 “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 INCARNATION Seven-Year Phases One of the key concepts underlying Waldorf education is the proposition that children develop through a succession of seven-year-long phases. [See “Most Significant”.] And what happens during these phases? The child undergoes multiple “births,” incarnating various invisible “bodies.” The Waldorf curriculum is intended to help with these incarnations. To start our examination of this surpassingly strange matter, let’s define some terms. According to Waldorf belief, a fully incarnated human has four bodies: a physical body, an etheric body, an astral body, and an ego body (also called an "I" or an "ego"). Only the physical body can be seen with ordinary vision; the other three bodies are invisible. Here are descriptions of our three invisible bodies according to the Waldorf belief system, Anthroposophy. [For more, see THE BRIEF WALDORF / STEINER ENCYCLOPEDIA.] etheric body, or etheric form, or etheric organism
astral body, or astral organization
I, or ego, or ego body, or ego being, or ego organization
• ◊ • * Of course, we have senses before the astral body fully incarnates. The process of incarnation should be seen as a gradual sequence of events that begins at the moment of physical birth if not earlier. Some aspects of the etheric body, astral body, and "I" are with us from the start, but in quite incomplete form.  THE WIDER OCCULT COMMUNITY
— Rosemary Ellen Guiley, HARPER'S ENCYCLOPEDIA OF MYSTICAL & PARANORMAL EXPERIENCE (Castle Books, 1991), pp. 41-42. •• ◊◊◊ •• "Universal Life Force A vital force or energy that transcends time and space, permeates all things in the universe, and upon which all things depend for health and life ... [I]t is known by many different names [in different occult traditions]." — Rosemary Ellen Guiley, HARPER'S ENCYCLOPEDIA OF MYSTICAL & PARANORMAL EXPERIENCE (Castle Books, 1991), p. 626. •• ◊◊◊ •• •• ◊◊◊ •• •• ◊◊◊ •• •• ◊◊◊ •• •• ◊◊◊ •• •• ◊◊◊ •• •• ◊◊◊ •• •• ◊◊◊ •• •• ◊◊◊ •• •• ◊◊◊ •• •• ◊◊◊ •• •• ◊◊◊ •• •• ◊◊◊ •• •• ◊◊◊ •• •• ◊◊◊ •• •• ◊◊◊ •• •• ◊◊◊ •• •• ◊◊◊ •• ◊◊ ••• ◊◊ Like many of the sources from which it draws, Anthroposophy is a complex, multi-layered body of teachings. Such complexity can be alluring. A single falsehood, standing alone, may be readily pierced and rejected; it has little power to sway us. But a rich tapestry of untruths, multicolored and vibrant, may exert a powerful, persistent attraction. Anthroposophy — like many other occult systems — offers us an intricately detailed alternative reality. The susceptible may lose themselves within it — they may plunge into its fabulous landscapes and remain for the rest of their days in a world that is far removed from what the rest of humanity would call reality. THE BEAT GOES ON
Sometimes Anthroposophists speak of the "birth" of the etheric body, astral body, etc. But more accurately, all elements of human nature are brought into this life from the preceding life in the spirit realm. The various parts of our nature develop (i.e., they fully incarnate) at the dates indicated, but we have all of them within our essential spiritual nature from the beginning of earthly life, if only in kernel form. People who are not really human [see "Steiner's Bile" and "Nuts"] do not develop or evolve in this way. They may fall out of evolution (or at least they leave the correct stream of evolution), they may sink into the abyss, they may be relegated to an irreclaimable moon, or they may suffer other forms of perdition. [See "Hell".] If any subsequent form of evolution is open to them, it is too awful and strange for us to discuss.
