 CLUES Piercing the Waldorf Facade How can you tell what a Waldorf school is up to? There are Waldorfs and Waldorfs. Very few of the schools will openly acknowledge that they are devoted to occultism. This denial may be true at some of the schools; in other cases, it is surely not true. So how can you tell whether unspoken occult beliefs are present in any particular Waldorf? Here’s a primer, a guide to clues you can look for. I’ve written it with a specific audience in mind: my family and myself as we were years ago. This is the advice I wish someone had given us when I was a Waldorf student and had begun to dimly recognize the occult agenda hidden behind the pleasant Waldorf facade. BACKGROUND A primer should take nothing for granted, so let’s start with the basics. Rudolf Steiner was a mystic. He invented his own religion, which he called Anthroposophy (the word means human wisdom). He pieced it together from bits and pieces of other spiritualistic systems, primarily Theosophy. Steiner claimed that Anthroposophy is a science, not a religion, but this is just one of many claims he made that are demonstrably false. Anthroposophy is a system that is designed to lead people to spiritual salvation. The path toward salvation as laid out by Steiner involves gaining spiritual insight through the use of clairvoyance. Steiner prescribed special prayers, spiritual exercises, and other spiritually oriented activities to use along the way. Without a doubt, this all adds up to religion. (If you want to investigate this further, see my essay “Is Anthroposophy a Religion?”. To consider whether Anthroposophy is a science, see “Steiner’s ‘Science’”.) Not long after he created his religion, Steiner set up the first Waldorf school — in Germany, during the early part of the 20th century. There was a direct link between Steiner’s religion and his plans for the school. In fact, Steiner wanted to use the school to spread his religion. When he realized that he had succeeded, he said “One of the most important facts about the background of the Waldorf School is that we were in a position to make the anthroposophical movement a relatively large one. The anthroposophical movement has become a large one.” [1] Steiner’s clear meaning is that by setting up the school — which evolved into today’s Waldorf school system — Steiner was able to spread Anthroposophy. Steiner laid down clear standards for Waldorf faculty members. He told the teachers at the first Waldorf school, “As Waldorf teachers, we must be true anthroposophists in the deepest sense of the word in our innermost feeling.” [2] On another occasion, he explicitly tied the purpose of the school to the school’s staffing: “As far as our school is concerned, the actual spiritual life can be present only because its staff consists of anthroposophists.”[3] For Steiner, the “actual spiritual life” or real spirituality belongs in a Waldorf school, and it can be there only because the teachers embrace his occult doctrines — they are Anthroposophists. Here’s how Steiner summarized his intentions for Waldorf teachers: “Among the faculty, we must certainly carry within us the knowledge that we are not here for our own sakes, but to carry out the divine cosmic plan. We should always remember that when we do something, we are actually carrying out the intentions of the gods, that we are, in a certain sense, the means by which that streaming down from above will go out into the world.” [4] Let that sink in. Waldorf teachers are supposed to carry out the intentions of the “gods.” Steiner taught that there are many gods, not just one; and he claimed to know what the gods want, what their “divine cosmic plan” is; and he told Waldorf teachers that their job is to fulfill that plan. The task of the faculty, in other words, is messianic. In spreading Anthroposophy, they take the gods’ influences and send them out into the world. They do this primarily through their work as teachers, by fostering “the actual spiritual life” in their students. They are missionaries. Steiner’s intentions may be acceptable to parents who want their children to be brought up as junior Anthroposophists. But parents who don’t embrace Anthroposophy should probably think twice before becoming involved in a Waldorf school. Steiner was, sometimes, reasonably open about the role Anthroposophy should play in a Waldorf school: “Anthroposophy will be in the school.” [5] But on many other occasions, he told Waldorf teachers to keep quiet about their beliefs. They should work on their students’ souls, but they should so this quietly, indirectly. Steiner knew that his belief system contained elements that would turn off many people and even incite opposition, so he urged his followers to be cagey. Steiner told Waldorf teachers to keep quiet about many things, including the prayers he wanted students to recite each morning. “We also need to speak about a prayer. I ask only one thing of you. You see, in such things everything depends upon the external appearances. Never call a verse a prayer, call it an opening verse before school. Avoid allowing anyone to hear you, as a faculty member, using the word ‘prayer.’” [6] In a more shocking example, he told Waldorf teachers to conceal a particularly appalling doctrine: “That little girl L.K. in the first grade must have something really very wrong inside. There is not much we can do. Such cases are increasing in which children are born with a human form, but are not really human beings ... I do not like to talk about such things since we have often been attacked even without them. Imagine what people would say if they heard that we say there are people who are not human beings. ” [7] Keep quiet, Waldorf teachers, but quietly promote Anthroposophy. These were Rudolf Steiner’s stated intentions. His intentions have not always been fulfilled. Not all teachers at Waldorf schools today are Anthroposophists. Not all Waldorf schools today promote Anthroposophy vigorously. But some do. The problem for parents is determining which do. If a Waldorf school today wants to follow Steiner’s intentions, there probably will be little or no open discussion of Anthroposophy within its walls. Instead, the curriculum will probably emphasize myths, and a particular kind of dance, and a special sort of painting, and spirit-affecting music and books and activities... Quietly powerful, subliminal forms of persuasion will probably be used to indirectly convey such doctrines as reincarnation, karma, spiritual evolution, magic, Atlantis, astrology... Academic subjects will probably be downplayed, while class time may be spent on knitting, gardening, woodworking, playing simple woodwind instruments... Those are some of the clues that can reveal a Waldorf school’s real purposes. Below is a more inclusive list. I’ll give you the list twice, first in a quick overview, then in detail. OVERVIEW Here is a series of questions that should help reveal whether or not a school is deeply committed to Rudolf Steiner’s occultism. If you are considering becoming involved with a Waldorf school, I would encourage you to seek answers to these questions first. ◊ Does the school call itself nondenominational or nonsectarian, but does it contain indications of religious faith? ◊ Do the teachers require or urge students to recite a morning verse? Does the “verse” address God? Who wrote it? ◊ Does the school emphasize Jesus? But do you also detect hints of unbiblical beliefs? ◊ Do students at the school study various religions? ◊ Does the curriculum at the school include extensive study of myths and legends? ◊ Is there a pleasant emphasis on art, but with a spiritualistic flavor? ◊ Do the students do wet-on-wet watercolor painting? ◊ Is eurythmy performed at the school? ◊ Are academic subjects given short shrift? ◊ Are there indications that intellect is limited and that other kinds of thinking — such as imagination — are better? ◊ Is there an antiscientific bias at the school? ◊ Is alternative medicine present in or around the school? ◊ Are there hints of racism, perhaps buried deep but still detectable? ◊ Is European culture, especially German culture, seen as superior to all others? ◊ Can you detect an unusual degree of sexism in the school’s policies or practices? ◊ Do the teachers divide the students according to temperament or “humour”? ◊ Are there any suggestive features in the school’s equipment, physical plant, or grounds? ◊ Are there intimations that evolution is real, but very different from Darwin’s version? ◊ How are animals discussed or viewed? ◊ Are students led to feel that the physical world is illusory? Are there indications that nature itself is false? ◊ Are there gnome statuettes or dolls in any classrooms at the school? ◊ How are other worlds discussed or portrayed? ◊ Are there indications of astrology or related fallacies in the school? ◊ Are there hints of reincarnation? What about karma? ◊ Are there suggestions that children have memories of the spirit realm? ◊ Beyond whatever the previous questions exposed, do you detect signs of occultism? ◊ Are there hints that the universe may have more than one god? If none of those questions set off any alarm bells — and if you feel sure of your answers — then the school you are considering may be just fine. No problems. But if any of the questions started a little ringing — or if your curiosity is piqued — you may want to dig into the following section. CLUES, REDUX Here is the same list of topics, taken more slowly this time. Essentially, all these topics down boil to one large question: To what degree is the school committed to Rudolf Steiner’s occult doctrines? As I proceed down the list, I will include many quotations from Steiner and others. Some of these are hard to grasp, but the effort is worthwhile. The quotations may be your best tool for investigating a Waldorf school. Take such quotations to the school and ask for explanations. If you are dissatisfied with the answers you receive, you may have learned something essential. A tip: Don’t settle for simple denials — press for full, persuasive answers. Remember that Steiner told his followers to guard their secrets. For clarity, I will add some explanatory notes to the quotations, and I will chop out some of Steiner’s repetitive or confusing language. This editing will make Steiner’s statements clearer, but I promise I will not distort Steiner’s meaning. You can check me by going to the sources I cite in the endnotes. I will tell you exactly where I found each quotation. ◊ Nondenominational or nonsectarian Does the school deny being religious, but are there hints of religious belief there nonetheless? I attended a Waldorf school from second grade through 12th grade. We did not memorize passages from holy books or study catechisms, yet a muted spiritualism hung about the place, in almost every lesson, in almost every activity. To one degree or another, it got to most of the students, sometimes deeply — but almost always subconsciously. A subtle atmosphere of spiritualism can be hard to detect. Much of what happens in a Waldorf school may seem to be more or less consistent with the values of the culture at large. The issue is whether a Waldorf crosses the line and becomes sectarian without admitting it. At my school, we were assigned books with religious themes; spiritualistic art was present; we sang religious music such as Handel’s “Messiah”; we recited spiritualistic verses in unison; we were immersed in myths and steered way from science; and so forth. (I’ll discuss these matters more as we proceed.) The linchpin of our year was the annual Carol Sing. In a candlelit auditorium on a December evening, we sang hymn-like carols about the birth of Jesus and the love of God. Frosty and Rudolf and Santa were absent. Religion was present. Reading this description, you may think it is obvious that I attended a religious school. Yet my Waldorf did not describe itself in those terms, nor did many students or parents think of it as such. Spiritual instruction was woven into our school lives so adroitly, it went almost unnoticed at the conscious level while often having a powerful effect deeper down. If you find such an atmosphere or such activities at the Waldorf school you are interested in, they may serve as clues that the “nondenominational, nonsectarian” school is actually a religious institution. Perhaps you want a religious education for your children, perhaps you don’t. But in either case, you should know what plans a school has for your children. ◊ Morning verse Many Waldorf schools begin each day by having the children recite “morning verses” that are actually prayers written by Rudolf Steiner. The “verse” that is often recited in the lower grades includes such phrases as “I reverence, O God,” and “From Thee come light and strength,/To Thee rise love and thanks.” [8] Students who repeat this verse are addressing and honoring God. They are being led in prayer. The “verse” Steiner wrote for older Waldorf students includes the words “God’s spirit lives and weaves ... To Thee, Creator Spirit, I turn myself/To ask that strength and blessing....”