From onearth.org:

"In the early twenties, Rudolf Steiner in Germany developed the biodynamic system, which was very spiritual, and based on the cycles of the moon."

[6-29-2011 http://www.onearth.org/article/diet-for-a-clean-planet]

Biodynamic gardening and farming are forms of organic agriculture. Waldorf schools often have biodynamic gardens in which the students may work, and sometimes food from these gardens is served in the school cafeterias. Organic agriculture is a fine thing, but biodynamic agriculture is over the top. Not only is it "very spiritual" and "based on the cycles of the moon," but it depends on astrology and magic. [See "Biodynamics".] Nothing is achieved in biodynamic agriculture that cannot be achieved more efficiently and rationally through ordinary organic agricultural practices.

"Parent-Infant Playgroups - This program is offered to parents and caregivers of children from birth to age 2. It helps prepare parents to respond to each new phase of their child’s development and learn how to see and better understand their little ones. It provides a safe, natural environment for children to explore; it also offers time for conversation and sharing with other parents. Additional information and support is provided by guided, facilitated conversations – including weekly topics and readings under the guidance of a trained Waldorf teacher in a spirit of mutual respect." 

[6-30-2011 http://www.steinerschool.org/early-childhood/parent-infant-playgroups/]

Response:

Waldorf faculties are usually eager to guide each stage of your child's life. They may offer you extensive advice on all matters concerning your child. This may seem appealing, and in some cases it may confer genuine benefits. Bear in mind, however, that all of this guidance and advice will stem from the esoteric doctrines of Rudolf Steiner. (The school offering the play groups, above, is the Rudolf Steiner School of Ann Arbor, Michigan, USA.) 

Thus, for instance, the "phases" of your child's "development," as understood in a Steiner context, center on the incarnation of the child's various invisible "bodies." [See "Incarnation".] A very young child has not yet incarnated these bodies, but Steiner's devotees believe that preparations for such developments should start early. 

They believe, also, that your child has arrived on Earth with memories of the spirit worlds s/he inhabited before birth, so they believe in keeping children young as long as possible — a belief that actually means trying to retard a child's development. [See "Thinking Cap".] 

Waldorf teachers also typically believe that race and "temperament" are of great importance. [See "Races", "Differences", "Humouresque", and "Temperaments".] 

Determining exactly what your child needs, according to Anthroposophical belief, is a complex process involving astrology, dreams, and clairvoyance. Waldorf teachers may not mention these things to you, but many of them will employ such techniques in private. [See "Horoscopes", "Waldorf Astrology", "Dreams", and "The Waldorf Teacher's Consciousness".] 

Upon reflection, you may decide that Waldorf teachers are actually the last people you should consult about the welfare of your child.

“Measles transmission from an anthroposophic community to the general population - From March to mid-April 2008, four neighbouring Bavarian counties [southern Germany] reported 55 measles-cases mostly linked to an ongoing measles outbreak in an anthroposophic school [i.e., a Waldorf school] in Austria ... Among the 217 Bavarian measles cases identified from March-July 2008, 28 (13%) cases were attendees of the anthroposophic school in Austria. In total, vaccination status was known in 161 (74%) cases and 156 (97%) of them were not vaccinated ... Introduction of measles virus into a pocket of susceptible persons (e.g. vaccination opponents or sceptics) may lead to large outbreaks in the general population, if the general population's vaccination coverage is below the WHO [World Health Organization] recommended level.” 

[6-15-2011 http://www.bioportfolio.com/news/article/712755/Measles-Transmission-From-An-Anthroposophic-Community-To-The-General-Population-Germany-2008.html]

Waldorf schools do not absolutely oppose vaccination, but — in line with Rudolf Steiner’s teachings — they are leery of it. Steiner said that preventing illness can be a mistake, since karma may require a person to contract a particular disease. If we prevent that person from having the disease in this life, s/he will have to have it or something similar in a future life (both karma and reincarnation are central Anthroposophical tenets). [See “Steiner’s Quackery”.] As a result, attending a Waldorf school can literally imperil the health of children — denied vaccination, they may contract potentially fatal diseases. Moreover, if an outbreak of an infectious disease occurs at a Waldorf school (as recently happened in the USA), the surrounding community may be endangered.

"Ghosts and the Paranormal at the Tamarack Waldorf School in Milwaukee, Wisconsin [USA]:

"Disembodied footsteps have been observed on the stairway at the Tamarack Waldorf School in Milwaukee, Wisconsin. Disembodied voices have also been reported. Doors open and close without explanation. Some have reported seeing strange spectral images in the bathroom mirrors as well."  

[6-29-2011  http://www.hauntin.gs/Wisconsin/Milwaukee/Tamarack%20Waldorf%20School/9380/]

Response:

Golly.

According to Steiner, ghosts are beings produced by our own evil actions and thoughts. Our wickedness builds up in the "etheric body" (the lowest of our three invisible bodies) and this causes bits of spiritual beings to descend to Earth as ghosts or specters. The ghosts accumulate inside us while we live, and after we die they spread out into the wide world. 

“The accumulation in the etheric body caused through these [wicked] experiences of the soul...brings about detachments from the beings working in the spiritual worlds and these...are now to be found in our environment — they are the ‘spectres’ or ‘ghosts.’ Thus these beings...grow out of the life of human beings. Many a person can go about amongst us [whose] etheric body is crammed with spectres, and as a rule after a person's death or shortly afterwards all this rises up and disperses and populates the world.” — Rudolf Steiner, NATURE SPIRITS (Rudolf Steiner Press, 1995), p. 84.

Golly.

Disclaimer: The report about the haunted Waldorf school, quoted above, appears at the website "Hauntings". Although the author of that report cites several sources,* I have my doubts about the spectral shenanigans he proclaims. And even though Steiner assures us that ghosts really exist, I suspect the Tamarack Waldorf School may want to issue a denial: No, our school is not haunted.

But this raises the question whether teachers at Tamarack or any other Waldorf school are likely to believe in disembodied presences. The answer to this question is Yes. Anthroposophists believe that all manner of invisible beings dwell all around us all the time — angels, goblins, sylphs, demons, elves, undines... [See "Beings".] And if Steiner said that ghosts — as redefined by himself — do exist, then all Waldorf schools are likely to be staffed by people who, believing in Steiner, believe in ghosts. To get a sense of the range of occult beliefs that interest Anthroposophists, consult the STEINERBOOKS DICTIONARY OF THE PSYCHIC, MYSTIC, OCCULT (Rudolf Steiner Publications, 1973) and THE NEW STEINERBOOKS DICTIONARY OF THE PARANORMAL (Rudolf Steiner Publications, 1980). A reprise of both books can be found here at Waldorf Watch in "The Semi-Steiner Dictionary".

* He calls them "resources," and if you check them you'll find that say virtually nothing to substantiate his claims.

Q. “Can anyone summarize what's good/bad about a Waldorf education? Why is there so much controversy around it? Also, I heard there was a group proposing a [Washington] DC charter with a Waldorf philosophy, but my searching shows it was denied by the DC charter board this April. Does anyone know why?”

A1. “The main controversy stems from a cult-like approach to knowledge, poor coverage of academic materials in exchange for religious-like studies, and not teaching actual scientific concepts but actively teaching things that have no basis in reality or are completely unproven ...  The other controversy is that supposedly not all Waldorf schools are honest and upfront with parents about their religious angle, hide things from parents, and misrepresent to parents what they do in school. If you are into gnomes and follow the Waldorf religion, then it is up to you whether you want to send your child there.”

A2. “I've met kids who started school at Waldorf schools. They had terrible reading skills at a fairly advanced age (we're talking 5-6th grades). If it had been one kid, I wouldn't have thought there was a connection to the school...but having met many, many children in the situation, I am very wary of Waldorf. Of the kids I have met, once they left Waldorf, they needed a lot of tutoring just to catch up with on-grade materials in fairly middle-of-the road west coast public schools.”

A3. “On this forum you will mostly get negative feedback about Waldorf schools. Personally, I am a fan of Waldorf education for parents who understand and like the system and children without reading learning disabilities ... BTW I would agree that ‘anthroposophy’ and Rudolph Steiner in general is not my cup of tea. That is the sticking point for most people. I still think well of the schools even though I am not into anthroposophy.” 

[6-29-2011  http://www.dcurbanmom.com/jforum/posts/list/173765.page]

The following is taken from a Waldorf/Steiner school’s description of its curriculum, tailored by the school for public consumption:

Response:

To understand a Waldorf document, it is often necessary to read between the lines. Waldorf documents are often couched in euphemistic terms meant to disguise the esotericism that lurks in the Waldorf worldview. In this instance, you have been reading a portion of the “curriculum policy” posted by the Exeter Steiner School, in the UK. Here is a brief gloss:

◊ “[O]n-going [sic] study material for the teachers in our school”: Waldorf teacher training usually places a heavy emphasis on the esoteric doctrines of Rudolf Steiner. [See “Teacher Training”.] The study of such doctrines continues after teachers join Waldorf faculties. Often, the inner circle of teachers at a Waldorf School constitutes a “college of teachers” that meets to study and discuss Steiner’s works. [See “Waldorf Now” and “Faculty Meetings”.]

◊ “Steiner's developmental insights”:  Rudolf Steiner was an occultist. [See “Occultism”.] His “insights” are enshrined in his occult belief system, Anthroposophy. His primary “insight” about children is that each child is born four times. The physical body is born, then at age 7 the etheric body is born, at 14 the astral body is born, and the ”I” is born at age 21. The Waldorf curriculum is geared to this baseless doctrine. [See “Incarnation”.]

◊ “[E]ach child is unique, with their own path in life”: This is a reference to karma, a basic Anthroposophical doctrine. In Waldorf belief, children are reincarnating spirits who, during earthly life, try to fulfill their unique karmas. Waldorf teachers try to help the children in this task. [See “Karma”.]

◊ “[T]he teacher's aim is to support the emerging individual in their all-round development.” Note that the aim is not to teach the children — the aim is not to impart information. The aim is to support the incarnation and development of children according to the karmic seven-year cycles posited by Steiner (birth of the etheric body, birth of the astral body...). [See “Most Significant”.]

◊ “All-around development” sounds good. Waldorf schools often claim to educate “the whole child.” What the schools mean, however, is bizarre. In Waldorf belief, each child has a karma, an astrological identity, a spiritually important racial identity, both a soul and a spirit, several invisible bodies (incarnating sooner or later), twelve senses, and so on. The Waldorf conception of human nature is mystical and unreal. [See “Holistic Education”.]

◊ “[E]ach stage of a child’s development requires a different approach to education.” Waldorf teachers believe that as children grow up, they repeat the evolutionary history of humanity.  [See “Today”.] Thus, for instance, children in the sixth grade are considered to be at the level of ancient Romans and their classes are shaped to be appropriate for ancient Romans. [See "Oh My Stars".] This foolish doctrine regiments the students, requiring them to study subjects in pointlessly constrained formats, regardless of individual interests or capacities.

◊ “[A]rtistic and imaginative teaching”: This is one of the most appealing aspects of Waldorf schooling. Waldorf teachers try to be artistic and imaginative in their teaching, and they encourage students to create art and to use their imaginations. You should realize, however, that in Waldorf schools the arts are meant to create direct connections to spirit worlds [see “Magical Arts”], and imagination is considered a stage of clairvoyance [see “Thinking Cap”, “Steiner’s ‘Science’”, and “Clairvoyance”]. Often, Waldorf teachers actually believe themselves to be clairvoyant, and they use this "gift" on their students. [See "The Waldorf Teacher's Consciousness".]

