Behind the Scenes at Waldorf

by Roger Rawlings

Afterword by Debra Snell

Addendum by Pete Karaiskos

Every parent who is thinking of sending a child to a Waldorf school should first spend some time with the book FACULTY MEETINGS WITH RUDOLF STEINER, which gives a behind-the-scenes look at the world of Waldorf education. While leafing through it, ask yourself if you really want your child to be “educated” in the sort of school the book describes. 

Published by the Anthroposophic Press, FACULTY MEETINGS WITH RUDOLF STEINER is long, printed in two volumes that span more than 800 pages. Few people would care to read the whole thing, but this isn’t necessary. Just cruising around among its pages may tell you all you need to know about Waldorf schools.

As an aid, here is a summary of wonders I have found in FACULTY MEETINGS WITH RUDOLF STEINER. Not all of the passages are entirely awful. (Which just goes to show how fair-minded I can be.) Unless otherwise identified, all of the following statements were made by Rudolf Steiner, addressing Waldorf school teachers. I will proceed through the book front to back. Some of the most startling statements occur near the end of the book, but I won't move them up in the queue. (Which just goes to show how fair-minded I can be.)

Each brief section begins with a quick summary of the main point(s) the section will touch on, followed by a quotation or two from the book.

 
There has been gossip about who has been slapped at the Waldorf School; Steiner says that teachers must maintain “school confidentiality”; treat parents as outsiders.

“I have been back only a few hours, and I have heard so much gossip about who got a slap and so forth. All of that gossip is going beyond all bounds, and I really found it very disturbing. We do not really need to concern ourselves when things seep out the cracks. We certainly have thick enough skins for that. But on the other hand, we clearly do not need to help it along. 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, except for the parents who come to us with questions, and in that case, only about their children, so that gossip has no opportunity to arise.” [p. 10 - also see p. 323 and p. 547, and the section titled "Parents and Teachers", below]
 

Waldorf teachers must be unbending authority figures, never giving in to the children.

“[I]t will be very good if you can keep the children from losing their feeling for authority. That is what they need most. You can best achieve that by going into things with the children very cautiously, but under no circumstances giving in.” [pp. 14-15 - also see p. 237 and p. 391]
 

Start each day with a prayer, but don’t call it a prayer.

“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.’” [p. 20 - also see pp. 38-40]

 
Denying the religious nature of Waldorf schooling has long been high on the list of Waldorf priorities — especially in the USA, when Waldorf schools attempt to receive taxpayer support.
 

Teach the kids about Atlantis, which really existed — and, as usual, disavow science.

“[W]e should not be afraid to speak about the Atlantean land with the children. We should not skip that. We can also connect all this to history. The only thing is, you will need to disavow normal geology since the Atlantean catastrophe occurred in the seventh or eighth millennium.” [p. 25 - also see p. 50]
 

Fire-breathing dragons really existed.

“A teacher: ‘But there are still the fire breathers.’

 

“Dr. Steiner: 'Yes, those beasts, they did breathe fire, the Archaeopteryx, for example.' 

“Dr. Steiner: 'Yes, all of the dinosaurs belong to the end of the Tertiary Period. Those found in the Jura [i.e., Jurassic] are actually their descendants. What I am referring to are the dinosaurs from the beginning of the Tertiary Period.'” [p. 26]

Steiner often tossed around scientific language of this sort, and usually he got away with it. In this case, the editor of the German edition spotted several scientific errors — but, presumably because criticizing Steiner would be unthinkable, he attributed them to the stenographer:

“Remarks by the German editor: In the previous paragraphs, there appear to be stenographic errors. The text is in itself contradictory, and it is not consistent with the articles mentioned and the table in Pierer’s Encyclopedia nor with Dr. Steiner’s remarks made in the following faculty meeting (Sept. 26, 1919). The error appears explainable by the fact that Dr. Steiner referred to a table that the stenographer did not have.”  [p. 27]
 

Gravity is only a word — there is no universal force of gravity.

“It would be wonderful if you could stop speaking about gravity. You can certainly achieve speaking of it only as a phenomenon. The best would be if you considered gravity only as a word.” [p. 29]

Steiner taught that gravity is a purely local phenomenon on solid planets; it is absent on liquid and gaseous planets.
 

The planets do not orbit the Sun.

“[I]t is not that the planets move around the Sun, but that these three, Mercury, Venus, and the Earth, follow the Sun, and these three, Mars, Jupiter, and Saturn, precede it. Thus, [pointing at a drawing] when the Earth is here and this is the Sun, the Earth follows along. But we look at the Sun from here, and so it appears as though the Earth goes around it, whereas it is actually only following. The Earth follows the Sun.”  [pp. 30-32]

I discuss this lunatic idea in my essay “Steiner’s Blunders”.
 

Einstein’s theory of relativity is bunk.

“Einstein’s principle of relativity arose out of unreal thinking. He asked what would occur if someone began to move away at the speed of light and then returned; this and that would occur. I would ask what would happen to a clock if it were to move away with the speed of light? That is unreal thinking. It has no connection to anything. It considers only spatial relationships, something possible since Galileo. Galileo himself did not distort things so much, but by overemphasizing the theory of relativity, we can now bring up such things.” [p. 33]

 
Steiner claimed that his teachings were scientific, but actually he denied most real scientific findings. In general, he rejected any "knowledge" except for his own occult pronouncements (many of which were based on superstition and myths, as we will see).
 

Modern philosophy is “all nonsense.” 

“Anthroposophy has the same relationship to philosophy as the crown of a tree to its roots, and the difference between the root and the crown of a tree is obvious. Someone can come along and say he finds it necessary to state that there is a difference between the root and the crown, and I have nothing to say other than that. These people can’t keep any thoughts straight. Modern philosophy is all nonsense.” [p. 36]
 

Prayers written by Steiner for use by the students. Note that the second prayer includes the word “prayer.” (Waldorf schools sometimes alter this wording, to conceal their purpose.)

Note how this "verse" addresses and praises God. It is a prayer.

Another one: 

Notice that the second prayer explicitly refers to itself as a prayer.
 

Anthroposophical religious instruction.

“[I]n anthroposophical religious instruction we can certainly not use the kind of teaching that asks questions such as, Why do we find cork on a tree? with the resulting reply, So that we can make champagne corks. God created cork in order to cork bottles. This sort of idea, that something exists in nature simply because human intent exists, is poison. That is certainly something we may not develop. Therefore, don’t bring any of these silly causal ideas into nature.”  [p. 42 - also see p. 45, p. 55, pp. 75-76, pp. 84-86., pp. 303-304, p. 465, and p. 697ff]
 

Use pictures to teach students about the spiritual beings that lurk behind nature.

“[I]t is important that we develop imaginative pictures through which we can show the supersensible through nature. For example, I have often mentioned that we should speak to the children about the butterfly’s cocoon and how the butterfly comes out of the cocoon. I have said that we can explain the concept of the immortal soul to the children by saying that, although human beings die, their souls go from them like an invisible butterfly emerging from the cocoon.” [p. 43]

 
Comments reflecting how students are to be taught elements of Anthroposophical theology are scattered throughout the book.
 

Teach the kids about fate and destiny: what Steiner usually called karma.

“In the second stage, that is, the four upper grades, we need to discuss the concepts of fate and human destiny with the children. Thus, we need to give the children a picture of destiny so that they truly feel that human beings have a destiny. It is important to teach the child the difference between a simple chance occurrence and destiny. Thus, you will need to go through the concept of destiny with the children ...  If something happens to you because of some other person, that is usually a case of fulfilled karma. Even such things as the fact that we find ourselves together in this faculty at the Waldorf School are fulfilled karma.” [pp. 44-45]

 
Karma is one of the many concepts Anthroposophy borrows from other faiths. Although Anthroposophists often claim that Steiner's teachings are Christian, in fact they contain many elements that contradict Christianity.
 

Any religion connected with a church (or temple, or...) is not actually religious; only Anthroposophy conveys spiritual truths.

“I also want you to understand what is really religious in an anthroposophical sense. In the sense of anthroposophy, what is religious is connected with feeling, with those feelings for the world, for the spirit, and for life that our perspective of the world can give us. The worldview itself is something for the head, but religion always arises out of the entire human being. For that reason, religion connected with a specific church is not actually religious.” [p. 45 - re. religion,  - also see p. 42, p. 55, pp. 75-76, pp. 84-86., pp. 303-304, p. 465, 615-616, and p. 697ff]

 
All religious persons should reject Anthroposophy unless they agree that their priests, pastors, ministers, imams, rabbis, etc.,  have not been telling them the truth.
 

Teach kids how human beings raise themselves to the divine.

“You should also certainly include the fact that human beings raise themselves to the divine in three stages. Thus, after you have given the children an idea of destiny, you then slowly teach them about heredity and repeated earthly lives through stories. You can then proceed to the three stages of the divine.”  [p. 46 - also see pp. 480-481]

 
Closely related to karma, reincarnation is another of the concepts Anthroposophy borrows from other faiths.
 

More about Atlantis; also a previous lost world, Lemuria.

“Then you have the Mesozoic, which generally corresponds to Lemuria. And then the first and second levels of mammals, or the Cenozoic, that is, the Atlantean age. The Atlantean period was no more than about nine thousand years ago.” [p. 50  - also see p. 25]
 

Human beings were once made of ether.

“In very primitive times, human beings consisted almost entirely of etheric substance. They lived among other things but had as yet no density.” [p. 50]
 

Human beings were once like centaurs.

