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WALDORF / STEINER 

NEWS ARCHIVE

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August, 2018

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This site supplements Waldorf Watch.

To go to Waldorf Watch itself, please click here:

Waldorf Watch.

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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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August 31, 2018

INSPIRED AND 

FINANCED 

From Sonoma West Times and News [California, USA]:

New campus for Sebastopol 

Independent Charter School

By Laura Hagar Rush

Most children in Sebastopol and surrounding towns went back to school in mid-August. The 292 students at the Waldorf-inspired Sebastopol Independent Charter School won’t be heading back until next week, but when they do, they’ll be going to an all new school, housed on a sprawling campus just north of Sebastopol.…

Over the years, the school has had several temporary homes. It started in a parent’s living room on Hurlbut Avenue and later occupied what is now the Wells Fargo Bank building on Bodega. For most of its life, the school was located in a brightly colored mixed-use building in downtown Sebastopol….

The new campus’ $8.5 million price tag was paid for by the sale of the Main Street campus, which netted $2.5 million, a war chest of donations from parents over the years, and a $4.2 million loan from the Rudolph [sic] Steiner Foundation in San Francisco, which funds the construction of Waldorf schools….

[8/31/2018   http://www.sonomawest.com/sonoma_west_times_and_news/news/new-campus-for-sebastopol-independent-charter-school/article_a3178764-aba5-11e8-8f34-8ff52567fc2b.html   This story originally appeared on August 30.]

Waldorf Watch Response & Notes:

"Waldorf-inspired" schools take various forms. Sometimes, they are schools having no particular attachment to Rudolf Steiner's New Agey religion, Anthroposophy. [1] In these cases, the schools may adopt some superficially appealing characteristics of Waldorf schools (such as an emphasis on art, reliance on slow learning, endorsement of green values, and the like) without embracing the entire Waldorf belief system. [2] Thus, the occultism that is fundamental to the Waldorf movement may be largely absent from these schools. [3]

In other cases, however, "Waldorf-inspired" schools may be deeply devoted to Anthroposophy and its occult beliefs. But because the term "Waldorf school" is generally reserved for institutions that fully conform to Rudolf Steiner's educational vision [4], new schools that do not yet meet this standard may need to find a different descriptor for themselves. The term "Waldorf-inspired" is sometimes used for schools in this intermediate, transitional state.

The difference between these two types of "Waldorf-inspired" schools — those that are not committed to Anthroposophy and those that are — is crucial. In the former case, the schools are essentially secular; in the latter, they are essentially religious (the religion being Anthroposophy). [5] Figuring out what sort of institution any particular "Waldorf-inspired" school actually is — divining which category it falls within — can take patient detective work. [6] Waldorf schools often disguise themselves to varying degrees. [7]

Another wrinkle: "Charter schools" are, in effect, independent or private schools that receive public financing. In their operations, they are effectively private, going their own way; but, technically, they are part of the public school system, paid for by the taxpayers in their region. (In the U.K., charter schools are called "free schools".) When a group wishing to run a Waldorf school also wishes to have access to the public till, attaching a mild label to the school may ease the application process. In such cases, the term "Waldorf-inspired school" may be more reassuring to local education officials than blunter designations such as "Waldorf school" or "Steiner school."

What sort of "Waldorf-inspired" school is the Sebastopol Independent Charter School? One indication is provided by the decision of the Rudolf Steiner Foundation [8] to extend a loan to the school. Clearly, the Foundation thinks the Sebastopol school meets its pro-Steiner criteria.

[1] See the entry for "Anthroposophy" in The Brief Waldorf / Steiner Encyclopedia.

[2] See, e.g., "Magical Arts", "Play - Isn't Slow Learning Best?", and "Neutered Nature".

[3] "Occult" is a loaded term. Steiner used it openly; he called himself an occultist and he laid out his central doctrines in his book AN OUTLINE OF OCCULT SCIENCE. By "occult science" or "occult knowledge," he meant hidden or secret knowledge of the spirit realm. [See "Occultism" and "Everything".]

[4] See "Oh Humanity". Also see "Faculty Meetings" and the essays connected with it ("Foundations", etc.).

[5] See "Is Anthroposophy a Religion?"

[6] See, e.g., "Clues".

[7] See, e.g., "Secrets".

[8] See https://rsfsocialfinance.org/our-story/mission-values/. Note the euphemisms employed by the Fund. This is typical of Anthroposophical organizations that, to one degree or another, disguise their nature and purposes. Note, too, that while Waldorf schools often start as shoestring operations (meeting in a living room, for instance), later they may have access to considerable resources (such as the resources of the Rudolf Steiner Fund). For such schools, access to public financing may be helpful but it is not absolutely necessary.

— R.R. 

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 .August 30, 2018

FOLLOWING UP

Here are updates to two stories covered here recently. 

1.

Honolulu

The Honolulu Waldorf school, which had only recently recovered from damage inflicted by floodwaters, had been in danger of new flooding when Hurricane Lane approached the Hawaiian Islands in recent days. Some islands in the chain were badly battered by the storm, but Oahu — where Honolulu is located — was comparatively spared.

The Honolulu Waldorf website today includes the following message:

...[W]e are ever so grateful that Hurricane Lane left our school intact....

[8/30/2018    https://honoluluwaldorf.org]

For our previous report on the situation at Honolulu Waldorf, see "Hawaiian Waldorf School Recovering from Flood", August 21, 2018.

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Hertfordshire

Efforts to revive the Rudolf Steiner School Kings Langley (RSSKL) have not yet borne fruit. A plan to create a new Steiner-related school on the existing RSSKL site has been unsuccessful. Nor has any other plan been adopted that could fill the gap left by the demise of RSSKL. Not yet, anyway.

The following message continues to appear at the RSSKL website:

The Trustees of the school are very sad to announce that RSSKL has now closed and we are currently planning for a new future.

Please do check back for the latest developments. We will be providing updates as soon as we can.

[8/30/2018   http://rsskl.org]  

This message has constituted the entire publicly accessible content of the site for some weeks now. No updates have been forthcoming. Not yet, anyway.

For our previous coverage of the situation at RSSKL, see "RSSKL".

— R.R. 

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 .August 28, 2018

ILLNESS, KARMA, ATLANTIS, EVOLUTION, 

RACES, DEMONS, AND LEPROSY

Here is a quotation from a lecture by Rudolf Steiner. The lecture is featured today — August 28, 2018 — at the Rudolf Steiner Archive and e.Lib. I have added some explanatory footnotes and two supplementary quotations.

Illness need not be a matter of individual karma only; the karma of a whole people has to be taken into account. [1] An interesting example…can be seen in the migration of the Huns and Mongols who poured from Asia into the West. [2] The Mongols were stragglers of the Atlanteans. [3] While the Indians, the German and other peoples were progressing, the Mongols had remained behind. Just as the animals have separated off from the evolutionary path of mankind, so have certain lower peoples and races fallen behind. [4] The Mongols were Atlanteans whose physical development had taken a downward course. [5] In the astral bodies of such decadent people an abundance of decaying astral substance can be seen. [6] When the Mongols fell upon the Germans and other Central European peoples, they created a wave of fear and panic. [7] These emotions belong to the astral body, and under such conditions decaying astral substances will flourish. [8] Thus the astral bodies of Europeans became infected and in later generations the infection came out in the physical body, affecting not merely individuals but whole groups of peoples. It emerged as leprosy, that terrible disease which wrought such devastation in the Middle Ages. It was the physical consequence of an influence on the astral body. [9]

— Rudolf Steiner, “Workings of the Law of Karma in Human Life”, AT THE GATES OF SPIRITUAL SCIENCE (Rudolf Steiner Publishing Co., 1986), lecture 7, GA 95.

[8/28/2018     https://wn.rsarchive.org/Lectures/Dates/19060828p01.html   Steiner delivered this lecture on August 28, 1906.]

Waldorf Watch Footnotes:

[1] Karma and reincarnation are key beliefs held by Steiner’s followers. [See “Karma” and “Reincarnation”. For Steiner’s teachings about illness and health, see, e.g., “Steiner’s Quackery”.]

[2] Steiner is speaking of the intrusion of Asiatic peoples (“Huns and Mongols”) into Europe, intrusions that he said had dire effects. The Huns were Eurasian nomads. Their leader, sometimes called Atilla the Hun (circa 406-453 CE), was a feared enemy of the Roman empires, eastern and western. Atilla led his people across the Danube into Germanic lands more than once, and he plundered Central Europe. The Mongols were a Central Asian ethnic group. The emperor of the Mongols, Ghengis Khan (1162–1227 CE), led what is sometimes called the “Mongol Invasion” of Europe in the 13th century. His successors continued assailing, and ruling, large swaths of Europe in subsequent years. 