We have explained some of the terms used in the diagram, above. But others need to be examined. So here is a thumbnail summary: Incarnating and/or Developing Around Age 28 Sentient Soul According to Steiner, our souls have three parts (or, in a manner of speaking, we possess three separate souls). The first soul level is the sentient soul, which forms unexamined, vaguely delimited impressions and feelings. The sentient soul then passes these to the next level, the mind soul. Humans first developed the sentient soul during the Egypto-Chaldean period, according to Steiner. The individual human today incarnates her/his sentient soul when reaching a level of personal development equivalent to that of the Egypt-Chaldeans. All three members of the soul are influenced by astrological forces. The sentient soul is especially influenced by the Moon. Spirit Self Anthroposophists believe that humans possess both souls and spirits. The soul is one's transitory spiritual identity, which one possesses during a single Earthly life. The spirit is one's immortal spiritual identity, which one carries from life to life through the process of reincarnation. [See "Reincarnation".] Just as the soul has three parts, so does the spirit. Spirit self is the first, lowest level of spirit. It develops following the incarnation of the sentient soul. The spirit self is the transformed astral body, the reincarnating self. It consists of a high human consciousness (but by no means the highest), the spirit forming and living as "I," infusing and elevating the astral body. Incarnating and/or Developing Around Age 35 Mind Soul According to Steiner, this the second of our three souls or soul members, the "intellectual soul" that reflects on the impressions created by the sentient soul. The mind soul enables one to think about one's sensations and feelings. Humans first developed the sentient soul during the Greco-Roman period, according to Steiner; only then did they become capable of rational thought. The individual human today incarnates her/his sentient soul when reaching a level of personal development equivalent to that of the Greco-Romans. The mind soul is especially influenced by Mars. Life Spirit According to Steiner, this is the second part of our spiritual nature, also called Budhi or Buddhi. It is the transformed or elevated etheric body — the etheric body when it is permeated by the "I." The transformation of the etheric body is a gradual process, not completed in a single Earthly life. At death, the life spirit accompanies the "I" into the spirit realm in preparation for one's next Earthly life. The life spirit then returns with the "I" to Earth and continues its work transforming the etheric body. Incarnating and/or Developing Around Age 42 Consciousness Soul This is the highest of our three soul members, according to Steiner. Also called the spiritual soul, it connects one's inner consciousness with the outer world. The consciousness soul enables one to think about one's thinking; consciousness then becomes self-aware. This soul is under the particular influence of the Spirits of Wisdom (gods six levels higher than humanity), which means it has ties to the sphere of Jupiter. However, it is also heavily influenced by Mercury. Humans developed the consciousness soul only during our current epoch, the Post-Atlantean Age (i.e., the period since Atlantis sank). • ◊ • Such, in broad, general strokes, is the outline of our incarnating nature. Bear in mind that Steiner and his followers have given varying descriptions of all these things, and sometimes they have used different terms for them, so nothing is absolutely clear-cut. To delve into these matter further, see, e.g., "What We're Made Of", "Our Parts", and the relevant entries in The Semi-Steiner Dictionary and The Brief Waldorf / Steiner Encyclopedia.  On many pages here at Waldorf Watch, important points are reiterated multiple times in multiple ways. (Often, the pages are compilations of items originally posted elsewhere.) Moreover, some important page sections appear on more than one page. Whenever you come upon material that you have already read or absorbed, please just skip ahead. You should soon reach material that is less familiar to you.  OK. Having defined some terms and after surveying the territory, let’s look at some items from the Waldorf Watch “news" page. Among other advantages, this will remind us that Steiner’s occult doctrines still rule the Waldorf roost today. These "news" items also expand the discussion to include other central Waldorf beliefs. In this sense, what you are about to read presents a fairly comprehensive portrait of Waldorf schooling as it exists in the world today. We will focus in, again, on the three incarnations that occur during childhood; these are the incarnations of greatest concern in Waldorf education. Belief in these incarnations, and in the invisible bodies that young people come to possess, is fundamental in the Waldorf universe, and it will lead us to many other Anthroposophical beliefs. We will wander far afield, following the twists and turns of Anthroposophical thinking. In the process, we will get a fairly broad sense of the overall Waldorf worldview, even if we do not learn much more about the incarnations and "bodies" that Waldorf faculties believe in. (There isn't much more to learn, really, since these things are fictitious.) Because the items were written as separate pieces rather than as sections of a single essay, you will discover some repetition and overlap. If you come across material you are already familiar with, please just skip ahead. Items from the News The following items are reprinted from the Waldorf Watch "news" page. (I have modified them slightly for use here.) In each instance, I quote an online posting or an Anthroposophical text, then I offer a response. Sometimes, as with the first item below, I also include some prefatory material. Set to Fail? Preface:  At night, the astral and ego bodies fly up to the spirit realm, while the physical and etheric bodies stay earthbound.
[R.R. sketch, 2009, based on the image in the book. All four bodies reunite in the morning, as indicated by the arrows.] But, what does this have to do with Steiner schooling?