“The human being was similar to a centaur, an extremely animal-like lower body and a humanized head.” [p. 51]
 

Waldorf teachers serve the gods; they have a messianic mission to help fulfill the “divine cosmic plan.”

“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. We dare not for one moment lose the feeling of the seriousness and dignity of our work.” [p. 55 - re. religion,  - also see p. 42, p. 45, pp. 75-76, pp. 84-86., pp. 303-304, p. 465, and p 697ff]

Note that Steiner speaks of “gods.” Anthroposophy is polytheistic.
 

How to punish children who steal.

“With children who steal, it is good to have them remember scenes they experienced earlier. You should have them imagine things they experienced years before, for instance, with seven-year-olds, experiences they had when they were five, or with ten-year-olds, experiences they had when they were seven. You should also have them recall experiences from two weeks before.

“Things will then become better quickly. If you do nothing, these problems will become larger and develop into kleptomania.” [pp. 68-69 - also see pp. 109-110]
 

According to Steiner, Islam is devilish, and Allah is a pale imitation of Elohim.

“A teacher asks about Allah. 

“Dr. Steiner: ‘It is difficult to describe that supersensible being.  Mohammedism is the first manifestation of Ahriman, the first Ahrimanic revelation following the Mystery of Golgotha. Mohammed’s god, Allah, Eloha, is an Ahrimanic imitation or pale reflection of the Elohim, but comprehended monotheistically. Mohammed always refers to them as a unity. The Mohammedan culture is Ahrimanic, but the Islamic attitude is Luciferic.’” [pp. 75-76 - re. religion,  - also see p. 42, p. 45, p. 55, pp. 75-76, pp. 84-86., pp. 303-304, p. 465, and p 697ff]

“Elohim” is an alternate name for Jehovah or Jahve. However, Steiner uses the word as a plural noun, referring to Jahve and “his six colleagues....” [Rudolf Steiner, THE MISSION OF THE FOLK SOULS (Rudolf Steiner Press, 2005), p. 99.]
 

Sunday services:

“A question is asked about who may attend the Sunday services.

“Dr. Steiner: ‘That is certainly a problem. We had never thought that anyone other than the parents would attend. Of course, having begun in one way, it is difficult to set a limit. How should we do that? Why did you admit people who are not parents at the school? If we allow K. in, there is no reason we should send other members away. Where does that begin and where does it end?  ....’”  [p. 84ff - also see pp. 303-304 and p. 465]
 

Comments about a complaining father:

 
“It would be a good idea if we could compare what is happening with the boy to what the father is complaining about. The father appears to be a rather useless complainer, always blaming things. I will talk with the boy. It seems to me that the father always complains and picks up small things that bother the boy. Then he expands them into fantasies so that the boy does things the father 
suggests.” [p. 87]

 
Other comments about specific parents are scattered throughout the book.
 

More on the so-called temperaments:

“A teacher: ‘How can we have such differing opinions about the temperament of a child?’ 

“Dr. Steiner: ‘We cannot solve that question mathematically. We can certainly not speak in that way. In judging cases that lie near a boundary, it is possible that one person has one view and another view. We do not need to mathematically resolve them. The situation is such that when we see and understand a child in one way or another, we already intend to treat it in a particular way. In the end, the manner of treating something arises from an interaction. Don’t think you should discuss it.’ 

“There is a further question about temperaments. 

“Dr. Steiner: ‘The choleric temperament becomes immediately annoyed by and angry about anything that interrupts its activity. When it is in a rhythmic experience, it becomes vexed and angry, but it will also become angry if it is involved in another experience and is disturbed. That is because rhythm inwardly connects with all of human nature. It is certainly the case that rhythm is more connected with human nature than anything else and that a strong rhythm lies at the base of cholerics, a rhythm that is usually somewhat defective. We can see that Napoleon was a choleric. In his case, the inner rhythm was compressed. With Napoleon you will find, on the one side, something that tended to grow larger than he grew. He remained a half-pint. His etheric body was larger than his physical body, and thus his organs were so compressed that all rhythmical things were shoved together and continuously disturbed one another. Since such a choleric temperament is based upon a continuous shortening of the rhythm, it lives within itself.’” [pp. 90-91 - also see pp. 801-81 and p. 687]
 

More on punishing students; causing physical pain for rule-breakers. 

“We must avoid under all circumstances giving them a punishment we cannot carry out. We may never place ourselves in a situation where we may have to relent in a disciplinary decision. If we say that a child must come earlier, then we must enforce that. We must order the child to come earlier. The girls today were in the seventh or eighth grade. We lose all control the minute we look away. We will find ourselves on a downward path and will continue to slide. With punishment, we cannot relent. It is better to let it go. Under certain circumstances, it can lead to the opposite of what we want, with the children forming a group among themselves and saying, 'Today I come late, tomorrow, you.' I don’t think that would work, because it would make us somewhat laughable. Of course, it’s just laziness. Having the children come earlier is not so good; it would be better if they stayed a quarter of an hour longer. That is something the children do not like.

“Have you tried that to see if it works? If a child comes ten minutes late, having him or her stand for a half hour. If they have to stand three times as long, they will certainly think about every minute. Let them stand there uncomfortably. Your boy rubs the back of his head on the wall and amuses himself with all kinds of things. I think that in such cases, when there is some punishment connected with the misbehavior, you can be particularly effective if you allow them to stand in some uncomfortable place. The older children will then be careful that they do not come too late. We could also buy a number of little sheds, and then they will not come too late as a group. They may even get some cramps in their legs. We could have the sheds built in the shop class.” [pp. 109-110 - also see pp. 68-69]

 
Knitting develops good teeth.

“The following was also noted. 

“Bad teeth, the cause lies in the soul/spirit.
 
“Connection between eurythmy and the formation of teeth. 

“Handwork. Knitting develops good teeth.” [p. 112 - cf. p. 262]

This is one of the weirdest ideas to be found in FACULTY MEETINGS WITH RUDOLF STEINER, which is full of weird ideas. But there it is. [1]
 

Only materialists think with the brain [re. brains, also see p. 249 and pp. 667-668]; the spiritual goals of Anthroposophy are outlined.

Teaching older students about reincarnation.

“For the seventh, eighth, and ninth grade independent religious instruction we could move into a freer form and give a theoretical explanation about such things as life before birth and after death, and all the consequences of a life before birth. We could give them examples. We could show them how to look at the major cultural connections and about the mission of the human being on Earth. You need only to look at Goethe or Jean Paul to see it. You can show everywhere that their capacities come from a life before birth.” [p. 184 - also see p. 119]

The “world of colors”; and fairy tales.

“The main thing now is that we awaken an inner feeling for color in the children, an experience of the world of colors, so that the children receive a feeling for the life in the world of colors through experiencing fairy tales.” [p. 200]

Steiner taught that spiritual beings enter the physical realm through colors. He also taught that all fairy tales are fundamentally true. He singled out Puss in Boots as an example. [Rudolf Steiner, ON THE MYSTERY DRAMAS (Rudolf Steiner Press, 1983), p. 93.]

Another complaining parent; use irony to interest a child in eurythmy:

“A teacher: ‘The mother complains that I am stressing the child.’
 
“Dr. Steiner: ‘I don’t think that it would be so easy to work with the mother. She is a kind of society woman....’ 
 
“A eurythmy teacher:’ I cannot awaken R.F.’s interest in eurythmy.’
 
“Dr. Steiner: ‘Be ironic with him. He was in a parochial school.’ [p. 211]
 

A special class for “weak-minded children”:

“She is intellectually weak. We need a class for weak-minded children so that we can take care of them systematically. These children would gain a great deal if we did not have them learn to read and write, but instead learn things that require a certain kind of thinking. They need basic tasks like putting a number of marbles in a series of nine containers so that every third container has one white and two red marbles.” [p. 227]

Strictness ; preparing the school to be evaluated:

“Dr. Steiner: ‘This is something peculiar. Miss Lang could always keep them quiet, so there is something hidden here.’
 
“A teacher: ‘She was very strict.’
 
“Dr. Steiner: ‘I would like to call your attention to the fact that there is something important for us in this situation. Miss Lang was a credentialed teacher in Württemberg. When we are evaluated, they will tend to use the strict discipline taught in Württemberg.’” [p. 237 - also see pp. 14-15, p. 279, and p. 391.]

An abnormal boy whose brain is too small.

“B.R. is not quite normal. He should receive particular help in the afternoon. That is difficult with some of your children. His brain is too small. You need only look at him. He is smaller than he should be. We should try to counteract that characteristic. It is not possible for him to completely pay attention. You should call upon him more often and discuss things with him in the corridor or on the street so that he has to think while he listens. His mother is just like him.” [p. 249]
 
Other comments about specific children are scattered throughout the book.
 

A medical inspector says Waldorf students have bad teeth:

“Dr. Steiner reads a letter from the medical inspector who, among other things, mentions that the children at the Waldorf School have bad teeth. 

“Dr. Steiner: ‘That is just a bluff. That is something that could be determined only by investigating the situation. That is simply stupid.’” [p. 262 - cf. p. 112

 
(Apparently the knitting hasn't helped. But Waldorf students usually do a lot of knitting anyway.)
 

Preparing students so the school can pass a school inspection:

“Be careful when a school inspector comes that he does not leave with his questions unanswered. He may ask questions in such a way that the children cannot answer them. We should work so that the children can handle even the most surprising questions.” [p. 279 - also see p. 237]

Whether there should be a special Sunday service for teachers only:

“A teacher: ‘The faculty would like a special Sunday Service for teachers only.’