[9] Once again, the words address God and they ask for blessing. This verse, too, is clearly a prayer. Steiner’s original words, in German, make this even clearer. Instead of “Creator Spirit” he wrote “Gottesgeist,” spirit of God. A school where students says such prayers in unison, aloud, is almost certainly not nondenominational or nonsectarian. Probably the most accurate description is that it is a sectarian school, specifically an Anthroposophical school where the students recite Anthroposophical prayers. ◊ Jesus, but unbiblical beliefs Steiner considered Jesus central to human evolution, but as you might guess from the very concept of evolution (a concept not often embraced in churches), his version of Christianity is heretical. Consider the following statement, which contains elements of magic and paganism: “It is ... important that the deeds of Christ Jesus are always seen in relation to the physical sun, which is the external expression of the spiritual world that is received at the point where Christ’s physical body is walking around. When Christ Jesus heals, for instance, it is the sun force that heals. However, the sun must be in the right place in the heavens....” [10] Orthodox Christian churches certainly do not teach that the Biblical accounts of Jesus healing the sick are actually demonstrations of the Sun's healing powers. Such thinking laps over into magic (the Sun must be at a certain angle) and even paganism (the Sun heals). Steiner made many statements revealing how bizarre and unbiblical his teachings are. For instance, he said that Buddha has done for Mars what Christ did for Earth: “The Buddha wandered away from earthly affairs to the realm of Mars. Until then Mars had been the chosen center of forces designated by the Greeks as fearfully warlike. The mission of Mars came to an end in the seventeenth century. Another impulse became necessary and the Buddha accomplished a Buddha crucifixion there.” [11] No orthodox Christian or Buddhist would accept such heretical teachings. But this is what Steiner taught. How are Jesus, Buddha, and other religious figures discussed or presented by the teachers at the school you are examining? The core issue, here, is that Steiner’s “Christian” doctrines are gnostic — that is, they depend on secret or “mystery” knowledge not found in the Bible. Such knowledge is supposed to be shared only with insiders, those who have been initiated. This is another reason Waldorf teachers often try to disguise their spiritual agenda. One scholar has written “Rudolf Steiner ... a pivotal figure of twentieth-century esotericism ... blended modern Theosophy with a Gnostic form of Christianity, Rosicrucianism, and German Naturphilosophie.” [12] Theosophy is a religion, closely related to Anthroposophy, that draws heavily from Eastern faiths for such concepts as reincarnation and polytheism. Gnosticism is the heretical belief that salvation can be gained only through the possession of secret knowledge (gnosis). Rosicrucianism is a secretive movement devoted to mysticism and such mystery arts as alchemy. German Naturphilosophie is a semi-pagan pantheistic philosophy. Obviously, these supernatural movements are alien to most Americans and Europeans, yet they lurk in the background of much Waldorf thinking. Tip: There may be a significant difference between what Waldorf teachers will say about such matters in public and what they will say in private. Having quiet, one-on-one conversations with Waldorf faculty members can sometimes be quite revealing. ◊ Various religions The Association of Waldorf Schools of North America has issued this statement: “Waldorf schools are non-sectarian and non-denominational ... The pedagogical method is comprehensive, and, as part of its task, seeks to bring about recognition and understanding of all the world cultures and religions. Waldorf schools are not part of any church. They espouse no particular religious doctrine but are based on a belief that there is a spiritual dimension to the human being and to all of life.” [13] Aiming at an “understanding of all ... religions” suggests that quite a bit of time will be spent studying religion. Likewise, recognizing a “spiritual dimension to the human being” suggests that Waldorf schooling leans toward spiritualism, not an evenhanded presentation of religion and science. In fact, Anthroposophy draws from religious and spiritualistic traditions from all around the world, so studying many different religions can be good preparation for converting to Anthroposophy.  Notice that the official Waldorf statement says that Waldorf schools are not part of any church. This is misleading. If by “church” we mean religion, the statement is false. If by “church” we mean a religion that holds ceremonies in churches, the statement is technically true but beside the point. Any Waldorf school that is truly devoted to Anthroposophy is part of a religious movement. The movement doesn’t have churches,per se, but it has schools, camps, and other locations where the religion is practiced. The most important Anthroposophical center is the Goetheanum, a large building designed by Steiner. It is, in effect, a cathedral. I’ll have more to say about it later. When evaluating a Waldorf school, ask for a description of the subjects students will study at each grade level, and probe the amount of time devoted to these subjects and the purpose of including them at specific points in the curriculum. ◊ Myths and legends Steiner believed that myths, legends, and similar stories such as folk tales convey knowledge about previous stages of human evolution. Brace yourself for the following quotation. In it, Steiner says that a particular legend reveals the evolution of the soul, which proceeds differently than the evolution of the body. He then connects soul evolution with racial evolution (yes, race). Then he connects this with reincarnation (yes, reincarnation), saying that we have all been reincarnated many times, and that at one point we lived on Atlantis (yes, Atlantis): “A wonderful legend describes to us the state of development of the soul. The soul is in a different line of evolution than the body of the human being. The difference between soul and racial development can be seen if we look into the past. Souls were incarnated many times in the Atlantean race [i.e., the people of Atlantis]; all of you were Atlanteans at that time. The souls [of good humans] worked themselves out of that situation and the remaining human bodies belonged to the races that had become decadent and were falling into decline. The [good] souls left the bodies of the [decadent] races and rose up to higher races. Human bodies afflicted with fundamental evil will not have souls within them that are striving to rise above their present state to a higher one.” [14] The “wonderful legend” reeks of racism. In evaluating a Waldorf curriculum, don’t be misled by the terms “myth” and “legend.” According to Steiner, such stories are not just entertaining tales from yesteryear. He said that myths and legends are basically true: “Actual facts concerning the higher Spiritual Worlds lie at the foundation of all myths.... ” [15] He explicitly taught that Atlantis really existed, that reincarnation is real, and that racial differences matter. I’ll discuss these subjects in more detail later. Myths, legends, and similar fare are likely to show up frequently in the lower grades at Waldorf schools, when children’s minds are most impressionable. Here’s an excerpt from the history of my Waldorf class, printed in our yearbook: “Besides the three R’s, the fourth grade was occupied with the study of Norse myths. The high point of the year was the building of Yggdrasil, the Norse tree of life, out of paper. The fifth grade, where we learned about Greek and Egyptian myths, was our last with Mrs. Gardner.” [16] We didn’t know it, but in those two years as in others, we were being led through a typical Waldorf sequence. Here’s how one Waldorf educator has described the sequence for the first five grades: Grade 1: “fairy stories” and “such delightful creations as ‘The Song of the Elfin Miller” ... and “The Fairies.” Grade 2: “Fairy stories, legends, fables....” Grade 3: “Old Testament stories, legends, stories of the saints, folk tales....” Grade 4: “Norse stories [i.e., myths]....” Grade 5: “Indian, Persian, and Egyptian myths ... Greek myths ... Irish legends....” [17] There’s nothing inherently wrong with fairy tales and the like. But if the curriculum at a Waldorf school follows the pattern described here, the school may very well be following Steiner’s occult belief system. The sequence for studying myths is intended to lead children through the stages of human spiritual evolution.  Images from the Goetheanum's green window (north). The Goetheanum is the worldwide Anthroposophical headquarters. It is located in Dornach, Switzerland. The images in the windows are meant seriously — they depict spiritual beings many Waldorf teachers believe in. [R.R., 2009.] ◊ Emphasis on art Waldorf schools are often full of attractive art, much of it created by the students. The impression visitors receive from this artwork may be deceptive. For Steiner, art had an occult purpose. He said, “This is what gives art its essential lustre: it transplants us here and now into the spiritual world.” [18] He meant this literally, not metaphorically. He taught that spiritual beings enter the world through colors and musical tones, and that we can use the same vehicles to rise into the literal spirit realm. “[C]olours and musical notes are windows through which we can ascend spiritually into the spiritual world....” [19] The study of art in a Waldorf school is only tangentially related to aesthetics. It involves a rejection of the modern world in favor of a “supersensible” universe. “The question I have in mind is ... ‘What is the actual positive reason for introducing art into our lives?’ It is only during our materialistic age that ... we have forgotten the supersensible origin of art.” [20] By “supersensible,” Steiner meant things that cannot be detected by our senses: eyesight, hearing, and so forth. The “supersensible world” is the higher realm occupied by spiritual beings. Steiner claimed that he himself could perceive the spirit realm because he was clairvoyant — that is, a psychic. According to Steiner, art of all types comes from the supersensible realm and it leads us back to that realm. The artistic atmosphere in a Waldorf school is thus, really, a spiritualistic, occultist atmosphere. Art has magical powers, according to Steiner. His description of these powers sometimes became twisted in appalling ways. Here is a deplorable statement he made about novels written by blacks: “[I]f we give these Negro novels to pregnant [white] women to read, then it won’t even be necessary for Negroes to come to Europe in order for mulattos to appear. Simply through the spiritual effects of reading Negro novels, a multitude of children will be born in Europe that are completely gray, that have mulatto hair, that look like mulattos!” [21] When thinking about student art in a Waldorf school, consider how much of it seems spiritualistic. Also notice how much of it seems to be copied instead of original — quite often, all the members of a class will produce essentially the same painting or drawing, copying from work created or presented by the teacher. You should ask Waldorf teachers why they select certain images for the students. ◊ Wet-on-wet watercolor painting A form of painting emphasized in Waldorf schools uses wet brushes to spread watery paint over wet paper. This technique effectively prevents young children from creating recognizable images of the real world. Instead, they tend to create blurred pictures that correspond nicely to Steiner’s description of the spirit realm: rich in color but devoid of clear lines and clear-cut forms: “You see, when the soul arrives on earth in order to enter its body, it has come down from spirit-soul worlds in which there are no spatial forms ...[The spirit realm] has no spatial forms or lines, [but] it does have color intensities, color qualities. Which is to say that the world man inhabits between death and a new birth ... is a soul-permeated, spirit-permeated world of light, of color, of tone; a world of qualities not quantities....” [22] Steiner taught that in addition to a physical body, every real human being has three nonphysical bodies, which he called the ether body, astral body, and the “I.” Various forms of art express these bodies, he said. “Painting is the form of art which contains the laws of our astral body, just as sculpture contains the laws of our ether body and architecture those of our physical body.” [23] For our present discussion, we don’t need to comprehend the nonphysical bodies, we just need to recognize how deeply esoteric the pretty art in Waldorf schools really is. Steiner said that the beauty in art is a vehicle for spiritual revelation. “In leaving our pre-earthly existence behind [i.e., leaving the spiritual realm for our current earthly incarnation], we have lost the possibility of being embedded in the essence of truth in the right way [we have lost contact with spiritual truths] ... Through a true and genuine feeling for beauty we can, as it were, reestablish a link with pre-earthly life during life on Earth.” [24] So beautiful paintings, especially those without clearly defined forms, reconnect us with the spirit realm. Besides emphasizing wet-on-wet painting, Waldorf schools often try to keep kids from using pencils or crayons that can make sharp lines, and certain “evil” colors such as brown and black are often ruled out. The result is that kids get accustomed to a pastel haziness that is consistent with mystical, spiritualistic thinking. One of my sisters, who attended the same Waldorf school I did, says that she and her classmates always felt they were in a fog. Many other former Waldorf students report the same — it is almost inevitable when a school promotes mysticism, especially if the tenets of that mysticism are never spelled out openly. At Waldorf schools, silences are sometimes are communicative as speech would be. Mystery knowledge is supposed to remain mysterious, but with a little work you should be able to penetrate at least the outer layers.  