Here, Steiner focuses chiefly on the Mongols (as conceived in his esoteric imaginings). We will consider a statement Steiner made about the Huns, presently.

[3] Steiner says the Mongols were very little changed from their forebears, who lived on the continent of Atlantis. Unlike some other races and peoples, the Mongols had not evolved much beyond the level of the Atlanteans. [Steiner and his followers believe in Atlantis. For Steiner’s teachings about Atlantis, see “Atlantis and the Aryans” and “Atlantis”.]

[4] Steiner taught that humans have evolved by separating themselves from lowly or degenerate types that were unable to keep pace. Thus, Steiner says here that subcontinental Indians, Germans, and others have evolved to higher levels, but “animals” and “lower peoples and races” failed to evolve and thus fell by the wayside (they “separated from the evolutionary path of mankind”). [For Steiner’s teachings on such matters, see, e.g., “Evolution, Anyone?”, “Steiner’s Racism”, and “Races”.]

[5] I.e., the Mongols did not simply remain at the evolutionary level of the Atlanteans — they actually degenerated to lower levels. Their “physical development had taken a downward course.”

[6] Steiner taught that humans have three invisible bodies that supplement the physical body. The “astral body” — consisting of astral or soul subtances — is the second of these invisible bodies. [See “Incarnation”.] Here, Steiner says that the astral bodies of the Mongols contained “an abundance of decaying astral substance.”

[7] I.e., the invasion of the Mongols caused “a wave of fear and panic” in Central Europe.

[8] Steiner says fear and panic are located primarily in the astral body, and they cause the substances of the astral body to decay. Thus, the Mongols — with their degenerate astral bodies — caused the astral bodies of their European victims to degenerate also.

[9] I.e., the damage to Europeans’ astral bodies caused, by extension, damage to Europeans’ physical bodies. This damage expressed itself as the disease of leprosy.

Supplementary Quotation #1:

Here is another Steiner statement about leprosy in Europe. In this case, Steiner speaks about the effects produced by invading Huns, rather than invading Mongols, on the people of Central Europe. He also introduces the concept of demonic influence.

[W]e must distinguish so carefully between [individual] evolution and racial evolution. [Upwardly evolving] souls reappear in bodies belonging to higher races, while the bodies of the lower races die out … [W]ith the dying out of the worst parts of the ancient population [of Europe and Asia Minor], the whole region gradually became filled with demonic beings that represented the products of decay of what had died out. The whole of Europe and also Asia Minor were thus filled with the spiritual products of decay from the dying out of the worst parts of the population. These demons of decay…endured for a long time … Their influence can best be seen at the time of the Great Migrations, when large masses of people, including Attila and his hordes, came over from Asia and caused great terror among the people in Europe. This terror made the population susceptible to the influences of the demonic beings that still persisted from earlier times. As a consequence of the terror produced by the hordes coming over from Asia, there gradually developed what manifested during the Middle Ages as the epidemic of leprosy. 

— Rudolf Steiner, THE SPIRITUAL FOUNDATION OF MORALITY (SteinerBooks, 1995), p. 31, GA 155.

Supplementary Quotation #2:

[P]eoples and races are but steps leading to pure humanity. A race or a nation stands so much the higher, the more perfectly its members express the pure, ideal human type, the further they have worked their way from the physical and perishable to the supersensible and imperishable. The evolution of man through the incarnations in ever higher national and racial forms is thus a process of liberation. Man must finally appear in harmonious perfection. 

— Rudolf Steiner, KNOWLEDGE OF HIGHER WORLDS AND ITS ATTAINMENT (Anthroposophic Press, 1947), p. 252, GA 10.

Both of the quotations above hinge on the concept of racial inequality. Steiner taught that some races are higher than others. The lower races are generally degenerate — they have failed to keep abreast as the higher races evolved, Steiner taught. The best parts of humanity are freeing themselves by evolving to higher and higher levels, Steiner said. A race is "high" because it is more evolved than the degenerate races. The high races are approaching the ideal human type.

KNOWLEDGE OF THE HIGHER WORLDS is one of Steiner's most important books, laying out some of his central teachings. [See "Knowing the Worlds".]

— Footnotes and supplementary quotations provided by R.R. 

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 .August 26, 2018

CONTEMPLATING RSSK

FROM STOCKHOLM

The following item is from The Ethereal Kiosk [Stockholm, Sweden]. The author, Alicia Hamberg, is a former Waldorf student who has written blog posts in both Swedish and English. The item below consists of excerpts from her most recent English-language post. 

Alicia recollects a time, years ago, when she posted a number of blunt criticisms of Waldorf education. The response she received from the Waldorf community was decidedly hostile. Alicia was subjected to acerbic personal attacks. Understandably, she came out of that experience feeling emotionally and psychologically bruised. 

Now, years later, events at the Rudolf Steiner School Kings Langley (RSSKL) have vindicated much of what Alicia wrote. The British government ordered RSSKL to close, citing numerous faults in the operations of the school. After fighting the order, the school ultimately succumbed. Supporters are currently attempting to revive the school in some form, but for now RSSKL is no more. 

Considering the circumstances, Alicia is generous in her response to RSSKL’s demise. She resists the temptation to gloat. Instead, she points out that she and other Waldorf critics seem to have been correct in at least some of their criticisms. And, she comments, these criticisms may apply to many Waldorf schools that are still in operation today. 

[I have done a little light editing to the following, aiming for consistency with the Waldorf Watch format. And, full disclosure: Although we have never met, I consider Alicia a friend. We are both Waldorf survivors.] 

On the Demise of 

Kings Langley Steiner School

I hesitate to write about this, like I hesitate to write about anything these days. But the fact that Kings Langley Steiner School was finally closed following several inspections and the school administration’s failure to come to terms with — and to rectify — the previously identified deficiencies, means that it’s not just a question of accusations thrown around by angry parents, or the like, anymore; there’s the fact of an actual closure. There have been numerous reports in the media about it over the last year, but I haven’t collected them….

In any case, [some news accounts] had little to do with the particular failings of Kings Langley, which, it appears, has been governed badly over a number of years, with a college of teachers [i.e., central committee] and staff that has failed to meet any sort of external standards, actively resisted school inspections, and ignored all the warnings that things were not going well…. 

I’m not sure whether to find it ironic or just amusing, but the criticism now delivered by Jeremy Smith, former information officer of the Steiner Waldorf School Fellowship and formerly an eager soldier in the fight against criticism of Waldorf schools, basically targets Waldorf schools on similar grounds that the rest of us were trying to do when he (and some others) tried to combat us almost a decade ago. It may not always look that way…but I think many of the failings that critics were then pointing at had similar origins to the failings that Jeremy Smith reports [now]. What people were seeing, when comparing their experiences, was that behind individual failings were…systematic failings that were in some interesting ways universal [among Waldorf schools] all over the world…. 

To the credit of Jeremy Smith, he has since amended his view of those unwanted criticisms of Waldorf schools. He now writes: 

…I became increasingly aware of the criticisms of Rudolf Steiner and Steiner Waldorf schools that were at that time starting to be widely disseminated online. I was upset by many of these criticisms, which did not accord with my understanding of Steiner or my experience of Waldorf schools. The sheer viciousness of the many misrepresentations I saw online led me to engage with some of these critics, in what with hindsight I now regard as naïve and well-meaning attempts to increase understanding and put the record straight. Today I would claim to have a more nuanced view of these criticisms, some of which were undoubtedly justified. 

While I don’t believe — I really don’t — that every criticism is worth taking seriously…I think that many things that were said by critics back then would have been rather good (if I dare say so) for the Steiner Waldorf movement to reflect upon rather than to brush aside or even to try to silence or to shut down. Back then, I don’t think any one of us actually thought that, ten years along the line, one of the most prestigious and oldest Steiner schools in Britain would be forced to close. I’m certain it would have been seen as a victory by the most “vicious” of critics — but also utopian. Interestingly, the school’s downfall was entirely its own fault, and came at a time when external criticism (or “vicious” writings of former parents or students)…had dwindled to almost nothing. And it will, I believe, have an impact on the Steiner movement, at least in Britain, though considering the role of the college of teachers [at Kings Langley] and the traditional but often dysfunctional arrangement for governing Waldorf schools, perhaps [Waldorf] schools in other parts of the world should take heed too.

