Embedded Files
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WALDORF / STEINER
NEWS ARCHIVE
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April, 2012.
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This site supplements Waldorf Watch.
To go to Waldorf Watch itself, please click here:
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The news items below are presented in reverse chronological order — newest first, oldest last.
Please excuse a certain amount of repetition in the contents of this archive. Items that now appear close together on the screen may have originally been separated by intervals of several days.
Many of the items in this archive generalize about Waldorf schools, describing them as Rudolf Steiner and leading Waldorf representatives have said they should be and as evidence shows they often are today. Not all Waldorf schools, Waldorf charter schools, and Waldorf-inspired schools conform to this model precisely. 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
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From tes, “the largest network of teachers in the world”:
Q. “Hi, I've got a new child starting in my class after Easter and this is a first for me! (I have only been teaching for 1.5yrs!) Can anyone give me any advice about the best ways of introducing him to the class (yr4). I have already asked one child to be his "buddy" for the first few days and have prepared his draws and books, but that is it. The child that is coming has come from a Steiner a school and that is all I know about him! - I have done some research on Steiner schools and not sure what to expect really. Any advice would be greatly welcomed!”
A1. “Steiner schools are a very holistic way of teaching. Children do not start formal lessons until the age of 7, (reading, writing etc). Outdoor provision is high on their agenda. Children usually stay with the same teacher all the way through their primary phase of school. They are not so bound by levels and expected achievments etc. More focus is on the individual and extra-curricular studies. Do you know the reasons he is no longer going to the Steiner school? ”
A2. “His parents have probably either run out of money, or realised that they they have spent £££ over the past few years and the little cherub STILL can't read, write or count, although he can throw a mean pot and is a master of interpretive dance. Sorry, i am really not a fan of the Steiner system....”
[4-11-2012 http://community.tes.co.uk/forums/p/564831/7372443.aspx]
Response:
“Holistic” is a tricky word — it can mean almost anything you like. To examine holism in the Waldorf context, see “Holistic Education”. For the Steiner curriculum, see "Waldorf Curriculum". For Steiner methods, see "Methods". (Sometimes I run out of clever titles.)
Waldorf students do not necessarily throw pots, but they are immersed in the arts, for spiritual reasons. [See "Magical Arts".] There is little or no interpretive dance in Waldorf schools, but usually all the students are required to do eurythmy, a Steinerish form of temple dancing. [See "Eurythmy".]
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[VastQuest Ventures, 2011]
By former Waldorf teacher-trainee Kristen Ann, on what lies ahead in 2012. Kristen Ann begins with a flashback to her Waldorf teacher training:
“’We are living at a time of Noah.’ Werner* spoke with a dramatic British accent, and his dark eyes seemed to reach into your very soul.
“The year was 1974. I was twenty and studying at the Waldorf Teacher Training Institute in Detroit [Michigan, USA]. The Waldorf system is based on the intriguing philosophy and science of Rudolf Steiner. Steiner was an amazingly gifted clairvoyant whose presence forever changed and enriched humanity....
“My two years of studies at the Waldorf Teacher Training Institute were made all the more intriguing by our professor Werner Glas....
“This was just one of countless fascinating classes over my two years at this unforgettable center of higher learning. It was definitely ‘higher learning’ to the extreme, in the deepest [sic] sense of those words. This particular class stands out in my memory because it was about our point in time, what made it so significant, and the unprecedented event that will be coming. Werner gave us clear details on the coming Transition. It was the clearest, most revealing information on the Transition and 2012 that I’ve ever found.
“The countless speculations out there about 2012 have raised too much fear about what may be coming. What I had learned is different because it is the factual accounts of what will be. I’ve written this book to give much-needed information and a perspective that would be so helpful for people to understand at this crucial point in time. This perspective is different than anything else written or said about the Transition because this is coming from a place of clairvoyance — which is a state of knowing what is and what will be, along with why.”
