anthoposophy worldwide 2000 (5)

Goetheanum inMovement –Impressions from theInternational Teachers’Conference

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No. 5 • June 2000

Change in Leadership –Section for the Arts ofEurythmy, Speech,Drama, and Music

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International Eurythmy Fair page 3

Living with the Dead page 2

Anthroposophy around the WorldPortraitAnthroposophical SocietySchool of Spiritual ScienceFeature

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1012 Translated from the German

What Anthroposophy Wants

Anthroposophy is a being among human beings, a being thatwants to develop further.

Since the 1923/24 Christmas Conference the GeneralAnthroposophical Society has passed through certain develop-ments. First there was a time of fragmentation – disagreementsamong the members of the Goetheanum Executive Council andthe alienation of many country societies.

It has rarely happened in the history of the world that a frag-mented spiritual movement has been able to unite again. Thiswonder did occur. A circle of General Secretaries and CountryRepresentatives was formed in the 1960s. The reunification of theAnthroposophical Society was the initiative of several responsiblemembers (including Rudolf Grosse, Willem Zeylmans von Emmi-choven, and Arne Klingborg), who felt a strong connection to theimpulse of the Christmas Conference. Reunification was one ofthe original intentions of that Conference (so it moves me strong-ly when people claim that the Anthroposophical Society in whichthese people worked was not the Christmas Conference Society).

Now, after a period of inner integration, which I have experi-enced within the circle of General Secretaries and Country Rep-resentatives since the 1960s, I have the impression that the BeingAnthroposophy wants to connect itself more with the world out-side the Anthroposophical Society. After the inner integration, it istime for an outer integration, “to grow together with the world.”(Rudolf Steiner)

The consequences of our isolation are increasingly evident:accusations of cult activities and racism; the AnthroposophicalSociety’s endless preoccupation with itself (Statutes debate). Ourself-occupation is alienating to many country societies. Severalsymptoms point to a change, however. There is genuine interestin what is happening in the world and in finding ways of helpingas anthroposophists, and there is interest in dialog and collabora-tion – with the humility of the consciousness soul.

The Anthroposophical Society could become a central forumfor independent spiritual life, a place where the constructive spiri-tual streams of the present can speak together and take councilwith one another. This change, if it finds courageous supporters,will give the world a new, objective picture of what anthroposo-phy wants. But we can notice that, the more we represent anthro-posophy in the world, the more we need an inner, meditative pathof learning. Reijo Wilenius, Finland

2 Anthroposophy Worldwide 5/2000

Anthroposophy Worldwide“Life in the Anthroposophical Society –Anthroposophy Worldwide” is publishedmonthly. It is distributed by the regionalAnthroposophical Societies – in some casesaugmented with independently edited newsand articles. It also appears as a supplementto the weekly paper “Das Goetheanum”.

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Correspondents:Jürgen Vater (Sweden)Marianne Møller-Nielsen (Denmark)Andrew Wolpert (Great Britain)

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you think, but you’ve got to changeyour attitude if you’re going to findit.” Then I would tell her of the lovingthings she had done in life. Little bylittle, over the years, she has become amost faithful listener. She might havebeen quite lost for a very long timewithout the reading. The activity ofthe living is crucial for those who havedied, especially those who have diedwithout benefit of a spiritual cosmog-raphy. As I have aged, my list of “thedead” has grown long.

Experience with FatherWhen my father died in April, Iimmediately flew to be with mymother, arriving late on the day of hisdeath. At my mother’s invitation, Iclimbed into bed beside her octoge-narian self and went to sleep. Laterthat night I woke up to use the bath-room. When I returned to bed, I sawmy father standing at its foot, lookingintensely at me. “Dad,” I said.

“What are you doing in myspot?” he responded.

I thought for a minute andanswered. “Well, you’re dead now,Dad, and I wanted to be here to helpMom if she needed anything.”

He looked at me for a long timeand then smiled. “Well, all right then,”he said. Then he disappeared.

Since then, he has become verymuch a part of my life. His interest isintense, and he is fascinated witheverything I read to him from RudolfSteiner, whose ideas he could notaccept in life. My father does not waitfor the appointed times on the week-end, but shows up whenever I readanything of spiritual depth – especiallywhile I was teaching the New Testa-ment and Dante’s Inferno this fall.

Giving and TakingI have discovered how much the

dead need us – first to understand thatthey are dead, and then to find theideas they need to continue their jour-neys – especially if they have notfound a spiritual connection in thislife. I have also discovered how muchI need them. Many gifts – some unso-licited and some requested – help mein my work and in my daily life.Unlike the angels, who have not expe-rienced a physical body and often

seem to demand more than I can pos-sibly manage, the dead understandwhat it means to have been on theearth in our times. They can relate allthat it takes to be on earth with asense of what is still possible giventhat fact. They are a very real part ofmy life, and there is not a day thatgoes by in which I do not recognizetheir activity or feel their presence.

I have discovered a new commu-nity – a new dimension to the people Ionce knew in life. We help one anoth-er in wonderful ways. When myfather died, a friend wrote to me,“Now the relationship really begins.”So it has. Meg Gorman, U.S.A.

Condensed from News for Members,March 2000

Over the years, as I read and studiedRudolf Steiner’s work, I would comeacross mention of the importance ofworking with those who have died.Yes, I thought to myself, someday Iwill study that, too. I was young then,and life was very full of Waldorfteaching and raising a family. One byone, people I knew crossed thethreshold of death, and I wonderedhow one could work with them. Itwas from them, however, that I finallybegan to learn. […]

Reading to the DeadI dug up what I could find on work-ing with the dead and read it to myprofessor. I also invited Sally to joinus. At a set time every weekend Iwould light a candle, say a verse, pic-ture them, and begin to read silentlyto them. When it was time to stop, Iclosed with a verse and blew out thecandle. Soon I became aware of oth-ers. Slowly I recognized them: mygrandparents, a college acquaintance,friends of my parents, an old highschool teacher, a school janitor. Iadded them to the list, which I wrotedown so I would not forget anyone,and read on.

People Who Need Special AttentionTwo suicides were added to the

list as well. At first, when I tried topicture them, I experienced intensecold and terrible isolation. I actuallywrapped up in a blanket before I readto them. I had to be very positivewhen I pictured them, and it tookgreat concentration to surround theirimages with light and send themwarmth. I consciously took them tothe Christian Community servicewith me. Gradually it all seemed tohelp. Their silent howl of agony –very much like Edward Munch’spainting of that name – began to sub-side. My sense is that suicides espe-cially need our love to warm them.

Another friend died at the heightof her career, when she was divorcedfrom any belief in a world beyond thesense perceptible. When I first beganto work with her, I experienced atremendous rage and loneliness. I hadto “shout” in a meditative sensethrough her anger. “Listen up,” Iinsisted. “There’s more out there than

Living with Those Who Have DiedMeg Gorman began reading to the dead after two people with whom she had aspecial connection died within a short period. One was the professor who hadtaught her Shakespeare at College, the other was a former high school studentnamed Sally who died of an overdose within a year after graduating. Gormanteaches high school English at the San Francisco Waldorf School (U.S.A.) and isan active member of the Social Science Section.

Correction: In Anthroposophy World-wide no. 4/2000 we reported on theGeneral Meeting of the GeneralAnthroposophical Society. BeateFuchs was mentioned as one of thepeople who submitted proposals. Hercorrect name is Kirsten Beata Kux.