— Alicia Hamberg

[8/26/2018    https://zooey.wordpress.com/2018/08/22/on-the-demise-of-kings-langley-steiner-school/    This blog post originally appeared on August 22.]

For previous Waldorf Watch coverage of the situation at Rudolf Steiner School Kings Langley, see "RSSKL".

— R.R. 

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 .August 25, 2018

YET ANOTHER WALDORF SCHOOL 

MAKES ANOTHER WOEFUL LIST

From The Burlington Free Press [Vermont, USA]: 

Measles: Low vaccination rate 

in some Vermont schools a concern 

[by] Nicole Higgins DeSmet

Vermont hasn't had a confirmed case of the measles since 2011, but now isn't the time to relax, one expert says.…

Vermont students in K–12 [i.e., kindergarten through 12th grade] had a vaccination rate of 94 percent but a few public schools had immunization rates around 80 percent…. 

Private schools had lower rates than public schools. The Orchard Valley Waldorf School in Washington County, for example, had a rate of 48.8 percent for the 82 students enrolled…. 

The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention reported that there have already been eight outbreaks of three or more cases [of measles] this year [in the USA]. The CDC in July released data showing 107 confirmed cases, which is close to the total for the entire previous year…. 

In Europe more than 41,000 people were infected in the first six months of 2018, leading to 37 deaths, according to the World Health Organization. That is twice the number of cases as the previous year. The surge in infections is believed by health officials to correlate with a drop in vaccination numbers. 

"Measles cases could easily occur in Vermont if an unvaccinated Vermonter travels abroad and is exposed to a case or if a traveler visits Vermont while infectious," [state epidemiologist Patsy Kelso] said. 

[8/25/2018      https://www.burlingtonfreepress.com/story/news/local/vermont/2018/08/22/vermont-safe-but-cdc-monitors-reports-107-cases-21-states/1006417002/   This story originally appeared on August 22.] 

Waldorf Watch Response:

Rudolf Steiner associated at least some vaccines with black magic and the demon Ahriman, as we saw recently. [1] Devout followers of Steiner — that is, devout Anthroposophists — generally bear Steiner’s warnings in mind when deciding whether to vaccinate the children in their care. Because Steiner said vaccines can cause terrible damage, Anthroposophists are loath to permit kids to be vaccinated unless extraordinary precautions are taken. [2] Often, they reject vaccination out of hand.

Many Waldorf school teachers are devout Anthroposophists. But others are not. These latter may know little or nothing about Steiner’s occult preachments. The same goes for many parents who send their kids to Waldorf schools — they are not steeped in Steiner’s books and lectures. Nonetheless, aversion to vaccination is common in Waldorf communities. What gives? 

Aside from Steiner’s specific teachings, Waldorfers tend to fear vaccination because of their general misgivings about modern technology and science. Waldorf schools are alternative institutions, and they tend to attract families having countercultural inclinations. High among these inclinations is, usually, a preference for things that are natural, organic, and spiritual, as opposed to things that are artificial, contrived, and mechanistic. [3]

Preferring natural things is quite understandable. Most people lean this way, if only a little. But problems arise when we push this preference too far. Consider. Natural things are not necessarily safe or healthy. Many highly dangerous things are natural. Volcanic eruptions, for instance. Tornadoes. Snakebites. Measles. 

Generally, humans have tried to defend themselves against hazards such as these. Strictly speaking, this means we have opted to oppose or tame nature. We don’t yet have a technology that can prevent volcanic eruptions, but we do have technologies that can prevent or at least minimize some natural dangers. Measles, for instance. We have invented vaccines that can often save people from contracting measles. Like all inventions, vaccines are contrived; they are manmade; they are unnatural. But they are good for us. [4] Failing to use such technologies can mean consigning many people — including many beloved children — to needless harm, including possible death. [5] 

Waldorf schools often have a warm, comforting atmosphere. The people who work in Waldorf schools often have beneficent intentions. And yet, in various ways, Waldorf schools can be unusually dangerous places. [5] Among the dangers Waldorf students may be exposed to is the danger of contracting serious diseases that could have been prevented if these schools adopted a more enlightened attitude toward vaccination.

[For previous Waldorf Watch coverage of the Waldorf attitude toward vaccination, see, e.g., "Anti-Vax HQ: Waldorf" (July 20, 2018), and "Shots, Automatons, Ahriman, and Waldorf" (June 18, 2018).]

[1] See "Another Waldorf School Tops a Worrisome List", August 23, 2018.

[2] Steiner said that the dire effects of vaccination can be offset if the doctor and patient have had a spiritual — or, more precisely, an Anthroposophical — education. [See, e.g., the entry for "vaccination" in The Brief Waldorf / Steiner Encyclopedia.] To the degree that Waldorf schools provide an Anthroposophical education [see "Spiritual Agenda"], they should arm students against being harmed by vaccines. In this sense, we might expect Waldorf schools to be particularly well-disposed toward vaccination, but this has not proven to be the case. In general, the evidence is that Waldorf schools tend to harbor strong anti-vaccine sentiment. Waldorf schools are often heavily represented on lists of schools having high percentages of unvaccinated students.

[3] See, e.g., "Biodynamics" and the discussion of green values in "Neutered Nature".

[4] A small percentage of patients may have an adverse reaction to a vaccine. But, overall, medical authorities strongly advocate vaccination in virtually all cases. See, e.g., the Mayo Clinic's online article, "Childhood vaccines: Tough questions, straight answers". Here's how it starts: "Childhood vaccines protect children from a variety of serious or potentially fatal diseases, including diphtheria, measles, polio and whooping cough (pertussis). If these diseases seem uncommon — or even unheard of — it's usually because these vaccines are doing their job."

[5] The medical care affirmed in Anthroposophy — and, often, in Waldorf schools — can be extremely hazardous. In many ways, it is little better than quackery. [See "Steiner's Quackery".]

[6] See, e.g., "Who Gets Hurt".

— R.R. 

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 .August 24, 2018

CLOSED STEINER SCHOOL 

TO STAY CLOSED - FOR NOW  

From  The Watford Observer [Hertfordshire, UK]:

School won't open on 

Rudolf Steiner site 

in Kings Langley

By Nathan Louis

A new school will not open on the Rudolf Steiner School (RSSKL) site.

The private school, which announced in June that it would be closing, had been in negotiations with Alpha [i.e., Alpha Schools Ltd.] to open a new school on the same Kings Langley site in September, for the new school term.

But following discussion between RSSKL and Alpha, RSSKL has revealed that a new school will not go ahead, at this time….

RSSKL has been threatened with closure for months after a series of Ofsted [i.e., Office for Standards in Education] inspections found that pupils were “at risk”.

It was announced in June that the school was to close, and despite attempts to keep it open, they were unable to find any insurers to keep the school operating from September.

[8/24/2018      http://www.watfordobserver.co.uk/news/16594812.school-wont-open-on-rudolf-steiner-site-in-kings-langley/   This story originally appeared on August 23.]

Waldorf Watch Response:

The travails of Rudolf Steiner School Kings Langley have been long and complex. One of Britain's leading Steiner schools, RSSKL has struggled hard to remain open. The collapse of this school would potentially be a severe blow to the Steiner education movement generally. But despite concerted efforts to overturn or evade the government's closure order, RSSKL seems to be done for.

Seems to. Backers of Steiner education generally, and supporters of RSSKL in particular, are not yet surrendering. Although the plan to reconstitute RSSKL in a modified form on its old site now seem finished (seem finished), efforts are still afoot to return Steiner education — somehow, in some incarnation — to Hertfordshire.

A spokesman for RSSKL, quoted in The Watford Observer, had this to say: 

“[RSSKL's] trustees have worked incredibly hard to explore whether Alpha would operate a school on our premises but unfortunately this will not proceed at this time ... We are considering alternative RSSKL and community projects ... We will embrace these new opportunities to develop a strong and vibrant Steiner-Waldorf offering in a new form.” [The Watford Observer, August 23, 2018.]

Note that the "new form" may yet boil down to reopening RSSKL, or a variant, on the old RSSKL site. The spokesman said that such a possibility "will not proceed at this time" [emphasis added]. At least some RSSKL backers evidently still hope that they may reopen a Steiner school on the old site at some future time.

