April, 2018

INDICATIONS 5

Here is a collection of items that appeared on the Waldorf Watch "news" page in April, 2018. The items appear in reverse chronological order: newest first, oldest last. To find a specific item, scroll down the page.

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I am the author of the Waldorf Watch commentaries, editorials, and explanatory notes you will find here. In them, I often generalize about Waldorf schools. There are fundamental similarities among Waldorf schools; I describe the schools based on the evidence concerning their structure and operations in the past and — more importantly — in the present. But not all Waldorf schools, Waldorf charter schools, and Waldorf-inspired schools are wholly alike. To evaluate an individual school, you should carefully examine its stated purposes, its practices (which may or may not be consistent with its stated purposes), and the composition of its faculty.

— Roger Rawlings

April 30, 2018

◊ READINGS ◊

WALDORF FACULTY MEETINGS:

GATHERINGS OF A CULT?

[Waldorf Early Childhood Association of North America, 2012.]

Faculty meetings at Waldorf schools often include activities that would be never occur in faculty meetings at other types of schools. Here’s an example from a recent Waldorf publication, addressed to Waldorf teachers. The author says that in their meetings, Waldorf teachers should study Rudolf Steiner's lectures about certain mystical subjects:

“[T]here is…an aspect of [ourselves] that is always in communication with the hierarchies. [1] This can express itself in different ways. How can we meet our different children [2] in their different development? … We can become masters of the physical body, of physical development. [3] But we can also be experts of destiny. [4] For ten or fifteen minutes in each faculty meeting we should read lectures [by Steiner] on reincarnation and karma.… [5]” — Michaela Glöckler, “From Unborness to I-Consciousness”, in THE JOURNEY OF THE “I” INTO LIFE (Waldorf Early Childhood Association of North America, 2012), p. 29.

Only in Waldorf schools would teachers take time during faculty meetings to read lectures by Rudolf Steiner about reincarnation and karma (or, probably, about anything else).

Waldorf faculty meetings often have the trappings and tenor of church services — the religion involved being Anthroposophy. [6] Here are relevant excerpts from another recent Waldorf publication:

“Of Meetings and Learnings

“Rudolf Steiner expected great things of Waldorf teachers, and the school meetings were to be the place from which these great things would receive their inspiration … The outline below is of the possible form which a pedagogical meeting [7] might take….

“• Opening Verse [8] … • Singing or Eurythmy [9] … • [R]eview of festivals [10] … • [S]tudy for a festival [11] … • A song or simple Eurythmy to close and/or • A verse. [12]” — A HANDBOOK FOR WALDORF TEACHERS, compiled by Kevin Avison (Steiner Waldorf Schools Fellowship, 2011), pp. 46-47.

Not all Waldorf teachers are devout Anthroposophists. Sometimes a Waldorf school is unable to hire a devout Anthroposophist to teach a certain subject or class, so it hires an outsider instead. This has given rise to some shocked reports from these outsiders. Here is one:

“[A] former Waldorf instructor [has said]: ‘I heard in a faculty meeting that there were many important souls waiting to reincarnate in this century and that they would only be able to do so if there were enough Waldorf schools. [13] By the end of the year I taught there I was completely convinced that Waldorf constituted a cultlike religious movement which concealed its true nature from prospective parents.’” — Meagan Francis, ”What’s Waldorf?” (SALON, 5-26-2004).

Calling Waldorf a cult is a bit harsh. But it is not far from the mark.

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Waldorf Watch Footnotes:

[1] In Anthroposophy, the term “hierarchies” is often used as a synonym for “gods.” Steiner taught that there are nine ranks of gods, and these ranks are subdivided into three categories that he called hierarchies. [See "Polytheism".]

Many Waldorf teachers think they work in communication with, and in serve to, the gods. [See, e.g., “Serving the Gods”.] From some perspectives, this belief may be deemed worrisomely delusional.

[2] The “children” are the teachers’ students. It is typical for Waldorf teachers to think of their students as their children. Steiner encouraged Waldorf teachers to consider themselves surrogate parents for their students, surrogates who must counteract the unfortunate effects that mere biological parents may inflicted on kids.

“You [Waldorf teachers] will have to take over children for their education and instruction — children who will have received already (as you must remember) the education, or mis-education given them by their parents." — Rudolf Steiner, THE STUDY OF MAN (Rudolf Steiner Press, 2004), p. 16.

[3] Waldorf teachers strive to "become masters of the physical body" this through study of Steiner’s description of the human constitution. This description provides the basis for Waldorf pedagogy. [See “Oh Humanity”.]

[4] I.e., experts of karma. Belief in reincarnation and karma are central to the Waldorf belief system. [See “Reincarnation” and “Karma”.]

[5] The “reading” would be aloud, and it might be followed by discussion.

[6] See “Is Anthroposophy a Religion?” The answer, in brief, is yes.

[7] I.e., a meeting focused on teaching — a faculty meeting.

[8] The “verses” recited in Waldorf schools are usually prayers, especially prayers written by Rudolf Steiner. [See “Prayers”.]

[9] The songs sung in Waldorf schools are often hymns. [Again, see “Prayers” ]

Eurythmy is a form of temple dancing developed by Steiner. [See “Eurythmy”.] During the eurythmic potion of a faculty meeting, Waldorf teachers would rise from their chairs and perform various dance movements, possibly while circling the room.

[10] The festivals staged in Waldorf schools are based on various religious holidays. They are, in effect, religious observances. [See “Magical Arts”.] Planning for and staging these observances often consumes a major part of the school year. [See the section “The School’s ‘Celebrations’” in “My Life Among the Anthroposophists”.]

[11] I.e., preparation for the next festival in the annual rotation of such events.

[12] I.e., a closing prayer.

[13] The “important souls” would reincarnate as Waldorf teachers or students. Thus, enough Waldorf schools must be opened to create enough slots for all of these important returning souls. (Unimportant souls can presumably incarnate elsewhere.)

— R.R.

April 28, 2018

TROUBLES AT KINGS LANGLEY —

WORSE THAN THOUGHT?

The Rudolf Steiner School in Kings Langley has been ordered closed by UK education authorities. Despite the school's efforts to save itself, the problems there apparently continue with little sign of relief. Here are excerpts from a news item in The Hemel Gazette [Johnson Publishing, UK], interspersed with a few comments from Waldorf Watch:

£750k shortfall, 3 sets of lawyers,

and a wall of silence from

Rudolf Steiner School in Kings Langley

by Ben Raza

A private school which has been threatened with closure by the government has had to ask parents for money.

It is understood the funds are required in order to remain open next year.

Rudolf Steiner School in Kings Langley is appealing for cash donations, loans, or for parents to pay their yearly fees early.

And they are also asking if parents can offer other help, such as voluntary work to help with legal advice, financial work, fundraising, or “educational leadership”.

The school is said to be hoping to raise £750,000 from parents, who were asked for the donations in a meeting on Wednesday April 18.

◊ • ◊

Officials at the school are evidently keeping mum. Interim principal Tim Byford recently agreed to an interview with the Gazette, but then he backed out.

[Mr. Bydford] instead emailed a statement which praised the “beautiful singing” of staff at last week’s meeting.

It said: “We had a massive turn out by parents, staff and RSSKL [Rudolf Steiner School Kings Langley] Association members at the whole school meeting. The meeting opened with some beautiful singing by staff.”

The £9,875-a-year school which has been threatened with closure by the government declined to answer questions from the Gazette this week.

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One of the primary defensive efforts being taken by the school is to load up with lawyers. The school is reported to have hired three legals teams to help in its effort to reverse the government’s closure order.

Three separate legal firms have been employed by the school, including the firm which represented Princess Diana in her divorce from the Prince of Wales, in their efforts to stay open….

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By some indications, the problems at the school may be worse than previous news accounts indicated.

The latest inspection report from Ofsted [Office for Standards in Education] has now been released, and is worse than previously thought.

Two weeks ago the Gazette reported on the latest visit from the school inspection body, which took place in February. At the time that report was not publicly available, but it was believed that only safeguarding was criticised.

However, it is now clear that Ofsted also stated standards were not met in ‘Quality of education’, and in ‘Quality of leadership in and management of schools’.