3Anthroposophy Worldwide 5/2000

International Eurythmy FairBasel, April 28–30, 2000

tours and possible future collabora-tion. The idea is to form a network tohelp plan tours andforge contacts withpublic theaters thatcould serve as venuesfor particular pro-grams. Cooiman saidthat about 50 perfor-mances were bookedor tentatively arrangedduring the fair.

The lobby of theScala had beenchanged into a minifair hall; an intensive,

lively concert ofvoices filled thehouse. Here, eacheurythmy group presented its cur-rent program at small stands –most very simple, made withtables and portable backdrops,photographs, posters,brochures, programs, andinformation for organizers.Some supplied videos. Therewas also a stand with euryth-my accessories (e.g., euryth-my and dance shoes).The artists themselves con-

tributed to the open and freeatmosphere of interaction andmutual perception – very stimu-lating in spite of (or perhapsbecause of) the competition.There was space for differences,

even foreignness.The artists did notalways find it easy todo justice to thethree roles of per-former, manager atthe stand, and all-rounder in discus-sions with col-leagues, organizers,and spectators.Who were these

artists? Cooiman had

invited artists who have left more orless traditional paths in search of newforms of movement. Cooiman himselfthinks it is important that eurythmynot be used to transport a message.

He considers this tobe the current crisis ineurythmy. Eurythmyshould not serve toillustrate given ideas,he said, but stand asan equal partner nextto the ideas. He isconcerned above allwith artistic processesand expression. Eury-thmy should beformed out of themovements them-selves. The euryth-mist’s relationship tohis or her choreogra-

phy and movements should be clearlynoticeable. When asked whether eury-thmy would then be nothing morethan an art of movement, Cooiman

answered, “I would not go that far.”Not only enthusiasm for these

new forms and experiments wasvoiced at the fair. There was also criti-cism. Some of the programs weremore like dance; they could not becalled eurythmy. It is to be hoped thateurythmy will not break up into twocamps, “progressive” vs. “traditional”eurythmy. Both the work on artisticexpression, on movement, as well asthe work on fundamentals and theetheric, are necessary for the survivalof eurythmy. Eurythmists need tofind a healthy balance. It would cer-tainly be promising if – instead ofopposing each other – the artistswould really perceive one another andlearn from one another. M.S.

Planned: A Festival of Movement (or dance/music festival) in Basel, Switzerland and Järna,Sweden, in summer 2001 (Jurriaan Cooiman andPeter de Voto).

Contact: Juriaan Cooiman, c/o PAsS – perform-ing Arts services, Postfach, CH–4001 Basel,Switzerland; tel. +41/61/263 35 35; fax 263 35 40;e-mail [email protected]

Hopes and expectations preceded theevent. A sense of innovation at theevent itself. Specific plans for thefuture. On April 28, 2000, the firstever eurythmy fair opened in therooms of Scala Basel (Switzerland),with the help of funds from theAlexander Foundation. The fairincluded 19 usually 30-minute perfor-mances by 16 eurythmy groups fromGermany, Great Britain, the Nether-lands, Austria, Sweden, Switzerland,and the U.S. The performers present-ed parts of programs that they canoffer during the next 1-2 years.Included were group programs, solos,

and fairy tales for children. Besideseurythmists and eurythmy fans, theevent drew 150–200 organizers fromGermany, Denmark, France, theNetherlands, Sweden, Switzerland,and the U.S., who represented mainlyWaldorf schools andbranches of the Anthropo-sophical Society.

The intermissions pro-vided plenty of opportuni-ties for networking andrelaxation. The second dayincluded a panel discussionon eurythmy’s current situ-ation. The next day about40 organizers met with Jur-riaan Cooiman (organizerof the fair) to discuss prac-tical details of eurythmy

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In 1993 a group of people came togeth-er in St. Petersburg who wanted tostudy eurythmy. By 1996 they hadfound teachers, rooms, helpers, etc., sothat 25 students could begin their stud-ies. In July 2000 this unique trainingproject will be complete. No furthercourses are planned, although there areplenty of interested applicants.

However, the current 18 graduatesshould first find work. They will hope-fully be the pioneers of lively eurythmyactivity in St. Petersburg. Places of workwill include the 4 Waldorf schools, 2other schools, a kindergarten, adultcourses, and stage work. However, it isa big question as to how they will beable to earn money as eurythmists.

The existence minimum is 1300rubles per month. Earnings pereurythmy lesson at a school are 12rubles. Also, eurythmy here is stillhardly known, and the initial open-ness of government officials for thingsfrom the West is past.

has been exploring questions aroundthe special curriculum needs of deafchildren, supporting teachers workingwith deaf children, and providing cul-turally appropriate deaf translations ofverses, stories, rhymes, and circles.The committee is comprised of spe-cialists in deaf education, Waldorfteachers, anthroposophical physicians,therapeutic eurythmists, a Waldorfspeech specialist, a speech pathologist,interpreters, and volunteers from thedeaf community. Meetings are on amonthly basis. The Pedagogical Sec-tion at the Goetheanum recentlyoffered monthly consultations.

Source: Anthroposophy Worldwide, U.S. Edition,March 2000

Contact: Patricia B. Gans, c/o Trillium DeafProgram, 6400 Van Keppel Rd., Forestville, CA95436, U.S.A.; tel. +1/707/887 12 76;e-mail [email protected]

Trillium’s programs include a Wal-dorf-inspired parent-toddler programfor deaf children and deaf families,Waldorf preschool programs for deafchildren, American Sign Language(ASL) as a second language for Wal-dorf school children in the lowergrades, a Waldorf high school electivecourse on deaf language and culture,and a summer ASL camp for children.

Each year Trillium hosts a Deafculture evening, featuring local deafentertainers and storytellers.

Currently Trillium is workingwith Anne Cook to explore the prac-tice, possibilities, and meaning ofeurythmy for deaf children. Waldorftraining is being offered to deaf teach-ers, including assistance with planningand interpreter costs. Further teachersare being sought.

Since fall 1999, a Waldorf DeafCurriculum Development Committee

Why do we need eurythmy? Any-thing that brings in money is morelikely to find public support. Never-theless, a number of people involved ina wide range of cultural activities haveapproached us during our trainingprogram and we look forward to col-laborating with them.

We have also seen that small per-sonal initiatives can open up new pos-sibilities. This gives us courage for thefuture! Nevertheless, the eurythmywork here will continue to require thesupport of experienced colleagues andfinancial assistance from outside thecountry.

The students and staff of the St.Petersburg course are looking forwardto their tour. They hope to be able tocommunicate something of theirenthusiasm for eurythmy to futurecolleagues, friends, and fans.

Tille Barkhoff, Russia

Contact: fax +7/812/246 54 52.

Helsinki. Honored: The anthropo-sophical artist Archibald Bajorat hasbeen awarded the Order of Knight-hood of the White Rose of Finland,by the President of Finland, TarjaHalonen, for what he has done forFinland and its epic poem, the Kale-vala. Bajorat was born 1923 in Memel(today Klaipeda, Lithuania) and stud-ied painting and graphics in Germanyafter the Second World War. He hasbeen working with the Kalevala since1968 and his work has been shownmany times. His most recent exhibitwas at Helsinki University in 1999.