“Dr. Steiner: ‘We already discussed something like that. I would have to know if there is an extensive need for it ... A service is either simply a question of form, in which case you could do it together, or it is a ritual act, and you have to look more seriously at it. In that case, you can have no secret enemies ... A sacrament is esoteric. It is one of the most esoteric things you can imagine. What you said is connected with the fact that you cannot decide upon a ritual democratically.’” [pp. 303-304 - also see pp. 84-86 and p. 465]

Esoteric studies; it is wrong to reveal too much to the public; and cliques may form:

“A question is asked about esoteric studies. 

“Dr. Steiner: ‘That is very difficult to do. Until now, I have always had to avoid them. As you know, I gave a number of such studies years ago [Steiner is referring to books he published early in his occult career], but I had to stop because people misused them. Esotericism was simply taken out into the world and distorted. In that regard, nothing in our esoteric movement has ever been as damaging as that. All other esoteric study, even in less than honorable situations, was held intimately. That was the practice over a long period of time. Cliques have become part of the Anthroposophical Society and they have set themselves above everything else, unfortunately, also above what is esoteric.’” [p. 305]

A mother who is the personification of a lie; a father who is superficial and trivial:

“Now he is growing up with a mother who is the personification of a lie. She is one of those people who falls down with a heart attack, but on the soft carpet, not next to it. She is completely untrue. She is a woman who always wanted to bring Anthroposophy to her husband, a very superficial and trivial person.” [p. 321]
 

How to slap children:

“The language teacher says something about boxing children’s ears.
 
“Dr. Steiner: ‘If you give them a slap, you should do it the way Dr. Schubert does.’ 

“Dr. Schubert: ‘Did somebody complain?’ 

“Dr. Steiner: ‘No, you are always slapping them.’
 
“Dr. Schubert: ‘When did I do that?’ 

“Dr. Steiner: ‘Well, I mean astral slapping. There are physical slaps and astral slaps. It doesn’t matter which one you give, but you cannot slap a child sentimentally.’” [p. 323 - also see p. 10 and p. 547]

An “astral” slap would consist of psychological and/or spiritual punishment. It would not hurt the body, but it could do serious damage nonetheless. Consider what it would be like to have a teacher who “always” slaps the students, astrally or otherwise.

Teachers and students worry about the quality of Waldorf education.

“A teacher: ‘The question has arisen as to whether the Waldorf School provides enough factual material. The students in the ninth grade made a comparison and saw that they do not know enough.’” [p. 332]

“A teacher: ‘In many of the subjects, the children do not learn enough to enter the eleventh grade. Many ninth graders are still at the very beginning in English.’” [p. 333 - also see pp. 408-409, p. 688, 712, and p. 725]

Shakespeare’s characters are real and alive in the spirit realm.

“When you make Shakespearean characters living in that sense, you can raise them into the supersensible world where they remain living. Of course, they do not do in the higher worlds what they do on the physical plane, but they remain alive, nevertheless, and they act there. “ [p. 336]
 

Don’t justify or explain yourself to the students:

“Surely you did not justify yourselves to the students? ... The children will be caught in delusions of grandeur. ... You cannot justify your views of the students to the students. That is absolutely out of the question.” [p. 391 - also see pp. 14-15 and p. 237]

How to combat reports that Waldorf provides a poor education:

“Concerning the parent meeting, you could do that [i.e., have one], but without me. They might say things I could not counter, if I hear something I cannot defend. The things I say here, I could not say to the parents. We need to clear the air, and the teachers must take control of the school again. You do not need to talk about the things not going well ... The two places that could be dangerous for us lie in the following. The one is that people could claim he [a student] could do less than is possible with a calculator. To that, we can say that our goal is to develop the concept of numbers differently. We do not think that is possible with such young children. We will have to go into this business with calculators. The other thing that is dangerous for us is his poor dictation. There, we can simply say that dictation is not really a part of the second grade in our school. The situation is quite tempting for someone with a modern pedagogical understanding. That is how we can most easily be attacked.” [pp. 408-409 - also see pp. 332-333, p. 688, 712, and p. 725]
 

The nationality or race of a student determines his/her abilities:

“A teacher: 'B.B. is in my seventh grade class. Could you give me some advice?'

“Dr. Steiner: ’He is in a class too high for what he knows. He is lazy? I think it is just his nature, that he is Swedish, and you will have to accept that he cannot quickly comprehend things. They grasp things slowly, but if you return to such things often, it will be all right. They love to have things repeated.’” [p. 412]

Standard textbooks are generally no good; maybe Waldorf teachers can create their own.

The little boy R.R.; and E.T.:

More on Sunday services; the sacraments.

“A teacher: ‘Should Miss R. and Mr. W. hold the services?’ 

“Dr. Steiner: ‘They should both celebrate the sacraments. That is an obvious condition for the independent religious instruction.

“‘I would like to say something more. Experience has shown that the Independent Religious Instruction consists not only in what we teach during religion class, not only what we teach through feeling, but that a certain relationship needs to develop between the religion teacher and the student. You can develop that through the celebration of a sacrament. If someone else does the service, then, for the student who receives the sacrament from someone else, a large part of the intangibles necessary for teaching religion are missing between the students and the religion teacher. The reverse is also true. If someone gives the sacrament without teaching religion, that person falls into a difficult position that can hardly be justified. It is easier to justify teaching religion without leading a service than it is to justify leading a service without teaching religion. Through the service, we bring religious instruction out of empty theory. It is based upon a relationship between the religion teacher and the students. As I have said in connection with the sacrament, you should decide.’” [p. 465 - also see pp. 84-86 and pp. 303-304]

The human ear contains a metamorphosed intestine.

“You need to understand the small bones within the ear, the hammer, stirrup, the oval window, the anvil, as small limbs, as arms or legs that touch the eardrum. A sense of touch enters the understanding of tone. The spiral, which is filled with liquid, is a metamorphosed intestine of the ear. A feeling for tone lives in it.” [p. 469]

The study of religion, literature, and history: 

Anthroposophy suffuses the curriculum — it is “in the school.” 

“The older students often mentioned that we emphasize that the Waldorf School is not to be an anthroposophical school. That is one of the questions we need to handle very seriously. You need to make the children aware that they are receiving the objective truth, and if this occasionally appears anthroposophical, it is not anthroposophy that is at fault. Things are that way because anthroposophy has something to say about objective truth. It is the material that causes what is said to be anthroposophical. We certainly may not go to the other extreme, where people would say that anthroposophy may not be brought into the school. Anthroposophy will be in the school when it is objectively justified, that is, when it is called for by the material itself.” [p. 495 - also see p. 118 and 494]

Because of Anthroposophy’s supreme importance, “the material” will almost always justify including Anthroposophy is every class.
 

Painful committee deliberations:

“If we had only the proposal of the committee, we would need only to agree to or reject that proposal. Now we have two proposals, and we will have to have a debate about them. If there is another proposal, it should also be made. We created this preliminary committee with a great deal of pain. We believe it made its proposal only after mature consideration. Taking our trust in them into account, we now need to either verify or reject the proposal. The question is whether someone has something to say that is germane to the proposal. Is there perhaps a third proposal? Now the question is whether there is something to be added or whether a third proposal will be made.” [p. 517]

There’s no escaping some problems. Waldorf schools may be no more bureaucratic than other schools; but they may be no less so.
 

Sugar, parents, and art:

“There are parents who overfeed their young children with all kinds of candy and so forth. When such children come to school, from the perspective of the soul and spirit, and thus also physically, they are concerned only with themselves. They sit and brood when they do not feel enough sugar in their organism. They become nervous and irritated when they have not had enough sugar ... If a child shows too little capacity for synthetic imagining, that is, for constructive imagining where the child cannot properly picture things, if he or she is a little barbarian in art, something common in today’s children, that is a symptom that the metabolic-limb system is not in order. You must, therefore, provide assistance in the other direction, in the area of sugar.” [p. 535]

Don’t overestimate the value of intellect; use material means on children, since everything material is imbued with spirit; the gods (plural):

“People today have too little respect for material measures, and they overestimate abstract intellectual measures. We can attempt to correct that modern, but incorrect, perspective, by attempting to show that the divine powers have used their spirit for the Earth in order to fulfill everything materially. Godly powers allow it to be warm in summer and cold in winter. Those are spiritual activities accomplished by divine powers through material means. Were the gods to attempt to achieve through human education, through an intellectual or moral instruction, what they can achieve by having human beings sweat in the summer and freeze in the winter, then they would be incorrect. You should never underestimate the effects of material means upon children. You should always keep them in mind.” [p. 536]
 

Slapping the students doesn’t really improve discipline.

“There may be teachers in the Waldorf School who slap the children, and so forth. That is something I would like to take care of in private discussions. I have heard it said that the Waldorf teachers hit the children, and we have discussed that often. The fact is, you cannot improve discipline by hitting the children, that only worsens things. That is something you must take into account. Perhaps no one wants to say anything about this, but my question is whether that is simply a story that has been spread like so many other lies, or have children, in fact, been slapped in the Waldorf School? If that has occurred, it could ruin a great deal.”  [p. 547 - also see p. 10 and p. 547]

Steiner’s statement, here, contradicts other statements where he acknowledged reports about slapping and even told the teachers how to do it best. And note that Steiner’s chief concern (as was so often the case) is for the school’s reputation.

Teaching the students French won’t damage the German empire. (I'm sure this is a load off all our minds.)