◊ “[L]esson content needs to be related back to the human being in a moral and inspiring manner.” This is an indirect reference to the underlying religious nature of Waldorf education. Anthroposophy is a polytheistic religion that stresses both morality and inspiration, and it looks forward to the deification of humanity. [See "Tenth Hierarchy" and "The Center".] You may want a religious education for your child, but before sending her/him to a Waldorf school, check to determine whether the doctrines of Anthroposophy are acceptable to you. [See “Is Anthroposophy a Religion?” and "Spiritual Agenda".]

I think we can leave off here. The curriculum policy at the Exeter Steiner School contains many more passages. I encourage you to read the entire policy and endeavor to find the Anthroposophical doctrines behind each passage. [If you are not well-versed in Anthroposophical doctrines, "The Brief Waldorf / Steiner Encyclopedia" and "Here's the Answer" might prove helpful.]

Written by a teacher at the Sunrise Waldorf School (Duncan, BC, Canada):

By protecting our children’s youth

We feel we help them gain truth

We do not agree with modern day songs

We believe they are immoral and wrong

We want all students to learn to think on their own

And not just learn what is known

We believe reading and writing should not be the only goals

Children need to learn to become one with their souls

We believe we should help foster children to feel

For them this is how the world becomes real

We want them to have a better understanding of reality

And not just give into normality. 

[6-27-2011  http://hubpages.com/hub/See-What-the-Sunshine-Waldorf-School-is-all-About]

This is the beginning of a poem written to explain Waldorf schooling. It lays out many Waldorf beliefs in fairly open style, although none of the concepts is explained in any depth.

Let’s pitch in and provide some of the background needed to fully grasp the poem.

Line 1: Waldorf schools try to protect “our children’s youth” because they want to prevent children from growing up quickly. They believe that children are newly reincarnated beings who arrive on Earth with memories of the spirit realm. These memories will be preserved if the kids are kept as young as possible for as long as possible. Thus, Waldorf schools actually want to retard their students' maturation. [See “Thinking Cap”.]

Line 2: The “truth” Waldorf schools wish to convey is Anthroposophy. The schools generally present Anthroposophy to the students indirectly and subtly, but they present it. [See “Spiritual Agenda” and “Soul School”.]

Lines 3-4: Some "modern day" [sic] songs certainly are immoral and wrong, but this blanket condemnation obviously goes too far. It reflects a fundamental Waldorf attitude, however. Waldorf schools try to shield students from most modern music, modern art, modern technology, and modern knowledge. The schools are far more comfortable with the “wisdom” of ancient peoples. [See “The Ancients: Mistaking Ignorance for Wisdom” and "The Gods".]

Line 5: “Thinking” is a peculiar concept, in the Waldorf universe. There is a deep anti-intellectual bias at Waldorf schools and a belief that real thinking is not done in the brain. “Real” thinking, in Waldorf belief, is clairvoyance, which doesn’t happen in any physical organ. [See “Steiner’s Specific”.]

Line 6: Waldorf schools devalue “what is known.” In most mainstream schools, “what is known” is called knowledge and it is the focus of the educational process. But in Waldorf schools, ordinary, real-world knowledge is considered fairly unimportant. The focus, instead, is on helping the students to incarnate their invisible bodies. [I kid you not. See “Incarnation”.]

Line 7: In accordance with what we have already seen, Waldorf schools postpone reading, writing, a ‘rithemtic (the 3 R’s) until the children turn seven or so — this is the time when, in Waldorf belief, the “etheric body” incarnates. Academic standards in general are often low at Waldorf schools, and students there may take a very long time to catch up with students at other kinds of schools; some may never catch up. [See “Academic Standards at Waldorf”.]

Line 8: Waldorf schools are indeed more interested in their students’ souls than in their brains. Waldorf schools are disguised religious institutions, fronting for the pagan, polytheistic religion created by Rudolf Steiner, called Anthroposophy. Waldorf teachers consider themselves to be priests who serve the divine cosmic plan of the gods. [See “Here’s the Answer”, “Prayers”, and “Is Anthroposophy a Religion?”]

Lines 9-10: Feeling is more important than thinking, in Waldorf education. Rudolf Steiner taught that we should trust our hearts more than our heads, and he said that emotion rather than thought can lead us to the spirit realm. Waldorf schools try to teach students to feel about things as Anthroposophists feel about things. [See “Reality and Fantasy” and “Spiritual Agenda”.] (The phrase "foster children" can be confusing. The writer is not referring to children in foster homes; s/he means that Waldorf teachers encourage all children to trust their feelings — "we should help foster children to feel.")

Lines 11-12: “Normality” is what most people would call the real world. But Waldorf schools do not care much about the real world. They are interested in the “higher worlds” that Rudolf Steiner described. “A better understanding of reality” looks past the real world and tries to discover the higher worlds that are populated by tiers of gods, many of whom preside over planets and stars, and who affect human life through their astrological powers, among other ways. [See “Higher Worlds”, “Polytheism”, and “Waldorf Astrology”.]

That’s probably enough for now. There are more stanzas to the poem, but I leave it to you to read and decode them.

Some upcoming workshops at Rudolf Steiner College, California, USA [http://www.steinercollege.edu/files/FallCalendar2011.pdf]:

"Consciousness Studies 

"...A combination of lectures, artistic work, and seminar conversations explore the fundamentals of inner transformation. Lectures will focus on the challenges and potentials of initiating changes in the subtle bodies [i.e., nonphysical bodies] seen through the lens of Rudolf Steiner’s spiritual science.

"Feminine Fire and Transformative Healing 

"Spiritual feminine gifts united with the fire of awakened universal consciousness can help bring the personal and cultural healing needed in today’s world. Explore the essential feminine, and learn indigenous African rituals and wisdom-based daily practices for our sacred connections to the spiritual world.

"The Human Being and the Stars 

Observing the heavens and considering the zodiac, constellations, and planets in relationship to human life on earth. 

"Esoteric Christianity 

"These presentations focus on the cosmic and historical background of the Christ events, experiences of the shepherds and kings at the birth, and the childhood and youth of Jesus up to the time of the Baptism."

Jumping the fire at the Steiner school 

solstice celebration in Norwich.

[Photo: Bill Smith]

◊

Response:

The festivals celebrated at Steiner or Waldorf schools are freighted with occult religious significance. The festivals usually coincide with Christian observances (Easter, Michaelmas, Pentecost, etc.), but the religion actually embodied at the schools is pagan: It is Anthroposophy. The beliefs enacted at Steiner festivals diverge far from any mainstream form of Christianity. Thus, consider the title and subtitle of one of Rudolf Steiner's lectures: "The Whitsuntide Festival - Its Place in the Study of Karma." Karma is distinctly not a Christian concept, but it is central to Anthroposophical doctrines. (You will find the lecture in THE FESTIVALS AND THEIR MEANING (Rudolf Steiner Press, 1996), a collection of Steiner's lectures.)

Likewise, the "Christ" honored in Anthroposophy is not one of the Persons of the Christian Triune God. Rather, the Anthroposophical "Christ" is a pagan god, the Sun God. The following is from the lecture I mentioned just now. Steiner is speaking about Christ coming from the Sun and incarnating in the body of the human being named Jesus: 

"If we then follow the life of this child [i.e., Jesus] and his permeation by the spirit of the Christ-Being, we come to realise that this Being, this Christ-Being, comes from the sun." [Rudolf Steiner,THE FESTIVALS AND THEIR MEANING, p. 307.] 

On other occasions, Steiner was even clearer on this point. 

"[T]he highest Ruler of Sun, the Sun-God, [is] Christ." — Rudolf Steiner, ROSICRUCIAN WISDOM (Rudolf Steiner Press, 2000), p. 100.

[For more on the sort of "Christianity" found in Steiner schools, see "Was He Christian?" and "Sun God".]

By the way, although the teachers at the Norwich Steiner School may not have known it (quite often Waldorf teachers don't entirely understand what they are doing), fire leaping is a pagan fertility or purification rite.

◊

An addendum, added some time later:

The little fire in the photo, above — just a small bed of embers, really —

looks fairly harmless (although you wouldn't want your child to fall on it).

Sometimes, however, Waldorf fire-jumping is considerably more dramatic 

and dangerous:

[See "My Life Among the Anthroposophists".]

"10 Graduate from Housatonic Valley Waldorf School

"Saturday, June 11 marked the seventh graduating class of the Housatonic Valley Waldorf School [Connecticut, USA].”  

[6-24-2011  http://newtown.patch.com/articles/10-graduate-from-housatonic-valley-waldorf-school]

Waldorf schools are often quite small. A school with a graduating class of ten students is remarkably small.

There can be advantages in attending a small school. You get to know your classmates and teachers well, and you receive lots of individual attention. On the other hand, the school may have inferior facilities, you will be restricted to a small group of probably like-minded individuals, and a handful of teachers (which, at a Waldorf school, will almost surely include devout Anthroposophists) may have an enormous, potentially detrimental influence on you. Indeed, the small size of a Waldorf school may be a serious drawback, not a boon.

"Thanks very much to Alicia for pointing this out. It’s a report on a panel discussion about anthroposophy in Nazi Germany held last week during the annual meeting of the Anthroposophical Society in Germany, a faint indication that official anthroposophy is inching ever so slowly toward a reasonable approach to this aspect of their own history. The basic apologetics remain largely the same, but anthroposophist representatives are increasingly acknowledging historical research on the topic and attempting to respond to it. It will be interesting to see if and how this process continues through the next few years." — Peter Staudenmaier.  

[6-23-2011  http://groups.yahoo.com/group/waldorf-critics/message/19873]

The intersections between Anthroposophy and Nazism constitute an explosive topic. [See, e.g., "Sympathizers?"] Anthroposophists have generally denied that there are any such intersections, despite evidence in the historical record. Historian Peter Staudenmaier is one of the foremost authorities on the subject.

"Rudolf Steiner was an Austrian scientist who had a notion to pretty much produce academic stages and approaches that ended up developed what we now have as the Waldorf program of homeschooling. His basis for his pondering revolved within attain his beliefs that the specific is manufactured up of three beings his spirit, his soul, and his sort. All through the developmental intervals, Waldorf recognized three states rise childhood, middle childhood, and adolescence ... Waldorf education is unlabored in that each single college day, the youngling learns with his aware self, heart, and hands. This method of homeschooling in distinguished in the reality that it attempts to carry daily life, satisfaction, and total system finding out with each and every waking 2nd of your child's schooling."  

[6-23-2011  http://www.flixya.com/blog/3129937/A-Discovery-Excursion-Into-Waldorf-Education]

Homeschooling can be a good solution in some circumstances. However, just as some professional teachers lack needed skills and knowledge to do their work well, so do some amateur teachers (e.g., some parents who undertake homeschooling). Some children end up being seriously damaged.

By the way, Rudolf Steiner did not create a system of homeschooling. He created Waldorf schools, and he took it for granted that any parent wanting the "benefits" of his system would send their children to his schools.

The zodiac; astronomy at Mulberry Waldorf School.

[http://mulberrywaldorfschool.ca/?page_id=85]

◊

Response:

Waldorf schools are generally staffed by well-meaning individuals who wish the very best for you and your child. They will offer to guide you through every moment of your life and, more centrally, your child's life. They think they know best because they have accepted the occult wisdom of Rudolf Steiner. [See "Guru" and "The Waldorf Teacher's Consciousness".] 

