Beholding the Heart of Nature

A Course of inner development based on a year of encounters with

Nature

Our Inspiration “The Natural gifts, naturally inherited knowledge, traditional medicines and so on that have been

passed down from ancient times are all losing their value . We need to acquire new knowledge in

order to be able to enter into all the inter-relationships of these things. Humanity has only two

choices : either to start once again, in every field of endeavour, to learn from the whole of nature,

from the relationships within the whole cosmos, or to allow both nature and human life to degener-

ate and die off. There is no other choice. Today no less than in ancient times, we are in need of

knowledge that can really enter into the inner workings of nature”.

“Spiritual Foundations for the Renewal of Agriculture, lecture 2” Rudolf Steiner

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What is the course? The course 'Beholding the Heart of Nature’ is a schooling path based on Goethe’s scientific work (1749 – 1832), later developed by Rudolf Steiner (1861 - 1925), and carried forward in Dornach, Switzerland (in the Natural Science Section at the Goetheanum) and all over the world.

While conventional scientific methods of objective observations and clear-thinking are an important part of any Goethean scientific methodology, the Goethean schooling path in this course aims to develop, in addition, an enhanced attitude and orientation of soul which deepens conventional knowledge and can lead to a profound understanding of nature and our relationship to it. This understanding also has positive effects on both personal and professional development.

The course follows the cycle of the year at Pishwanton through four seasons via plant observation, landscape study, animal and human observation, accompanied by art, movement, music and physical activity appropriate to the time of year. In this way we learn to listen to what the year of the earth as a great liv-ing being has to tell us, leading to a deeper understanding of Nature and, through this, of ourselves and our mutual relationship to the World.

A one year intensive experience. Why one year? To experience the full cycle of the zodiac year, beginning with Aries To complete a personal research project interwoven with monthly exercises As a commitment to change yourself - to learn and use Goethean Science as a participative experience

There will be a weekly colloquium for residential students to share their experiences and their research projects in between the three monthly blocks.

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The story behind this course

In the 1990s Axel Ewald and Margaret Colquhoun ran a sequence of courses called the Life Science Seminar. These courses were inspired by Goethe's sci-entific search for the archetypal source of his artistic inspiration.

Of special relevance to us in the British Isles is the relationship between art and science in the Hibernian Mysteries. The participants in the Life Science Seminars visited the places where these Mysteries had been practiced.

In 1997 a group including several Seminar participants met to devise a longer training. The outcome was "The New Hibernian Way": a sequence of courses making their way through the sea-sons, the Celtic and the Christian festivals and mystery sites of the British Isles.

Meanwhile, in 1992, the Life Science Trust had been founded in order to purchase Pishwanton Wood in S.E. Scotland and to establish a centre for the teaching and practice of Goethean Science and Art. Many courses were held in Pishwanton out of doors in the “Landscape Classroom”.

In 2001 work began on a dedicated Goethean Science building at Pishwan-ton which is now completed and was opened in 2013.

So the “New Hibernian Way” has found at Pishwanton a “New Hibernian Place”. The next step was the "College for Goetheanism" offering an artistic,

scientific and practical education based on the Goethean Scientific method. This is concentrated in the Whicher-Wilson-Wilkes building for Goethean Science at Pishwanton.

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Who is the course for? This course benefits many people at different levels of participation: The full year’s course provides a foundation year for students in any anthroposophical training. It offers a practical introduction to Anthroposophy and thus is an excellent complement for students of an-

throposophical medicine, Waldorf teacher training, Biodynamic agriculture, herbalism and social studies.

It offers already qualified scientists and teachers a career enhancement or continuing professional (or person-al) development and provides an accessible route towards an understanding of anthroposophy.

This course has a role to play in the upper school of Rudolf Steiner Schools - for ex-ample for specialist teachers who have no Waldorf training.

