anthoposophy worldwide 1999 (2)

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A True Likeness …

A British citizen who wishes to renew his passportneeds to find an acquaintance of his who is of publicstanding such as a Justice of Peace, Minister of Religion,lawyer, bank officer or doctor, and ask him to write onone of two identical passport photographs the time-honoured formula: I certify that this is a true likeness of …

However before doing so he has to visit a photogra-pher to obtain this “true likeness”. It is at such a visit tothe photographer that he may learn how a true likenessof a fellow human being can be gained.

The experienced photographer will tell him first tolook into the mirror in order to see how he appears tothe world and to make a few necessary adjustments.Then he will ask him to sit down and relax. Wheneverything is ready the photographer will tell his cus-tomer to look upwards and to the light – yet not straighttowards it but a little left of it – and that he shouldsmile.

Upwards and towards the light because this is thetrue way of man and thereby man can leave his shadowsbehind him and will not trip over them or be disturbedand darkened by them. A little left from it because mancannot face light directly and by turning left – which isthe side of the heart – he will be able to see things inprofile and be seen in profile.

And a smile is necessary because in smiling manmeets the light from the heights with a light of his own.

In this way the experienced photographer will pro-vide a true likeness of man. Looking into the mirror,waiting in peace, looking upwards towards the light, notstraight into it but a little to the left, and smiling are thefive steps by which a true likeness of man can beattained.

Can we help our fellowmen to make these five steps,can we allow our fellowmen to guide us towards makingthese five steps in order that true likeness may meet truelikeness? Baruch Urieli, Republic of Ireland

Nr. 2 • March 1999

Collaboration withthe Goethe Institute

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The Quiet Ones –Carmela Villafana onCurative Education in Peru

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Theme for the Year1999/2000The Mystery of Love

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Signs of the TimesAnthroposophy around the WorldPortraitAnthroposophical SocietySchool of Spiritual ScienceFeature

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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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Editors:Carol Brousseau (responsible for the Eng-lish-Language Edition), Sebastian Jüngel(responsible for this issue), Dietrich Rapp,Ursula Remund Fink, Michaela Spaar,Stephan Stockmar, Justus Wittich

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

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Printing by J.W. Arrowsmith Ltd. Bristol

Signs of the TimesMeasuring the Obvious – A Commentary

But what are the existential questions?Here the experts and the public evi-dently do not always agree. Trueenthusiasm for their field leads thehighly specialized scientists to makeever more exact measurements of evensmaller details. It is not unusual forlarge-scale studies to arrive at resultswhich are already obvious to everythinking person. The general public,on the other hand, is interested indeeds. They want to know whyresearch results and political decisions– particularly with regard to environ-mental protection – so often have aneffect that is positively the opposite ofthe formulated intention.

The problem discussed at thisconference is well known. The condi-tion of the Baltic Sea, to put it mildly,is deplorable. And one of the guiltyparties is modern agriculture, whichincessantly supplies the ocean withnitrogen, phosphorus and other pollu-tants. Artur Granstedt, professor atthe Center of Agricultural Research inFinland, presented the conference witha study of these “streams of nutrients”.

His conclusion, briefly stated, isthe following: it would be possible tocut the run-off of nitrogen (for exam-ple) in half. But this would require afunctioning cycle of ecological farm-ing. Today’s specialization – eitherlarge-scale cattle breeding or exclusivecrop farming – is disastrous for theenvironment.

Since this result was hardly sur-prising, there was no major disagree-ment among the experts regarding theecological principle suggested by thereport. As could be expected, they didhave different views on procedure:they spoke of European Union direc-tives, cost factors and (especially thegovernment officials present) of theneed for further research.

Nothing New for 50 YearsBut why did no real engagementunfold on the second day with thegeneral public? It was the veritableopposite: the longer it went on, thelarger became the gaps in the audi-ence. Can it be that the right ques-tions were not being asked? And if so– what are the right questions?

Of course it is eminently impor-

totally banned from the Baltic Seaconference? A few minutes of euryth-my, sandwiched between the lectureand the lunch break, seemed more likea duty than a matter of the heart.

In this connection one could alsoask whether women and men thinkdifferently. Women usually predomi-nate when we have anthroposophicconferences at our center in Järna. Soit was interesting to observe that mendominated the Baltic Sea conference.Would natural science be different ifmore women were engaged in it?

Yes, it would surely have beenexciting if we had discussed suchquestions, having the opportunity tomeet with specialists in the field. Foodand water are prerequisite for ourphysical existence, after all, and theyshould therefore interest everyone.But at this conference people evident-ly did not want to discuss fundamen-tal questions. On the contrary. Whenquestions of this sort were raised, thepress conference was abruptly cutshort. Jürgen Vater, Sweden

tant for researchers to provide statis-tics and quantifiable data as evidenceof facts or relationships that everyoneknows, or at least suspects. No onequestions their wanting to serve ourbest interests, just as politicians wantthis. But their work also objectivelyshows that traditional agriculture,which is supposed to nourish andsupport the population, actually con-tributes to poisoning the planet. Themost existential burning questionmust then be: why? They all meanwell – the natural scientists, politi-cians, farmers. So why is our environ-ment nevertheless going downhill innearly every respect?– 15 years ago experts met and con-

cluded that certain emissions intothe Baltic Sea needed to be cut inhalf. Development has gone in theopposite direction ever since.

– 25 years ago experts found that itwould be “effective” to segregateagriculture: here, cattle breeding,there, crop farming. This effectivi-ty has had catastrophic results eversince.

– 50 years ago experts recommendedthe use of artificial fertilizer. Sincethen we have become ever sickerthrough increasingly poisonedfood.

I will say it again: No professionalgroup – and certainly not any individ-ual person – wants to harm the rest ofus. Nevertheless the objective result isdisastrous. What would interest me isa discussion of the causes of this trulyabsurd situation. And what forumwould be more appropriate for such adiscussion than a conference on agri-culture and the Baltic Sea?

Asking Essential QuestionsOne could ask, for example: whatcharacterizes scientific thinking?Within anthroposophy we speak of“living thinking”. What is it and howdoes it exist in natural science? If lan-guage is an expression of thinking,what kind of thinking does the lan-guage of a scientific paper express?Does it express living thinking?

And how do things stand withart? Can art support the developmentof living thinking? Was it only a co-incidence that art seemed to be almost

Anthroposophy Worldwide 2/1999

One and the same event can be experienced so differently! While some speak ofsuccess and even of a change in trend, others lose interest more and more, finallystaying away altogether. This happened at a conference on “Agriculture and theBaltic Sea” held in Järna, Sweden in January 1999. The idea was quite new, eveningenious: first the experts (marine biologists, agronomists and government repre-sentatives) were alone with each other. On the second day of the two-day confer-ence they met the interested public. One would think that this would haveallowed for a competent handling of all the existential questions.

The E.U. promotes the protectionof the landscape, including projectssuch as those currently underway at“Le Piane”: tree cultivation (15hectares to ensure the renewal of rawmaterials), the repair of a forest path(which contributes to the care of thelandscape), and the construction of asmall lake (as a water resevoir and nat-ural habitat). S.J.

Contact: Claudio Calvanzani / Claudia Wild,“Podere Le Piane” 158, La Colomba di Murci,I-58050 Grossesto, Tel./Fax +39/564/51 90 98.

Anthroposophy Worldwide 2/1999

Anthroposophy around the World

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U.S.A.

