 "Anthroposophy will be in the school." — Rudolf Steiner HERE'S THE ANSWER to the Question: What's Waldorf? Trying to fully comprehend Waldorf schools and their foundation, Anthroposophy, requires a great deal of work — as the appalling number of pages here at Waldorf Watch suggests. Most people quite sensibly would prefer a brief, direct answer to a simple question: What are Waldorf schools all about? Here's a stab at such an answer, given mainly in Rudolf Steiner's own words. (Concerning the arrogant-seeming title of this page: I'm not claiming that I uniquely have the answer — I'm saying that Steiner inadvertently gave us the answer.) Waldorf or Steiner schools operate in accordance with the teachings of Rudolf Steiner, who founded the first Waldorf school in 1919. Steiner was an occultist who claimed to have precise knowledge of the spirit realm thanks to his "exact clairvoyance." He laid out his spiritual "discoveries" in such books as OCCULT SCIENCE - AN OUTLINE. He called his body of teachings "Anthroposophy," a word meaning knowledge or wisdom of the human being. Steiner said Anthroposophy is a science, although in fact it is a religion involving prayers, meditation, reverence, gurus, and observances. Waldorf school faculties usually acknowledge that their educational approach arises from Anthroposophy, but they usually deny that they teach Anthroposophical doctrines to their students. In a restricted sense, this may be true. But in a larger sense, it is false, and we have Steiner’s word for it. Addressing Waldorf teachers, Steiner said: “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 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.” [1] Since Anthroposophists believe that their doctrines are the Truth underlying all other knowledge, they think that the presence of Anthroposophy will be “justified” at virtually every point in every subject studied. They may be circumspect about it, bringing their beliefs into the classroom subtly, covertly, but they bring them. Not all Waldorf teachers are deeply committed, uncompromising Anthroposophists, but Steiner said that they should be: “As teachers in the Waldorf School, you will need to find your way more deeply into the insight of the spirit and to find a way of putting all compromises aside ... As Waldorf teachers, we must be true anthroposophists in the deepest sense of the word in our innermost feeling.” [2]Indeed, one of the most important facts about Waldorf schools is that they are meant to spread Anthroposophy: “One of the most important facts about the background of the Waldorf School is that we were in a position to make the anthroposophical movement a relatively large one. The anthroposophical movement has become a large one.” [3] Waldorf education is meant to usher students toward true spiritual life, which is inherently Anthroposophical: “As far as our school is concerned, the actual spiritual life can be present only because its staff consists of anthroposophists.” [4]
Waldorf teachers serve as priests in a religion that recognizes many spiritual powers or gods (plural: Anthroposophy is polytheistic). The goal of Waldorf schooling is not so much to educate children as to save humanity by leading it to Anthroposophy. Waldorf teachers consider themselves to be on a holy mission:
In sum, the goals of Waldorf schooling are inseparable from the goals of Anthroposophy, although Waldorf teachers generally deny this, for fear of a public backlash: “[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." [8] What is Anthroposophy? It is a religion: "[T]he Anthroposophical Society ... provides religious instruction just as other religious groups do." [9] And so: "It is possible to introduce a religious element into every subject, even into math lessons. Anyone who has some knowledge of Waldorf teaching will know that this statement is true." [10] Thus: "Yesterday, I was sitting on pins and needles worrying that the visitors would think the history class was too religious." [11] Steiner wasn't concerned that the history class was religious; he worried that outsiders might think it was excessively religious. That there will be some religious content in a Waldorf class goes without saying. Waldorf schools, you see, are religious institutions, with "a religious element" introduced into "every subject." And the religion the schools adhere to is Anthroposophy. Hence Steiner was able to say to Waldorf students: “[D]o you know where your teachers get all the strength and ability they need so that they can teach you to grow up to be good and capable people? They get it from the Christ.” [12] Take care when Steiner and his followers refer to "Christ." They do not mean the Son of God worshipped in regular Christian churches; they mean the Sun God. This need not detain us at this moment, however. The key point for us now is to recognize Steiner's admission that Waldorf teachers are true believers; they believe that they draw their authority from a god. Their work as Waldorf teachers is religious. Even when encouraging their students to love beauty, their purpose is fundamentally religious. “We must, in our lessons, see to it that the children experience the beautiful, artistic, and aesthetic conception of the world; and their ideas and mental pictures should be permeated by a religious/moral feeling." [13]  Rudolf Steiner is long dead. Do his teachings have any relevance for Waldorf schools today? Absolutely. Waldorf schools still typically proclaim their allegiance to Steiner (although they are usually careful to conceal the content of Steiner's doctrines). Moreover, Waldorf teacher training includes extensive study of Steiner's occult works. To delve into such matters, you might go to the following pages here at Waldorf Watch: Quick Check Here's a handy, quick test to see whether waldorf schools — and the thinking behind them — are right for you. Ask yourself this question: Do you believe in goblins? “There are beings that can be seen with clairvoyant vision at many spots in the depths of the earth ... They seem able to crouch close together in vast numbers, and when the earth is laid open they appear to burst asunder ... Even when they reach their greatest size, they are still always small creatures in comparison with men ... Many names have been given to them, such as goblins, gnomes, and so forth ... What one calls moral responsibility in man is entirely lacking in them ... Their nature prompts them to play all sorts of tricks on man ... The different members of these beings can be investigated by occult means....” [Rudolf Steiner, NATURE SPIRITS (Rudolf Steiner Press, 1995), pp. 62-63.] Central Text  [Rudolf Steiner Press, 2005] Waldorf education is meant to apply Anthroposophical insights to the education of children. There is a great problem here, however. If Waldorf education depends on Anthroposophy, and if Anthroposophy depends on clairvoyance, then Waldorf education is as invalid as Anthroposophy itself. Steiner was quite clear about the importance of Anthroposophy for Waldorf schools: “It is obvious that knowledge of the human being must be the basis for a teacher's work; that being so, teachers must acquire this knowledge for themselves, and the natural thing will be that they acquire it through Anthroposophy. If, therefore, we are asked what the basis of a new method of education should be, our answer is: Anthroposophy must be that basis. But how many people there are, even in our own circles, who try to disclaim Anthroposophy as much as possible, and to propagate an education without letting it be known that Anthroposophy is behind it." [Rudolf