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WALDORF / STEINER 

NEWS ARCHIVE

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November, 2020

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This site supplements Waldorf Watch.

To go to Waldorf Watch itself, please click here:

Waldorf Watch.

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The news items below are presented in reverse chronological order — newest first, oldest last.

Please excuse a certain amount of repetition in the contents of this archive. Items that now appear close together on the screen may have originally been separated by intervals of several days.

Many of the items in this archive generalize about Waldorf schools, describing them as Rudolf Steiner and leading Waldorf representatives have said they should be and as evidence shows they often are today. Not all Waldorf schools, Waldorf charter schools, and Waldorf-inspired schools conform to this model precisely. To evaluate an individual school, you should carefully examine its stated purposes, its practices (which may or may not be consistent with its stated purposes), and the composition of its faculty.

— Roger Rawlings

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 .November 28, 2020

FREEDOM FROM MASKS,

EXPOSURE  TO  ILLNESS

The Waldorf movement has been been going through a difficult period, suffering from the exposure of many internal problems.

Waldorf schools in the United kingdom have been reeling as deep problems at these schools have come to public notice [1]. Something similar has developed in France, thanks largely to the work of a Waldorf whistleblower there [2]. And now, as their inadequate response to the coronavirus is exposed, at least a few Waldorf schools in other lands are receiving similarly severe criticism.

As reported here recently, a Waldorf school in Spain has been shuttered — and its case has been referred to local prosecutors — after lax response to the pandemic allowed contagion to sweep through the school [3]. Now a related situation has arisen in a German Waldorf school: Some teachers there refuse to wear masks, and a student has called the cops.

Here is a message posted recently at an American Waldorf-critical discussion site. The author is a mother who, in the past, sent her children to a Waldorf school — before eventually removing them and becoming a prominent Waldorf critic [4]:

According to Der Spiegel [5], a student called the police about teachers who were refusing to wear masks at his Waldorf school in Germany. Subsequently, an open letter from the student council revealed they had previously asked other teachers to deal with the problem without result. Their letter also claimed the student who made the call had been threatened with expulsion from school for "treason and breach of trust."

Based on what I know about what happens when someone exposes wrongdoing by Waldorf teachers, I think it’s likely the student who called the police will sooner or later end up leaving the school, whether by expulsion, allegedly for indirect reasons, or by his and/or his parents’ choice based on the school staff’s behavior during the aftermath. Some members of the student council might also find themselves in the same position.

Apparently, some teachers wore crochet masks [6]. As some or all of you reading this might know, crochet masks are sometimes worn by anti-maskers in the US as a way of thumbing their noses at mask regulations. Some people, however, wear crocheted masks with filters inserted into pockets inside the masks, not realizing COVID-19 can pass right through the area surrounding the limited area covered by the filter. Actress Alyssa Milano learned the hard way. When people mocked her for wearing a crochet mask early on during the pandemic, she assured them it was safe because of the filter inside. I don’t know if she is fully recovered yet, but as of mid-October she was still suffering from multiple symptoms after contracting COVID-19 in March [7].

I’m glad to know there are students at the Markgräflerland Waldorf School in Müllheim who have become aware that they are more rational than those Waldorf teachers who were complicit in the flouting of mask and distancing mandates. I hope that awareness leads them to a better educational environment.

Thanks to Oliver Rautenberg [8] for posting the link to the Der Spiegel article on Facebook....

[11/28/2020    https://groups.io/g/waldorf-critics/message/32245    Margaret Sachs posted this message on November 26.]

Here are some excerpts from the article in Der Spiegel:

Corona deniers among the teaching staff

How students must fend for themselves

"Education for freedom — show your face": 

Mask opponents at the Waldorf School in Müllheim 

proclaim their main educational precept 

Photo: From a group chat

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If teachers refuse to wear masks, students are often helpless. There is a lack of support among the teaching staff, and the school inspectorate is often not informed. Some students turn to the media instead — or even the police.

By Swantje Unterberg

The situation at Markgräflerland Waldorf School in Mullheim [9]...escalated on the morning of October 14: A student called the police "to clarify things," as the student council later stated in an open letter to the school community. The facts of the matter: For months, a small part of the teaching staff has refused to wear a mask — apparently not for health reasons, but due to their faith [10], writes the student council.

Despite discussions, nothing changed, "and so a feeling of discontent spread among us." Finally, a twelfth grader announced that he would notify the local authorities...

The basic problem has gone unresolved. An insider says some teachers wear crochet masks, with about a quarter of the staff evading the mask requirement. The school board explains that nine out of 72 staff members are exempt from the mask requirement because they have filed medical certificates [11]...

The case is not yet being reviewed by the state school inspectorate...

Even if the allegations...cannot be conclusively adjudicated for the time being, the call for the police and the open letter show that pupils are largely on their own when they stand up for the mask requirement and thus for their right to education.

The student council writes: "Of course we also turned to other teachers in the hope they would raise the topic in the teachers' conference [12] so that a solution could be found. However, nothing changed in the behavior of the teachers in question".

The student who called the police was...put under pressure by the school's manager and two members of the board of directors. According to the open letter, he was threatened with expulsion from school for "betrayal and breach of trust" [13].

The pressure thus came from people who are partly responsible for clearing up the accusations...

[Henning] Kullak-Ublick [a spokesman] of the Association of Free Waldorf Schools [14] says that there are conflicts at many Waldorf Schools because of state-mandated use of masks. "The general socially charged atmosphere of the corona crisis does not exempt Waldorf schools. On its website, the Association takes a clear stand against corona deniers and conspiracy ideologues and makes it clear that schools...have to 'follow health protection measures'" [15]... 

However, Kullak-Ublick believes that it is justified to question the validity of measures such as the use of masks ... In Waldorf schools, the importance placed on freedom may increase the potential for conflict in the case of such restrictions [16]...

In Müllheim, this became apparent in front of the school building just one day after the student called the police. Mask opponents using chalk wrote "Education for freedom — show your face" at the entryway ... On November 9, a sign hung in a tree at the school proclaimed the area "Mask-free" [17]....

[11/28/2020   https://www.spiegel.de/panorama/bildung/corona-leugner-in-der-lehrerschaft-wie-schueler-alleingelassen-werden-a-42461b2a-cfed-4baf-ab45-f4d0e680363f      This article originally appeared on November 24. Translation by Roger Rawlings, using Google Translate and DeepL Translator.]

Waldorf Watch Footnotes

[1] See "The Steiner School Crisis".

[2] This is Grégoire Perra, who was educated in Waldorf schools and later became a Waldorf teacher. [See, e.g., "He Went to Waldorf".]

[3] See "A Waldorf School Ignores Covid-19; Now Infection Has Raged Through It", November 25, 2020 — scroll down to this entry.

[4] Margaret Sachs has recounted her family's involvement with Waldorf education in her essay "Our Experience".

[5] Der Spiegel is the largest newsmagazine in Europe, with well over a million readers. The company also has a website of the same name. [See https://www.spiegel.de.]

[6] Crochet masks have large openings between the stitches — such masks offer almost no protection against microbes. (Crochet, knitting, and other handcrafts are deemed almost sacred within the Waldorf movement. See, e.g., "crafts" in The Brief Waldorf / Steiner Encyclopedia (BWSE) — scroll down.)

[7] See, e.g., "Alyssa Milano's Long Haul COVID-19 Battle", https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=PAxufz3476o.

