenswood in her home in Haifa, intending to stay with her for three weeks. When she visited Shaar-Menashe, a home where 250 people with disabilities lived in unimaginable circumstances, children came to her and said, Are you a teacher? Can we learn from you? Please stay with us! She stayed for three years. The leader of this institution, who had heard Rudolf Steiner lecture in Frankfurt (DE), was more than pleased to have a trained special needs teacher by his side. Guided by the Sun Being Thanks to the initiative and help from the anthroposophical friends in Jerusalem Raja Kern, Hana Aronstam, Eva and Michael Levy she was able to found the first home, Beth Eliyahu, in Be er Sheva in She prayed that God may give her a heart overflowing with love for our children. And she knew from the start that the Sun Being itself, the light of the world, alone can be my guide. She started her work with eighteen children from thirteen nations. Ten years later, the ministry for social affairs realized that Beth Eliyahu was the best home in Israel, a shining example to all others. In 1997 she was included in Israel s Golden Book in gratitude for her eminent achievements in support of people with disabilities. She could hardly believe that her name was mentioned alongside that of Theodor Herzl such a distinction for little Ruth from Port! It is equally hard to believe the number of initiatives that have grown out of her initial one since: more than a hundred Waldorf kindergartens, twelve Rudolf Steiner Schools, as well as training centres for teachers, eurythmists, speech artists, biodynamic farmers a healthy cultural impulse that has become an integral part of the country, bridging its political and religious divides. Her legacy in this country is experienced like a real mood of dawn. Kindergarten and special needs teacher Ruth Mosimann was born on 25 July 1927 in the Swiss town of Port and grew up with two sisters. She trained as a kindergarten teacher because she loved children. After a few years of kindergarten work she wanted to work abroad, ideally in Greece. But she only received an offer from Great Britain and so went to Ravenswood in 1955 in order to train as a special needs teacher under the gifted curative teacher Fried Geuter. The home there belonged to the Jewish Association. There she learned about anthroposophical curative education. Ten years of fruitful learning and working followed, interrupted only when she contracted tuberculosis, an illness from which she was able to recover in Heiligenschwendi near Bern (CH). Back in Ravenswood, after the death of Fried Geuter, the home came under orthodox

15 Anthroposophy Worldwide No. 5/15 15 We have been informed that the following 72 members have crossed the threshold of death. In their remembrance we are providing this information for their friends. The Membership Office at the Goetheanum Inger von Braun Göteborg (SE) 6. Mai 2013 Elisabeth Anders Borchen (DE) 17. Februar 2015 Paulette Gay Peron (FR) 8. Juli 2013 Christine Torres Benodet (FR) 19. Februar 2015 Irma Stråge Stockholm (SE) 14. August 2013 Susanne Röder Wuppertal (DE) 21. Februar 2015 Isolde Haas Stuttgart (DE) 12. September 2013 Günter von Bremen Bremen (DE) 23. Februar 2015 Randie Remland Göteborg (SE) 26. November 2013 Herr H. W. Groot Driebergen (NL) 23. Februar 2015 Karl Schultz Gnesta (SE) 28. Dezember 2013 Lily Zimmermann Basel (CH) 23. Februar 2015 Margot Jakobsson Huddinge (SE) 4. Januar 2014 Uwe Jost Hamburg (DE) 27. Februar 2015 Lore Wilser Bielefeld (DE) 20. Februar 2014 Ruth Mosimann Port (CH) 4. März 2015 Margarete Stenström Stockholm (SE) 3. April 2014 Addick Land Oosterbeek (NL) 6. März 2015 Gerda Thalhammer Wien (AT) 2. Juni 2014 Siegrun A. Price Duncan (CA) 6. März 2015 Berthild Lohrer Tübingen (DE) 17. August 2014 Gertrude Alscher Wien (AT) 7. März 2015 Christhild Smits Borchen (DE) 28. August 2014 Irma Burlet Hombrechtikon (CH) 9. März 2015 Otfried Plass Gerabronn (DE) 29. August 2014 Samir Kedwani Schwäbisch Gmünd (DE) 11. März 2015 Erika Yauschew Hamburg (DE) 31. August 2014 Hildegard Farfsing Kaiserslautern (DE) 13. März 2015 Wendelin Lang Gaggenau (DE) 11. Oktober 2014 Emmie Göbel Niefern-Öschelbronn (DE) 14. März 2015 Käthe Spies Remscheid (DE) im November 2014 Pieter M. H. C. Houtermans Ravensburg (DE) 14. März 2015 Marcel Halmagean Innsbruck (AT) 5. Dezember 2014 Frau H. Nijkerk Driebergen (NL) 14. März 2015 Jutta Kraus Niefern-Öschelbronn (DE) 9. Dez Wolodymyr Kotschetkow