From a wet-on-wet painting created by a Waldorf student. [Courtesy of PLANS.] ◊ Eurythmy The best example of Steiner’s spiritualistic take on the arts is eurythmy, a form of dance that Steiner himself originated. Steiner said that doing eurythmy connects people with the spiritual realm. “In having people do eurythmy, we link them directly to the supersensible world.” [25] Exactly how eurythmy creates this connection is complicated, but the point for us is to realize that the gentle “dance” called eurythmy has spiritualistic meaning. It is the religion of Anthroposophy set in motion. “Through this art, we want to place something into the spiritual development of humanity.” [26] The “something” is a higher form of consciousness, spiritualistic “insight.” Eurythmy, which is “ensouled movement” [27], is meant to advance human spiritual evolution. Along the way, it is supposed to improve human health, both physically and spiritually: “Eurythmy is something we can certainly consider as an aspect of soul, spirit, and physical hygiene.” [28] Eurythmy stresses the use of the arms and legs, because these parts of our body lay the groundwork for our future karma: “our limbs, which are the part of us where life after death is being shaped in advance....” [29] If some of this sounds bizarre to you, all the better. Welcome to eurythmy. At the Waldorf school that I attended, we did eurythmy while manipulating “therapeutic” copper rods and holding our pelvises strictly still. Occasionally, we prepared eurythmic performances for school assemblies. In my class’s first such performance (coming in about the third or fourth grade), we enacted the creation of the world — the emergence of light, the separation of light from darkness, the separation of dry land from the waters, and so on. We portrayed angels and archangels and the fulfillment of God’s commands. I played God Almighty. At many Waldorf schools, eurythmy classes and performances are more solemn than any other school events. They may seem to be religious ceremonies — which, indeed, is what they are. Probably the most august of all eurythmic performances are staged at the Goetheanum, the worldwide headquarters of Anthroposophy. The building resembles nothing so much as a cathedral — it has stained glass windows, a huge statue of Christ, and a large auditorium equipped with an imposing pipe organ. “[T]he inner spiritual impulse that is intended to flow from the Goetheanum ... goes far beyond any theoretical understanding, indeed beyond any understanding altogether.” [30] Photographs of eurythmy as presented at the Goetheanum are highly instructive. You can find examples in the booklet THE GOETHEANUM: School of Spiritual Science [31] and online at http://www.goetheanum.org/1549.html?&L=1 . When examining a Waldorf school, ask to visit a eurythmy class; try to have a conversation with a eurythmist; and attend school assemblies that include eurythmy. Consider the themes you find in the eurythmic performances, the costumes worn, and the movements displayed. Probe their significance. A eurythmy class at my old school. To preserve privacy, I have blocked faces. ['63 PINNACLE (Inter-Collegiate Press).] ◊ Academic subjects If the main purpose of a school is to promote a spiritualistic agenda, then time must be taken away from regular academic subjects to concentrate on more spiritual pursuits, such as arts. The teachers at the first Waldorf school knew that academic standards there were below par. They worried that they were not preparing their students adequately for standard final examinations in the 12th grade. Asked what subjects should be dropped to make time for lessons with more academic content, Steiner answered, “Sadly, technology and shop, as well as gymnastics and singing. We cannot drop eurythmy or drawing. Religion will have to be limited to one hour....” [32] Later, Steiner added, “The question of final examinations is purely a question of opportunity. It is a question of whether we dare tell those who come to us that we will not prepare them for the final examination at all, that it is a private decision of the student whether to take the final examination or not.” [33] Weeks after that, when the exam results were in, he said, “We should have no illusions: The results gave a very unfavorable impression of our school to people outside.” [34] At my Waldorf, like many others, academic dilettantism prevailed. We studied various subjects for no more than three weeks at time: three weeks of history, then three weeks of geography, then art history, then French, then... The subjects would roll around again in a few months, but by then they had grown cold. Not all subjects were parceled out like this, but many were. As for the rest of each school day, intellectual challenges were rare. We spent a good deal of time painting, playing recorders (woodwind instruments), doing eurythmy, and pursuing other arts and crafts. Parents were led to accept this because the Waldorf curriculum theoretically educates “the whole child” — head, heart, and hands. Many parents do not realize, however, that at Waldorfs “the whole child” is essentially a spiritualistic concept, encompassing nonphysical bodies, nonphysical organs, twelve different senses, clairvoyant potential, the aftereffects of past lives, and other occult notions. (For more about human nature as it is conceived by Anthroposophists, see my essay “What We’re Made Of”.) The benefits of crafts, from an Anthroposophical perspective, are similar to those of arts, although on a lower level: Activities such as knitting, crocheting, and woodwork are physical evocations of spiritual forces. And, importantly, they do not put heavy demands on the intellect. As I will explain in the next section, Steiner generally disparaged brainwork. Immersed in a curriculum that was light on academics but long on knitting and the like, my schoolmates and I weren’t required to learn much in order to graduate. I don’t want to embarrass any of my old friends, so I’ll use myself as an example. I “studied” French for several years, and I always passed, but I was never able to speak a single French sentence nor understand French when it was spoken to me. Likewise, I took several years of high school math (three or maybe four — I forget), and I always passed, although simple algebra and most other areas of math remained unsolved mysteries for me. Yet I always passed. Waldorf schools today may do a better job with academics, but this is an area worth exploring. For most people, academic subjects are the core of a real education. Any school that downplays them may be selling its students very short. ◊ Intellect, imagination, clairvoyance We all need to use our imaginations. But at Waldorf schools, the term “imagination” is sometimes used as a code word for clairvoyance. Consider the following remark of Steiner’s: “Essentially, people today have no inkling of how people looked out into the universe in ancient times when human beings still possessed an instinctive clairvoyance ... If we want to be fully human, however, we must struggle to regain a view of the cosmos that moves toward Imagination again....” [35] Notice that Steiner starts by talking about clairvoyance and then shifts to the word “Imagination.” For him, they are nearly the same. Notice, also, how “Imagination” is emphasized and magnified (capital “I”). Steiner meant a serious form of cognition, not fantasizing, not the kind of creativity we find in Pixar films. He meant a real faculty that can lead to real knowledge. But there is very little evidence that clairvoyance is possible. The Encyclopedia Brittanica considers clairvoyance such a minor topic that it devotes just a handful of words to it, ending with “Research in parapsychology ... has yet to provide conclusive support for the existence of clairvoyance.” [36] Many self-proclaimed clairvoyants have been exposed as frauds, while the “insights” of other clairvoyants have often turned out to be so wrong that we are justified in doubting whether clairvoyance ever produces reliable results. Some of Steiner’s so-called clairvoyant insights are laughably incorrect. For example, his clairvoyance allowed him to say that the planets don’t orbit the Sun: “[I]t is not that the planets move around the Sun, but these three, Mercury, Venus, and the Earth, follow the Sun, and these three, Mars, Jupiter, and Saturn, precede it.” [37] Still, Steiner insisted that clairvoyance is real, and he made the bizarre claim that we can all gain psychic powers by developing special nonphysical “organs”: “[O]rgans of clairvoyant 'seeing' are formed out of the feelings and thoughts that arise in relation to growing and flourishing....” [38] Steiner taught that thinking with your brain is not real thinking at all:“[T]he brain and nerve system have nothing at all to do with actual cognition....” [39] Real cognition, in Anthroposophy, is clairvoyance. Brains and intellect can be useful for some purposes, Steiner said, but they are ultimately irrelevant. Look for hints of this sort of delusion at any Waldorf school you scrutinize. A good education should help students to develop and use their brains, not steer them toward unreliable forms of non-thinking. ◊ Antiscientific bias Steiner abhorred modern science and technology, as he made plain over and over. One of his strange teachings, which he repeated many times, is that the heart does not pump blood: “[T]he heart is indeed a sense organ for perceiving the blood’s movement, not a pump as physicists claim....” [40] Some of his other antiscientific statements are even stranger: “With the students, we should at least try to ... make it clear that, for instance, an island like Great Britain swims in the sea and is held fast by the forces of the stars. In actuality, such islands do not sit directly upon a foundation; they swim and are held fast from outside.” [41] I doubt that many Waldorf teachers present such crackpot statements to their students today. But checking into a Waldorf school’s attitude toward science can be enlightening. Anthroposophy’s hostility to science and technology runs deep. At my school, we were required to read a book titled THE FAILURE OF TECHNOLOGY [42] and we were urged by one of our science teachers to read the book SCIENCE IS A SACRED COW. [43] There was a general aversion of modern gadgets, especially television. We were supposed to avoid TV at almost all costs. Many Anthroposophists believe that modern technology is the tool of demonic powers intent on world conquest. Steiner taught that there are two great devils, Lucifer and Ahriman. The latter is the devil of Zoroastrianism. Steiner associated Ahriman with materialism and technology — and, because he said that Americans are materialistic and masters of technology, he taught that America is under the sway of Ahriman. Along the same lines, he taught that Russia is allied with Lucifer: “Ahriman-America should not have the only voice; Lucifer-Bolshevism[i.e., Russia] should not be allowed to do the only deed. However, as no one knows any different from what the stupefying and spirit-alienating institutions of ‘modern science’ have been teaching people, a real ‘enlightenment service’ is needed above all else. A lot would be gained if a number of people were to admit to themselves that they cannot but commit wrong actions in the world if they apply what they owe to ‘modern thinking’ and were to realize that a new way of thinking had to be adopted.” [44] Reading Steiner can cause headaches. Translation: The evils or America and Russia should not prevail. “Modern science” creates a way of thinking that destroys the soul, so we need an “enlightenment service” that will lead us to the Truth. (Steiner means Anthroposophy, of course.) People should admit that they are on the wrong track when they use “modern thinking” instead of mystical/Anthroposophical thinking.  