Reijo Wilenius, Finland

Stockholm. Trained: A new Waldorfeducation training program for musicteachers will begin in fall 2000. Thiswill meet a pressing need of manySwedish Waldorf schools. If they havemusic teachers at all, the teachers areoften either good musicians whoknow little about Waldorf education,or committed Waldorf teachers whotry lovingly, but often with difficulty,to cope with their Choroi flutes. The2-year course, which includes euryth-my and speech formation, will be heldin collaboration with a communitycollege. This fills a further need.Music has been the only Waldorf cur-riculum subject for which there wereno training opportunities in Sweden.

Jürgen Vater, Sweden

Sofia. Introduced: A German/Bulgar-ian conference on “Pluralism in Edu-cation – Education for the 21st Centu-ry” drew 160 people and was orga-nized by the Sofia Goethe Institute,the German/Bulgarian Forum, andthe Friends of Rudolf Steiner’s Educa-tion. It was also the first public con-ference relating to this theme since theend of communist rule. The openingof the conference was widely noticeddue to its official framework (openingby the Bulgarian Minister of Educa-tion, Dimitar Dimitrov, talk by thedirector of the Department of Princi-ples in the Ministry of Education, anda Reception with the German ambas-sador). Speakers included Stefan Leberfor Waldorf education, ManfredBorchert for independent alternativeschools, and Michael Klein-Landeckfor Montessori education. Fruitfulcontacts were made towards thefounding of a Waldorf kindergarten.

Nana Göbel, Germany

Internet. Documented: The summaryof the Dutch Anthroposophy and theQuestion of Race Commission reportis now available in French as well as inEnglish and German.See “www.info3.de” on the Internet.

U. S. A.

Russ ia

Since its creation in 1999, Trillium Deaf Program has been working to unlock thedoors to Waldorf education for the deaf community. It is a Rudolf Steiner Founda-tion Designated Fund. Its contributions to date include a wide range of innovativeprograms. Patricia B. Gans (U.S.), whose daughter is deaf, set the iniative in motion.

St. Petersburg eurythmy trainees will conclude their training with a programcalled “Eurythmy – Song of the Soul.” In mid-June they will go on tour inEurope with this program and a Russian fairy tale called “The Frog Czar.” Thequestions of the program were the same as those of their 4-year training. “Howdoes a song arise in the soul of the poet?” and “How do I awaken my awarenessof the “pre-word” element, so that I can express it through movement as visiblespeech and music?”

Eurythmy – Song of the SoulSt. Petersburg Eurythmy Training Complete

Waldorf Education for the Deaf Community

IN BR I E F


The island La Réunion has earned itsname, for here Hindus, Moslems,Christians, and people with Africanroots live peacefully and tolerantlytogether in a way that without exag-geration can be called exemplary. Wealso have a “Friends of Anthroposo-phy” group here (La Réunion desValeurs humaines) which unites peo-ple of totally different ethnologicalgroups. How would this be possible ifour movement were racist or intoler-ant and sectarian! According to myexperience, the accusations of thattelevision program are nonsense!

Thanks to my life in La Réunion’smulti-cultural society I have had theprivilege of getting to know the mostvaried life philosophies.

What I particularly value inanthroposophy is that it transforms

theoretical knowledge into practicalsuccesses. Think of anthroposophy’sbiodynamic agriculture, holistic medi-cine, education, architecture, etc.These successes could convince manypeople outside of anthroposophicalcircles and inspire imitation.

Never ObtrusiveI met the anthroposophical movementand learned to value it 13,000 kilome-ters from my homeland, Germany. Iwas especially touched by an 86 year-old anthroposophical doctor, Dr.Berron. I am impressed by his knowl-edge and by his loving, anthropologi-cal manner.

As a young girl I knew aboutWaldorf schools and I thought ofanthroposophists as being people withlong skirts, probably inconspicuous

A television program on February 28, 2000 in Germany (“Report”) associated theanthroposophical movement with racism. The unbelievable presentation raised astorm of indignation that reached even as far as the French island, La Réunion, in theIndian Ocean, where the author of the following comments has lived for 17 years.

Bridge to Other Life PhilosophiesA Letter from the Indian Ocean

clothes, very gifted in agriculture, andwearing Birkenstock shoes. Neverobtrusive, more likely living a seclud-ed life.

Only now, many years later andfar away from Germany, do I realizewhat the anthroposophical movementachieves, what wonderful work teach-ers, educators, biodynamic farmers,doctors, nurses, and especially theLaboratoire Weleda do – a lot, per-haps more than we can grasp.

Also, there are no requirementsfor attending a Rudolf Steiner schoolin the sense of joining a sect. It is cer-tainly not a question of skin color. OnLa Réunion, by the way, it is notunusual for a person with Indian rootsto visit a Hindu festival one day and aCatholic mass the next.

Anyone in Germany who callsothers racist should perhaps visit thisvery beautiful island some time to testjust how far he himself may haveracist or sectarian tendencies.

In my opinion, anthroposophyoffers the possibility of a bridge toother life philosophies and thus canprovide a basis for internationalunderstanding.

Heidrun Koniczek, La Réunion

La Réun ion (France)

Swi tzer land / Wor ld

The Confignon/Genf Rudolf SteinerSchool is contributing to the UnitedNations year of peace with a song ini-tiative. The school will also be cele-brating its 20th birthday on Septem-ber 29 and 30, 2000 and was acceptedinto the UNESCO network of 6000associated schools last February (Sy-

stème des Ecoles associées del’UNESCO, SEA).

The Cantamus PacemMundi Initiative began inJanuary with an appeal toall 770 Rudolf Steiner

schools and educationalinstitutions around the

world to simultaneously sing asong of peace composed by PeterAppenzeller especially for this occa-sion, at Michaelmas 2000 (7.30 am onSeptember 29, and 13.30 on Septem-ber 30, Greenwich mean time). Thetext of the song is available in French,German, English, Spanish, and Russ-ian, so that as many as possible will beable to participate in their own lan-guages. M.S.Contact: Groupe Initiative Cantanums PacemMundi, c/o Ecole Rudolf Steiner, Chemin deNarly 2, CH–1232 Confignon; tel. +41/22/727 04 44; fax 727 04 45; e-mail [email protected];Internet http://ersge.capp.ch

Worldwide Song of PeaceCantamus Pacem Mundi Initiativeof the Confignon/GenfRudolf Steiner School

When reflecting on the developmentof Waldorf education in the CzechRepublic we should not forgetthe time in which RudolfSteiner himself gave valuableimpulses for Waldorf educa-tion in Prague. Before the FirstWorld War, Prague had anactive Theosophical Societythat became a sister organiza-tion to the German section ofthe Theosophical Society (ledby Rudolf Steiner). At thattime Rudolf Steiner began tovisit Prague regularly, givinglectures. Among the listenerswere anthroposophists inter-ested in practical themes froma spiritual scientific point ofview, and others who intended tofound a Waldorf school.