Whether their devotion to Steiner qualifies them or disqualifies them from fulfilling their self-appointed mission is, in a sense, the core question about Waldorf schools. To form your own opinion on the matter, you might consider whether the Waldorf view of human nature makes sense to you. [See, e.g., "What We're Made Of".] You might also look at such testimonials as "Growing Up Being Made Sick by Anthroposophy" [http://waldorfcritics.org/active/articles/Smith-Hald.html]. In all probability, Waldorf teachers will attempt to steer you to Anthroposophical doctors. Beware. [See “Steiner’s Quackery”.]

[Concerning the Waldorf view of the stars, see "Waldorf Astrology". According to Waldorf belief, the sign under which your child is born has tremendous significance. Also see "Star Power", "Astrology", and "Horoscopes".]

"Should their currently under development charter be approved later this summer, El Rio Charter School will launch only the second public Waldorf charter school in all of the Los Angeles Unified School District [USA].

"El Rio is faced with the challenges of hiring a full stable of teachers and designing a curriculum that prepares students for the California State Standards Test, while at the same time staying true to the alternative principals [sic] of Waldorf education.

"There are other challenges, as well. El Rio will need to create an environment that meets the needs of the culturally and socio-economically diverse residents of Northeast Los Angeles. Administrators and parents will also be responsible for raising about $250,000 per year to make the school financially viable.

"The school is currently without a location, but the boards of directors are targeting the neighborhoods of Highland Park, Mount Washington, Eagle Rock, Montecito Heights and Cypress Park as potential homes."  

[6-22-2011  http://highlandpark-ca.patch.com/articles/public-waldorf-hopes-to-meet-needs-of-northeast-las-students]

Making Waldorf education appropriate anywhere outside of Germany is always a challenge — Waldorf founder Rudolf Steiner designed the Waldorf approach with German students in mind. [See "The Good Wars".] Making a Waldorf school provide an academically sound education is also a great challenge. Waldorf schools aim at incarnation more than education per se. [See “Incarnation”.] Low academic standards have plagued Waldorf schools from the very beginning. As Steiner said to Waldorf teachers after examination results were announced: 

“We should have no illusions: The results gave a very unfavorable impression of our school to people outside.” [See “Academic Standards at Waldorf”.]

"Teachers and children play a game 

at Fengdan Waldorf Children's Home." 

[Guo Shuhan / China Daily]

◊

Response:

Despite the inherent difficulties, Waldorf schools have been opened in countries all around the world. The Waldorf approach can certainly be made to seem attractive, perhaps all the more so when it is promoted to families who have no previous knowledge of Waldorf methods and the underlying Waldorf belief system, Anthroposophy. The spread of Waldorf schools is largely attributable to the work of devout Anthroposophists who consider themselves to be on a holy mission.

There are many potential problems for Asian parents who elect Waldorf schooling for their children. One is the racism in the Waldorf worldview. Rudolf Steiner taught that white central Europeans — in particular, Germans — are more highly evolved than other peoples. He said that individuals’ spiritual condition is reflected in the color of their skin. [See “Steiner’s Racism”, “Races”, and “Differences”.]  

Racism may not be expressed openly in a Waldorf school; the teachers may make a concerted effort to treat children of all races well. But racism is extremely difficult, if not impossible, to remove from the Waldorf ideology. Steiner taught that humans reincarnate into various racial forms. A good, moral human will reincarnate in a higher, whiter race, whereas a wicked, benighted human will reincarnate in a lower, darker race. Steiner said that white people are more evolved, having separated themselves from the lowly residents of Atlantis. 

“[O]ur white civilized humankind originated because certain elements segregated themselves from the Atlanteans [the people of Atlantis] and developed themselves higher here, under different climatic conditions. Certain elements of the Atlantean population remained behind, at earlier levels; thus we can see that the peoples of Asia and America are remnants of the various Atlantean races.” — Rudolf Steiner, DIE WELTRÄTSEL UND DIE ANTHROPOSOPHIE (Rudolf Steiner Verlag, 1974), p. 145. [See “Steiner’s Bile”.]

Anthroposophists use many rationalizations to justify Steiner's racial views, but all parents should realize that Anthroposophy posits a hierarchy of races, with whites at the top, blacks at the bottom, and red and yellow races in-between. Anyone who believes in full human equality must reject such thinking. And sending children to a school that fails to utterly reject such thinking can never be appropriate. Steiner's followers almost never repudiate anything Steiner said — they want to believe that he was a great spiritual leader who only spoke the deep, spiritual truth. If they admit that he was wrong in one area — such as race — they open the possibility that he may have been wrong in other areas as well, and to them this is almost unthinkable.

"Understanding Waldorf Education ebook - Written by a teacher with more than 25 years of experience, this book offers a jargon-free view of Waldorf schools with their philosophy of the importance of a three-dimensional education."  

[6-17-2011  http://theibooksnews.blogspot.com/2011/06/understanding-waldorf-education-ebook_17.html]

Response:

Steiner/Waldorf publications are increasingly available in electronic form. UNDERSTANDING WALDORF EDUCATION, by Jack Petrash, originally appeared in print form in 2002 (Gryphon House). Like most explications of Waldorf education written for the uninitiated, it can mislead more than inform, unless you read it with great care. Thus, for instance, on p. 26 Petrash explains that "fact-based" education is faulty: 

"This is the obvious flaw in fact-based instruction. Whether we were taught about the solar system, the Soviet Union, or computers, much of what we had to learn in school is outdated." 

This statement is perfectly true, but it conceals Petrash's real meaning. In Waldorf schools, ordinary knowledge is devalued. The emphasis is on spiritual incarnation, not on teaching kids information about the real world. [See "Incarnation".] Steiner associated libraries with "dead" knowledge, and he dismissed the work of most scholars. He taught that the brain is a relatively unimportant organ; he said that real knowledge is not gained through use of the brain. [See "Clairvoyance", "Thinking Cap", and "Thinking".] The Waldorf approach steers away from factual information — "fact-based education" — because, at base, it is an occult system that stresses myths and legends while dismissing much of modern scholarship, knowledge, and science.

It is certainly true that facts change, and what is new now will be old and perhaps obsolete in the future. But this surely does not mean that education should minimize the importance of facts. We should teach kids the facts about our world, and we should teach them how to stay abreast of information as it changes in the future. In other words, we should teach them to use their brains. But this is precisely what Waldorf schools steer away from. Steiner taught that the brain is destructive. 

"[T]he materialistic brain [i.e., the physical organ called the brain] represents a process of decay: materialistic thinking [i.e., use of the physical organ, the brain] unfolds only through processes of destruction, death-processes, which are taking place in the brain.” — Rudolf Steiner, THE FESTIVALS AND THEIR MEANING (Rudolf Steiner Press, 1996), p. 147.

Waldorf education is appropriate only for people who believe such propositions as these: 

• "[T]he brain and nerve system have nothing at all to do with actual cognition." — Rudolf Steiner, FOUNDATIONS OF HUMAN EXPERIENCE  (SteinerBooks, 1996), p. 60]

• "Within the brain nothing at all exists of the nature of thought." — Rudolf Steiner, WONDERS OF THE WORLD (Kessinger, facsimile of 1929 edition), p. 88.

Indeed, Waldorf education is not "fact-based." It is fallacy-based. 

Anthroposophists continue to affirm Steiner's view of the brain today. E.g., 

"The brain does not produce thoughts" — Henk van Oort, ANTHROPOSOPHY A-Z (Sophia Books - Rudolf Steiner Press, 2011), p. 16.

As for Petrash's curious phrase, "three-dimensional education," this is an allusion to the Waldorf effort to educate the whole child — head, heart, and hands. [See "Holistic Education".] The hands are "educated" by spending a surprising amount of class time on such activities as knitting. The heart is "educated" by learning to feel about things as Anthroposophists feel about them. (This is, indeed, the main way that Anthroposophy is conveyed to Waldorf students. [See "Spiritual Agenda".]) The head is "educated" by learning to slow down, distrust itself, and not think about things too much. [See "Steiner's Specific — Thinking Without Our Brains".] Parts of the Waldorf approach are attractive, but at its core the Waldorf approach is deeply anti-intellectual; it is devoted to the Anthroposophical form of occult spirituality instead of providing a real education about the real world.)

“Today’s announcement that more than 100 free schools,* most run by parents, charities or faith groups, are due to open in September 2012 [in the UK], provides yet more proof that [Education Minister] Michael Gove’s reforms are gathering real momentum.

“But what’s particularly striking about today’s story is the way the reforms here appear to be exactly mirroring those introduced 20 years ago in Sweden where free schools were first pioneered.

“...First out of the blocks [seeking reform in Sweden] were parents and community groups who, for the most part, fell into one of two categories: those in urban areas dissatisfied with the quality of the schools on their doorstep, and those in remote rural areas worried about the closure of their village school. 

“...The second phase in the development of Swedish free schools saw faith groups and educational charities like Montessori and Rudolf Steiner enter the system to provide a particular pedagogy, be it rooted in religion, humanism or an alternative educational philosophy. Faith schools were no less controversial there than here, although the Swedes concluded, as we have, that you cannot allow for religious schools but ban minority religions from running them [sic].

“...What we haven’t yet seen in England is what happened next in Sweden that took free schools from the margins to the mainstream: the entry into the state-funded education market of hungry, profit-making private sector providers. It was these companies, the biggest of which now runs more than 30 schools, that really drove the expansion in free school numbers in Sweden. Today, almost 70 per cent of their free schools are run by commercial firms.”  

[6-20-2011  http://blogs.telegraph.co.uk/news/julianastle/100092931/the-three-stages-of-school-reform/]

Response:

It is correct to place Waldorf schools in the same category as “faith groups” and schools “rooted in religion.” This is, in fact, what Waldorf schools are — although for tactical and ideological reasons, they generally deny it. [See, e.g., “Secrets”, “Spiritual Agenda”, and “Is Anthroposophy a Religion?”]

Numerous schools in the USA are now run by profit-making private firms. Some of these schools have achieved a degree of educational success, but for the most part they have not distinguished themselves. There is growing concern that the firms are motivated by greed, not a quest for educational excellence. Fittingly, reports on such companies often appear on business pages and focus on net profits, not educational achievement. [See, e.g., "Education Management income on the rise" at http://wwww.post-gazette.com/pg/09230/991664-100.stm]

* In the USA, such schools are called charter schools.

[Image from "Rudolf Steiner - Cosmic Spiralling"]

◊

Increasingly, celebrations of Rudolf Steiner and his works (including Waldorf schools) are turning up on You Tube. Thus, you can find "Rudolf Steiner - Cosmic Spiralling" at http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=jgMB6YLLTs4. The video, quite professional, quotes Steiner on such matters as the twelve signs of the zodiac and the need to look upon reality from all twelve vantage points. Indeed, we need to cycle through all twelve signs seven times.

Steiner's followers have grave misgivings about computers, TVs, and other electronic devices and systems, considering them all to be implicated in the machinations of the arch-demon Ahriman. But recognizing the ubiquity of modern technology, Steinerites sometimes decide to make cautious use of modern technological tools to reach unenlightened residents of the Ahrimanic realm (i.e., you and me). 

Most Anthroposophical activities in public are part of the messianic outreach work to which Steiner's followers are devoted. Waldorf schools themselves are part of this outreach effort — the schools exist to promote Anthroposophy. [See, e.g., "Soul School".]