Hostility to science led Steiner to make some extremely nutty remarks: science is “stupefying,” islands float, hearts don’t pump blood, Buddha moved to Mars, planets don’t orbit the Sun, the Sun shows where Christ’s physical body is, we come from Atlantis, real thinking doesn’t occur in the brain, clairvoyance works, “Negro” novels have baleful genetic effects, we can grow organs of clairvoyance, and on and on. This leads us to a pivotal issue. Steiner was unreliable — you can’t take his word for things. So, why do Waldorf teachers accept any of his doctrines? Of course, being wrong about many things doesn’t mean that Steiner was wrong about everything. But when you talk to Waldorf teachers, ask them to tell you which of Steiner’s teachings they do accept, and then — the pivotal part — ask them for convincing arguments that Steiner was right in those instances. If they try to confine the discussion to vague, innocuous platitudes, or if they spin off into clouds of misty rhetoric, press them harder. Get them to describe Steiner doctrines that set Waldorf schools apart from other types of schools, then listen carefully to their explanations of those doctrines. Weigh their words for clarity, evidence, and logic. If they can’t meet the basic requirements of rational discourse, you should be concerned. If Waldorf teachers can’t persuade you that they are reasonable and well informed, how qualified do you think they are to educate your children? The contradiction between Steiner’s abhorrence of science and his claim that Anthroposophy is a science doesn’t bother his followers, but it should give the rest of us pause. Steiner claimed that Anthroposophy is scientific because he wanted his teachings to be taken as undeniably, factually correct. But as we have already seen, his teachings contain huge quantities of nonsense. Only rarely does any statement Steiner made stand up to thoughtful scrutiny. A “science” that leads to an absurd conception of reality needs a basic overhaul, but instead Anthroposophists tend to take Steiner on faith. This, of course, is not a scientific approach at all — it is religious devotion. We will see more of Steiner’s hostility to science in the following section, in which nuttiness leads to the possibility of grave harm. ◊ Alternative medicine Steiner opposed many practices of conventional medicine. His description of the human body and its organs is extremely unorthodox, as are the treatments he prescribed for illnesses. He advocated use of mistletoe to treat cancer, for example, and he opposed vaccinations in many if not all cases. He was against trying to cure diseases that are part of one’s karma — that is, one’s fate. The idea is that you are born into this life carrying the consequences of your good or bad behavior in your previous lives (reincarnation). If you have an illness, it may be the result of your past behavior: You may need to go through the illness to fulfill your karma and prepare yourself for your next life. As for the suffering you will endure in this life, you are fated to suffer, you deserve to suffer. Here’s what Steiner said about trying to cure smallpox by vaccination. You would think that anybody would want to cure smallpox. But Steiner argued that if we give a patient a shot, s/he will need to compensate somehow in a future life: “[W]e are merely accomplishing something to which the person in question [that is, the patient] will himself have to produce a counterpart in a later incarnation [that is, his/her unfulfilled destiny will have to be played out in a coming lifetime]. If we destroy the susceptibility to smallpox, we are concentrating only on the external side of karmic activity.” [45] You can’t avoid your karma — if you try to sidestep it now, you are only postponing the inevitable. Treating a physical ailment leaves the main, spiritual part of your fate unaddressed. Steiner took the edge off this idea, a little, by saying that vaccinations can be ok sometimes if the patient is also given spiritual (Anthroposophical) training. But surely all patients deserve the best possible medical care, always, with or without spiritual training. Failing to use the best techniques of modern medicine to promptly treat serious diseases is clearly extremely dangerous. A former Waldorf parent has described the “treatment” her children received from a doctor who followed Rudolf Steiner: “The Anthroposophic doctor made a diagnosis: my child had lost the will to live. He announced one of the potential cures ... we were to give our daughter red, yellow, and orange crayons to color with! I looked at my husband in disbelief. When the doctor instructed us to make the sign of a flame out of Aurum cream over my child’s heart at bedtime, I was dumbfounded ... He told us to apply the gold cream from below the heart upwards, towards the sky....” [46] The girl ultimately had to be hospitalized, after which conventional medicine produced a gradual cure. My parents sent me to an Anthroposophical doctor for a few years. He rarely if ever gave me any medicine, aside from some herbs. Mostly he prescribed spiritual exercises, such as visualizing a pencil and imagining how it came to be. Fortunately for me, when I developed real ailments such as a flu, my parents usually sent me to a regular doctor whose office was closer to home. ◊ Racism This is a terribly sensitive subject, and I certainly hope that Waldorf schools today are not racist. But Steiner himself was a racist. For instance, he said that races should stay put — blacks should stay in Africa, Asians should stay in Asia, and so forth. “On the one side we find the black races, which is earthly at most. If it moves to the West, it becomes [or may become] extinct. We also have the yellow race, which is in the middle between earth and the cosmos [the heavens]. If it moves to the East, it becomes brown, attaches itself too much to the cosmos, and becomes extinct. The white race is the future, the race that is creating spirit.” [47] Whites, in other words, are leading mankind’s spiritual evolution — they are superior — but Steiner said that even whites should normally stay in their allotted geographical locations. Steiner revealed his racism many times, in many ways. Here are more examples. In the first, Steiner says that some races have evolved more than others, and that lowly races come from “abnormal” humans. “[I]t was the normal human beings that were ... the most capable of evolving. [Abnormal] peoples whose ego impulse [sense of individual identity]was developed too strongly gradually wandered to the West [from Atlantis] and became ... the Red Indians of America. [Likewise, the abnormal] people whose ego-feeling was too little developed migrated to the East, and became the subsequent Negro population of Africa ... [T]hey deposited too many carbonic constituents in their skin and became black. This is why the Negroes are black. Thus both east of Atlantis in the black population and west of Atlantis in the red population we find survivors of the kind of people who had not developed their ego-feeling in a normal way. The human beings who had developed normally lent themselves best to progress.” [48] By “ego impulse” or “ego feeling,” Steiner meant the sense of personal selfhood, which must be balanced with the sense of one’s membership in the cosmic community. The descendants of the normal humans, the ones who could continue evolving properly, are the white race, according to Steiner. Being white has many advantages, Steiner said. For example: “Blond hair actually bestows intelligence. In the case of fair people, less nourishment is driven into the eyes and hair; it remains instead in the brain and endows it with intelligence. Brown- and dark-haired people drive the substances into their eyes and hair that the fair people retain in their brains.” [49] But, according to Steiner, not all white people are spiritually advanced. “The Jews have a great gift for materialism, but little for recognition of the spiritual world.”[50] Still, Steiner said, being white is better than the alternatives. For example, according to Steiner, blacks are inherently immature: “[A] centre of cosmic influence [is] situated in the interior of Africa. At this centre are active all those terrestrial forces emanating from the soil which can influence man especially during his early childhood ... The black or Negro race is substantially determined by these childhood characteristics.” [51] At my Waldorf school, racism cropped up in the classroom occasionally. One of my teachers spoke to our class about higher and lower races, and another told us (we were all white) to be sure never to get a blood transfusion from a black person. If there is no racism at the school you are investigating, that is wonderful. But look carefully. Naturally, Steiner did not always say nasty things. He often spoke about love and kindness. Yet he also made the sort of statements I’ve just quoted, and they lie close to the core of his teachings about human evolution. ◊ Europe Steiner taught that white Europeans are superior to other people. When Eurocentric views surface in Waldorf schools, the results can be distressing. Here is a statement from a woman who was considering a Waldorf school for her daughter: “Have you seen it written somewhere that Steiner believed white people were most evolved??? This was blatantly apparent in the curriculum of the Waldorf school we visited. My daughter is African American, and this is one of the two reasons (along with the sexist dynamics) that we decided against the school. The teacher, telling me about the history part of the curriculum, said that since 5th graders are becoming rational, and rationality ‘came in with the Greeks,’ that's what they study in 5th grade. The whole ‘history as a developmental process paralleling children's development, with Western civilization at the pinnacle’ is inherently racist. I saw the unit study books one class had done about Africa. At the beginning, under their identical paintings of a traditional African man hunting in silhouette, they all had the same saying copied: ‘Perhaps this life of ours which begins as the quest of the child for the adult, ends as a journey by the adult to rediscover the child ... It is in the Bushman wherein the two are finally and lovingly joined.’ (Laurens van der Post) I shudder to think of my daughter learning about her heritage in this way.” [52] As we have seen, Steiner said that blacks are childlike. Here is evidence that Waldorf students are led to accept this disparaging idea, albeit in the condescending form of a “loving” observation. (In quoting “history as a developmental process paralleling children’s development,” the mother refers to the Anthroposophical belief that a growing child repeats or recapitulates the stages of human evolution.) You should look for the kinds of clues that leaped out at this mother. You might also consider whether a Waldorf school has a special fondness for a particular subset of Europeans, namely northern or “Nordic” Europeans — especially Germans. Steiner found flaws in Northern Europeans, saying they need to evolve further, but nonetheless he praised their heritage and potential. “Nordics” have long been closer to spiritual truth than other peoples have been. “Nordic man perceived the figures of the Gods, the divine Beings working directly on his soul ... This was direct experience to him.” [53] “No other mythology gives a clearer picture of evolution than Northern mythology. Germanic mythology in its pictures is close to anthroposophical conception of future evolution.” [54] For Anthroposophists, saying that a mythology is close to their beliefs in the highest praise. As for the future, Steiner said that Germans have a special talent for “looking at the world from the most varied points of view. This shall be the special mission of the German people ... They shall take hold upon world culture ... [I]n the realm of knowledge, [certain things] can be evolved only through the German people.” [55] Germans are quite intellectual, Steiner said, and intellect is objectionable. But Germans can handle brainwork better than the rest of us, and soon enough they will evolve to still higher, less-brain-centered levels. The mother I quoted, above, found Waldorf inappropriate for her African-American child. Other American parents might reach similar conclusions for their own children if they find that a Waldorf school bows to Northern European superiority. This would be particularly true if the school also considers America inherently wicked because of its association with Ahriman. ◊ Sexism About the “sexist dynamics” mentioned by the mother I quoted, above: Steiner believed that boys and girls should receive different forms of education because they have different soul qualities. Girls are oriented toward the sky; boys are oriented toward the Earth; girls should be told stories about mythical heroes; boys should be told realistic stories about real people:“[W]e shall also educate the girls correctly by recognizing the fact that they are more inclined to the cosmos and boys more inclined to the earth. Girls incline more to the cosmic, and this means that their ideals are heroes and heroines; we should tell girls about them, about their lives and deeds ... Boys need to hear about character, about complete human beings.” [56] The implication is that girls have their heads in the clouds (in a good way, of course), while boys are realistic and down-to-earth. So boys need to know about “character” — how to be honest, reliable, diligent, and so forth — and they should learn what a “complete” human being is. This is not necessary for girls. You might look for signs of this sort of sexism in a Waldorf school. Because sexist thinking is so widespread in America — it is not confined to Waldorf schools by any means — finding it will not, by itself, prove that the school is deeply committed to Anthroposophy. Still, it could be a clue, and you certainly may want to avoid any school in which sexism is official policy. ◊ Temperament or “humour” Steiner taught that there are four basic types of people within each racial and national grouping. Humans can be categorized by temperament: choleric (critical, angry), sanguine (sunny, optimistic), melancholic (sad, moody), and phlegmatic (listless, uninterested). He took this idea from ancient Greece — the “humours” are the four fluids that the Greeks said we have inside us: yellow bile, blood, black bile, and phlegm. People who have a predominance of one kind of fluid supposedly have the temperament controlled by it. Science long ago rejected the concept of humours, but Steiner not only embraced it, he also mixed it with astrology. “In cholerics, you will generally find an abnormally developed sense of balance (Libra) ... In sanguines (Virgo) ... the sense of movement predominates. In the same way, in melancholics (Leo) the sense of life predominates and in phlegmatics (Cancer) the sense of touch predominates....” [57] This is voodoo science. Steiner also said that children should be segregated according to which type they are. “[I]t will be good to arrange your groups as follows: if you put the phlegmatics together it is good to have the cholerics on the opposite side, and let the two others, the melancholics and sanguines, sit between them.” [58] Separating children this way, on the basis of a completely obsolete medical theory, raises all sorts of problems. What seating arrangements exist in the school you are thinking about? What sorts of analyses do the teachers make about their students’ characters and capabilities?  