About quality of education, the report says: “Not all teachers planned lessons in line with leaders’ expectations. For example, they did not consider carefully enough the needs of pupils who have additional learning needs.

“Work was frequently unchallenging and teachers’ assessment of the progress made by pupils was still in its infancy.”

[4/28/2018 https://www.hemeltoday.co.uk/news/750k-shortfall-3-sets-of-lawyers-and-a-wall-of-silence-from-rudolf-steiner-school-in-kings-langley-1-8478872 This story originally appeared on April 27.]

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For prior coverage of the situation the Rudolf Steiner School in Kings Langley, see, e.g., Waldorf Watch accounts from April 19 and April 14, 2018.

For an overview of academic standards at Steiner or Waldorf schools, see "Academic Standards at Waldorf". Having their eyes on the spirit realm, Steiner / Waldorf teachers often give low priority to education in the normal sense — that is, they downplay knowledge and brainwork. Thus, for instance:

“The success of Waldorf Education...can be measured in the life force attained. Not acquisition of knowledge and qualifications, but the life force is the ultimate goal of this school.” — Anthroposophist Peter Selg, THE ESSENCE OF WALDORF EDUCATION (SteinerBooks, 2010)‚ p. 30.

“[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.

“A Waldorf school is...an organization that seeks to allow the spiritual impulses of our time to manifest on earth in order to transform society ... [I]t strives to bring the soul-spiritual into the realm of human life.” — Waldorf teacher Roberto Trostli, “On Earth as It Is in Heaven”, Research Bulletin, Vol. 16 (Waldorf Research Institute), Fall 2011, pp. 21-24.

Overall, Waldorf schooling stands in opposition to "fact-based [i.e., knowledge-based] education." — Waldorf teacher Jack Petrash, UNDERSTANDING WALDORF EDUCATION (Gryphon House, 2002), p. 26.

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Evidently RSSKL has decided to fight the education authorities in court rather than take the opportunity to make genuine improvements in the school's practices. This strategy may seal the school's fate. But, then, making real improvements might require the school to adopt (or pretend to adopt) a philosophy of education that would violate basic Anthroposophical dogma.

— R.R.

April 27, 2018

A STEINER SCHOOL ON THE

NEW OFSTED WARNING LIST

The United Kingdom's Office for Standards in Education (Ofsted) has sent out a new batch of warnings to private schools that have been found deficit in various ways. A Steiner school in London is included on the list.

Whereas a Steiner school in Kings Langley has been threatened with closure by Ofsted, the situation in the London school seems less dire — the problems there would seem to be fairly easy to rectify.

From Schools Week [UK]:

Safeguarding, fire safety and segregation:

Ofsted releases 28 new private school warning notices

[by] Alix Robertson, Pippa Allen-Kinross/

The government has published the latest batch of warning notices issued to underperforming private schools….

The latest round covers 28 schools from around the country which were issued with notices in November 2017, reflecting the government’s recent push to take a tougher line with failing private schools….

[An] investigation uncovered 110 statutory improvement notices handed to private schools over a 16-month period. It also revealed that during that time, private schools had breached the minimum independent school regulations 410 times….

The bad, the worse, and the ugly

…The London Steiner School lacked suitable drinking water facilities and had not ensured all staff preparing food must were trained in food hygiene.

[4/27/2018 https://schoolsweek.co.uk/safeguarding-fire-safety-and-segregation-ofsted-releases-28-new-private-school-warning-notices/]

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For information about the difficulties at the Rudolf Steiner School Kings Langley, see, e.g., news accounts from April 19 and April 14, 2018.

The problems at that school have not yet been resolved, although the Steiner Waldorf movement is evidently making a concerted effort to save what has been one of their flagship schools. See, e.g., a report last September at the Quackometer Blog: "The Rudolf Steiner School Kings Langley’s Fight For Existence":

"...To show that the school is committed to change, it is taking on a new headmaster, probably from another Steiner School, and appointing new trustees. All this change should have been done months ago after the first inspection failures and now looks like shutting the barn door a little too late. But the future of the Steiner movement in education in the UK is at stake here."

[9/5/2017 http://www.quackometer.net/blog/2017/09/the-rudolf-steiner-school-kings-langleys-fight-for-existence.html]

Steiner or Waldorf schools sometimes overlook basic safety measures — their focus is on other, "higher" issues, specifically the spiritual beliefs of their faith, Anthroposophy. In these schools, there is often belief that students will be adequately protected by their guardian angels — teachers and school staff needn't be overly concerned. Also, there is a presumption that the students should enact their karmas — teachers and staff should not, as a rule, interfere. If a child's destiny is to undergo certain trials in this life (such as becoming ill), the experience will accrue to the child's longterm benefit. [See, e.g., "Serving the Gods", "Slaps", and "Karma".]

But practical considerations, specifically keeping a Waldorf or Steiner school in operation, can force the school's hand.

— R.R.

April 26, 2018

◊ READINGS ◊

ASTROLOGICAL GROWTH PATTERNS:

WALDORF EDUCATION

[SteinerBooks, 2009.]

Waldorf education is structured around Rudolf Steiner’s clairvoyant “discovery” that human beings develop on a fixed schedule of seven-year-long phases. This concept is sometimes called Steiner’s most important educational insight. [See “Most Significant”.]

Steiner said that the three seven-year-long phases occurring during childhood entail the birth of a child’s four bodies. The physical body is born at the moment of physical emergence upon the Earth. Seven years later, a second “birth” occurs: The child’s “etheric body” (an envelope of formative life forces) is born. After seven more years have gone by, at age 14, a third birth occurs: The child’s “astral body” (an envelope of soul forces) is born. Later yet, at the end of childhood — at age 21 — the “I” or “ego body” (one’s spiritual ego, one’s divine selfhood) is born. [See "Incarnation".]

The cycle of seven-year-long phases continues well into adulthood, Steiner taught — we are "born" over and over, even after becoming adults. [See “What We’re Made Of”.] According to Steiner, the process of incarnating fully as a human being on Earth involves moving through a fixed sequence of astrological influences beaming down from the planets overhead.

Here is how the matter is summarized in an Anthroposophical publication released during the 21st century:

“Spiritual sight [i.e., clairvoyance] reveals…that the incarnating human being experiences manifold births … [E]very seven years after physical birth a supersensible [i.e., supernatural] aspect of the individual’s being is ‘born’ … These births…follow planetary laws, under the successive rulership of these seven planetary spheres: the three inner planets, Moon, Mercury, Venus; the central Sun (three-times seven years); and the three outer planets, Mars Jupiter, Saturn.” — Beredene Jocelyn, CITIZENS OF THE COSMOS (SteinerBooks, 2009), p. 39.

Several parts of this passage deserve comment. Note that, in Anthroposophy as in classical astrology, there are seven “planets” in our solar system. These seven include the Sun and Moon. Of course, in reality, neither the Sun nor the Moon is a planet. And, in reality, the solar system contains eight planets (or nine if we count Pluto). The real planets are, counting outward, Mercury, Venus, Earth, Mars, Jupiter, Saturn, Uranus, and Neptune (and, perhaps, Pluto). Steiner ended his census of the solar system with Saturn, which he called the outermost planet. He denied that Uranus and Neptune are really members of the solar system — and, despite his “clairvoyance,” he overlooked the icy world called Pluto, which was not discovered until after his death.*

Our focus here should be on the three “inner planets” that, according to Anthroposophical belief, rule childhood. These are the planets of greatest importance in the astrological beliefs that govern Waldorf schooling. Thus, in CITIZENS OF THE COSMOS, Beredene Jocelyn tells us of the “Moon Cycle” (ages zero to seven), followed by the “Mercury Cycle” (ages seven to 14), and the “Venus Cycle” (ages 14 to 21). Here are a few excerpts from her descriptions:

“THE MOON CYCLE … [T]he first year after [physical] birth is the Moon year of the Moon cycle, thus doubly under the Moon’s influence … With the Moon, Queen of the Night, we associate sleep and dreams … [T]he young child…[is a] moon-reflector … [P]arents and the people surrounding him [i.e., the child] should be as a sun to him.” — pp. 30-31.