[4-9-2012 http://the2012scenario.com/2012/04/kristen-ann-this-pivotal-moment-in-time/]
A blurb:
“An eye-opening book giving details on our point in time and the coming Transition. The book contains intriguing information not found anywhere else, along with instructions on how to prepare. The information is factual rather than fear-based. It comes from both ancient wisdom and professional clairvoyants.” [http://www.amazon.com/Exploring-Sacred-Space-Vast-Quest/dp/0615498906/ref=sr_1_1?s=books&ie=UTF8&qid=1334070649&sr=1-1]
Response:
We must be careful not to tar all of Rudolf Steiner's followers because of the bizarre beliefs espoused by some. But such bizarre beliefs are, in fact, widespread among Anthroposophists. For the semiofficial Steinerite view of what lies ahead in 2012, see such books as CHRIST AND THE MAYA CALENDAR: 2012 and the Coming of the Antichrist (Lindisfarne Books, 2009) [http://www.steinerbooks.org/detail.html?session=78242f88a58f7c8c72dbb0ac6f159098&id=9781584200710. Lindisfarne is an imprint of the Anthroposophic Press.]
In examining the books written by Rudolf Steiner's followers, we gain at least a peek into the Anthroposophical worldview.
It will be interesting to see what Anthroposophists say about 2012 after 2013 rolls around. For the predictions some Anthroposophists made about the end of the 20th century, see "Millennium".
* Werner Glas was a respected Anthroposophist, the author of THE WALDORF SCHOOL APPROACH TO HISTORY (Anthroposophic Press, 1963). He was instrumental in the establishment of Waldorf teacher training at the Sunbridge Institute. [http://www.sunbridge.edu/home/content.asp?id=62&mid=62]
In Anthroposophical doctrine, Noah was an initiate on Atlantis who led his followers to safety when the continent was destroyed by human evil. To live in a "time of Noah" is to live in a period of similar peril and hope. The escape from modern manmade catastrophe will be led by — and largely confined to — Anthroposophists (according to Anthroposophists). [See "All v. All".]
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From the Waldorf School of New Orleans [Louisiana, USA]:
From the Waldorf School of New Orleans [Louisiana, USA]:
“Tulane University School of Social Work
and the Anthroposophical Society in America present
Transforming Culture — Rudolf Steiner's Vision in Action
“This is an unprecedented opportunity to hear from the brightest minds in America today. The panel includes John Bloom who will speak about Social Finance, Patrice Maynard who will address Waldorf education, Robert Karp will discuss Biodynamic Farming and Gardening ... In addition, there will be a preview of BBC documentarian Jonathan Stedall's new film, ‘The Challenge of Rudolf Steiner’. Prepare to be enlightened, to be moved, and to leave inspired.”
[4-9-2010 http://www.waldorfnola.org/2012-panel-discussion-transforming-culture]
Response:
Most people have never heard of Rudolf Steiner. Those who have heard of him generally associate him with Waldorf education and nothing else. But, in fact, Steiner bequeathed his followers the goal of remaking virtually all human institutions. Their revolution — rooted in Steiner’s occultism — has not gotten very far, but Waldorf schools constitute an important vanguard for their efforts. [See, e.g., “Waldorf Now”, “Today”, "Threefolding", and “Occultism”.]
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Eurythmy is a form of spiritual dance developed by Rudolf Steiner.
[See "Eurythmy" and "Magical Arts".]
Future Waldorf teachers study and perform eurythmy
at such programs as Waldorf Teacher Education Eugene:
"Most students arrive with no experience of the art of eurythmy,
so the intensive nature of study (three lessons per week, of 45 minutes duration)
is important to help them gain an active insight into
the individual and social possibilities of etheric movement."
[http://wtee.org/program/foundation_year]
In Anthroposophic belief, "etheric" movement arises from the etheric level,
an invisible level of reality suffusing physical reality.
When their studies are complete, teacher-trainees like these
will offer their to educate your children.