UnsuccessfulJulie Klímová, one of the most activemembers of the Czech Anthropo-sophical Society after the First WorldWar and one of Rudolf Steiner’s mostloyal students in Prague, realized thata Waldorf school would require suit-able teachers. To find them, shesought advice from officials of theMinistry of Schools as to which teach-ers might be interested in Waldorfeducation. She decided to organize atrip to Dornach for several interested

teachers, school directors, and inspec-tors, which she paid for. Rudolf Stein-er was just giving his lecture course onThe Child’s Changing Consciousnessand Waldorf Education (April 15–22,1923). However, except for a Czechwriter and translator, Pavla Moudrá

first sign of a series of foundings thatwould swell into full action in theyears that followed. In 1991, Waldorfschools were also founded in Príbramand Ostrava; they were followed in1992 by schools in Prague, Semily,Karlovy Vary and Pardubice, whichcompleted the birth of the Czech Wal-dorf movement.

In all cities the developingWaldorf schools were sup-ported not only by local offi-cials but also by the Ministryof Schools, which had createdspecial legal protection forthese schools. Waldorfschools in the Czech Repub-lic are considered normalschools, 100% state funded,yet with special autonomy intheir educational approachand relative autonomy intheir administrations.* Thuswe cannot value highlyenough the far-sightedness ofthe people within the anthro-

posophical movement who worked tosecure this legal status. This served toawaken trust and recognition amongMinistry officials and members ofparliament. I would like to mention 4people in particular, Josef Bartos fromSemily, Vladimír Nejedlo fromPríbram, and Zdenék Helus and JanaMildeová from Prague, who foundedthe Coordination Board for WaldorfEducation in 1991.

Training ProgramsTraining course. In 1992, Bartos suc-ceeded in setting up a Czech trainingcourse for class teachers in Semily, incollaboration with Stefan Leber andHartwig Schiller of the Waldorfteacher training course in Stuttgart.This independent training course issupported by student fees and dona-tions by various institutions.

Although nearly 60 class teachersand about 24 subject teachers are cur-rently teaching, very few of them havethe educational and anthroposophicalexperience to be able to train others. Itis evident how much professionalassistance from outside the countryboth the elementary and advancedcourses still need. Besides Jan Dostal(a musician, teacher, and anthro-posophist of many years, who teachesanthroposophical anthropology as a


Ongoing ImprovementsDevelopment of Waldorf Education in the Czech Republic

(who had informed the readers of aCzech education magazine about

Rudolf Steiner’s education and aboutthe course), the Czech visitors did notparticularly like what they heard, sothe trip to Dornach did not have thedesired effect.

The Czech school system wasvery centralistic up until the SecondWorld War. An independent schoolsuch as Steiner envisioned was hardlyconceivable. The educational reformmovement, which was quite strongthere, preferred to orient itself alongthe ideas of, not German, but Anglo-American proponents (particularlyJohn Dewey). Officials at the Min-istry of Schools were discomfited by

Waldorf schoolsbecause theyassociated “Ger-man” and “reli-gion” with them.

Official Supportafter 1989Waldorf schoolsalso had noappeal during thetime of commu-nist comprehen-sive schools.However, as

soon as the political situation changed,anthroposophists began speakingabout Waldorf education to the pub-lic.

An initial Waldorf-oriented classopened in Písek (South Bohemia) asearly as September 1990. It was the

On January 14, 2000 Jan Dostal (Czech Republic) and Stefan Leber andHartwig Schiller (teacher training in Stuttgart, Germany) inaugurated a newCzech Waldorf teacher-training course that will operate in Prague and Semily.This was a further step, following the blossoming of initial Waldorf initiativesabout 10 years ago. A time to reflect on the developments that led up to thismoment.

Portrait

* The only exception was the Waldorf school inKarlovy Vary, which was a private school andwhich closed in 1996.

Dr. Josef Bartos, (1923–1998), arthistorian and classical archeologist,lectured briefly at Karl Universityin Prague, then worked as a helperin various fields for decades due tothe discrimination of the commu-nist regime. Lively anthroposophi-cal work in a small undergroundgroup in Semily. After 1989, leaderof the Semily Branch of theAnthroposophical Society, leadingmember of the CoordinationBoard for Waldorf Education,organizer of the first Waldorfteacher training course. A stronginfluence on Czech Waldorfschools and kindergartens.

April 16, 1923. The Czech participants of Steiner’s course on edu-cation in Dornach. In the center with the umbrella, Julie Klí-mová. Far left, with child, writer Pavla Moudrá.


basis for education, lecturing also onthe work with music and speech),there is no other teacher in the CzechRepublic who can do this with a cer-tain amount of ease. Although thiswill be the fourth time that a group ofstudents will begin its teacher training,only now has the responsibility forthe course passed entirely into thehands of active Czech Waldorf teach-ers. Before, this was handled by mem-bers of the Coordination Board, whowere not Waldorf teachers themselves.

Further training. The class teachershould stay with a class until the 8thgrade if possible. However, in practicethe teachers soon noticed how chal-lenging it was to prepare main lessonsfor the older children and that theirtraining had not been sufficient toprepare them for this. That is why theSemily Waldorf School began offeringfurther training.

Upper School is Next!Course for future upper school teach-ers. The schools have reached theeighth and ninth grades and only afew of them feel able to develop anupper school. The schools in Príbram,Prague, Semily, and Ostrava wouldlike to attempt it. They cannot simply

grow organically into theupper school, however,because the Czech school sys-tem differentiates between ele-mentary schools (grades 1–9)and secondary schools (grades10–13). Czech Waldorf schoolsare elementary schools with 9grades. (In the Waldorf schoolplan this already includes thefirst level of the upper school).If these schools want to createupper schools, they have toapply to the Ministry ofSchools for permission eitherto found secondary schools, orto create a new kind of school

that is unknown in the Czech Repub-lic, namely one having 1–13 gradesand offering both general and practicalcourses. This is still open, but mustsoon be decided.

Trained teachers are thus neededfor the upper school. It is worrying tobehold the lack of suitable, anthropo-sophically-grounded individuals whocan teach their subjects full of fire andenthusiasm. The course for futureupper school teachers was founded in1998 and is an initiative of the PragueWaldorf school.

Waldorf School AssociationIn the initial years after the politicaltransition, Waldorf schools had beenoccupied with themselves; with teach-ing and with securing their elementalsurvival. The tasks that go beyond this– particularly the cultivation of con-tacts with the Ministry of Schools andthe organizing of teacher training –were fulfilled by the CoordinationBoard for Waldorf Education. Withtime it emerged that this was unsatis-factory because people who did notwork in the schools were representingthem. Teachers in various schools thusbegan to take on more and moretasks. In 1995, for example, teachershad to draw up a Waldorf EducationProgram by describing the education-al and organizational framework ofWaldorf schools. In 1996, teacherscreated a magazine for Waldorf educa-tion, Clovek a vychova (Educationand the Human Being), which pub-lishes articles by Czech and foreignWaldorf teachers. The magazineappears 4 times a year with a circula-tion of 500 and it is one of the reasonswhy important material on Waldorfeducation has been translated intoCzech. This enables Czech teachers togradually understand and formulatetheir teaching experience with moreconsciousness. The Czech Ministry ofSchools has subsidized the magazinesince 1999.

This broad collaboration betweenWaldorf schools found expression inthe founding of an Association ofWaldorf Schools in the Czech Repub-

lic in 1997. This was a significant step;the schools wanted to run their affairsindependently. From 1997 to 1999 theAssociation gradually relieved theCoordination Board (now called theCzech Association for Waldorf Edu-cation) of most of its duties: the orga-nization of training courses, guaranteeof compliance with the Waldorf Edu-cation Program, advice to new Wal-dorf initiatives, contacts with interna-tional Waldorf organizations, etc.