“THE MERCURY CYCLE … The second period of seven years, the Mercury cycle, covers the time between…the ‘birth’ of the etheric body at seven, and the astral body at fourteen … Mercury is a planet that deals with dualities, with contrasts … The child soul [at this age] delights in experiencing contrasting rhythms … Contrasts and alternations increase the flexibility, mobility, and adaptability of the soul.” — pp. 38-43.

“THE VENUS CYCLE … In the Moon cycle from birth to 7, growth forces proceeded primarily from the head, and in the Mercury cycle, 7-14, from the rhythmic system [i.e., heart, lungs, and esophagus]. In the Venus cycle, they extend further downward to the metabolic-limb-reproductive system … At puberty, on entering the Venus cycle, a new power of love is born … With his own independent astral body he [i.e., the child] advances from generalized to individualized feelings … Intellect alone, not balanced by feeling and will, does not lead to truly constructive action.” — pp. 50-54.

Again, we should comment on at least a few of the falsehoods woven through this Anthroposophical account. Just as astrology is nonsense — just as there is no Moon cycle, Mercury cycle, or Venus cycle ruling a child’s growth — in the same way, there is no “rhythmic system” or “metabolic-limb-reproductive system” in the human constitution. These are occult fantasies promoted by Rudolf Steiner.

An educational system built on such falsehoods must inevitably run astray. We can see one indication of this in Jocelyn’s derogation of intellect, which she derived from Steiner’s teachings about the brain and intellect. No one can deny that feelings and love are extremely important, but we should likewise insist that the brain and intellect are extremely important. But Waldorf education is wary of the brain and its uses. Indeed, Steiner taught that the brain is a highly unreliable organ. He directed Waldorf education away from brainwork. He said the following, for instance:

“[T]he brain and nerve system have nothing at all to do with actual cognition.” — Rudolf Steiner, FOUNDATIONS OF HUMAN EXPERIENCE — The Foundations of Waldorf Education (SteinerBooks, 1996), p. 60.

“Actual cognition,” Steiner taught, is clairvoyance — which he said is seated not in the brain but in nonphysical “organs of clairvoyance.” These are additional falsehoods present at the base of Waldorf education. Clairvoyance is a fantasy at best, a delusion are worst. [See "Clairvoyance".]

As for the use of the brain, Steiner made such comments as this:

“The intellect destroys or hinders.” — Rudolf Steiner, WALDORF EDUCATION AND ANTHROPOSOPHY, Vol. 1 (Anthroposophic Press, 1995), p. 233. [See “Steiner’s Specific”.]

Steiner conceded that the brain has some slight value. He said that after a child has been thoroughly indoctrinated in the occult fantasies of Anthroposophy (these are my words, not his), it may be safe — during the “Venus cycle” — to encourage the child to start thinking, a little. But only a little, mind you. [See, e.g., “Thinking” and “Thinking Cap”.] This is why Jocelyn insists that intellect must be "balanced by feeling and will." Steiner said that intellect used by itself brings us within the clutches of the terrible demon Ahriman.

"Intellectuality flows forth from Ahriman as a cold and frosty, soulless cosmic impulse.” — Rudolf Steiner, ANTHROPOSOPHICAL LEADING THOUGHTS (Rudolf Steiner Press, 1998), p. 98. [See "Ahriman".]

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Jocelyn and Steiner give us a lot to mull over as we consider the falsehoods on which Waldorf education has been erected. Astrology. Mystical cycles. Etheric bodies. Astral bodies. Ego bodies. The rhythmic system. The metabolic-limb-reproductive system. Aversion to thought. Ahriman.

No rational system of education can be erected on the basis of such fictions. But, then, Waldorf education does not aim to be rational.

"You will injure children if you educate them rationally.” — Rudolf Steiner, THE FOUNDATIONS OF HUMAN EXPERIENCE, p. 61.

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* Astronomers have identified additional Pluto-like planets beyond the orbit of Pluto. The full census of our solar system is not yet complete. With each new discovery, Steiner's miniature seven-planet vision is proven more and more false.

— R.R.

April 25, 2018

A STEINER SCHOOL

SATISFIES AN INSPECTOR

From The Hereford Times [Hereford, UK]:

Steiner school keeps good Ofsted rating

[by] Rebecca Cain

A STEINER school in Much Dewchurch has maintained its good Ofsted [Office for Standards in Education] rating.

An Ofsted Inspector visited Hereford Steiner Academy in March for a short inspection after the school was judged to be good in July 2013.

The inspector said the school continued to be good and said "leaders seek continuously to make the school the best it can be”….

In 2008, the school became the first Steiner Waldorf school in the UK to become a state-funded academy.

The inspector said leaders have worked with the local authority to review the strength of the school’s safeguarding arrangements and the policy now fully reflects current government guidance.

Ms Hayes said weaknesses in the system remain which, while these do not put pupils at risk, mean that essential information is not readily available to those who may need it.

[4/25/2018 http://www.herefordtimes.com/news/16182156.Steiner_school_keeps_good_Ofsted_rating/]

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Waldorf Watch Response:

While one major Steiner school in the UK has made news by failing to satisfy Ofsted standards [see, e.g., news accounts from April 19 and April 14], the Hereford Steiner Academy demonstrates that Ofsted inspections need not represent an insuperable barrier. Much depends, of course, on the thoroughness of the inspection in each case.

Whether Steiner or Waldorf schools should accept state funding and submit to state-defined standards has been a controversial issue within the Steiner/Waldorf movement. Some proponents of the movement fear that the unique characteristics of Steiner education will be eroded in the effort to satisfy educational authorities. Becoming a "free school" in the UK or a "charter school" in the USA may mean submitting to standards and rules that would undermine the Steiner approach.

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A formal inspection or even an informal visit by outsiders can be a cause for worry within the Steiner/Waldorf movement. The problem has been felt within the movement from the beginning. At the first Waldorf school, founder Rudolf Steiner sweated out various inspections. As he said during one faculty meeting:

"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.” — Rudolf Steiner, FACULTY MEETINGS WITH RUDOLF STEINER (Anthroposophic Press, 1998), p. 655.

Steiner often claimed that the Waldorf school did not teach the students Anthroposophy, and this claim is often repeated by spokespeople for the movement today, applying it to Steiner and Waldorf schools generally. But Rudolf Steiner's words, above, do not actually support this denial. Steiner was not worried that the visitors would see that a Waldorf history class was imbued with Anthroposophy; he worried that they would think it was imbued with too much Anthroposophy. This is quite different. Steiner was implicitly acknowledging that classes in a Waldorf school will be Anthroposophical to at least some degree.

On other occasions, Steiner was even more open (with his teachers, in a meeting closed to outsiders) about the importance of Anthroposophy in Waldorf education. Thus, for instance, he said this:

“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.” — Rudolf Steiner, FACULTY MEETINGS WITH RUDOLF STEINER, p. 495.

Anthroposophy "will be in the school," Steiner says. When will it be present? "[W]hen it is called for by the material itself.” In other words, whenever Anthroposophists think their belief system has something "objective" to say about any given subject, then Anthroposophy will be brought into the classroom. And, given that Anthroposophists think their belief system contains the ultimate truth about all subjects, this means Anthroposophy will be brought into the classroom on a regular basis. [Concerning the universal applicability of Anthroposophy, see, e.g., "Everything".] Of course, not all Waldorf teachers are Anthroposophists, but a great many are, and Steiner said that they all should be:

"As Waldorf teachers, we must be true anthroposophists in the deepest sense of the word in our innermost feeling.” — Rudolf Steiner, FACULTY MEETINGS WITH RUDOLF STEINER, p. 118.

Steiner did not require Waldorf teachers to leave Anthroposophy at the door before entering the classroom. Instead, he instructed them to frame Anthroposphy in terms children can understand. So, for instance, he said the following to one Waldorf teacher:

“The problem you have is that you have not always followed the directive to bring what you know anthroposophically into a form you can present to little children. You have lectured the children about anthroposophy when you told them about your subject. You did not transform anthroposophy into a child’s level.” — Rudolf Steiner, FACULTY MEETINGS WITH RUDOLF STEINER, pp. 402-403.

Anthroposophy is present in any genuine Steiner or Waldorf school — that is, it is present in any school that follows Rudolf Steiner's directives. Anthroposophy is brought into the Steiner/Waldorf classroom "when it is objectively justified." It is brought into the classroom in "a form you can present to little children," a form that transforms "anthroposophy into a child’s level.” Anthroposophy may be toned down; it may even be hidden from prying eyes. But it will be present. "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...."