“Whether or not our students learned French would make little difference in the cultural status of the German empire. In contrast, a major cultural deed could occur if people overcame all the things connected with the false valuing of French in Middle Europe....”[p. 556]
 

On the other hand, the French are committing the “brutality” of bringing blacks to Europe; the French are decadent and their language corrupts the soul:

“What keeps  the French language going is the furor, the blood, of the French. The language is actually dead, but the corpse continues to be spoken. This is something that is most apparent in French nineteenth-century poetry. The use of the French language quite certainly corrupts the soul. The soul acquires nothing more than the possibility of clichés. Those who enthusiastically speak French transfer that to other languages. The French are also ruining what maintains their dead language, namely, their blood. The French are committing the terrible brutality of moving black people to Europe, but it works, in an even worse way, back on France. It has an enormous affect on the blood and the race and contributes considerably toward French decadence. The French as a race are reverting.”[pp. 558-559]

This is one of the very few statements made by Steiner that some Anthroposophists find shameful. The editors attached an apology/defense: 

Childhood games, including military and warlike games, played artistically:

“‘I certainly do not want to imply that the old games are very good simply because they come from older times. They need to be replaced. Blind Man’s Bluff or such things are the right thing. Or, A-Tisket, A-Tasket....’

“A teacher asks about marching and singing.
 
“Dr. Steiner: ‘These military or war-like games can be done in a healthy way if they are done artistically. What was done where I grew up was pure nonsense.’” [p. 579]

 
(The image of singing, marching German children, engaged in "military or war-like games," may give some people pause.)
 

Hitting people with a sledgehammer, but not negatively:

“I would also like to mention that in the future [during conferences or lectures] we must avoid emphasizing the negative and critical aspects too strongly. The first mention [i.e., the first negative statement] will not have much influence because the people who heard it will soon forget it unless opposition was lying dormant in their souls. That negative aspect existed in even the best lectures [at our recent conference], and is something we must significantly reduce. I am certainly not against hitting people with a sledgehammer, but we should avoid being negative.” [p. 589]
 

Islands and continents are not attached to the Earth: They float in the sea:

“[A]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.”  [p. 607  - also see p. 618]
 

But shh! Don’t tell such things to students — when the kids go on to college, they will spill the beans:

“We cannot tell them to the students because they would then need to tell them to their professors in the examinations, and we would acquire a terrible name. Nevertheless, that is actually what we should achieve in geography.” [p. 608]
 

The Apocrypha  — heretical teachings that contradict the Bible — are “more correct than the Gospels”; but the kids aren't ready for the Apocrypha yet.

 
“The children are not yet mature enough to go through the Apocrypha. The Apocrypha contains many things that are more correct than what is written in the Gospels. I have always extended the Gospels by what we can verify from the Apocrypha. Sometimes there are strong conflicts. When they take up the Gospels, the children must grasp them. It is difficult to explain the contradictions, so if they took up the Apocrypha nothing would make sense anymore. I would simply study the Gospels.”  [pp. 615-616 - also see p. 45] 

You can find some of Steiner’s “extensions” and “corrections” of the Gospels in the book THE FIFTH GOSPEL (Rudolf Steiner Press, 1995).
 

The Waldorf teachers are confused by the floating islands, so Steiner repeats the truth: 

“The continents swim and do not sit upon anything. They are held in position upon the Earth by the constellations. When the constellations change, the continents change, also.” [p. 618]
 

A teacher asks about curative eurythmy. Steiner’s lucid answer:

“We should maintain the principle of not hacking off some part of [the] main lesson and tacking it on somewhere else.” [p. 625]
 

How to cure tuberculosis in the intestines and pancreas; large heads and small: 

“‘For cases of tuberculosis in the intestines and the pancreas, put the juice from half a lemon in a glass of water and use that in a compress to wrap their abdomen at night. Give them also the tuberculosis remedies one and two [described by Steiner elsewhere]. As far as possible, they should eat only warm things without any animal fat, for instance, warm eggs, warm drinks, particularly warm lemonade, but, if possible, everything should be warm.’ 

 
Besides laying down some extremely bizarre educational directives, Steiner also lectured on medicine — to be precise, he promoted quack medicine.
 

Some people are “not human”; some are “filled with a sort of natural demon”; some Waldorf students are not really human — but “We cannot, however, create a school for demons”:

“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 in relation to their highest I [the spiritual ego, a human’s spiritual self]; instead, they are filled with beings that do not belong to the human class. Quite a number of people have been born since the nineties [i.e., the 1890s] without an I, that is, they are not reincarnated, but are human forms filled with a sort of natural demon. There are quite a large number of older people going around who are actually not human beings, but are only natural; they are human beings only in regard to their form. We cannot, however, create a school for demons.” [p. 649] 

I discuss this passage, and other remarks made in the same meeting, in my essay “Secrets”.
 

The dawning intellect in teenagers leads to rowdy behavior.

“[S]omething we could expect at this age is present in the boys, namely very strongly developed intellectual forces. These intellectual forces become apparent at puberty. Particularly with boys, this often arises as a certain subconscious desire to exercise their intellectual strength. It is natural that, when left to themselves, boys see rowdy behavior as the only possibility of expressing those intellectual forces.” [p. 652] 

In Steiner’s view, intellect is almost always suspect.
 

Waldorf teachers shouldn’t make their classes too  Anthroposophical, lest visitors catch on.

“The other problem is that you are often too anthroposophical, like Mr. X. Yesterday, I was sitting on pins and needles worrying that the visitors would think the history class was too religious. We should not allow the history class to be too religiously oriented. That is why we have a religion class. The visitors seem to have been very well-meaning people. Nevertheless, had they noticed that, they could easily have categorized the Waldorf School as being too anthroposophical and of bringing that into the classroom.” [p. 655]

Note that Steiner associates Anthroposophy with religion. Note, also, that he does not tell Waldorf teachers to keep Anthroposophy out of the classroom. He just tells them to tone it down a bit.
 

 
Oh, and by the way: Genesis 1:26: "And God said, Let us make man in our image, after our likeness: and let them have dominion over the fish of the sea, and over the fowl of the air, and over the cattle, and over all the earth, and over every creeping thing that creepeth upon the earth."

 
The editors try to cover Steiner for these bloopers, but without much success:

“In the Hebrew story of creation, there is no actual word for fish. It is circumscribed in Genesis 1:20. 'Let the waters bring forth abundantly the moving creature that hath life,' whereas, immediately following, the word fowl is used. Also, Leviticus 11:9, 'These shall ye eat of all that are in the waters: whatsoever hath fins and scales in the waters, in the seas, and in the rivers, them shall ye eat.' In general, the word dag appears for 'fish,' whereas thanninîm, translated as 'whales,' are mythological sea creatures.” [p. 660]

Anthroposophists really should learn to cut their losses, at least occasionally. Genesis 1:20 does not refer to fish, but Genesis 1:26 does.
 

Some animals correspond to the human head, some to the middle part of the human being (and the head), and some to the human limbs (and the head):

“The first group are the animals related to the head, namely, the protists, sponges, echinoderms, and ascidians. The second group are the rhythmic animals, the mollusks, worms, articulates, and fish — that is, the middle part of the human being and the head. The third group are the animals of 
the limbs, so you can see how each aspect is added. Thus, we have the limbs, the rhythmic system, and the head.”  [p. 660]

Make of that what you will.
 

Waldorf teachers need not abide by the wishes of students' parents — especially concerning kids with odd brains: 

“A teacher asks about B.B. in the eighth grade. 

“Dr. Steiner: ‘Such people exist, and your task is not simply to rid yourself of them, but to really work with them. I do not believe we should try to influence them. What the mother wants to do is another thing ... There are clumps of fat between the various parts of his brain, so that he cannot bring them together.’” [pp. 667-668
 

More on the humours or temperaments, and their limitations:

“In my lecture today, I mentioned that we need to find our way past the temperaments. The goal of my lecture was to show how to come to an inner understanding that lies beyond people’s temperaments. I would like to hear about how these misunderstandings due to temperaments arose.”  [p. 687 - also see pp. 80-81 and pp. 90-91]

Steiner was almost incapable of admitting his own errors. The “misunderstandings” probably arose from Steiner’s own discussions of students’ temperaments. Go back to p. 80, for example, where Steiner refers to “all four temperaments.”
 

“A teacher: ‘Which subjects should we drop in the twelfth grade so that we can prepare the students for their final examinations?’

“Dr. Steiner: ‘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, but in the morning. The twelfth grade will take religion for one hour with the eleventh grade.’” [p. 688 - also see pp. 332-333, pp. 408-409, 712, and 725]

The efforts to prepare the students didn’t work out well, as we will see. Also, Steiner disavowed any intention to really prepare Waldorf students to such exams.
 

The Waldorf School should be closely tied to the Anthroposophical Society, but not openly, formally; the ploys that have misled people about the real nature of the Waldorf School should not be tossed away; Anthroposophy is a religion.