Improving through ProblemsA considerable problem is the waningnumber of students in the CzechRepublic generally. City schools havemore openings than students. Theconsequence is that some classes neveropen, teachers lose their jobs, andwhole schools face possible closure.This situation naturally affects Wal-dorf schools as well.

The public’s initial openness forWaldorf education has changed some-what during the past years. The publichas become indifferent or even skepti-cal regarding many of the innovationsthat came with the political transitionin 1989/90. As far as Waldorf schoolsgo, people are waiting to see how wellthe children succeed in making thetransition from the Waldorf school toa “normal” secondary school, orwhether the Waldorf schools will suc-ceed in founding their own secondaryschools. In May 1999 and 2000, how-ever, the first graduates of the Waldorfschools in Písek, Ostrava, and Príbramdid very well on their admission testsfor secondary school.

Another sign of the times is anevent that took place in December1998. At that time Waldorf educationin the Czech Republic experienced itsstrongest attack so far. The Czechbranch of the international Skepticsmovement – academics who aim tofight everything they consider “irra-tional” – focussed their efforts onWaldorf schools. However, with thehelp of Karel Rydl (EducationDepartment of Karl University inPrague), the Waldorf teachers have sofar been able to convincingly thwartthis attack.

Such tendencies, though certainlynot pleasant, do have a good side.They force Waldorf schools to contin-ually improve their education. Other-wise parents would not entrust theirchildren to them. The schools noticefrom year to year more that increasingnumbers of children are coming fromfamilies in which the parents have tru-ly chosen Waldorf education becauseof their firm belief in it.

Tomás Zdrazil, Czech Republic

Contact: Tomás Zdrazil or Dusan Plestil, SemilyWaldorf School, Tyrsova 485, CZ–51301 Semily;fax +420/431/62 41 68;e-mail [email protected]

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Trainees doing artwork

Jan Dostal at the piano


In opening remarks for the busi-ness part of the meeting on 6 May 2000,Stuart Brown from the chairmanshipgroup said that there was a “feeling of aneed for change” in the Society.

Presenting the report of the chair-manship group, Sue Peat said that threenew groups had been formed as theresult of consultations by the councilof the Anthroposophical Society withall sections of the membership.

These were the outreach groupworking on effective ways to presentanthroposophy (including on theInternet), the membership group con-cerned with membership issues, andthe esoteric deepening group seekingto work meditatively with differentstreams in the Society to deepen itsesoteric work.

In his general secretary’s report,Nick Thomas reviewed the challengesfaced by anthroposophy in various partsof the world over the past year, includ-ing the serious problems caused by theaccusations of sectarianism levelled atanthroposophical institutions in Franceand Belgium. But while these wereissues of grave concern, the number ofanthroposophical initiatives around theworld were a cause for optimism aboutthe future of anthroposophy.

Thomas also referred to the debateabout the constitution of the General Anthroposophical Society. The wholeissue had little relevance from a Britishperspective, he said. In Britain, owner-ship matters and commercial aspectsare handled by the AnthroposophicalAssociation Limited, a company regis-tered as a charity, leaving the Anthro-posophical Society to concentrate onmatters of anthroposophy.

The general secretary suggestedthat the process was being approachedthe wrong way round. A better way tohandle the question of the constitutionof the General Anthroposophical Soci-ety would be first to define the pur-pose and vision of the institution andthen to draw up statutes to supportthose objectives rather than to try andadapt the vision to the statutes.

In separate debates, the questionwas also discussed as to whether inter-nal management structures and proce-dures needed to be changed to providegreater transparency and accountability.

The meeting narrowly rejected a moveto have its council elected by thewhole membership through postalvoting. The council is currently elect-ed only by those members who attendthe annual general meeting.

In a controversial debate, StuartBrown, who is himself a member ofthe council, argued that it was time toenfranchise all members, who oftencould not attend annual general meet-ings for financial and other legitimatereasons. He pointed out that typicallyaround 120 of the approximately 2900members currently voted for the so-called core council that manages theaffairs of the Society on a day to daybasis. Brown noted that currentlythere were no other concrete propos-als as to how the council should beformed in a way that included greaternumbers of the membership.

Opponents of the move, whichincluded the whole of the core council,argued that postal voting was a distrac-tion from moves, which were wellunderway, to find ways of forming arepresentative council by means otherthan voting. An element of this was the

development of the so-called extendedcouncil, which included representa-tives from regional and local groups,institutions and other groups of theSociety. Members should be patientfor another year or however long ittook for this development to take itsnatural course and bear real fruit.

In an evenly balanced debate, itwas pointed out that the process offinding new ways of forming thecouncil was taking much longer thanexpected and that extending voting toall members did not stand in contra-diction to the endeavours of the corecouncil to find new ways of working,but was simply extending a system tothe whole of the membership whichwas in any case currently being usedto elect the council.

In a vote, the motion was defeatedby 33 votes in favour to 36 against.

Another proposal, to make thedecision-making processes in the Soci-ety less cumbersome by reducing thecouncil to 9 members from numbersthat are currently approaching 20, wasalso defeated by 31 votes to 40.

Both motions are part of a widerdebate in the Anthroposophical Soci-ety in Great Britain as to how it canbe made more accountable and itsdecision-making processes made moretransparent and inclusive of the mem-bership as a whole. The level of sup-port shown for the motions has sent aclear signal to the council that the cur-rent system is no longer adequate.Christian von Arnim, Great Britain

AN T H R O P O S O P H I S C H E GE S E L L S C H A F T I N DE U T S C H L A N D

AN T H R O P O S O P H I C A L SO C I E T Y I N GR E AT BR I TA I N

Signalizing the Opening of Existing StructuresAnnual General Meeting in Weimar, June 12–14, 2000

The anthroposophical center in Kassel had been the regular venue for annual gen-eral meetings of the Anthroposophical Society in Germany since 1993 (see Anthro-posophy Worldwide 8/1999), but this year the meeting was held in Weimar. Thismeant that the encounter between the two (also anthroposophically) not yet fullyunited halves of Germany was marked by German/German history, past and pre-sent. Individual threshold experiences were described, changes to the Statutesattempted, and the treasurer was asked to become general secretary.

This year the Annual General Meetingwas held in Weimar, thus on historysoaked ground connected both with thegreat names of German idealism andwith the tragedy and contempt of the20th century (a concentration camp waslocated near Weimar). In the darkened,modern convention hall we repeatedlylost our feeling for this special atmos-phere. Our familiar anthroposophicalworld moved into the foreground. Yetthen Ingrid Hüther, the local branchleader, would tell about the complaintsof West German members for whom the

trip to Weimar was too much trouble,and immediately we found ourselvestransported back to German/Germanhistory and the German/German pre-sent. It was essential to be able to hearindividual East German membersdescribe their lives and initiatives, bothduring official contributions and duringcasual conversations – wrested from aspeechlessness between East and Westthat is just beginning to slowly dissolve.

This series of “Going throughnothingness...” contributions focussedon individual threshold situations.

Anthroposophical Society

Enfranchise the Members?Annual General Meeting in Edinburgh, May 5–9, 2000

The Anthroposophical Society in Great Britain has been searching for new waysof working (Anthroposophy Worldwide, nos. 5/1999 and 2/2000). This processwas continued at the recent Annual General Meeting, which included a proposalby Stuart Brown for postal voting.