The Steiner approach raises several questions that parents need to mull over. Here are a few, bearing on the article excerpted below: Do you think reading is harmful for children? Do you believe in clairvoyance? Do you believe in the etheric body? Or, to boil all this down: Do you want your children to be taught reading in a timely manner, or do you want to wait for the children's etheric bodies to incarnate first? — R.R.  From The Dominion Post:
• ◊ • Waldorf Watch Response: Steiner or Waldorf schools do not teach reading until the students’ “etheric bodies” incarnate at age seven, an event marked by the loss of baby teeth. If this sound nutty to you — welcome to Steiner education. Steiner schools claim that their students catch up sooner or later, but there is little firm evidence to support this claim. According to Steiner educational belief, the “astral body” incarnates at about age fourteen, after which children are better able to think for themselves. Proving these strange concepts is difficult, since the etheric and astral bodies are invisible (or, to put this more sensibly: They do not exist). When Steiner schools accept public funding, they may cause headaches for themselves, as we see in this case. Just as parents sometimes don't realize what is really going on in the Steiner schools that they find so pleasant and attractive, Steiner faculties sometimes don't realize what they are letting themselves in for when they reach into the public till. If we accept that the educational policies put in place by education officials in various countries are based on solid research, then we must hope that the officials uphold these policies and apply them to all schools, including Steiner schools. This will force Steiner schools to make fundamental changes — in effect, it will force them to stop being Steiner schools. The alternative will be for Steiner schools to resign from public education systems — i.e., stop accepting public funding. Parenting  From This Waldorf Life:
• ◊ • Waldorf Watch Response: There is no factual basis for the notion that childhood consists of three seven-year stages, but this is one of the fallacies Waldorf schools like to promote, and it is central to the Waldorf curriculum. (Steiner emphasized the number seven because of its occult significance — he taught that seven is the number of perfection. [See "Magic Numbers".] Thus, he spoke of seven planets in the solar system and seven stages of earthly evolution. Such bogus patterns excite Steiner’s followers, who accept them as revelations of the gods' divine cosmic plan.) You may also want to bear in mind that if you are a “priest” for your child, Waldorf teachers consider themselves higher priests (bishops, as it were), passing the Word to you. You supervise your child while Waldorf teachers supervise you. (Notice how the blogger refers to her child’s teacher as “our teacher.” This is apt, whether or not the blogger realized the implications. Waldorf teachers believe that they should instruct both child and parent, as happened in this instance.) The overriding Waldorf attitude toward parents is that, until they are fully lured into the Anthroposophical universe, parents are outsiders who should be told as little as possible about what really happens inside Waldorf schools. [See. e.g., “Faculty Meetings”. For more on the self-appointed priestly office of Waldorf teachers, see "Schools as Churches".] The Truth? From This Is Exeter:
• ◊ • Waldorf Watch Response: It is always difficult to determine when a Waldorf or Steiner representative is telling the simple truth and when s/he is dissembling. The account given by this teacher may be perfectly sincere, or it may be a set of misleading remarks concealing a deep commitment to Anthroposophical occultism. For instance, does this teacher not realize that describing Steiner as an "Austrian philosopher" omits 99% of the truth about him? In truth, Steiner was a self-professed occultist, a clairvoyant mystic who claimed to communicate with the dead and to comprehend the intentions of the gods. [See "What a Guy" and "Occultism".] Or consider this: The “spiritual needs” of children can be met only if some form of spiritual belief system is used. At a Waldorf school, this will almost certainly be Anthroposophy (with its doctrines of karma, reincarnation, spiritual evolution, racial hierarchies, demonic possession, and so forth). Likewise, the “phases” of childhood can be comprehended only as seen through the prism of a particular theory of childhood development. At Waldorf schools, this usually means thinking that children go through seven-year-long phases during which invisible bodies manifest, innate links to life before birth (and previous incarnations) grow dim, new clairvoyant powers begin to develop, racial identity and “temperament” assert themselves, demons or hidden doubles wrestle with guardian angels, and so on. [See, e.g., "Thinking Cap", "Races", and "Double Trouble".] It is possible to read too much into statements coming out of Waldorf schools, but it is also possible to read too little into them. The root cause is that the schools have a long history of intentional deceit, begun by Steiner himself at the first Waldorf school. Don’t tell outsiders what we do here, he said repeatedly, don’t shout out our secrets. [See "Secrets".]
Developmental Progress From The Press Democrat:
• ◊ • Waldorf Watch Response: Many well-intentioned people are drawn to Waldorf schooling. Some of them know what Waldorf schools are really about; many do not, at least not initially. Why do Waldorf schools emphasize art? Because, according to Waldorf belief, art helps prepare students to develop clairvoyance. “The artistic element, then, begins to be the guide to the first stage of exact clairvoyance — that of imagination.” — Rudolf Steiner, A MODERN ART OF EDUCATION, Foundations of Waldorf Education (Anthroposophic Press, 2004), p. 64. [See, e.g., "Magical Arts".] What are the developmental stages children pass through, according Waldorf belief? They are seven-year-long phases during which children recapitulate the spiritual evolution of mankind as it occurred during Old Saturn and other “planetary stages.”
Gravitate to Waldorf schools if you like. But do it with your eyes open. [See, e.g., "Here's the Answer".] Do You Believe? Preface:  Many Waldorf teachers believe that each human being develops four bodies, three of them invisible. The physical body (shown schematically in red) incarnates at birth; the etheric body (blue) at age seven, the astral body (yellow) at age fourteen, and the "I" (gold) at age twenty-one. [R. R. sketch, 2009, based on one by Steiner. See, e.g., "Waldorf's Purpose".]  Since arriving here on Earth, Steiner taught, humans have passed through four major developmental stages or epochs: the Polarian, Hyperborean, Lemurian, and Atlantean epochs. In the fourth of these, we lived on Atlantis, having abandoned the earlier continent of Lemuria. “If we were to journey back through time to the age that links Lemuria with Atlantis, we would meet with a remarkable sight: gigantic flying lizards with a lantern on their heads...” — Rudolf Steiner, BLACKBOARD DRAWINGS 1919-1924 (Rudolf Steiner Press, 2003), pp. 130-131. (This quotation doesn't tell us much about developmental stages, but it tells us a lot about Steiner and his credulous followers.) [R. R. sketch, 2009, based on one by Steiner. See, e.g., "Prehistory 101".]  In Waldorf belief, human evolution began during a period called Old Saturn, which is represented by the sphere on the upper left, above. Following life on Old Saturn, we evolved on Old Sun and Old Moon. We are now in an intensely physical phase called Present Earth (the fourth sphere, above). Hanging below Present Earth is a phase that Anthroposophists generally do not like to discuss — it is the dreadful Eighth Sphere, a place or phase analogous to hell. Those humans who do not descend to the Eighth Sphere will move upward to Future Jupiter, Future Venus, and finally Future Vulcan. (And beyond those there are additional stages so wondrous that Steiner rarely discussed them.) [R. R. sketch, 2011, based on one by Steiner. See, e.g., "Here's the Answer".] From Free Essays:
• ◊ • Waldorf Watch Response: The various stages are recapitulated in various ways during our various lives (we have many, many lives, according to Waldorf belief: We reincarnate over and over).