[8] Rautenberg hosts the website Anthroposophie.blog [https://anthroposophie.blog].

[9] This is the Freie Waldorfschule Markgräflerland {The Free Waldorf School of Markgräflerland}. [See http://www.waldorf-muellheim.de.] Markgräflerland is a region in southwestern Germany. Mullheim is a town in the region.

[10] I.e., Anthroposophical belief — acceptance of Rudolf Steiner's occult preachments. [See "Anthroposophy" in the BWSE.] Steiner warned his followers against dangers in modern science and medicine. He advocated preventive measures and therapies that have little or no basis in actual medical knowledge. [See "Steiner's Quackery".] He taught that Anthroposophy and Waldorf education are, in and of themselves, therapeutic.

[11] Such certificates, provided by doctors, attest that wearing a mask would worsen a patient's underlying medical condition such as asthma. (Critics allege that some Anthroposophical doctors issue such certificates without valid medical reasons.)

[12] Waldorf faculties usually hold weekly conferences to set the course for the school in subsequent weeks. [For a record of such meetings at the first Waldorf school, under direct supervision by Rudolf Steiner, see FACULTY MEETINGS WITH RUDOLF STEINER (Anthroposophic Press, 1998). For an overview, see "Faculty Meetings".]

[13] Rudolf Steiner stressed the need for confidentiality — indeed, secrecy — in the operation of Waldorf schools. Divulging internal school matters to outsiders should be strictly avoided, he said. [See "Secrets".]

[14] The Bund für Frei Waldorfschülen is the umbrella organization for Waldorf schools in Germany. [See https://www.waldorfschule.de.]

[15] Waldorf schools and organizations have been accused to making public pronouncements that disguise their actual beliefs and practices. The accusation has been made, for instance, concerning the Waldorf attitude toward vaccination. [See "vaccination" the the BWSE.]

[16] The freedom asserted by Rudolf Steiner's followers is generally the right to reject conventional or mainstream views and to affirm Anthroposophy instead. However, within Anthroposophy, the right to diverge from Anthroposophical orthodoxy is limited. [See "Freedom".] Within Waldorf schools, the chief form of freedom asserted is the right of teachers to do as they please within their classrooms. [See, e.g., "Methods".] Waldorf schools deem themselves "free" if they are able to function with little or no outside interference.

[17] If the mask opponents who wrote the messages on the ground and on the sign are students at the school, as seems likely, then it would seem that teachers at the school have succeeded in passing their values to at least some their students. This may or may not be commendable. One basic criticism of Waldorf schools is that they subtly indoctrinate children in Anthroposophy. [See "Indoctrination" and "Sneaking It In".] Not all students are equally susceptible to such indoctrination, of course. [See "Who Gets Hurt?"] Kids who call the cops on their teachers presumably have resisted the teachers' efforts to a marked degree.

There's another point that needs to be considered. The chalked message ("Education for freedom — show your face") suggests that there is something courageous or even honorable about refusing to wear a mask. But in fact failing to wear a protective mask in a pandemic is the height of irresponsibility. It is antisocial conduct at its worst. Wearing a mask may protect you to some extent, but mainly it protects others — it limits the chance that you will discharge the disease into the air. Refusing to wear a mask means that you have no respect for the safety of others — you are perfectly willing to spread the disease to anyone you meet. Remember, infected people may be asymptomatic — they may not realize they are ill — but they carry the infection and thus they may pass it to others. Teachers who refuse to wear masks are risking the health, and possibly even the lives, of their students. This is the opposite of courage and honor.

Students who call the cops on such teachers show good judgment.

— R.R.

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 .November 25, 2020

A WALDORF SCHOOL IGNORES COVID-19;

NOW INFECTION HAS RAGED THROUGH IT

Back in September, a Waldorf school in Spain made news by ignoring official requirements for fighting Covid-19. All students and teachers should have maintained social distancing and worn protective masks. They didn't. The results are about what we would have expected.

Here are excerpts from Oliver Rautenberg's coverage at his Anthroposophie.blog:

Spanish Waldorf School Ignores 

State Protective Measures Against Corona

A Waldorf school in the Spanish Basque Country ignores state-prescribed distance and mask requirements for teachers and students. Now that the Ministry of Education demands compliance, some parents no longer want to send their children to the school.

The Spanish digital newspaper NIUS reported on September 18 that the Basque Waldorf school Geroa EsKola...decided without authorization not to comply with the corona protective measures prescribed by the government...

The Spanish newspaper El Correo confirms that neither students nor teachers submitted to the state corona requirements: "They did not keep a safe distance, and neither the teachers nor the children wore the mandatory masks"...

Not all parents are in favor of the new anti-corona measures. Some no longer want to send their children to the school, as one parent — who pointedly did not wear mouth and nose protection — explained to the press...

[11/25/2020    https://anthroposophie.blog/2020/09/21/spanische-waldorfschule-ignoriert-corona-schutzmasnahmen/    Rautenberg posted his message on September 21. Translation from German by Roger Rawlings, leaning heavily on Google Translate.]

Now the same Waldorf school is back in the news. Between a quarter and a third of the students at the school have reportedly contracted Covid-19. Consequently, most of the student body is now in quarantine and classes have been suspended. Spanish officials say the level of transmission at the school has been large, with students in almost every class having been seriously exposed to the disease.

Here are excerpts from a report in elDiario.es:

The Basque Country directs the Public Prosecutor's Office 

to a closed-down denialist school after detecting more than 

30 cases of COVID among its 120 students

The Waldorf Geroa school in Trocóniz, on the outskirts of Vitoria, refused to make masks compulsory at the beginning of the school year and had received two warnings before closing

[By] Iker Rioja Andueza

The school Geroa Eskola, in Álava 

[Photo: geroaeskola.com]

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...[T]he Department of Education has denounced to the Public Prosecutor's Office the situation at the Waldorf school Geroa EsKola... This denialist school, with about 120 students — including infant, primary, and secondary grades — was warned at the beginning of the academic year for not making the use of masks compulsory in its classrooms. The school has now been closed after the appearance of "more than 30" positive cases of coronavirus...

The disregard for prevention has resulted in a high number of infections, 36 out of 120 students, according to some sources. In any case, there are "more than 30" cases, according to the Department of Education. It is not known if any of the infected students have spread the contagion further by infecting high-risk individuals [such as the elderly] outside the school... 

[11/25/2020   https://www.eldiario.es/euskadi/educacion-lleva-fiscalia-colegio-negacionista-waldorf-afueras-vitoria-clausurado-detectar-30-positivos-120-alumnos_1_6455828.html   This article originally appeared on November 24.   Translation by Roger Rawlings, leaning heavily on DeepL Translator.]

Waldorf Watch Response

Today Europa Press has circulated a brief report on the situation: "An outbreak in the Geroa Waldorf Center (Alava) Forces Almost All the Students into Quarantine". [See https://www.europapress.es/euskadi/noticia-brote-centro-geroa-waldorf-alava-obliga-aislar-practicamente-totalidad-alumnos-20201123170901.html.]

Events at one small Waldorf school in a foreign land may seem to hold no significance for us here in North America. But in fact there may be deep lessons in this story for all folks in all countries. Failure to employ sensible, science-based safety measures can have severe consequences in every kind of institution, large or small. The Geroa Eskola story may be seen as a test case — or a cautionary example — we all should study. 