In summary - "Beholding the Heart of Nature" is a foundation year for people at a turning point in their lives or who want to

bring something new into their life's work or deepen their profession.

is a foundation for young adults who are seeking their life's task

is a sabbatical for people in mid career

is a reorientation for those seeking a new task / way of being in later life

is a component of a biodynamic apprenticeship training

is for anyone wanting to reconnect to nature in a deeply spiritual way

is for people who want to enhance another training

is a gap year for adults

For those who cannot manage a whole year of intensive learning, the components lend themselves to be taken as separate modules—one week every three months on a particular topic.

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What will this course do for you? The breathing in and out of Nature and the interplay between science, art and practical, meditative work on the land during the course gives rise to a harmonisation of head, hands and heart. This, in turn, results in an understanding and trust of one's own intui-tion and the confidence to act responsibly in the world.

Beholding the Heart of Nature is a path of self-development intimately

embedded in practical life in the natural environment. It allows the growth of a sense of who one is as a human being in relationship to Nature and rejuvenates love and a feeling of responsibility for the natural world. Thinking becomes enhanced after the experience of this pro-gramme and the capacity to make well thought through decisions. In addition, this work strengthens one's inner will and harmonises the feeling life.

Community building Participants will learn how to meet the four kingdoms of nature. Practiced in a group, this can free-up one's own habit life and allow the acceptance of the opinion of others, thereby moving towards the foundation of new community.

In a diverse group of people, each with their own project, the discussion widens everyone’s horizons and intercommunication becomes an essential part of under-standing one’s own work from other points of view.

Likewise practising the same scientific method throughout the cycle of the year on different aspects of nature, generates an appreciation of the wholeness of the life

of the earth as well as a reflected balancing of every human being.

By working together as a group as well as on individual projects participants can express their own individuality while contributing to the group/community building effort. Living, cooking and eating together enhances the community building experience.

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What is the Structure of the year?

The course is divided into four self-contained modules each of which can be taken as a one week workshop. However, full immersion for each topic at three monthly intervals over one year is highly beneficial and recom-mended for more serious students of Goetheanism or Biodynamics.

There are four epochs of learning - Aries to Gemini - Plant studies based on the journey through the - Cancer to Virgo - Landscape Zodiac. - Libra to Sagittarius - Animals - Capricorn to Pisces - Human Being

Each epoch is broken down into a separate topic. The course can be taken as a full-time residential course for students with their own projects or students may attend individual weeks only. For students who would like to deepen their experience in Goetheanism we also offer a three year (minimum) research-based training in Anthroposophical Goethean Natural Sci-ence. See: http://issuu.com/pishwantonwood/docs/training_in_goethean_-_anthroposoph.

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Each week long course will involve several meditative observations in Nature, followed by a group artistic exercise. There will be an introduction to Goethe’s work and to the topic being studied, individual research, artistic activities and some practical work on the land. All courses begin on Thursday afternoon and finish at the end of the following Friday afternoon, nine days later.

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Spring - April - "The Plant as Teacher"

An introduction to Goethean Science - through learning about the plant kingdom and how scientific study of plants and artisitic practice knit to-gether to show us a way forward. This practical hands on experiential learning is accompanied by text study to show the development of Goethe-an Science into the Spiritual Science of Rudolf Steiner.

The intense study and appreciation of nature in its unfolding in the spring of the year, growth and culmination into flowering and the understanding and processing of medicinal plants take place together with practical work appropriate to the season and artistic activities, which complement, en-hance and spring from the above.

Summer - July - Components of the Landscape What plants grow where? How does the underlying geology shape the environment? How can we see the landscape as a mirror of human activity and thought? The exploration of nearer and wider landscapes deepen Goethe's method and enhance our experience of ourselves in relation to nature.

Design of new landscapes out of an appreciation of the old will be a major component of this epoch. Development of new spaces as a creative deeds obvi-ates any need to "hanker after" the past.

Painting and drawing by Margaret Shillan, study of ancient mysteries as exemplified by the surrounding land-scape and evening conversation with Charles Lawrie will complement the science in this week.

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Autumn - September - Animals in the Landscape, Evolution and relation to Man

The animal kingdom is approached first by observing live animals as they move through and inhabit Pishwanton's landscape. Then by trying to understand them as an outer picture of certain aspects of the human being. Studying the animals in situ we learn to "slip into their skin".