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Waldorf Students Speak at Human Rights Conference

European Union Supports “Le Piane” Biodynamic Farm

The biodynamic farm “Le Piane” isexpecting a visit from the EuropeanUnion this spring. The inspectors willcheck to see whether the planting hasbeen carried out correctly.

Waldorf students from Italy, Ger-many, Austria and Switzerland arealready very familiar with this 60hectare farm. They have gone there toget practical farming experience withClaudio Calvanzani and Claudia Wild(see photo). In recent years they builtwalls, planted trees, and made smallanimal stalls and a solar water heater.Each of the small groups has the

chance to experience all aspects of thework, even cooking and cleaning. Intheoretical lessons geared to their agethey learn about farming and garden-ing, medicinal herbs and the properhandling of timber. Arts and craftsround out the program.

The farm was bought nearly twen-ty years ago, thanks to a gift by GiuliaMaria Crespi, who stipulated that it be farmed biodynamically. Today theyhave a medicinal herb garden, olivetrees and timber (with fast-growingchestnut oaks which can be felled everyten or twelve years for firewood).

planned to attend but was unable todo so, and his speech was read by oneof his representatives (see box).

One of the International WaldorfSchool’s students, Danielle Bourgi,was chosen to be among those givingopening speeches. Another of theInternational Waldorf School stu-dents, Sarva Contreras, was chosenfrom among the more than 900 partic-ipants to be one of eight to draw up adeclaration of human rights for thechildren of the world.

It was rewarding to note how eas-ily the Waldorf children fit into suchan environment and how easily theywere able to grasp the concepts placedbefore them. We must give some cred-it to the curriculum which was putforth by Rudolf Steiner. What is pre-sented in Waldorf schools preparesstudents for such matters. If one lookscarefully at the curriculum one seesthat it is truly global: it prepares chil-dren to be individuals who really canthink for themselves.

Two things became apparent tothe adult participants from the Wal-

dorf schools. One was that theMichaelic impulse was very strongthroughout the conference. It radiatedfrom the speakers and it radiated fromthe student participants. The messagewas to bypass one’s little ego and towork selflessly for the betterment ofhumankind. The second was that theyoung people of the world do havethe courage to stand against adversityto make positive changes.

From a report by Yvonne Cumming, U.S.A.

On December 11, 1998, the UnitedNations invited students to a confer-ence commemorating the 50thanniversary of the Bill of HumanRights. Among them was a delegationfrom the International Waldorf Schoolin Miami, Florida, with YvonneCumming, Jean Schweizer (a foundingmember of the Waldorf initiative inFort Lauderdale, Florida) and fourstudents. They were invited becauseof the International Waldorf School’sconnection with UNESCO.

The purpose of the event was tohear the voice of the children of theworld on the topic of human rights. Itwas the first time in U.N. history thatyoung people were invited.

Attending for the United Nationsas speakers and participants were Mr.Mian Qadrud-Din (Dept. of PublicInformation, U.N.), AmbassadorWilliam J. van den Heuvel (Pres.Franklin and Eleanor Roosevelt Insti-tute), Ambassador H. E. A. Peter Bur-leigh (U.S.A.), and Ambassador H. E.Dr. Makarim Wibisono (Indonesia).Secretary General Kofi Annan had

Small Steps Count

Kofi Annan,U.N. General Secretary:“Make an effort: get to know peoplewhose lives are different from yours.Find out what you have in commonwith them.Get together: when you see some-thing wrong, join with others who feelthe same way.Take action: work to solve the prob-lem. Small steps count. Don’t forget,if something hasn’t been done before,that only means you can do it.”

(excerpt)

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Culture in a Secluded Place“Campo Verde – Escola Araucária” – A Brazilian Mountain School

The “Campo Verde Group” was orig-inally intended to be an ecological ini-tiative. They planned a biodynamicfarm. A doctor wanted to found asmall sanatorium (but did not takewell to the high altitude himself).There was also the local population,which desperately needed help if theywere not to be forced to migrate tothe city. The idea was to create workand a good environment so that noone would have to leave, or at leastnot without basic education. The ini-tiators were all too aware of the con-ditions in São Paulo, with its hopelessghettos, street children and crime.

The school was founded in 1972with private funds, but for many yearsfailed to thrive. The teachers wouldstay only a few months, barely half ofthe 25 children would come regularly.It was not until a long-term teacherwas found in the early 1990’s thatthings began to change. By 1991 theyalready had 80 students. The schoolwas gradually converted to Waldorfpractises. In 1997 there were six teach-ers and eight classes. The three oldest

classes put on their first play: Shake-speare’s “A Midsummer Night’sDream” – an extraordinary culturalevent in this community.

One day a new mayor appearedand demanded that the school be pri-vatized within two weeks. Otherwisethey would have to give up either thefour eldest classes or Waldorf educa-

tion. This shock was followed bymonths of silence. Then a new educa-tion official assumed responsibility.She was positive about the school andeven suggested that it help renew theeducation of the whole region.

“Escola Araucária” is a parishschool, and an “educational experi-ment”, but this does not mean that theparish carries the full costs. It doessubsidize the teachers’ salaries. Todaythe school has 11 teachers and 90pupils and it would like to accept allpupils regardless of whether they canafford school fees. U.R.

The school depends on donations of funds andmaterials. Bank account: Caixa Economica Fed-eral, Poupauça azul, Ouro Fino/Minas Gerais,Brazil. Account No. 00028 516-9 05/99, 1/1,Bank No. 0 700. Information on materials need-ed: Gerald Albrecht, Akazienstr. 31, D–68305Mannheim.

Braz i l

Great Br i ta in

Art and Curative Education Under One RoofFour Anthroposophic Initiatives Share a School

When the local art school left itspremises in Stroud, England in 1998,four anthroposophic institutionsseized the opportunity to move in.The timing was fortunate. The Hiber-nia School of Artistic Therapy waslooking for a larger place. They werejoined by Mask Studio, Ruskin MillFurther Education Centre and Lans-down Pottery (from William MorrisHouse Camphill Community). Thehundred-year-old building, which hadbeen built with the ideal of making artand science accessible to everyone, iswell-loved by the people of Stroud.More than 150 people attended theopening ceremony on January 22,1999, including the mayor and manybusiness people. All of the four initia-tives intend to collaborate with the

local community: with courses, roomrentals and festivals.

They hope to be able to con-tribute to the wish for cultural renew-al in Stroud. Stroud has long attractedradical groups and religious indepen-dents. But it is not only a main drugdealing center, it also has a stronggreen party and serves as a focal pointfor complementary medicine. Thereare many artists, crafts people andsocial initiators. This culture of toler-ance has created fruitful soil foranthroposophic initiatives.

From a report by Andrew Beard and Karin Jar-man, edited by S.J

Contact: “Centre for Science and Art, Lans-down, Stroud, GB-Gloucestershire GL5 1BB,England, Tel. +44/1453/75 16 85, Fax 75 75 65.

Germany/the Netherlands/Switzer-land. Time after time, when indepen-dent schools are not subsidized by thegovernment, contructing a buildingbecomes an insurmountable obstacle.To organize bank loans and help withcoordination, an alliance has nowformed among the “GemeinnützigeTreuhandstelle” (“Non-Profit Trust”,Germany), the “Friends of RudolfSteiner’s Education” (Germany), theAnthroposophical Society in Ger-many, and the IONA Foundation (theNetherlands). All these institutions(and they may be joined by others)are looking into how a capital basecould be organized. The “Friends”will undertake the development andrealization of the project.