The pervasive presence of an occult belief system in Steiner/Waldorf schools may, indeed, cause difficulties during inspections and visits by outsiders.

◊

As for Ofsted safeguarding requirements, these are hardly onerous. Here is how they are summarized in an official Ofsted document:

"Ofsted uses definitions of the term ‘safeguarding’ from statutory guidance.

"Safeguarding children is defined in Working together to safeguard children as:

"• protecting children from maltreatment

"• preventing impairment of children’s health or development

"• ensuring that children are growing up in circumstances consistent with the provision of safe and effective care

"• taking action to enable all children to have the best outcomes" — Guidance, OFSTED SAFEGUARDING POLICY, updated 8 March 2018.

We should hope that any school, Steiner or otherwise, would be able to meet these minimal, clearly sensible standards. The question regarding Steiner/Waldorf schools becomes whether any of the doctrines or practices of Anthroposophy are injurious, or whether the general effort to lure kids toward Anthroposophy may injure them. [For more on these matters, see, e.g., "Slaps", "Extremity", "Indoctrination", and "Who Gets Hurt".]

— R.R.

April 23, 2018

THE DEVELOPMENTALLY DISABLED

AND STEINER

From The Washington Post:

In a country that often isolates the disabled,

this village offers a sense of community

By Mary Gelman

In Russia, people with developmental disabilities usually live isolated lives, unable to study, work or socialize ... Few services are available for them....

But there is a place where everything is different.

Svetlana Village is an unusual community...where about 40 people live ... About half of the residents are disabled, and the other half are volunteers, living and working together in a relationship that resembles a large extended family….

The community is part of the worldwide Camphill Movement, which emphasizes developing potential through community, arts and working on the land. It was started in...1939 by Karl König, an Austrian doctor ... He was inspired by the spiritually oriented philosophy of Rudolf Steiner, the Austrian...who started the first Waldorf School.

Today, there are 100 Camphill communities in 20 countries.

[4/23/2018 https://www.washingtonpost.com/news/in-sight/wp/2018/04/23/in-a-country-that-often-isolates-the-disabled-this-village-offers-a-sense-of-community/?utm_term=.2f5759df2d8c]

◊ • ◊

Waldorf Watch Response:

The Camphill movement is one of the outreach arms of Anthroposophy. Depending on one's perspective, Camphill is either a shining example of Anthroposophical altruism, or it is a particularly worrisome misapplication of Rudolf Steiner's occult belief system.

Steiner sometimes indicated that he and his followers could do little to assist developmentally disabled individuals. At the first Waldorf school, he told the teachers that one student in particular was beyond their aid. The little girl in question, he said, was not really a human being.

“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 portion of the human spiritual ego] ... Quite a number of people have been born since the [the 1890s] without an I, that is, they are not reincarnated, but are human forms filled with a sort of natural demon ... [T]hey are human beings only in regard to their form. We cannot, however, create a school for demons.” — Rudolf Steiner, FACULTY MEETINGS WITH RUDOLF STEINER (Anthroposophic Press, 1998), p. 649.

On other occasions, Steiner resorted to astrology and other forms of superstition for guidance in the diagnosis and care of afflicted children.

“By looking at what the horoscope shows we can see what is really the matter [with a child].

“Take first this horoscope (of the elder sister). It will probably have struck you that you find here in this region, Uranus together with Venus and Mars. You will not really need to carry your considerations any further than this triangle....

“Now let us turn to the horoscope of the young child. Again, here are Venus and Uranus and Mars near together, the three of them covering between them no more than this section of the heavens ... On this second horoscope, Mars, Venus and Uranus are in close proximity, exactly as before; but when we examine more nearly the position of Mars, we find it is not, as before, in complete opposition to the Moon ... [Etc.]” — Rudolf Steiner, CURATIVE EDUCATION (Rudolf Steiner Press, 1972), lecture 11, GA 317.

Concepts such as these — demons in human form, the study of horoscopes — suggest the limitations often found in Camphill communities. Modern psychiatric therapies are largely spurned at these communities. The disabled residents and their caregivers are thought to be bound to one another by karma. Therapy entails acceptance of karma and enactment of religious observances, including pagan festivals. In general, no cures for psychological impairments are sought — these are accepted as necessary stages in the cycle of reincarnation.

◊ "Most of the [caregivers] are a committed core ... [M]any belong to the General Anthroposophical Society and the School of Spiritual Science … Anthroposophy’s teachings stress that individuals who become closely involved with each other have karmic ties that reach back into past incarnations … The Camphill communities’ stable rhythm of life is marked by an almost medieval sense of the seasons. Christian saints’ days, as well as pagan festivals such as May Day, are celebrated.” — Geoffery Ahern, "Five Karmas, or Anthroposophy in Great Britain". [See "Waldorf Now". For information on the General Anthroposophical Society and the School of Spiritual Science, see The Brief Waldorf / Steiner Encyclopedia.]

◊ "Every Friday night, members of the Camphill gathered to read the Gospels and discuss them, and then they performed a ritual sharing of bread and salt. On Sunday morning, another ritual took place, which I knew to be based on the Anthroposophic worship Rudolf Steiner established for the children of Anthroposophists at the first Waldorf school in Stuttgart ... Within this Camphill, the leaders adopted a resolutely hostile attitude toward psychology and psychoanalysis, which they saw as incarnations of evil. 'There are no psychologists here!' the main leader proudly repeated, although many patients there had significant psychological disorders that should have received skilled care. 'We are all therapists!' he stated, when I expressed misgivings. It becomes clear why he took this line when you read the harsh criticism that Rudolf Steiner directed at psychoanalysis. Even Jung found no favor in his eyes, since Jung failed to open himself to the 'spiritual wisdom' of Anthroposophy." — Grégoire Perra, "My Life Among the Anthroposophsists". [For more on "Anthroposophic worship...established...at the first Waldorf school", see "Waldorf Worship".]

◊ "In small [Camphill] communities, such as farms, people with developmental difficulties...work, learn and live together ... Disabilities are not treated as illnesses ... [It is believed that] impairments in one incarnation may be a way to acquire strength for a succeeding one." — Henk van Oort, ANTHROPOSOPHY A-Z (Sophia Books, Rudolf Steiner Press, 2011), p. 111.

The Anthroposophical attitude toward disabilities severely limits that scope of the "therapy" offered in Camphill communities. The goal of treatment at Camphill is often to accept various limiting conditions, not to cure or significantly ameliorate them. The disabled may be accorded greater human dignity at Camphill than they have usually known elsewhere, and this is surely to the good. But, on the other hand, they may often be denied proper medical care at Camphill, with the result that their conditions may be prolonged or even worsened.

The same problem extends to other medical conditions endured by other residents in these communities: Cures may not be sought, or the approaches adopted may exclude the benefits of genuine medical care. Anthroposophical couples residing at Camphill communities raise their children there, largely isolated from the world outside. Most of these children have no developmental disabilities, but they may suffer nonetheless from Anthroposophy's aversion to modern medical practices. See, for instance, the memoir of Robert Smith-Hald, who was raised in two Camphill communities: "Growing Up Being made Sick by Anthroposophy".

"[Anthroposophists] believe that sickness is the soul incarnating, and also that it has to do with karma. They don’t believe in inoculations, so I had all the child diseases going around, some twice.” — Robert Smith-Hald. [See "Steiner's Quackery".]

Like other Anthroposophical endeavors, Camphill communities are well-intended. But whether they actually achieve beneficial results is, to put the matter mildly, doubtful.

— R.R.

April 21, 2018

BUTTERFLIES, FIRE SPIRTS,

AND ASTROLOGY

From The Auburn Journal [California, USA]:

Mass planting to help butterflies

MEADOW VISTA — Live Oak Waldorf School’s fourth-grade planned to begin a mass planting of milkweed Tuesday on campus to support the local butterfly habitat. The school is participating in the Schoolyard Habitat Program through the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service.

Sarah Dunbar is the fourth-grade teacher and guiding force behind the endeavor.