Steiner, THE KINGDOM OF CHILDHOOD (SteinerBooks, 1995), p. 4.] Steiner's followers today still affirm Anthroposophy as the basis for Waldorf. Here is the description of a course offered by Rudolf Steiner College in the training of Waldorf teachers: "The Philosophical Foundations of Waldorf Education (7.5 credits). Waldorf education is based on Anthroposophy, a transpersonal and phenomenological world-view [sic]. It is necessary for the Waldorf educator to grasp this view of the human being because Waldorf pedagogy arises directly from this understanding. The curriculum and methods arise from an understanding of this ontology." — Rudolf Steiner College 2011-2012 Catalogue. To examine OCCULT SCIENCE - AN OUTLINE in some detail, see "Everything". The Creed  [R.R. 2010, based on image in Rudolf Steiner's THE OCCULT MOVEMENT IN THE NINETEENTH CENTURY (Rudolf Steiner Press, 1973), lecture 5, GA 254.] Those humans who do not descend to the Eighth Sphere will move upward to Jupiter, Venus, and finally Vulcan, becoming less and less physical — and more and more spiritual — at each stage. For Anthroposophists, the things I am describing are gospel; they comprise the story of human evolution as described by Rudolf Steiner. Following our life on Vulcan, we will continue evolving through five additional phases. But these are so wondrous that even Steiner himself could scarcely describe them. Consequently they, like the Eighth Sphere, are usually omitted from Anthroposophical accounts. The entire course of our evolution is guided by numerous good gods as well as good magicians and spiritual sages, people like Christian Rosenkreutz and other members of the White Lodge. But our evolution is opposed by the evil gods, black magicians, and other malefactors. Our ultimate victory in this saga is not guaranteed, but Anthroposophists believe it will come if we just accept Steiner's teachings and act upon them. Good humans are so beloved of the gods that, indeed, the entire universe was created for our benefit, and — indeed! — the gods actually worship us: We are their religion. When we attain our ultimate fulfillment, we will become God the Father. Let that sink in. Waldorf teachers rarely explain such matters explicitly to their students or even to the parents of their students, but this is what they believe, and this belief system colors all their actions. They don't care very much about ordinary education — they see themselves as priests shepherding young souls toward evolutionary perfection. Among other things, this means helping students fulfill their karmas. It also means lovingly aiding brown, red, yellow, and black students to improve spiritually so that in future incarnations they may return as members of higher (whiter) races. This is what Steiner taught. ◊◊◊◊ Here are links that will take you to pages that develop many of the Waldorf beliefs and practices I have outlined: Comfort “After attending three different public schools through eighth grade, I attended high school at the Waldorf School of Garden City from 1977 to 1980. I had good teachers at all the schools I attended, and some not-so-good ones, too. But the Waldorf School felt, as I’ve said many times, ‘like coming home’ ... Although my teachers at the Waldorf School varied widely in talent (at least from my callow point of view), and although I felt great affinity for some and far less for others, they all shared a unity of purpose that, although they didn’t speak about it to their students, was evident in how they treated us* ... [T]hey shared a belief that the world was meaningful and that, through teaching, they could help us to find meaning in it as well. What could be better for adolescents?” — Stephen Keith Sagarin, THE STORY OF WALDORF EDUCATION IN THE UNITED STATES (SteinerBooks, 2011), pp. 1-2. Critics of Waldorf education should candidly acknowledge Waldorf's undeniable allure. Often (not always, but often) Waldorf schools are warm, comforting environments. For many students, they provide emotional and spiritual succor. This does not mean that the schools are good or bad as educational institutions; it means, rather, that the schools can often be refuges from harsh, frenetic, and apparently meaningless modern life. A single vision prevails in the schools, a worldview (Anthroposophy) that often goes unspoken but that informs all activities and classes. This can create a structure and sense of purpose that can be deeply comforting. The price paid for Waldorf comfort, however, is withdrawal from reality. The Waldorf universe — with its gnomes and fairies and guardian angels and pantheon of gods — is imaginary. The degree to which students pay the Waldorf price depends on how vigorously their teachers proselytize. When Waldorf faculties refrain from pressing their beliefs too forcefully, the ambience of the schools can, for many students, feel like the home they have dreamed of having. (And when the faculties press their beliefs, a smaller group of students — those with a developed appetite for the mystical — may feel that they have received a joyous revelation. Others, of course, will be shocked and alienated. [See "The Waldorf Scandal".]) *This purpose has been described as a “holy mission.” It is the mission of spreading Anthroposophy and its imagined benefits. [See “Ex-Teacher 9” and “Spiritual Agenda”.] Analogy The following was downloaded on Oct. 9, 2010 from a Waldorf school's Web site: "Steiner's philosophy, which he named Anthroposophy, can be applied to all walks of life and provides guiding principles for the teachers' work. It is important to note, however, that Anthroposophy itself is not taught to the children." [10-9-2010 http://www.michaelhouseschool.com/rudolf_%20steiner.htm] This disclaimer is made almost universally by Waldorf and Steiner schools. How reassuring do you find it? Consider this analogy. Imagine a school that says "All of our methods are based on voodoo. However, we do not teach voodoo to the children." Would you be reassured? Would you send your child there? Occultism Steiner's books have titles like OCCULT SCIENCE. To many, this must seem extremely strange — and perhaps frightening. “Occult” is a worrisome word, even if we use it precisely as Steiner intended — that is, the word refers to truth or knowledge that is hidden. [14] Basic to the Waldorf worldview is the notion that most real knowledge is hidden, and it can be discovered only through the process of occult initiation, which involves developing powers of "exact" clairvoyance. We might pause over this proposition. Do you agree that we live in a universe populated by vast numbers of gods? Do you agree that the gods have hidden from us precisely the knowledge that we need? And do you agree that only rare, clairvoyant initiates such as Rudolf Steiner can make this knowledge known? If you decide to associate yourself with a Waldorf school, you need to agree to all these strange concepts. Steiner unashamedly identified himself and his followers as occultists. Bear in mind, these are the people who run Waldorf schools: “You see, if we want to progress in occultism, we must do many things that run contrary to the ordinary course of events.” [15] “In occultism, we learn to grasp life more earnestly, we learn to perceive that the things which are not palpable, which cannot be observed by the senses, are still a reality.” [16] “In occultism, we can continue the sentence, ‘Of the Tree of Life man shall not eat’, by adding the words, ‘and the Spirit of Matter he shall not hear.’" [17] “Hence in occultism we call the Moon the ‘Cosmos of Wisdom’ and the Earth the ‘Cosmos of Love.’" [18] “Now