"Formally, the Waldorf School is not an anthroposophical institution; rather, it is an independent creation based upon the foundations of anthroposophical pedagogy. In the way it meets the public, as well as the way it meets legal institutions, it is not an anthroposophical institution, but a school based upon anthroposophical pedagogy." [p. 698]

"[I]f the school suddenly became an [openly] anthroposophical school, that would upset both the official authorities and the public." [p. 703] 

"[W]e have to remember that an institution like the Independent Waldorf School with its anthroposophical character, has goals that, of course, coincide with anthroposophical desires. At the moment, though, if that connection were made official, people would break the Waldorf School's neck." [p. 705]

"When the school was founded, we placed great value upon creating an institution independent of the Anthroposophical Society. Logically, that corresponds quite well with having the various religious communities and the Anthroposophical Society provide religious instruction, so that the Society provides religious instruction just as other religious groups do." [p. 706]

Notice that the Anthroposophical Society is one of a number of “religious groups.” Anthroposophy is a religion, and despite the formal separation between the “Independent” Waldorf School and the Anthroposophical Society, Anthroposophy is found throughout the school. I discuss these passages in detail in my essay “Secrets”. [Re. religion  - also see p. 42, p. 45, p. 55, pp. 75-76, pp. 84-86., pp. 303-304, and p. 465]

Lenin, Woodrow Wilson, and their lord, the demon Ahriman:

“We need to be clear that Ahrimanic forces [i.e., demonic forces associated with Ahriman]are increasingly breaking in upon historical events. Two leading personalities, Wilson and Lenin, died from the same illness, both from paralysis, which means that both offered an opening for Ahrimanic forces.” [p. 700]

Steiner was a German nationalist. He was deeply annoyed with both America and Russia, which had fought against Germany in World War I. See my essay “Steiner and the Warlord”. 

The Waldorf School will not prepare students for their final exams; but should we tell the students and parents this?

“‘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....’

“A teacher asks whether it would be better to have the students take a thirteenth school year at another school and take their examinations there. Should a note be sent to the parents with that suggestion? 

“Dr. Steiner: ‘You can do all that, but our students cannot avoid having to take an entrance examination. The question is only whether they will fail the entrance examination or the final examination.’” [p. 712]

The exams in question were administered by educational authorities outside Waldorf. The point of sending Waldorf students to another school for “13th grade” would be to compensate for the deficiencies in Waldorf schooling.
 

Waldorf students who took the final exams did badly: 

“We should have no illusions: The results gave a very unfavorable impression of our school to people outside. We succeeded in bringing only five of the nine students who took the test through, and they just barely succeeded.” [p. 725 - also see pp. 332-333, pp. 408-409, p. 688, and p. 712]
 

Special problems with the children of Anthroposophists:

 
“I have to admit it is, in a certain sense, very strange that it is particularly the children of anthroposophists who develop so poorly in the Waldorf School. The children who were expelled some time ago were also children of anthroposophists." [p. 782]

Children of Anthroposophists may have very good reasons to rebel against their parents and against the Waldorf schools to which they have been consigned.
 

Now that we are at the end of the book, let’s have our own little exam. Decide what you think about the following:

“The Egyptian astral body was well developed and could, under certain circumstances, observe the etheric body well. Egyptians could see the astral areas of the etheric body particularly well, that is, the Sun, Moon, and stars. That is expressed in the Book of the Dead, in the clear view of life following death. The Persians belong to the same group as the Caldeans.” [p. 789]

If you have any misgivings about this quotation, you may want to reconsider sending a child to a school where such statements are honored as truth.

 
Children who attend Waldorf schools often receive their "educations" in the type of occultist atmosphere we've seen in FACULTY MEETINGS WITH RUDOLF STEINER. Is this what you want for your children?

 
Among the startling things we've seen is Steiner's rejection of real knowledge — science and scholarship — and his rejection of the Biblical Gospels. Steiner placed his reliance, instead, of his own "clairvoyant" visions and on such things as ancient superstitions, myths, and fairy tales. He stood knowledge on it's head and then knocked it over.

 
Dear parents: FInd another, better school for your children.

— Roger Rawlings

This is not informative to ordinary ways of thinking, but it reflects Waldorf thinking. Steiner described the etheric body as symbolized by a pentagram. (The pentagram also symbolizes the human being; inverted, it symbolizes black magic.) The head and "love of deed" are at the top point, associated with the astrological sign for the Earth. The green and yellow points, representing the hands, are described as "creating the senses (lower self)", associated with Saturn (green), and "liberating the soul, dissolving", associated with Mercury (yellow). The violet and blue points, the feet, are described as "creating form (rigidifying)", associated with the Moon (violet), and "liberating the 'I' (higher self)", associated with Jupiter (blue). [Rudolf Steiner, ESOTERIC LESSONS 1904-1909 (Steiner Books, 2007), p. 229, with additional information from p. 137. R.R. sketch, 2009, based on b&w image on p. 229.] To see the astral body symbolized by a six-pointed star, please see "Foundations".

---

Waldorf the schools can seem attractive,

and indeed many of the teachers

are lovely people with the best of intentions.

Waldorf students are certainly encouraged

to see the world in pleasing forms and colors.

[Artwork by Waldorf students.]

Loveliness and good intentions. What can be wrong with that? Perhaps nothing. Or perhaps a lot, if these things overlie occultism. I don't know what the Waldorf students who created these images were told, but here is what Steiner said about butterflies: "The butterfly, since it is a being of light, sends spiritualized earthly matter out into the cosmos throughout its life ... I call this spiritualized earthly matter the butterfly corona ... The earth as it were tempts the human being to reincarnate by sending the rays of the butterfly corona and the rays of the bird corona out into universal space." [Rudolf Steiner, BLACKBOARD DRAWINGS 1919-1924 (Rudolf Steiner Press, 2003), p. 117.] As the reference to birds suggests, Steiner had similar occult interpretations of all phenomena. He didn't call these conclusions interpretations, of course, and he was not offering mere metaphors or flowery language. Steiner meant his statements literally: This is the worldview promoted as Truth by Anthroposophy and, generally, Waldorf schools.

---

Not everything Steiner taught was lovely, by any means.

Most children enjoy fairy tales.

But perhaps no other schools place greater

emphasis on such stories than Waldorf schools do.

Such stories sensitize students to the possible

existence of supernatural beings.

Steiner insisted that creatures such as goblins really exist.

Evil spiritual beings contend with the good —

Steiner's universe is by no means all sweetness and light.

[Drawing by a Waldorf student.] 

Waldorf-style wet-on-wet watercolor painting.

All student art

courtesy of PLANS [http://waldorfcritics.org/]

[For more on threefolding,

see "Threefolding".]

“Here (left) we have the physical body and the ether body (yellow). It fills the whole of the physical body. And here (right) we have the astral body, which is outside the human being at night (red). At the top it is very small and hugely bulging down below. Then we have the I (violet). This is how we are at night. We are two people in the night." [Rudolf Steiner, BLACKBOARD DRAWINGS 1919-1924 (Rudolf Steiner Press, 2003), p. 102. R.R. sketch, 2009, based on image in the book.]

AFTERWORD

I was new to our Waldorf school when I was asked to be on the board. I'd had plenty of community board experience but not with Waldorf. My first board meeting included a faculty grilling re: sexual preference, directed at a young gay teacher. She was afraid to say she was gay. I was blown away. I kept saying, "This is a violation of her civil rights. We cannot ask these questions." The young teacher kept saying that her partner was just helping her with her kids. I have never figured out why this was important. I still don't know what Steiner thought of gay people but this was the day I learned regular rules do not apply in Waldorf schools. Anthroposophy is more important than individual rights, laws, or common truths.

At the time, I thought the teachers just needed to get out in the world more. Volunteer to be a Big Brother or Sister, etc. The healthy teachers were eventually run out and the ill ones took over hiring. I don't believe ill people have the ability to hire people healthier than they are so the school began to implode. There was deceit everywhere. In the books. The financial statements were literally made up and had nothing to do with the true financial picture of the school. The Administrator was sleeping with the bookkeeper. Unpaid payroll taxes, marked as paid, were seized from our bank account without warning. The board was told we were operating at a low tuition assistance but it turned out to be almost 72%. Contrary to the baloney the board was being fed, the school wasn't making enough money to pay rent, salary, and the electricity bill. One classroom was red-flagged for sewage backing up in the tub, yet the board was unaware this had been an ongoing problem for months.

The school was like a train headed straight for the cliff and the faculty appeared to be worried only about how the table in the dining car was set. I forced my way into the files (I had to threaten a restraining order) and went through every single contract and bank statement. I called a meeting of parents and exposed our real financial situation, along with the apparent cover-up. The entire time, I remained calm and professional while I was being screamed at and subverted by the faculty. The day of that meeting, I earned the trust of the parents. Truth is a powerful tool.

During this crazy time, I used to watch the Waldorf teachers at parent gatherings (festivals). [3] The teachers would stand on the stage with their arms around each other, singing songs in rounds, while parents beamed. "How lucky we are to have this school," was the mantra. Personally I was amazed by the teachers' performance as they presented a "real" sense of unity between them. Amazed because behind closed doors, they were all backstabbers. Seemingly insecure people competing for the top position on the Anthroposophical dog pile. It was never pretty. There was a lot of acting out, both blatant and passive (aggressive). I thought it was just this school, these teachers at the time. Now I think it comes out of some very deep flaws that Anthroposophy is incapable of dealing with. At least so far.

Board meetings were always exhausting because you could cut the tension between the teachers with a knife. Words were always so carefully chosen but what was being left unsaid screamed way louder than what was actually being said. Two of the teachers had eating disorders, but that seemed like the least of their problems. Affairs seemed commonplace. There was an affair between two married teachers, and another (married) faculty member could not keep his hands off the pretty single moms. One teacher that was hired landed here to avoid the scandal he had created at his old Waldorf school. Seems he had a recent affair with a married woman and the husband was making a scene.