“I thought of this in second grade when pondering how to engage our class and school in an environmental service project that could bring to life some of our science and geography curricula,” Dunbar said....

Live Oak Waldorf School will be one of several California schools participating in the Schoolyard Habitat Program....

[4/21/2018 http://www.auburnjournal.com/article/4/18/18/mass-planting-help-butterflies This story originally appeared on April 18.]

◊ • ◊

Waldorf Watch Response:

Waldorf schools generally embrace green values. They promote environmental sensitivity among their students, and they frequently encourage the students to participate in ecologically beneficial projects.

All of this is good; all of it deserves commendation.

◊

If we look more deeply, we will find — as always concerning the Waldorf movement — strange esoteric doctrines propounded by the founder of Waldorf education, Rudolf Steiner. Whether Steiner's doctrines should affect our approval of the good ecological work undertaken at Waldorf schools is questionable. Indeed, whether any particular Waldorf teacher — such as Sarah Dunbar — knows what Steiner said about these things is, perhaps, not terribly important.

Still, consulting Steiner is alway helpful if we want to penetrate to the core of Waldorf beliefs and practices.

So, what did Steiner teach about butterflies?

As it turns out, Steiner had a lot to say about butterflies, especially in the set of lectures that has been published under the title MAN AS SYMPHONY OF THE CREATIVE WORLD (Rudolf Steiner Press, 1970).

Here are some excerpts taken from the chapter summaries given near the front of this book. (I have added footnotes that may prove instructive.)

The butterfly is a creation of the upper cosmic forces. [1] Its egg is under direct influence of the sun, the caterpillar [is under the influence] of Mars, the chrysalis [is under the influence] of Jupiter, and the freed butterfly [is under the influence of] Saturn. [2] … Influences of the lower planets — Moon, Venus, Mercury — supplant the upper planets which influence the butterfly. The butterfly is the freed plant, the plant [is] the fettered butterfly [3] … The butterfly continually gives spiritualized substance to the cosmos during life, not only, like the birds, at death. [4] Butterflies are creatures of light-ether, birds of warmth. [5] ... Both bird and butterfly overcome gravity, while bats are subject to it. [6] … Fire spirits complete butterflies in their bodily nature. [7] … The sylphs carry the astrality of dying birds to the hierarchies. [8] The fire beings do the same with the gleaming of the warmth ether on the butterflies' wings. [9]

— Contents page, MAN AS SYMPHONY OF THE CREATIVE WORLD (Rudolf Steiner Press, 1970).

◊ • ◊

Waldorf Watch Footnotes:

R.R. Interpretive Paraphrase:

In our present time, demons allied with Lucifer — Luciferic Spirits [1] — are spread throughout the ranks of the gods. [2] Spirits of Motion are the gods who properly create the group soul of animals [3], but today we find Luciferic Spirits standing at the same level as the Spirits of Motion [4]. These Luciferic Spirits of Motion oppose the actions of the normal Spirits of Motion; they oppose the proper course of evolution. [5] These Luciferic Spirits dwell on the various planets of our solar system, as do the offspring of the Spirits of Motion (i.e., the group souls of animals). [6] The Luciferic Spirits of Motion have their parts to play in the divine plan of the cosmos, and they have their assigned homes on the planets. [7] Just as the group souls of the animals dwell on the various planets, so also do certain Luciferic Spirits of Motion. [8] These Luciferic Spirits have taken upon themselves a job that really should belong to the normal Spirits of Motion — the Luciferic Spirits work from their locations on the planets to cause certain types of beings to be born upon the Earth and to develop there [9] ... The gods originally intended all human beings to be alike, molded according to a single plan — but the Luciferic Spirits of Motion have caused humanity to subdivide into differing races. [10] Whereas the divine cosmic plan had intended for just one type of human being to exist on the Earth at any given time, the Luciferic Spirits of Motion sent down their influences from the planets, causing different races to develop at different places upon the Earth. [11]

◊ • ◊

Waldorf Watch Footnotes:

[1] Steiner is speaking about minions of Lucifer; demons in the train of the arch-demon, Lucifer.

[2] I.e., every rank of god. Steiner taught that there are nine ranks of gods. The highest three ranks comprise the “first hierarchy,” the middle three ranks comprise the “second hierarchy,” and the lowest three ranks comprise the “third hierarchy.” Here, Steiner says that there are Luciferic Spirits spread throughout the ranks of gods.

[3] “Group souls,” according to Steiner, are souls shared by all members of a group such as a species or race. Animals lack individual souls, Steiner said, but each species of animal shares a group soul.

[4] Spirits of Motion, Steiner taught, are gods in the middle rank of the Second Hierarchy — that is, they are gods of the fifth rank overall. Here, Steiner says that the Spirits of Motion created the group souls of the animals.

[5] Normal gods, according to Steiner, are those who have evolved at the proper pace and in the proper way. (Steiner taught that gods evolve just as humans do.) Abnormal gods are those who have failed to evolve properly. The Luciferic Spirits have not only failed to evolve properly, but they have actively opposed proper spiritual evolution. This is what makes them demonic.

[6] Astrology is woven throughout Anthroposophy. Steiner taught that gods and demons dwell on the stars and planets, sending their influences down to us on the Earth.

[7] All gods and demons play their parts in cosmic evolution, Steiner taught. Seen in one way, then, even the demons are constructive or good. But, seen from another perspective, a clear distinction can be drawn between normal (“good”) spirits and abnormal (“evil”) spirits.

[8] Group souls are, in and of themselves, spiritual beings — they are, in a manner of speaking, gods. Here Steiner says that group souls dwell on the planets just as other spirits — such as Spirits of Motion — do. (The group souls work from the planets to create the various species of animals upon the Earth.) Steiner also indicates that the Luciferic Spirits on the planets are essentially "Luciferic Spirits of Motion" — i.e., they are Luciferic Spirits who stand at the same level as Spirits of Motion. These Luciferic Spirits act, in effect, as abnormal Spirits of Motion.

[9] I.e., the Luciferic Spirits usurp the proper activities of the normal Spirits of Motion — they send down influences from the planets affecting the types of human beings who exist upon the Earth.

[10] I.e., the Luciferic Spirits “differentiate” (divide) the human race, so that different races exist simultaneously upon the Earth. Originally, Steiner says, the gods intended for all humans to be the same (“the human race…was actually…designed according to a single plan”), but the Luciferic Spirits worked against this original plan — they divided humanity.

[11] The Luciferic Spirits, working from the planets, enabled differing races to arise. Note that on other occasions, Steiner said that Ahrimanic Spirits (minions of the arch-demon Ahriman) were also involved, and he made it clear that the activities of the two types of demons (summarized as Lucifer and Ahriman) were evil. If human evolution had proceeded correctly, Steiner said, all humans on the Earth at any one time would be the same. We would all start out together as members of a single primitive race, and then we would all reincarnate together as members of progressively higher and higher races. The existence of multiple races on the Earth at the same time — races standing at different levels of development — resulted from demonic interference, Steiner taught. Thus, for instance:

“Lucifer and Ahriman...fought against [the] harmonious tendency of development in the evolution of humanity, and they managed to change the whole process so that various developments were shifted and displaced. While there should have been basically only one form of human being...Lucifer and Ahriman preserved [earlier human types] ... Thus, forms that should have disappeared remained. Instead of racial diversities developing consecutively, older racial forms remained unchanged and newer ones began to evolve at the same time. Instead of the intended consecutive development of races, there was a coexistence of races. That is how it came about that physically different races inhabited the earth and are still there in our time although evolution should really have proceeded [correctly].” — Rudolf Steiner, THE UNIVERSAL HUMAN: THE EVOLUTION OF INDIVIDUALITY, Lectures from 1909-1916 (Anthroposophic Press, 1990), p. 75.

[For more on some of the matters touched on here, see, e.g., "Steiner's Racism", "Lucifer", "Astrology", "Evolution, Anyone?", and "Neutered Nature". Also see such entries in The Brief Waldorf / Steiner Encyclopedia as "gods", "demons", "animals", "group souls", and "good and evil".]

— R.R.

April 11, 2018

GNOMES AND OTHER ELEMENTALS

SEEN CLAIRVOYANTLY

Currently featured at the Rudolf Steiner Book Centre, Sydney, Australia:

[Rudolf Steiner Press, 2016.]