Body types associated with the four humours, according to Rudolf Steiner. [R.R., 2009.] ◊ Equipment, physical plant, grounds The appearance and trappings of a Waldorf school can sometimes tell you a lot. For instance, are different classrooms painted different colors? This may be attractive, but it also may reflect Steiner’s belief that the color of a room affects the kinds of spiritual beings that are present or at least discernible there. “What spiritual beings become visible in any particular instance depends on the colour to which we devote ourselves. In a red room, other beings become visible than in a blue room....” [59] What sort of library does the school have? What sorts of books does it contain? The library at my school was small, lacking many standard volumes that any library ought to include, yet our librarians found room for books about flying saucers, dragons, and other chimerical topics. Kids browsing there were quietly lured toward belief in the mythic and fantastic, which from an Anthroposophical perspective can be a good first step toward adopting Steiner’s strange belief system. What sorts of art do you find around the school, besides the pictures and sculptures created by the students themselves? Are there drawings or paintings of spiritual or otherworldly scenes? Visionary art by William Blake, for instance, or pious work by Albrecht Dürer, such as “Praying Hands”? Are there watercolors with misty, multilayered washes that seem to open onto strange vistas? Are there chalk drawings suggesting celestial powers interacting with the earth, for instance “lemniscates” (figure eights) linking the Sun and the Earth? Any and all of these can be clues. Many Anthroposophists use certain kinds of art as objects of meditation and as talismans. To learn to recognize typical Anthroposophical art, you can refer to such books as ART INSPIRED BY RUDOLF STEINER [60] and THE ILLUSTRATED CALENDAR OF THE SOUL. [61] Are there compost piles or organic gardens on the school grounds? I am all for organic gardening; my wife and I grow and buy organic foods. But according to Steiner, there was a special spiritual significance in certain agricultural practices. He invented a form of agriculture he called “biodynamics.” If this word is used round the school, it may tell you a great deal. Biodynamic gardening and farming are connected to both astrology and magic. For more on this subject, see my essay “Biodynamics”. ◊ Evolution Steiner’s version of evolution is weird, to say the least. For instance, he taught that humans didn’t evolve from lower animals. Just the opposite: Animals evolved from us. Here’s a summary of Steiner’s evolutionary vision: Human beings were the first life form on Earth, although we were far less evolved then. As we developed, we shed various forms of life that turned into plants and animals. In general, good humans have continued evolving, but most bad or abnormal humans haven’t, or at least they haven’t evolved properly. In the future, upward-evolving humans will become a literal good race that will be totally spiritual and, eventually, divine. Lowly humans will form a bad race that will be cast into the “abyss” — a nether realm where evil humans will be bypassed by evolution. Our evolutionary past, according to Steiner: “If the evolution of the Earth did not include human beings, then most animals would not exist ... At a particular stage in their earthly development, human beings, to develop further, needed to rid their nature, which then was much different than it is now, of the higher animals....” [62] Our evolutionary future, according to Steiner: “To the extent that for a large part of mankind ... [the] impulse of Christ becomes the innermost impulse of man’s being ... to this extent will mankind ascend .... [But] The evil race, with its savage impulses, will dwell in animal form in the abyss.” [63] If you are a Christian, remember that Steiner’s doctrines concerning Christ are heretical. The “impulse of Christ,” for example, is not the same a Jesus Christ — it is a spiritual power, tied to secret knowledge, and it is central to an evolutionary scheme that has been laid out by multiple gods. I’ve mentioned Anthroposophy’s polytheism previously, and we will return to it. Steiner’s description of evolution flies in the face of science and it also runs contrary to the Bible. The headmaster at my Waldorf school openly discussed Steiner-style evolution one Friday in our high school assembly, although he didn’t attribute it to Steiner. After the assembly, he called me into his office to make sure I had understood him. (My mother was his secretary. He often gave me special attention.) He repeated his statements in greater detail. Getting this sort of one-on-one, confidential “guidance” from Waldorf faculty members can be highly instructive. Anthroposophists may not want to open up about their views on evolution and its connection to spiritual salvation, but you should press them. The prospect that humanity will divide into a good race and an evil race deserves particular consideration. ◊ The natural world When examining a Waldorf school, try to determine whether the students are led to feel that the real, physical world is illusory, hiding the truth about the universe. This is a basic Anthroposophical tenet, which Steiner sometimes referred to as “maya,” the Hindu belief that everything in physical life is illusion. Steiner said, “I must emphasize this again and again, that the saying ‘the world is Maya’ is so vitally important.” [64] Many religions have similar beliefs, but in Anthroposophy they are taken to an extreme. Students are led to doubt the testimony of their senses — they are led to confuse the real and the unreal. At my Waldorf, nature was often treated as if it doesn’t really exist or as if it is only a cover. The headmaster at the school published a booklet in which he wrote the following about teachers at regular, non-Waldorf schools: “Their training has not led them to appreciate that within each of its facts the apparent world conceals many levels of truth....” [65] His point is that properly trained teachers at Waldorf schools don’t make that mistake. They always direct attention away from the “apparent” or illusory world to the many hidden “levels of truth.” Of course, appearances can deceive, so looking behind surfaces is necessary to gain deep insight. I don’t deny it — in fact, in this essay, I’m suggesting ways to look behind the surface of Waldorf education. But talking about “maya” and “the apparent world” is dangerous. The world does actually exist, it is not a phantasm. Yet Anthroposophists often deny the reality of reality. Their “truths” are often purely imaginary, yet they take them for objective fact: gnomes, Atlantis, Buddha’s Martian crucifixion, and the like. Children who are led in this direction are being led badly astray. Anthroposophy’s hostility to nature stems from the gnostic basis of Steiner’s teachings. According to gnostic tradition, the material universe was not created by God but by a hostile minor god, the demiurge, who opposes spirituality. The material universe created by the demiurge is run primarily by evil spirits. Steiner’s “nature spirits” such as gnomes are an extension of this concept: ◊ Gnomes, goblins Are there gnome statuettes or dolls in any classrooms at the Waldorf school you are thinking about? If so, why are they there? One reason almost certainly is that the teachers want to encourage kids to think about the world the way Steiner did. Steiner taught that gnomes are real: “There are beings that can be seen with clairvoyant vision at many spots in the depths of the earth ... They seem able to crouch close together in vast numbers, and when the earth is laid open they appear to burst asunder ... Many names have been given to them, such as goblins, gnomes and so forth ... Their nature prompts them to play all sorts of tricks on man....” [66] Hard as it may be to believe, Steiner was serious about this. He taught that the entire universe consists of hierarchies of creatures and powers, some higher, some lower. He gave everything a rank. If you rank high, that may seem ok. But if you rank low... According to Steiner, “nature spirits” are lowly spiritual beings that are, at best, annoying. They are tricky and deceptive. And yet Waldorf schools often have representations of them in classrooms used by young children. One former Waldorf parent has written “Nature spirits are at or near the bottom of a very complex hierarchy, going up through various rankings of angels and archangels to the Christian seraphim, cherubim etc. ... I think gnomes get more systematic emphasis because talk of angels is too blatantly religious, parents will wonder if their child comes home always talking about angels, whereas gnomes can be treated as simply creatures from children's stories or fairy tales, and of course most Waldorf schools deny to parents that the curriculum is religious.” [67] When visiting a Waldorf school, ask the teachers about nature spirits. Don’t start by using the words “gnome” or “goblin” — just ask about nature spirits. Then ask for specific examples. As the discussion proceeds (if it does), gradually bring up gnomes and goblins, and consider whether you can accept the answers you are offered. If you can’t believe that gnomes and/or goblins exist, Waldorf may be wrong for you. ◊ Other worlds Steiner often described other worlds, both spiritual and physical. He sometimes called portions of the “supersensible” universe Spirit-land: “This world is so unlike the physical that all that is said about it will appear fantastic to him who is willing to trust his physical senses only ... For our speech [i.e., language], which for the most part serves only for the realities of the senses, is not richly blessed with expressions for the ‘Spirit-land’ ... [T]his world is woven out of the material of which human thought consists. But thought, as it lives in man, is only a shadow picture, a phantom of its true being ... The spiritual eye sees in Spirit-land the thought ‘lion’ as really and actually as the corporeal eye sees the physical lion.” [68] Take such talk for what it is worth. The spirit realm seems like fantasy but it is actually quite real, Steiner said. It consists of thoughts, but thoughts that are more real than ordinary thoughts. Thought lions are at least as real as physical lions. As I’ve pointed out, in Anthroposophy the line between the real and the unreal blurs.  Demonic being shown in window at the Goetheanum, [R.R., 2009.] Steiner never demonstrated that Spiritland exists — we simply have to take his word for it, or not. Checking is impossible unless we develop clairvoyance (which, sadly, is almost certainly impossible). If we can’t really examine the spiritual worlds Steiner discussed, we can at least examine Steiner’s statements about worlds in the physical universe. Try this:“[T]he moon today is like a fortress in the universe, in which there lives a population that fulfilled its human destiny over 15,000 years ago, after which it withdrew to the moon together with the spiritual guides of humanity ... This is only one of the ‘cities’ in the universe, one colony, one settlement among many ... As far as what concerns ourselves, as humanity on earth, the other pole, the opposite extreme to the moon is the population of Saturn.” [69] This is literally fantasy, yet Steiner expected his followers to believe such statements. Maybe a better word than “fantasy” is lunacy. Consider what it could mean to entrust the care of students to teachers who believe such nonsense. One particularly interesting question to ask Waldorf teachers is why Steiner believed in the nonexistent planet Vulcan. “[O]n Vulcan, the spiritual consciousness will prevail....” [70]“The last planet which can still be counted among the series of earthly transformations, and hence follows Venus, is called ‘Vulcan’ by mystery science ... Not much can be publicly communicated about life on this planet....” [71] Steiner sometimes claimed that when he spoke about planets, he didn’t really mean planets but phases of evolution. But expressions like “on Vulcan” and “on this planet” certainly cast this denial into doubt. [72] Try to talk with Waldorf teachers about other worlds. If they believe Steiner’s statements about such worlds, ask why. If they believe that words such as “on this planet” don’t mean what they mean, ask why. Ask why they accept the remarks of a man who denied the meaning of the words he chose. ◊ Astrology, etc. Steiner often talked about the mystical power of the planets and stars. He advocated astrology, as we see in the following discussion of horoscopes. Seeking insight into a child, he said “Now let us turn to the horoscope of the younger child. Again, here are Venus and Uranus and Mars near together ... [W]hen we examine more nearly [i.e., more closely] the position of Mars, we find it is not, as before, in complete opposition to the moon [Mars and the Moon are not exactly on opposite sides of the sky]. It is however very nearly so. Although the younger child does not come in for a complete opposition, there is an approximation of opposition.” [73] Imagine a Waldorf teacher consulting a horoscope to decide how to handle your child. The presence of horoscopes, mystical star charts, and similar paraphernalia in a Waldorf school would be cause for real concern. In all likelihood, of course, they will not be openly displayed. But with persistence, you still might discover telltale indicators. The headmaster at my Waldorf school made references to astrology in his yearbook messages to my class and the class before mine. Here is part of what he wrote to my class: “For some onlookers, a special star has shone over your class from its beginning many years ago. And there may be a reason for the protection afforded you by this star of destiny: as genius of your class, it may yet have demands to make of you ... My hope and expectation are that, following your star, you will be able to do something to make the world environment pleasanter for those that come after you....” [74] Many people reading these words might think they are metaphorical or harmlessly flowery. But such language, when used at a Waldorf school, is almost surely meant literally. Steiner believed in the power of the stars (remember that stars hold Great Britain in place). Who are Waldorf teachers to doubt him?  