Devoted Steiner adherents rarely give up the good fight (as they understand it). They rarely compromise. In this, they follow the admonition Rudolf Steiner gave to teachers at the first Steiner or Waldorf school:

“As teachers in the Waldorf School, you will need to find your way more deeply into the insight of the spirit and to find a way of putting all compromises aside.” — Rudolf Steiner, FACULTY MEETINGS WITH RUDOLF STEINER (Anthroposophic Press, 1998), p. 118.

[To review the long tale of RSSKL's difficulties as reported here, see "RSSKL".]

— R.R. 

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 .August 23, 2018

ANOTHER WALDORF SCHOOL 

TOPS A WORRISOME LIST 

From an opinion piece in the Longmont Observer [Colorado, USA]:

Stand for Something: 

No Excuses, Vaccinate Your Kids

By Shakeel Dalal

This isn’t so much an opinion as a statement of medical fact, but apparently, it needs to be said. The school year is starting. Vaccinate your kids, damnit [sic]. Vaccines are good for them.

The Colorado Department of Public Health makes available vaccination statistics for every school in the state … Students in the public schools are up to date on their vaccines 89% of the time....

…Herd immunity [i.e., shared immunity within a population] protects all of us against diseases even if a small fraction of us don’t get the vaccine. It allows us to protect those people whose religious beliefs forbid vaccines, or the immune compromised, the very young and very old for whom the vaccine might be dangerous.…

…There are deadly, preventable diseases out there that ravaged humanity for thousands of years. We’ve found a way [i.e., vaccination] to make sure that some of the worst of them don’t! But some rich people believe stupid, fear-mongering stories about vaccines and are choosing to exempt their children from school vaccination requirements.

There are three private schools [in Colorado] with outrage-inducing levels of “personal exemptions.” Vista Ridge Academy and Rocky Mountain Christian Academy are each near 10%. Boulder Valley Waldorf School, the most expensive of them all, is downright dangerous at a 50.4% exemption rate. A single child who contracts whooping cough from a stranger during the family ski trip to Aspen could literally put the lives of every child in the school at risk because of the absence of herd immunity in that community....

[8/23/2018   https://longmontobserver.org/stand-for-something/stand-for-something-no-excuses-vaccinate-your-kids/    This article originally appeared on August 21.]

Waldorf Watch Response:

The debate about vaccination has raged for years, and we won't resolve it here. We can objectively report, however, that the medical and scientific communities are nearly unanimous in advocating vaccination to prevent diseases. [See, e.g., National Institutes of Health: "Vaccinations/Immunizations for Children": "Vaccinating children against diseases helps protect our community’s and our children’s health."] According to this overwhelming scientific consensus, opposition to vaccination is generally based on fallacies, misinformation, and unwarranted fears.

Waldorf schools almost never have official anti-vaccination policies, but nonetheless they generally harbor deep misgivings about vaccines. Parents who, to one degree or another, oppose vaccination for their children are often attracted to Waldorf schools, and the faculties of these schools often oppose vaccination even more adamantly than the incoming parents do. As a result, herd immunity is rare among Waldorf students — the danger of contagions spreading among them is great.

Parents who fear vaccination for their children often are worried about possible medical harm, such as the possibility that vaccines could cause autism. Usually, there is no valid scientific basis for such fears, but at least the debate centers on issues that might possibly be resolved by rational discussion.

Waldorf faculties, on the other hand, often fear vaccination for darker, less rational reasons. They worry about demons and black magic. So, for instance, Waldorf founder Rudolf Steiner warned against the machinations of "black or grey magicians": 

"[T]hrough criminal occult activity...those whose intentions toward humanity are not good, in other words those who are black or grey magicians, can gain possession of [dark] secrets ... [They] will make impossible all of humanity's spiritual development ... Endeavors to achieve this will be made by bringing out remedies to be administered by inoculation...only these inoculations will influence the human body in a way that will make it refuse to give a home to the spiritual inclinations of the soul.” — Rudolf Steiner, SECRET BROTHERHOODS (Rudolf Steiner Press, 2004), pp. 90-91.

Steiner said that soul-destroying vaccines serve the purposes of the demon Ahriman. Such dreadful vaccines would turn people into automatons. Fortunately, Waldorf schools exist to thwart such horrors:

"[H]umanity approaches the danger of losing itself [i.e., losing its soul] … [T]here are all kinds of underground societies that work toward things that lead in [this] direction … [They want to] find a substance, a material substance, that can be inoculated into a human being at a certain age ... This tendency definitely exists. It is right in line with...Ahrimanic development … [T]he human being is made thereby into an automaton ... Out of the full consciousness that one faces when confronting the automization of the human being [i.e., turning people into automatons], the methods for the Waldorf School, the pedagogical methods for the Waldorf School, were discovered." — Rudolf Steiner, THERAPEUTIC INSIGHTS (Mercury Press, 1984), pp. 87-88.

So, if opposition to vaccines is not official Waldorf policy (and, indeed, Steiner occasionally said that vaccines can be okay under certain circumstances), still the fear of vaccines lies very near the core of the Waldorf mission. "Out of the full consciousness that one faces when confronting the automization of the human being, the methods for the Waldorf School...were discovered."

[For previous Waldorf Watch coverage of the Waldorf attitude toward vaccination, see, e.g., "Anti-Vax HQ: Waldorf" (July 20, 2018), and "Shots, Automatons, Ahriman, and Waldorf" (June 18, 2018). For background on Ahriman, see "Ahriman". Concerning black magicians, see "Magic" and "Magicians". Concerning automatons (automata), see the entry for "automatons" in The Brief Waldorf / Steiner Encyclopedia.]

— R.R. 

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 .August 21, 2018

HAWAIIAN WALDORF SCHOOL 

RECOVERING FROM THE FLOOD 

From Hawaii News Now [Honolulu, USA]:

Months after historic flood, 

east Honolulu school 

celebrates a ‘rebirth'

By Mahealani Richardson

On the first day back to school for Honolulu Waldorf School, teachers and more than 40 high school students gathered on school's oceanfront property to celebrate a new day — and a renovated school….

Four months ago, nearly a foot of water and 2 inches of mud covered the first floor of the school….

Over the summer, teachers and some student volunteers worked to rebuild and completed most of the work just in time for Monday's reopening….

Waldorf leaders say FEMA [the Federal Emergency Management Agency] told them to start preparing now for future flooding….

New flooring still needs to be installed in the auditorium and the school hopes to have most of the fixes done by next week.

[8/21/2018       http://www.hawaiinewsnow.com/story/38924417/months-after-historic-flood-east-honolulu-school-celebrates-a-rebirth    This story originally appeared on August 20.]

Waldorf Watch Notes:

Severe flooding hit Hawaii in April, 2018. Some reports indicate that more than 28 inches of rain fell on some parts of the islands — a deluge the National Weather Service described as "unprecedented." Waters surged into the two-story Honolulu Waldorf high school building, leaving a thick coating of mud on the ground floor. The high school temporarily relocated to a nearby church. 

Founded in 1961, Honolulu Waldorf — a K-12 institution — is reported to have approximately 300 students. The high school stands separate from the rest of the school.

The work done by Honolulu Waldorf faculty members to physically repair one of their school buildings is an example, in extreme form, of the Waldorf ethos. Teachers at Waldorf schools (and the parents of Waldorf students, and Waldorf students themselves) are often expected to donate their time and labor on behalf of the collective. Waldorf schools typically become the centers of tight-knit, insular communities that minimize contacts with non-Anthroposophical institutions; the schools become the core of life for many adults and children. The duties assigned to Waldorf faculty members, in particular, frequently exceed ordinary bounds. Total immersion in, and devotion to, the school is often expected. The following is from a report by a former Waldorf teacher: "[Waldorf] teachers are asked to participate in various tasks of school life: monitoring the canteen, preparing various gatherings, helping with educational exhibitions, helping with open houses, gardening the school's green spaces, cleaning classrooms, doing small maintenance, undertaking administrative tasks, etc. … After some particularly busy weeks, I ended up not going home, but sleeping for several days in the [school] infirmary … Waldorf teachers only become more submissive to an institution to which they eventually sacrifice their lives and energy. Ultimately, the teacher is so much involved in the famous 'school life' that he soon surrenders his personal life ... The teacher finds compensation, a kind of new family, in the school itself." [See "He Went to Waldorf".] The compensation or gratification felt by Waldorf teachers doubtless varies from case to case. Restoring a storm-damaged school, difficult and dirty as the work may have been, seems likely to have gratified the participants.

— R.R. 