Author(s) STEINER, RUDOLF

Title Nature Spirits Selected Lectures

Binding Paperback

Publisher Rudolf Steiner Press

ISBN Number 185584530X / 9781855845305

Seller ID 14820

Based on knowledge attained through his highly-trained clairvoyance, Rudolf Steiner contends that folk traditions regarding nature spirits are based on spiritual reality. He describes how people possessed a natural spiritual vision in ancient times, enabling them to commune with nature spirits. These entities — which are also referred to as elemental beings — became immortalised as fairies and gnomes in myth, legend and children's stories.

Today, says Steiner, the instinctive understanding that humanity once had for these elemental beings should be transformed into clear scientific knowledge. He even asserts that humanity will not be able to reconnect with the spiritual world if it cannot develop a new relationship to the elementals. The nature spirits themselves want to be of great assistance to us, acting as 'emissaries of higher divine spiritual beings'.

[When referring to this item please quote our ID 14820]

START Rudolf Steiner's Books

Price = 39.95 AUD

[4/11/2018 http://www.rudolfsteinerbookcentre.com.au/si/14820.html]

◊ • ◊

Waldorf Watch Response:

For information about nature spirits, see "Neutered Nature". To investigate gnomes in particular (gnome figures and images are prominent in many Waldorf classrooms), see "Gnomes".

To consider nature spirits in the context of other extraordinary beings accepted as real in Anthroposophy, see "Beings".

The "higher divine spiritual beings" mentioned in the promotional matter for NATURE SPIRITS, above, are gods. Anthroposophists revere vast numbers of gods arrayed in nine ranks. The Waldorf religion, Anthroposophy, is polytheistic. For more on the gods as conceived in Anthroposophy, see "Polytheism".

◊

The following is from The Brief Waldorf / Steiner Encyclopedia, written by Yrs. Trly.

nature spirits - also see elemental beings; fairies; fire spirits; gnomes; goblins; phantoms; salamanders; specters; sylphs; undines

In various traditions: incorporeal beings residing in nature or the elements. Steiner said such beings actually do exist within the forces of nature. They should be properly called elemental beings, Steiner taught, because they lack real spirit. They are potentially dangerous, hostile, or alienating; some are Ahrimanic; but often they are used for good by the good gods, and some are sweet. Nature spirits, generally, are the progeny of the Third Hierarchy, the lowest grouping of gods. [1] "[T]he offspring of the Third Hierarchy are the nature-spirits, while the offspring of the Second Hierarchy are the Group-souls ... [T]he Spirits of the Rotation of Time [are] the offspring of the beings of the First Hierarchy. [2]" — R. Steiner, THE SPIRITUAL BEINGS IN THE HEAVENLY BODIES AND IN THE KINGDOMS OF NATURE (Steiner Book Center, 1981), lecture 2, GA 136.

The primary types of nature spirits are gnomes (who dwell in the ground), sylphs (who dwell in the air), salamanders or fire spirits (who dwell in fire), and undines (who dwell in water). [See "Neutered Nature".] They are generally invisible. ◊ "It is true that the beings which we call gnomes and goblins [3] have a physical body, but they do not possess what in man we call the ego [4] ... [T]heir bodies [are] far less visible than the physical body of man." — R. Steiner, THE INFLUENCE OF SPIRITUAL BEINGS ON MAN (Anthroposophic Press, 1961), lecture 8, GA 102. ◊ "I have told you that those beings which we call the nature-spirits of the water [undines], work especially in the budding and sprouting plant-world. Those which we may call the nature-spirits of the air [sylphs], play their part in late summer and autumn, when the plants prepare to fade and die ... The disposition that at one time the spirits of the water, and at another the spirits of the air should work in this or that region of the earth, changes according to the different regions of the earth. [5]" — R. Steiner, THE SPIRITUAL BEINGS IN THE HEAVENLY BODIES AND IN THE KINGDOMS OF NATURE (Steiner Book Centre, 1981), lecture 2, GA 136. ◊ "The sylphs experience their self, their ego, when they see the birds flying about. [6] The fire-spirits [7] have this experience, but to an intensified degree, in regard to...the insect-world [8] ... [T]he bee is everywhere accompanied by a fire-spirit which feels so closely related to it that, for spiritual vision [9], the bee is surrounded by an aura [10] which is actually a fire-spirit.” — R. Steiner, MAN AS SYMPHONY OF THE CREATIVE WORD (Rudolf Steiner Press, 1970), lecture 7, GA 230.

Below the main four types of nature spirits are various beings Steiner denominated as "subordinate nature spirits." If human beings degenerate, falling to lower and lower levels in succeeding incarnations, they may fall out of the human race and become subordinate nature spirits. This means loosing their human identities, their souls, and thus losing the ability to reincarnate further. "Such souls lose the possibility of incarnation and find no other opportunity ... [T]here are no more bodies bad enough [10] ... Beings that stay behind at such stages appear in a later epoch as subordinate nature spirits." — R. Steiner, NATURE SPIRITS (Rudolf Steiner Press, 1995), p. 70.

media policies at Waldorf schools - also see Ahriman; computers; mechanization; technology; television

Many Waldorf schools have "media policies" under which parents agree to curtail their children's exposure to television, computers, cell phones, the Internet, and other electronic media or forms of electronic communication and entertainment. Sensible arguments can be made for limiting the amount of time children spend staring into electronic screens, but the Waldorf view is mystical rather than rational. The fundamental Waldorf objection to technological devices of all sorts is a fear of demons. Rudolf Steiner taught, and his followers believe, that technology provides the means for demons to incarnate on Earth. [See "Computers" and "Media Policies" at Waldorf Straight Talk.] Usually, however, Waldorf schools describe their media policies in calmer terms. Thus, for instance: "Why do we choose to protect our children from exposure to TV, videos, movies, computer games, gameboys, and other media? ... The Waldorf School is designed to nourish the feeling life of children and to strengthen the imagination [1] ... Students accustomed to passively receiving impressions have difficulty making the inner effort necessary to sustain imaginative thought ... Parents are especially asked to refrain, throughout the years at Summerfield (even in HIGH SCHOOL!), from any media exposure on a school night ... We encourage parents to....create a media-free lifestyle." —Summerfield Waldorf School, downloaded May 13, 2015.

The actual thinking behind Waldorf media policies is found in such works as THE COMPUTER AND THE INCARNATION OF AHRIMAN (Rudolf Steiner College Press), by David B. Black. [2] The author indicates that the development of computers has hastened the earthly arrival of the terrible demon Ahriman. [3] Steiner warned that the very use of electricity leads to a demonic society. "[E]lectric atoms are little demons of Evil ... [W]hen we listen to a modern physicist blandly explaining that Nature consists of electrons, we merely listen to him explaining that Nature really consists of little demons of Evil! And if we acknowledge Nature in this form, we raise Evil to the rank of the ruling world-divinity ... If we contemplate electricity today, we contemplate the images of a past moral reality that have turned into something evil." — R. Steiner, "Concerning Electricity" (General Anthroposophical Society, 1940), GA 220. Steiner's followers have heeded him on this matter. “The exploitation of electric forces — for example in information and computing technologies — spreads evil over the Earth in an immense spider's web. And fallen spirits of darkness [i.e., demons]...are active in this web.” — R. Seddon, THE END OF THE MILLENNIUM AND BEYOND (Temple Lodge Publishing, 1996), p. 24. To protect children, then, we need to shield them from electronic mechanisms.

[1] See the entry for "imagination" in this encyclopedia.

[2] See, e.g., "Spiders, Dragons and Foxes".

[3] Ahriman is one of the two chief demons described in Anthroposophical texts. [See "Ahriman".]

3. Bubble of Protection

Children certainly need to be loved and protected. We should try to ensure that all children are safe and happy.

A major criticism of Waldorf schooling, however, is that it immerses children in a fantasy universe from which they may have great difficulty extricating themselves. The Waldorf belief system, Anthroposophy, is a fantastic amalgam of mystical fantasies — fantasies that are embraced as truths. So, for instance, Steiner and his followers believe in the actual existence of "nature spirits" such as gnomes, and they believe that myths (especially Norse myths) tell of the real activities of various gods (such as Odin, Thor, Freya). Waldorf schools lure children toward such beliefs. [See, e.g., "Neutered Nature", "Gnomes" and "The Gods — Norse Myths at Waldorf".]