In addition to astrology, Steiner promoted other occult concepts, such as numerology. He claimed to find great spiritual significance in such numbers a 3, 7, and 12, among others. He waxed enthusiastic, for instance, about the “insight” that there are seven colors in the spectrum, seven notes in a musical scale, and seven components in the human constitution. This elicited the contempt of real scientists such as Nobel Prize winning physicist Max von Laue. Discussing Steiner’s book, AN OUTLINE OF ESOTERIC SCIENCE, von Laue quoted Steiner as saying “light appears in seven colours, and sound appears in seven tones, [and] the undivided nature of Man appears in seven limbs.” Von Laue pours ridicule on this remark, saying “What prevarication! From the innumerable colours that can be perceived by the eye, human language has perhaps given especially simple names to a random seven (and these are only approximately defined), and if Steiner is ignorant of the names of any other colours we recommend that he asks any good dressmaker.” [75] Von Laue disposes of the “seven tones” and “seven limbs” with equal dispatch. Watch for recurring number patterns in designs, arrangements, and discussions at Waldorf schools. Ask about their meaning. ◊ Reincarnation, karma We’ve already seen that Anthroposophists believe in reincarnation: Remember the quotations about the “wonderful legend” and life “between death and rebirth.” Steiner taught that humans pass through an extremely long series of lives in the physical universe alternating with lives in the spirit realm. The gods’ plan is that humans will evolve spiritually as they pass through these lives. At the first Waldorf school, Steiner told the teachers they should consider dealing with reincarnation openly with at least some students. “Following the question of destiny, you will need to discuss the differences between what we inherit from our parents and what we bring into out lives from previous earthly lives. In this second stage of religious instruction, we need to bring in previous earthly lives ... [P]eople live repeated earthly lives” [76] "Destiny" is another word for karma. Of immediate concern to parents: Note how Steiner clearly wants to minimize the importance of parents. Kids get most of their characteristics from their past lives, not from their parents. And parents, who should not be told much about what is happening inside the school, should play a secondary role to teachers in the guidance of the young. Only the teachers — that is, the Anthroposophical members of the faculty — know what's what. Only they can steer the children correctly. I think most Waldorf schools in America today probably do not openly endorse the theory of reincarnation. But students will exposed to it in their study of various religions, and you may find hints that they should accept the theory. The same holds for karma, the belief that our actions in one life create the fate we will have to work through in our next life. Steiner made many strange statements about karma, such as that World War I was not Germany’s fault because it was unavoidable, it was part of “the European karma.” [77] Any discussion of karma or fate in a Waldorf school may tell you a lot. As we’ve seen with other doctrines, reincarnation and karma are concepts that have no basis in science or in the Bible. But belief in them can have a direct effect on the curriculum at a Waldorf school: ◊ Memories of the spirit realm Steiner taught that children are born with memories of their prior lives in the spirit realm. Here is what a leading Anthroposophist has written: “Childhood is commonly regarded as a time of steadily expanding consciousness ... Yet in Steiner’s view, the very opposite is the case: childhood is a time of contracting consciousness ... [The child comes to this life with] a dream-like yet intensely real awareness of spiritual worlds ... In a Waldorf school, therefore, one of the tasks of the teachers is to keep the children young.” [78] Most people think education is a process of helping children to grow up. At Waldorfs, the opposite may be true. It would be important to understand precisely what a particular school intends in this regard. According to Steiner, the “spirit” is powerfully active throughout early childhood. It teaches children how to move and communicate, and it is involved in a nonphysical organ somewhat akin to the “organ of clairvoyance” I mentioned earlier. “ln his early childhood man learns from the spirit how to walk physically ... From the spirit he learns to speak ... And the life [sic] too which man lives on Earth as an ego-being [i.e., a real human, one who has an “I”] obtains its life-organ through what is formed in the first three years.” [79] You might discuss this quotation with Waldorf teachers. Ask how the spirit teaches walking and talking. Ask what role the spirit plays in guiding young children. Ask how this compares to your role as a parent. Ask what a “life-organ” is. And ask about the entire concept of nonphysical organs, including organs of clairvoyance. Keeping kids young may sound pleasant, but think about what it means in practical terms. Such an education would do little to prepare students for life in the real world. The educational program laid out by Steiner is aimed at other worlds and other lives, past and future. This questionable focus can hinder a child in this life, in this world, here and now. If the other worlds and lives Steiner spoke about are mere fantasies — as they almost certainly are — an education focused on them will largely be a waste of time and effort. A child has only one chance at childhood. It shouldn’t be wasted. ◊ Occultism Much of what I have been discussing involves the occult. Let’s focus more tightly on this subject. Steiner openly advocated occultism. For instance, he associated occultism with service to humanity: “In order for anyone to attain to real occultism, thus serving the whole of humanity, he must outgrow his folk character ... He must not have impulses that serve only a single people if he desires to advance in genuine occultism.” [80] “Genuine occultism” is bunk, but Steiner promoted it. Advancing in genuine occultism is the goal for any true spiritual seeker, he taught. By “folk character,” he meant the shared characteristics of a nation or people. He said that evolution requires transcending such limitations through the development of a universal, occult consciousness. (In re “folk character,” Steiner said that the French, for instance, are decadent. [81] If you detect a contradiction between Steiner’s concern for all of humanity and the negative judgments he made about various races and nations, you have found another key to Steiner’s thinking. To put this charitably, it is doubtful that Steiner lived up to his own standards.) Occultism, according to Steiner, goes hand in hand with clairvoyance: “If the person devoting himself to the color which covers these physically dense walls were one who had made certain occult progress, it would come about that after a period of this complete devotion the walls would disappear from his clairvoyant vision; the consciousness that the walls shut off the outer world would vanish.” [82] The walls would become invisible and one could see beyond, not just into the physical world but into the spiritual realm. This quotation takes us back to Steiner’s assertion that different spiritual beings are clairvoyantly visible in rooms of different colors. The basic concept we find here is profoundly occult, a term that means unorthodox belief in supernatural, magical, and/or mystical beings and practices. Steiner taught that the world swarms with supernatural beings, and he stressed the occult practice of clairvoyance. The thinking that undegirds Waldorf education, as conceived by Steiner, is occult. One of Steiner’s most important books is titled OCCULT SCIENCE. [83] Other Steiner books bear titles such as OCCULT HISTORY [84] and AN OCCULT PHYSIOLOGY [85]. You might take copies with you into a Waldorf school. Getting Waldorf teachers to talk openly about their own occultism is usually difficult if not impossible, but searching for relevant clues can be essential to evaluating a Waldorf school. The Waldorf I attended nearly collapsed when the occult beliefs and practices of faculty members became widely known. The resulting scandal was reported in THE NEW YORK TIMES. See my essay “Unenlightened”. ◊ Polytheism Anthroposophy is polytheistic — it acknowledges many different gods. As a consequence, Christians, Jews, and Muslims will find Steiner’s teachings heretical. [86] Rationalists will merely find them are absurd. (Hindus and other polytheists may feel an initial affinity with Anthroposophy, but closer examination will usually reveal many differences between their beliefs and Steiner’s.) [87] The best way to conclude this survey is to return to two quotations we’ve seen before. •Steiner intended Waldorf teachers to act as saviors by fulfilling the “plan” created by the “gods”: “Among the faculty, we must certainly carry within us the knowledge that we are not here for our own sakes, but to carry out the divine cosmic plan. We should always remember that when we do something, we are actually carrying out the intentions of the gods, that we are, in a certain sense, the means by which that streaming down from above will go out into the world.” •The primary purpose of Waldorf schooling is not to educate students, at least not as the word “educate” is usually understood. According to Steiner, the real purpose is to spread Anthroposophy: “One of the most important facts about the background of the Waldorf School is that we were in a position to make the anthroposophical movement a relatively large one. The anthroposophical movement has become a large one.” Discuss these quotations with Waldorf teachers to see what you can discover. AND THEREFORE... That’s my list. It is not all-inclusive — there are other clues and signs you can look for (you could look into the festivals and other celebrations observed at the school, for instance) — but I hope it is adequate. [88] If you find occultism in a Waldorf school, deciding what to do about it will hinge on your answer to two more questions: Are you attracted to Steiner’s doctrines or not, and are you already involved with a Waldorf school or not? If you are already involved with a Waldorf school, and if you come to realize that the place subscribes to mystical doctrines you cannot accept, you may need to leave. The only other options for you would be to stay and resist quietly, in your own mind and heart, or to try reforming the school from the inside. Others have tried to reform various Waldorfs without success, but you won’t know for sure what is possible in your situation until you’ve tried. (Be prepared, however: The attempt may be harrowing.) If you are not yet involved with a Waldorf school, and if you realize that a particular Waldorf is committed to doctrines you reject, you almost certainly should give the place a wide berth. On the other hand, maybe you like Steiner’s doctrines and want their “benefit” for yourself or your children. In that case, you could use my list in very different ways than I intended. You might use the list to find a deeply Anthroposophical Waldorf school, or you might use it to urge a particular Waldorf to embrace Steiner’s occult doctrines more completely than it does now. For what it’s worth, my opinion is that most people would do best to stay far away from any deeply committed Waldorf school. But my opinion doesn’t matter. The choice is up to you and your family. I’d suggest discussing the issue with each other openly and at length. Together, decide what is best for you. ◊◊◊◊ AFTERWORD It is easy for me to say you should look for telltales signs. But how can you discover what you are not be supposed to discover? If a Waldorf school follows Steiner’s admonition to keep its occultism hidden, ferreting out the truth may require difficult detective work. But then again, maybe not. Once you know what to look for, the answers may fall into your lap. Here’s an example. Peter Curran taught history at my Waldorf school. He said Waldorf education is built on four basic principles: “1) There’s a proper time and method for particular subjects to be taught. The child recapitulates the cultural epochs of humankind. 2) Reverence and respect for Earth is fostered. 3) Qualitative as well as quantitative dimensions in all things should be developed. 