The average size for public schools in the USA is about 530 students, according to Education Week [https://www.edweek.org]. If a quarter of the students in such a school contracted Covid-19, this would mean nearly 133 children would get sick (more children than the entire student body at Geroa Eskola). If the disease spread to a third of the students in an average US public school, about 175 children would become ill.

And bear in mind, many public schools are larger than average. There are scads of US high schools, for instance, that have thousands of students. According to High School Guide, the largest US high school recently had almost 8,100 students. A quarter of 8,100 is 2,025; a third is almost 2,675. And who is to say that a contagion in such a school would stop at a third of the students?

Children tend to resist the ravages of Covid-19 better than their elders do. But quite a few kids become severely ill when they contract the disease; a significant number of them need to be hospitalized; and some of them die. Much of this suffering is needless. Sensible preventive measures would significantly reduce the human toll.

Events at Geroa Eskola may tell us something about the anti-scientific, irrational beliefs embraced by many Waldorf teaching staffs worldwide. [For an overview of the fallacious medical practices promoted by Rudolf Steiner, see "Steiner's Quackery".] But more than that, they may remind everyone in every sphere of life that if we ignore science, we may place ourselves — and, indeed, our children — in needless peril.

— R.R.

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 .November 22, 2020

OH THE WEATHER OUTSIDE IS FRIGHTFUL

BUT OUR  CLASSES ARE SO DELIGHTFUL

Because of the Anthroposophical reverence for nature [1], Waldorf schools often conduct many activities — including classes — outdoors. The schools often send students out even during inclement weather, including rainstorms and snowstorms. A few Waldorf schools have gone further, adopting a "forest school" approach [2] under which essentially all classes and activities occur outdoors. 

The coronavirus pandemic has made the Waldorf attitude toward outdoor learning seem particularly appropriate. Many schools of all types nowadays hold classes outdoors, where the danger of infection should be lower than in confined indoor spaces [3]. But now, in the northern hemisphere, winter is upon us, making outdoor activities more challenging — and potentially hazardous.

A recent article in The New York Times focuses on this matter. Waldorf schools figure prominently in the story:

As Winter Looms, Outdoor Schools 

Face Tough Decisions

With coronavirus cases surging, educators who moved classes outside 

are now grappling with how to keep kids safe from both the virus and the elements.

By Melinda Wenner Moyer

Nursery students at the Berkshire Waldorf School in Massachusetts [4] 

gather for story time with their teacher, Beth Oakley. Credit: Eric Limon

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...With winter just around the corner and coronavirus cases spiking nationwide, the hundreds of schools that have been trying to keep students safe from Covid-19 by moving them outdoors are now grappling with how to also keep them safe from the elements and when to move them indoors. While school administrators knew of all the challenges cold weather would bring, some still felt it was worth trying for as long as they could...

[But] many schools simply have not had enough time to create solid outdoor safety plans...

Karen Fierst, an educational consultant who serves as the reopening coordinator for the Berkshire Waldorf School...has advised the school’s teachers and parents to expect the unexpected during their outdoor schooling this year...

Just last month, for instance, the Massachusetts school was caught off guard when temperatures dropped into the 20s after an otherwise temperate autumn, and high winds forced the school to pre-emptively take down the waterproof shade sails they had erected for outdoor shelter. The winds made lighting outdoor bonfires dangerous [5], so they had to move indoors from time to time for warming breaks...

Some schools give students rubber hot water bottles to keep against their bodies. "They’ll just tuck them down into their snow pants and go for hikes with their core being warmed," said Nell Wiener, the head of program at the Monadnock Waldorf School in Keene, N.H. [6]...

[When temperatures plunge] Monadnock Waldorf School...may tell kids to stay home. "If it’s not forecasted to rise above 12 degrees by noon, then we would have a remote day," Wiener said.

Still, most outdoor schools are hopeful that they will be able to stay outside much of the time....

[11/22/2020    https://www.nytimes.com/2020/11/20/parenting/outdoor-school-safety-winter-coronavirus.html    This article originally appeared on November 20.]

Waldorf Watch Response

According to the Times, American schools that hold classes outdoors are generally guided by a set of guidelines issued by the Iowa Department of Public Health. These guidelines indicate that kids can stay outdoors indefinitely as long as temperatures remain above freezing (32 degrees F, or 0 degrees C) and winds stay below 15 miles per hour (24 kilometers an hour). Young students should not go outdoors if temperatures fall below 13 degrees F (-10.5 C), and older students should then be outdoors only briefly.

Parents of school-age children should think carefully about all this. Do you really want your child to be outdoors indefinitely — maybe sitting on a log, maybe lying in the snow — when the air temperature is, let's say, 34 degrees F (1.1 C) and winds are blowing, let's say, 10 mph (16 kph) out of the north? 

Students at Mackintosh Academy Boulder [7] make use of the campus’s 23 acres, 

like this second grader who is working on his art nature journal. Credit: MaryAnne Miner

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A bit of parental caution — and perhaps common sense — would seem to be in order. Is it really sufficient, for instance, to suspend outdoor learning only if temperatures are not expected to exceed 12 F (-11.1 C) by noon? If you're unsure, you might want to read up on such subjects as hypothermia [8], frostbite [9], and the relationship between temperature and disease resistance [10].

And you may want to mull this over: The Iowa criteria say young children should not go outdoors when temperatures fall below 13 F (-10.5 C). A school may seem to honor this standard if it suspends classes on days when temperatures are not expected to exceed 12 F (-11.1 C) by midday. But forecasts can be wrong, and individual teachers or administrators may make arbitrary decisions. There are clearly dangers lurking in these issues. We're talking about sending young children outdoors in subfreezing weather, perhaps for short periods, perhaps for longer periods. Theoretically, children might be sent out into bone-chilling cold for much longer than is good for them. What standards would you want to be used for your own children?

Addendum

My news item and commentary, above, occasioned some discussion at the Waldorf Critics list [11]. During the discussion, I posted the following message [12]. I have edited it slightly for use here:

I myself spend much of my time outdoors. I love winter weather. 

In my news item, my point was that outdoor education for young children needs to be very carefully thought through. And as Angela's anecdote suggests [13], we might want to be especially careful before relying on mystically-inclined Waldorf teachers to make sensible choices.

The Mayo Clinic [14] has this advice for keeping kids "safe from the cold": "Have children come inside frequently to warm themselves when they're playing outside." The same advice probably applies to children who are working or studying outside in cold weather. And this clearly suggests that children should not spend the entire day — or perhaps even long parts of the day — exclusively outdoors when temperatures are low (say, at or below freezing). The kids should "come inside frequently."

Among the causes of hypothermia listed by the Mayo Clinic is "Staying out in the cold too long." This is obvious, I guess — but it implies again that kids shouldn't be outdoors in winter for overly extended periods. Defining "overly extended" or "too long" can be tricky, obviously, but Mayo is telling us at a minimum that there are limits to how long kids should be outdoors in the cold. (I assume the colder the weather, the less kids should be left outdoors. But, clearly, the limits are vague — we are again relying on teachers to make wise choices as conditions develop.)

The Mayo Clinic also says "Hypothermia is often caused by exposure to cold weather." The context, according to the clinic, is this: "Hypothermia is a medical emergency that occurs when your body loses heat faster than it can produce heat, causing a dangerously low body temperature ... When your body temperature drops, your heart, nervous system and other organs can't work normally. Left untreated, hypothermia can lead to complete failure of your heart and respiratory system and eventually to death." [15]

Death. Wow.