4. Early Academics

Waldorf schools resist giving young students academic instruction. Reading, writing, and arithmetic are usually delayed far longer than at other types of schools. Rational arguments can be given for such an approach, but the Waldorf reasons tend to be rooted in mystical fantasies such as the ones we mentioned above. Specifically, Rudolf Steiner taught that young children will be damaged if they are given intellectually stimulating work until their "etheric bodies" have incarnated. [See "Incarnation".]

"You will injure children if you educate them rationally.” — Rudolf Steiner, THE FOUNDATIONS OF HUMAN EXPERIENCE (Anthroposophic Press, 1996), p. 61.

Waldorf spokespeople usually argue that Waldorf students eventually catch up with — or even surpass — students are other schools. But this is unlikely. When intellectual work, including science, is finally introduced into the Waldorf curriculum, it tends to be compromised by the mystical inclinations that infuse all of Waldorf schooling. Thus, for instance, Waldorf tends to repudiate real science, preferring metaphysical "Goethean" science instead. [See "Goethe" and "Steiner's 'Science'".]

5. Developmental Timeline

Waldorf education is structured around the fanciful description of childhood development given by Rudolf Steiner. Steiner taught a child is actually "born" four times, when the child's four bodies are incarnated one after the other. A child receives a physical body at the moment of physical birth, then s/he gets an "etheric" body around age seven, an "astral body" around age 14, and an "ego body" (or "ego" or "I") at the end of childhood, around age 21. [See the entries for "etheric body", etc., in The Brief Waldorf / Steiner Encyclopedia.]

The proposition that children undergo a series of seven-year-long phases is sometimes called Steiner's greatest educational insight. [See "Most Significant".] But if we recognize that the etheric body, etc., are illusions, then this "insight" loses its claim to serious consideration. In fact, Steiner stressed various numbers such as seven and 12 because of their supposed spiritual or numerological importance. [See "Magic Numbers".]

◊ • ◊

Overall, Waldorf is based on Anthroposophy. If you cannot accept the mystical beliefs of Anthroposophy, Waldorf education will almost surely disappoint you, sooner or later.

Waldorf spokespeople will do their best to give cogent arguments in behalf of Waldorf schooling, and they will usually deny that Anthroposophy plays a major role at Waldorf. But you should be careful in evaluating such arguments. Steiner urged his followers to mislead outsiders whenever necessary. [See "Secrets".] In particular, he said that the ties between Waldorf and Anthroposophy should be downplayed or denied. For instance, he told teachers at the first Waldorf school the following:

“[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." — Rudolf Steiner, FACULTY MEETINGS WITH RUDOLF STEINER (Anthroposophic Press, 1998), p. 705.

He told the teachers they should certainly embrace Anthroposophy, but they should do so quietly.

"As Waldorf teachers, we must be true anthroposophists in the deepest sense of the word in our innermost feeling.” — Rudolf Steiner, FACULTY MEETINGS WITH RUDOLF STEINER, p. 118.

But hush!

—R.R.

April 5, 2018

◊ READINGS ◊

NONESUCH

DEVELOPMENTS

Waldorf education hinges, to a large degree, on the description of child development given by Rudolf Steiner. According to this description, children mature in a more or less rigid sequence of bodily, psychological, and spiritual changes. Little allowance is made for individual variability between children. All kids of a given age are thought to stand at approximately the same level of development.

So, for instance, a Waldorf teachers’ association has put out a pamphlet that describes “the one-year-old child,” "the two-year-old child,” and so forth — as if all children in their first year, their second year, etc., develop in the same way at essentially the same speed.

[Waldorf Early Education Associaition of North America]

The Waldorf conception of childhood development is fundamentally mystical. Based on Rudolf Steiner’s occult doctrines, it postulates stages of maturation that are little more than mystical fantasies. So, for instance, the seven-year-old child is thought to receive her/his “etheric body” — an invisible envelope of “life forces.” The etheric body is also sometimes called the “life body” or the “formative-forces body.” This body is the first of three invisible bodies that, according to Waldorf belief, incarnate during the first 21 years of life. [See “Incarnation”.]

◊

Here is how the arrival of the etheric body is described in CHILD DEVELOPMENT: YEAR BY YEAR:

The Seven-Year-Old Transformation

…In Waldorf education we speak about the first seven years as the period of time during which the child "takes hold" of his or her physical body. This "taking hold of" gesture includes the change of teeth….

With the eruption of the child’s permanent teeth, some of the growth forces active in the first seven years, also called the life or etheric forces, are now available for creating on another level, in the area of imagination or mental images….

…Once the child has taken hold of his or her physical body and some of the growth forces are freed for other creative functions, the child has gained his or her own "protective garment," usually referred to as the life body or etheric body. Waldorf educators recognize this freeing of some of the creative forces…as a sign of the birth of the child’s own life body or etheric body....

— CHILD DEVELOPMENT: YEAR BY YEAR (Waldorf Early Education Association of North America, 2017), p. 18.

◊

Before sending your child to a Waldorf school, make sure you understand — and can accept — the thinking on which the schools are based. If this thinking strikes you as false, you should look for a different kind of school.

[For more on the etheric body, see the entry for "etheric body" in The Brief Waldorf / Steiner Encyclopedia. The other invisible bodies that Waldorf teachers believe in are the "astral body," believed to incarnate around age 14, and the "ego body" (or "ego" or "I"), believed to incarnate around age 21. You might also look up the entries for these bodies in the Encyclopedia. As for the importance Waldorf teachers attach to children's teeth, see the entries for "baby teeth" and "teeth". Concerning "the area of imagination or mental images", see the entries for "imagination" and "clairvoyance". According to Steiner, imagination is a precursor to — or the initial stage of — clairvoyance.]

—R.R.

April 4, 2018

WALDORF CLUES

AND TIP-OFFS

From The Mint Hill Times [North Carolina, USA]:

Wawa-Wasi Country Schoolhouse

brings Waldorf education to Mint Hill

BY MARY BETH FOSTER,

The grassroots Waldorf preschool located off Bartlett Road is grounded in the ideas of Austrian philosopher, social reformer and visionary Rudolf Steiner. Waldorf is a holistic educational approach based on the developmental stages of childhood with the goal of creating well-rounded, independent and free thinking individuals.

It’s an educational approach that founder Silvana Mitchell was well-acquainted with when she relocated to Charlotte over four years ago from Florida. Mitchell describes it as “heartbreaking” when she realized there were no Waldorf schools in Charlotte. “I say, OK, well, I have to start something,” she recalls.

“We started as a co-op,” says Mitchell. “I started this community, the Waldorf and the Wild Child Nature School, as a community offering, just a group that got together.” At the time, Mitchell was trying to raise awareness of the Waldorf methodology in the Charlotte area. Next fall, Mitchell will begin offering 2- 3- and 4-day preschool options for children ages 3-6....

[4/4/2018 https://www.minthilltimes.com/featured/wawa-wasi-country-schoolhouse-brings-waldorf-education-to-mint-hill/]

◊ • ◊

Waldorf Watch Response:

It is often difficult for reporters to gain extensive knowledge of Waldorf education before they write news items about it. They generally rely, in good faith, on what various Waldorf representatives tell them.

Waldorf representatives may (usually) try to tell the truth about their educational system, as they understand it. But their knowledge may not always be deep — in the glow of enthusiasm, they may believe their own best vision of Waldorf, without looking much deeper. And, then again, if they do possess deeper insights into Waldorf education, they may decide to conceal these insights from outsiders.

So how can you know if you are being given reliable, factual information about Waldorf?

One tip-off, often, concerns the way the founder of Waldorf education — Rudolf Steiner — is described. Steiner was a mystic, a self-described occultist, a professed clairvoyant. [1] All of his fundamental teachings come from his claimed use of clairvoyance. If you find Steiner being described in ways that conceal these facts (he was a "philosopher, a social reformer..."), your guard should go up.

Another indicator, often, can be found in the sheer wide-eyed zeal often reflected in presentations of Waldorf schooling. Consider some of the terms found in the item above. Waldorf is "holistic." It is "based on the developmental stages of childhood." It aims to create "free-thinking individuals." This all sounds wonderful. But what does it actually mean?