Contacts: Dolf van Aalderen, “IONA Founda-tion”, Tel. +31/20/623 33 53 – Albert Fink,“Gemeinnützige Treuhandstelle”, Tel.+49/234/30 79 30 – Nana Göbel, “Freunde derErziehungskunst”, Tel. +49/030/617 026 30 –Jon McAlice, Pedagogical Section of the Schoolof Spiritual Science, Tel. +41/61/7064 315 –Dieter Pommerening, AnthroposophischeGesellschaft in Deutschland, Tel. +49/5468/1037.

The Serra da Mantiqueira mountains, 1700 meters above sea level, three hoursaway from São Paulo: the climate is cold by Brazilian standards, with eveningfrost in winter. But it is pleasantly dry and sunny. The local population, mostlydescendants of formerly wealthy landowners, is entirely destitute and has little orno schooling. This is the setting for the mountain school “Escola Araucária”.

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Anecdotes from the History of Anthroposophy in FranceEric Arlin on the Development of Curative Education in “Les Fontenottes”

A French Association for CurativeEducation was founded in 1935, at theinitiative of Ita Wegman. In 1936 theywere able to open a day school inParis, lead by Madam Bérence. Thisdeveloped into a boarding school andmoved to Courcelles Castel near Parisin 1938. During the German occupa-tion they all had to flee to the south.Some of them disappeared during thewar. Those who were left founded“Centre de Saint Barthélemy” inSwitzerland. A new beginning inFrance was impossible at first. Theywere unable to find any French co-workers, and foreigners were notallowed.

During the initial years after thewar there were no anthroposophicinstitutions in France besides theStrassbourg Waldorf school. Paris hada small study group. Translations oftexts by Steiner were made and dis-tributed. Anthroposophy became myessential focus beginning in 1946under the personal direction ofSimone Rihouët Coroze.

Rotten Beams, Ivy-Covered RoofsIn 1948 I “happened” to visit “Son-nenhof” in Arlesheim without know-ing what I was getting into. Duringthe following years I was led intocurative education by Werner Pache,Julia Bort and Mrs. Wallerstein, and Igot to know the French children liv-ing at “Sonnenhof”. Now I knew thatI wanted to help plant an anthropo-sophic seed in French soil, to cultivateit and pass it on. The French chil-dren’s teacher was Madame Mousset.It is thanks to her that the parents of

France

The government paid a relativelysmall daily rate per child. Only some-times did it help with the buildings.Most funding had to come from pri-vate donations and loans, etc. That iswhy we did not complete the work onthe buildings until 1975. We were ableto buy surrounding estates and fallowland, so that “Fontenottes” hasbecome a cultural island of ninehectares. It has a park with hundred-year-old trees, forest, pasture, veg-etable and flower gardens, a duck andtrout pond, pigeon house, ridingcourse and sports grounds. Most ofthe buildings have an anthroposophicstyle, and they harmonize with therestored 18th century building and the14th century tower. The workshops,therapy rooms, hall with a stage, andcafeteria provide the setting for manyactivities. We have 48 children in needof special care and about 40 co-work-ers. Eight children each live in 6autonomous groups. Lessons have 4to 10 children each.

My wife and I had to withdraw in1984 for health reasons. We handedover the leadership to Ruth Jacque-mart, who had worked with us for 21years and who was valued especiallyfor her musical and social skills.

Active in Government CommissionsToday France has eleven institutionsfor curative education and social ther-apy which the government supportsone hundred percent. We still have fullfreedom in anthroposophic curativeeducation. But we increasingly feelthat we need to work more into theperiphery. Fruitful dialogue has arisenwith our non-anthroposophic col-leagues. The enrollment of the chil-dren is controlled by various govern-ment commissions that also includeone or two anthroposophists. It isimportant to involve ourselves and toexpress our points of view. This kindof engagement in the social politics ofone’s land calls for a clear, solid, openand undogmatic attitude. Moderntasks face us: our curative, therapeuticimpulses should place themselves intothe midst of ordinary life.

Eric Arlin, FranceEdited by M.S.

The story of “Les Fontenottes” in Burgundy, France, is closely connected to thehistory of anthroposophy there. During the founding years of “Les Fontenottes”,Vala Vachadze-Bérence gave me some documents from before the war, includingtwo letters addressed to Alice Sauerwein from Rudolf Steiner. Before her deathshe had entrusted the letters to Madame Bérence, who preserved them like relicsthrough the war and up to the founding of “Fontenottes”. In the first letter, dat-ed January 8, 1923 (as far as I know the only letter that Rudolf Steiner everwrote in French) he named Alice Sauerwein Secretary of the AnthroposophicalSociety in France. His other letter of April 26, 1924, advises her on her anthropo-sophic work in France. He suggests that she meditate on the picture of St. Joan of Arc as the standard bearer of Michael. He also draws her attention to Ita Wegman.

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these children became the first sup-porters of “Fontenottes”. MadameMousset and I decided to foundFrance’s first post-war curative home.We began looking for a castle betweenParis and Switzerland. A lot of moreor less ruined, affordable castles wereon sale at that time. We happened tofind a small desolate country estate130 kilometers south of Paris. It hadrotten beams, ivy-covered roofs andimpenetrable underbrush. A certaindismal melancholy pressed downupon the whole estate and the village.Yet I knew: this is it!

We learned that the village wascalled Saint Julien du Sault. We hadvery little money. But the price was solow that we had enough left over tomake the most necessary repairs. Thefirst children soon arrived. Sometrainees and local helpers assisted us.“Sonnenhof” sent a series of teacherswith tourist visas, each for threemonths. That is how the curativework began here in 1954.

TrialsOne of the first co-workers to arrivewas Hélène, my future wife. She soonbecame the soul of the place. Difficulttrials had to be met from the start.Madame Mousset’s health forced herto leave. The same year one of ourmain co-workers died, as did impor-tant supportive friends. And later wealso had to deal with animosities andother obstacles. But always the chil-dren somehow brought unexpectedhelp in hopeless situations, giving usthe courage to stick together and notgive up.


PortraitPaying Attention to the Quiet Ones

Carmela Villafana speaks about her Work in Curative Education in Peru

Carmela Villafana: In Peru peoplefairly “fly” along. We need to make aspecial effort to pay attention to thosewho go more slowly and have virtuesof their own. We need to pay atten-tion to the quiet ones, too. I alwaysfeel great admiration for what lies hid-den in such people. I try to raise itinto the consciousness of my students,children and colleagues. There are var-ious kinds of Peruvians, but the truenatives of the land have a richness inthem. That is what I work with. Itdoes not matter so much to mewhether the students become greateducators; they should become betterpeople.

I notice that the hidden aspects ina person can unfold if I meet him withtrust and create a sense of safety. I tryto help people know themselves. Inthis way it is not necessary toapproach a “defect” directly.

Self-DevelopmentAt first we had someone who clearlyled the school. He was very intelligentand knowledgeable, but he was like adirector. He was someone with manypersonal failings. It was a permanentbattle on an etheric and astral level.And by evening we were also physi-cally exhausted. I then tried to relo-cate this battle within; I thought aboutit, slept on it. I learned to stop holdingmy head out to the stones that werebeing figuratively hurled through theair – to let them fly past me. A picturearose in me as if I had anointed myselfwith oil, which has protected me tothis very day and which enables me to

not take the “stones” personally. Itwas a tough experience because I hadto work with the others and yet notchange them, only myself. When Imanaged it, then things suddenly wentbetter with the others as well. Thiswas the impulse for me to help othersin this way: I work on myself and thisaffects the other person.