THE SEMI-STEINER DICTIONARY, while still incomplete, has moved to a higher plane. THE SEMI-STEINER DICTIONARY derives primarily from THE STEINERBOOKS DICTIONARY OF THE PSYCHIC, MYSTIC, OCCULT (Rudolf Steiner Publications, 1973) and THE NEW STEINERBOOKS DICTIONARY OF THE PARANORMAL (Rudolf Steiner Publications, 1980). The latter also refers to itself as THE NEW DICTIONARY OF THE PARANORMAL, PSYCHIC, MYSTIC, OCCULT; it is essentially a revision and enlargement of the 1973 dictionary. [https://sites.google.com/site/waldorfwatch/dictionary]

Here are a few terms as defined in the SteinerBooks publications:

Elberfeld horses  "The potential mathematical genius of horses was discovered by William von Osten in 1891."

electric girls  "[A]scribed to the presence of a poltergeist ... [C]ertain girls [radiate] powerful emanations of electricity...."

fairies  "Evidence for the existence of the little folk, comes mainly from photographs."

flying saucers   "Technically described as U.F.O's, or unidentified flying objects ... Sound evidence can be found for the existence of these unheralded objects...."

“SWSF [Steiner Waldorf Schools Fellowship, in the UK] has been working closely with Canterbury Christ Church University (CCCU) on two exciting new projects: the development of a route by which experienced Steiner Waldorf teachers can gain Qualified Teacher Status (QTS) and also the launch of a new Masters programme leading to MA Education (Steiner Waldorf).

“There are many talented and experienced teachers in our schools [i.e., Steiner Waldorf schools] whose status as qualified teachers has never been fully recognised. We believe that appropriate acknowledgement of professional status should not be denied to colleagues simply because they have learned and applied their skills outside the maintained sector.”  

[6-17-2011 http://news.steinerwaldorf.org/2011_06_01_archive.html]

Response:

Waldorf teachers often do not have credentials that are recognized outside the Waldorf movement. There is a good reason for this: Waldorf teachers tend to receive all their training in Waldorf teacher-training programs that emphasize the occult doctrines of Rudolf Steiner while skimping on actual academic preparation — the mastery of subject matter and mainstream teaching skills. [See “Teacher Training”.]

From time to time, efforts are made to establish procedures that would misleadingly place Waldorf teachers at the same level as teachers who have gone through real, accredited teacher-training programs. Such efforts often founder when outsiders come to perceive the occultism at the root of Waldorf education. [See, e.g., “The Waldorf Scandal”.]

One more point: Christians should think twice before allying themselves with the Waldorf movement. The religion found in and around Waldorf schools, Anthroposophy, is pagan and, from a Christian viewpoint, sacrilegious. The “Christ” celebrated in Anthroposophy is one of a vast throng of gods — Anthroposophy is polytheistic. Specifically, the Anthroposophical “Christ” is the Sun God, the same being whom other religions have called by such names as Ra and Baldur. [See “Polytheism” and “Sun God”.]

“Green Meadow Waldorf School is expanding into Tarrytown, N.Y. [USA] with the opening of their Early Childhood Center ... The expansion is in response to burgeoning interest in Green Meadow and Waldorf Education among parents in Westchester, especially the Tarrytown area. The school wants to make its unique education more accessible ... Enrollment is now open for the September nursery/kindergarten class (serving ages 3-6), as well as Parent & Child classes for babies and toddlers from birth to 3.”  

[6-9-2011 http://www.gmws.org/Files/GMWS.EarlyChildhoodTappan.FINAL1.pdf]

Waldorf schools are often quite beautiful and, thus, alluring. Don't make the mistake, however, of assuming that early-childhood "education" at a Waldorf school will include the sorts of academic preparation offered by such programs as Head Start. Waldorf schools do not think children should be taught even rudimentary literacy and arithmetical skills until their "etheric bodies" incarnate at about age 7. [See "Incarnation".] If this seems nutty to you (as it should), you probably should look elsewhere for your child's education.

[Temple Lodge Publishing, 2002.]

◊

Response:

Whenever you read a statement identifying Rudolf Steiner as a philosopher, you know that the writer is either uninformed or s/he is intentionally providing disinformation. Early in his career as a writer, Steiner published a few works that can legitimately be called philosophical. However, he soon turned to occultism, leaving rational philosophy behind. His works thereafter bear such titles as AN OUTLINE OF OCCULT SCIENCE and KNOWLEDGE OF THE HIGHER WORLDS AND ITS ATTAINMENT. [See "Everything" and "Knowing the Worlds".] A more accurate description would be that Steiner was an avowed occultist who, earlier, had tried his hand at philosophy. [See "Occutlism".]

It is also worth considering just how “prescient” Steiner was. He made many, many predictions about the future. He said that these were entirely reliable visions, because they were produced by his “exact clairvoyance.” [See, e.g., "Millennium" and "Exactly".]

Let’s consider one example. Did Steiner correctly foresee the coming of the Internet? In a word, no. He did indeed forecast a future in which a web will spread across the Earth, populated by terrible “spiders.” But he put this event in the far distant future, around the year 9000 AD, after the Moon reunites with the Earth. And by “spiders” he did not mean the bits of programming used by Google and others to survey the Internet. He meant literal monsters that would bring the deadly powers of intellect into full physical incarnation. Here is how the matter is described by one of Steiner’s most devout followers:

“[T]he moon again unites [i.e., will unite] with the earth in the eighth millennium ... When the moon does unite, all the thoughts of the shadowy intellect which at present have no reality at once become substantial realities. There springs forth a terrible brood of beings, automata lying between the mineral and plant kingdoms, possessed of an overwhelming power of intellect. This swarm spreads over the earth as a ghastly network of spiderlike creatures, all interlocked and imitating in their movements the thoughts of the intellect ... This is very emphatically part of human evolution....” — Richard Seddon, THE FUTURE OF HUMANITY AND THE EARTH AS FORESEEN BY RUDOLF STEINER (Temple Lodge Publishing, 2002), p. 59.

How is any of this relevant to Waldorf education? Several points should be made. 1) Many (perhaps most) Waldorf teachers accept Rudolf Steiner’s teachings, even his bizarre predictions. 2) Some Waldorf teachers have limited knowledge of what Steiner actually said, and thus they misinterpret Steiner’s teachings and engage in heated debates with their colleagues over such matters. 3) Underlying all of this is the deep antipathy to the intellect and indeed to the use of the brain.

You probably will find a Waldorf school a good fit only if you agree 1) that using the brain is a dubious activity, and 2) that Steiner’s occultism provides the right key to living. 

[See, e.g., “Steiner’s Specific - Thinking Without Our Brains”, “Spiders, Dragons and Foxes”, “Occultism”, and “What a Guy”.]

Response:

Although Waldorf schools usually deny that Anthroposophy (the occult religion underlying the Waldorf movement) shows up in the classroom, the schools try to staff themselves with devoted followers of Rudolf Steiner — in a word, Anthroposophists. In doing so, they seek to fulfill Steiner's charge:

Waldorf teachers must be "true anthroposophists in the deepest sense of the word in our innermost feeling.” [1] 

Such teachers inevitably bring Anthroposophy into the classroom — as Steiner said they would. 

"Anthroposophy will be in the school when it is objectively justified, that is, when it is called for by the material itself.” [2] 

When does the material call for Anthroposophy? In the view of Steiner's followers, Anthroposophy is the great Truth underlying all other truths. And, of course, education concerns itself with truth. So, when should Anthroposophy be brought into the school? Almost always. Waldorf teachers may be subtle about bringing Anthroposophy into class; they may bring it in only by inference, as a mood, as a perspective. But they will bring it in. [See "Here's the Answer" and "Sneaking It In".]

Let's return to the item about the Sarasota Waldorf School. "Outreach into the greater community" is always important at Waldorf schools. The real purpose of Waldorf schools, you see, is to spread Anthroposophy. As a former Waldorf teacher has written: 

"The reason many Anthroposophical 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.” [3] 

This conforms with Steiner's own statement: 

"One of the most important facts about the background of the Waldorf School is that we were in a position to make the anthroposophical movement a relatively large one." [4] 

The schools contribute to the growth of the Anthroposophical movement. This is the "outreach" the schools undertake.

The festivals at Waldorf schools are often attractive and can serve as recruitment tools as well as fund-raising events. But the underlying purpose is religious. The festivals are mildly disguised observances of Easter, Pentecost, Christmas, Michaelmas, and so forth. Christians may see no harm in this, but all parents should understand that the "Christ" at the center of Waldorf celebrations is not the Son of God found in the New Testament. Instead, the Waldorf "Christ" is the pagan Sun God, whom various peoples have worshipped using various names. Thus, one of Steiner's leading advocates writes this:

"Christ, the Sun God...was known by earlier peoples under such names as Ahura Mazda, Hu or Balder." [5] 

Waldorf festivals are, to varying degrees, religious observances focusing on the Sun God. [6]

Virtually everything that happens at Waldorf schools has occult religious meaning. Often the language used in public tends to hide this reality — Waldorf schools often issue statements written in a sort of code. But, with a little practice, you can crack the code.

◊

[1] Rudolf Steiner, FACULTY MEETINGS WITH RUDOLF STEINER (Anthroposophic Press, 1998), p. 118.

[2] Ibid., p. 495.

[3] See “Ex-Teacher 7”.

[4] Rudolf Steiner, RUDOLF STEINER IN THE WALDORF SCHOOL (Anthroposophic Press, 1996), p.156.

[5] See "Sun God".

[6] Steiner spoke of the "victory" of the Sun at Christmas. In Christian theology, the victory of Christ, the Son of God, comes with his Resurrection, which is celebrated at Easter. The victory Steiner means in his discussion of Christmas is the triumph of the Sun's light as the Earth passes the winter solstice. 

"The days grow shorter and shorter up to the time of the Christmas festival ... Then the days begin to draw out again and the light of the Sun celebrates its victory over the darkness." — Rudolf Steiner, THE FESTIVALS AND THEIR MEANING (Rudolf Steiner Press, 2008), p. 18. 

Christmas is the celebration of the birth of Jesus, but Steiner presents it instead as the celebration of his own doctrines about human evolution. Steiner taught that there are gods on all the stars and planets — his teachings are polytheistic. [See "Polytheism".] According to Steiner, the god of the Sun came to Earth to help us to evolve properly, so that we would not decay.

"Had Christ not appeared on the earth, had He remained the Sun-God only, humanity on the earth would have fallen into decay." — Ibid., p. 277.

LANGUAGE TEACHING IN STEINER WALDORF SCHOOLS

(Steiner Waldorf Schools Fellowship, 1997),

available through the Rudolf Steiner College.

◊

"This book provides a pedagogical basis for the teaching of modern languages in a Steiner Waldorf School. It discusses Steiner's view of the nature of language in relation to child development, and also addresses the practical classroom questions of curricula and teaching methods."  

[6-13-2011  http://www.steinercollege.edu/store/product.php?productid=16414&cat=1077&page=2]

To the extent that Waldorf faculty members study a) the subjects they teach or b) educational methods, they do so chiefly by consulting the works of other Waldorf teachers or Anthroposophists. This often results in the uninformed seeking guidance from the uninformed.

Be that as it may, Rudolf Steiner differentiated between languages that feed the soul and those that damage the soul. His judgments were heavily influenced by his German nationalism and the dim view he took of certain nations and races. 