Now, of course, death is highly unlikely in any realistic outdoor-school scenario. Presumably any sensible teacher would take all necessary steps to avoid such an extremity. But, again, we are relying on teachers to be sensible. And I'd suggest we not be too casual about any of this, considering that kids' lives are, to some extent, in the balance. So, in my news item, my message to parents was this: "A bit of parental caution — and perhaps common sense — would seem to be in order ... We're talking about sending young children outdoors in subfreezing weather, perhaps for short periods, perhaps for longer periods. Theoretically, children might be sent out into bone-chilling cold for much longer than is good for them. What standards would you want to be used for your own children?" I think my message is consistent with the cautionary info put out by the Mayo Clinic and other such sources.

— Roger

Waldorf Watch Footnotes

[1] This reverence runs deep, but it is also tempered by belief that amoral "nature spirits" reside in the natural world. [See "Neutered Nature".]

[2] See, e.g., "Small Incarnation of Michael Hall School?", October 18, 2020 — scroll down to this item.

[3] See, e.g.,m "Seeking Covid Safety in the Great Outdoors", August 21, 2020 — scroll down.

[4] The school's website is https://berkshirewaldorfschool.org.

[5] Such fires may provide warmth, but — even when winds are low — there are clearly dangers in having students warm themselves at or near open flames. 

[For the remarkable attitude taken toward outdoor fire by some Waldorf schools, see "fire jumping" in The Brief Waldorf / Steiner Encyclopedia — scroll down.]

[6] This school's website is http://www.monadnockwaldorfschool.org.

N.H. is New Hampshire.

[7] Mackintosh Academy Boulder is not a Waldorf school. But a scene like this is imaginable at almost any school that insists on sending kids outdoors for long periods in the dead of winter.

Mackintosh Academy's website is https://mackboulder.com.

[8] See, e.g., "Hypothermia", Mayo Clinic [https://www.mayoclinic.org/diseases-conditions/hypothermia/symptoms-causes/syc-20352682].

[9] See, e.g., "Frostbite", Mayo Clinic [https://www.mayoclinic.org/diseases-conditions/frostbite/symptoms-causes/syc-20372656].

[10] See, e.g., "Out in the Cold", Harvard Health Letter [https://www.health.harvard.edu/staying-healthy/out-in-the-cold].

[11] See https://groups.io/g/waldorf-critics/topic/waldorf_winter_woes/78436108?p=,,,20,0,0,0::recentpostdate%2Fsticky,,,20,2,0,78436108.

[12] See https://groups.io/g/waldorf-critics/message/32294.

[13] See https://groups.io/g/waldorf-critics/message/32287.

[14] "Mayo Clinic is an American nonprofit academic medical center ... It is home to the top-ten ranked Mayo Clinic Alix School of Medicine in addition to many of the highest regarded residency education programs in the United States. It spends over $660 million a year on research and has more than 3,000 full-time research personnel ... Mayo Clinic is ranked number 1 in the United States for 2019-20 U.S. News & World Report Best Hospitals Honor Roll, maintaining a position at or near the top for more than 27 years." — "Mayo Clinic", Wikipedia, December 5, 2020 [https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Mayo_Clinic].

[15] See https://www.mayoclinic.org/diseases-conditions/hypothermia/symptoms-causes/syc-20352682.

— R.R.

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 .November 20, 2020

STUDYING  WALDORF  —

IT'S NOT WHAT IT SEEMS

At the Waldorf Critics discussion site, historian Peter Staudenmaier has posted a message summarizing some scholarly research into the nature and operations of Waldorf schools. He quotes from four studies.

Academic jargon can be almost impenetrable for many laymen, so I will offer the following summary. The studies Dr. Staudenmaier cites reach these conclusions:

1. Waldorf schools are significantly more authoritarian than schools that offer other types of alternative education.

2. The Waldorf system is closed and hidebound, and its deep allegiance to Anthroposophy is limiting.

3. Instead of promoting freedom (as they usually claim), Waldorf schools create "hierarchical power relations between adults and children."

4. Waldorf education is narrowly prescriptive: It works to mold children in "specific, adult-sanctioned ways."

Overall, the studies seem to indicate that Waldorf education controls students tightly, endeavoring to shape the children in a manner prescribed by the underlying Waldorf belief system, the occult faith called Anthrposophy. [1]

Here are excerpts from Dr. Staudenmaier's message:

What can we learn from examining Waldorf education in comparative context? A wide range of scholars have studied that question over the years, and though much of the research is in German, there are important works available in English. The most prominent is Heiner Ullrich's book on Steiner [Heiner Ullrich, RUDOLF STEINER (Bloomsbury Academic, 2014)]. Here are a few other studies in English:

Pieter Dhondt et al., "The Possibility of an Unbiased History of Steiner/Waldorf Education?" Contemporary European History 24 (2015), 639-49

"...educational programmes do not emerge out of the blue nor simply imitate what preceded them. Each reform built itself upon past developments and integrated some of the previous elements into its own corpus. Many of the accents from the progressive education movement [2] could be found in Steiner’s educational methods and curriculum – for example his emphasis on art, hand labour and gardening. However, there was one major difference between the two educational traditions: its belief – or disbelief – that education should be organised ‘from the child itself ’ (vom Kinde aus). In contrast to writers such as Ellen Key, Steiner completely disagreed with this educational point of view and emphasised the authority of the teacher [3] as fundamental for good educational practice." (644)

Patricia Quiroga Uceda, "Waldorf Teacher Education: Historical origins, its current situation as a higher education training course and the case of Spain" Encounters in Theory and History of Education 16 (2015), 129-45

"...[D]espite the interest that arises from the 'different' nature of this pedagogy, the participants [4] often find the system to be quite closed and anchored to teaching practices viewed as overly traditional (the role of the teacher, the presence of subjects, the scarce integration of information and communication technology, and so on). Moreover, the excessive focus of the course on anthroposophical knowledge and how the pedagogical process develops makes contextual study of the historical underpinnings of this educational theory less likely, which sometimes prevents participants from gaining an overall contextualized view of Waldorf pedagogy." (142) 

Marguerite Wilson, "Constructing childhood and teacher authority in a Waldorf daycare" Critical Discourse Studies 11 (2014), 211-29

Waldorf pedagogy "paradoxically reproduces the hierarchical power relations between adults and children common in mainstream schools rather than living up to its popular image of educational freedom." (212) Her research indicated "rigid teacher control of children's language, activities, and bodies, suggesting a form of education very different from the popular conception of Waldorf education as a 'free' and open space for children to explore and create [5]." (219)

Marguerite Wilson, "Problematizing child-centeredness: Discourses of control in Waldorf education" Global Studies of Childhood May 2017 (abstract)

"...Although marketed as an alternative to the standardized and testing-laden environment of public education, the Waldorf philosophy has much in common with dominant US American ways of constructing childhood that reifies a Western, White [6], middle-class protected childhood as the most legitimate and healthy context of development. However, being 'child-centered' does not necessarily mean the liberation of the child from regulatory discourses and practices; in fact, child-centeredness can often function to shape children in specific, adult-sanctioned ways. Instead, I argue, the field could benefit from a move toward discourses and practices of child liberation." 