With the children one can experi-ence this even more strongly. Onemust look at them within their possi-bilities. To me, the initial eye contactis always the most important. I tryvery hard to get that first. That givesus a good starting point. The childrenand colleagues are a mirror for us, andone often asks oneself: why is thischild mirroring this to me? They areoften much more direct, much morehealthy than ostensibly normal chil-dren. If I do not work on myself wellenough, I notice it immediately in thechildren. They are like thermometersfor this.

Greater and Smaller HandicapsHow does one recognize whether achild has a handicap or not?Physically one can see quite a lot, thatis the simplest. But as soon as it goesto another level, it becomes difficult.Everyone has one handicap or anoth-er, even if it is in the most hidden cor-ner. It may even be more difficult towork with these hidden handicapsthan with the evident ones.

Are inner or character handicaps per-haps much more significant than phys-ical ones?

Definitely. And still more so when theperson who has these handicaps isconsidered to be a “normal” person.Once one has the label of a handicap,one knows one has to work on one-self. It is very difficult to accept. Thisis my point of departure, and I tell allmy students: Know yourself. It startsfrom there. Everyone has virtues andfaults. We must cultivate our virtues,they accompany us, and we must workat transforming our faults into virtues.I need my faults as material, as sub-stance, as something to turn intovirtues. Otherwise there is no progress.

Looking now more towards the physi-cal handicaps: Do you have any ideawhy a human being would incarnateinto such a body?That is a very good question. Before Iknew anthroposophy, I thought likeeveryone else: It is the parent’s fault,the family’s fault. In Latin Americathis is even stronger than in Europe.People look for the guilty person inthe families of the parents.

Are they seen as being morally guilty?It can be moral guilt or physical.Many children in Latin America areconceived while their parents aredrunk. That is usually the first placethat guilt is sought. More educatedpeople ask about genes. Anthroposo-phy has opened up an entirely newfield of concepts. These are souls whoeither seek a period of “rest” or whohave a special task within the familyand society. They have a task, they arenot just there for themselves. I have

After some searching, we (Sebastian Jüngel and Ursula Remund Fink) found thehouse where Carmela Villafana was staying in Switzerland. (We had forgottenthe street number.) We were warmly welcomed by Franz Lehnert, Carmela Vil-lafana and a boisterous dog. Carmela Villafana was visiting from Peru. Shedescribed her experiences there, particularly her work in curative education.Franz Lehnert translated from the Spanish.

Carmela Villafana was born in Huaraz, Peru in 1942. She trained as a pri-mary school teacher, specialized in special education and trained further in work-ing with people who have behavioral problems. She met Waldorf education in1985. She attended all of Douglas Pundsak’s Waldorf seminars, but she also pre-ferred to keep her distance at times. It was not until she looked into curative edu-cation that she was really convinced. She had seen an advertisement for a semi-nar in anthroposophic curative education in a newspaper and was able to attendthe first course on this subject given in Peru, in 1987.

“Carmela Villafana is a sun being. Her warm heart and clear awareness giveher remarkable insight and great sensitivity. The teachers of the classes she visit-ed in Basel also experienced this: Carmela Villafana comes to a very difficultgroup of children and – though she has neither a full command of the languagenor detailed knowledge of the situation – something changes.” This is how FranzLehnert describes her warm sun quality. She showed great commitment in takingup the anthroposophic impulses from Europe, which she then developed into herown Peruvian anthroposophic view. Today she is a teacher at the seminar forcurative education and at the Colegio San Christoferus in Lima.

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often observed that the life of such achild totally changes the home intowhich it was born.How do these two groups of soulsreveal themselves?There are different ways of expressingoneself. Some children try continuallyto isolate themselves. They wantnothing but their quiet corner. Othersare continually around us, whateverwe are doing, they provoke us, spurus on, expect something from us.Both “types” of children are ourteachers. If one did not have this pic-ture, they would only be poor crea-tures that get left as they are.

I would like to tell you aboutMiguel, who attends our schoolthanks to a sponsor. He was first astudent at Christoferus when he wasliving in an orphanage. The orphanageeventually found his father. (In Peruincredible efforts lasting years ordecades are made to find thenatual parents of a child.) Inthe orphanage Miguel had hadclear rules and structures.When he was handed over tohis father, he left a structuredworld for one he had neverknown. At the orphanagethey went to bed at 8:00 p.m.With his father, he was out onthe streets until 1:00 a.m. Thatis nothing unusual in Limaand it was also not in thepoorest quarter, although hisfather was very poor andtotally down at the heels.Miguel lost all structure.Because he did not obey, hisfather beat him up. This trig-gered a real psychosis in the boy, andhis aunt took him for psychiatrictreatment. How strong, how wakefulis Miguel’s angel, that he brought himto the one psychologist among thou-sands (Lima has more psychologiststhan hairdressers) who was married toone of the teachers at our school!From the moment that he had beenhanded over to his father, he hadstopped going to Christoferus. I hadsearched for him, but he had simplydisappeared. This consultationbrought him back to us again. Thedoctor found out that he had been atChristoferus and strongly urged thesocial worker to visit Miguel’s fatherand arrange for him to return toschool. But Miguel had changed. Hewas more aggressive. He had awak-ened through what he had experi-enced in the outside world. He didnot want to listen. He wanted to dowhatever came into his mind, becausethis was what he was now used to. Hewas truly a bad example for his com-rades. I had to find a new way ofreaching him, because his father’s vio-lence had buried something in him. Ivisited him at home and realized that I

would not be able to ask anything of,nor expect anything from, his parents.The only place where he would beable to receive something would bethe school. If the school does not doeverything possible for Miguel, he willbecome a criminal like so many otherchildren in Lima – he would have noother choice. I had to work very hardon myself, which finally worked quitewell.

The Situation in PeruOne of the reasons I am now here isto find help for the school – sponsorsand such things. This is very difficultin Lima. Franz Lehnert comes everyyear, and he also does a lot of publici-ty work including television appear-ances. Though there are wealthy fami-lies in Peru, the majority of the chil-dren who come to Christoferus can-not afford it. Especially costly is the

transportation to and from the school.Initiatives have been developed by

parents of children who have beenwith us for a longer time. They sellhome-made bread, for example, andhold bazaars. But this usually onlysuffices to cover the salaries of thetrainees.

Anthroposophy is easily acceptedin Peru. People do not approach it insuch an intellectual way. We also arenot attacked as being a “sect”. Theproblems are financial.

The Peruvians have a sense forwhen something is good, so they findthe school, but they cannot pay for it.We are working hard on this. It isclear that the school will continue torequire help from Europe. But, moreand more, there should be help fromwithin the country itself, so that theschool is truly supported where it is.

Curative education in Peru is stillbeing born. The cradle of curativeeducation is in Europe, and it is mucheasier for citizens of the U.S., forexample, to go to Europe to train.This is not at all possible from Peru. Ihave now worked for twelve years incurative education, and I have come to

recharge my batteries. But we havestopped sending young people to trainin Europe because it is extremelyexpensive, and very few return aftertheir trainings. The point is to findpeople for Peru. The money that weinvest in one person’s training inEurope – which can certainly also bejustified – is sufficient to run a wholeseminar in Peru. This does not holdtrue for eurythmists; only Brazil has aeurythmy training. But there are Wal-dorf schools, kindergartens and cura-tive education projects in many places,and we are trying to join together.That is why we have organized a thirdcurative education conference inQuito.