4) Above all, human beings are spiritual as well as physical beings.” [89] At first glance, this looks pretty innocuous. But once you become sensitive to the ways Anthroposophists use language, warning bells start to chime. Look at #1. “Cultural epochs” is a term that has very specific meaning for Anthroposophists. These epochs or “ages” are long stretches of time in mankind’s spiritual evolution. They are dated from the sinking of Atlantis (yes, Atlantis). According Steiner, we are currently in the fifth cultural epoch since Atlantis, and the transition to the sixth will be dreadful: “[T]he transition from the fifth cultural epoch to the sixth cultural epoch cannot happen differently than as a violent fight between white mankind and colored mankind....” [90] Steiner dated the coming epoch or age quite specifically: “The sixth Post-Atlantean cultural age, the so-called Russian age, extends from 3573 [AD] to 5733.” [91] So, seen through the lens of Anthroposophy, Peter Curran’s statement takes on a whole new significance. Stay with the first principle. “There’s a proper time and method for particular subjects to be taught” has particular meaning in Waldorf schools. Steiner said that children pass through the stages of human evolution. “[I]individual evolution ... tends to recapitulate general human evolution....” [92] This is true enough at the biological level, but remember that Mr. Curran was referring to Steiner’s “cultural epochs.” The idea that our lives recapitulate humanity’s spiritual progress explains why such things as the study of myths usually occur in a strict order at Waldorf schools. The sequence of study we saw under the heading “Myths and Legends” is intended trace human spiritual evolution as perceived by the “clairvoyant” father of Anthroposophy. Notice that Mr. Curran said there is a proper way to teach each subject. Despite their often friendly outward demeanor, Waldorf schools are actually doctrinaire and strict. There is only one right way to do things, the way Steiner indicated, and teachers and students are expected to toe the line. Individuality and experimentation are not admired in schools that follow Steiner or that operate as Mr. Curran suggested. The remaining clues in Mr. Curran's four principles are more suggestive than conclusive, but they are still worth examining. Go to Mr. Curran’s second principle. Having respect for the Earth is obviously a good thing. But what about “reverence?” This comes close to worship. Steiner taught that we should revere the Earth because, he said, it is alive. “For the earth is really a living being....” [93] He went so far as to assert that the Earth has emotions: “Just think, children, our Earth feels and experiences everything that happens within it ... it has feelings like you have, and can be angry or happy like you.” [94] As always when reading Steiner, you need to swallow hard and realize that he was serious: “That is the truth. And it is good to tell children these things. This is something that even materialists could not argue with or consider an extravagant flight of fancy.” [95] He’s wrong about that, but the main point for us now is that arguably we can see Anthroposophy peeking out again from behind a Waldorf teacher’s innocent-seeming statement. Go to the third principle. This apparently expresses an unarguable idea. Qualities (good, bad, true, false) are at least as important as quantities (76, two, long, short). But, once we realize that Mr. Curran’s four principles contain Anthroposophical beliefs, we should ask what the third principle means as an Anthroposophist would understand it. Steiner taught that qualities come from the hidden spiritual realm. In fact, the spirit realm is made up of qualities: Go back to the quotation I gave concerning watercoloring. The spirit realm is “a world of qualities not quantities....” Perhaps this is true; perhaps not. But this is how Anthroposophists see things, and we are probably justified in finding this perspective in Mr. Curran's principle. Consider the odd wording: qualitative “dimensions” should be “developed” in “all things.” If qualities are spiritual essences, then Waldorf teachers who “develop” these for their students are developing spiritual concepts for them. Take an example. Steiner found special spiritual importance in geometry. [96] What “qualitative dimension” might a triangle have? At my Waldorf, we were taught that equilateral triangles are qualitatively superior to isosceles triangles, which in turn are superior to scalene triangles. We were not offered these views as debatable value judgments; we received them as “truths,” as Platonic spiritual facts. [97] Thus our view of the world was colored and distorted by dubious spiritual affirmations slipped into ordinary academic subjects. This is what “developing qualitative dimensions” can mean in Waldorfworld. Mr. Curran’s fourth principle is a proposition any religious person would accept. Humans are spiritual beings, not merely physical beings. But pause for a moment. Waldorf schools usually claim to be nonsectarian. If the schools are not religious, why is one of their most basic principles — indeed, the most important principle (“above all”) — the idea that we are spiritual beings? This is a religious concept, not a scientific or secular concept. The religion found in an Anthroposophical institution is, of course, Anthroposophy. So on this most important point, Mr. Curran has again told us more than a casual reader might have guessed. Waldorf schools stand on the spiritualistic foundation provided by Anthroposophy. As Steiner put it, “The anthroposophical movement is the basis of the Waldorf school movement.” [98] In other words, “The Waldorf School would be inconceivable without this spiritual movement.” [99] Ultimately, this is what Mr. Curran was saying. A final comment. Notice what is not included in the four principles. According to Mr. Curran, the most important goals at Waldorf schools do not include preparing students for successful lives in the real world. They do not include preparing students for college. They do not include educating students to be good citizens. And the core principles do not involve conveying true, up-to-date, scientifically accurate information about the universe. The aim of the schools is spiritualistic. You may like that aim or dislike it. But either way, you should realize this is what Waldorf schools are all about. — Roger Rawlings ◊◊◊◊ Perhaps the best — and most revealing — title ever given to any book of Steiner's work. [Kessinger Publishing.] ◊◊◊◊ For Rudolf Steiner's views on magic and witchcraft, please use this link: "Magic". ◊◊◊◊ Image of door of life from karenswhimsy.com. Astrological image from ENCYCLOPEDIA BRITTANICA. ◊◊◊◊ ENDNOTES [1] Rudolf Steiner, RUDOLF STEINER IN THE WALDORF SCHOOL (Anthroposophic Press, 1996), p. 156. [2] Rudolf Steiner, FACULTY MEETINGS WITH RUDOLF STEINER (Anthroposophic Press, 1998), p. 118. [3] Rudolf Steiner, EDUCATION FOR ADOLESCENTS (Anthroposophic Press, 1996), p. 60. [4] FACULTY MEETINGS WITH RUDOLF STEINER, p. 55. [5] Ibid., p. 495. [6] Ibid., p. 20. Steiner generally opposed letting outsiders know anything about what goes on inside Waldorf. “We should be quiet about how we handle things in the school, that is, we should maintain a kind of school confidentiality. We should not speak to people outside the school....” [FACULTY MEETINGS WITH RUDOLF STEINER, p. 10.] Steiner took this stance with regard to classes, meetings, religious services, etc., in the school. He had to make exceptions sometimes, but he did so grudgingly. It is important to realize that Steiner considered parents to be outsiders. “We should not speak to people outside the school, except for parents who come to us with questions, and in that case, only about their children....” [Ibid., p. 10] If parents do not ask questions, tell them nothing. If they do ask questions, talk to them only about their own children. The secretiveness of Waldorfs is built into their basic belief that they are privy to “mystery knowledge.” Waldorf schools would be problematic if they openly admitted their occultism, but the problem is all the worse because the schools hide their beliefs from “outsiders” such as parents. [7] Ibid., pp. 649-650. [8] Rudolf Steiner, PRAYERS FOR PARENTS AND CHILDREN (Rudolf Steiner Press, 1995), pp. 44-45. The original German versions of the prayers are printed alongside the English versions. You can find more prayers and religious meditations written by Steiner in such books as UNDERSTANDING THE HUMAN BEING, LIVING WITH THE DEAD, and START NOW! [9] Ibid., pp. 46-47. [10] Rudolf Steiner, THE UNIVERSAL HUMAN (Anthroposophic Press, 1990), pp. 65-6. [11] Rudolf Steiner, LIFE BETWEEN DEATH AND REBIRTH (SteinerBooks, 1985), p. 207. [12] Richard Seddon, editor, RUDOLF STEINER, Western Esoteric Masters Series (North Atlantic Books, 2004, general editor's preface by Nicholas Goodrick-Clarke), p. 7. [13] www.awsna.org , Frequently Asked Questions, Are Waldorf Schools Religious? [14] Rudolf Steiner, READING THE PICTURES OF THE APOCALYPSE (SteinerBooks, 1993), pp. 49-50. [15] Rudolf Steiner, UNIVERSE, EARTH AND MAN IN THEIR RELATIONSHIP TO EGYPTIAN MYTHS AND MODERN CIVILIZATION (Kessinger Publishing, 2003), p. 94. The word "myth" is often taken to mean falsehood or fantasy, and with good reason. At least some myths are little more than entertainments, dramatic tales of heroes and villains, earthly and celestial. They are not unlike comic book plots. Combing through these, interpreting them in elaborate ways to seek information about reality is obviously a fool's errand. The same holds for myths that embody the attempt of ancient peoples — ignorant by today's standards — to explain natural phenomena. We don't need such "explanations" anymore, we have science and, if you please, divine texts such as the Bible and the Quran. On the other hand, some myths may convey certain forms of truth, as scholars such as Edith Hamilton and Joseph Campbell have shown. But these truths are emotional, moral, psychological — they are reflections of subjective human dispositions and capacities, our yearnings, dreams, and subconscious natures. They are not expositions of external cosmological realities — they do not present "actual facts" about the universe. [16] 1964 PINNACLE, The Waldorf School of Adelphi University (Inter-Collegiate Press, 1964). Mrs. Gardner was our class teacher throughout lower school. Her husband, John Fentress Gardner, was our headmaster. My mother was Mr. Gardner’ secretary. In that position, my mother gained interesting but limited knowledge of the school’s inner workings. She was not an Anthroposophist. [17] Roy Wilkinson, TEACHING ENGLISH (Rudolf Steiner College Press, 1976, reprinted 1997), pp. 21-30. [18] THE GOETHEANUM: School of Spiritual Science (Philosophical-Anthropopsophical Press, 1961), p. 25. [19] Rudolf Steiner, ART AS SEEN IN THE LIGHT OF MYSTERY WISDOM (Rudolf Steiner Press, 1996), p111. [20] Rudolf Steiner, ART AS SPIRITUAL ACTIVITY (Anthroposophic Press, 1998), p. 238. [21] Rudolf Steiner quoted by Peter Staudenmaier, “Race and Redemption: Racial and Ethnic Evolution in Rudolf Steiner’s Anthroposophy,” 2004. [22] Rudolf Steiner, THE ARTS AND THEIR MISSION (Anthroposophic Press, 1964), p. 23. In “between death and a new birth,” Steiner is referring to spiritual life between earthly incarnations. [23] ART AS SEEN IN THE LIGHT OF MYSTERY WISDOM, p. 39. [24] ART AS SPIRITUAL ACTIVITY, p. 277. [25] ART AS SPIRITUAL ACTIVITY, p. 247. [26] Rudolf Steiner, RHYTHMS OF LEARNING (SteinerBooks, 1998), edited by Michael Howard, p. 299. [27] Ibid., p. 301. [28] Ibid., p. 303. Because my initials are R.R., I’m fond of the following: “In the first grade, there is a boy in the first row in the corner, R.R. He needs some curative eurythmy exercises.” [FACULTY MEETINGS WITH RUDOLF STEINER, p. 456.] I started at Waldorf many years after Steiner died, so unless he was using clairvoyance to gaze into the future (something he often claimed to do), Steiner didn’t mean me. [29] ART AS SPIRITUAL ACTIVITY, p. 247. [30] Rudolf Steiner, THE BOOK OF REVELATION And the Work of the Priest (Rudolf Steiner Press, 1998), pp. 11-12. [31] THE GOETHEANUM: School of Spiritual Science (Philosophical-Anthroposophical Press, 1961). I have been to the Goetheanum. Between my junior and senior years, I was part of a group of Waldorf students who visited Germany chaperoned by our German teacher. She led us on a side excursion to the Goetheanum, where we spent the night among satellite buildings resembling mushrooms and elves’ hats. We thought it was entirely appropriate for a Waldorf teacher to take us to the world headquarters of a cult. As Waldorf students, we ourselves were candidates for admission to the cult, although I think most of us understood this only subconsciously. [32] FACULTY MEETINGS WITH RUDOLF STEINER, p. 688. The technology Steiner refers to is decidedly low tech, not the sort of modern technology he vigorously opposed. [33] Ibid., p. 712. [34] Ibid., p. 725. FACULTY MEETINGS WITH RUDOLF STEINER is a fascinating record of Steiner’s discussions with teachers at the first Waldorf school. The text consists of notes taken by teachers during the meetings. At the end of one meeting, the note taker evidently grew tired, because all we have for the final few minutes is a brief outline: “The following was also noted. [break] Bad teeth, the cause lies in the soul/spirit. [break] Connection between eurythmy and the formation of teeth. [break] Handwork. Knitting develops good teeth.”