[11/20/2020    https://groups.io/g/waldorf-critics/message/32203    Dr. Staudenmaier posted his message on November 19.]

Waldorf Watch Footnotes

[1] For an overview, see "Anthroposophy" in The Brief Waldorf / Steiner Encyclopedia (BWSE) — scroll down to this entry.

[2] Although Waldorf education is sometimes described as progressive, this characterization is generally false. [See "progressive education" in the BWSE.]

[3] See "authority, authoritarianism" in the BWSE.

[4] I.e., individuals enrolled in Waldorf teacher-training courses.

[5] See "freedom" in the BWSE.

[6] Although Waldorf schools have been set up in many parts of the world, the essential Waldorf perspective remains largely Eurocentric. Rudolf Steiner was a German nationalist and a white racist, and these strains remain apparent — albeit tamped down and at least partially repudiated — within the Waldorf movement at large. [See "Europe", "Germans, Germany", and "Racism" in the BWSE.]

— R.R.

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 .November 17, 2020

STEINERITES IN THE STREETS — 

"CRANKS AND CONSERVATIVES"

Conspiracy theorists, far-right agitators, and other assorted "cranks" continue to protest against governmental measures intended to combat the Covid-19 pandemic. Followers of Rudolf Steiner — including some Waldorf school teachers — continue to show up among the protestors [1]. In choosing to appear in such company, the Steinerites may be telling us more than they intend about their system of beliefs.

The following article, focusing on protests in the town of Stroud, Glouchestershire, is excerpted from The Economist:

Protest is spreading to the provinces

[Photo by Simon Pizzey at The Economist]

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If the United Nations staffers who drafted Agenda 21 in 1992 [2] had been present at the protest on November 7th in a park in Stroud...they would have been bemused by the vitriol poured on their work. But to those in the know, this non-binding resolution to promote sustainable development conceals a plan for “the Great Reset” [3], which will change society beyond recognition. Covid-19 has been faked to soften the world up for it and allow a vaccination programme that will render humanity infertile... [4]

The 200-odd people brought together by the Stroud Freedom Group were an unlikely marriage of cranks and conservatives [5]. Among them, said Bruce Fenton, a local author, were “members of the Green, Labour, Conservative and Brexit parties, xr activists [6] and members of the local Rudolf Steiner community.”

The speeches were fiery, but swiftly disrupted by police. A few arrests were made. An organiser was fined £10,000 ($13,000). Similar scenes played out in 26 other towns that day. Further protests are planned each Saturday until lockdown ends [7].

These gatherings are a sign not just of the rise of weird ideas [8] during the pandemic, but also of the changing pattern of protest...

The anti-lockdown movement includes people with varying motivations — opponents of big government, Covid-19 deniers, raging conspiracy theorists and far-right activists — and different competences ... The most rabid conspiracies abound in Collective Action Against Bill Gates [9]. And there are adherents of QAnon, a theory that the world is run by a cabal of Satanist paedophiles [10]...."

[11/17/2020    https://www.economist.com/britain/2020/11/14/protest-is-spreading-to-the-provinces.]

Waldorf Watch Response

Anthroposophists are not to blame for QAnon, or for wild narratives focusing on Bill Gates, or for any of the other gaga nonsense going around these days.

With one exception. Anthroposophists are to blame for their own special brand of looniness. They are to blame, in other words, for Anthroposophy itself.

Or am I still going too far? Perhaps. Anthroposophy consists principally of the mad fabrications and bonzo deceptions spouted by Rudolf Steiner. Anthroposophists have fallen for Steiner's loco whoppers, and for this they probably deserve our sympathy, not our censure.

But whether we blame Anthroposophsts or pity them, the result is much the same. Today Anthroposophists — some of them, a few of them — can be found rallying in the streets alongside "cranks" and "Covid-19 deniers" and "raging conspiracy theorists." They gather in public parks alongside agitators and extremists whose bonkers beliefs are nearly as phantasmagoric as their own.

It is a sad spectacle. It is also a telling one.

Waldorf Watch Footnotes 

[1] For previous coverage of Anthroposophical involvement in Covid protests, see, e.g., "Protests, Conspiracy Theories, and Rudolf Steiner's Followers", September 1, 2020, and "Waldorf Teacher-Trainer Explains the Coronavirus", September 12, 2020 — scroll down to these items. 

[2] "[T]he United Nations Conference on Environment and Development (the 'Earth Summit') held in Rio de Janeiro in 1992...produced a Convention on Biological Diversity; a Framework Convention on Climate Change, or the Global Warming Convention; the Rio Declaration on Environment and Development (the Rio Declaration); a Statement of Principles on Forests; and a plan for the sustainable development of the Earth’s resources into the 21st century (Agenda 21)." — Encyclopaedia Britannica, The United Nations, "The Environment" [https://www.britannica.com/topic/United-Nations/The-environment#ref1258953], accessed November 17, 2020.

[3] "Early in June [2020] the World Economic Forum announced The Great Reset initiative — ‘to improve the state of the world.’ The initiative, an exciting development for sustainability, looks at rebalancing investment, harnessing science and technology, and advancing the transition to net zero — fundamental elements to building the future we need — to change our economy to combat the climate emergency." — Thinkhouse, "The Great Reset" [https://www.thinkhousehq.com/insights/the-great-reset], accessed November 17, 2020.

[4] Many Anthroposophists — including some who run Waldorf schools — fear that vaccines will destroy human spirituality. [See "vaccination" in The Brief Waldorf / Steiner Encyclopedia — scroll down.]

[5] Anthroposophists often deny it, but there have long been links between their movement and the most extreme right-wing political movements, including various forms of fascism. [See "Sympathizers?"]

[6] XR is the "Extinction Rebellion". Members fear that humanity, along with much of the natural world, may be wiped out as a result of manmade climate change. Whether XR is a "crank" movement is debatable. "Extinction Rebellion (abbreviated as XR) is a global environmental movement with the stated aim of using nonviolent civil disobedience to compel government action to avoid tipping points in the climate system, biodiversity loss, and the risk of social and ecological collapse." — "Extinction Rebellion", Wikipedia [https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Extinction_Rebellion], accessed November 17, 2020. [For the Anthroposophcal understanding of the natural world, see "Neutered Nature".]

[7] The "lockdown" is the mandated closure of various businesses and other establishments in an effort to reduce the spread of the Covid-19 virus. Individuals are required to stay at home most of the time, and gatherings are strictly limited.

[8] The Economist overstates things, here, slightly. Some of the protestors advocate distinctly bizarre ideas, but others (such as those focused on climate change) may represent sensible concerns. Where is Anthroposophy located on this spectrum? Many Anthroposophical beliefs are extremely strange; many (I'm tempted to say most) of Rudolf Steiner's teachings fly in the face of scientific evidence and, indeed, rationality. [See, e.g., "Steiner's Blunders", "Fantasy Flights", and "Sci Fi".]

[9] See, e.g., "Bill Gates Conspiracy Theories Have Circulated For Years. It Took The Coronavirus Pandemic To Turn Him Into A Fake Villain.", BuzzFeed.News, June 26, 2020 [https://www.buzzfeednews.com/article/ryanhatesthis/coronavirus-bill-gates-conspiracy-theories].

[10] See, e.g.,  "What Is QAnon, the Viral Pro-Trump Conspiracy Theory?", The New York Times, October 19, 2020 [https://www.nytimes.com/article/what-is-qanon.html].