Alarming Influence of TelevisionThe world has become very small.The problem of television, which is astatus symbol, is very big in Peru, par-

ticularly through the undulystrong influence of NorthAmerica. There are countlessdamaged children, hyperac-tive children, aggressive chil-dren, neglected and aban-doned children. Abandonedin two senses: children wefind on the streets, who wereliterally abandoned, and oth-ers who were left by theirrich parents in roomsequipped with television andcomputer. One is as bad asthe other. Even in small vil-lages where people have nomoney and not even electrici-ty really, there are very popu-lar machines that show a kind

of film if you put money into them.The allure of television is so strongthat people will buy a television seteven if their house has no electricity,no water, no cooking stove, and onlybamboo walls.

There are many autistic childrenwith marked auto-aggressions. Auto-aggressions always have a sociallydestructive element. Also, some of thechildren are receiving prescribed psy-chopharmacological drugs that some-times make everything much worse. Itis almost impossible, for example, tohold eurythmy lessons. It is a ques-tion of patience, this rhythmic work.Furthermore, we lack any real anthro-posophic medical care.

Anthroposophic curative educa-tion changes family life. The mainemphasis lies in doing. We need to rollup our sleeves and get to work! Theneverything becomes clear. The childstands before us and we must find ourway together. Edited by U. R.Colegio San Christoferus would be glad if somechildren could find sponsors. They are alsourgently seeking a eurythmist. It is possible toget a year’s work experience there. Theiraddress: Av. Los Faisanes N° 950 La Campiña,Chorrillos, Lima, Peru. Tel. 51/1/467 54 73.

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Annual General Meeting Agenda 1999Three Motions Have Been Submitted

The Executive Council of the GeneralAnthroposophical Society has an-nounced the agenda for this year’sAnnual General Meeting (March27–28 1999 at the Goetheanum). Itwill again be divided into the threeareas: School of Spiritual Science,Anthroposophical Society, andGoetheanum.

Scheduled to speak on the workof the School of Spiritual Science are:Wolfgang Held on the eclipse of thesun (which will be visible in EuropeAugust 11, 1999), Elizabeth Wirschingon education, Heinz Zimmermann onthe Goetheanum’s Foundation Year inAnthroposophy, Jaap van der Haaron addiction, Brigitte von Wisting-hausen on plant breeding and seeddevelopment, and Henk Verhoog on

Anthroposophical SocietyGE N E R A L AN T H R O P O S O P H I C A L SO C I E T Y

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 D E R SC H W E I Z

genetic engineering. ManfredSchmidt-Brabant and Paul Mackaywill give the Executive Council’sAnnual Report, Rolf Kerler will givethe Financial Report. Reports on thework from various countries will bemade by Wolfgang Rissmann for Ger-many, Margrethe Solstad for Norway,and Sergei Prokofieff for Russia. PaulKlarskov and Carina Schmid willspeak on their plans for theGoetheanum stage groups.

Three motions have been submit-ted. Nutal Bischoff moves that thecurrent form of the AGM be main-tained, contrary to a suggestion madein the Interim Report of the Constitu-tion Group. He also moves that timebe set aside for a discussion of theConstitution. Peter Schlegel moves

“Agriculture as a Cultural Impulse”, Official Spokesperson EngagedFrom the Annual General Meeting, January 23–24, 1999

This year’s Annual General Meetingof the Anthroposophical Society inSwitzerland was given the theme“Agriculture as a Cultural Impulse –Why Does the World Need Biody-namic Agriculture?”

In his Annual Report, OtfriedDoerfler emphasized the work of the“Sampo” trust and Switzerland’s new-ly hired spokesperson for anthroposo-phy. The question of how to commu-nicate with the public has become evermore pressing. Today, more than inthe past, we need to approach thepublic. This was evident, for example,in the success of the special exhibit onanthroposophy at Basel’s ecologicaltrade fair last year. People want tohear about anthroposophy. Workingwith the public is one of the tasks of anational society (see box).

After the financial report (therewas a deficit of CHF 6,000.–) NutalBischoff moved that the spokespersonnot be hired. He acknowledges a cer-tain justification in combatting falsereports and advising the institutionsand branches, but the idea of sellinganthroposophy, of influencing thepublic, is incompatible with anthro-posophy. Radio, television and theinternet should not be used becausethey are anti-anthroposophic mediawhich prevent people from makingtrue judgements. We must be conse-

quential about rejectingthese media.

In the discussionthat followed it wasstressed that we mustapproach the public ifwe want to achieve any-thing. “It is false towant to achieve any-thing”, someone object-ed. “It cannot be a mat-ter of rejecting themedia but of under-standing them!” “The

spokesperson is a responseto the attacks on RudolfSteiner.” “Rudolf Steinersuggested that we bringanthroposophy to peoplewhere they are. We shouldnot merely warn againstnew media, but learn tohandle them.” The subse-quent vote then revealedalmost complete agree-ment: the motion wassoundly rejected. U.R.

Broad Support for Swiss Spokesperson for Anthroposophy

Switzerland’s new spokesperson for anthroposophic affairs, Ursa Krattiger,will take up her duties this month. A supporting association was founded onFebruary 8, 1999, with 24 representatives from the most varied institutions,associations and companies present.

Herbert Holliger, who chaired the meeting, spoke of its historic signifi-cance: it is the first time that representatives from all streams of the anthro-posophic movement in Switzerland have joined in a mutual endeavor.

Elected to the Council (which will also serve as an advisory committee)were: Marcus Schneider, President (Paracelsus Branch, Basel), KonstanzeBrefin Alt, Secretary (Editor of the Swiss Society newsletter), Georg Böhlen,Treasurer (Independent Community Bank, Dornach), Moritz Aebersold(Weleda, Switzerland), Otfried Doerfler (Anthroposophical Society inSwitzerland), Walter Kugler (Administrators of Rudolf Steiner’s Estate),Robert Thomas (Coordinator for Rudolf Steiner Schools in Switzerland).

Konstanze Brefin Alt, Switzerland

that future Annual General Meetingsreserve at least three hours for freediscussion in plenum – in addition tothe usual discussion following specificpoints on the agenda.

There will be artistic contribu-tions. Virginia Sease will speak inmemory of the dead. Both days willinclude discussion groups with theGeneral Secretaries, Section Leadersand Executive Council. S.J.

NoteIn Anthroposophy Worldwide 1/99the anthroposophic work in theCzech Republic and Slovakia werereported separately. However, the twocountries are united by a singleanthroposophical society: “Anthro-posofická Spolencnost”.


The Mystery of LoveStudy suggestions for the members of the Anthroposophical Society for the coming year

Rudolf Steiner makes a significantconnection between the Mystery ofthe Abyss, the Mystery of Love andthe Mystery of Freedom, which arethe most recent three study themes we have chosen. In his lectures on theApocalypse of St. John he describesthe danger of falling into the abyss.Then he says: “If it were impossiblefor the human being to sail into theabysses of evil, it would also be impos-sible for him to achieve love on theone hand and freedom on the other.For the occultist, freedom is insepara-bly connected to the idea of love.Freedom would be impossible for thehuman being and love would beimpossible, if it were not also possibleto sail down into the abyss.”1

In our work on the mystery ofthe abyss, however, it emerged thatgetting past the abyss of self-love andegotism to truly take hold of loverequires the strongest, innermosteffort. As Rudolf Steiner says, “Thereis no other way to enter the epochwhich must bring forth a social struc-ture than through love that is not self-love, through love for the other per-son, interest in the other person. Peo-ple experience this as something thatburns, something that consumes them,that takes away their own being bytaking their self-love, their right to

self-love.”2

The theme of love, with all its conno-tations, is so comprehensive in RudolfSteiner’s work that it would be correctto say that everything in his work hasbeen created out of love and for love,because the meaning of the cosmosand the human being is love. Never-theless I would like to characterizeseven points of view which the workwith our theme of the year might con-sider.