the spiritual beings who are given off from the Second Hierarchy and sink themselves into the kingdoms of Nature, are those beings whom in occultism, we designate as the Group-souls of the plants, the animals — the Group-souls in the single entities.” [19] “In occultism, we distinguish also the state of warmth which is not simply a state of matter in vibration, but a fourth substantial state.” [20] “In occultism we differentiate in man firstly his actions, in so far [sic] as by actions we understand everything which proceeds from any kind of activity connected with his hands; secondly speech and thirdly thoughts. Everything which in this sense he accomplishes with his hands brings about its karmic results in his next earthly existence.” [21] I've given you an answer. Now I'd like to give you a question: What if a Waldorf school provided an excellent education but also attempted to lure students into occultism: Would you feel comfortable sending your child there? We can go a step further and reframe the question like this: What if a Waldorf school provided an excellent education and also attempted to lure students into occultism but frequently failed in this attempt: Would you feel comfortable sending your child there? Would you be willing to gamble that your child would be one of the fortunate students who were unharmed? The only safe Waldorf schools are the ones that completely renounce the teachings of Rudolf Steiner. But then they wouldn't be Waldorf schools. Emblems Anthroposophy abounds with mystical emblems. On occasion these make appearances in Waldorf schools. There are, in particular, seven mystic seals (devices, marks, symbols) meant to be displayed in avowedly Anthroposophical buildings and seven mystic columns intended for use in such buildings. The seals derive principally from the seven seals of the Apocalypse; the columns are directly associated with the seven visible planets of astrology. The outer form or appearance of the seals and columns may vary somewhat, but their inner or spiritual essence is unchanging, for the original descriptions were given by Rudolf Steiner himself.  “These are not arbitrary symbols, to be interpreted by reason, but written ‘characters’ of spiritual science, which must be taken in a manner corresponding to true spiritual science ... The 'seals' ... represent actual facts of the astral world, and the seven 'columns' facts of the spiritual world ... [Seal #1] Represents the entire earthly evolution of man.” [Rudolf Steiner, MYSTIC SEALS AND COLUMNS (Health Research, 1969), p. 1. R.R. sketch, 2010, based on the one in the book. The caption there is: “The Four Original Human Group Prototypes; the Primeval Images of Group Souls. (Depicted by the 4 Fixed Signs of the Zodiac — the Four Kumaras, etc). These are the earliest formations of God, Divine Substance, as it descended for incarnation in the prepared bodies. About the Hyperborean Period. What is the meaning of the figure. [sic] Revelations 4:7-11.” Don't look at me. That's what the caption says. Concerning Steiner's assertion that the symbols cannot be "interpreted by reason", it is important to realize that Steiner and his followers believe that true knowledge does not come from reasoning but from clairvoyance. See "Clairvoyance" and "Steiner's Specific". True-believing Waldorf teachers use "clairvoyance," dreams, and even horoscopes to evaluate their students.]  "Between every two of these seals should stand one of seven columns ... The earth itself advances thru [sic] seven conditions of evolution, which are called by the names of the seven [sic] planets, Saturn, Sun, Moon, [etc.] ... The same motive passes through the seven capitals [of the columns]; a force from above and one from below ... First the force develops from below in the simplest manner, and just as simply the force tends toward it from above (Saturn column.)" [Ibid., p. 5, R. R. sketch, 2010, based on the one in the book.] Explanations of mystic emblems acknowledged by Steiner and his followers are offed in various Anthroposophical publications. OCCULT SIGNS AND SYMBOLS was published by the Anthroposophic Press in 1972:  The source of the seal and column shown above is MYSTIC SEALS AND COLUMNS, published by Health Research in 1969:  (Health research? Steiner developed a form of alternative medicine that is often used in and around Waldorf schools, sometimes with devastating effects. See "Steiner's Quackery".) THE OCCULT SIGNIFICANCE OF BLOOD was published by Health Research in 1972.  Previously it had been printed by Rudolf Steiner Press (1967):  Attractive representations of many Anthroposophical symbols are given — in characteristic Waldorf art styles — in John Fletcher's ART INSPIRED BY RUDOLF STEINER (Mercury Arts Publications, 1987). The seven planetary columns are depicted on p. 188, while a lovely, four-color version of the Group Prototype seal is reproduced on p. 202. Its title there is "The Archetypal Animals and Man".  When speaking in public about Waldorf education, Steiner usually denied that his educational policies contain a religious agenda. Yet if we look just a little below the surface, we can find the truth. Consider the following remark made by Steiner: “Imagine that we wanted to convey a simple religious concept — for instance, the immortality of the human soul — to a class of young children. [Steiner suggests using the analogy of a caterpillar that doesn’t die but becomes a butterfly.] ... A Waldorf teacher, an anthroposophically oriented spiritual researcher, would not feel, ‘I am the intelligent adult who makes up a story for the children’s benefit,’ but rather: ‘The eternal beings and powers [i.e., the gods], acting as the spiritual in nature, have placed before my eyes a picture of the immortal human soul, objectively, in the form of the emerging butterfly. Believing in the truth of this picture with every fibre of my being, and bringing it to my pupils through my own conviction, I will awaken in them a truly religious concept.’” [Rudolf Steiner, WALDORF EDUCATION AND ANTHROPOSOPHY (Anthroposophic Press, 1995), vol. 1, pp. 49-50 - Feb. 27, 1921.] Such a teacher would not be explaining a religious concept in an objective, dispassionate manner. S/he would be fervently conveying one of his/her most deeply cherished religious beliefs. S/he would be attempting to "awaken" a similar "conviction" in the students. This is proselytizing. Surface vs. Substance When they do not depict specific occult concepts, paintings made at Waldorf schools are often meant to invoke the spirit realm in a more or less generalized sense. Here is one of my recent efforts are creating now, consciously, the sort of art I saw around me and attempted to emulate long ago when I was a Waldorf school student.  [R.R., 2010.] For an exposition of the arts as seen and practiced in Waldorf schools, see "Magical Arts". For tips on what to look for when visiting a Waldorf school, see "Clues". To delve into particular issues and subjects concerning Waldorf education and Anthroposophy, you might dip into and  [R. R., 2010, with thanks to Spirogiro. Waldorf students draw lots of geometric mandalas — Steiner found mystical meaning in geometry. He said, for instance, “Basic geometric concepts awaken clairvoyant abilities.” See "Mystic Math".] Steiner's occult universe is elaborate and highly structured. Compared to reality, however, it is simplistic. To delve into Steiner's "clairvoyant" descriptions of humanity's past, present, and future see "Everything"and the essays that follow it — beginning with "Prehistory 101". includes a summary of human evolution as described by Steiner.