— R.R.

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 .November 11, 2020

MARTIN, THE PERZMARTL,

AND A WALDORF FESTIVAL 

SAINT MARTIN (Waldorf Early Childhood Association of North America, 2009).

Before becoming a Christian, Martin was a Roman soldier.

He once used his sword to cut his cloak in two, giving half to a beggar.

Later he converted to Christianity. Ultimately he became a Christian saint.

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Waldorf schools regularly deny that they are religious institutions, yet many religious practices and observances [1] are found at these schools, including the celebration of numerous religious festivals [2]. Most of the major festivals observed in Waldorf schools are nominally Christian, but the nature of these events is fundamentally altered by the Waldorf belief system, Anthroposophy [3]. Here is how a Waldorf teacher has described Waldorf festival observances:

"Festivals — like towers in a landscape, the annual festivals mark important moments in the calendar as observed in fields of work inspired by Anthroposophy. The main festivals are: Easter, Whitsun, St John's, Michaelmas, St Martin [4], Advent, Christmas, Epiphany [5]. These festivals are not only reminders of events that took place in the past, but also reflect cyclical spiritual events that take place in the breathing process of the earth every year [6] ... Celebrating the festivals enables human beings to get in touch with both nature and spirit [7] ... The festivals, if we engage with them fully and connect through them with our ongoing human evolution [8], offer an opportunity for us to develop greater awareness of the course and aim of human life on earth [9]." — Waldorf teacher Henk van Oort, ANTHROPOSOPHY A-Z (Sophia Books, Rudolf Steiner Press, 2011), pp. 45-46.

Today, November 11, is Martinmas. Here is how van Oort describes the Waldorf observance of this religious holiday:

"St Martin — festival on November 11 in honour of St Martin who, according to legend, cut his cloak in half to give one part of a beggar ... In many Waldorf schools this festival involves making lanterns ... [T]he children go out into the street or a park, processing [sic] with their lanterns and singing St Martin songs [10] ... [The] inner light shines out from each individual [11]." — Henk van Oort, ANTHROPOSOPHY A-Z, pp. 104-105. 

The details of festival celebrations at Waldorf schools are often drawn from German folk customs. Thus, we find the following account in a booklet written by a Waldorf teacher and published by a Waldorf teachers' association. A central figure in this account is the "Perzmartl" — a gnome-like creature [12] from German folklore.

"[Saint] Martin looks down from heaven to the earthly world of human activity and writes it in heavenly script into the golden book he carries in his hand. Only once a year, on his death day [13], when the heavens open and those who have died become visible to human beings [14], does he open this book for his messenger. It is his messenger who descends to the earth to give Martin's words to the people, so that they themselves can recognize whether their deeds were good or bad.

"But the messenger does not appear as a friendly angel, because he comes from the elemental realm [15]...where Woden [16] storms past and the Berchten [17] lead the army of the dead [18]. Therefore he comes dressed in a ragged fur...wildly and noisily stamping and thrusting his crooked stick threateningly ... [This is] 'Pelzmartl' [19]...

"After the children have gotten over their shock, he tells them where he comes from ... [T]hen the mood changes when he speaks about Saint Martin, who helped people in their bitterest need ... Again the mood changes when he tells how Saint Martin has sent him as a messenger to earth, so that he can bring to human beings what is written in [Martin's] book. The first delicate processes of self-knowledge [20] are awakened and stimulated in the children, from which they can experience whether they have acted rightly or wrongly [21]...

"Then the tension is dissolved and turns into jubilation when the Pelzmartl empties his sack, and apples, nuts, and honey cakes roll around the room. After everything has been gathered up, maybe he will dance together with the children.

"Thus the Pelzmartl stands as a kind of guardian at the gate of the spirit realm [22], in which the purified souls live beyond the threshold, and into which only those who have shown themselves worthy are allowed a glimpse ... In earlier times everyone was able to experience such pictorial events, because their consciousness was open to this kind of imaginations [23]; today, only the small child has the capacity to experience such vivid pictures [24] ... [W]e adults have not yet developed our capacity for imaginative thinking [25]". — Waldorf teacher Helmut von Kügelgen, ST. MARTIN (Waldorf Early Childhood Association of North America, 2009), pp. 38-39.

Whether the Martinmas observances at any particular Waldorf school include an appearance by Pelzmartl depends on choices made by the teachers at that school. It is more likely in German Waldorf schools than in similar schools elsewhere. But in virtually all Waldorf schools in all lands, Martinmas festivities will reflect at least some of the occult Anthroposophical beliefs expressed in the descriptions you have just read.

Waldorf Watch Footnotes 

[1] See, e.g., "Prayers".

[2] See the exposition on festivals in "Magical Arts".

[3] See "Anthroposophy" in The Brief Waldorf / Steiner Encyclopedia (BWSE) — scroll down to this entry. 

In the field of education, the chief institutions inspired by Anthroposophy are Waldorf schools.

[4] I.e., St. Martin's Day or Martinmas.

[5] Waldorf schools operating outside Christendom sometimes incorporate non-Chistian festivals in their calendars. In virtually all cases, however, Waldorf festival celebrations (nominally Christian or otherwise) are adjusted to reflect Anthroposophical beliefs.

[6] According to Anthroposophical teachings, the Earth is a living organism that breathes in and out with the seasons. [See "Earth" in the BWSE.]

[7] In Anthroposophical belief, nature is a manifestation of the spirit realm. The annual festivals at Waldorf schools are meant to reflect the rotation of the natural seasons, behind which the spirit realm may be glimpsed.

[8] The central narrative of Anthropsophy traces the evolution of human consciousness to higher and higher stages. Our goal, according to Rudolf Steiner, is to evolve to become gods and, ultimately, the highest gods of all. [See "evolution" and "evolution of consciousness" in the BWSE.]

[9] From the Waldorf perspective, the "course and aim of human life on earth" are to be found in Anthroposophy.

[10] Anthroposophists believe that in accepting Christ, Martin internalized the warmth and light of Christ's home place, the Sun. [See "Sun God".] In celebration of St. Martin's Day, Waldorf students create small lanterns symbolizing the light of the Sun bravely fending off the cold and darkness of winter. 

The songs performed in Waldorf festival celebrations, including Martinmas, are often hymns. [See the exposition of hymns in "Prayers".] So, for instance, an explicit prayer to Saint Martin may be sung, such as this:

Saint Martin, with Apostle's zeal

You were prepared to live or die

As pleased God best; smile down on us

As lovingly to you we cry.

[See, e.g., Martine, par apostolis.]

Other songs, used more often, are less overt. One example:

Rise up, O Flame, by thy light glowing, 

Show to us beauty, vision and joy.  

Out of Eternity, this new day is born, 

Into Eternity, it will return.

[See, e.g., CWS Lantern Walk Songs, Cincinnati Waldorf School.]

[11] The children both enact the Anthroposophical conception of Martinmas and they serve, effectually, as proselytizers, enticing charmed onlookers toward Waldorf belief and practice. Note that the walks often occur in public spaces, such as "the street or a park."

[12] Waldorf belief affirms the ancient conception of four elements: earth, air, fire, and water. Rudolf Steiner taught that within these elements reside four "elemental beings" or "nature spirits": gnomes (in earth), sylphs (in air), fire spirits (in fire), and undines (in Water). [See "Neutered Nature".]