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From nonprofitfacts.com:
“Waldorf Teacher Training Eugene in Eugene, Oregon (OR)”
[4-9-2012 http://nonprofitfacts.com/OR/Waldorf-Teacher-Training-Eugene.html]
From Waldorf Teacher Education Eugene:
“Thank you for visiting our website. The Waldorf Teacher Education program of Eugene, Oregon (WTEE), is a center for the study of Anthroposophy and for the preparation of Waldorf educators, K-8.”
[4-9-2012 http://wtee.org/]
Response:
Studying to become a Waldorf teacher usually involves extensive study of Rudolf Steiner's new-age religion, Anthroposophy. Ideally, according to Steiner himself, all Waldorf teachers should be deeply devoted Anthroposophists.*
Here we see that a Waldorf teacher-training program in Oregon, USA, identifies itself as "a center for the study of Anthroposophy." Whatever their virtues and faults, Waldorf schools have roots that extend directly down into Rudolf Steiner's mystical doctrines. This is often denied; it is often concealed. But it is so, and anyone — parent, education official, concerned citizen — who becomes interested in Waldorf education should unflinchingly face this fundamental reality. [See, e.g., "Teacher Training", "Secrets", "Clues", and "Here's the Answer".]
* Steiner laid down the following requirement:
"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 (Anthroposophic Press, 1998), p. 118.
Steiner's followers affirm this requirement.
"Waldorf teachers must be anthroposophists first and teachers second." — Waldorf teacher Gilbert Childs, STEINER EDUCATION IN THEORY AND PRACTICE (Floris Books, 1991), p. 176.
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From Steiner Education Australia:
“Australian Steiner Curriculum Framework
“Steiner Education Australia was invited to submit a Steiner Curriculum Framework for accreditation as a viable alternative to the Australian National Curriculum. The first stage covers English, Mathematics, Science and History up to Year 10, and was approved in late 2011."
[4-7-2012 http://steinereducation.edu.au/curriculum/]
Response:
Proponents of Waldorf education have had almost a century of experience in framing apparently plausible justifications for their movement, experience they put to use in applications submitted to education authorities. Often these documents conceal more than they reveal. For an overview of the standard Waldorf curriculum, see “Curriculum”. For an examination of the foundations of Waldorf education, see "Oh Humanity".
A "candle ceremony" at Alice Springs Steiner School, in Australia
For more on such ceremonies in Steiner schools,
see "Soul School".
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From This Is Somerset:
"New school to open in temporary buildings
“A controversial new school due to open in Frome [UK] in September has had to find temporary accommodation outside of the town in order to open on time. The proposed Frome Steiner School will be temporarily housed at the former Corsley Primary School buildings ... The revised proposal is to open in the Corsley Centre in September for the first 12 to 18 months. The academy then hopes to move to the proposed permanent location...in Frome town centre.
"The school has started a new consultation to gain the views of the community ... Prospective parents, pupils and other members of the community are being re-invited to share their views on proposals to open a new school for four to 16-year-olds in the town. The management committee said the community will have a number of ways to get involved in the consultation via the website, where they can complete an online questionnaire available at www.proposedSAF.org.uk and via a leaflet which is being distributed through libraries, places of worship and community groups.”
[4-5-2012 http://www.thisissomerset.co.uk/New-school-open-temporary-buildings/story-15726940-detail/story.html]
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From Waldorf Homeschoolers:
“WHAT DID STEINER SAY ABOUT TELEVISION?
“So what did Steiner have to say about television? Nothing. There were no televisions in his time. But, he said enough about early childhood education that we can surmise what his views on the tube would have been.
“These reasons center on Steiner’s view of the astral body, imagination and the way a child learns.
“A cornerstone in Steiner’s educational theorems was the fact that children go through three stages in their lives. First, from age 0-7, the spirit inhabiting the body of the child is still getting used to its surroundings ... During the second stage, from ages 7-14, the child is said to be driven by imagination and fantasy, and during the third stage, starting at age 14, the astral body is said to be driven into the physical body....