Kiev (UA) 15. März 2015 Maria Repp Düsseldorf (DE) 9. Dezember 2014 Joan Marcus Stourbridge (GB) 15. März 2015 Roland Neff Arlesheim (CH) 19. Dezember 2014 Johannes Heiland Berlin (DE) 19. März 2015 Dotschka Dontscheva Stara Sagora (BG) im Jahr 2014 Charlotte Schott Wuppertal (DE) 19. März 2015 Radovan Subotić Zagreb (HR) im Jahr 2014 Gert Schuckmann Dornach (CH) 21. März 2015 Johanna Baron Den Haag (NL) 5. Januar 2015 Barbara Becker Berlin (DE) 22. März 2015 Anita Reuther Hof (DE) 5. Januar 2015 Martha Soppa Stuttgart (DE) 25. März 2015 Annemarie Keller Stuttgart (DE) 9. Januar 2015 Reinhard Wagener Alfter (DE) 25. März 2015 Godfrey Smith Castle Douglas (GB) 12. Januar 2015 Inge Mengelberg Mannheim (DE) 27. März 2015 Alfred Beuttenmüller Dürnau (DE) 14. Januar 2015 Marisa Pfluger Dornach (CH) 28. März 2015 Jochen Vogt Dortmund (DE) 27. Januar 2015 Marianne Frick St. Louis (FR) 29. März 2015 Henrique Pereira dos Santos Porto Alegre-RS (BR) 30. Januar 2015 Kurt-Reinhard Rohner Nidau (CH) 31. März 2015 Mary Duyvendak Amsterdam (NL) 31. Januar 2015 Nick Thomas Kings Langley (GB) 1. April 2015 Platon Pawlow Moskau (RU) 3. Februar 2015 Sonja Bühlmann Walkringen (CH) 3. April 2015 Norbert Edelkötter Hamm (DE) 6. Februar 2015 Renate Moritz Fürth (DE) 3. April 2015 Dominique Gras Thiais (FR) 8. Februar 2015 Margit Engel Niefern-Öschelbronn (DE) 9. April 2015 Anneliese Schenk Pirmasens (DE) 15. Februar 2015 Miljenka Castle London (GB) im Jahr 2015 Věra Bednářová Praha (CZ) 16. Februar 2015 Carmine Tommasini Trieste (IT) im Jahr 2015 Horst Plath Hamburg (DE) 16. Februar 2015 Deborah Woodward Duffield (GB) im Jahr 2015 From 4 March to 13 April 2015 the Society welcomed 121 new members. 118 are no longer registered as members (resignations, lost, and corrections by country Societies). leadership again and it was no longer possible to work as before. The invitation to spend a holiday in Israel arrived just at the right time like a call from that country to come and sow new sun-like seeds there. There were also shadowy sides in those 25 years: the political and religious conflicts and wars and the fears surrounding them often left her feeling depleted, also financially, not knowing how things would go on. But one feeling always stayed with her a feeling inspired by the words of Heinrich Pestalozzi, I need to, want to and will do it and I believe in it. [And she always managed, also thanks to her wonderful, committed colleagues.] In 1990, when she was already quite exhausted, she was able to hand over her responsibilities, knowing that everything was in good hands, and she returned to Switzerland. Always with the children Out of the children s home she had founded grew the first adult village community for social therapy in 1981: Kfar Rafael. The following lines reached us from there, [ ] Like Ruth from the Book of Ruth she made her way to a foreign country with a foreign language, where she was a foreigner. A country which at the time, in the 1960s, was hardly developed. In spite of obstacles and struggles, she planted the seed of anthroposophical curative education in Israel through her work in Beth Eliyahu, from which Kfar Rafael has also grown. One can hardly imagine how much strength and endurance she had to muster in order to lead this children s home singlehandedly under the conditions prevailing at that time. But even when she had long returned to Switzerland, she always thought of her beloved children who live in the kfar today. To her last days she was in contact with them and with us, through letters, phone calls, presents, fundraising activities. [ ] Her light radiated out into the children and parents. [ ] When I visited Beth Eliyahu in those days I always felt: when she is there, she awakens the children s sun forces within them. [Rudolf Steiner s words were always tangible, O Light Divine, O Sun of Christ, warm our hearts, enlighten our heads, that good may become what from our hearts we would found and from our heads direct with single purpose. ] Rolf Herzog, Basel (CH)