I think it's easier to walk away from Waldorf when Anthroposophy doesn't speak to your spirit, but it still isn't easy. I took 63 families with me to a new school, so we had a pre-made community that Waldorf had built on a false basis. My aim was to make a school like we were told Waldorf was but was not. Sixty-three families were ready to move, so I went back to work.

The new school was a perfect fit for all of us. Health was abundant and the school thrived. Real education. Real credentialed teachers. Real art. Real dance. Real health. It is a school centered around children, not a religion.

Flexibility, honesty, innovation, best practice teaching methods, and direct communication should never be thrown under the bus in a school setting. The new school would be different. There is way more to art than Steiner's prescription for color meditation exercises. No more copying things off the chalk board and every child's work came from within. Oh! Phonics is a very good thing along with early reading.

We (the families) wanted to raise smart kids who were educated — pre-awakened, well-balanced kids who could excel in school and life. Waldorf teachers made promises they had no intention of keeping. I am very proud of the school we built but I must give Waldorf credit where it's due. It gave us some great ideas. We took Waldorf's window dressings and made a school.

— Debra Snell

[For additional commentary by Debra Snell, see http://groups.yahoo.com/group/waldorf-critics/message/11165 - RR]

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[R.R., 2010.]

---

ADDENDUM

Here is a letter written in autumn, 2009, by a former Waldorf parent.

I have reprinted it with his kind permission. 

The writer argues that Waldorf schools read far too much significance

into the students' physical appearance. 

This establishes at least the preconditions for racism, 

and it may lead all the way to literal racism. 

Whether or not you agree with everything the writer says,

I think you will find that he raises many troubling questions. — RR

Dear Friends and Neighbors, 

This is the third letter I have issued regarding racism at [school's name] Waldorf school. If you are hearing from me for the first time, the first two letters are available for viewing and comment at OpenWaldorf in the [school's name] section and are posted there. OpenWaldorf is as good a place as any for posting this material. Comments are also welcome. 

I received the following report from Board of Trustees president [name deleted]: 

"I have inquired on more than one occasion regarding the teachings in the classroom, as well as interviewing teachers myself, as well as examining various classroom materials, and my own daughter's experiences. There is a standing request that I be informed of any materials or activity in the classroom that are found to contain anything racist. So far, I am happy to tell you that I have found no evidence that the school has ever taught anything racist." 

So what ARE they teaching our kids? How can it look like racism to some, but not to others? Is [school's name] in denial about what they are teaching and if so, why? Or do they believe people won't notice? I noticed. Now I'm asking you to notice too. 

Let's start with something that, on the surface, seems innocuous: the Greek Olympic Games. These happen in the 5th grade. To understand what is happening here and how these "games" set our children up to accept racism, we must start with an understanding of the temperaments. The temperaments are something ALL Waldorf teachers must learn about — it is part of Waldorf teacher training. 

Steiner's role of the temperaments in children is described by master Waldorf teacher Rene Querido: 

"The temperament is the meeting of the spiritual aspect of oneself, which one refers to as 'I', and the contributions of the father and mother. The temperament is the result of the blending of these two streams, the spirit and heredity." (From "Waldorf Education - A Family Guide" - p. 60 The Role of Temperament in Understanding the Child by Rene Querido) 

OK — so right off the bat, we see that heredity makes up half of the temperament in each child. Remember the part about the spiritual aspect of oneself, which one refers to as 'I' — this is part and parcel of why Anthroposophists don't believe Steiner's teachings are racist. 

On page 62 of the above reference, there is a chart that puts the temperaments and their associated spiritual connections and characteristics in a nutshell. 

Sanguine: Spring, Yellow, Superficial, Nerves, Air, Socially Aware, Caring. 

Choleric: Summer, Red, Destructive, Dictator, Blood, Fire, Selfless Leader. 

Melancholic: Fall, Mauve, Self-pitying, Bones, Earth, Considerate, Understanding. 

Phlegmatic: Winter, Blue, Lazy, Glands, Water, Reliable, Faithful. 

Note: I have added Steiner's own depictions of the body SHAPE. I believe it is important to note how both the body shape of the child and the heredity of the child contributes to this separation process. 

Each child, according to Waldorf teacher training, fits one of these four categories more than any other. This category may determine where the child is seated in the classroom, or which musical instrument is recommended for the child, or which part in the play a child is given. It certainly reflects what the teacher expects from the child. Here's a good example of what I am talking about: 

"If you put on a play, you should cast the characters according to the temperaments of your students. You might, for example, ask your cholerics to play Julius Caesar, and you might cast your sanguines as the messengers, since they would enjoy running in and out with the news. The melancholics love philosophical roles. ... The phlegmatics, on the other hand, like the parts where they can sit and think, removed from the central action of the play." (From "Waldorf Education - A Family Guide" - p. 65-66 The Role of Temperament in Understanding the Child by Rene Querido.) 

In the fifth grade, however, the temperaments are brought to full light in the pentathlon or Greek games. This event will usually involve children from neighboring schools competing in several events (it's usually seven events in my area, so pentathlon loses its meaning). The children are not separated by school — but by temperaments. Each temperament represents a different city-state in Greece, e.g. Red=Sparta, etc. So, from a curriculum point of view, Waldorf schools see some benefit in having, for example, all the "superficial" children compete against each other. All the "lazy" children compete together, as do all the "self-pitying" children and the "destructive dictators." They get their own colored uniforms or identifications — each associated with Steiner's colors. Choleric children get red, for example. 

The children get to march around all day wearing a uniform that identifies them to their classmates perhaps as "lazy." Remember this is based at least partly on heredity and body shape. If the identification wasn't clear from the start, it is easy to see which children are lumped together at a glance. The obese children are all wearing blue. A child simply has to look at their uniform to see who they have been associated with. Often, classmates or siblings will tease children based on the color of their uniform. This can be distressing for some children. And for what? Why separate children by heredity and body shape in the first place? 

That teachers/schools would make such a division of children based on some perceived temperament and then have this decision displayed to all the children is, in my opinion, a cruel thing to do to children. To divide children in games using heredity and body shape as a criteria, especially in the way described above, is hurtful nonsense; it is Anthroposophy at its worst. It divides and harms children in a very ugly and thoughtless way. Frankly, if a teacher or school thinks my child is lazy, or superficial, or dictatorial, or self-pitying, they should pretty much keep it out of my child's consciousness. 

I don't think it is too much of a leap to discuss racism when referring to the above exercise. I'm not sure anyone at [school's name] has thought through the implications of this display and how it relates to Steiner's recurring message. Steiner believed humans were divided into races and that each race had its own unique characteristics. Some races were higher on the evolutionary ladder, others were lower, some were advancing, others were declining. For each of the races, just like for each of the temperaments, Steiner had both good and bad things to say. It was clear in Steiner's writings, however, that some races were held in higher regard than others, with the white race being the most advanced and the "race of the future." 

"You see, when we really study science and history, we must conclude that if people become increasingly strong, they will also become increasingly stupid. If the blonds and blue-eyed people die out, the human race will become increasingly dense if men do not arrive at a form of intelligence that is independent of blondness. Blond hair actually bestows intelligence. . . .It is indeed true that the more the fair individuals die out the more will the instinctive wisdom of humans vanish." (Steiner, 1922, Health and Illness: Volume I. Trans. Maria St. Goar. Spring Valley: Anthroposophic Press, 1981. p. 86.) 

Steiner viewed these types of things as matter-of-fact spiritual observations and saw nothing wrong in verbalizing his spiritual observations to Anthroposophists. I don't think he was intentional about promoting racism as such, but I DO believe, and his quotes here confirm, that he was a bit nervous about how this material would be received by the general public. I think this says a lot. He knew he was saying something people would find offensive, and he felt compelled to say it anyway because he believed from a spiritual point of view that it was true. This from someone who was so concerned about social reform but who had never met a black person. I don't believe it was a matter of Steiner having said something and having been misunderstood or misquoted. I believe it was a matter of Steiner saying something he believed to be true in exactly the way it has been interpreted. 

That, of course, is why Anthroposophists have a hard time backing away from such statements. They believe them to be true — from a spiritual point of view — and want to continue believing them, quietly. The problem comes in when these ideas reinforce the unenlightened views of a group of people, Waldorf teachers to be specific, who are already comfortable assigning certain roles or holding certain expectations of certain children based on physical characteristics associated with their alleged temperaments. I suggest it is not too much of a stretch for them to expect intelligence from blond-haired children when Steiner specifically says that's what they should expect. 

If it is [school's name]'s intention to create Anthroposophists — and I believe it is — then softening the children up and preparing them to accept Steiner's more difficult ideas takes a lot of time. The Greek Olympics are one way Steiner's ideas are imprinted on the children. 

More importantly, Steiner's ideas about the races are imprinted on Waldorf teachers in exactly the same way as his ideas about the temperaments. Reading in the teacher training materials for Waldorf teachers, we find many disturbing references to the races and other wacky stuff. Every Waldorf teacher training institution including [school's name]'s own [name of Waldorf teacher training institute] uses FACULTY MEETINGS WITH RUDOLF STEINER as its "Bible." It is a book that describes Steiner's advice for the first Waldorf teachers, so it's particularly significant in Waldorf teacher training. Let's explore this book a little. 