“Waldorf educators saw a direct link to this astral body and the watching of television. The scenes, the lack of imagination involved, and the topics covered on most channels would obviously bring on the astral stage of the body at an early age. This was one reason that television was banned from Waldorf schools.”
[http://www.waldorfhomeschoolers.com/what-did-steiner-say-about-television]
Response:
This is a fairly candid account of the Waldorf attitude toward TV. As with almost everything else in Waldorf belief and practice, Waldorf's take on TV derives from mystical concepts such as the “astral body.” If you don’t believe in astral bodies — or if you don't think it is obvious that watching TV will bring on a kid's astral stage too soon — the Waldorf view will probably strike you are baseless if not totally absurd.
The astral body is the second of the three invisible bodies that, according to Rudolf Steiner, incarnate during childhood. The etheric body — a constellation of formative forces — incarnates around age 7. The astral body — a constellation of soul forces — incarnates around age 14. And the ego body — one’s divine individual identity, also called the ego or the “I” — incarnates around age 21.
The entire Waldorf curriculum, not just the Waldorf approach to TV, hinges on these concepts. Usually outsiders are not told these things. Now you have been told.
The deepest reason Rudolf Steiner's followers oppose TV, computers, and indeed almost all technological devices is that demonic forces are using electricity to spread evil over the entire face of the Earth.
"[E]vil will invade the earth by coming in an immediate way out of the forces of electricity.” — Rudolf Steiner, “The Overcoming of Evil”, ANTHROPOSOPHIC NEWS SHEET No. 7/8 (General Anthroposophic Society, 1948).
[For more on some of these matters, see, e.g., “Incarnation” and “Curriculum”. A deeper reason Waldorf schools oppose TV and other technological products — such as computers — is the belief that they are demonic. See, e.g., “Ahriman”, “Evil Ones”, and “Spiders, Dragons and Foxes”. Usually outsiders are not told these things. Now you have been told.] .
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From the Tarrytown-Sleepy Hollow Patch:
“Vacant Spaces: Waldorf School to Close Green Meadow Branch in Tarrytown
“After one quiet but enriching school year here, the Green Meadow Waldorf School Early Childhood Center at Tappan Hill School in Tarrytown [New York State, USA] will shut its doors in June.
“The sweet school on the hill, Green Meadow, operating a Waldorf early childhood education center in the two rooms they rented in the former Tappan Hill Elementary School building, will not sign on for another year here.
“...Currently [lead teacher Karen] Atkinson has a class of four, and there are nine students already enrolled for the fall, which was ‘looking a lot better,’ she said ... The issue, Atkinson said, was not getting enrollments for September but for the feasibility of the long haul.”
[4-3-2012 http://tarrytown.patch.com/articles/waldorf-school-to-close-green-meadow-branch-in-tarrytown]
Response:
The reasons Waldorf schools open and close are rarely stated publicly. The tiny size of many of the schools is often an issue, but a deeper question is whether the staff believe they are succeeding in their service to Anthroposophy. As one former Waldorf teacher has explained,
"The reason many [Waldorf] schools exist is because of the Anthroposophy, period. It's not because of the children. It's because a group of Anthroposophists have it in their minds to promote Anthroposophy in the world." [See "Ex-Teacher 7".]
Waldorf schools may also collapse, or teeter on the brink of collapse, when the students' parents catch onto the occult/mystical purposes of the Waldorf movement. [See, e.g., "The Waldorf Scandal".]