[R. R., 2010.] Waldorf schools can be extremely attractive. You have to look closely to see what they actually are behind their charm and allure. They are Anthroposophical dream factories, places of fantasy, occultism, and phantasmagoria. Children raised in the warm, loving fantasy world that Waldorfs often provide may feel comfortable and secure — but they may have little hold on reality. Waldorf schools generally do not openly explain Anthroposophical doctrines to the students. Hence, the students are rarely able to cite Anthroposophical doctrine, chapter and verse. But the schools nonetheless convey many of their fundamental beliefs to the kids. They immerse their students in an Anthroposophical atmosphere day after day, week after week, year after year, with the result that the kids' thinking, and attitudes, and perceptions, and preferences, and dreams are often deeply influenced. As a Waldorf alumnus who has canvassed other Waldorf alums, I can attest that many kids come away from Waldorf schools accepting, more or less consciously, such Anthroposophical doctrines as these (the list is partial and a bit repetitive, as Waldorf beliefs tend to be):
Not all Waldorf graduates have such beliefs, and most of these beliefs are not the sole property of Anthroposophy. Still, it seems clear that Waldorf schools often draw their students toward acceptance of Anthroposophy or at least what we might call Anthroposophy-lite: spiritual yearnings, attitudes, and conceptions if not fully formed spiritual doctrines. But shh! Don't reveal this hidden purpose of Waldorf education. Remember these words of wisdom: “[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." [8 redux] To Tell or Not to Tell Steiner often urged Waldorf teachers to conceal much from outsiders. "We should be quiet about how we handle things in our school, we should maintain a kind of 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." [22] But on other occasions, he urged more openness: “If, therefore, we are asked what the basis of a new method of education must be, our answer is: Anthroposophy must be that basis. But how many people there are, even in our own circles, who try to disclaim Anthroposophy as much as possible, and to propagate an education without letting it be known that Anthroposophy is behind it. [paragraph break] An old German proverb says: Please wash me but don’t make me wet! Many projects are undertaken in this spirit but you must above all both speak and think truthfully. So if anyone asks you how to become a good teacher, you must say: Make Anthroposophy your foundation, for only by this means can you acquire your knowledge of the human being.” [23]  When they can afford to do so, Anthroposophists build Waldorf schools and other Anthroposophical structures in a Steineresque style, employing organic forms and nonstandard doors and windows. They try to avoid right angles, and they utterly avoid peaked arches, which Steiner said are the mark of the devil Ahriman. (I realize that last bit sounds loopy, but would I lie to you? Let's consult the expert: “Anti-Christian influence is directly visible in Moorish architecture with its arches that run up into a point instead of being rounded. This is the mark of Ahriman. In architecture Ahriman worked as the Antichrist when he replaced rounded Romanesque arches with horseshoe and pointed arches.” [Rudolf Steiner, ARCHITECTURE (Rudolf Steiner Press, 1999), p. 153.]) Photograph by Alicia H., reproduced by permission of the artist. The structure is an Anthroposophical "cultural center" in Sweden, designed by Erik Asmussen. Words of Fervor To really grasp what goes on in Waldorf schools, it is necessary to become familiar with Anthroposophical terminology. Below is a statement in which Steiner tells Waldorf teachers to bring religious fervor into the classroom. The statement alludes to several Anthroposophical concepts:
There are more bits of Anthroposophical doctrine in the quotation, but what I have laid out here is probably sufficient. The main point is that Steiner once again urges Waldorf teachers to operate as priests, with religious fervor, bringing into the classroom the "streaming down from above" that is the beneficence of the gods. (Remember quotations we saw at the top of this page: "The position of teacher becomes a kind of priestly office." And "[W]e are, in a certain sense, the means by which that streaming down from above will go out into the world.”) Okay. Here is Steiner reiterating the religious nature of Waldorf schooling: “We must apply a musical understanding to the astral body. I gaze into the human being, and out toward the myriad animal forms. It’s as if we were to take a symphony where all the tones sound together in a wonderful, harmonious, and melodious whole and, over the course of time, separated each tone from the others and juxtaposed them. “As we look out into the animal world, we have the single tones. As we look into the human astral body and what it builds in the physical and etheric bodies, we have the symphony. If we go beyond an intellectual view of the world and have enough cognitive freedom to rise to artistic knowledge, we develop an inner reverence, permeated with religious fervor, for the invisible being — the marvelous world composer— who first arranged the tones in the various animal forms, and then created the human being as a symphony of the phenomena of animal nature. This is what we must carry in our souls as teachers. If I understand my relationship to the world in this way, a true enthusiasm in the presence of world creation and world formation will flow into my descriptions of the animal forms. Every word and gesture in my teaching as a whole will be permeated by religious fervor — not just abstract concepts and natural laws. “Such things show us that instruction and education must not come from accumulated knowledge, which is then applied, but from a living abundance. A teacher comes into the class with the fullness of this abundance, and when dealing with children, it’s as though they found before them a voice for the world mysteries pulsating and streaming through the teacher, as though merely an instrument through which the world speaks to the child.” [24] The Fundamental Flaw: Clairvoyance The Waldorf system depends on clairvoyance. A leading Waldorf educator, Eugene Schwartz, has written the following: “Must teachers be clairvoyant in order to be certain that they are teaching in the proper way? We may, indeed, need only the ‘clairvoyant’ faculties that we are already using without being aware that we possess them ... The teacher's faculty [of clairvoyance] must be cultivated and brought to a stage of conscious awareness on the part of the teacher.” [25] Schwartz extends his theme with these words: “Earlier in this book I spoke of the ‘everyday clairvoyance’ which allows us to perceive the activities of the ‘higher bodies’ of the human being without our necessarily being endowed with the degree of spiritual insight necessary to see the bodies themselves.” [26] (By higher bodies, he means etheric bodies, astral bodies...) The idea that teachers should use clairvoyance, and that everyone has clairvoyant abilities, is consistent with the emphasis Steiner put on this psychic power:
The problem all this creates for the Waldorf movement is enormous. Clairvoyance is a fantasy; it does not exist. [See “Clairvoyance”.] Thus, Waldorf schooling depends on a power that is a mirage, a delusion, a pipe dream. Or, to put this more plainly, there is no basis for the Waldorf approach. It depends on clairvoyance, which does not exist.  [SteinerBooks, 2006] Here's something to cogitate about, perhaps. Rudolf Steiner published KNOWLEDGE OF THE HIGHER WORLDS AND ITS ATTAINMENT in 1904 — more than a century ago. Many people have read it and tried to the follow the directions given in it, directions on how to become clairvoyant. Now, ask yourself: Why isn't the world today aswarm with people who are clearly, demonstrably clairvoyant? It's puzzling, no? No. But bear in mind that when you step inside a Waldorf school, you will meet many individuals who (probably secretly) believe they are clairvoyant. So here's a second question we all need to address: Do we want such people to educate our children? Truth We should return to the matter I alluded to in the section "To Tell or Not to Tell", above. The matter I have in mind is something called telling the truth. Anthroposophists — including Waldorf teachers — often conceal their real purposes and practices. They do this for what they think is an excellent reason. A crucial doctrine of Anthroposophy is that the deepest wisdom is "mystery" wisdom — it is occult, hidden. Only initiates should have access to the "truths" of mystery wisdom; the rest of us are unequipped to handle it. [See "Inside Scoop".] Thus, Anthroposophists think they are acting properly when they withhold certain kinds of information from outsiders. Even when dealing with "truth" that stands at a lower level than "mystery wisdom," Anthroposophists often want to withhold it. Steiner explicitly instructed Waldorf teachers in particular to keep the general public in the dark, as when he said "We should be quiet about how we handle things in the school, 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...." [30] An even more dramatic — and shocking — example: "Imagine what people would say if they heard that we say there are people who are not human beings [i.e., they are subhuman] ... [W]e do not want to shout that to the world. Our opposition is already large enough ... We do not want to shout such things out into the world.” [31] [See "Secrets".] So Waldorf faculties want to keep mum about various matters. We may see the results as dishonesty; Waldorf teachers may see it very differently. They think that they are serving the Truth — that is, Anthroposophy — in all of their actions, and thus they probably think that their actions are virtuous. They may even believe some of the denials and claims that they regularly make. They may believe that, truly, Anthroposophy is not a religion; and, truly, Waldorf schools do not promote Anthroposophy; and, truly, Waldorf schools foster freedom. They would be mistaken in all of this, but they would be honestly mistaken. Like Steiner, Anthroposophists often have an odd relationship with truth. Indeed, becoming an Anthroposophist requires you to detach yourself from the truth — the real universe — and enter a fantasy realm instead. From within that fantasy realm, perception may be quite blurred. For this reason, the ultimate victims of Anthroposophy's distortion of reality may be Anthroposophists themselves — they convince themselves that what is false (Anthroposophy) is true, and what is true (modern science and scholarship) is false. Membership in any cult such as Anthroposophy usually depends on willing self-deception. [See "Fooling (Ourselves)", "Deception", and "Why? (Oh Why? Oh Why?)".] Anthroposophists may be good, caring, compassionate people who are entirely sincere in what they think and do. The same may be said of Waldorf teachers. But none of this excuses what Waldorf teachers do to youngsters. An informed adult may make a conscious decision to join a cult. But children are in no position to make such a choice, and Waldorf schools do not present them with such a choice. Instead, Waldorf schools immerse children in an Anthroposophical atmosphere week after week, month after month, year after year. The ultimate result — whether or not all Waldorf teachers understand this — is to pull children toward Anthroposophical occultism. This is what Waldorf schools are set up to do; this is the outcome Waldorf schools are designed to achieve, whether or not all Waldorf teachers understand this.  [R. R., 2012] On Deception Here is an item from the Waldorf Watch "daily quotes page: “Waldorf education takes a spiritual view of what it means to be a human being, and is grounded in a path of personal development called anthroposophy, developed by Rudolf Steiner. We do not see ourselves as a religious school, however, and students are not taught any particular religious or spiritual doctrine.” — Washington Waldorf School, "WWS at a Glance", downloaded February 19, 2011. When Waldorf faculties make such statements, they may be telling the truth — as they understand it. On other occasions, they may be quite consciously trying to mislead the public. But let’s be charitable and assume that all such statements by Waldorf schools are sincere. Where does this leave us? Statements of this sort arise from a number of factors. For starters, Anthroposophists almost always deny that Anthroposophy is a religion. This denial is untrue, but it provides the essential first line of defense for Waldorf schools. If Anthroposophy is not a religion, then Waldorf schools are not religious institutions even if they teach Anthroposophical doctrines to the students. But Anthroposophy actually is a religion [see “Is Anthroposophy a Religion?”], so this line of defense fails. The second level of the Waldorf defense — often invoked sincerely — is that the schools do not teach Anthroposophy to the kids, so therefore the schools are not religious institutions even if Anthroposophy itself is a religion. But this denial, too, is flawed. Many Anthroposophical doctrines do indeed get imparted to Waldorf students [see “Spiritual Agenda”]. Generally this occurs through an indirect process of suggestion and implication, rather than through direct instruction — but it happens. If you were to observe this class or that, on this day or that, you might detect little religious or esoteric content. But gradually, over time, such content makes itself felt among the students. The atmosphere in a Waldorf school is usually redolent with religious feeling, and the school year is punctuated by the celebration of religious festivals [see “Magical Arts”]. The schools may not openly profess their faith, but they enact it, and this certainly has an effect on most students, especially those who attend the schools for many years. One more point needs to be made. Many Waldorf teachers and parents are quite unaware of the religious nature of Waldorf schooling, at least initially. Thus, they may accept the prayers recited by Waldorf students as pretty “verses,” nothing more [see “Prayers”], and they may consider the celebration of such festivals are Michaelmas merely quaint seasonal festivities. But if so, they are fooling themselves. The inner circle within most Waldorf faculties is aware that virtually everything that happens at a Waldorf school has occult, spiritual significance.