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 .August 20, 2018

THE LUNAR FORTRESS 

AND OTHER COSMIC COLONIES

Rudolf Steiner Press is currently offering, once again, a book it originally released in 1998:

Rudolf Steiner Press, ISBN 9781855840478, £15.99

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The following is from the Press's current blurb for RUDOLF STEINER SPEAKS TO THE BRITISH:

As demonstrated by the contents of this book, Rudolf Steiner was able to speak to the British in a very direct and lively way. He did not need to give a long introductory build-up to his main theme, as was expected of him in Germany for instance, but could refer immediately to esoteric ideas.

The intention of this volume is to give a fuller picture of Rudolf Steiner's work in Britain, and his approach to esoteric ideas while on British soil….

[8/20/2018    https://rudolfsteinerpress.com/viewbook.php?isbn_in=9781855840478]

Waldorf Watch Response:

Steiner spoke to the British in his native tongue, German. This may have perplexed some members of his audience. More perplexing, however, were the contents of his "esoteric ideas."

Here is a sample:

“[T]he moon today is like a fortress in the universe, in which there lives a population that fulfilled its human destiny over 15,000 years ago, after which it withdrew to the moon together with the spiritual guides of humanity.

"Very advanced being once lived on earth. They did not take on a physical body in the way we do, but lived more in an etheric body. Nevertheless, they were the great teachers of human beings at that time. These great teachers of humanity...now live inside the moon....

"When we look up to the moon [today] we only see its whole reality if we understand that high spiritual beings who were once linked with the earth now make it there task there [i.e., on or in the moon] to reflect back to the earth...the physical and spiritual forces that come to them from the universe. Those [humans] who seek initiation wisdom today must also above all things strive to receive...what the beings of the moon with their sublime spiritual forces have to tell.

 "This [i.e., the lunar colony] is only one of the 'cities' in the universe, one colony, one settlement among many ... As far as what concerns ourselves, as humanity on earth, the other pole, the opposite extreme to the moon is the population of Saturn.” — Rudolf Steiner, RUDOLF STEINER SPEAKS TO THE BRITISH (Rudolf Steiner Press, 1998), p. 93.

When contemplating Waldorf education for today's children, it is helpful to learn what the founder of Waldorf education — Rudolf Steiner — believed. And it is even more helpful to understand that Steiner's followers today continue to circulate his pronouncements, not as material for comedy routines (which might be more appropriate) but as serious "esoteric ideas."

— R.R. 

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 .August 18, 2018

TEMPORARY HOME FOR  

BURNED-OUT WALDORF SCHOOL  

From NBC 10 News [Rhode Island, USA]: 

Richmond school destroyed 

in fire finds temporary home

Students enrolled at Meadowbrook Waldorf School in Richmond are getting closer to having a temporary place for classes after their school building was destroyed in a fire.

Meadowbrook is negotiating with the South Kingstown Town Council to use the South Road Elementary School.…

The Meadowbrook Waldorf School burned to the ground last month. The fire burned for several hours unnoticed. Investigators said they believe the fire was started by lightning.

[8/18/2018   https://turnto10.com/news/local/richmond-school-destroyed-in-fire-finds-temporary-home   This story originally appeared on August 17.]

Waldorf Watch Notes:

South Road Elementary School is a disused former public school. The lease being contemplated would be for one year, with a possible extension for a second year.

The fire at Meadowbrook Waldorf School occurred on a weekend, when the building was empty. The school was located in an isolated, wooded area.

The fire began early on a Sunday morning. It was not entirely extinguished until late in the afternoon, by which time the school building had been completely destroyed.

Despite the general aversion to modern technology prevailing in the Waldorf movement, Meadowbrook Waldorf evidently had both an alarm system and a sprinkler system. [See, e.g., "Richmond school reduced to rubble in fire".] But, in the event, neither system worked as intended. Lightning evidently disrupted the alarm system's telephone connection, and because of the school's remote location, the sprinkler system was attached to a water tank (which ran out of water) instead of a municipal water line.

[For previous coverage of the Meadowbrook Waldorf fire, see“No Injuries at Waldorf School Destroyed by Fire", July 30, “Waldorf Fire: Caused by Lighning?”, July 31, and “Charity After the Fire”, August 12.]

— R.R. 

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 .August 16, 2018

TWO TALES 

FROM DOWN UNDER

1.

From The Courier [Ballarat, Australia]

A project to build a $1.3 million multipurpose hall 

and refurbish office and classroom space at 

Ballarat Steiner School has begun

[by] Michelle Smith

A new multipurpose hall with give Ballarat Steiner School pupils and staff a new space for learning and activities.

Construction began this month in the grounds of the Mount Helen school, with the $1.3 million project including the refurbishment of an existing building to create an administration/reception area and classroom…

The project received more than $634,000 from the Victorian government.

[8/16/2018    https://www.thecourier.com.au/story/5590673/steiner-school-building-project-kicks-off-construction/]

Waldorf Watch Response:

There have been high-profile articles in recent weeks about failures and closings among Steiner schools. [See, e.g., "Autumn Term Cancelled — Steiner School Closing", July 6, 2018, and "Problems at Another U.K. Steiner School", July 29, 2018.]

But other Steiner schools are thriving, and the total number of Steiner or Waldorf schools worldwide has been gradually increasing. [See, e.g., "The Empire of Anthroposophy", July 15, 2018.]

Steiner schools receive government support in some countries, a practice that seems to be largely unopposed locally. But elsewhere the possibility of such support is controversial, and critics in some countries (such as the USA) claim that it is illegal or unconstitutional. The argument often hinges on the allegation that Steiner or Waldorf schools are secretly sectarian. [See, e.g., "Is Anthroposophy a Religion?"]

State support may sometimes be extended but later rescinded. Recently, there have been indications that the fate of state-supported Steiner "free schools" in the U.K. may be affected by the collapse of a leading Steiner school in that country. [See "RSSKL".]

2.

From The Bellingen Shire Courier-Sun [Bellingen, Australia]: 

Parents upset after school excursion incident -

Chrysalis Steiner School bus accident 

[by] Janene Carey 

The Chrysalis Steiner School in Bellingen has apologised to parents for a delay in informing them about a serious incident that occurred on the Class 6 Canberra and Snow trip and has promised to review its processes relating to excursions. 

Business manager Tim Fry confirmed that on Monday August 8, one of two school mini-buses carrying 18 children and five adults down Mt Selwyn skidded in icy conditions, coming to a halt “in a very precarious situation” on the edge of a six-metre slope. 

He said the school was taking the accident very seriously and recognised that it had been traumatic for all concerned....

[An] email [to parents] went out at 3:25pm on the Tuesday, but some of the Class 6 parents felt they should have been informed earlier, and they raised this at a counselling session held the following Monday....

[8/16/2018   https://www.bellingencourier.com.au/story/5588929/parents-upset-after-school-excursion-incident/?cs=5792]

Waldorf Watch Response:

Accidents can happen anywhere at any time, even when all sensible precautions have been taken. Nonetheless, Steiner schools can ill afford news accounts these days that cast doubt on their safeguarding procedures. Endangerment of students has been a theme in several recent media reports about Steiner schools. [See, e.g., "Failure at RSSKL (Continued)", June 29, 2018: "The Rudolf Steiner School in Kings Langley announced its plans to close earlier this month having failed a safeguarding inspection last year that found staff 'put pupils at risk'....", and "Problems at Another U.K. Steiner School", July 29, 2018: "The Steiner Academy Exeter is yet another UK Steiner school with safeguarding issues...."]

A related issue that has frequently arisen at Steiner or Waldorf schools concerns poor communications between teachers and students' parents. These schools are often secretive about their purposes and procedures, in part because they base their approach on the secret (occult) spiritual "truths" propounded by Rudolf Steiner. [See "Secrets".] Parents have often complained that Steiner or Waldorf schools have misled them about the sort of education they provide. [See, e.g., "Our Experience".]

— R.R. 

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August 15, 2018

WHERE WE GO 

WHEN WE GO TO SLEEP 

◊ READINGS ◊  

Rudolf Steiner’s followers — including many Waldorf teachers — hold extraordinary beliefs about all sorts of things. These beliefs are the essence of the Waldorf belief system, Anthroposophy. Take sleep, for example. Steiner taught that when a human being sleeps at night, two of the sleeper’s four bodies — the invisible “astral body” and the invisible “I” — rise into the spirit realm to commune with the gods. Meanwhile, the sleeper’s other two bodies — the invisible “ether body” and the visible physical body — remain on Earth, snoozing.  