[p. 112] When you become sufficiently versed in Anthroposophical doctrines, you’ll be able to find meaning even in such tantalizingly sketchy and bizarre clues. According to Anthroposophy, bad teeth — like all other physical problems — are caused by spiritual factors, particularly karma. The spiritual forces that promote good health, including dental health, can be found in the magical art of eurythmy, which manifests essential life forces. Knitting, like all other physical activities, is a conduit for soul/spirit forces. As for why knitting is especially helpful in developing good teeth — this would be a good question to raise with a Waldorf teacher. See what s/he says. Then compare it to what a dentist says. A couple of tangents: ◊ Steiner taught that the transition from baby teeth to adult teeth is a crucial period. As a general rule, children should not be taught to read until the baby teeth are gone, he said. ◊ The arguments made for Waldorf schooling can be bizarre. Here's a justification for crafts as taught at Waldorfs: “Christopher Clouder, CEO of the European Council of Waldorf Schools ... says: 'We're finding that the ideas we've espoused for decades, such as ... the importance of art and craft activities, are becoming more mainstream.' ... Indeed, the manual skills that crafts such as weaving and blacksmithing offer may become increasingly in demand in the future.” [Nick Kettles, "Robotic Children," ECOLOGIST, Feb. 2, 2009.] If you want to prepare your children for 19th Century occupations, send them to a Waldorf school. [35] ART AS SPIRITUAL ACTIVITY, p. 256. [36] “clairvoyance.” ENCYCLOPEDIA BRITANNICA. 2008. Encyclopedia Britannica Online. 18 Oct. 2008. [37] FACULTY MEETINGS WITH RUDOLF STEINER, pp. 30-31. [38] Rudolf Steiner, HOW TO KNOW HIGHER WORLDS (Anthroposophic Press, 1994), p. 41. These nonphysical "organs" are otherwise known as "inner" or "spiritual" eyes. [Ibid., p. 50] Steiner says they can be developed through meditation on minerals, plants, and animals, especially when one absorbs the feelings of living and dying these produce. Belief in clairvoyance and clairvoyant organs is central to Steiner's philosophy. Becoming clairvoyant allows one to see soul and spirit colors. [Ibid., p. 50] See our discussion, here, about colors. [39] Rudolf Steiner, THE FOUNDATIONS OF HUMAN EXPERIENCE (Anthroposophic Press, 1996), p. 60. [40] Rudolf Steiner, AT HOME IN THE UNIVERSE (Steiner Books, 2000), p. 84. [41] FACULTY MEETINGS WITH RUDOLF STEINER, p. 607. Steiner told Waldorf teachers to be careful about how they handled such bizarre teachings. “We cannot tell them to students ... we would acquire a terrible name. Nevertheless, that is actually what we should achieve in geography” [Ibid., p. 608.] Such "guidance" might easily perplex some teachers. [42] Friedrich Georg Juenger, THE FAILURE OF TECHNOLOGY (Chicago: Henry Regency Company, 1956). [43] Anthony Standen, SCIENCE IS A SACRED COW (New York: E. P. Dutton & Co., 1950). [44] T. H. Meyer, editor, LIGHT FOR THE NEW MILLENNIUM (Rudolf Steiner Press, 1997), p. 230. [45] Rudolf Steiner, MANIFESTATIONS OF KARMA (Rudolf Steiner Press, 2000), p. 165. [46] Sharon Lombard, “Spotlight on Anthroposophy,” waldorfcritics.org. [47] Rudolf Steiner, VOM LEBEN DES MENSCHEN UND DER ERDE {On the Life of Human Beings and of the Earth} (Verlag Der Rudolf Steiner-Nachlassverwaltung, 1961), p. 62. I translated this from German. Anthroposophists have left some of Steiner’s worst statements untranslated. I am indebted to Peter Staudenmaier for bringing some of these statements to my attention. [48] Rudolf Steiner, THE BEING OF MAN AND HIS FUTURE EVOLUTION (Rudolf Steiner Press, 1981), pp. 118-119. [49] Rudolf Steiner, HEALTH AND ILLNESS, Vol. 1 (Anthroposophic Press, 1981), pp. 85-86. [50] Rudolf Steiner, FROM BEETROOT TO BUDDHISM (Rudolf Steiner Press, 1999), p. 59. [51] Rudolf Steiner, THE MISSION OF THE FOLK SOULS (Rudolf Steiner Press, 2005), p. 75. [52] http://waldorfcritics.org/active/articles/WomanSeesRacism.html . [53] THE MISSION OF THE FOLK SOULS, p. 132. [54] Ibid., p. 17. [55] Rudolf Steiner, THE CHALLENGE OF THE TIMES (Anthroposophic Press, 1941), p. 208. [56] Rudolf Steiner, EDUCATION FOR ADOLESCENTS (Anthroposophic Press, 1996), p. 83. [57] FACULTY MEETINGS WITH RUDOLF STEINER, pp. 90-91. [58] Rudolf Steiner, RHYTHMS OF LEARNING (SteinerBooks, 1998), p. 72. [59] Rudolf Steiner, quoted in ART INSPIRED BY RUDOLF STEINER, p. 95. See the next citation. [60] John Fletcher, ART INSPIRED BY RUDOLF STEINER (Mercury Arts Publications, 1987). [61] Rudolf Steiner, THE ILLUSTRATED CALENDAR OF THE SOUL (Temple Lodge Publishing, 2004), paintings by Anne Stockton. [62] THE FOUNDATIONS OF HUMAN EXPERIENCE, pp. 69-71. [63] Rudolf Steiner, UNDERSTANDING THE HUMAN BEING, edited by Richard Seddon (Rudolf Steiner Press, 1993), p. 103. [64] THE MISSION OF THE FOLK SOULS, p. 64. [65] John Fentress Gardner, THE EXPERIENCE OF KNOWLEDGE (The Myrin Institute Inc., 1962), p. 26. [66] Rudolf Steiner, NATURE SPIRITS (Rudolf Steiner Press, 1995), pp. 62-3. [67] Diana Winters — see Afterword to "Top Ten Jokes" on this Web site. [68] Rudolf Steiner, THEOSOPHY (Rand, McNally and Co., 1910), pp. 129-130. In his book OCCULT SCIENCE, on p. 84 alone, Steiner distinguishes between three regions of Spiritland. On pp. 320-321, he discusses “Higher Regions of the Spiritual World.” See the citation for OCCULT SCIENCE later in these endnotes. [69] Rudolf Steiner, RUDOLF STEINER SPEAKS TO THE BRITISH (Rudolf Steiner Press, 1998), p. 93. [70] Rudolf Steiner, ROSICRUCIAN WISDOM (Rudolf Steiner Press, 2000), p. 88. [71] Rudolf Steiner, COSMIC MEMORY (SteinerBooks, 1987) p. 163. [72] E.g., Gary Lachman, THE SECRET HISTORY OF CONSCIOUSNESS (Lindisfarne Press, 2003), pp. 288-289. I discuss planets/evolutionary stages in the essay "Everything" and the essays that follow it. [73] Rudolf Steiner, EDUCATION FOR SPECIAL NEEDS (Rudolf Steiner Press, 1998), p. 196. [74] 1964 PINNACLE. [75] Max von Laue, “Steiner and Natural Science” (Transition no. 61-62, Collingwood, Vic, Australia, 2000). [76] FACULTY MEETINGS WITH RUDOLF STEINER, p. 46. Also see p. 184. Steiner generally downplayed the importance of parents. He urged Waldorf teachers to supplant parents as guides for children, undoing the damage caused by parents. For instance,“You will have to take over children for their education and instruction — children who will have received already (as you will remember) the education, or mis-education given them by their parents.” [Rudolf Steiner, THE STUDY OF MAN (Rudolf Steiner Press, 2004), p. 16.] [77] Rudolf Steiner, “Christ in Relation to Lucifer and Ahriman” (Anthroposophic Press, 1978). [78] A.C. Harwood, PORTRAIT OF A WALDORF SCHOOL (The Myrin Institute Inc., 1956), pp. 15-16. [79] UNDERSTANDING THE HUMAN BEING, p. 79. Steiner quotes Christ: “Except ye become as little children ye cannot enter into the kingdom of heaven.” This concept is extremely important, but Steiner changes Christ’s meaning from the concept of purity and innocence to a notion of perpetual mental immaturity. [80] THE CHALLENGE OF THE TIMES, p. 201. [81] “The French are committing the terrible brutality of moving black people to Europe ... [This] contributes considerably toward French decadence. The French as a race are reverting.” [FACULTY MEETINGS WITH RUDOLF STEINER, pp. 558-559.] [82] ART INSPIRED BY RUDOLF STEINER, p. 95. [83] Rudolf Steiner OCCULT SCIENCE - An Outline (Rudolf Steiner Press, 1979). [84] Rudolf Steiner, OCCULT HISTORY (Rudolf Steiner Press, 1982). [85] Rudolf Steiner, AN OCCULT PHYSIOLOGY (Rudolf Steiner Press, 1983). [86] I do not give credence to the following, but some fundamentalist Christians argue that occultism like Steiner’s is not only heretical but demonic and a sign of the End Times. By some accountings, occultism figures in the sixth of eight signs of the End Times. “6. Explosion [i.e., explosive growth] of cults and the occult. Counterfeit spirituality is everywhere with cults and false Christs (Matthew 24:24), psychic phenomena, spiritism, Satan worship, witchcraft, nature worship, and the New Age movement (1 Timothy 4:1).” [JesusSoonReturn — see the citation below.] Matthew 24:24 reads “and there shall arise false Christs, and false prophets, and shall shew great signs and wonders; insomuch that, if it were possible, they shall deceive the very elect.” 1 Timothy 4:1 is “Now the Spirit speaketh expressly, that in the latter times some shall depart from the faith, giving heed to seducing spirits, and doctrines of devils.” Steiner did not promote Satan worship, nature worship, or witchcraft, but his doctrines entail Lucifer and Ahriman, nature spirits, and witches. (Since I have not previously spoken about witches or black magicians in this essay, let’s quickly look at a quick example: “Black of grey magicians ... whose intentions toward humanity are not good” are busily at work “to present certain groups of people with the secret of how to dominate great masses....”[Rudolf Steiner SECRET BROTHERHOODS (Rudolf Steiner Press, 2004), p. 90.]) Steiner certainly advocated psychic powers, occultism, and (depending on how one defines it) spiritism. Anthroposophy itself is arguably a New Age cult, an exemplar of counterfeit spirituality. Calling Steiner a false prophet seems warranted; calling him a false Christ is a stretch. Still, there are indications that some Anthroposophists view Steiner as a Christ figure. After Steiner’s death, his wife wrote “His life, consecrated wholly to the sacrificial service of humanity, was requited with unspeakable hostility; his way of knowledge was transformed into a path of thorns. But he walked the whole way, and mastered it for all of humanity.” [Rudolf Steiner, THE STORY OF MY LIFE (Anthroposophic Press, 1928), p. 340, Conclusion by Marie Steiner.] I am inclined to consider this the understandable hyperbole of a grieving widow, but others have read these words differently. Certainly there is a messianic streak in Rudolf Steiner’s teachings, as in “we are, in a certain sense, the means by which that streaming down from above will go out into the world.” Rudolf Steiner characterized himself (and those who fail to heed him) in these words: “Those who come to me wanting to hear the truths available through esotericism and nevertheless refuse to walk the path are like schoolchildren who want to electrify a glass rod and refuse to rub it.” [Rudolf Steiner, FIRST STEPS IN INNER DEVELOPMENT (Anthroposophic Press, 1999), p. 25.] For a fundamentalist Christian discussion of cults and occultism, see “What Is a Cult and the Occult?” http://www.jesussoonreturn.com/ . [87] Steiner tended to consider everyone wrong except himself. This includes Hindus and all other non-Anthroposophists. For instance, Steiner said, “The best thing would be for Christians to teach Hinduism to the Hindus and then attempt to take Hinduism a stage further so that the Hindu could gain a point of contact with the general stream of evolution.” [LIFE BETWEEN DEATH AND REBIRTH, p. 290.] Hindus are so mistaken, Steiner said, that they need to be instructed in their own religion by Christians and brought into line with real human evolution. Both Hindus and Christians may bridle at these propositions. [88] For information on festivals at Waldorf schools, see the afterword to my essay "Magical Arts". [89] TAMARACK TALK, Nov. 21, 2006. Peter Curran taught at the Garden City Waldorf school for many years, returning to help preserve the school following the scandal I mentioned previously. See Lawrence Williams, Ed.D., THE OAK MEADOW TRILOGY. This page seems to have vanished from the Internet since I first spread reports about it. Perhaps it will now reappear. [90] Rudolf Steiner, DIE GEISTIGEN HINTERGRÜNDE DES ERSTEN WELTKRIEGES {The Spiritual Background of the First World War} (Rudolf Steiner Verlag, 1974), p. 38. This is another quotation I translated from German, having learned of it from Peter Staudenmaier. [91] Richard Seddon, THE FUTURE OF HUMANITY AND THE EARTH AS FORESEEN BY RUDOLF STEINER (Temple Lodge Publishing, 2002), p. 41. [92] Rudolf Steiner, THE GENIUS OF LANGUAGE (Steiner Books, 1995), p. 105, Afterword by Adam Makkai. [93] Rudolf Steiner, AGRICULTURE, An Introductory Reader (Rudolf Steiner Press, 2004), p. 67. [94] Rudolf Steiner, DISCUSSIONS WITH TEACHERS (Anthroposophic Press, 1997), p. 132. [95] Ibid., p. 132. [96] Steiner credited geometry with opening his eyes to the spirit realm. “To be able to lay hold upon something in the spirit alone brought to me an inner joy. I am sure that I learned first in geometry to experience this joy.” [Rudolf Steiner, THE STORY OF MY LIFE (Kessinger Publishing, 2003), p. 11.] [97] Platonism is the proposition that abstractions such as numbers and geometric forms have an objective existence apart from, and superior to, their reflections in the real world. The revelations Steiner received through geometry smacked of Platonism. “In my relation with geometry I must now perceive the first budding forth of a conception which has since gradually evolved in me ... [T]he reality of the spiritual world was to me as certain as that of the physical.” [Ibid., p. 11.] Steiner credited Plato with living on the ideal or spiritual plane. “The mood in which I came to Weimar was tinged by previous thorough-going work in Platonism ... How did Plato live in the ideal world, and how did Goethe?” [Ibid., p. 142.] At my Waldorf, math classes were infused with Platonism: The numbers, operators, and geometric figures we worked with were, we learned, rude shadows of their true, perfect counterparts residing in an ideal, supersensory region. [98] Rudolf Steiner, RUDOLF STEINER IN THE WALDORF SCHOOL (Anthroposophic Press, 1996), p. 162. [99] Ibid., p. 153. |