* When Waldorf representatives deny this, we should not be taken in. [See “Soul School”.] The deception and, indeed, self-deception practiced in Waldorf schools should not cloud our own eyes. Let’s give the last word to the founder of Waldorf education. "It is possible to introduce a religious element into every subject, even into math lessons. Anyone who has some knowledge of Waldorf teaching will know that this statement is true." — Rudolf Steiner, THE CHILD's CHANGING CONSCIOUSNESS AS THE BASIS OF PEDAGOGICAL PRACTICE (Anthroposophic Press, 1996), p. 94. * Clearly, it is offensive to tell people that they don’t know what they are doing, that they are deceiving themselves. But in many cases, Anthroposophists do indeed deceive themselves. Even members of the innermost Waldorf circle may operate in a state of denial and self-deception. When, for example, Waldorf teachers use “clairvoyance” to determine the “temperaments" of their students, they are practicing a twofold deception on themselves. Clairvoyance is a fantasy, and the ancient four-slot system of categorization (phlegmatic, melancholic, sanguine, choleric) that Waldorf teachers use to sort out their students has no basis in truth. [See “Clairvoyance” and “Humouresque”.] Rudolf Steiner insisted that Anthroposophy is a science, not a religion, and his followers cling to this claim despite all the evidence to the contrary — indeed, they cling to it despite the admissions that Steiner himself sometimes made, apparently inadvertently. For instance, "[T]he Anthroposophical Society ... provides religious instruction just as other religious groups do." — Rudolf Steiner, FACULTY MEETINGS WITH RUDOLF STEINER (Anthroposophic Press, 1998), p. 706. The Anthroposophical society does not do science, it embraces a religion (Anthroposophy) that it works to spread “just as other religious groups do." One of the places they do this is in Waldorf schools. But hush! “[A]n 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." — Rudolf Steiner, FACULTY MEETINGS WITH RUDOLF STEINER, p. 705. In Passing, In Full A note in passing: Steiner is hard to read. His use of language is far from perfect — his statements are tangled and obscure in his original German, and English translations are sometimes even worse. For this reason, when quoting Steiner I often omit some words or phrases, as shown by ellipses (...). My goal is clarity; I work hard not to alter Steiner's meaning. His meaning is actually one of the strongest arguments against him: When you see what he meant, you may well be shocked that anyone believes him. Waldorf Watch contains many uncut passages of Steiner's prose, so you will get the experience of reading Steiner whole. As for those passages I have cut, you can easily check me by going to the original texts. I always tell precisely where I found each quotation. I feel sure you will agree that I have quoted Steiner accurately. I trimmed some of the quotations in the first section of "Here's the Answer". Here are the same statements without any excisions. These are all statements made by Rudolf Steiner: "As teachers in the Waldorf School, you will need to find your way more deeply into the insight of the spirit and to find a way of putting all compromises aside. It will be impossible for us to avoid all kinds of people from outside the school who want to have a voice in school matters. As long as we do not give up any of the necessary perspective we must have in our feelings, then any concurrence from other pedagogical streams concerning what happens in the Waldorf School will cause us to be sad rather than happy. When those people working in modern pedagogy praise us, we must think there is something wrong with what we are doing. We do not need to immediately throw out anyone who praises us, but we do need to be clear that we should carefully consider that we may not be doing something properly if those working in today’s educational system praise us. That must be our basic conviction.
"To the extent that I feel in a very living way what it means to you to have devoted your entire person to work of the Waldorf School, I would like to say something more. As Waldorf teachers, we must be true anthroposophists in the deepest sense of the word in our innermost feeling."  "We can accomplish our work only if we do not see it as simply a matter of intellect or feeling, but, in the highest sense, as a moral spiritual task. Therefore, you will understand why, as we begin this work today, we first reflect on the connection we wish to create from the very beginning between our activity and the spiritual worlds. With such a task, we must be conscious that we do not work only in the physical plane of living human beings. In the last centuries, this way of viewing work has increasingly gained such acceptance that it is virtually the only way people see it. This understanding of tasks has made teaching what it is now and what the work before us should improve. Thus, we wish to begin our preparation by first reflecting upon how we connect with the spiritual powers in whose service and in whose name each one of us must work. I ask you to understand these introductory words as a kind of prayer to those powers who stand behind us with Imagination, Inspiration and Intuition as we take up this task." "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." "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." Note that the words "anthroposophical" and "religious" are virtually interchangeable in this quotation. Steiner tells a Waldorf teacher he is "too anthroposophical" and Steiner worries that visitors will think a history class is "too religious." Steiner does not tell the teacher to leave all Anthroposophy out of the classroom, he just tells him to tone it down a bit. His attitude toward the religious content of the history class is the same: He doesn't say there should be no such content, only that there shouldn't be so much of it that outsiders will become concerned. If that were to happen, the outsiders would conclude that the Waldorf school is "too anthroposophical." You see, to be too Anthroposophical is to be too religious, and to be too religious is to be too Anthroposophical. The words "anthroposophical" and "religious" are virtually interchangeable. Why? Because Anthroposophy is a religion. Steiner and his followers usually deny this. But sometimes we catch them admitting it. Here is the full passage about goblins or gnomes: "There are beings that can be seen with clairvoyant vision at many spots in the depths of the earth, especially places little touched by living growths, places, for