At the simplest level, Steiner taught, children develop through a series of seven-year-long stages during which various bodies incarnate and develop. At a more general level, Waldorfers believe, humans have passed through four major developmental stages during our life here on Earth: the Polarian, Hyperborean, Lemurian, and Atlantean great epochs. [See "Early Earth", "Lemuria", and "Atlantis".] We are currently in the fifth or "Post-Atlantean" epoch. [See "Epochs".] At the macro level, Steiner taught, we have passed through three "planetary stages" of evolution: Old Saturn, Old Sun, and Old Moon. We are now in the fourth planetary stage: Present Earth. Yet to come: Future Jupiter, Future Venus, and Future Vulcan. [See the entries for these terms in The Brief Waldorf / Steiner Encyclopedia.] The overall Waldorf scheme of developmental stages is complex, but don't worry about it. None of it is based in verifiable fact. It is all moonshine. In providing homeschooling, you may attempt to use Waldorf methods without adopting the Waldorf belief system. But the methods make little sense without the beliefs — the methods are designed specifically to apply Steiner beliefs to the education of children. [See "Methods".] If you believe the occult doctrines of Rudolf Steiner, fine. But if you don’t, you should realize that Waldorf is probably the wrong approach for you and your child. Teething From The Daily Pilot:
• ◊ • Waldorf Watch Response: I wonder if the reporter got this quite right ("bi-weekly handwork class"). Kids at most Waldorf schools engage in some form of handwork — knitting, crocheting, and so forth — almost every day. Outsiders are often surprised that handwork forms such a large part of the Waldorf curriculum. The schools give all sorts of justifications for such activities, some of which make perfect sense. What the schools usually do not admit is the occult reason for handwork. (If you are new to the Waldorf world, the following will seem surpassing strange. But that, in and of itself, is a useful insight to acquire about Waldorf thinking.) Rudolf Steiner, the ultimate authority for all things Waldorf, taught that handwork has a spiritual effect on the teeth. (I kid you not.)
Now, teeth are very important in the Waldorf worldview. Steiner taught that human beings are born four times: once when the physical body is born, again when the invisible “etheric body” is born, a third time when the invisible “astral body” is born, and a fourth time when the invisible “I” is born. Waldorf teachers believe that the etheric body is born or incarnated at about age seven. They usually refrain from teaching their students reading and arithmetic until the kids’ etheric bodies arrive. And how do Waldorf teachers know when this invisible (indeed, imaginary) event has come to pass? They use "clairvoyance" and other techniques, but mostly they study the kids' teeth. The etheric body announces its arrival through the replacement of the kids’ baby teeth by adult teeth. (Or so Waldorf teachers believe.) Teeth play a surprisingly important role in human life, according to Steiner.
Such silliness — especially the incarnation of four separate bodies — is fundamental to the Waldorf approach.
Note that Waldorf education is "based" on these weird concepts. What's Left Out From This Is Bath:
• ◊ • Waldorf Watch Response: As I have pointed out before, whenever Steiner or Waldorf schooling is described without including explicit references to occultism, you know that much is being concealed. [See. e.g., "Secrets".] In Steiner schools, children up to the age of seven are kept in a pleasant haze of play, fairy tales, and myths. This is done for a specific — and occult — reason. The teachers are waiting for the children's "etheric bodies" to incarnate. If this sounds screwy to you, you have just learned something important about Steiner education. [For information about etheric bodies, astral bodies, and other occult concepts inherent in Steiner schooling, you might consult The Brief Waldorf / Steiner Encyclopedia.]