[13] A "death day" is analogous to a birthday: It is the anniversary of one's death. According to at least some Waldorf authorities, children should be taught to celebrate death days. [See Helmut von Kügelgen, WORKING WITH THE DEAD (Waldorf Early Childhood Association of North America, 2003).]

[14] Various pagan traditions tell of periods when the living can see the dead (often in the form of ghosts). Traditional Christian observances of Martinmas do not, however, include this concept.

[15] I.e., the level of reality consisting of elemental forces (the four elements and their resident elemental beings). 

[16] Woden, or Odin, is the chief god of Norse mythology. Norse myths are generally emphasized in Waldorf schools. [See "The Gods".] 

Woden, of course, is not a figure found in Christianity; he is a pagan god. Many polytheistic and pagan beliefs are woven throughout Anthroposophy. The apparent similarities between Christianity and Anthroposophy break down the deeper one delves into Anthroposophical teachings. [See "Was He Christian?"]

[17] In German folk belief, Berchta was a goddess who protected various dead souls. The "Berchten" may be understood as Berchta and her companions. 

"The types of dead souls Berchta protects have a tendency to trouble the living by manifesting as destructive ghosts. Should you be afflicted by such a ghost, petition Berchta to soothe and remove it, escorting it to her realm, where it will be much happier." — "Berchta", Occult World.

[18] German folklore contains references to such an army (Totenheer). The concept derives, at least in part, from Norse mythology. Valhalla is Wotan's (Odin's) ethereal castle where dead heros (especially those killed in battle) gather in preparation for a climactic war (Ragnarök) against the forces of evil. [See references to Valhalla and Ragnarök in "The Gods".]

[19] From Wikipedia:

"The Pelzmärtel (also Pelzemärtel, Pelzermärtel, Pelzamärdl or Pelzmartin) is a common name for the pre-Christmas gift bringer in parts of Franconia (Southern Germany). Regionally, it appears also as Pelznickel. In the name, the customs for the day of St. Nikolaus ('Nickel') and St. Martin ('Märtel') merge. In his sack, the bringer of gifts has nuts and fruit with him on St. Martin's Day, November 11, or St. Nicholas Day, December 6, for the good children, and a rod for the naughty children." — "Pelzmärtel", German edition of Wikipedia, translated with www.DeepL.com/Translator.

[20] Waldorf education — like Anthrposophy generally — aims to promote inner, spiritual development. "Self-knowledge," according Waldorf/Anthroposophical doctrine, is largely bound up in the incarnation of the spiritual ego or "I". [See "Ego".]

[21] According to Rudolf Steiner, most spiritual knowledge is hidden or "occult." One can gain such knowledge only by being initiated into spiritual mysteries. [See "Occultism".] Thus, knowing whether you have acted rightly or wrongly depends on the awakening of "delicate processes of self-knowledge."

[22] In this telling, the Pelzmartl is an analogue or representation of the Guardian of the Threshold, a key figure in Anthroposophical teachings. [See "Guardians".]

[23] According to Rudolf Steiner, ancient humans possessed a natural form of clairvoyance. Modern humans have generally lost this power, Steiner said. [See "atavistic clairvoyance" in the BWSE.]

In Anthroposophical usage, "imaginations" are true mental images attained through accurate use of clairvoyance.

[24] Steiner taught that young children arrive on Earth with memories of — and connections to — the spirit realm where they lived before Earthly incarnation. [See, e.g., "Thinking Cap".]

[25] An important goal for Anthroposophists is to attain new, high powers of clairvoyance such as Steiner claimed to possess. In promoting imagination, Waldorf schools attempt to steer students toward possible acquisition of clairvoyance. [See "imagination" in the BWSE.] In this important sense, Anthroposophy and Waldorf education center on a delusion: They aim at clairvoyance, which does not exist. [See "Clairvoyance".]

— R.R.

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 .November 1, 2020

STEINER ED. AND HEALING - 

ON THE SUBJECT OF AUTISM

Rudolf Steiner's followers — that is to say, Anthroposophists [1] — believe that Waldorf education virtually ensures the health of its students [2]. Anthroposophists believe that students in Waldorf schools dwell within a protective, life-enhancing matrix of esoteric practices that promote the children's proper incarnation and development [3]. This is what Rudolf Steiner indicated, and Steiner's followers take his word for it.

The purportedly healthful practices found in Waldorf schools derive chiefly from Anthroposophical medicine — preventive and curative processes based on Rudolf Steiner's occult teachings [4]. The problem, however, is that Anthroposophical medicine often diverges far from established, fact-based medical procedures [5]. The value of Anthroposophical treatments for various abnormalities and illnesses is, to put the matter mildly, open to dispute.

A recent article in the French edition of Slate brings many of these issues to the fore in its discussion of the Anthroposophical approach to autism. Here are excerpts and a slew of explanatory footnotes:

Steiner's pedagogy [6] and Anthroposophy, 

an esoteric and dangerous vision of autism

[By] Laure Dasinieres

The so-called remedies are not only ineffective but also have side effects.

[Michał Parzuchowski via Unsplash]

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...Out of most people's view, Steiner's pedagogy gives a distorted and esoteric vision of autism, and it promotes treatments that are as useless as they are harmful.

According to Anthroposophical doctor Michael Allen, "Autism can be seen as an atypical process of incarnation ... The ego [7] does not sufficiently engage the lower parts of the body (the metabolism) ... The disturbed relationship of the ego results in a weakened etheric current [8] in the lower constitution, blocking a healthy relationship with the forces of the soul [9]. Thus, thought, feeling and will cannot be brought together."

Grégoire Perra, a former Anthroposophist and now one of the main critics of Anthroposophy in France [10], deciphers this nebulous discourse for us: "For Anthroposophists, autism can have several causes. Primarily, the condition results from an individual's karma [11]: The child was not able to incarnate completely. Therefore, the three poles of the human being (thought, feeling, will [12]) are not properly united. So the ego could not properly take possession of the body at birth."

Anthroposophists believe this faulty incarnation expresses itself organically: The child's brain continues to grow and tends to become too large, inducing deformations [13]...

But, why would these children...become autistic?

Alleged social causes

...According to traditional Anthroposophy, the child may have chosen to incarnate in autistic form to compensate for an error committed in a previous life [14] ... By "choosing" to be autistic, the child would then discharge a karmic debt [15]...

With regard to causes arising from life prior to birth, Grégoire Perra points out: "Anthroposophists consider that on the 15th day after conception, Lucifer and Ahriman [16] can enter the embryo and introduce hereditary defects linked to the original fault."

Another cause of autism, also of a karmic nature (i.e. wanted by the gods [17]), is external to the child. This may include damage to the brain or bowel during pregnancy or, later, vaccinations [18]. "Vaccines...block the child's mechanisms of consciousness," says Emmanuel Guizzo [an Anthroposophically inspired osteopath]...

This brings us to the so-called social causes of autism. Michael Allen sees autistic people as the "sacrificial mirrors" of our societies [19] ... The materialism of our times distracts us from our spiritual development ... He draws a parallel with autistic people who are, in his view, "disabled in a way that impedes their spiritual development." He goes on: "This is a sign of our times. The purpose of autism is to balance this excessive materialism. In this way, autism can be seen as both the result and the remedy of excessive materialism [20]."