As we have discussed recently, Waldorf is "holistic" because it embraces Steiner's extremely elaborate, mystical conception of human nature. Humans have both spirits and souls, they have 12 senses, they have four bodies (three of which are invisible), etc. [2] An education based on this conception of human nature may be "holistic," but it also may be severely divorced from reality. And, indeed, the fundamental Waldorf precepts are fantastically unrealistic. [3]

What about "the developmental stages of childhood"? Primarily, at Waldorf schools, these stages concern our four bodies. We acquire our physical bodies, of course, when we are born. Waldorf doctrine adds that the "etheric body" incarnates around age seven, the "astral body" around age 14, and the "ego body" (or "ego" or "I") around age 21. [4] This fantasy guides most of what happens in Waldorf schooling:

"Waldorf education is based upon the recognition that the four bodies of the human being 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.

Waldorf education is "based" on this belief. Let that sink in.

As for "freedom" — Rudolf Steiner wanted to help free his followers of their lowly, earthy, materialistic impulses. In this sense, Steiner created institutions — including the original Waldorf school — that prize freedom. But in the larger sense, freedom is alien to Steiner's institutions. Steiner taught there are really just two paths in life, the "white path" of truth and the "black path" of falsehood. By truth, he meant is own teachings; by falsehood, he meant opposition to his teachings. If you don't follow Steiner's "white path," you will lose your soul. Really, you have only one good option in life: It is to follow Steiner. So much for freedom. [5]

When you read a glowing account about Waldorf education, you should entertain the possibility that you are being told the truth. But you should also be, perhaps more than a little bit, skeptical.

[For more on how to form an accurate view of Waldorf education, see, e.g., "Advice for Parents" and "Clues".]

◊

"Wawa-Wasi" is not an Anthroposophical term. Wawa-Wasi Country School gives this definition on its website:

The word "Wawa-Wasi", comes from the Quechua dialect and it means Children's home. Wawa-Wasi is your child's home away from home!

[http://www.wawawasiwaldorf.org/about.html]

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[1] Steiner's most important book, summarizing his teachings, is OCCULT SCIENCE - AN OUTLINE. By "occult science," Steiner essentially meant the religion he created: Anthroposophy. [See "Occultism", "Everything", and "Is Anthroposophy a Religion?".] As for clairvoyance, Steiner claimed to possess an extremely high level of this fictitious psychic power, and he claimed he could teach his followers to attain a similar level. [See "Knowing the Worlds".] Many Waldorf teachers believe that they themselves are clairvoyant. [See "The Waldorf Teacher's Consciousness".] The problem with all this is that clairvoyance is an illusion. [See "Clairvoyance".]

[2] See the Waldorf Watch news item for March 23, 2018: "Hearts and Hands — And Heads?" Also see "Holistic Education".

[3] The chief text outlining the concepts behind Waldorf education is Steiner's book THE FOUNDATIONS OF HUMAN EXPERIENCE. (It has also been published as STUDY OF MAN and A GENERAL KNOWLEDGE OF THE HUMAN BEING.) For a guided tour through the book, see "Oh Humanity".

[4] See "Incarnation". Concerning Steiner's notion that children develop through a series of seven-year-long phases, see "Most Significant".

[5] See "Freedom".

—R.R.

April 3, 2018

DEATH, DYING,

AND WORKING WTH THE DEAD

An upcoming conference at the Sacremento Waldorf School [California, USA]:

The Sacred Gateway:

Conscious Living, Conscious Dying,

and the Journey Beyond

April 6, 7, 8 at the Sacramento Waldorf School

in Fair Oaks, California REGISTER HERE!,

* Bring a new consciousness to your own life and death

* Support those who are crossing and who have crossed over

* Expand your practice and knowledge of working with the dying

Through interactive workshops, triad sharing, keynote discussions with Dennis Klocek, Sanford Miller, and Nancy Poer, and experiential activities, we will consciously explore the spiritual and practical aspect of human life and death....

Concurrent workshops:

...Preparing for Conscious Dying with Linda Bergh & Sandra La Grega

The Needs of the Dying with Alexandra Attie

Momento Mori Ritual Preparation with Dennis Klocek

...Help In Dying From the Other Side with Rev. Sanford Miller & Rev. Craig Wiggins

...The Soul’s Journey between Death and Rebirth with Brian Gray

Co-Creating with Loved Ones Across the Threshold with Lynn Stull

Connecting With Our Loved Ones Through Nature and Art with Marianne Dietzel and Linda Bergh....

[4/3/2018 https://secure.anthroposophy.org/np/clients/anthroposophy/event.jsp?event=86&]

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Waldorf Watch Response:

Death is, of course, an extremely important subject. All of us will die, sooner or later; and, generally speaking, all of us would prefer not to die. But if we must die, we would be glad to receive assurances, here and now, that death will hold no terrors. Perhaps after we die here, we will carry on somewhere else; perhaps we will have new, better lives, somewhere else; perhaps we will become newer, better versions of ourselves, in that better somewhere. Maybe death will prove to be a blessing.

Offering reassurances about death is one of the main purposes of religion, and the Waldorf religion — Anthroposophy — is no exception. According to Anthroposophical belief, death is merely a sort of illusion.

Anthroposophy incorporates spiritual beliefs drawn from many faiths. A key belief incorporated into Anthroposophy concerns reincarnation. Rudolf Steiner taught that each of us passes through a long, long series of lives, alternating between life down here in the physical realm and life up above in the spiritual realm. When you "die" down here, you are "born" up there. And vice versa. So you don't really die at all — you just keep passing back and forth between the two levels of existence. [See "Reincarnation".]

One pleasing corollary is this: All of your dead loved ones are still alive, up above. (A few of them may have already returned to new lives down here, but probably not — reincarnation is a long, slow process.) Your deceased loved ones are all still alive, so you needn't grieve for them. Someday, you will be reunited with them. And, in the meantime, they may be able to help you, sending you blessings from above. Likewise, you may be able to help them, now, by directing prayers and meditations toward them.

Receiving help from the dead, and giving help to the dead, are central undertakings for Anthroposophists. The point of reincarnation, Steiner taught, is for each soul to improve during the long sequence of lives. The purpose of existence is to rise to higher and higher levels of spirituality — we should "evolve" toward becoming divinities. [See the entry for "evolution of consciousness" in The Brief Waldorf / Steiner Encyclopedia.] Receiving and giving assistance in this evolutionary process constitutes a core component in the Anthroposophical conception of morality. [For more on Anthroposophical moral teachings, see "Morality" and "The Moral View".]

Several of the workshops planned for the upcoming conference hinge on the idea that the living and the dead can help each other: Help In Dying From the Other Side, for instance, and Co-Creating with Loved Ones Across the Threshold. Anthroposophists discuss these matters, and they pore over Rudolf Steiner's guidance on these issues, by reading such books as STAYING CONNECTED: How to Continue Your Relationships with Those Who Have Died (Anthroposophic Press, 1999) and THE DEAD ARE WITH US (Rudolf Steiner Press, 2006).

The conference at the Sacremento Waldorf School is intended for adults. But many Waldorf teachers think that they should, in a similar fashion, teach their students to work with the dead. A book put out by a Waldorf teachers' association has this very title: WORKING WITH THE DEAD (Waldorf Early Childhood Association of North America, 2003). In this book, Waldorf teachers are told they should lead children to "serve the dead" [p. 2]. One way to serve the dead is to recite spiritually potent verses aimed at them. Thus, for instance, the book contains verses containing lines such as these, meant to strengthen the dead:

"The love of my soul streams to you

The thoughts of my soul strive toward you

May they sustain you...."

— WORKING WITH THE DEAD, p. 13.

These are lovely sentiments. But you may want to ponder whether young children should be taught to pray, in words like these or in any other words, to the dead.

This question becomes even more pointed when we consider prayers such as the following, directed to "those who have taken their own lives":

"Your will as weak,

Strengthen your will...

May the truth in you

Dear friend

Be resurrected

Beyond the threshold

Despite the ruins

Of your self-destroyed house...."

— WORKING WITH THE DEAD, pp. 33-34.

—R.R.