Steiner once drew a sketch to illustrate the situation. Here is my copy of his sketch, along with Steiner's commentary:

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

All four bodies reunite in the morning, as Steiner indicated by the arrows.

Didn’t you know that humans have four bodies? Anthroposophy is full of such surprises. [1]

You may think that such strange beliefs have no bearing on Waldorf education, but in fact beliefs such as these are common in Waldorf schools. Many Waldorf teachers cherish these beliefs; many are practicing Anthroposophists. Waldorf teachers do not, generally, teach kids Anthroposophical doctrines as intellectual propositions, but they generally strive to condition kids so that they become emotionally, psychologically, and spiritually attuned to Anthroposophy. The hope is that such conditioning will lead the kids to “freely” choose to become full-fledged Anthroposophists when they are adults. [2]

In order to understand the thinking that lies behind Waldorf education today, we should examine recent texts in which Steiner’s followers express and elaborate that thinking for one another. (Only rarely do they publish candid expositions of their beliefs for readers outside their self-enclosed society.) With this in mind, let’s take a brief at a recent book, THE WONDERS OF SLEEP - An Anthroposophical Study. [3] The publisher attests that one of the authors, Richard Sheddon, “has studied anthroposophy for nearly 70 years,” while the other author, Dr. Jean Brown, “worked [for] 25 years as medical adviser in several Steiner Waldorf schools and communities.” [4]

Here is a short excerpt from THE WONDERS OF SLEEP, describing one phase of the sleep cycle as conceived in Anthroposophy. (I have added some explanatory footnotes for readers who may be unfamiliar with Anthroposophy.)

We feel the need for guidance; but this only appears if we have created a bond with Christ [5], who must be conceived here as connected with the life of the sun. [6] … But to take effect in the spirit and soul in freedom [7], he [i.e., Christ] must be able to penetrate the soul whilst independent of the body in sleep.... [8] 

Thus in our ego and astral body we are really one with the life forces of sun and stars. [9] … The Higher Beings [10] who enter into our body [11] at night have their scene of activity generally speaking on the sun…. [12] 

[W]e behold the actions and deeds of the beings of the Hierarchies…. [13] 

While we sleep the soul thus absorbs in spiritland the world of tones…. [14] 

In this deeper dreamless sleep, forces of the astral body reach as far as the starry world…and it [i.e., the astral body] draws its strength from that world. [15] The astral body now reposes in a world where the stars are embedded — the world of the harmony of the spheres.… 

We must ‘feel’ in a concrete way the spiritual world into which we are submerged when we fall asleep; we must feel and know how there lives there what is now happening as a result of the mission entrusted by Christ to Michael…. [16]

— Seddon and Brown, THE WONDERS OF SLEEP, pp. 68-70.

Believe it or not, that is a fairly representative sample of Anthroposophical discourse as it occurs today. Now. In our time. 

And, believe it or not, it is a fairly representative reflection of the thinking that lurks behind the Waldorf movement. Now. In the 21st century.

I have chopped out a lot of excess verbiage from the excerpt, above — look at all the ellipses. How do you now I haven't changed the authors' meaning? (I haven't, but how do you know?) To check on me, you should get a copy of THE WONDERS OF SLEEP and read it yourself. I highly recommend this. There is really no substitute for reading Anthroposophical texts. You will either be won over to the Waldorf point of view, or — more likely — you will stagger away shaking your head.

— R.R.

Waldorf Watch Footnotes

[1] For more on our four bodies, see “Incarnation”.

[2] See, e.g., "Waldorf's Spiritual Agenda".

[3] Richard Seddon and Dr. Jean Brown, THE WONDERS OF SLEEP (Wynstones Press, 2012, reprinted 2015).

[4] See https://www.wynstonespress.com/product.php?productid=17717&page=1.

[5] Anthroposophy places great emphasis on Christ. This creates the impression that Anthroposophy is a form of Christianity. But the differences between Anthroposophy and Christianity are vast. [See, e.g. “Was He Christian?”] The greatest difference has to do with the identity of Christ — a point we will return to in the next footnote.

(Like many Anthroposophical publications, THE WONDERS OF SLEEP is badly written. Here is a clarifying paraphrase of what we have quoted thus far: Human beings feel the need for guidance, but we receive it only after we have made a personal connection with Christ.)

[6] In Anthroposophy, Christ is the Sun God — the same god who has been known under such names as Apollo or Hu. [See “Sun God”.] Christ rules over, and dwells upon, the Sun — he is “connected with the life of the sun.”

[7] Steiner taught that humans have both souls and spirits, and we are evolving toward an unprecedented degree of spiritual freedom. Sometimes, in Anthroposophy, “soul” is used as a designation for the astral body. [See the entries for these various terms — spirit, soul, freedom, astral body — in The Brief Waldorf / Steiner Encyclopedia.]

[8] I.e,, Christ must be able to enter into the higher parts of ourselves while we sleep: He enters into the parts of ourselves that are then in the spirit realm (while we sleep, these parts are "independent of the [physical] body"). The lower parts of ourselves remain below, on Earth.

[9] I.e., the higher parts of ourselves that rise into the spirit realm become united with the cosmos: They become "one with the life forces of sun and stars".

[10] The “Higher Beings” are other gods. Anthroposophy is polytheistic. [See “Polytheism”.] Christ is the most important god for us now, Steiner taught, but many other gods also play roles in our lives.

[11] I.e., the physical body. According to Anthroposophical belief, gods work upon both the higher and lower parts of ourselves while we sleep.

[12] I.e., the gods who work on our physical body dwell chiefly on the Sun. They are subordinate gods, serving Christ the Sun God. (Thus, gods from the Sun minister to our higher parts and our lower parts at night.)

[13] Steiner taught that there are nine ranks of gods, subdivided into three groupings called “Hierarchies.” The “beings of the Hierarchies” are the nine ranks of gods who constitute the three Hierarchies. [See “Polytheism”.]

[14] I.e., while we sleep the higher parts of our being — the parts that have risen into the spirit relam (“spiritland”) — absorb the music of the spheres (the harmonies of the spiritual cosmos).

[15] The “starry world” is the high region of the cosmos where the stars are found, beyond our solar system. Anthroposophy is closely linked to astrology — the influences of the stars and their gods reach us on Earth through astrological influences, or so Anthroposophists believe. [See “Astrology” and “Star Power”.]

[16] Michael is a warrior god. He is the Sun Archangel, who fights on behalf of the Sun God. Steiner taught that Christ has entrusted the supervision of current human evolution to Michael. [See “Michael”.]

(Again, the poor writing in THE WONDERS OF SLEEP can pose challenges. Thus, “there lives there what is now happening” may trip up some readers. The authors are saying that what is happening in the spirit realm now is a reflection of Michael’s mission, which is to assist human spiritual evolution during our current historical epoch.)  

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August 12, 2018

CHARITY  

AFTER THE FIRE  

From WPRI Eyewitness News [Rhode Island, USA]:

Providence College makes donation 

to Richmond school destroyed by fire

By: Bill Tomison

Educators around Rhode Island are feeling pangs of sympathy for the Meadowbrook Waldorf School community, whose school building — just about one year old — burned down late last month.

A Providence College employee and alumna, Gina DeBernardo '93, arranged for the college to donate four surplus blackboards it had to Meadowbrook….

The school is now working on a rebuilding and recovery effort. A temporary location for [autumn] classes has yet to be determined.

[8/12/2018     https://www.wpri.com/news/it-s-good-news/providence-college-makes-donation-to-richmond-school-destroyed-by-fire/1359525662   This story originally appeared on August 10.]

Waldorf Watch Response:

The fire that totally destroyed the Meadowbrook Waldorf School was indeed terrible, and many individuals and institutions may be moved to make donations to help the school rebuild.

The following is from the school's website today:

Meadowbrook Rising: The Campaign to 

Rebuild

On July 29th, fire took hold of our beloved school 

building and burned it to the ground. We are 

determined to recover in time to receive the 

children in September and provide them with 

another year of Waldorf education.

We will then begin rebuilding. A bigger school for a 

brighter future. Our community is our strength. Will 

you join us by making a gift today?

Click Here to Make Your Gift!

The impulse to provide assistance to an afflicted community is surely meritorious. Many people, whether or not they know the real nature of Waldorf education, may be inspired to contribute to Meadbrook Waldorf now. (The link above — "Click Here" — works. You can use it to give assistance to Meadowbrook Waldorf in its time of need.)

A word of caution is in order, however. When selecting charities to support, it is always wise to do a little research first (do some "due diligence") to be sure you know whom or what you will be supporting. In the case of Waldorf education, you might begin your due diligence by visiting the online page "Here's the Answer to the Question: What's Waldorf?" 