instance, in a mine which have always been of a mineral nature. If you dig into metallic or stony ground you find beings which manifest at first in remarkable fashion — it is as if something were to scatter us. They seem able to crouch close together in vast numbers, and when the earth is laid open they appear to burst asunder. The important point is that they do not fly apart into a certain number but that in their own bodily nature they become larger. Even when they reach their greatest size, they are still always small creatures in comparison with men. The enlightened man knows nothing of them. People, however, who have preserved a certain nature-sense, i.e. the old clairvoyant forces which everyone once possessed and which had to be lost with the acquisition of objective consciousness, could tell you all sorts of things about such beings. Many names have been given to them, such as goblins, gnomes, and so forth. Apart from the fact that their body is invisible, they differ essentially from man in as much as one could never reasonably attribute to them any kind of moral responsibility. What one calls moral responsibility in man is entirely lacking in them; what they do, they do automatically, and at the same time it is not at all unlike what the human intellect, intelligence, does. They possess what one calls wit in the highest degree and anyone coming into touch with them can observe good proofs of this. Their nature prompts them to play all sorts of tricks on man, as every miner can tell you who has still preserved something of a healthy nature-sense — not so much the miners in coal mines as those in metal mines. "The different members of these beings can be investigated by occult means just as in the case of man when we distinguish his members as physical body, etheric body, astral body, and ego and what is to evolve from them as spirit-self, life-spirit, and spirit-man. In his present phase of development man consists essentially of the four members first named, so that we can say that his highest member is the ego or ‘I’ and the lowest is the physical body." Here is the passage about maintaining school confidentiality. (You'll see that I actually omitted the worst part: the slapping of students.) “Well, we certainly need to be clear that we do not have a bunch of angels at this school, but that should not stop us from pursuing our ideas and ideals. Such things should not lead us to think that we cannot reach what we have set as our goals. We must always be clear that we are pursuing the intentions set forth in the seminar. Of course, how much we cannot achieve is another question that we must particularly address from time to time. Today, we have only just begun, and all we can do is take note of how strongly social climbing has broken out. And here is the complete passage about people who are not really human. It is long, but it deserves to be read. It shows us a side of Anthroposophy that is usually kept well hidden. "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 [i.e., the highest human non-physical body]; 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. "A teacher: How is that possible? "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." A related consideration: Even in uncut form, these quotations are "out of context" because I have not included all the sentences that came before and after. This is always a problem when quotations from any source are offered. How much of the surrounding text should be included? Every quotation is always "out of context" unless it is presented within the entire surrounding text. But does this mean the entire paragraph, or the entire chapter, or the entire book? Only by reproducing an entire book could we completely avoid taking a quotation out of context, but clearly reproducing whole books is impractical. So, again, I invite you to check me. Go to the books from which I have drawn the quotations and decide for yourself whether I have monkeyed with Steiner's meaning. I'm confident you will find that I have presented Steiner's meaning truthfully. Don't Be Misled Waldorf schools are spreading far and wide. But so is misinformation about them The following items are from the Waldorf Watch "news" page: “The Waldorf School of the Peninsula does not lack in funds, nor is it a low performing school ... The Waldorf School subscribes to a teaching philosophy focused on physical activity and learning through creative, hands-on tasks ... A teacher at the Waldorf school, who was formerly a computer engineer, teaches fractions by having the students cut up food.” [10-30-2011http://www.theborneopost.com/2011/10/30/old-school-new-school/] One of the most creative things about Waldorf schools is their ability to describe themselves without mentioning their actual purposes or beliefs. The author of this story in THE BORNEO POST seems not to have been told about Anthroposophy; there is no reference to it in the article. This is typical of much coverage of Waldorf schools the press everywhere — reporters working on deadline interview Waldorf representatives, quote or paraphrase them in good faith, and move on to the next assignment, none the wiser. What is the actual essence of Waldorf education? “If ... we are asked what the basis of a new method of education should be, our answer is: Anthroposophy must be that basis. But how many people there are, even in our own circles, who try to disclaim Anthroposophy as much as possible, and to propagate an education without letting it be known that Anthroposophy is behind it." — Rudolf Steiner, THE KINGDOM OF CHILDHOOD (SteinerBooks, 1995), p. 4. As for what this means in practice, there are various ways to put it. They all boil down to affirming the mystic doctrines of Anthroposophy, such as: “[Waldorf] education is essentially grounded on the recognition of the child as a spiritual being, with a varying number of incarnations behind him, who is returning at birth into the physical world ... Teachers too will know that it is their task to help the child to make use of his body, to help his soul-spiritual forces to find expression through it, rather than regarding it as their duty to cram him with information....” — Anthroposophist Stewart C. Easton, MAN AND WORLD IN THE LIGHT OF ANTHROPOSOPHY (Anthroposophic Press, 1989), pp. 388-389.* “Waldorf education strives to create a place in which the highest beings [i.e., gods], including the Christ, can find their home....” — Anthroposophist Joan Almon, WHAT IS A WALDORF KINDERGARTEN? (SteinerBooks, 2007), p. 53. “Waldorf education is based upon the recognition that the four bodies of the human being [the physical, etheric, astral, and ego bodies] develop and mature at different times.” — Waldorf teacher Roberto Trostli, RHYTHMS OF LEARNING: What Waldorf Education Offers Children, Parents & Teachers (Anthroposophic Press, 1998), pp. 4-5. “[T]he purpose of [Waldorf] education is to help the individual fulfill his karma.” — Waldorf teacher Roy Wilkinson, THE SPIRITUAL BASIS OF STEINER EDUCATION (Rudolf Steiner Press, 1996), p. 52. I just thought I would mention it.