1. Love as Reborn WisdomFirst of all we can look at the greataspect of evolution as it is described inAn Outline of Esoteric Science. ThereRudolf Steiner describes how theentire development of mankind andthe earth undergoes a change. A “cos-mos of love” is meant to unfold out ofa “cosmos of wisdom”. Beginningwith the present incarnation of ourplanet, the wisdom of the outer worldbecomes wisdom within the humanbeing. And when it is taken into thehuman being, it becomes a seed oflove. Wisdom is the prerequisite oflove; love is the result of wisdomreborn in the ego. “The high SunBeing, which we were able to charac-terize in the description of the ChristDevelopment, reveals itself as thecomprehensive ‘example of love’.”3

On the Way to an Anthroposophical SocietyBooks and Contacts

On October 14, 1998 a group wasfounded in Stara Sagora to study theChristmas Foundation Meeting 1923and Rudolf Steiner’s FoundationStone Meditation. We consider thiswork to be a small contributiontowards forming a country-wide soci-ety. The group consists of ten peoplewho meet every second Wednesdayevening. We would very much like tohear from other groups working onsimilar questions, to exchangethoughts, information and experiences(Steliana Prangova, ul. Dr. T. Sto-janovitch, 2-B-69, 6003 Stara Sagora,Bulgaria).

At the end of 1998 our anthropo-sophic publishers brought out a smallbook in Bulgarian called “The Christ-ian Community” by Dieter Horne-mann, who is a priest in Germany.The book has already found its firstreaders!

At the beginning of 1999, for thefirst time, Temenuga Koepke, doctorand eurythmy therapist, gave a courseon “The Planets and the Zodiac”. All25 participants were very interestedand active.

Steliana Prangova, Bulgaria

Seven Years “Daskalov” PublishingBulgaria’s first anthroposophic pub-lishing house was founded on Decem-ber 24, 1991 in Stara Sagora. It wasnamed in memory of Dimo Daskalov(1907 – 1989), Bulgaria’s first anthro-posophist and translator of RudolfSteiner’s works for many years. Thepublishing gave anthroposophy, whichwas illegal until just a year ago, a voice.

During the past seven years, thetwo colleagues at Daskalov (DimitarDemtschev and Jordan Dimitrov)managed to translate and publish 28volumes of Rudolf Steiner’s work in

2. God Kept LoveA second aspect can lead to a deeperunderstanding of how the divinitystands in relation to love: “The all-encompassing attribute of the God-head is not omnipotence, neither is itomniscience, but it is love – theattribute for which no enhancement ispossible. God is uttermost love, unal-loyed love, is born as it were out ofthe very substance of love. God ispure love, not supreme wisdom, notsupreme power. God has retained lovefor himself but has shared wisdomand power with Lucifer and Ahriman,in order that the human being maybecome free, in order that under theinfluence of wisdom he might makeprogress.”4 (These thoughts are fromthe lecture “Love and it’s Meaning inthe World”, which can be seen as basicto our theme.)

3. The Gods Nourish Themselvesfrom the Love of HumansA third aspect among these compre-hensive pictures can be seen as humandevelopment in a narrower sense, as itis given in Cosmic Memory, for exam-ple: “Thus youthful humanity hadtwo kinds of leaders: beings of loveand beings of wisdom. Human naturewas balanced between love and wis-dom when it assumed its present form

BU L G A R I A

their spare time. They also publishedworks by Carl Unger, Friedrich Rit-telmeyer, Paul Bühler, Friedrich Huse-mann, Rudolf Treichler, Otto Wolff,Sergei Prokofieff and Emil Tanev. Theprinting was made possible by theuninterrupted support of especially theHausser Foundation (Stuttgart) andthe Administrators of Rudolf Steiner’sEstate (Dornach). Significant help alsocame from other foundations, institu-tions and individuals whose nameswould fill a long list. Dear friends, wethank you for your loving, soul-spiri-tual and financial support!

The great efforts of our manyfriends have made it possible for theBulgarian public to encounter anthro-posophy. The editors do not see theirtask in publishing alone, they alsowish to interact with readers andstudy groups, and help bring theimpulses of the 1923 Christmas Foun-dation Meeting closer to the “hearts”and “heads” of the Bulgarian authors.

Temenuga Koepke, Switzerland

TH E M E O F T H E YE A R 1999/2000


on the earth. By the beings of love itwas stimulated to physical develop-ment, by the beings of wisdom to theperfection of its inner nature.” “Thiswas the task of the superhumanbeings, the great leaders, that theyimpressed their own character, thecharacter of love, on youthfulhumankind. […] Sensual love arosethereby. It is thus a consequence ofthe workings of the soul in a male orfemale body.”5 An added thought:“What do the gods require of us?They nourish themselves with ourlove. The true meaning of nectar andambrosia – the nectar of the gods – isthe love of man and woman. This isthe expression of an occult fact.”6

4. The Spiritual Force of Love inThinkingA fourth step leads to quite a differentarea. In his 1918 addition to the eighthchapter of The Philosophy of Freedom,Rudolf Steiner examines prejudicesthat people have towards thinking.“No other activity of the human soulis as easily misunderstood as thinking.Feeling and willing warm the humansoul even when we look back and rec-ollect their original state, while think-ing all too easily leaves us cold. Itseems to dry out the life of the soul.Yet this is only the sharply contouredshadow of the reality of thinking – areality interwoven with light, dippingdown warmly into the phenomena ofthe world. This dipping down occurswith a power that flows forth in theactivity of thinking itself – the powerof love in spiritual form.”7 This expe-rience forms the necessary foundationfor understanding the decisive steplater on in the book: “The universal,primordial Being permeating allhumanity thus takes hold of usthrough our thinking. Life withinreality, filled with thought content, isat the same time life in God.”8

5. The Demon of LoveIn examining the nature of love todayone cannot avoid recognizing itscounter-picture, its demon. “Our timelives with this illusion. It does notknow love, it only fantasizes aboutlove, indeed it lies about love. Whenthinking about love, it really onlyknows eroticism.” “The denial of spir-it is what turns the force of love intoan erotic force. In many cases it is notmerely love’s lower servant, eroticism,that has replaced love, but often alsoits counter-picture, the demon of love.The demon of love arises, however,when what otherwise works in thehuman being as divinely inspired, istaken hold of by thinking, is tornfrom spirituality by intellectuality.”“Our epoch often prays to the demonof love rather then to the genius oflove and in sexuality it confuses the

spirituality of love with the demon-ology of love. Just especially in thisarea the most complete misunder-standings can of course arise. Origi-nally, sexuality had something perme-ated by spiritual love alive within it.But humanity can fall away from thisspiritualizing of love.”9

6. Love of God – Love forAll Things Human – Love of WorkAfter this fifth aspect, for which wecan find countless examples in RudolfSteiner’s works, but also in human lifeitself, we can turn our gaze to the edu-cation of the individual. One ofRudolf Steiner’s great lectures on edu-cation can provide the starting point.He shows how the first three seven-year cycles in a person’s life preparethe ground for the love of God in thefirst cycle, love for all things human inthe second, and love of work in thethird.10