(Full disclosure: I wrote that page. It is the leading article at the website Waldorf Watch. — Roger Rawlings)

For previous coverage of the Meadowbrook fire, see "No Injuries at Waldorf School Destroyed by Fire" and "Waldorf Fire: Caused by Lightning?" [July, 2018, at Waldorf Straight Talk]. 

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 .August 11, 2018

TO REINCARNATE 

OR NOT TO REINCARNATE 

From The Hemel Gazette [Johnson Publishing, UK]:

Inspectors ‘whipped’ in school play 

about Ofsted at 

Rudolf Steiner School Kings Langley

By Ben Raza

Ofsted inspectors [i.e., school inspectors sent by the Office for Standards in Education] were ‘whipped to death’ by students in a play devised by a teacher at a £10,000-a-year private school, a senior insider has claimed.

‘Ofsted The Musical’ was performed by students at Rudolf Steiner School Kings Langley (RSSKL), which was forced to close last month after a succession of problems lasting several years.…

RSSKL said the claim about the play was not accurate.

The whipping was among a series of claims made by Jeremy Smith … Over 10 years Jeremy Smith was successively the school’s communications officer, chair of trustees, and education facilitator.

And he has made a series of extraordinary revelations about the school, including:

* An upper school teacher wrote a play called "Ofsted - The Musical" which ended with “an Ofsted inspector being done to death with copper rods”….

* Staff openly snubbed Ofsted inspectors, with experienced teachers suggesting the school simply refuse to let them enter the building….

Mr Smith wrote: “I am very sad that a school which provided a good education to my own daughter and to so many other children over the last 70 years, has had to close because of the weakness, cowardice and malice of teachers and parents who were unable to see what the consequences of their own behaviour would be for the school….

“…RSSKL has now tarnished the name of Steiner Waldorf education far and wide.”

[8/2/2018  https://www.hemeltoday.co.uk/news/inspectors-whipped-in-school-play-about-ofsted-at-rudolf-steiner-school-kings-langley-1-8587555] This story originally appeared on August 1.]

Waldorf Watch Response:

Recriminations and finger-pointing are only to be expected when an institution crashes as spectacularly as RSSKL has done. We should be cautious about accepting any accounts advanced by those who have been caught up in the turmoil and strife.

A few additional points should be made: 

A RSSKL spokesperson has denied most of Jeremy Smith’s allegations. 

At least some faculty and staff at the school have said they plan to establish a new school that will follow essentially the same curriculum as RSSKL. They have indicated the new school may possibly be established in RSSKL’s old building. So far, however, these intentions remain unfulfilled. 

Jeremy Smith’s credentials go beyond his employment in senior positions at RSSKL. Ben Raza reports that Smith has experience “as a member of the executive group of the Steiner Waldorf Schools Fellowship [the umbrella organization for Steiner schools in the UK] and as a lay inspector for Ofsted inspections of Steiner schools.” 

The play Smith describes may or may not have been performed. At his blog, where his allegations appear, Smith says this:

“I remember one upper school teacher devising a show for pupils to perform, which he called: ‘Ofsted – the musical.’” 

Devising or writing a play is one thing; staging it is another. The play was evidently written "for pupils to perform," but whether the kids actually did so is unclear. Strangely, the RSSKL spokesperson leaves things murky when challenging only the ending of the play:

"[W]e do not recognise the ending as alleged to a musical written by a teacher who left the school at least five years ago.”

For the spokesperson's denials, see the Hemel Gazette article.

Finally, we should note that Smith is an advocate for Steiner education. He argues that RSSKL did a grave disservice to a form of education he cherishes. Thus, at his blog, Smith writes: 

“Not the least of RSSKL’s disasters is that it makes it far less likely that any government will wish to allow any more publicly-funded Steiner academy schools to be created.”

Smith’s blog is at https://anthropopper.wordpress.com/author/jeremysmith33/. 

For previous coverage of events at Rudolf Steiner School Kings Langley, see "RSSKL".

— R.R. 

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 .August 1, 2018

◊ EDITORIAL ◊

PEDOPHILIA

AT WALDORF?

Here is a message I posted today at the Waldorf Critics discussion site. It addresses several matters germane to this news page and the editorial decisions I make here. 

My message comes as part of a series of postings that refer to a scandalous case of sexual abuse by a founder and trustee of a Waldorf school in India. [For the first posting in this series, written by Margaret Sachs, see https://groups.yahoo.com/neo/groups/waldorf-critics/conversations/messages/31860. I responded with messages 31861 and 31862. Margaret then posted message 31864.]

Thanks for your thoughtful comments, Margaret.

We’re touching on some issues I grapple with daily when deciding what items to post on my “news” page. Chiefly, I try to select items that reveal something characteristic or unique about Waldorf schools. Sometimes, of course, my hand is forced. If an event at a Waldorf school makes big news in the regular media, I have little choice but to include it at Waldorf Watch News. This was the case, for instance, with the terrible fire that destroyed a Waldorf school in Rhode Island the other day. Fires can occur anywhere; the destruction of the school in Rhode Island tells us little or nothing about Waldorf education. But the event was undeniably news.

When, a while back, I first became aware of the alleged sexual abuse by a founder of a Waldorf school in India, I decided not to cover the story. I didn’t feel that one man’s perversity, on the other side of the world, told us much about Waldorf as a form of education or as a movement. But, of course, I may have been wrong. These are always judgment calls.

Former Waldorf teacher Grégoire Perra has suggested that pedophilia may be a serious problem among at least some teachers at Waldorf schools. The following is from his essay "Une emprise et un endoctrinement presque indétectables" (“Nearly Undetectable Influence and Indoctrination”). Perra recreates a conversation he had with a friend. In the conversation, Perra argues that Waldorf teachers attempt to indoctrinate their students, and part of this entails establishing close, personal, physical connections with their students. The temptations for teachers inclined toward pedophilia can be great. Here, Perra quotes himself:

“[I]ndoctrination…can be defined by two elements: a doctrine is transmitted and an emotional grip is achieved. Let's start with the latter. Do you remember how our class teacher shook our hands tightly each morning, looking straight into the eyes, as we entered the classroom, one by one? Do you remember also, on our first class trip in third grade, how he ritually came to see each student individually in their beds to give each a 'comfort hug' so they would not be afraid, sleeping for the first time away from their families? Remember also that, on each class trip, he slept with us in the same dorm? … To my knowledge, and according to a few reports I have collected, quite possibly [Waldorf teachers] still do [these sorts of things] … For class trips, some [Waldorf] teachers settle in dormitories with the students. Not right up beside them, but somewhere in their midst. And I've received reports that in some Steiner-Waldorf kindergartens, children getting ready for naps have to strip down to their underwear, which is normally forbidden in French kindergartens. Some teachers go so far as to give the kids massages, applying Weleda oil to the skin, and then kissing them on the cheek before they fall asleep. On the other hand, you're right, after some disturbing stories that came out a few years ago, for safety the ‘evening hug’ is only given by female teachers now. That said, between us, this is not very safe either. Female pedophiles may also exist. And in my opinion, this does not solve the basic problem that is behind this kind of practice. Indeed, don't you think that such very intimate gestures (hugging children in their beds!) creates an emotional situation more like a family than a teacher-student relationship?” [See “Mistreating Kids Lovingly”.]

Perra’s comments certainly could be applied to the concerns being expressed recently in the UK about the possible “grooming” of young children by Waldorf teachers. [See, e.g., The Times: “Steiner School Handbook Raises Grooming Concerns”.]

Then, too, there has been at least one report of pedophilia at a Waldorf school in the US. Some teachers at Green Meadow Waldorf School were alleged to have sexually abused students at the school or to have possessed child pornography. The following is from a report put out by the school after extremely negative publicity became a problem for the school:

“John Alexandra was a Green Meadow teacher from 1965 until at least 1979. He was a Threefold Board member [i.e., a leader in the local Anthroposophical community] from at least 1975 through 1983 … [An] investigation has concluded that Mr. Alexandra committed a multitude of crimes, including sexual assault, stalking, harassment, and endangering the welfare of a child … Mr. Alexandra’s abuse typically started with long, uncomfortable hugs that included inappropriate rubbing and touching, and oftentimes progressed to more egregious criminal conduct, including unwanted sexual intercourse and statutory rape … Richard Moeschl was a middle school teacher at Green Meadow from 1979 to June 1983. In 1983, Mr. Moeschl sexually assaulted a female middle school student during a school-sponsored trip … [T]his female student’s victimization became known to Green Meadow when Mr. Moeschl admitted to another Green Meadow teacher shortly thereafter what had happened … Green Meadow failed to act appropriately when the School became aware of the incident … Eugene Schwartz was a lower school teacher employed at Green Meadow from 1981 to 2005 … [I]nvestigation led [to the conclusion] that in 2005, Mr. Schwartz was in possession of child pornography at his residence on Threefold property.” [See “Extremity”.]