There are many hundreds of Waldorf schools in the world, and some are reasonably large. But many are vanishingly small. The following is from a news account in 2009:
"Glacier Waldorf opened in 2006 ... Enrollments are down this year...with just three students at the Waldorf school." [12-30-2009 http://www.dailyinterlake.com/news/local_montana/article_9defc96e-f50a-11de-a998-001cc4c03286.html]
Small schools can offer various advantages, but there are also some obvious drawbacks. At the other end of the spectrum, successful Waldorf schools sometimes grow so large that they sacrifice one of the advantages parents often seek when choosing Waldorf: small classes with lots of individual attention for each student. Rudolf Steiner had no objection to allowing classes to swell; the first Waldorf school had many classes that were markedly larger than classes are other, nearby schools.
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From the Edinburgh Rudolf Steiner School [UK]:
“Steiner Schools Support Nature Deficit Report
“The Steiner Waldorf Schools Fellowship (SWSF) shares many of the concerns highlighted in Stephen Moss's research commissioned by the National Trust.*
“An active engagement with the natural world is an important aspect of Steiner Waldorf education.
“In Steiner early years settings the young child is given every opportunity to play outside, to explore and make use of natural materials and to experience the outdoor as a familiar environment, full of wonder and possibility.
“Throughout the Lower School years (age 6 – 14 years) teachers will look for opportunities to link classroom learning to the outside environment....” [http://www.steinerweb.org.uk/parents/news/2012/3/30/steiner-schools-support-nature-deficit-report]
* “UK children are losing contact with nature at a ‘dramatic’ rate, and their health and education are suffering, a National Trust report says.”
[http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/science-environment-17495032]
Response:
Waldorf education does support some positive values, such as love of nature. The reasons Waldorf embraces nature, however, are open to question. Thus, in Waldorf belief, nature is the realm of “nature spirits” — aka elemental beings or fairies. There are sylphs (who live in the air), gnomes (who live in the earth), undines (who live in water), and fire spirits (who live you-know-where). These are the four main kinds of nature spirits. However, there are others, such as specters, ghosts, and phantoms, etc. Phantoms, for instance, are wraiths that come to Earth through the physical bodies of wrongdoers.
They are “beings which have been created in the physical body through the effect of lying and slander ... Such beings...now flit and whirr about in our world and belong to a class that we call ‘phantoms.’ They form a certain group of elemental beings related to our physical body and invisible to physical sight.” — Rudolf Steiner, NATURE SPIRITS (Rudolf Steiner Press, 1995), pp. 83-84.
It is one thing to love nature. It is something else to love nature for rational reasons. (And as for loving an environment in which evil phantoms are whirring about, this is certainly questionable. And indeed the Waldorf attitude toward nature is by no means entirely affirmative. [For more on this, see "Neutered Nature".])
[Floris Books, 2005.]
This remarkable book is listed
at the Rudolf Steiner College bookstore
(although due to demand it is currently out of stock):
[http://www.steinercollege.edu/store/product.php?productid=17669&cat=0&page=1]
"Verena Stael von Holstein has gained the capacity
to see and speak with nature spirits. In this remarkable book,
Wolfgang Weirauch interviews her, and we hear what fire spirits,
air spirits, water spirits, and stone spirits have to say."
If you can't wait for Rudolf Steiner College to restock,
this remarkable book is available through SteinerBooks
[http://www.steinerbooks.org/detail.html?id=9780863154621]
Remarkable.
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Coming this month from SteinerBooks:
[SteinerBooks, 2012]
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"In the first part of this inspiring book — a work of devotion both to Rudolf Steiner and to Christian Rosenkreutz — Peter Selg, as 'The Great Servant of Christ Jesus,' gives a detailed, chronological, and fascinating account of Steiner’s portrayal and, as much as possible, experiences of Christian Rosenkreutz. He shows how Steiner had essentially two teachers: the Master Jesus (Zoroaster) and Christian Rosenkreutz."