The "necessary organs of perception" are invisible "organs of clairvoyance." Waldorf education hinges to an amazing extent on belief in clairvoyance (which, sadly, does not exist). [See "Clairvoyance".] Yes, I know, this is screwy. But we're discussing Steiner education. [See, e.g., "Holistic Education".] The full incarnation of the etheric body is signaled by the loss of baby teeth — an event accorded preposterous significance in Steiner schools. Secular Waldorf? From subpages.com:
• ◊ • Waldorf Watch Response: Oak Meadow is a Waldorf school offering online instruction as well as homeschooling materials. The crucial question — one that bears on the efforts to create Waldorf charter schools and free schools — is whether it is possible to create a “secular” curriculum based on the Waldorf model. Waldorf teacher training usually includes extensive instruction in Anthroposophical occultism. [See, e.g., “Teacher Training".] Steiner himself stated that Waldorf teachers should be “true Anthroposophists” who are deeply devoted to the Anthroposophical worldview. [See, e.g., “Here’s the Answer”.] Efforts to make Waldorf schooling seem unconnected to occultism have usually been little more than ploys. Advocates of Waldorf education are quite aware of the need for good public relations. [See, e.g., "PR".] If you try to strip the occultism out of the Waldorf approach, what are you left with? Very little. Every part of the Waldorf curriculum and Waldorf methodology is rooted in occultism. [See, e.g., “Curriculum” and “Methods”.] The reason kids aren’t taught to read until they are seven, for instance, is that Waldorf teachers are waiting for the kids' “etheric bodies” to incarnate. If you don’t believe in such occult nonsense as etheric bodies, then there is no reason to postpone reading lessons. Indeed, postponing such lessons may be permanently harmful, depriving children of the benefits of early-childhood education. Waldorf schools emphasize art (for occult reasons — see “Magical Arts”), they put little academic pressure on the students (for occult reasons — see “Academic Standards at Waldorf” and "Thinking Cap"), they emphasize fairy tales and myths (for occult reasons — see “Fairy Tales” and “The Gods”), they aim to educate the whole child (for occult reasons — see “Holistic Education”), and so on. You can imitate these procedures, and perhaps your children will derive benefits. Certainly art is a good thing, and kids shouldn't be pushed too hard, and myths are often quite nice, and educating the heart and hands as well as the head sounds very good. But you don’t need to turn to Waldorf schools (with their cargo of occult beliefs) to find attractive educational options. In any event, a better strategy is to get to know your children, understand what they need, and try to provide it by selecting from among sensible, real-world educational resources. "Secular" Waldorf programs are generally geared to the occult agenda of Waldorf education — manifestation of the etheric body, manifestation of the astral body, development of initial stages of clairvoyance, etc. — without say so. In other words, they are not secular at all; they have generally misrepresented themselves. But this is standard for all types of Waldorf schools — they almost always conceal their purposes. It is not hard to dig below the Oak Meadow surface to find Steiner's occultism. Thus, the most significant of Steiner's educational principles is that children develop through three seven-year stages. [See "Most Significant".] In the first stage, children develop their physical bodies and their wills; in the second stage, children develop their etheric bodies while living mainly through their emotions; in the third stage, when they develop their astral bodies, they finally start to gain the ability to think for themselves. While avoiding the weirdest parts of this terminology, Oak Meadow embraces the schedule:
◊ Oak Meadow's attitude toward computers is intricate.
But typical Anthroposophical concerns nonetheless crop up. ◊ Oak Meadow suggests that children not use computers until they are at least 11 or 12 years old. ◊ The school worries that computers may inhibit "[l]earning that transforms the individual, which is the kind of learning Oak Meadow encourages." ◊ And the school is concerned that using computers "tends to inhibit the development of the will and the integration of mind and body." ["Homeschooling and Computers", http://www.oakmeadow.com/resources/articles/homeschooling-computers.php].] In Anthroposophy, the will is considered a separate faculty [see "Will"], and the integration of mind and body is part of the overall process of incarnation that lies at the heart of Waldorf schooling. Computers, and indeed all forms of modern technology, are viewed askance in Waldorf schools; they are generally associated with the demon Ahriman. [See "Ahriman".] ◊ Disclosure statement: Lawrence Williams, of Oak Meadow, taught at the Waldorf school I attended, but not during my years there. He greatly admired our headmaster, John Fentress Gardner:
Mr. Gardner was a true-believing Anthroposophical occultist who strove to make Waldorf education seem unobjectionable to average Americans. This effort collapsed, eventually. [See "Scandal".] Mr. Gardner oversaw the construction of our school, which was designed to resemble conventional American schools — the odd architectural touches found in many European Steiner schools were avoided. For a similar reason, Mr. Gardner published such misleading statements as this:
Many years after the school was founded, Mr. Gardner' stated his purpose this way:
Sadly, many of Mr. Gardner's "plain" answers were untrue. 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. — R. R. The following items are from "Daily Quotes", a feature of the "news" page, preserved now at the Waldorf Watch Annex. Good Intentions