"The use of the French language quite certainly corrupts the soul. The soul acquires nothing more than the possibility of clichés. Those who enthusiastically speak French transfer that to other languages. The French are also ruining what maintains their dead language, namely, their blood. The French are committing the terrible brutality of moving black people to Europe, but it works, in an even worse way, back on France. It has an enormous affect on the blood and the race and contributes considerably toward French decadence. The French as a race are reverting.” — Rudolf Steiner, FACULTY MEETINGS WITH RUDOLF STEINER (Anthroposophic Press, 1998), pp. 558-559.

Response:

This story follows up on previous accounts. Apparently the dispute has become more bitter — and potentially more threatening to the school — than previously reported. [See the item, below, beginning with the words "The controversial proposal...."] 

The pairing of the Convent with the Steiner school is ironic. Practicing Christians — and especially Catholics — should find it wholly improper. The form of "Christianity" developed by Rudolf Steiner is incompatible with the teachings of all mainstream Christian churches. In Steiner's teachings, Christ is not the Son of God as Christians usually conceive Him. Instead, Christ is the Sun God — one of many, many gods in a polytheistic universe. [See "Polytheism" and "Sun God".] Steiner taught that the Sun God descended to Earth to briefly inhabit the body of one of two Jesus children, two young humans whose souls combined for that purpose. In combining, they brought together the spirits of Zarathustra and Buddha. [See "Was He Christian?"]

According to Steiner, the Sun God came to Earth in order to assist in human evolution. 

“Had Christ not appeared on the earth, had He remained the Sun-God only, humanity on the earth would have fallen into decay.” — Rudolf Steiner, THE FESTIVALS AND THEIR MEANING (Rudolf Steiner Press, 1996), p. 277. [See "Evolution, Anyone?"]

Steiner taught that there were two Jesuses. 

“[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. 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.

Steiner said he knew of such things because of his occult investigations — he was an avowed occultist.

“Occult investigation shows that the individuality [i.e., spirit] who was in the Solomon Jesus-child was none other than Zarathustra ... [T]he Buddha...permeated the astral body of the Nathan Jesus-child.” — Rudolf Steiner, FROM JESUS TO CHRIST (Rudolf Steiner Press, 2005), pp. 133-136. [See "Occultism".]

Christ, the Sun God, was known long before he incarnated on Earth, or so Rudolf Steiner assured us. The spiritual seers of Atlantis, for example, knew of Christ. 

"Already in the ancient Oracles of Atlantis, the priests of those Oracles spoke of the ‘Spirit of the Sun’, of Christ." — Rudolf Steiner, THE DEED OF CHRIST AND THE OPPOSING SPIRITUAL POWERS (Steiner Book Centre, 1954), lecture 1, GA 107.

Steiner's occult religious teachings — which from a mainstream Christian perspective must be considered sacrilegious — pervade the curriculum and activities at Steiner schools, albeit generally in subtle and disguised ways. [See, e.g., "Soul School" and "Spiritual Agenda".] 

Earlier reports on the Abbotsford/Steiner controversy can be found at the Waldorf Watch Annex: May, 2011; March, 2011, Jan. 1-15, 2011; and July 1-Sept. 30, 2010.

From UrbanBaby:

"Q. Rudolph Steiner School? Thoughts?

"A1. touchy feely

"A2. I went to the one on Long Island for high school. Although I enjoyed the experience, the education was lacking.

"A3. The kids cut vegetables with sharp knives at like age 5. It's a core part of their philosophy.

"A4. ... i'd be out of place with that freaky parent body!

"A5. It's a cult." 

[6-8-2011  http://www.urbanbaby.com/talk/posts/53050161]

"A teachers' training programme at Inodai" 

[mid-day.com]

◊

Response:

There are certainly appealing elements in Waldorf schooling, and the Waldorf movement is opening schools all around the world. But people outside of Europe who are offered Waldorf education as an option for their children should realize that Waldorf is built on a racist ideology. Rudolf Steiner taught that white Europeans — especially German whites — are more highly evolved than other humans. Concerning Indians, he taught that they attained a high — but dim — spiritual consciousness long ago, but history has now passed them by and they are unable to grasp the most important spiritual matter for mankind, the "Christ Impulse." Hinduism, you see, is a backward religion, according to Rudolf Steiner; the true religion is Christianity, as reinvented by Rudolf Steiner. [For Steiner's teachings on such matters, see THE MISSION OF THE FOLK-SOULS (Rudolf Steiner Press, 2005), lectures seven and eight.]

Here are some of the basic Waldorf beliefs concerning race. 

• “A race or nation stands so much the higher, the more perfectly its members express the pure, ideal human type.” — Rudolf Steiner, KNOWLEDGE OF THE HIGHER WORLDS AND ITS ATTAINMENT (Anthroposophic Press, 1944), p. 149.

• The ideal human type, according to Waldorf belief, is white. “The white race is the future, the race that is spiritually creative.” — Rudolf Steiner, VOM LEBEN DES MENSCHEN UND DER ERDE- ÜBER DAS WESEN DES CHRISTENTUMS (Verlag Der Rudolf Steiner-Nachlassverwaltung, 1961), GA 349, p. 62.

• Skin color reflects the condition of the soul. “One can only understand history...if one pays attention to people's racial characteristics. And one can only understand all that is spiritual...if one first examines how this spiritual element operates within people precisely through the color of their skin.” — Rudolf Steiner, VOM LEBEN DES MENSCHEN UND DER ERDE - ÜBER DAS WESEN DES CHRISTENTUMS, p. 52.

According to Waldorf belief, Indian children are inherently inferior to white children, and the color of their skin shows this inferiority. Steiner's followers think that the racism in their belief system is redeemed by their belief in reincarnation (which, of course, many Indians share). Steiner taught that children having black, brown, red, or yellow skin stand at a lower level than children having white skin, but such inferior children may work their way into higher and higher races in future reincarnations. Eventually, such children may be born with white skin and thus attain full equality. 

If Indian parents are prepared to believe that their children, in their current incarnations, are inferior to white children, in their current incarnations, then perhaps they will be happy with Waldorf education. But if not — if they think their children today are wonderful and fully equal to all other humans — then they should think long and hard before sending their children to Waldorf schools.

Waldorf racism may be well hidden; children in a Waldorf school may not confront it directly. And indeed many teachers at Waldorf schools may not have plumbed Steiner's teachings very deeply. But these teachings lurk in the ideology underlying Waldorf schools.

Once again, there’s a discussion of Waldorf on mumsnet. Here’s the posting that kicked it off, along with a selection of replies. (There are others.) [6-8-2011  http://www.mumsnet.com/Talk/parenting/1232574-Any-steiner-school-experiences]

"Q. I went to a toddler group at our local steiner school today and it was just lovely. There was such a calm atmosphere and my daughter adored it. We've been thinking about schools for a while now and I wondered if anyone had any good (or bad) experiences of a steiner education, in preschool, primary and secondary levels. Many thanks in advance.

"A1. well there are those who live and breathe steiner, and there are those who have been 'damaged' by steiner.

"A2. ...I get the impression that it's a lifestyle. I went to an open day/fair at our local Waldorf School, had a chat with some parents and teachers, looked at the Ofsted reports. It sounds like a lot more of a commitment from a parents' point of view than a more conventional style school.

"A3. It's really not a lifestyle, more of a religion.

"A4. brace yourself.

"i rather like the whole ethos and i'm not adverse to a bit of gnome and alien theory but i'm too sane to join up wholeheartedly.

"A5. A friend has a children in Steiner and really likes it. 

"I think you have to be quite committed to the lifestyle/philosophy of it though. Some of it is a bit wacky-spiritual.

"A6. I visited one once. With a view to sending my DD. It was quite a distance from our home but we were really keen on finding a stress free and creative environment for DD.

"It was one of the oddest experiences I've ever had...from the fact that the school looked like Old Mother Hubbards cottage (all peach and with no sharp corners) and was nestled deep in a forest...with weird atmosphere....to the fact that all the art looked like the same person had drawn it....coupled with a wooden dish of gnomes with no faces and feral kids who almost bashed newborn DD2s head in with a big stick...while the "teacher" looked on smiling...it was not the school for us.

"A7. My sister (10 years younger than me) went to one from the ages of 12 - 16 because she hated her school and just couldn't get on in a results driven environment, she is not academically challenged by any means but she is not the best at tests or working fast.

"She really loved the Steiner school and got on much better there, she is an amazing musician and they really harnessed that kind of talent. However, IMHO they do not necessarily prepare you very well for life in that the child is the focus and you are taught to learn things at your pace and it seemed that you weren't really punished for things like you would be in a state school (lateness etc) which are life lessons I think are important - especially if you then step into a more driven college / university / work environment.

"A8. Cruel and inconsistent, inappropriate punishments for normal behaviour (summarily being sent out of the classroom from the age of seven and made to stay there, or being sent to the office to sit for a good hour.

"Older, teenage children being brought in to drag a seven yo out from under the desk he is hiding beneath - abuse of each child concerned, as well as the rest of the class exposed to it.

"Wild, inappropriate behaviour tolerated because it's perpetrated by children of good Steiner families. Toeing the Waldorf line considered more important than basic, decent human behaviour."

“Going private for small classes - More parents find it worth the tuition costs to take their children out of increasingly crowded public schools - It appears that more and more parents...have decided to remove their children from budget-strapped public school districts that are struggling to keep expanding class sizes from bursting at the seams ... [P]rivate schools anticipating increased enrollment this fall include Eugene Waldorf School.” 

 [6-9-2011  http://special.registerguard.com/web/updates/26355169-41/students-oak-hill-schools-public.html.csp]

Parents are pulling kids from crowded public schools and are crowding them into private schools. Do you spot the problem? Crowding develops where the crowd goes. When private schools, such as Waldorf schools, are small, they tend to have small classes. But when the schools attract increasing numbers of students, class sizes swell. At large Waldorf schools, classes are often unmanageably large.

The underlying problem is that public schools are being deprived of the funding they need in order to provide the best education for all students. Running away to a private school — especially an occultism-based school like Waldorf — is no solution. The solution is to provide adequate support to public schools.

"Over-stimulated children prone to anxiety - Examples of anxiety in kids are seen in schools every day.

"In a local junior kindergarten class, I witnessed a pupil having a meltdown because he couldn't open a snack in a wrapper....

"A U.S. expert is in town [London, UK] this week to address anxiety among our children.

"Dr. Paul Foxman, the director of the Center for Anxiety Disorders in Vermont, said having too many activities, information overload, violence in the media and over-stimulation from computers and TV are the reasons children are increasingly becoming nervous and worried....

"Foxman will be speaking publicly on Thursday at London Waldorf School."  

[6-8-2011  http://www.lfpress.com/life/columnists/kathy_rumleski/2011/06/08/18253721.html]

Response:

Probably we can all agree that over-stimulating children is bad. (That’s why the condition is called over-stimulation.) Waldorf schools, however, have peculiar, occult reasons for wanting to avoid stimulating children. For one thing, they want to keep children young for as long as possible because they think that children arrive on earth with memories of the spirit realm. 

A child has "a dream-like yet intensely real awareness of spiritual worlds. This awareness fades quickly in early childhood, but fragments of it live on in the child for a much longer time than most people imagine ... [I]n a Waldorf school, therefore, one of the tasks of the teachers is to keep the children young." — Waldorf educator A. C. Harwood. [See “Thinking Cap”.]

Waldorf schools also want things to move slowly because they are waiting for the students’ invisible bodies to incarnate. The “etheric body” doesn’t arrive until about age 7, and the “astral body” doesn’t come until age 14. [See “Incarnation”.]