[http://steinerbooks.org/detail.html?session=9e6feb2e2af7cba3746a9ff1c16457bc&id=9780880106603]
Response:
Christian Rosenkreutz was the mystical founder of Rosicrucianism, a secretive, occult society. Rosenkreutz almost certainly never existed, but Rudolf Steiner's followers consider him a real figure. [See "Rosy Cross".] Indeed, Steiner's followers generally believe that Rosenkreutz gave Steiner occult initiation. Steiner depicted Rosenkreutz as one of the great spiritual leaders of humanity, sitting high in occult councils. [See "The White Lodge".] It was, for instance, largely at the behest of Rosenkreutz that Buddha moved to Mars.
“A Conference of the greatest and most advanced Individualities was called together by Christian Rosenkreutz. His most intimate pupil and friend, the great teacher Buddha, participated in these counsels and in the decisions reached.” — Rudolf Steiner, THE MISSION OF CHRISTIAN ROSENKREUTZ (Rudolf Steiner Press, 1950), lecture 7, “The Mission of Gautama Buddha on Mars”.
The council members decided Buddha should go to Mars and fix things there.
“At that spiritual Conference it was resolved that henceforward Buddha would dwell on Mars and there unfold his influence and activity. Buddha transferred his work to Mars in the year 1604.” — Ibid.
As for Jesus being Zoroaster — it's a long story. Steiner taught that Christ is the Sun God. Christ came to Earth and incarnated in the body of Jesus. But before that could happen, two Jesus children were born, and they merged to become the receptacle for the Sun God.
“[T]wo Jesus children were born. One was descended from the so-called Nathan line of the House of David, the other from the Solomon line. These two children grew up side by side. In the body of the Solomon child lived the soul of Zarathustra [i.e., Zoroaster]. In the twelfth year of the child's life this soul passed over into the other Jesus child and lived in that body until its thirtieth year ... And then, only from the thirtieth year onward, there lived in this body the Being Whom we call the Christ, Who remained on earth altogether for three years.” — Rudolf Steiner, THE OCCULT SIGNIFICANCE OF THE BHAGAVAD GITA (Anthroposophic Press, 1968), p. 59. [For more on these matters, see "Sun God" and "Was He Christian?"]
Now, what possible relevance does any of this have for us here, at Waldorf Watch? We need to understand that these are the sorts of teachings offered by the founder of the Waldorf school movement, Rudolf Steiner. Not all faculty members at all Waldorf schools unhesitatingly embrace Steiner's teachings, but many do. And when Waldorf faculties get together to read Steiner texts, they come upon passages such the ones as we have seen just now. These are the kinds of doctrines that shape the mental universe — the belief system — within which Waldorf schools exist. These are the sorts of doctrines published today by Anthroposophical presses for the instruction and enlightenment of Rudolf Steiner's followers. These are the kinds of things you will find if you peel back the surface layers of Waldorf belief and practice. It seems incredible. It is incredible. But there it is.
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How deeply to Anthroposophists revere Rudolf Steiner? How seriously do they take Steiner's occult pronouncements? Note that Selg's book is "a work of devotion" to two men: Christian Rosenkreutz and, also, Rudolf Steiner.
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Posted at the Waldorf Critics site:
"Thursday night the Three Rivers School District [Oregon, USA] will make a final determination on the application of Woodland Charter School, planned for the Applegate Valley, in Southern Oregon near Grants Pass. The applicants solved the [Waldorf] curriculum problem by simply not describing it. They just say that they will comply with all state standards...."
[4-3-2012 http://groups.yahoo.com/group/waldorf-critics/message/23600http://groups.yahoo.com/group/waldorf-critics/message/23600]
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From Waldorf Today:
“Fairy Camp is Back for Summer 2012
“Greetings! Fairy camp will be held this year in both Ann Arbor, Michigan, and Chicago Illinois!
“What is fairy camp?
“Artist Stephanie Boyd leads this magical camp in which children will go on nature walks and listen to stories about all kinds of fairies, learn how to draw fairy wings, eyes, ears, slippers, clothing and more...”