• ◊ • Waldorf Watch Response: Waldorf schools have high and noble purposes, and they are generally staffed by conscientious, well-meaning individuals. Good intentions, however, are not necessarily sufficient. Is the Waldorf view of the world and of human nature realistic? Is it rooted in true knowledge? The “preparation for life” offered by Waldorf schools centers on an idea that Waldorf faculties consider fundamental but that the rest of humanity may deem nonsense. A child is properly prepared for life, according to Waldorf belief, only when his/her invisible bodies have incarnated. The etheric body generally incarnates at about age seven, the astral body at about age fourteen, and the “I” at about age twenty-one. Much of what happens in Waldorf schools is predicated on this idea. Unless you consider the idea true, Waldorf education may not suit you or your child. What is “the universal nature of the developing human being”? In part, it is what we have just seen: the incarnation of invisible bodies to supplement the physical body. But the Waldorf view of human nature is even more involuted and fantastical. [For an overview, see “Holistic Education” and "Our Parts".] Fundamentally, according to Waldorf belief, we are the central spiritual beings in the universe [see “The Center”], worshipped by the gods, evolving from Saturn to Vulcan and beyond [see “Everything”], where/when we will ultimately become God the Father. This is all quite flattering, but to believe it you must subscribe — as most Waldorf teachers do — to Rudolf Steiner’s occult doctrines. How about “the specific needs of individuals in their time and space”? How well do Waldorf schools respect and address the students’ individual needs? According to Waldorf belief, each individual has lived many previous lives, and s/he arrives in this life with a karma that needs to be fulfilled. In addition, s/he has a “temperament” (sanguine, phlegmatic, choleric, or melancholic) that must be respected (class assignments, seating, etc., will be based at least in part on “temperament” [see “Temperaments”]). Moreover, each child is a member of a racial group, and this membership crucially reflects her/his level of spiritual evolution. (Steiner taught that blacks are the least evolved, whites are the most — see “Races”].) To an unfortunate degree, Waldorf schools treat students not as individuals but as members of various categories, and quite often the schools' attitudes on these matters are benighted. (The most unfortunate children, according to Waldorf belief, are those who are not really human beings at all but demons in disguise. Such kids are likely to be expelled, since, as Steiner said,
Waldorf schools have high and noble purposes, arguably, but their view of the world and of human nature is deeply unrealistic — and this view informs everything about the schools. A Number of Incarnations Preface: Waldorf education is based on the idea that we develop four bodies. But it also depends on other occult doctrines, such as reincarnation.  [R. R., 2009.]
• ◊ • Waldorf Watch Response: Waldorf schools aim to benefit children in a number of ways, few of which have much to do with education as it is usually understood — giving kids the knowledge and skills they will need in later life (a process Easton disparages as cramming a child with information). ◊ The overall curriculum is designed to help children incarnate on a fixed schedule (etheric body by age seven*, astral body by age fourteen, “I” by age twenty-one**). ◊ Children are classified by race and “temperament,” and the schools endeavor to help the kids overcome the “drawbacks” of the races and temperaments to which they belong. [See “Races” and “Humouresque”.] None of this makes a particle of sense. And very little of it has any connection to what we normally think of as education.*** Certainly, Waldorf teachers do not "cram" their students with information. The less a Waldorf student is exposed to real knowledge of the real world, the better Waldorf teachers will be able to pursue their aims.
* Completion of this stage is signaled by the replacement of baby teeth with adult teeth — a process given extraordinary importance by Anthroposophists. ** Anthroposophists believe that in addition to a physical body, a fully developed human being has an etheric body (essentially a constellation of life forces), an astral body (soul forces), and an "I" (spirit forces that realize divine human individuality). According to Waldorf belief, the latter three bodies are invisible; they can be discerned only through clairvoyance. They incarnate gradually, through a series of seven-year-long phases. [See “Most Significant”.] *** Indeed, little of it is clearly revealed in standard Waldorf PR mottoes: The schools say they educate “head, heart, and hands,” and they claim to equip students for "freedom." [See "Holistic Education" and "Freedom".] As descriptions of Waldorf methods and objectives, such statements are fundamentally misleading unless they are accompanied by detailed expositions of Anthroposophical doctrines. Old Saturn and Thereafter
• ◊ • Waldorf Watch Response: Waldorf schooling has only a tangential connection with the real world and real knowledge about the real world. Much if not all of what happens in Waldorf schools is keyed to bizarre occult doctrines. Allow me to try, in as few words as possible, to explain the Waldorf conception of humanity’s past. Thus far, we have evolved through three “Conditions of Consciousness” or “Planetary Stages” — i.e., major evolutionary phases — which are named for "planets" (Old Saturn, Old Sun, Old Moon). We became progressively more physical at each stage, and now on Present Earth we are about as densely physical as possible.* In the future, we will become less and less physical and more and more spiritual as we evolve through additional Conditions of Consciousness (Future Jupiter, Future Venus, Future Vulcan, and beyond). Each Condition of Consciousness contains seven Conditions of Life, each of which contains seven Stages of Form, each of which contains seven Epochs, each of which contains seven Ages. (The terms vary from Condition to Condition, but the pattern does not.