7. The Awakening of the Spirit inthe Sense WorldFinally, in a seventh aspect, we canlook at the mystery of the humanbeing as imbued with Christ. It willdisclose itself gradually. “Love is themost significant fruit of human expe-rience in the sense world. If one trulyunderstands the nature of love, ofcompassion, one finds that they arethe way in which the spirit truly livesin the sense world.” “One can say thatthe human soul awakens in the spiri-tual world through supersensible con-sciousness. But one must also say thatspirit awakens in the sense worldthrough love.”11

To really understand this in itsfull depth is to be a Christian: “Let usassume that someone knows nothingabout the name Christ Jesus, nothingabout what is said in the Gospels, butnevertheless has knowledge of theradical difference between the charac-ter of wisdom and power as opposedto the character of love. Such a personis a true Christian, even if he knowsnothing of the Mystery of Golgotha.”“To understand the nature of love isto be a Christian.”12

As a kind of basic meditation, theyear’s work could be accompanied byRudolf Steiner’s translation of Paul’sfirst epistle to the Corinthians, inpraise of love (see box above).

Manfred Schmidt-Brabant

1 The Apocalypse of Saint John, June 30, 1908,GA 104.

2 Entwicklungsgeschichtliche Unterlagen zurBildung eines sozialen Urteils, December 13,1918, GA 186.

3 An Outline of Esoteric Science, Chap. “Pre-sent and Future of World and Human Devel-opment”, GA 13.

4 Love and Its Meaning in the World, Decem-ber 17, 1912, GA 143.

5 Cosmic Memory, “The Division into Sexes”,GA 11.

6 Das Christliche Mysterium, April 29, 1906,GA 97.

7 Intuitive Thinking as a Spiritual Path, Chap.8, GA 4.

8 Intuitive Thinking as a Spiritual Path, “TheConsequences of Monism”, GA 4.

9 Drei Perspektiven der Anthroposophie, July22, 1923, GA 225.

10 The Child’s Changing Consciousness andWaldorf Education, April 20, 1923, GA 306.

11 The Threshold of the Spiritual World, Chap.9, GA 17.12Love and its Meaning in the World, Decem-ber 17, 1912, GA 143.

“… and have not love, it would all come to nothing …”In Praise of Love

“Indeed, I will show you the way higher than all the other ways. Though I couldspeak out of the spirit with the tongues of men or of angels and have not love,my speech would sound as brass and a clanging cymbal. And though I couldprophesy, and reveal all mysteries, and communicate all the world’s know-ledge; though I have such faith as would remove mountains, and have notlove, it all would come to nothing. Though I gave to others all my spiritual gifts;yes, though I gave my very body to be burned, and have not love, everythingwould be in vain.

Love endures. Love is kind. Love does not know envy, nor boasting, norvanity. It does not violate propriety, nor seek its own advantage. It does notlet itself be provoked to anger. It bears no malice toward anyone; nor rejoicesover injustice but only over truth. Love encompasses everything: permeatesall beliefs; is hopeful in all things, and in all matters practices tolerance.

Love, if it be love, is never lost. A prophecy ceases after it is fulfilled.What is spoken with tongues dies away when it no longer speaks to humanhearts. Knowledge vanishes as soon as its subject is exhausted, because allknowledge is fragmentary; likewise all prophesying. But when that which iscomplete has come, then the fragments have lost their meaning.

When I was a child I spoke as a child, I felt as a child, I thought as achild. Since I have become a man my world of childhood is past. Now wesee only dark outlines in the mirror, but one day we shall see the spirit face toface. Now is my knowledge in fragments, but one day I shall know fully whatI myself am. Lasting is Faith; lasting the certainty of Hope; and lasting isLove. But Love is the greatest of these, therefore it is supreme.”

From The Bhagavad Vita and the Epistles of Paul, Rudolf Steiner, January 1, 1913.


Crystals fascinate with their clearshapes and sensual attributes such ascolor, luster, hardness, etc., and bytheir variety of substances. Each ofthese aspects corresponds to a field ofstudy within scientific crystallogra-phy: crystal morphology studies pos-sible and actual shapes, crystal physicstheir physical attributes. Crystalchemistry studies the elements theyare composed of.

Conventional crystallography“explains” most of the phenomena bythe way in which small particles jointo form lattice-like structures. Howdoes this relate to Rudolf Steiner’semphasis on the role of cosmic/spiri-tual configurations of forces in theforming of crystals?

Crystal morphology and physicsstudy the attributes which correspondto singular directions within the crys-tals: flat crystal surfaces are situated atwell-proportioned angles to each oth-er (law of the constancy of interfacialangles); the level of hardness and theoptical attributes (in double refrac-tion, for example) are not the same forall directions, etc. This means that thestudy of the inside of crystals leads toqualities that are connected to the out-

School of Spiritual Science

cept of the inaudible in professionalmusic training. The future of this Sec-tion’s work lies precisely in this ques-tion. If these arts wanted only to repeatthe audible, they would soon lose theirspiritual dimension. The Section strivesto cultivate the inaudible element,which is drawn in as imaginative con-tent, which lives in the transition tointervals of silence, and which can berecognized as gesture.

In all section work, it is of thegreatest importance to actively con-template one’s task and to seek out itsrenewing source. This generates ques-tions which are indispensible for thefurther thriving of anthroposophy.The conference therefore seeks noself-praise, no sensational perfor-mances, no superficial shop talk. Thiswould not be in accordance with thecharacter of the end of the century.Instead, the Section’s members wantto join together in living with the con-

Tuning in to the New Millennium with the “Inaudible”Thoughts on the Section Conference April 5 to 9, 1999

MAT H E M AT I C A L-AS T R O N O M I C A L SE C T I O N

er shape but point far beyond its finitelimits. Every crystal has a bundle ofsingular directions which span all ofspace. Suitable, idealized crystalshapes prove to be symmetrical, thatis, they can be brought into self-coin-cidence by rotating them about axeswith 60, 90, 120 or 180 degrees. Theycan also often be mirrored on theplanes which join two axes.

Conventional crystallography in-terprets these directions as a conse-quence of the lattice-structure. Thebuilding blocks of these lattices areatoms, ions or molecules. This con-cept enables crystallographers todevelop a subtle picture of how the

macroscopic attributes relate to themicro-structure. However, for thesestudies to be concretely (mathemati-cally) applied, one must assume (incontradiction to the facts but in agree-ment with the numerical calculations)that the various crystal lattices areinfintely large – that they span thewhole of space. As a consequence ofthis, it appears that only one aspect ofcrystal formation is grasped by theinfinite lattice. Its other, necessarilycomplementary aspect needs to besought in projectively enhanced mor-phology. The latter enables one tothink the idea of a formative forcewhich spans the whole of space to itslogical conclusion.

In this sense, the two main waysof studying crystals – structure theoryand morphology – prove to be com-plementary. Structure theory express-es variations of substance and localprinciples, whereas morphologyexpresses forming and global princi-ples. The two fields thus form a solidfoundation for crystallography andmineralogy permeated by an anthro-posophic approach.

Renatus Ziegler, Goetheanum

Literature: Renatus Ziegler: Morphologie vonKristallformen und symmetrischen Polyedern –Kristall- und Polyedergeometrie im Lichte vonSymmetrielehre und projektiver Geometrie. Ver-lag am Goetheanum, 1998.