[4-3-2012 http://us1.campaign-archive1.com/?u=a0ce04e5a70babb8ef1330163&id=f61dc904db]
Response:
It is often hard to believe that Waldorf teachers believe what they believe.* And sometimes it is hard to see the harm in Waldorf beliefs. But we should at least have our eyes open.
Rudolf Steiner taught that fairies really exist. “Fairies” is another name for “nature spirits”: invisible beings that live in the earth, air, fire, and water. [See “Neutered Nature”.] According to THE STEINERBOOKS DICTIONARY OF THE PSYCHIC, MYSTIC, OCCULT (Rudolf Steiner Publications, 1973),
"Evidence for the existence of the little folk comes mainly from photographs." [p. 82]
To consider the meanings that Waldorf faculties find in fairy tales (which they consider spiritually true), see “Fairy Tales”.
Fresh air is great for kids. Fairy tales are generally harmless. But when authoritative adults — school teachers, no less — encourage kids to believe in the actual existence of fairies, things can get out of hand. Children can be lured into a mystical worldview from which they may find escape very difficult — the worldview of Anthroposophy, the worldview that Waldorf schools exist to promote. You see, fairies really exist, and fairy tales are really, at root, true.
“Fairy tales are never thought out [i.e., invented]; they are the final remains of ancient clairvoyance, experienced in dreams by human beings who still had the power ... All the fairy tales in existence are thus the remnants of the original clairvoyance.” — Rudolf Steiner, ON THE MYSTERY DRAMAS (Rudolf Steiner Press, 1983), p. 93.
It is often hard to believe that Waldorf teachers believe what they believe. But they do.
"It is no easy feat for people of our time to see the fairies. Yet there are four professions which offer their practitioners unique opportunities to know them. Farmers, fishermen, foresters and miners work not just at the threshold of fairyland but well inside it ... Insightful farmers learn to transform dead wastes into life by composting ... Fairies are strongly attracted by this practice. They swarm to the farmer's aid ... Taught by Rudolf Steiner, the biodynamic farmer adds a further lure: Four kinds of sprays are readied ... To strengthen gnome activity in roots a spray of treated cow manure is used...[etc.]." — Marjorie Spock, FAIRY WORLDS AND WORKERS (Anthroposophic Press, 1980), pp. 27-28.
It is often hard to believe that Waldorf teachers believe what they believe. But they do.
* See, e.g., "Say What?" and "Weird Waldorf".
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Quote of the Day,
April 1, 2012
These are the words of Rudolf Steiner, explaining the Waldorf mission to Waldorf faculty members:
“We can accomplish our work only if we do not see it as simply a matter of intellect or feeling, but, in the highest sense, as a moral spiritual task. Therefore, you will understand why, as we begin this work today, we first reflect on the connection we wish to create from the very beginning between our activity and the spiritual worlds. With such a task, we must be conscious that we do not work only in the physical plane of living human beings. In the last centuries, this way of viewing work has increasingly gained such acceptance that it is virtually the only way people see it. This understanding of tasks has made teaching what it is now and what the work before us should improve. Thus, we wish to begin our preparation by first reflecting upon how we connect with the spiritual powers in whose service and in whose name each one of us must work.” — Rudolf Steiner, THE FOUNDATIONS OF HUMAN EXPERIENCE (Anthroposophic Press, 1996), p. 33.
Response:
Despite the usual Waldorf claims to the contrary, Waldorf schools are clearly religious institutions. And the religion involved, of course, is Anthroposophy. Note that the Waldorf teachers Steiner addressed were engaged in "a moral spiritual task"; their work began with a recognition "from the very beginning" of the "connection...between our activity and the spiritual worlds"; and the teachers set about to work in the "service" and in the "name" of the "spiritual powers." The teachers were undertaking work that can only be classed as religious — serving, and working in the name of, the gods.
"[W]e are actually carrying out the intentions of the gods." — Rudolf Steiner, FACULTY MEETINGS WITH RUDOLF STEINER (Anthroposophic Press, 1998), p. 55.
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