**) As we move along through these stages and sub-stages, we repeatedly recapitulate — in altered form — the stages and sub-stages we passed through previously. Cumulatively, we progress, although certainly not in a straight line. We sharpen our capacities, and develop new capacities, as we go, so that in the future we may rise to higher and higher states of perfection. In the Present Earth Condition of Consciousness, we are now in the fourth Condition of Life, the Mineral Condition (very densely physical indeed). Like all the other Conditions of Life, the Mineral Condition contains Stages of Form ranging from Higher Spiritland to the Archetypal Stage of Higher Spiritland (a recapitulation with improvements). We are presently in the Physical Stage of Form (very very densely physical indeed indeed). There are or will be seven Epochs or Great Epochs in this Stage of Form. So far we have passed through the Polarian, Hyperborean, Lemurian, and Atlantean Epochs. We are currently in the Post-Atlantean Epoch (i.e., the period following the sinking of Atlantis — yes, Atlantis). Each Epoch consists of (you guessed it) seven sub-epochs. In our Post-Atlantean Epoch, these sub-epochs are called Cultural Ages or Cultural Epochs. Our current Cultural Epoch — known as the Anglo-Germanic Age, or simply as the Present — falls between the Greco-Roman Age and the Russian Age. (Don't worry — the Russian Age will be followed by the American Age.) Cultural Epochs are divided into fairly brief (350-year) periods, which in turn are divided into very brief (33-year) cycles. (The math doesn't quite work out, but let it go.) Each Condition and Epoch and period along the way is presided over by various gods, and during each we spin through repetitions (with improvements) of all the prior Conditions and Epochs and periods. OK? Got it? Few Waldorf teachers will lay out much of this for the students, at least not openly. But this is what devout Waldorf teachers believe and, directly or indirectly, it informs almost all of their work. [If you’d like more information on all of this imaginary history — which Anthroposophists take for reality — see, e.g., “Matters of Form” and “Everything”. “Steiner Static” and the “The Brief Waldorf / Steiner Encyclopedia” are also, I hope, informative. To sample the teachings of a Waldorf educator who openly lays Anthroposophical occultism on his students, see "Out in the Open".] •◊• * Anyone who becomes even more densely physical will fall into a sphere analogous to hell: the "Eighth Sphere". [See "Sphere 8".] ** Different labels may apply to some of these subdivisions in some macro-devisions. We can be a little loose in our terminology, since all of this is fantasy. Turning Seven
• ◊ • Waldorf Watch Response: A child’s seventh birthday is highly important in Waldorf schools. At age seven, Waldorf teachers generally believe, a child’s "etheric body" is incarnated. The child then moves from the first stage of growth (a period of seven years during which the will and the physical body predominate) into the second stage (a period of seven years during which the emotions predominate and the etheric body is developed). The Waldorf lower-school curriculum is built around this concept.* Several problems leap out. For one, there is no such thing as an etheric body. For another, there is no objective evidence that “the child’s whole way of thinking” changes at or around the seventh birthday. And for yet another, the notion that the “second dentition” (i.e., the replacement of baby teeth by adult teeth) occurs at or around age seven is incorrect. Most adult teeth don’t arrive until about age eleven, and some don’t arrive until age twenty-one.** Even if we extend every possible courtesy to Steiner, stipulating that by “second dentition” he meant the arrival of the first adult tooth — which on average happens between ages six and seven — our main objections remain. There is no etheric body, nor is there any reason to think that children change profoundly when the adult teeth start appearing.*** So why all the fuss at Waldorf schools about age seven? Steiner liked to group phenomena in sets of seven and twelve because he claimed that these numbers possess occult, magical significance. [See “Magic Numbers”.] Thus, Steiner built the Waldorf curriculum around the number seven. But dividing things according to occult fantasies about numbers is arbitrary and meaningless. Steiner was making things up, spinning them out of his occult imagination, with no regard for reality or truth. If he believed his teachings on such points, he was deluding himself — just as his followers delude themselves now in accepting his teachings. The truth about the design of the Waldorf curriculum is plain. The design is truthless (or should I say toothless?). In truth, there is no truth in it. •◊• ** See, for instance, the “Permanent Tooth Eruption Chart” put out by the American Dental Association. It shows that various adult (“permanent”) teeth come in (“erupt”) at various times, from around the sixth year of life up to around the twenty-first year. [http://www.ada.org/sections/publicResources/pdfs/chart_eruption_perm.pdf] Using the data provided by this dental authority, we can see that the average date for the arrival of an adult tooth is slightly less than eleven years, which is more than half way into the Waldorf-fantasized second stage of childhood (ages seven to fourteen).
Here, Steiner is clearly saying that adult teeth replace baby teeth ("the change of teeth") at age seven, as if the entire process is completed at that time. Let’s look a bit more deeply into Steiner’s dental doctrines. Steiner taught that the arrival of adult teeth marks a stage when various forces that had been needed by the physical body can be redirected to higher purposes.