They were very personal descriptionsof each speaker’s life and anthropo-sophical work. A particular sign of thisapproach seemed to be that rhetoricalbrilliance tended to be uninteresting.Polished lectures no longer quite com-manded the listeners’ undivided atten-tion. Subsequent contributions, on thetheme of the Anthroposophical Societywere also affected. Bruno Martin, forexample, a member from Witten,explained his concern with the Consti-tution of the Anthroposophical Soci-ety, closing simply with open questionsabout structures of power within theSociety. How are committee membersappointed? Who chooses our themes?Who may publish? In contrast,Michaela Glöckler’s contributionregarding the further development ofthe School of Spiritual Science and itssections seemed – in spite of its bril-liance – less immediate. Contributionsthat still contained a certain speechless-ness seemed most authentic.

After letting our gaze range overthe active artists worldwide, we wereable to consolidate the process thisspring to the point of making specificsuggestions for the next leader of thesection. The process group came upwith a unanimous suggestion that cor-responded with my own estimation ofthe person who could take up thetask, namely, Werner Barfod. WernerBarfod had to live with the idea forseveral weeks before he was ready toaccept. In mid-April the GoetheanumExecutive Council agreed to the sug-gestion and shortly thereafter also theCollegium of the School of SpiritualScience. On May 16 – after 19 monthsof work – the formal confirmation ofthe appointment occurred with Wern-er Barfod, who will become a memberof the Collegium when the transfer ofleadership takes place.

During this decade I have triedwith great enthusiasm and devotion,together with many people, to per-ceive and give form to the tasks, joys,and difficulties of this unique section.Although Werner Barfod will not takeover the leadership until spring 2001, Iwanted to inform you as members assoon as the process had ended and towarmly thank all who have workedwith me for their faithfulness, friend-ship, and support.

Thanks to my replacement in theSection I will be able to devote moretime to the tasks of the Anthroposophi-cal Society and the School of SpiritualScience – particularly in the English-speaking countries, which I feel a strongcalling to do. Virginia Sease

How should the tasks be carried intothe future? Because this question wasbecoming increasingly pressing, in fall1998 I asked 6 people to join me inconsidering it. The individuals in thisgroup are deeply connected with thework of the section and they representvarious arts: Aurea Vollen and Hart-mut Haupt (music), Carina Schmidand Werner Barfod (eurythmy), andHelga König and Paul Klarskov(speech formation and drama).

To begin with we made a thoroughreview of the activity of the section,including themes, conferences, ques-tions of training, new developments,and ways of working with the ClassLessons. Then we immersed ourselvesin a process of assessing the contempo-rary situation of eurythmy, speech for-mation, drama, puppetry, and music.Through this exchange, various needsemerged, some of which are alreadybeing addressed in certain sectiongroups, for example the meetings of thefederation of eurythmy schools. Otherquestions still need to be taken up, suchas the change in fundamental attitudesas to how or even if Rudolf Steiner’sand Marie Steiner’s impulses for eury-thmy, speech formation, and drama canbe realized now and in the future.

Our process continued with athorough assessment of the tasksinvolved in leading this section. Myown perception is that, for our time,the section requires a leader who is anartist, a person working in the field.Due to the situation in Europe today,this person must have a good under-standing of legal matters.

The organizers of the meeting wereclearly trying to signalize an opening ofexisting structures. On the secondmorning, for example, the 450 membersarrived to find many round tables atwhich they were to have discussions insmall groups. Or the Council of theGeneral Anthroposophical Society wasconfronted with questions in an inter-view, demonstrating that all questionsmay be asked without taboos in thisspace. However, there was not enoughtime for such elements to really unfold.

The Council passed out a ques-tionnaire asking for an evaluation of itswork. Most of the suggested changesto the statutes were postponed, becausemany members articulated the wish(not unusual in German-speakingcountries) to first carry out a funda-mental revision of them in a thoroughmutual process. Also, it would makesense to carry out a parallel process tothe revision of the Statutes of the Gen-eral Anthroposophical Society.

Dieter Pommerening Chosenas New General SecretaryOur connection with the Goetheanumcame up again with the election ofDieter Pommerening as General Sec-retary for the Anthroposophical Soci-ety in Germany. All were aware thatwe need to develop a mutual newvision of the calling and tasks of ageneral secretary.

Mathias Riepe described hisimpressions from Kosovo, which con-trasted sharply with our associationbusiness matters. Ute Craemer report-ed on the conditions in Brazil’s favelas.Even without having a direct connec-tion to the other points on the agenda,these two contributions radiated a cer-tain breadth and sobriety over thewhole conference. The artistic arrange-ments had a similar effect. Speaking ofthem at the opening, Melaine Mac-Donald Lampson said, “Goingthrough nothingness – you can’t talkabout it, you have to live it.” F.Z.

GE N E R A LAN T H R O P O S O P H I C A L

SO C I E T Y

Goetheanum FinancesTreasurer Announces Shift inResponsibilities

Within the context of the finances ofthe General Anthroposophical Soci-ety, for which Rolf Kerler is responsi-ble as Treasurer, Markus Jermann isnow responsible for the sectorGoetheanum finances. This taskincludes accounting, bookkeeping,controlling, contacts with the depart-ments and sections regarding financialquestions, contributions from themembers and institutions, and theadministration of donations. MarkusJermann also represents Rolf Kerlerwhen he is absent.

Rolf Kerler will focus more onthe following tasks: supraregional col-laboration with institutions, founda-tions, trust companies, and individualsregarding the financing of the anthro-posophical movement. Collaborationplays a large role when it comes tofinances.

Financing always has to do withsocial processes. Rolf Kerler andMarkus Jermann will continue towork closely together and will con-tinue to be active internationallythrough the Finance Team and theFinance Meeting. To tackle several ofthe tasks mentioned here, specificprojects with external co-workersare planned, particularly free dona-tions and contributions by institu-tions. We will report more on thislater.

Rolf Kerler, Goetheanum

Change in Leadership

SE C T I O N F O R T H E AR T S O F EU RY T H M Y,SP E E C H, DR A M A, A N D MU S I C


School of Spiritual SciencePE D A G O G I C A L SE C T I O N

Waldorf Movement Fills GoetheanumImpressions from the International Teachers’ Conference, April 25–29, 2000

Seeing the EssentialA group of people from all over theworld is weaving baskets on theGoetheanum terrace. Others are carv-ing stone on improvised tables nearHaus Duldeck. In front of the mainentrance, teenagers are playing bad-minton or lying by the wayside, sun-ning themselves.

What is all this activity? Let usask the young man who is lookingthrough the brochures in the foyer.“Do you speak English? Where doyou come from?” An interesting con-versation ensues. He comes from asmall village about 350 kilometersnorth of Johannesburg, South Africa.Mostly children and old people live inthe village. All able-bodied adultshave moved to the cities in search ofwork. The village is called Madietaneand the young man’s name is Jan. Heteaches at the Lesedi Waldorf School(Lesedi means “light”). He has 42children in his class. Yes, it had been ashock to fly into prosperous, spick-and-span Zurich, because his village isvery poor. What about the hugeGoetheanum? It is marvelous; he canhardly find words to express it. He is

extremely thankful for everything thathe has been able to experience at thisconference. It will stay with him foryears. He does not understand every-thing that is said during the morninglectures, but the workshop, where thegroup is discussing practical funda-mentals of teaching, and the singing,

are just right for him. He radiatessuch joy and gratitude as he speaksthat I have to ask myself whether wein Switzerland are so spoiled – notonly by money but by all these spiri-tual goods – that we often no longersee and value the essentials.