This is followed by the study of animal skeletons, which leads to an appreciation of the different groups of animals and our inner relation to them. Clay modelling and eurythmy complement this epoch.

Winter - December - The Human Being, Embryology and Colour Theory

Having started with ourselves and gone out into the kingdoms of Nature, we now turn back towards the human being and try to get to know the outer and inner nature of ourselves more deeply . We will study the human skeleton, embryology and its metamorphoses, as well as Goethe's colour theory.

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Who is teaching this Course?

Beholding the Heart of Nature is conceived and run by Dr Mar-garet Colquhoun together with a number of colleagues including Axel Ewald, Eta Ingham Lawrie, Charles Lawrie, Paul Matthews, Richard Ramsbotham, and Margaret Shillan,

Margaret Colquhoun studied Evolutionary Biology at Edinburgh University, where she also worked as a Research Scientist. In the 1980’s she moved to Germany to train as a Goethean Scientist in

the Carl Gustav Carus Institute under Thomas Göbel and at the Natural Science Research Laboratory in Dornach Switzerland with Jochen Bochemühl and Georg Maier.

Since 1989 she has been teaching throughout Britain and Europe and in 1996 was co-founder of the Pishwanton Project of the Life Science Trust, which she currently runs and teaches within the College for Goetheanism. She is a mentor on the Scottish arm of the Goethean Science Training for professionals (www.anthrobotanik.eu). See: http://issuu.com/pishwantonwood/docs/training_in_goethean_-_anthroposoph.

She offers a consultancy facilitation service on landscape development and private tuition in Goethean-ism. Her main areas of interest are medicinal plants, landscape and animal evolution. She lives in Ber-wickshire.

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Charlie Lawrie of Duns offers Conversational Contributions to the “Beholding the Heart of Nature” Course on a variety of topics and reads his own and Goethe’s Poetry.

As an Edinburgh-born lifelong research and student of Goethe and Rudolf Steiner, and a Goethe-anum Diploma Speech artist, poet Charlie Lawrie shares research-results with course participants.

Painting and drawing exercises are with Margaret Shillan Margaret Shillan has taught in a Steiner School and at Emerson College, where she founded the Visual Arts Year and taught painting and drawing. She has travelled widely and given courses in many countries, and her own work has been inspired by her travels. But it is poetry, mythology and nature that have been her greatest inspiration.

Paul Matthews He is the author of two inspirational books on the creative process of writing. Sing Me the Crea-tion and Words in Place (Hawthorn Press). The Ground that Love Seeks and Slippery Characters (Five Seasons Press) are gatherings of his poetry. Paul has taught for many years at Emerson col-lege, in Sussex. For more details of what he does see www.paulmatthewspoetry.co.uk

Axel Ewald He is an environmental artist and Social Sculpture practitioner based in Israel. In the early 1990ies Axel collaborated with Margaret Colquhoun in developing a series of courses combining Goethean observation with artistic creation, in founding the Life Science Trust and in running the first land-scape observation and environmental design workshops at Pishwanton Wood.

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What does the course cost? Course Costs £515 for nine days (Concessions £490) Includes tuition, all materials, lunch and snacks

Work, supervision and accommodation between the courses will be worked out individually for each long term residential student.

Where will you stay? Life Science Trust Course Accommodation Greenbank Cottage £45 per night (Dinner, Bed & Breakfast)

(Mostly shared rooms) Quince Cottage £45 “ “ “ “ Craigie Lodge £45 “ “ “ “ £10 Single room supplement Dinner £10

Goblin Ha' Hotel, Main St. Gifford Seven en-suite rooms which all have TVs, Tel+44 (0)1620 810244 tea/coffee making facilities and hair dryers. Fax+44 (0)1620 810708 B & B From £70.50 per room Email: stay@goblinha.com www.goblinha.com

Duncastle B. & B. Eaglescairnie Mains Gifford Double / twin en-suite rooms £42.50 per person per night Tel/Fax: 01620 810491 £60 single occupancy. Email: williams.eagles@btinternet.com Discounts are available for stays of 4 nights or longer