16 16 Anthroposophy Worldwide No. 5/15 Feature Exhibition: A Hundred Years of Anthroposophical Art Constellation Aenigma On 19 March the exhibition Aenigma. A Hundred Years of Anthroposophical Art opened with a festive act at the Museum of Modern Art in Olomouc (CZ). The Song of the Guard from Victor Ullmann s sacred festival drama The Fall of the Antichrist also resounded at this occasion. Ullmann s opera is based on the eponymous play by Albert Steffen. Individual pieces and whole furnished rooms: the exhibition Aenigma This exhibition evokes reverence. When I stepped into the exhibition rooms in the company of other people I noticed how I immediately crossed my arms over my heart never before had I sensed such intense spirituality in an exhibition. This exhibition, curated by David Voda (Olomouc) and Reinhold Fäth (Apolda), presents the work of over a hundred artists from seven European countries, offering the first and most comprehensive insight worldwide into anthroposophical art. Honestly and without reservations The exhibition, which was put together in the most difficult conditions and even at great existential risk, shows anthroposophical art honestly and without reservations. In presenting the richness and diversity of this art in a way that has never been seen before it breaks a taboo: it reveals a reality of artistic activity that has so far been hidden, ignored and trivialized all over the world by academic art historians as much as by the Anthroposophical Society itself. Like the anthroposophical artists group Aenigma (which was founded in 1918 and existed after the Second World War, from 1975 to 1986, in a metamorphosed form as Aenigma. Basel Gallery of the Arts Section at the Goetheanum ) this exhibition wants to present to the world works of art that were inspired by studies of Rudolf Steiner s anthroposophy. It is therefore justified in linking its name with that group: Aenigma meaning riddle, mystery. Joint as individuals The whole range of artistic techniques is represented, from painting to graphics, from mosaics to glass art and jewellery, from furniture to sculptures. As you enter the exhibition architecture, colourfully lazured by Andrea and Christian Hitsch, you step into fully furnished rooms: the room of the spiritual scientist, for instance, or a child s room, a blue colour chamber (with a chair in front of Henni Geck s painting The Human Being in Spirit ), but also a set of six Kayser armchairs and a table. And with every step forward you sense the artists spiritual and existential wrestling. Many of these artists, who had to work in the underground, always risking their lives, will have been unknown before this exhibition: Their work includes the extraordinary silk embroideries or the posters for eurythmy performances by Hilde Pollak-Kotányi; or Rudolf Michalik s oil painting The Sower which shows a farmer with an empty seed bowl, with Death walking next to him, and a figure of light that points Death the other way. It is difficult to single out individual artists, because their creative wrestling with anthroposophy connects them all on their individual paths. It is amazing that this wealth of artistic work has been kept hidden for such a long time; what is even more amazing, however, is how each of the artists has found his or her way to the spirit. It is known that the Polish painter Stanislas Stückgold looked into the starry heavens, reciting Hebrew psalms, until the stars vanished and he was able to see what he would later paint. Wishing for a permanent place As David Voda emphasized at the opening, this exhibition reveals a hidden central-european cultural impulse whose dimensions we are only beginning to understand; an impulse that was persecuted and banned in various parts of Central Europe (National Socialism, GDR, Soviet Union). The director of the Museum in Olomouc (and moderator of the bilingual opening of the exhibition) described Reinhold Fäth was the spiritual father of this exhibition. Visiting this exhibition is a breathtaking and deeply moving experience, if one realizes what one meets in these various works for instance Walpurga Nägli- Ganz watercolours and pastels that were created out of the conscious meeting with the etheric. Make sure you have enough time when you come to this exhibition. It is well worth the journey to the art museum in Olomouc. If one is aware that behind each artist stands an oeuvre of up to thousands of works, one realizes that this anthroposophical art collection needs a permanent exhibition space where it can be competently looked after and intensively studied. A 400-page catalogue is available. Matthias Mochner, Berlin (DE) Museum channel: h?v=n8q1kovrome&list=plpnjticlancg ML_nJu-J10mqJ1hGFMhia Exhibitions: Muzeum moderního umění, Olomouc (CZ), 19 March to 26 July Art Museum Moritzburg, Halle (DE): 17 August to 25 October Opens on 16 Au gust 2015.