But the forces that "push out" the adult teeth have by no means finished this work by age seven. Unfortunately for Steiner's teachings and the Waldorf curriculum [see "Curriculum"], the forces that “push out” adult teeth are still slaving away in the physical body until about age twenty-one, which is the end of the Waldorf-fantasized third stage of childhood (ages fourteen to twenty-one). In sum, Steiner’s numbers don’t add up. Or, to frame this more broadly, Steiner used little or no real information to reach conclusions that make little or no sense. (P.S. The Waldorf conception of the third stage of childhood may seem to make more sense than the conception of the first two stages. Stage #3 corresponds, roughly, to the period beginning with puberty and ending with the attainment of adulthood. But in reality puberty comes at widely varying ages for different individuals, and the threshold of adulthood is a legal or cultural convention — different societies draw the line at different ages.) Polarity: Teachers, Parents The role of the parents is quite difference. Parents should always ask themselves This means identifying
When teachers take their role to extremes,
When parents overstep their bounds, their activity
• ◊ • Waldorf Watch Response: Schiappacasse identifies two overarching goals of Waldorf education: “Incarnating the Child” and “Incarnating the School.”* Teachers have primary responsibility for the former (the “spiritual/cultural pillar” of the school), parents have primary responsibility for the latter (the “economic pillar” — i.e., providing the money the school needs). The "polarity" between teachers and parents means that these two groups stand at opposite poles. From these positions, they make work harmoniously together — or they may ends up as, in effect opponents. Steiner often expressed disdain for the parents of Waldorf students, and he often encouraged Waldorf teachers to supplant parents as the most important adults in the students' lives. He urged Waldorf teachers to "take over" the guidance and nurturing of their students. Ideally, he said, Waldorf teachers should (or "almost" should) take over immediately after the birth of the students.
•◊• * According to Waldorf belief, children incarnate three invisible bodies; the main task of a Waldorf teacher is to supervise this process. A Waldorf school is “incarnated” when it is given physical form thanks, in large measure, to the financial support provided by students’ parents.  [R. R., 2011.] “[T]he purpose of education is to help the individual fulfill his karma. The teacher is an intermediary and his task is to guide the incarnating individualities into the physical world and equip them for earthly existence, bearing in mind what they bring with them from the past and what they are likely to take with them into the future.” — Waldorf teacher Roy Wilkinson, THE SPIRITUAL BASIS OF STEINER EDUCATION (Rudolf Steiner Press, 1996), p. 52. The formatting at Waldorf Watch aims for visual variety, seeking to ease the process of reading lengthy texts on a computer screen. HOMESCHOOLING Here is another item from the Waldorf Watch "news" page:
• ◊ • Waldorf Watch Response: Homeschooling is a growing movement, and while its attractions are clear, the movement also has some obvious drawbacks. Children benefit enormously from the attention of highly qualified, master teachers — if and when these can be found. Many schools have at least a few expert teachers. Most parents do not have real qualifications as educators. A second possible drawback is isolation, sometimes bordering on escapism. A real education will equip a child to make her way in the real world. It will also expose the child to many points of view and to people of various backgrounds. Staying home with one's parents and a select handful of neighborhood children can confine a child to a highly insular and perhaps unrealistic worldview. Waldorf homeschooling may only intensify these problems. Waldorf education is almost always escapist, being founded on occult doctrines that have no connection to reality. [See "Occultism".] The Waldorf curriculum and Waldorf methods have meaning only in the context of Rudolf Steiner's occult system, Anthroposophy. [See "Curriculum" and "Methods".] One central goal of Waldorf schooling is to facilitate the incarnation of the children's invisible spiritual bodies. [See "Incarnation".] Trained Waldorf teachers presumably know (or think they know) how to supervise this process; others do not possess this presumed knowledge. Steiner said that Waldorf teachers need to be real Anthroposophists. [See "Here's the Answer".] Thus, Waldorf homeschooling truly makes sense only if the parents providing the education are knowledgeable Anthroposophists (and even then the schooling will be irrational, since Anthroposophy is irrational).* [See "The World of Waldorf".] Other parents attempting Waldorf homeschooling may have little idea what they are doing and, as a consequence, chaos may result. In either case, children may be significantly harmed. Christopherus is an outfit offering homeschooling materials and guidance [http://www.christopherushomeschool.org/home.html]. Another such source is Oak Meadow. [http://www.oakmeadow.com/]. •◊• * “You will injure children if you educate them rationally because you will then utilize their will [power] in something they have already completed — namely, life before birth.” — Rudolf Steiner, THE FOUNDATIONS OF HUMAN EXPERIENCE (Anthroposophic Press, 1996), p. 61. — Compilation and commentary by Roger Rawlings To visit other pages in this section of Waldorf Watch, use the underlined links, below. ◊◊◊ 1. WALDORF EDUCATION: AN OVERVIEW ◊◊◊
GLORY The bright side A pictorial overview
SCHOOLS AS CHURCHES
CAUTIONARY TALES
THE WALDORF TEACHER'S CONSCIOUSNESSThe use of "clairvoyance" by Waldorf teachers INCARNATION SOUL SCHOOLSteiner, trying to make Waldorf education seem sensible
◊◊◊ TEMPLATE Design of the site  [R. R., 2011.] |