Physical traits meant a LOT to Steiner. For example, below he talks about "large and small-headed children," the differences between them, and what Waldorf teachers should expect from these two different shapes of heads (p. 534): 

"It is certainly a major deficiency that many educational systems pay no attention to such things as, for example, the external appearance of the children. You can stand in front of a school and see both large and small-headed children. We should treat those children with larger heads, in general, in the way I just presented. Those with small heads should not be treated that way, but in a way I will shortly describe. In those children with a physically oversized head, you will be able to find what I have just described as deficiencies, namely, lack of attention or a too-strongly developed phlegma." 

How FINAL were Steiner's teachings? Below, a teacher confronted Steiner with her own observations that conflicted with Steiner's about a child with "small-headedness" (p542): 

"A teacher: 'You spoke of flighty children having large heads. In my class, I have a very flighty child with a small head.' 

"Dr. Steiner: 'A small head is connected with brooding and reflecting whereas large-headed children are more flighty. If that is not the case, your judgment is incorrect. A small-headed child who is very flighty has not been evaluated from the proper perspective. You can orient yourself with these things. You first need to look at the nature of the child from the proper perspective. Show me the child some time. It is possible to mistake a child's brooding for superficiality. It is possible that the brooding is hidden behind a kind of superficiality. That is easily possible with children.'" 

But did Steiner's ideas have any merit? In FACULTY MEETINGS, we see even the school doctor challenging Steiner about the difficulty in differentiating large- and small-headedness in children. Notice how Steiner skips over the question (p. 633): 

"The school doctor: 'It is difficult to differentiate between large- and small-headed children.' 

"Dr. Steiner: 'You will need to go more thoroughly into the reality of it. So many things are hidden. It sometimes happens that these things appear later with one child or another. 

“’I would now like to hear about the first grade. Are the children taking it up? We need to follow the psychology of this first grade. Every class has its own individuality. These two first grade classes are very interesting groups.’” 

OK, let's forget the head. Since we're almost on the right page, how about the hands? Did Steiner give any indications of the child's capacity for learning from the hands? A teacher asks whether the tendency toward left-handedness should be broken (p. 634): 

"Dr. Steiner: 'In general, yes. At the younger ages, approximately before the age of nine, you can accustom left-handed children to right-handedness at school. You should not do that only if it would have a damaging effect, which is very seldom the case. Children are not a sum of things, but exponentially complicated. If you attempt to create symmetry between the right and left with the children, and you exercise both hands in balance, that can lead to weak-mindedness later in life. The phenomenon of left-handedness is clearly karmic, and, in connection with karma, it is one of karmic weakness. I will give an example: People who overworked in their previous life, so that they did too much, not just physically or intellectually, but in general spiritually, within their soul or feeling, will enter the succeeding life with an intense weakness. That person will be unable to overcome the karmic weakness in the lower human being. (The part of the human being that results from the life between death and a new birth is particularly concentrated in the lower human being, whereas the part that comes from the previous earthly life is concentrated more in the head.) So, what would otherwise be strongly developed becomes weak, and the left leg and left hand are relied upon as a crutch. The preference for the left hand results in the right side of the brain, instead of the left, being used in speech. If you give in to that too much, then that weakness may perhaps remain for a later, a third, earthly life. If you do not give in, then the weakness is brought into balance.'" 

Please remember, this is all REQUIRED READING for Waldorf teachers. 

So, Rudolf Steiner had some very interesting things to say about how the physical body reflects our disposition, our demeanor, and even our intelligence. 

Here are a couple of disturbing passages from FACULTY MEETINGS that are quickly becoming famous. Notice how, when angry with the French (for deploying black soldiers in Germany), Steiner decided to take a jab at them by claiming the French are a "race" and suggesting it is reverting to a lower race. Remember, Steiner was saying these things to TEACHERS in the context of training them (p558). 

"The French are also ruining what maintains their dead language, namely, their blood. The French are committing the terrible brutality of moving black people to Europe, but it works, in an even worse way, back on France. It has an enormous affect on the blood and the race and contributes considerably toward French decadence. The French as a race are reverting." 

On page 552 is a proposal to ask parents for permission to stop teaching French. Is anyone surprised that they don't offer instruction in the French language at [school's name]? 

Here's another famous quote: it is often shortened when reproduced, but I left the whole thing in for context. The idea of the spirit "I" in Steiner's philosophy allows Steiner to make these types of observations (p. 649): 

"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 in relation to their highest I; instead, they are filled with beings that do not belong to the human class. Quite a number of people have been born since the [eighteen-]nineties without an I, that is, they are not reincarnated, but are human forms filled with a sort of natural demon. There are quite a large number of older people going around who are actually not human beings, but are only natural; they are human beings only in regard to their form. We cannot, however, create a school for demons. 

"Cosmic error is certainly not impossible. The relationships of individuals coming into earthly existence have long been determined. There are also generations in which individuals have no desire to come into earthly existence and be connected with physicality, or immediately leave at the very beginning. In such cases, other beings that are not quite suited step in. This is something that is now quite common, that human beings go around without an I; they are actually not human beings, but have only a human form. They are beings like nature spirits, which we do not recognize as such because they go around in a human form. They are also quite different from human beings in regard to everything spiritual. They can, for example, never remember such things as sentences; they have a memory only for words, not for sentences. The riddle of life is not so simple. When such a being dies, it returns to nature from which it came. The corpse decays, but there is no real dissolution of the etheric body, and the natural being returns to nature. 

"It is also possible that something like an automaton could occur. The entire human organism exists, and it might be possible to automate the brain and develop a kind of pseudomorality. 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. Nevertheless, these are facts. Our culture would not be in such a decline if people felt more strongly that a number of people are going around who, because they are completely ruthless, have become something that is not human, but instead are demons in human form. 

"Nevertheless, we do not want to shout that to the world. Our opposition is already large enough. Such things are really shocking to people. I caused enough shock when I needed to say that a very famous university professor, after a very short period between death and rebirth, was reincarnated as a black scientist. We do not want to shout such things out into the world." 

Above, Steiner catches himself talking about things that are not for ears outside of Waldorf faculty. We may think it ridiculous that a Waldorf teacher today might follow Steiner's teachings about demons possessing children, but this is in the teacher training materials. If a teacher believes the notion of Steiner's "I," then such things as possessions of the body must also be believable to Steiner's most devout followers. 

It has been my experience that many Waldorf teachers take Steiner's teachings very seriously and very literally. Steiner's teachings about the temperaments are INTENDED to come through in the classroom and come to fruition in the Pentathlon/Greek Olympic games. Steiner's teachings about the "spirit I" and the hierarchy of the races are part of the same body of knowledge that is REQUIRED READING in Waldorf teacher training , right beside the temperaments, in the SAME BOOK. 

In Waldorf, the "spirit I" theme starts with the Rainbow Bridge story in Waldorf preschool and runs through to the high school morning prayer, written by Steiner himself. The "spirit I" is the theme that permits the inclusion of racism in Waldorf. As a Waldorf teacher, one would have to suddenly put on the brakes when arriving at Steiner's subtle racism. Unfortunately, it is difficult, if not impossible, for Waldorf teachers to see when to do this. 

Remember, when we were kids, we used to play "which one does not belong?" Five out of the six statements are taken directly from FACULTY MEETINGS WITH RUDOLF STEINER. 

"It is certainly a major deficiency that many educational systems pay no attention to such things as, for example, the external appearance of the children." 

"A small head is connected with brooding and reflecting whereas large-headed children are more flighty." 

"Such cases are increasing in which children are born with a human form, but are not really human beings in relation to their highest I; instead, they are filled with beings that do not belong to the human class." 

"In those children with a physically oversized head, you will be able to find what I have just described as deficiencies, namely, lack of attention or a too-strongly developed phlegma." 

"If the blonds and blue-eyed people die out, the human race will become increasingly dense if men do not arrive at a form of intelligence that is independent of blondness. Blond hair actually bestows intelligence." 

"The phenomenon of left-handedness is clearly karmic, and, in connection with karma, it is one of karmic weakness." 

"They are also quite different from human beings in regard to everything spiritual. They can, for example, never remember such things as sentences; they have a memory only for words, not for sentences." 

If Waldorf teachers are TRAINED to use these types of criteria for their interactions with children, where do they draw the line? Steiner said all these things. All of them are offensive or at least problematic for most educators. They are all part of Anthroposophy, part of the "knowledge" Waldorf teachers are supposed to study. Can we really trust that Waldorf teachers know the difference between what crosses the line to racism? IS there a line at all? They taught my child that blood types of Europeans are more evolved than blood types of Africans and Asians, which any mainstream biologist can tell you is incorrect. Does that cross the line? [4] 

Anthroposophy is in everything Waldorf. It is the substance that binds the curriculum. It isn't taught; it is displayed for the children. Sometimes, those displays are ugly and rather obviously out of place, like the Greek Olympics. While claiming not to be an Anthroposophist, our Board of Trustees president does not see anything wrong with these examples I have given you. In fact, as he reported with confidence, he "found no evidence that the school has ever taught anything racist." If this is the case, then Waldorf teachers are indeed doing their job well. The racism is in Anthroposophy, and Anthroposophy is in Waldorf. It's in our kids now, too, in subtle ways they may not recognize. 

— Pete Karaiskos 

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Steiner placed great importance on body shapes and colors.

Here's one almost entertaining example:

"Once I knew a man who had quite an unusual forehead. A Greek forehead is different. In Greek statues we find foreheads that slope backwards. This man actually had a pronounced bulge, and his forebrain was actually pushed out. I am convinced that this man, whose brain was pushed forward so much, possessed a particularly well-formed abdomen and never suffered from diarrhea or constipation ... [H]is powerful, protruding forehead never permitted disorders of the abdomen. You can see from this that a man's forehead is related in a remarkable way to his abdomen." — Rudolf Steiner, FROM COMETS TO COCAINE (Rudolf Steiner Press, 2000), pp. 150-151. [R.R., 2009 - my sketch based on p. 150.]