Then there’s the problem with TVs, computers, and other high-tech gadgetry. These demonic devices are under the sway of the terrible demon Ahriman. 

“Everything that has arisen in recent times in the way of materialistic science and industrial technology is of an out-and-out ahrimanic nature...” — Rudolf Steiner. [See “Ahriman”.]

Ahriman also shows his head when human beings used their heads, i.e., their brains. Waldorf schools do not want to over-stimulate students’ brains, because they believe that brains do not really do our thinking. 

“[T]he brain and nerve system have nothing at all to do with actual cognition.” — Rudolf Steiner. [See “Steiner’s Specific”.]  

Real thinking, you see, is clairvoyance, and we become clairvoyant by developing invisible “organs of clairvoyance.” 

“[J]ust as the eyes and ears of the physical body are built by natural forces out of living matter, so will the organs of clairvoyance build themselves out of the feelings and thoughts thus evoked [i.e., through meditations].” — Rudolf Steiner. [See “Clairvoyance”.]

"Steiner Waldorf to open second school in Wales - The world’s fastest-growing educational movement is to broaden its Welsh reach with a new primary school in the capital. 

"Cardiff’s first Steiner Waldorf school will accept pupils aged seven to 11 and could open as early as September next year. 

"There is one other Steiner school in Wales, Nant-y-Cwm in Pembrokeshire, where parents pay up to £3,564 a year for their children’s education.

"Steiner schools believe in the importance of learning to play, socialise and listen rather than reading and writing." 

[http://www.walesonline.co.uk/news/wales-news/2011/06/08/steiner-waldorf-to-open-second-school-in-wales-91466-28839734/]

Response:

Teaching children to socialize sounds good. Teaching them to play seems unnecessary (I've rarely met a child who didn't know how to play). [1] Teaching them to listen usually means, in Steiner schools, teaching them to sit down, shut up, and take their teachers' word for everything uncritically. [2] Teaching children to do these things instead of teaching them to read and write is obviously misguided. (If we are going to teach kids to socialize, play, and listen, we should do this in addition to teaching them to read and write.)

Is Steiner education really the "world’s fastest-growing educational movement"? Sadly, this may be true — if we merely tally the number of new Steiner schools being opened. [3] But don't be too downcast. Steiner schools tend to be small, so the number of students affected by them remains fairly small.

◊

[1] As this item suggests, Waldorf schools tend to emphasize play more than study. The underlying belief is that when they play, children reenact scenes from their past lives. Teaching kids to play, in an Anthroposophical context, means teaching them to play in ways that strike Anthroposophists as spiritually correct.

[2] "The children should not raise their hands so much." — Rudolf Steiner, FACULTY MEETINGS WITH RUDOLF STEINER (Anthroposophic Press, 1998), p. 65.

[3] However, the total has hovered unchangingly around 1,000 for the last several years. Schools are opened, but others are closed.

“What is Steiner education? - The Steiner ethos, according to the Steiner Waldorf Schools Fellowship, is to provide an 'unhurried and creative' learning environment where children can find the joy in learning and experience the richness of childhood.

“The curriculum itself is a flexible set of pedagogical guidelines, founded on Steiner’s principles that take account of the whole child.

“It gives equal attention to the physical, emotional, intellectual, cultural and spiritual needs of each pupil and is designed to work in harmony with the different phases of a child’s development.”  

[6-8-2011 http://www.walesonline.co.uk/news/wales-news/2011/06/08/what-is-steiner-education-91466-28839733/]

Response:

Pity the poor reporter who tries to make sense of Steiner education based on the misleading abstractions usually offered by Steiner spokesfolks.

Let’s take a somewhat closer look, relying mainly on the words of Rudolf Steiner, the founder of the Steiner movement and the man for whom the schools are named. (The schools are often called Steiner schools, but sometimes they are called Waldorf schools, since the first Steiner school was established with the aid of the owner of the Waldorf-Astoria cigarette company.)

Steiner’s worldview, "Anthroposophy" (a word meaning human wisdom), is an occult religion. Waldorf faculties usually acknowledge that their educational approach arises from Anthroposophy, but they usually deny that they teach Anthroposophical doctrines to their students. In a restricted sense, this may be true. But in a larger sense, it is false, and we have Steiner’s word for it. Addressing Waldorf teachers, Steiner said: “You need to make the children aware that they are receiving the objective truth, and if this occasionally appears anthroposophical, it is not anthroposophy that is at fault. Things are that way because anthroposophy has something to say about objective truth. It is the material that causes what is said to be anthroposophical. We certainly may not go to the other extreme, where people say that anthroposophy may not be brought into the school. Anthroposophy will be in the school when it is objectively justified, that is, when it is called for by the material itself.” \1\ Since Anthroposophists believe that their doctrines are the Truth underlying all other knowledge, they think that the presence of Anthroposophy will be “justified” at virtually every point in every subject studied. They may be circumspect about it, bringing their beliefs into the classroom subtly, covertly, but they bring them.

Not all Waldorf teachers are deeply committed, uncompromising Anthroposophists, but Steiner said that they should be: “As teachers in the Waldorf School, you will need to find your way more deeply into the insight of the spirit and to find a way of putting all compromises aside ... As Waldorf teachers, we must be true anthroposophists in the deepest sense of the word in our innermost feeling.” \2\ Indeed, one of the most important facts about Waldorf schools is that they are meant to spread Anthroposophy: “One of the most important facts about the background of the Waldorf School is that we were in a position to make the anthroposophical movement a relatively large one. The anthroposophical movement has become a large one.” \3\

Waldorf education is meant to usher students toward true spiritual life, which is deemed inherently Anthroposophical: “As far as our school is concerned, the actual spiritual life can be present only because its staff consists of anthroposophists.” \4\ Waldorf teachers serve as priests in a religion that recognizes many spiritual powers or gods (plural: Anthroposophy is polytheistic). The goal of Waldorf schooling is not so much to educate children as to save humanity by leading it to Anthroposophy. Waldorf teachers consider themselves to be on a holy mission: • "The position of teacher becomes a kind of priestly office, a ritual performed at the altar of universal human life." \5\ • “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 ... 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.” \6\ • “Among the faculty, we must certainly carry within us the knowledge that we are not here for our own sakes, but to carry out the divine cosmic plan. We should always remember that when we do something, we are actually carrying out the intentions of the gods, that we are, in a certain sense, the means by which that streaming down from above will go out into the world.” \7\

In sum, the goals of Waldorf schooling are inseparable from the goals of Anthroposophy, although Waldorf teachers generally deny this, for fear of a public backlash: “[W]e have to remember that an institution like the Independent Waldorf School with its anthroposophical character, has goals that, of course, coincide with anthroposophical desires. At the moment, though, if that connection were made official, people would break the Waldorf School’s neck." \8\

◊

What is Anthroposophy? It is a religion: • "[T]he Anthroposophical Society...provides religious instruction just as other religious groups do." \9\ And so: • "It is possible to introduce a religious element into every subject, even into math lessons. Anyone who has some knowledge of Waldorf teaching will know that this statement is true." \10\ Thus: • "Yesterday, I was sitting on pins and needles worrying that the visitors would think the history class was too religious." \11\ (Steiner wasn't concerned that the history class was religious; he worried that outsiders might think it was excessively religious. That there will be some religious content in a Waldorf class goes without saying.) Waldorf schools, you see, are religious institutions, with "a religious element" introduced into "every subject." And the religion the schools adhere to is Anthroposophy. Hence Steiner was able to say to Waldorf students: • “[D]o you know where your teachers get all the strength and ability they need so that they can teach you to grow up to be good and capable people? They get it from the Christ.” \12\ (Take care when Steiner and his followers refer to "Christ." They do not mean the Son of God worshipped in regular Christian churches; they mean the Sun God. This need not detain us at this moment, however.) The key point for us now is to recognize Steiner's admission that Waldorf teachers are true believers; they believe they draw their authority from a god. Their work as Waldorf teachers is religious. Even when encouraging their students to love beauty, their purpose is fundamentally religious. “We must, in our lessons, see to it that the children experience the beautiful, artistic, and aesthetic conception of the world; and their ideas and mental pictures should be permeated by a religious/moral feeling." \13\

◊

As for whether Waldorf schools educate "the whole child," you should know that Steiner's followers think that children have (or will develop) three invisible bodies, they have both souls and spirits, they have twelve senses, they are reincarnated, they have karmas, they come to earth with memories of the spirit realm, they have auras, and so on. [See "Holistic Education".] Waldorf schools are religious institutions infused with occult doctrines, the doctrines of Anthroposophy. [See "Is Anthroposophy a Religion?"] Most reporters don't have time to dig into these matters, so they often simply transcribe what Waldorf representatives say. But if you are interested in Waldorf schools, you should understand what these schools really are. If you like what they really are, fine; but if you don't, then you may want to spread the word a bit. Waldorf schools bravely want to drag us back into the ignorance and delusion that was common in medieval times but that are wholly out of place in the 21st century.

[Much of the above is excerpted from "Here's the Answer". For more — e.g., a brief summary of Anthroposophical religious beliefs — you may want to visit that page: "Here's the Answer".]

◊

\1\ Rudolf Steiner, FACULTY MEETINGS WITH RUDOLF STEINER (Anthroposophic Press, 1998), p. 495. 

\2\ Ibid., p. 118. 

\3\ Rudolf Steiner, RUDOLF STEINER IN THE WALDORF SCHOOL (Anthroposophic Press, 1996), p.156. 

\4\ Rudolf Steiner, EDUCATION FOR ADOLESCENTS (Anthroposophic Press, 1996), p. 60. 

\5\ Rudolf Steiner, THE ESSENTIALS OF EDUCATION (Anthroposophic Press, 1997), p. 23. 

\6\ Rudolf Steiner, THE FOUNDATIONS OF HUMAN EXPERIENCE (Anthroposophic Press, 1996), p. 33. 

\7\ FACULTY MEETINGS WITH RUDOLF STEINER, p. 55. 

\8\ Ibid., p. 705. 

\9\ Ibid., p. 706. Elaborating on this point, Steiner said  “[T]his is how our free, nondenominational, religion lessons came about. These were given by our own teachers, just as the other religious lessons were given by ministers. The teachers were recognized by us as religious teachers in the Waldorf curriculum. Thus, anthroposophic religious lessons were introduced in our school. “ [Rudolf Steiner, SOUL ECONOMY AND WALDORF EDUCATION (SteinerBooks, 2003), p. 125] 

\10\ Rudolf Steiner, THE CHILD's CHANGING CONSCIOUSNESS AS THE BASIS OF PEDAGOGICAL PRACTICE (Anthroposophic Press, 1996), p. 94. 

\11\ FACULTY MEETINGS WITH RUDOLF STEINER, p. 655.

\12\ Rudolf Steiner, RUDOLF STEINER IN THE WALDORF SCHOOL (Anthroposophic Press, 1996), p. 29.

\13\ Rudolf Steiner, EDUCATION FOR ADOLESCENTS (Anthroposophic Press, 1996), pp. 77.

From The New York Times:

"The courts have...delivered stinging rebukes to some states [i.e., state governments], finding that they sometimes broke the law in their efforts to cut spending ... Cases pending in [various] states could affect education spending in particular, an area where courts have been ordering states to spend more money, or to distribute it more fairly, for years. Education advocates in several states say recent budget cuts have effectively undone the gains they had made in the courts."  