Later I talk with two womenfrom India, whosebeautiful saris blendwell with the color-ful halls. They comefrom India’s firstWaldorf school andthey have spent 3years preparing forthis conference, alsostudying the recom-mended literature inadvance. So theyunderstand the lec-tures and everythingvery well. It is fairlyfamiliar because oftheir own culture,not strange at all.What about their encounter with theGoetheanum? Both of them respondwith a glow in their dark eyes: Theywere so moved after having waited solong for this moment that they simplyhad to cry when they first entered thebuilding.

What else can I mention? Themeeting of UNESCO-associatedschools, including one in Kyrgyzstan;the coordinator of the UNESCOschool system from Paris, Sigrid Nie-dermayer, who stressed that thisworldwide Waldorf movement, withits educational treasures (approxi-mately 800 schools, 1500 kinder-gartens, and 60 teacher training pro-grams), should place itself more bold-ly in the world; Ute Craemer andTruus Geraets, who were able to meetwith Ulrich Rösch (representing theSocial Science Section) to preparetheir multicultural conference initia-tive (see Anthroposophy Worldwidenos. 14 and 15, 1999); or the teachersfrom Columbia with their shockingstories of Waldorf school parents whomust fear for the lives of their chil-dren, because of the threats of extor-tionists who have already kidnappedthe children of their friends and

acquaintances, killing one of the chil-dren when the family could not paythe demanded ransom (1 million U.S.dollars).

Karma and Self-EducationThe daily student demonstrationsbefore the lectures, relating to the“karmic aspects of movement” themewas an ingenious idea. It was not justthat these children filled the auditori-um with youthful buoyancy. Theyprovided a lively and visible entry intothe theme “From the Play of theChild to the Work of the Adult” thatwas worth more than a thousand wisewords. We also saw major studentperformances of Christoph Gluck’soratorio, “Orpheus and Eurydice” by

the Hague Waldorf School (theNetherlands) and Georg FriedrichHandel’s “Messiah” by the upperschool choir of the Bern IttigenRudolf Steiner School (Switzerland).

The student demonstrations ofeurythmy and Bothmer gymnasticsenabled us to observe movement, dif-ferentiated according to age groups,and simultaneously observe how thegestures affected us inwardly. The lec-tures could then build on this. Onlyenhanced attention, sympathy, anddevotion will enable a teacher to per-ceive and understand a child wellenough to support the child’s destiny.Also, in today’s sedentary, high-techsociety, we need to deliberately culti-vate movements that are truly human.In his opening lecture, HartwigSchiller explained that karma is notsomething we merely need to under-stand. Anthroposophical karma un-derstanding is active. Karma is a “giv-en task” that needs to be taken upindividually, wherever we are. Karmaoccurs right there where destinyplaces us as teachers and students (seeChristoph Wiechert’s article inAnthroposophy Worldwide no.3/2000).

More than 800 teachers from 46 countries attended the sixth international teach-ers’ conference at the Goetheanum, devoted to the theme “Karmic Aspects ofIntentional Movement.” Lectures were in English and German, with simultane-ous interpretation into Russian, Spanish, and French. Thomas Stöckli, a teacher ata regional upper school in Switzerland, reports.

Wood carving

Jan, from Madietane, South Africa

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speaks of a kind of “meteorology” –that is, the effect of warmth, air (cli-mate), water, earth (location) on thelife processes of the major organ sys-tems (heart, kidney, liver, and lung).Another thing that has considerableinfluence on our health is the way welive: “outer” conditions such as move-ment and physical activity, eatinghabits, and the way we handle plea-sure and desire. Every nutritional con-sultant is aware of this “social” aspectof nutrition – without it our adviceusually has little value.

In our work on AnthroposophicalLeading Thoughts we discussed theMichaelic and Ahrimanic paths avail-able to the human being, either to actout of love (initiative will) or get stuckin the intellect, without acting. We cansee how relevant these characterizationsstill are when we look at the way peo-ple handle ideas and initiatives (whenand how do I become active?) as well asat the missing stimulation of theseforces when there is inadequate nutri-tion (weakness of will). Rudolf Steinerdrew attention to this 80 years ago.

The sensory exercises with PetraKühne enabled us to assess our ownsensitivity to taste, on the one hand,and get to know new or unfamiliarfoods, on the other. This time we tast-


ME D I C A L SE C T I O N / SC I E N C E SE C T I O N, AG R I C U LT U R E DE PA R T M E N T

Etheric Effects and Sense ActivityColloquium on Nutrition

On April 8–10, 2000 the Initiative Group for Questions of Nutrition held itsthird annual colloquium at the Goetheanum. This is a gathering of initiative peo-ple who work in anthroposophical institutions, lead local groups, run health foodstores or Waldorf school kitchens, or teach anthroposophical nutrition. The groupgrew to nearly 40 people this year – a fruit of the work of the past years.

The aim of this colloquium was tooffer further education and profes-sional exchange based on the study ofRudolf Steiner’s works, topical ques-tions relating to nutrition, and sensoryexercises. Discussion groups met todiscuss “The Etheric” and “Earthlyand Cosmic Nutrition.” We plan tocontinue these discussion groups nextyear, because they are fundamental tounderstanding nutrition.

Fundamentals and Sensory ExercisesManfred Klett described how theeffect of the etheric becomes percepti-ble when we let appearances speak tous, while paying attention to an unre-vealed element within them. Thiscame alive for the listeners throughthe example of toads and gnomes.Gnomes are supersensible elementalbeings that dislike toads.

The work on lectures 8 and 9from Rudolf Steiner’s Spiritual Scienceand Medicine lecture course,* intro-duced by Michaela Glöckler, broughtan unexpected wealth of considera-tions regarding taste and smell, theway the physical and non-physicalparts of the human being worktogether during sense impressions,and their effect on the functioning ofthe organs. In lecture 9 Rudolf Steiner

ed infant foods (for babies up to 4months old) and a milk product forsmall children, which many of theparticipants tasted for the first timeand whose artificial and bitter tasteshocked them.

Open QuestionsA particularly relevant session dealtwith the question of contemporaryanthroposophical nutritional theoryand practice, its possibilities andacceptance. This theme was intro-duced by means of actual examples,but there was only time to make abeginning. Two questions remained as“homework”:– What are the core ideas of anthropo-

sophically oriented nutrition?– What tasks do we see for the future?Perhaps readers of this report will feelinspired to answer these questions, orto develop ideas, questions, or criti-cism in thinking about them, and letus know what they think.

Not to be forgotten is the euryth-my (with Jürgen Kühnt) that has sucha decisive contribution to make to thetheme of the etheric; it was felt by allparticipants to be very pleasant andrestorative.

Petra Kühne, GermanyThe Initiative Group for Questions of Nutritionis a joint project of the Agriculture Departmentof the Science Section, the Medical Section at theGoetheanum, and the Circle for NutritionResearch in Bad Vilbel, Germany. The nextmeeting will be April 2001.