Despite reports such as these, I have resisted making the accusation that pedophilia and/or sexual abuse of children is more common in Waldorf schools than in other types of schools and institutions. Perhaps I have been too cautious. At a minimum, Margaret, I think you are correct when you write:

“[I]t’s pedophilia that leads some adults to seek situations in which they have access to children. One of the most obvious choices for pedophiles is teaching or some other position in a school, especially a school where the normal boundaries between teachers and students are hazy.” [https://groups.yahoo.com/neo/groups/waldorf-critics/conversations/messages/31864]

The haziness of the lines separating teachers from students, and school life from personal life, is certainly a problem in Waldorf schools, as Perra and others have argued. This haziness has evidently played a major role in the problems that led to the collapse of the Rudolf Steiner School Kings Langley. [See, e.g., "Remembering RSSKL - The Faults Found" — July 7, 2018.] So, the blurring of lines seems to be a significant problem in Waldorf schools, and this may indeed lead to sexual or romantic entanglements between Waldorf teachers and their students. If I have been too cautious or squeamish in dealing with these matters, I will try to be alert to future developments that bear on them.

I certainly agree, Margaret, that Waldorf schools often are defensive and evasive when problems arise. This is a common human failing, but I think Waldorf schools are particularly prone to it. These schools tend to erect a high wall of denial whenever outsiders accuse them of any sort of fault or shortcoming. If Green Meadow Waldorf School, with its back to the wall, issued an admirably candid report, Rudolf Steiner School Kings Langley seems to have behaved in a more typical Waldorf manner: denial after denial, refusal after refusal. Rudolf Steiner encouraged Waldorf teachers to be secretive and defensive in their dealings with outsiders. [See “Secrets” and “Enemies”.] And the Waldorf definition of “outsider” often includes the parents of Waldorf students. [See, e.g., “Faculty Meetings”.] As I know you know, Margaret, when parents become disillusioned with Waldorf schools, one of the chief complaints they express is that the schools were untruthful about their objectives and practices. [I encourage anyone who has not already done so to read Margaret’s comments in “Our Experience”.] 

Thanks for your insights, Margaret. I always value them.

- Roger 

[https://groups.yahoo.com/neo/groups/waldorf-critics/conversations/messages/31865]

ADDENDA

1.

Here is a message I posted on August 3:

Hi.

I want to wrap up my series of posts about pedophilia this way: I am not saying that pedophilia is a major problem in Waldorf schools. I am not saying that pedophilia is worse in Waldorf schools than elsewhere. I am not saying that the Waldorf culture enables or produces pedophilia.*

I don’t think any of us has enough information about pedophilia in or around Waldorf schools to reach firm conclusions, yet. But the subject bears looking into. We do have indications that sexual predation occurs in Waldorf schools, arguably facilitated by the unique Waldorf culture that promotes an unhealthy, extracurricular closeness between teachers and students. And there is some evidence that sexual predation in or around Waldorf schools extends to the victimization of extremely young children.

I think this is a topic that deserves scrutiny, and I hope it will receive such scrutiny.

Here’s a recap of what I think we know or nearly know at this stage. We know for sure that sexual abuse of students has occurred in some Waldorf schools, and we know that problematic treatment of very young children has occurred in at least some Waldorf schools. We know that the line between faculty and students, and between school life and private life, has often been crossed in Waldorf schools, and we know that the possible “grooming” of students by Waldorf teachers — prepping children for sexual encounters with their teachers — has become a matter of concern in the UK, rightly or wrongly. We know that some Waldorf teachers have had love affairs with their students. We know that Anthroposophists cherish idealized, emotionally charged beliefs about infants and young children. We know that a leading Waldorf figure has allegedly been found to possess child pornography. We know that a founder of a Waldorf school has been charged with sexual crimes committed against three-year-old children. We know these things and more.**

So I don’t think we can turn away from the subject of pedophilia, despite the very deep aversion many of us feel about it. Margaret was right to post excerpts of the coverage of Waldorf-related pedophilia in India. I was wrong to discount it. We need to look squarely at the subject of pedophilia in or around Waldorf schools. We need to gather more evidence. And eventually, we need to reach firm conclusions. We don’t know enough, yet, to reach such conclusions, IMO. But we need to do so as soon as the accumulated weight of evidence permits.

- Roger

[https://groups.yahoo.com/neo/groups/waldorf-critics/conversations/messages/31870]

* The other day, I mentioned the possibility that Waldorf practices might “trigger” pedophilia. I didn’t mean that Waldorf might create pedophilia among teachers and others who previously had no leanings toward that perversion. People only develop the character traits for which they have some capacity or potential. But some people who never evinced a specific trait might start showing that trait in a big way if they enter a milieu that favors or tolerates that trait.  

** If you haven’t done so, you may want to look at Pete K’s coverage of some matters pertinent to this discussion. E.g., “Green Meadow Waldorf School Sex Scandals Revealed” [http://petekaraiskos.blogspot.com/2014/07/green-meadow-waldorf-school-sex.html], “Waldorf Academy Intimidates Parents into Silence about Sexual Predator-Teacher” [http://thewaldorfreview.blogspot.com/2016/04/waldorf-academy-intimidates-parents.html], and “Eugene Schwartz - Child Pornographer” [http://thewaldorfreview.blogspot.com/2014/07/eugene-schwartz-child-pornographer.html]. At Waldorf Watch, my own squeamish references to such matters occur at "Extremity" [https://sites.google.com/site/waldorfwatch/extremity] and "Slaps" [https://sites.google.com/site/waldorfwatch/slaps].

2.

Here is Margaret Sachs' original message about the founder-trustee of a Waldorf school in India:

The founder trustee of the Tridha Rudolf Steiner School in Mumbai, India, has been accused of molesting two 3-year-old students in 2017. The school supports the founder trustee, “ousted” the two three-year olds, and apparently reassured the school’s parents with an “it’s time to move on” message. The school’s response is a familiar scenario for some of us. 

Here are four links to the story, with some excerpts:

June 7, 2017

http://www.freepressjournal.in/mumbai/mumbai-school-trustee-teacher-booked-under-pocso-for-sexually-abusing-a-student/1081051/

April 6, 2018

https://medium.com/@parentsagainstapathy/it-took-a-high-court-judge-to-hear-the-cries-of-a-3-year-old-372ce138d5ac/

“After a tortuous 11-month long melee, the parents of the three-year-old girl, along with a handful of strangers turned supporters, found a ray of hope. Justice Revati Mohite Dere of the Bombay High Court, cancelled the bail order granted to Patrick Brillant by the Sessions Court. She also refused a stay on the bail cancellation, stating ‘Having come to the conclusion that the impugned order is perverse, unsustainable and contrary to the evidence on record, the request for staying the order is rejected’.”

….

“Both children were three years old at the time of the incident and the psychiatrist clearly states that there is ‘evidence of child sexual abuse’ while medical evidence suggests that sexual assault cannot be ruled out. In her order, Justice Revati Mohite Dere states, ‘the facts reveal that prima facie there is overwhelming incriminating evidence against the respondent’ and ‘the possibility of the witnesses being able to depose without fear or freely and truthfully, in the facts of this case is bleak’.” 

April 10, 2018

https://medium.com/@parentsagainstapathy/we-dont-need-a-salman-khan-patrick-brillant-would-do-just-fine-52f0e3fb3e2c/ 

April 14, 2018

https://medium.com/@parentsagainstapathy/for-whom-does-tridha-exist-9a6cc6ac7bd6/

“What makes this abominable crime even more horrific is that Patrick was allegedly abetted in the act by the 3-year old’s class teacher, Mitali. She allegedly remained mute witness to Patrick sexually abusing the girl and another boy student in her class, when the other students were at play, and she told the two children to keep this as ‘their little secret’.”

I have not found any recent information about this case, so do not know whether it has been resolved one way or the other.

- Margaret

[https://groups.yahoo.com/neo/groups/waldorf-critics/conversations/topics/31860]

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