[6-6-2011 http://www.nytimes.com/2011/06/07/us/07budgets.html]

Response:

There has been an increasing tendency, in the United States and elsewhere, to reduce spending on traditional public schools (i.e., schools open to all children in a given region) and to divert the funds to charter or "free" schools (in effect, private schools that receive government funding). The trend has accelerated during the current recession, when taxpayers and government agencies face difficulty balancing their budgets. Overall support for education is down, and the scarce resources that remain are more and more being shifted away from traditional public schools.

This is both shortsighted and unnecessary. Despite the recession, the United States — like most European nations and many other countries around the world — is rich. We can afford the things that we really want (which recently has included such things as three wars being fought simultaneously).* If Americans made up their minds to support public education, the country could easily afford both to maintain and to improve public schools.

As reported recently, up to 37% of charter schools are inferior to public schools, and another 46% are no better than public schools. “A 2010 study of 2,330 middle school students at charter schools in 15 states found that they performed no better [than students in regular public schools] in math and science. And a Stanford University study in 2009 concluded: ‘Nearly half of the charter schools nationwide have results that are no different from the local public school options and over a third, 37 percent, deliver learning results that are significantly worse than their students would have realized had they remained in traditional public schools.’” — Paul Farhi, “Five myths about America’s schools”, THE WASHINGTON POST, May 20, 2011. A report on NBC Nightly News said that only 17% of charter schools achieve better educational results than average public schools.

Diverting money to the worst charter schools is clearly a waste of money, while no benefit is gained from supporting charter schools that are merely on a par with traditional public schools. And the misuse of our financial resources is all the worse when the charter schools in question are rooted in religious occultism, as Waldorf schools are. Providing government funding to such schools is clearly a terrible idea — and, in the United States, it violates the Constitutionally mandated separation of church and state.

Voters are not always wise. Consider the caliber of some of the declared and undeclared candidates who seem to have a shot at winning the US Presidency. But voters should certainly wise up to the great harm — real, immediate, and lasting harm — than can be inflicted on children (the voters' own children and grandchildren) by shortchanging public education.

◊

* Here are some numbers, probably on the low side. • Dropping a single 250-pound smart bomb costs about $30,000. An attack in which thirty such bombs are used costs nearly one million dollars. This is money thrown away, never to be recouped. The bombs burst, and they're gone. • A single cruise missile costs about $600,000. The US and its allies opened the recent attack on Libya by launching approximately 110 cruise missiles. The cost: roughly 66 million dollars (not counting the cost of operating the ships and submarines that fired the missiles). This was money thrown away, never to be recouped. The missiles hit, burst, and they're gone. • The cost of one F-22 fighter plane is $361,000,000. The planes are so expensive that the US Air Force tries not to use them — they are literally too valuable to be used for their intended purpose: fighting. • The Iraq War has cost the USA something like three trillion dollars so far, while the tab for the Afghanistan war (where we really pulled in our belt and economized) has been somewhere between one and two trillion dollars, to date.

We can afford the things that we really want. We just have to decide what those things are. A child who receives a good education will, if she is spared, repay the cost of that education many times over during the course of a long, productive life.

P.S. I am not arguing that the wars we are fighting are wrong. Maybe they are, maybe they aren't. But I am pointing out that these wars are vastly more expensive than giving our children the education they need and deserve. (Fifth-grade textbooks listed at Amazon average about $20 apiece. For the cost of dropping one 250-pound smart bomb, we could supply about 1,500 kids with one such book each. A box of twelve chalks costs about $4.50. For the cost of dropping one 250-pound smart bomb, we could supply about 6,666 teachers with one such box of chalk each. (For the cost of one F-22, we could buy 80,222,222 boxes of chalk or 1,805,000 textbooks. But, hey... (A nuclear-powered aircraft carrier costs umpteen billion dollars. The US has a slew of these dandy gadgets, and we're building more. I wonder if we could get by with a slightly smaller slew? Do you know how many new public schools we could build for umpteen billion dollars? In round numbers: quite a few.)))

[Charlottesville Waldorf School, 

http://www.cwaldorf.org/]

◊

"A group of students at the Charlottesville Waldorf School will spend their last week of classes at home after a measles scare last month.

"Officials at the school declined on Monday to say how many of their 174 students will remain home this week because they were not vaccinated when exposed to measles on May 20." 

[6-6-2011  http://www2.dailyprogress.com/news/2011/jun/06/measles-exposure-keep-some-returning-school-ar-1089851/]

“What is the spiritual significance of an American turning  point — [the Civil War battle of] Gettysburg?  Can America’s blood sacrifice, the struggle of brother against brother, find redemption through the sister/brotherhood of group and branch life?  How does America’s Golgotha [1] — Gettysburg — shed light on Templar Sacrifice?

“...Members and friends of Albert Steffen Group (Pittsburgh), Raphael Branch (Baltimore), Sangre de Cristo Group (Santa Fe, New Mexico) and Susquehanna Corps de Michael (Hershey) will consider these and additional themes during an upcoming conference, “Knights Templars and Gettysburg — America’s Golgotha.”

“...To help prepare in mood for the June conference, The Corps de Michael Initiative Group offers the following seminal thoughts of Rudolf Steiner on blood, sacrifice, and social harmony:

“...’Beauty and truth possess a man only when they possess his blood.’ [2]

"'There is only one way.  We must feel that Anthroposophy is for us a Cross and Sacrifice, that in a sense it takes away from us practically all the living substance of world-secrets in the possession of mankind hitherto.  And no degree of intensity is too great for words in which I want to bring home to you that for everything that truly lives, in the course of the evolution of humanity and of the Divine World too, Anthroposophy must, to begin with, be a field of corpses.’” [3]

[6-7-2011  http://www.corpsdemichael.org/festivals/Blood_Sacrifice_and_Social_Harmony_c.pdf]

It is instructive to glance, from time to time, at statements and propositions such as these that swirl in and around Anthroposophy. Many Waldorf teachers are devoted to such discourse.

[1] Golgotha is Calvary, the site of Christ's Crucifixion.

[2] Rudolf Steiner, THE OCCULT SIGNIFICANCE OF BLOOD (Health Research, 1972), p. 44.

[3] Rudolf Steiner, ARCHITECTURE AS A SYNTHESIS OF THE ARTS (Rudolf Steiner Press, 1999), p. 20.

[Wikimedia/CDC/NIP/Barbara Rice]

◊

"Did they fear an autism link or were they adhering to the Waldorf school founder's opposition to vaccines? Whatever their reason, the parents of the measles-infected Charlottesville Waldorf School [Virginia, USA]...chose not to vaccinate, and they've now experienced the repercussion of leaving their child susceptible to an illness that was virtually erased 40 years ago. It's been gone from this country so long, says one health official, that many people don't remember measles as a potentially fatal illness.

"...[Waldorf founder Rudolf] Steiner also developed Anthroposophical medicine, in which adherents are encouraged to abstain from many medications including vaccines.

"That may be why Waldorf communities seem particularly vulnerable to preventable disease outbreaks, as occurred when a measles outbreak at a German Waldorf school sickened 71.

"Steiner's anti-vaccine philosophy, however, does not drive the Charlottesville Waldorf School's health care policies, says school coordinator Amanda Tipton...."  

[6-6-2011  http://www.readthehook.com/91207/measley-outbreak-four-sickened-virus]

"Anthroposophs [sic] have long rejected the accusations of racist origins in Anthroposophy — there simply are no racist skeletons in the closet. This article will investigate just what the inventor of Anthroposophy, Rudolf Steiner actually said about human races.

"If you are a serious student of Steiner’s writings, it quickly becomes obvious that the question of human races was not immaterial. Steiner returned again and again, and often quite detailed [sic], to the origins and characteristics of human races."  

[6-4-2011  http://www.scribd.com/doc/57064172/The-Racial-Teachings-of-Rudolf-Steiner]

“Waldorf education is only as good as the folks that own and run the school. Many folks put out a Waldorf sign, but if the teachers and administrators are not good, then the educational environment will be the same. It's the same as any school, public, private, charter, Waldorf, homeschool. In any school, there is no substitute for parental involvement in what goes on — both at school and at home.”  

[6-4-2011 http://www.huffingtonpost.com/social/mainemomma/charter-school-challenges_n_871163_91083836.html]

“UPDATE: Measles Case Closes Charlottesville School -  Measles Case Closes Waldorf School   The Waldorf School [Charlottesville, Virginia] notified all parents of non-vaccinated children who were in attendance on Friday, May 20, that these students are required to stay off school grounds through the last day of the school year, June 10. Officials also canceled classes on Friday, May 27 ... The last case of measles in the Thomas Jefferson Health District was in 1990 ... [Comment by reader]: ‘80 kids not without vaccine [sic: unvaccinated] at one very small school will result in more cases in our community maybe even some deaths. The school should be ashamed of the resulting community stress. I understood the school to be community minded but this is not responsible. Their administrators need replacement.’”  

[5-31-2011  http://www.newsplex.com/home/headlines/Confirmed_Cases_of_Measles_in_Charlottesville_122652194.html]

This item follows up on two previous items here. See the headlines "Area's first measles case in over 20 years" and "More area measles cases likely", below.

Q. “I have been quite active in our local Waldorf school, volunteering in the classroom, etc., and many of the teachers and parents I have worked with are encouraging me to pursue teacher training ... I started looking into training/foundation study programs, but kept getting confused by this ‘anthroposophy’ thing ... Can I make it through teacher training not agreeing with anthroposophy?”

A #1. “You will have a tough time. They will be welcoming of you, but anthroposophy will probably drive you more nuts the further you study it. I suggest you find out if you can enroll in the first couple months on a trial basis and then be really honest with yourself about whether it is a healthy environment for you. In the end you can become a handwork teacher and work with awesome kids, but in the end Waldorf teachers teach out of Anthroposophy and Waldorf teacher training is initiation into Anthroposophy. It would be very hard for a rationalist to be happy in that collegial environment.”

A #2. “I think lots of anthroposophical approach and philosophy is interesting. And I do have some vague spiritual beliefs that jive with it. But I don't think I would ever believe it as solidly true ... Though the first year of teacher training is a lot of studying steiner's works, I would be quite surprised if there were some kind of test you take where they make sure you believe it all....”

A #1 (cont.). “It's more than annoying for a rationalist. A rationalist looks to the sensory world, evidence, the knowable for answers. Without that we can't be grounded. Steiner taught that one can experience the spirit world directly. All his teachings stem from this first principal. If you don't believe this first principal, the rest is impossible to embrace ... Anthroposophy will never go away as the core of a Waldorf teacher's work and the core of how a faculty works together. It is fundamental to all stages of W teacher training. This surprises many people who expect it to be much more practical than it is.”  

[5-25-2011ff  http://www.mothering.com/community/forum/thread/1314788/agnostic-waldorf-teachers]

Rudolf Steiner said that Waldorf teachers must be true Anthroposophists. This goal is not always attained, but it is the goal. The purpose of Waldorf teacher training is, in large part, to immerse future Waldorf teachers in Anthroposophy. [See “Teacher Training”.]

Eurythmy is a form of temple dancing created by Rudolf Steiner. 

[See "Eurythmy".] 

Typically, Steiner or Waldorf schools require 

all students to do eurythmy. 

According to the Michael House Steiner Waldorf School, 

“Eurythmy is a movement art ... [In eurythmy] the spiritual nature 

behind each living thing begins to have a clear voice — a visible reality. 

The living mysteries that form our body, our soul, the stars and the seas 

speak their names in the gestures of language and life. 

Eurythmy brings these gestures into a rich, expressive art form.” 