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Another reason Waldorf schools stage events

such as the Greek Olympics

is that they permit enactment of the polytheism embedded in Anthroposophy.

The following is excerpted from a description

published by a Waldorf school.

"The fifth grade Waldorf curriculum includes the study of early civilizations. Ancient Greece, with its appreciation of balance and harmony, its movement toward modern thought, and its worship of fallible Gods, is a beautiful compliment for the fifth grade youth moving into adolescence.

"...On May 7, 2010, Live Oak Waldorf School celebrated its 25th Pentathlon, welcoming nine other schools to its very own Mount Olympus.

"...The morning began with a grand and reverent opening ceremony, which included one student from each of the ten schools reading an Ode to the Gods.

"'O Zeus, make my feet like your lightening bolt; as you cast it into space all you can hear is a whisper of silence before the fireworks of victory.

"'O Athena, help me put my best foot forward in words and actions, like you in all your glory.

"'O Poseidon, help me be strong in wrestling like a gigantic wave crashing on a huge rock.

"'O Persephone, may I be kind and welcoming to others in my city-state.'

"The residing [sic] Gods and Goddesses — Zeus, Athena, Poseidon, Artemis and Apollo — blessed the Pentathletes with words of gratitude and encouragement.

“'O mortals of earth and athletes of Greece ! I am Zeus. You honor us greatly with your words! Welcome to Olympia, where your courage will shine, and your skill will be on display for all to see. It has pleased me greatly to watch from Olympus as you have trained for this day. May you bring honor to yourselves, to your families, and to your schools as you compete today. I grant you the power of my thunder and lightning and wish you well.'

"After singing the Olympic Hymn, the Pentathletes followed the Gods and Goddesses onto the games field." ["Live Oak Waldorf School hosted its 25th Pentathlon"]

Bear in mind that Steiner taught that

gods such as Zeus and Athena really exist. [5]

In having their students address such gods,

Waldorf teachers are having them address

gods whom they think really exist.

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APPENDIX

Some Waldorf schools —  especially the smaller ones — have very little formal structure. They often operate as cooperative ventures in which all members of the small staff undertake almost all activities jointly or on a rotating basis. Other, generally larger Waldorf schools have structures that, if depicted on organizational charts, would look fairly conventional: a central administration, perhaps with subsidiary branches, connected by lines of authority or influence to various parts of the school (lower school, middle school, high school, support staff, admissions, athletics...). But such descriptions and charts can be misleading. Often the real structure of a Waldorf school can best be described as a hierarchical set of concentric rings. [7] Members of the inner rings know a good deal more about Rudolf Steiner's doctrines and the Waldorf movement's purposes than do those in the outer rings, and — regardless of any conflicting formal arrangements — usually most of the real decision-making power lies with the members of the inner rings. Members of outer rings have less knowledge and less real power. Those in the very outermost rings may have, in a senses, no real connection to the core of a Waldorf school: They do not understand what the school aims to achieve, and they make no real contributions to its work. They are, often, placeholders, people who have been hired to provide a service but whose tenure may be very brief.

The following description will not apply to absolutely every Waldorf school, but it will be accurate for many: 

Floating above the school's power center is Rudolf Steiner (or his doctrines as comprehended by each school's flesh-and-blood leaders). Beneath Steiner is either a single flesh-and-blood (i.e., currently incarnated) leader, or there may be a small, tight band of co-leaders. If a school has a single leader — who may be called the principal, headmaster, or chair; or who may have no official title at all — s/he is the center point of all the circles of the school, exercising great spiritual and administrative authority throughout. If a school has a band of co-leaders, they constitute the innermost ring at a school, the locus of real power within the institution. But authority is somewhat diffused among the co-leaders, and a certain amount of administrative confusion may result.

The leader or co-leaders are central to a ring that, in some schools, may be termed the "college of teachers" (the Anthroposophists on the staff who study Steiner intensively and instruct one another, and perhaps others, about his doctrines). This may be the ring constituted by a school's small band of co-leaders, or it may be a larger body, including many of the senior and "initiated" members of the faculty (generally self-described Anthroposophical initiates, who consider themselves to possess considerable spiritual wisdom and who are recognized as having such wisdom by their similarly distinguished colleagues).

There may be sub-rings within the college, rippling outward from the central leadership with its real or claimed extensive knowledge of Anthroposophy to other devoted followers of Steiner who are farther removed from the absolute center of wisdom and control.

Beyond the college of teachers, there may be several rings of faculty, but for simplicity I'll suggest that there basically two. The inner of these is a circle of aspiring Anthroposophists (faculty who are in sympathy with Anthroposophy, to one degree or another, and who are either moving toward full commitment or who may take that step eventually — and who are either in the "college" or awaiting admission). Outside this circle is a circle of uncommitted, more-or-less uninformed, and perhaps disaffected teachers (people who took the job with no real knowledge of, or particular sympathy with, the school's spiritualistic agenda, and/or others who have become alienated and may be looking for the exits).

Outside the circles of teachers are similar circles of students. Some students (especially ones who started in the school in the earliest grades) may be deeply, emotionally, and even to some degree intellectually committed to the school and its underlying philosophy (even though this philosophy has usually not been spelled out for them in so many words). [6] Then there are kids who might go either way — those who are moving toward acceptance of Waldorfish views, and, outside those, kids who are unlikely to do so. A very slim outer ring of students may consist of rebels (whose removal from the school may be imminent).

Outside the circles of students are similar circles of parents. As a rule, many parents know less about Anthroposophy than students do (even though the students' "knowledge" may be largely unconscious), simply because the parents have not undergone the conditioning their kids undergo within the school. But here the overall scheme, circles within circles, may break down. Again, I'll have to oversimplify what can be an extremely complex series of relationships. Some parents may be devoted Anthroposophists who sent their kids to Waldorf precisely because they want an Anthroposophical education for them. Some of these may double as faculty members or staff, and some may be enthusiastic volunteers, helping with various school activities. In the ring outside these, other parents may be deeply committed to the school at an emotional level without knowing much about the spiritualism behind the school — and again some of these may be faculty, staff, or volunteers. In many schools, the largest group of parents may consist of people who like the school just fine but have neither knowledge of Anthroposophy nor any deep commitment to the school — many of these may have chosen Waldorf not for what it is but for what it is not, e.g., it is not a huge, chaotic public school. Parents in the outer ring(s) may be more or less completely in the dark as to the real objectives of Waldorf education. There is usually no outermost ring or parents, that is rebels — such parents usually take their kids out of the school ASAP and disappear from view. (Cases where the rebels stick around, however, do sometimes occur, and these cases can become extremely messy.)

Figuring out where to place the staff in this schema is tricky. Some staff may double as faculty members, some may be parents, and some may be both. Some of the staff may know, to one degree or another, what Waldorf is all about, and some may be entirely uninformed (these may be people who took a job at Waldorf just because they were looking for work, and they may have been hired only because the school could not fill particular positions from within the more faithful circles). My old Waldorf found a perfect solution for some support staff positions: Most of the janitors, for instance, spoke no English, so they couldn't know much about the school, which meant they could not carry much information about the school to the outside world.

— Roger Rawlings

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Sets of concentric rings reminiscent of mandalas occur throughout Steiner’s teachings. On the upper left, for instance, is a set of rings that Steiner used to illustrate seven “world-outlook-moods”: reading from the outer ring inward, they are gnosis, logicism, voluntarism, empiricism, mysticism, transcendentalism, and occultism (the inner ring except for the very center, which in this image is empty). Steiner associated each of the “world-outlook-moods” with one of the seven “sacred planets.” Around the perimeter of the image he also wrote the names of twelve “shades of world-outlooks,” which he linked to the twelve signs of the zodiac. [Rudolf Steiner, HUMAN AND COSMIC THOUGHT (Rudolf Steiner Press, 1991), p. 50.] [8] 

The set of rings at the lower right represent seven planes of existence (this comes from Steiner's Theosophy phase): reading from the outer ring inward, the planes are maha-para-nirvana, para-nirvana, nirvana, buddhi, mental, astral, and physical (the center of this image). Each plane of existence is associated with a “condition of matter”: earth, water, air, warmth ether, light ether, chemical ether, and life ether. [Rudolf Steiner, FOUNDATIONS OF ESOTERICISM (Rudolf Steiner Press, 1982), lecture 5, GA 93a.] [9] 

Mastering the details of all this is generally unnecessary, unless you decide to become a deep student of Steiner. Most people will probably feel that they have learned enough simply by glimpsing the recurrent patterns of Steiner’s occultism. Steiner wanted everything to fall into neat hierarchical patterns, preferably radiating from a central core to that things aligned in concentric circles or spheres. He wanted groupings of three (the occult number symbolizing divinity) or four (the occult number for creation), or seven (3+4, the occult number of perfection), or twelve (3x4, an even dozen, the number of signs of the zodiac). He hammer all phenomena into these patterns, whether or not this makes any sense. (Are there really, for instance, an even dozen philosophical approaches (“world-outlook-moods”)? Of course not. There are far more. (You can add one yourself, right now. Go through Steiner's list, note what he has missed, and then whip up a new ideology to plug the gap.)

[R.R. sketches, 2010, based on those in the books named. I have chosen arbitrary colors.]

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ENDNOTES