Tweeddale Arms Hotel High St. Gifford B.& B. From £35 Single Mrs Gill Tait B & B £60 - £85 per room Tel +44 (0)1620 810240 per room per night & Redshill Farm Discounts for Email: tweeddalearms@hotmail.co.uk £80 Double per room Gifford more than two www.thetweeddalearmshotel.com per night EH41 4JN. and four nights Email: redshillfarm1@gmail.com

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Summary of Courses for 2016 - 2017 offered by the Life Science Trust

at Pishwanton Wood

Beholding the Heart of Nature week courses Week Dates Aries - Taurus 14 - 22nd April 2016

- Gemini

Cancer - Leo 14 - 22nd July 2016

- Virgo

Libra - Scorpio 13 - 21st October 2016

- Sagittarius

Capricorn - Aquarius January 2017

- Pisces T.B.C.

Please apply to the office of the Life Science Trust (address on back page) for details, prices and course leaders or check www.pishwanton.org

In between are the following courses :-

Compost Making & the biodynamic preparation plants Medicinal Plants and their Meaning Medicinal and Culinary Herbs Growing Harvesting, Processing & Preserving Plants for Home Kitchen Pharmacy & Cooking Plants in the Landscape Evolution Cookery Courses Plant families and Healing Processes Study of Stars and Zodiac Sacred Architecture

And alongside these we are running practical training activities throughout the year on :-

Green Building (See www.pishwanton.org) Exploring & Painting the Scottish Landscape Dyeing with Plants Weaving with Natural Colours Spinning and Felting Wool Various Green Woodwork Courses

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How to Get to Pishwanton and Gifford? (www.travelinescotland.com) By Rail: The nearest Railway Station is in either Dunbar or Edin-burgh.

Bus services X6/X8 run east from Edinburgh to Haddington and west from Dunbar to Haddington. Bus service no. 123 runs from Haddington to Gifford.

By Car: From the Southeast: - take the A1 towards Edinburgh and exit at Haddington.

All other Routes: From Edinburgh, take the A720 City Bypass toward Berwick-on-Tweed (A1), and turn off at Haddington.

From Haddington: - Follow the High Street through the town centre, turn right at the sign to Gifford. At the edge of town, turn left onto the B6369 to Gifford and follow signs to the Gifford town centre.

By Air: To Edinburgh airport. Take an airport bus to central Edin-burgh and then bus no.s X6/X8 to Haddington and 123 as above).

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Personal Information:__ Ms.__ Miss__ Mrs.__ Mr. Surname ……………………………………………….. First name ……...………………………………………. Street and number .……………………………………. City/ District……………….. Post/ Zip Code…………... Country………………… Tel ………………………. Fax ……………………….. Email …………………………………………………... Course: I apply for Course Title: ………………………………… Dates: …………………………………………………… Additional Information: Please indicate any special needs, diets, requests e.g. transport, or questions you may have ………………………...…………………………..……………………... ...…………………………..……………………………………………..

Accommodation :- I would like to camp at Pishwanton I am booking my own accommodation I would like to book a place in Life Science Trust accommodation.

Date: ………………………… Signature:…………..………………………………………………. Please Return to: Life Science Trust, Quince Cottage, 4 Baxtersyke, Gifford, E. Lothian, Scotland EH41 4PL.

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Payments by BACS :

Life Science Seminar c/o Bank of Scotland, Haddington, UK. Account no. 00559396 Sort Code: 80-08-23

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benefit from additional tax relief through Gift Aid, if you fill in

the enclosed GAD page.

CONTACT ADDRESS: The Pishwanton Project Life Science Trust Quince Cottage, 4 Baxtersyke Gifford, East Lothian EH41 4PL Scotland Tel. +44 (0)1620 810259 Email: admin@pishwanton.com Website: www.pishwanton.org Registered Office : 4 Baxtersyke, Gifford, East Lothian, EH41 4PL.

Life Science Trust, Quince Cottage, 4 Baxtersyke, Gifford, East Lothian. EH41 4PL

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