[http://www.michaelhouseschool.com/eurythmy.htm] 

◊

“PARENTS of puils [sic: pupils] at Shipley’s Michael House Steiner Waldorf School [UK] are being encouraged to back the school’s campaign to become a free school.

“Trustees for the school are currently in the process of applying to the Secretary of State for education for state funding.

“...Trustees and some teachers are currently putting the finishing touches to the school’s bid to become state-funded which will be submitted ‘imminently.’

“The bid has to prove that there is local support and demand for the school to become free and open to all children.

“Mr Pedley [manager at the school] added: ‘If we are successful what we will be able to provide is an alternative education to local children.

“’It’s not that we offer a better or worse way of learning than other schools in the area, it’s just different.’”  

[6-2-2011  http://www.ilkestonadvertiser.co.uk/news/school_bid_to_go_free_1_3420777]

Response:

Steiner education is certainly an alternative to conventional education — it is very different. Unlike ordinary schools, Steiner schools draw much of their inspiration from occult religious beliefs. Extending such education to children from poor families may simply add to the burdens these children bear while denying them the benefits of a sound education.

Steiner schools seeking government approval will in all likelihood disguise their occult philosophy as much as possible during the application process; they will almost certainly not move away from this philosophy, however, in their ultimate operations. It is absolutely essential to them — it is their reason for being. 

The consequences of attending Steiner or Waldorf schools can be deeply damaging. A teacher who worked at a Waldorf school in a poor community has written, 

“I worked at this school for seven years ... I quit in frustration over the academic dearth of Waldorf education and grief at watching our nation's most needy students being subjected to occultist religious indoctrination in the place of a sound academic program.” [See “Ex-Teacher 6”.]

The name of Michael House Steiner Waldorf School is worth contemplating; it reflects the underlying religious nature of Steiner education. The archangel Michael is an extremely important figure in Anthroposophical religious belief. According to Rudolf Steiner, Michael — the archangel of the Sun — is a warrior, the champion and countenance of Christ, who is the Sun God. Michael assists the Sun God in standing between, and balancing out, the two arch-demons, Lucifer and Ahriman. [See "Michael", "Sun God", "Lucifer", and "Ahriman".] 

Because the figure of Michael has secular significance in the United Kingdom (recipients of The Most Distinguished Order of Saint Michael and Saint George are knighted) the occult meaning of Michael for Anthroposophists may not immediately seem obvious, but there can be no doubt about Steiner's teachings concerning Michael. See, for instance, Steiner's lecture "Michael and the Dragon" (THE FESTIVALS AND THEIR MEANING, GA 36): 

"When man turns to Michael with that part of his life which has its origin in the higher spirituality, then there arises in the soul of man the inward fight of Michael and the Dragon." 

Further, according to Steiner, Michael is the god who presides over the current stage of human evolution. (Anthroposophy is polytheistic, and archangels are counted as gods. [See "Polytheism".]) Michael took charge of Earthly affairs toward the end of the nineteenth century. 

“The Age of Michael began in 1879. After that comes the Age of Oriphiel, when great conflicts will rage among human beings.” — Rudolf Steiner, THE ARCHANGEL MICHAEL: His Mission and Ours (SteinerBooks, 1994), p. 31.

[SteinerBooks, 1994.]

From the publisher: 

"1879 marked the return of the solar spirit Michael 

— the archangel of the Sun — 

to oversee earthly evolution. 

Steiner always placed his life and work 

in the service of Michael's evolutionary task. 

And he recognized that, at the beginning of the twentieth century, 

humanity emerged from the Kali Yuga — the Dark Age — 

and entered the Age of Light."

“Theosophy and Anthroposophy - General Information, Astrology — H.P. Blavatsky in her Theosophical writings presented an extremely complex cosmology ... [Her] ideas were adapted by later esotericists like Rudolph Steiner (Anthroposophy) ... Max Heindel presents in his magnum opus THE ROSICRUCIAN COSMO-CONCEPTION [the] evolutionary process of man and the universe, correlating science with religion. This complex work of esoteric knowledge contains the fundamentals of the Rosicrucian Philosophy and it deals also with, among other themes, metaphysics and cosmology.”  

[6-2-2011 http://www.techastronomy.com/view/6785/Theosophy__Anthroposophy]

For information about the Waldorf view of astrology, see "Astrology" and "Waldorf Astrology". (Steiner advocated the use of horoscopes for some purposes. [See "Horoscopes".] Waldorf teachers may use horoscopes in analyzing their students.) For an overview of Theosophy — Steiner's starting point when creating Anthroposophy — see "Basics". For information about Rosicrucianism — which Steiner said is the correct spiritual path for modern humans — see "Rosy Cross". (Note that Steiner's version of Rosicrucianism was uniquely his own, as was his version of Theosophy. What he really meant in praising Rosicrucianism and Theosophy was to advocate his own occult doctrines, which quite early he began calling Anthroposophy.) For a shorthand description of the Steiner/Waldorf cosmology, see "The Creed" in "Here's the Answer".

“Representatives from Montessori and Steiner awarding bodies and trainers are due to meet for a second time later this month with CWDC [Children’s Workforce Development Council] and Department for Education officials [UK], in an attempt to resolve the dispute about the validity of their qualifications....

“Both Montessori and Steiner awarding bodies are seeking continued recognition for their level 4 qualifications and exemption from the CWDC level 3 Diploma for the Children and Young People's Workforce.

“...Janni Nichol, early childhood representative for the Steiner Waldorf Schools Fellowship, confirmed that Steiner qualifications had also had their deadline extended.

“She said, 'We are waiting for the meeting to see if we might even be exempt from requirements to fit within CWDC requirements and have our training accepted as quality training for early years practitioners who wish to follow our specific philosophy and ethos.'”  

[6-1-2011  http://www.nurseryworld.co.uk/news/1072652/Deadline-Montessori-Steiner-Level-4-training-extended/]

Response:

Steiner or Waldorf schools frequently seek exemptions from ordinary educational standards and assessments. Their “specific philosophy and ethos” are quite different from ordinary schools’ and may indeed not include much that would ordinarily be considered essential to a real education. [See, e.g., “Academic Standards at Waldorf”, “Soul School”, and “Spiritual Agenda”.]

Steiner schools and Montessori schools are sometimes mistaken for one another, and they do bear some superficial similarities. Both offer alternatives to conventional educational approaches, but the Steiner approach is rooted in occultism while the Montessori system is not. [See, e.g., “Ex-Teacher 5”.]

◊

[Rudolf Steiner College Press, 1995.]

[Rudolf Steiner Press, 1996.]

Books such as these help reveal what is often denied, that the roots of Steiner or Waldorf schools extend down into occultism. There really should not be much doubt, however. Rudolf Steiner (for whom Steiner schools are named) often explicitly placed himself and his followers in the sphere of occultism. For example, 

• "In occultism therefore, we speak of the Mars half of Earth evolution and of the Mercury half."  — Rudolf Steiner, THEOSOPHY OF THE ROSICRUCIAN (Rudolf Steiner Press, 1966), p. 80.

• "When speaking of bodies in occultism, we speak of solid, liquid and gaseous bodies." — Rudolf Steiner, “The Earth's Passage Through Its Former Planetary Conditions” (ANTHROPOSOPHIC NEWS SHEET 33-34, Aug. 23, 1942), GA 100.

 • “[I]n occultism we call the Moon the ‘Cosmos of Wisdom’ and the Earth the ‘Cosmos of Love.’" — Rudolf Steiner, THE INFLUENCE OF SPIRITUAL BEINGS ON MAN (Anthroposophic Press, 1961), lecture 6, GA 102.

The implications for Steiner or Waldorf schools are profound. Here's one more Steiner quotation: 

• “That we stand within such a stream as our spiritual scientific movement must be seen as grace bestowed by spiritual powers [i.e., the gods]: for this movement is a necessity of the future, and it has been granted to us to be the first to stand within this current that must flow into humanity’s future evolution if it is not to grow arid and wither away.  As an occultist one can see that such fertilization is absolutely necessary. Let us look on it as a grace and blessing that we may feel duty bound to offer a helping hand in this fertilizing process." — Rudolf Steiner, ESOTERIC CHRISTIANITY (Rudolf Steiner Press, 2000), p. 275.

Note that by "spiritual science," Steiner meant his own form of Theosophy, that is, Anthroposophy. He tells us how "an occultist" looks upon what the gods have done and what human beings must do. Moreover, in discussing these things, Steiner indicates the motivation behind Waldorf schools and other Anthroposophical enterprises. Steiner told his followers that they are "the first" to possess the new spiritual wisdom that humanity must acquire in order to evolve properly. The "spiritual powers," the gods, gave Anthroposophists a holy mission "as a grace and a blessing" — Anthroposophists are "duty bound" to make sure that "humanity’s future evolution" goes as it should. If Anthroposophists do not discharge this mission, humanity will "grow arid and wither away," a truly terrible prospect. This is the ultimate reason that Waldorf schools are relatively uninterested in giving students a regular education. Anthroposophists think they are doing something far, far more important. [See "Occultism".]

“We passionately believe that Steiner education should be available to all families in the Whanganui region [New Zealand] and to that end we have started an initiative to develop a Steiner School in Whanganui and support parent study groups relating to Rudolph [sic] Steiner Philosophies, Anthroposophical Studies and Holistic Health Care and Biodynamics." 

[6-1-2011 http://www.community.net.nz/communitycentre/events/wellington/steinermeeting.htm?region=default]

Response:

Passionate supporters of Waldorf education are often practicing Anthroposophists — the kind of people who would want to create study groups for "Rudolph Steiner Philosophies, Anthroposophical Studies and Holistic Health Care and Biodynamics." Their primary interest is in spreading their religion, Anthroposophy, and they will use Waldorf or Steiner schools for this purpose.

They generally deny these intentions, claiming that Anthroposophy is a science, not a religion, and claiming that they will not press Anthroposophical doctrines on their students. But indeed Anthroposophy is a religion, and Waldorf schools work to spread this religion. One of the plainest indications is that in most Waldorf schools, all the students start every school day by reciting, in unison, prayers written by Rudolf Steiner. Children in the lower grades usually recite a prayer that includes the words

"I reverence, O God, 

The strength of humankind 

That thou so graciously 

Hast planted in my soul." 

Children in the upper grades usually recite a prayer that includes the words 

"God’s spirit, ‘tis to Thee 

I turn myself in prayer." 

Advocates of Waldorf education generally refer to these prayers as "morning verses," not prayers, and sometimes they alter the wording slightly, but such actions are examples of the deceptions practiced by Rudolf Steiner's followers. [See "Prayers" and "Secrets".]

Waldorf teachers who have studied Rudolf Steiner's works consider themselves to be on a messianic mission. Steiner laid out this mission quite explicitly. Addressing teachers at the first Waldorf school, he said 

“Among the faculty, we must certainly carry within us the knowledge that we are not here for our own sakes, but to carry out the divine cosmic plan. We should always remember that when we do something, we are actually carrying out the intentions of the gods, that we are, in a certain sense, the means by which that streaming down from above will go out into the world.” 

Therefore, accepting Steiner's guidance, Waldorf teachers generally think of themselves as priests. Steiner put it this way: 

"The position of teacher becomes a kind of priestly office, a ritual performed at the altar of universal human life." 

[See "Here's the Answer" and "The Waldorf Curriculum".]

Passionate followers of Rudolf Steiner have every right to establish and operate schools. But they should be honest with themselves and with everyone else about what they are doing and why.