◊◊◊◊ "One morning near the end of my trip to Beijing last month, I picked up a copy of the China Daily to find this headline, 'Schools that educate the whole child.' It was the story of a new style of schooling that's becoming popular in China — schools that, according to the article, 'emphasize interdisciplinary learning, creative thinking, and aims to develop a child into a free-spirited, morally responsible and integrated individual.' "The schools, called Waldorf Schools, were based on principles developed by Austrian philosopher Rudolf Steiner. But to most Americans, they would look a lot like many U.S. public schools." [7-15-2011 http://www.charlotteobserver.com/2011/07/15/2454983/from-asia-to-america-on-education.html] Don't believe everything you read. Some reporters and columnists write about Waldorf schools without possessing any real knowledge of them. And others write with the intention of misleading readers about the occult basis of Waldorf schooling. [See "Secrets" and "Occultism".] A Waldorf school would resemble a typical American public school only if public schools began each day by having students recite, in unison, a prayer written by Rudolf Steiner [see "Prayers"]; if the purpose of the lower grades was to slow down the development of young children [see "Thinking Cap"]; if the purpose in most grades was to help students incarnate their invisible bodies [see "Incarnation"]; if the "whole child" was considered to have twelve senses, both a spirit and a soul, a karma, an astrological identity, etc. [see "Holistic Education"]; if logical thought was downplayed in favor of preliminary forms of clairvoyance [see "Steiner's 'Science'" and "Steiner's Specific"]; if the teachers sometimes used clairvoyance, astrology, and dreams to guide their work [see "The Waldorf Teacher' Consciousness", "Horoscopes", and "Dreams"]; if computers were considered conveyances of the demon Ahriman [see "Spiders, Dragons and Foxes""]; if festivals having esoteric meaning were periodically staged [see "Magical Arts"]; if the schools' conception of freedom was distinctly Germanic [see "Freedom"]; if the teachers typically stood back to let the kids work out there karmas [see "Slaps"]; if the students were divided according to the four classical temperaments [see "Temperaments"]; if the kids were taught knitting in order to improve their teeth [see "Quotes of the Day, 2011 (b)"]; if, if, if... Actually, any resemblance between Waldorf schools and public schools tends to be considerably less than skin-deep. As for the "popularity" of Waldorf schools in China: Anthroposophists seek to open Waldorf schools in all countries, in order to spread Anthroposophy. But so far there are very few Waldorf schools in China, and the number of students in them is miniscule compared to other forms of education. (And it will be interesting to see what the Chinese authorities do when the religious nature of Waldorf education becomes clear to them. [See "Is Anthroposophy a Religion?"]) — Roger Rawlings ENDNOTES [1] Rudolf Steiner, FACULTY MEETINGS WITH RUDOLF STEINER (Anthroposophic Press, 1998), p. 495. [2] Ibid., p. 118. [3] Rudolf Steiner, RUDOLF STEINER IN THE WALDORF SCHOOL (Anthroposophic Press, 1996), p.156. [4] Rudolf Steiner, EDUCATION FOR ADOLESCENTS (Anthroposophic Press, 1996), p. 60. [5] Rudolf Steiner, THE ESSENTIALS OF EDUCATION (Anthroposophic Press, 1997), p. 23. [6] Rudolf Steiner, THE FOUNDATIONS OF HUMAN EXPERIENCE (Anthroposophic Press, 1996), p. 33. [7] FACULTY MEETINGS WITH RUDOLF STEINER, p. 55. [8] Ibid., p. 705. [9] Ibid., p. 706. Elaborating on this point, Steiner said “[T]his is how our free, nondenominational, religion lessons came about. These were given by our own teachers, just as the other religious lessons were given by ministers. The teachers were recognized by us as religious teachers in the Waldorf curriculum. Thus, anthroposophic religious lessons were introduced in our school. “ [Rudolf Steiner, SOUL ECONOMY AND WALDORF EDUCATION (SteinerBooks, 2003), p. 125] [10] Rudolf Steiner, THE CHILD's CHANGING CONSCIOUSNESS AS THE BASIS OF PEDAGOGICAL PRACTICE (Anthroposophic Press, 1996), p. 94. [11] FACULTY MEETINGS WITH RUDOLF STEINER, p. 655. [12] Rudolf Steiner, RUDOLF STEINER IN THE WALDORF SCHOOL (Anthroposophic Press, 1996), p. 29. [13] Rudolf Steiner, EDUCATION FOR ADOLESCENTS (Anthroposophic Press, 1996), pp. 77. [16] Rudolf Steiner, THE TEMPLE LEGENDS (Rudolf Steiner Press, 1997), p. 249. [17] Rudolf Steiner, CHRIST AND THE HUMAN SOUL (Rudolf Steiner Press, 2008), p. 63. [18] Rudolf Steiner, THE INFLUENCE OF SPIRITUAL BEINGS UPON MAN (Anthroposophic Press, 1961), p. 95. [19] Rudolf Steiner, COMPILED LECTURES BY RUDOLF STEINER (Health Research Books, 2007), p. 34. [20] Rudolf Steiner, THE GOSPEL OF ST. JOHN (Anthroposophic Press, 1973), p. 98. [21] Rudolf Steiner, FOUNDATIONS OF ESOTERICISM (Rudolf Steiner Press, 1982), lecture 17, GA 0093a. [22] FACULTY MEETINGS WITH RUDOLF STEINER (Anthroposophic Press, 1998), p. 10. [23] Rudolf Steiner, THE KINGDOM OF CHILDHOOD (SteinerBooks, 1995), p. 4. [24] ESSENTIALS OF EDUCATION, pp. 64-65. [25] Eugene Schwartz, WALDORF EDUCATION: Schools for the Twenty-First Century (Xlibris Corporation, 2000), p. 17. [26] Ibid., p. 34. [27] Rudolf Steiner, THEOSOPHY OF THE ROSICRUCIAN (Rudolf Steiner Press, 1966), lecture 1, GA 99. [28] Rudolf Steiner, RUDOLF STEINER SPEAKS TO THE BRITISH (Rudolf Steiner Press, 1998), p. 27. [29] Rudolf Steiner, WALDORF EDUCATION AND ANTHROPOSOPHY, Vol. 2 (Anthroposophic Press, 1996), p. 18. Here is a more complete version, and an extension: “Along with exact clairvoyance, you must also achieve something I refer to as ideal magic. This is a kind of magic that must be differentiated from the false magic practiced externally, and associatred with many charlatans ... If, however, people want to enter the spiritual world — in other words, want to attain ideal magic — they must not only intensify inner thinking so that the recognize the second level of existence, but they must also free their will from its connection to the physical body.” [Rudolf Steiner, WALDORF EDUCATION AND ANTHROPOSOPHY, Vol. 2 (Anthroposophic Press, 1996), pp. 18-19.] “If while on Earth you are receptive to the illumination that comes from Spiritual Science [i.e., Anthroposophy], then you are truly helping on the leadership of [the Archangel] Michael ... [T]his is the true ‘ideal magic’. It is the true ‘white magic’ as it was called in oilden times....” [Rudolf Steiner, MAN’S LIFE ON EARTH AND IN THE SPIRITUAL WORLDS (Health Research, 1960), lecture 6, GA 0218.] [30] FACULTY MEETINGS WITH RUDOLF STEINER, p. 10. [31] Ibid., p. 650.  The allure of Waldorf schools can be quite deceptive — what you see at first may be very different from what you see eventually. For information on some Waldorf secrets, see "Secrets". [R. R., 2010.] |