The Morphology of Crystals on a Projective Basis

The Section for the Arts of Eurythmy,Speech and Music has spent yearspreparing the coming convention ofmusic, eurythmy, speech and drama.The artists working in these fieldswould like to meet before the centuryends, to review the great achievementsof the last 90 years and to pose soberquestions about the future.

Rather than staging a symphonicclosing cadence, the conference themewill be “The Inaudible in Music,Eurythmy and Speech”. With thistheme the attempt will be made tofind the transition from the 20th cen-tury to the 21st. When Rudolf Steinercharacterized the essential nature ofmusic in February 1924 as beinginaudible, “What one hears is nevermusical”, he added that he would notlike to give this definition at a musicschool. Nevertheless we are dismayed75 years later when we realize how lit-tle understanding there is for the con-

SECT ION FOR THE AR TS OF EURYTHMY, SPEECH, AND MUSIC tent of the School of Spiritual Science,and to work in groups which will allhave the same theme. Many demon-strations from all fields and character-istic afternoon performances willreflect the wide variety of the work.So the quality of the conference willbe found in this sober searching ratherthan in a highly polished fanfare ofperformances, which a gathering ofartists such as this could easily beinspired to create. The questions,hopes and concerns that they carrymay be of a more inward nature, butthey are existential. People feel theneed to discuss these concerns today,and for this we need our colleagues.

The sobering that marks the endof the century is not a sign of weak-ness, and the stillness is not a sign ofthe withdrawal of the creative forces.Actually the realism of spirit will playan ever more important role in thecoming century. The preparatorygroup would like to respond to thegrowing awareness and urgency, tohelp prepare a strong path for thework and to secure it for the future.

Don VollenMember of the Preparatory Group

ed years to the question of how lan-guage absorbs content, and the lan-guage critic Uwe Pörksen, who hasmade an extensive study in particularof the language in Goethe’s naturalscientific writings, arriving at veryinteresting results. I find this especial-ly important, since Goethe’s languageis felt by some to be unscientific.

Can you cite an example?Sam: Goethe used many synonyms,for example. While contemporary sci-entific language aims to give a fact onedefinition, which is then always used,Goethe created a very mobile lan-guage which is nevertheless precise.For example, he tried not to use pic-tures that were too far removed fromthe sphere that he was dealing with.One popular term being used today is“the egotistic gene”. Goethe wouldhave rejected it emphatically becauseit takes a word that belongs to thesoul, “egotism”, and drags it down toanother level, causing inexactness. Ifone were to say “a gene behaves as ifit were egotistic”, then the figurative-ness of the formulation would at leaststill be conscious. But the figurative-ness is veiled over in the expression“the egotistic gene”. The “egotism” ofthe gene is represented as a fact.Another attribute of Goethe’s scientif-ic writing is that he uses characteriza-tions (as does Steiner). He describesthe phenomena again and again fromdifferent points of view. This goesagainst the kind of clarity that today’sscience strives for. But if one goes intoit, one realizes that Goethe’s languageis correct and thus exact, whereas theusual scientific language is abstract – itfloats above reality.

What would make the conference asuccess in your estimation?Sam: If one could feel during the con-ference that discussion arises and thatpeople are stimulated by this theme ofGoethe and Faust.

Mackay: And if we succeed in gettingcloser to what Goethe has to say todayfor tomorrow, so that people realize:Goethe is not merely a historical figure– his spirit continues into the future.

Interviewed by S. J. in February 1999.


How did the idea of collaborationbetween the Goetheanum and theGoethe Institute arise?Paul Mackay: Since Goethe’s Faust isone of the greatest emissaries of Ger-man culture, and the Goethe Institutecarries German culture to the wholeworld, some form of collaborationseemed obvious. It took shape over anumber of conversations. It is also agood opportunity for the Goethe-anum’s Faust performances to becomebetter known, since the conferenceprogram will also be sent to peoplewho are connected with the GoetheInstitute.

Did difficulties arise between anthro-posophists and non-anthroposophistsduring the preparation?Mackay: No. The preparation wasexperienced as being mutually enrich-ing.

What is the goal of this mutual FaustConference? Does the Goetheanumhave too little of its own to offer?Mackay: Important is that peoplecome together to discuss the relevanceof Goethe’s approach. This will hap-pen through the congregation of anumber of Goethe experts. It is a pub-lic conference and not a members’conference. A public conferencedemands that the speakers make theirindividual connections to the themeaccessible to the visitors – whether ornot they are anthroposophists. If onelooks at Rudolf Steiner’s public lec-tures from this point of view, one cansee how he was able to portray eventhe deepest themes to the public. It isa question of “how”. I hope that itwill be possible to speak to truly deepquestions, because people will be par-ticipating who have made intensiveprofessional studies of Goethe’s work.

Martina Maria Sam: It is also impor-

tant that perspectives from anthropo-sophic work be included.

What opportunities will there be,besides the podium discussions andworkshops, to come into dialogue? Isthere a danger that the lectures willoverpower and lame discussion?Mackay: That is always a risk. But wehave divided it: In the morning wewill have the forty-minute lecturesand then, after a break, the podiumdiscussion. The lectures will offer sub-stance. I hope that they will provide abasis for real discussion. This willrequire some alertness from the mod-erators as well as the engagement ofthe participants. One must also havetrust that people will draw towardsone another in conversation.

How do you aim to demonstrateGoethe’s relevance, for example withregard to “Guilt and Freedom”?Sam: More or less every modern per-son has to deal with this question. Infollowing one’s individual path,“guilt” towards the other personalways arises. And this is more truetoday than it has ever been, becausetoday we have practically no moralvalues anymore which support usfrom outside. I think that the speakerson this theme (the literary expert Her-bert Anton and the writer RüdigerSafranski, who has written a very wellknown book on evil) will offer a num-ber of interesting aspects.

Where do you see the significance ofthe theme “Goethe’s Creative Lan-guage”?Sam: Goethe sought a certain lan-guage to express certain things. I amextremely pleased with the speakerschosen for this theme (especially alsofrom the point of view of the Goethe-anum’s Section for the Humanities):Heinz Zimmermann, who has devot-

FeatureMeeting through GoetheFaust Conference – Collaborating with the Goethe Institute

For the first time this summer, the Goetheanum Faust Festival will host a jointconference with the Goethe Institute (July 13 – 18). This collaboration with thenoted ambassador of German culture represents a special opportunity for theGoetheanum to create a forum for people who are interested in Goethe. Also newwill be simultaneous translations into French and English (July 21 – 26), Japaneseand Dutch (August 8 – 13) and a Scandinavian language (August 17 – 22). Inthis interview Paul Mackay and Martina Maria Sam, representing the initiativegroup, comment on their collaboration with the Goethe Institute and on the ideasbehind the opening cycle.

The Conference will include contributions by Herbert Anton (literary expert), João Barrento (translation expert), Hendrik Birus (literary expert), AnneBohnenkamp-Renken (translation expert), Hans-Peter Dürr (natural scientist), David Hoffmann (Germanist), Uwe Pörksen (language expert), RüdigerSafranski (author), Wolfgang Schad (natural scientist), Rudolf Prinz Zur Lippe (esthetics professor). From the Goetheanum: Manfred Schmidt-Brabant,Virginia Sease, and Heinz Zimmermann.

Faust Info Telefon: +41/844/80 34 34 (Monday–Friday from 10:00 am to 17:00 pm local time).

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