Contact: Natural Science Section, AgricultureDepartment, Markus Hurter, Hügelweg 59,CH–4143 Dornach 1; fax +41/61/706 42 15; e-mail [email protected]

Heinz Zimmermann skillfullytied together the themes of the confer-ence in his concluding lecture on self-education. Through our regularevening recapitulation, our recapitula-

tion of the year, and our recapitulationof our whole life, we develop a basicfeeling of gratitude for all our encoun-ters. Often our difficult encountersand conflicts, the stumbling blocks,are the ones that become milestones inour development. “All education isself-education” means that we usesuch exercises to gradually overcomeour personal ambitions and egotism,until we become capable of offering aloving and supportive education. Tolove, said Zimmermann, means tohelp the other person to develop, itmeans to help the other personbecome an active individual who pur-sues self-chosen ideals just for the loveof them.

The theme was felt by many to beso comprehensive and essential that itcan certainly be pursued further at ournext international teachers’ conference.It also emerged that people would liketo study the implications of humanwork as it has evolved today.

ConclusionIt was good that the wide world wastruly represented. Each time the par-ticipants have become more interna-tional and culturally diverse, with aclear increase this time. This is due tothe spread of the worldwide Waldorfmovement but also to the strongefforts of many people involved inthe planning. We owe special thanksto those who were willing to coverthe travel expenses of teachers fromdistant, financially much poorercountries. Also, the collaborationdemonstrated by the PedagogicalSection team was exemplary. Itproved that teamwork is possible andthat it can bear good fruits for others.This was a special event. Seeing thebusily working teachers of manycountries, one could not help butnotice the life pervading theGoetheanum, and the school move-ment, near and far.

Thomas Stöckli, Switzerland

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* GA 312, Rudolf Steiner Press 1975.


FeatureTrust in the Forces of the Cultural LifeBelgian Anthroposophists to Appeal to the European Court

Government officials in Belgium have placed anthroposophical work among the sects. Also, thegovernment has set up an information and advice center to monitor ideological and religiousgroups. To protect itself and the anthroposophical movement, the Anthroposophical Society in Bel-gium objected to this, but both this objection and their objection to being classed as a sect wererejected. Now the Anthroposophical Society in Belgium plans to take its case to the EuropeanCourt of Human Rights in Strasbourg, France.* Is there a danger that such an appeal for freedommight lead to protection for dangerous groups as well? Luc Vandecasteele answers this questionand explains the background of the planned appeal.

What exactly is your claimto the European Court?Belgian sect law is discriminatory. Agovernment center is supposed tostudy “the harmfulness of sectariangroups” and inform the public. Thismeans that ideological and religiousgroups are to be treated differentlythan other possibly harmful groupssuch as hooligan clubs or political par-ties.

The center will judge the harmful-ness of groups according to the “prin-ciples of law” and human rights agree-ments. However, it is actually the taskof the courts to determine the harm-fulness of anything in a constitutionalstate. A government center that judgesmerely on the basis of “principles” oflaw opens the door to arbitrariness.

If you base your appeal on the right tofreedom, is there not a concern thattruly dangerous groups could be pro-tected as well? Are not certain groupsobjectively dangerous in the sense ofthe Belgium government? Who, if notthe government, should have the rightto intervene?Every ideological group and ultimate-ly every citizen in our moderndemocracies has the right to a freeopinion and to religious freedom, aslong as they respect the laws and keeppublic order. New laws that aim tocontrol the harmfulness of certaingroups must not violate this basicright. There is international consensusamong jurists that existing laws aresufficient to control the illegal activi-ties of sects – which do exist! The Bel-gian (and French) governments go farbeyond this, however.

Appointments to the center areindependent but it is connected withparliament and the Ministry of Justice.Its members include politicians, sectopponents, and scientists. Any infor-mation provided to the public willthus have an official character. Thiswould represent an impermissibleintervention of government in culturalaffairs. Also, the members of the bodyare not required to reveal their ownideologies. However, it is known thatthey belong to the major groups,Catholicism, atheism, and Protes-

tantism. Will they also judge humanrights violations taking place withinthe traditional ideologies and informthe public about them?

In its June 1999 recommendationsregarding sects, the Council of Europeadvised governments to remain neutralin matters of religion. Governmentsshould not designate which groups aresects and which groups are religions.They should judge deeds, not opinions.The concept “sects” is so pejorative,the Council said, that governmentsshould not use it at all. If there is aneed for information centers regardingspiritual, religious, and esoteric groups,they should be independent from thegovernment and they should check theaccuracy of their information with thegroups themselves.

This recommendation showsmore respect for freedom in culturallife than does the Belgium monitorycenter. In my opinion, we should dif-ferentiate clearly between a free dis-cussion of convictions, in whichpotentially dangerous opinions andpractices can be exposed, on the onehand, and the task of the governmentto punish unlawful actions, on theother. We should trust the forces ofcultural life in our democracy. Trulyindependent information centers cancontribute much to the awareness ofthe citizens, for example by organiz-ing debates. However, we can observea tendency of the state to increasinglydecide what is right, healthy, and goodfor its citizens. Similar tendencies arevisible in education and health.

Your argumentation against the centeris fairly technical. Is it not moreimportant to argue that anthroposoph-ical work is not sectarian at all,whether or not there is an informationcenter?We intend to keep our argumentationfundamental, in accordance with thehuman rights agreement and civil free-doms. Fighting for freedom in the lifeof culture is not just a juristic matterand it is not just for us, but for societyin general. The human rights agree-ments have a general human quality.They are a direct continuation of theideals of enlightenment. It is not suffi-

cient to claim that anthroposophicalwork is not sectarian in itself. In Bel-gium, anthroposophical ideas wereclassified as suspect in an officialbrochure, merely because a journalisthad written about a mistake made bya (non-anthroposophical) doctor whohad once mentioned Rudolf Steiner.Such an incident clearly demonstratesthe prevailing mental laziness and thetendency to jump to conclusions. Afalse interpretation got passed on tothe public as “information” withoutany thorough examination. A way ofthinking that includes unconventionalideas was judged to be harmful merelybecause of a mistake that was (alleged-ly) inspired by such ideas!

Is it worth appealing to the EuropeanCourt of Human Rights, consideringthat you might lose this case?Even if we lose, we still hope that ourappeal will encourage more thoroughthinking and lead to a better adminis-tration of justice in the future.

How far along are you in preparingyour case for the European Court?We have until September 21, 2000 tofile suit. Various people are workingto prepare our plaint, including Tedvan Baarda, head of the racism com-mission in Holland, and colleaguesfrom the universities of Leuven andAntwerp. Since we are dealing with aBelgian law, it may not be possible tobring a joint claim. Perhaps the Courtwill deal with the claim of theAnthroposophical Society in Franceparallel to ours.

What would be helpful to you now –perhaps funds or ideas?Both would be very welcome! Notonly we in Belgium need help. Plansare underway for a European sectinformation center, and for similarcenters in Eastern Europe.

Interview by S.J.

Contact: Antroposofische Vereniging in België,F. Lousbergskaai 44, BE–9000 Gent; tel. +32/9/233 54 58; fax 233 53 27.

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* Not the International Court, as mistakenlyreported in Anthroposophy Worldwide 4/2000

anthoposophy worldwide 2000 (5)

Documents

christmas conference

anthroposophy worldwidelife

finland2 anthroposophy

country societies

circle of general secretaries

period of inner integration

outer integration

country representatives