An unfavorable practice

Given these multiple causes, how does Anthroposophic medicine propose to treat autistic children? For those who are cared for in the city, the presumed remedy...is provided by the so-called traditional Anthroposophical pharmacopoeia: algae medication [21], baths [22], injectable or drinkable arsenic solutions [23], and homeopathy [24]. All this is obviously without proven efficacy and carries the danger not only of side effects, but also of delaying genuine medical treatment...

We should be even more worried about the fate of children placed in institutes of curative education [25] or centers belonging to the Camphill movement [26]. Young patients there are constantly exposed to Anthroposophical doctrine. In addition to treatment with medicaments, eurythmy — a kind of esoteric dance or "movement art" [27] — is employed as an art therapy...

According to Steiner, eurythmy "strengthens the soul by bringing it alive to the spirit realm." There are also manual activities [28], recitations intended to structure time [29], and Bothmer gymnastics [30]: "This is a kind of exercise with falls, jumps, and figures supposed to remind the practitioner of his incarnation or his excarnation to prepare him for death," explains Gregoire Perra.

Children also have to attend Anthroposophical services [31] and meetings: "It doesn't matter if they don't understand, the idea is to address their spirit-self [32]. Hearing Anthroposophy, the words would enter into communion with their astral body [33] and enable them to heal themselves in a future life." Gregoire Perra is particularly concerned about the experience of these children in these centers: "There is little or no qualified medical supervision. There is no psychological care, there is no doctor on site. We know that there have been accidents and casualties [34]."

In 2015, the report to the [French] Prime Minister from the Interministerial Mission of Vigilance and Combat against Sectarian Aberrations (MIVILUDES [35]) identified Steiner pedagogy as one of the practices the Mission should address, and it indicated in a footnote that Steiner pedagogy shares beliefs in astrology [36] and esotericism [37] with the New Age movement [38].

The 2017 report of the same Mission added: "With regard to schools, the connection to the philosophy of the founder [i.e., Steiner] is not always made clear, and not all parents who enroll their child in a school comprehend all the theoretical foundations that are are implicit in the teaching provided."

Today, however, institutes of curative education and Camphill communities remain off the radar.

[11/1/2020   http://www.slate.fr/story/196546/pedagogie-steiner-anthroposophie-dangereuse-enfants-autisme-mouvement-camphill    This article originally appeared on October 30. Translation by Roger Rawlings, leaning heavily of DeepL Translator and Google Translate.]

Waldorf Watch Footnotes

[1] See "Anthroposophy" in The Brief Waldorf / Steiner Encyclopedia (BWSE) — scroll down to this entry.

[2] See, e.g., EDUCATION AS PREVENTIVE MEDICINE by Waldorf physician Michaela Glöckler (Rudolf Steiner College Press, 2002).

[3] For an overview of human incarnation, including the invisible bodies that Anthroposophists believe incarnate during childhood, see "Incarnation".

[4] Steiner identified himself as an occultist — that is, one who possesses hidden (mysterious, occult) knowledge. [See "Occultism".]

[5] See "Steiner's Quackery".

[6] That is, the teaching methods and philosophy propounded by Steiner. These are found primarily in Waldorf schools, otherwise known as Steiner schools.

[7] According to Anthroposophy, the "ego" is a spiritual member. A spark of divinity, it makes us truly human. [See "Ego".]

[8] See "etheric force(s)" in the BWSE — scroll down.

[9] Steiner taught that fully incarnated human beings have both souls (ethereal identities that change with each incarnation) and spirits (transcendent identities that are carried through all the lives an individual undergoes, alternating between the spirit realm and the physical realm).

[10] Perra was educated in Waldorf schools and later became a Waldorf teacher. Eventually he broke away, becoming a critic of both Waldorf education and Anthroposophy. [See "My Life Among the Anthroposophists".]

[11] Belief in karma is fundamental to Anthroposophy. [See "Karma".]

[12] See the entry for "thinking-feeling-willing" in the BWSE.

[13] Steiner drew a crucial distinction between various "constitutional types" of children based on the size of the children's heads. [See "constitutional types" in the BWSE.]

[14] Closely tied to Anthroposophical belief in karma is belief in reincarnation. [See "Reincarnation".]

[15] I.e., if one has made errors during one life, s/he must pay or compensate for these errors in the next life.

[16] According to Anthroposophical doctrine, Lucifer and Ahriman are two arch-demons. [See "Lucifer" and "Ahriman".]

[17] Anthroposophy recognizes a great many gods. [See "Polytheism".]

[18] Steiner did not completely oppose vaccination as a preventative measure, but he discouraged it in most cases. Today, there is often a strong but unofficial anti-vaccine culture in and around Waldorf schools. [See "vaccination" in the BWSE.]

[19] I.e., autists reflect the faults of society as a whole, and their condition serves as a "sacrifice" which they make in order to promote the eventual rectification of society.

[20] I.e., autism — as a sacrifice — will help cure society of its materialism. (Autism may be seen as the payment of a karmic debt on behalf of the entire materialistic modern world.)

[21] E.g., 

"Rheumatoid arthritis is more common in northern latitudes, frequently with aggravation from cold and wet conditions. Light and warmth ameliorate the symptoms, indicating the ether qualities which these patients need. Algae in the cold waters of those regions have a good alpha linolenic acid content which relates very much to the warmth ether and are like a counter agent. Fish feeding on the algae are able to increase the degree of warmth and hence also the number of double bonds in their metabolism, thus producing substances that have therapeutic significance for rheumatic 'diseases of coldness.'" — Anthroposophical doctor Roman Huber, "Dietary aspects to the treatment of autoimmune diseases", DER MERKURSTAB, 2005, p. 30.

[22] These are usually mineral baths or immersions in other waters mixed with "curative" chemicals. E.g., 

"Anthroposophic medicine offers a variety of treatments, among others the oil-dispersion bath, developed in the 1930s by Werner Junge. Based on the phenomenon that oil and water do not mix and on recommendations of Rudolf Steiner, Junge developed a vortex mechanism which churns water and essential oils into a fine mist. The oil-covered droplets empty into a tub, where the patient immerses for 15–30 minutes." — Arndt Büssing, Dirk Cysarz, et al, "The oil-dispersion bath in anthroposophic medicine – an integrative review", PMC, US National Library of Medicine, Dec. 2008.

[23] E.g., 

"Our chief concern must be to see that the astral body receives the right form and configuration that will enable it to fit itself into the ether and physical bodies in a harmonious manner. To achieve this end, we always give arsenic baths — that is, we use arsenic externally; and occasionally we administer arsenic internally as well. The treatment has the effect of harmonising the relationships of astral body, ether body and physical body. Then, to ensure that the externally administered arsenic shall really strike home, we reinforce it by applying mustard compresses to the feet before and after the bath, using also grated horse-radish for this purpose." — Rudolf Steiner, CURATIVE EDUCATION (Rudolf Steiner Press, 1972), lecture 9, GA 317.

[24] Homeopathy is the practice of treating diseases by administering tiny doses of substances that could cause those diseases. Anthroposophical medicine includes homeopathic treatments. [See "Steiner's Quackery".] Today, homeopathy is generally dismissed as ineffective at best, dangerous at worst.

[25] These are Anthroposophical institutions that attempt to use intensified versions of Waldorf educational practices in order to cure illnesses.

[26] These are Anthroposophical residential communities where efforts are often made to treat individuals who exhibit various disabilities.

[27] See "Eurythmy".

[28] As at Waldorf schools, such activities generally include knitting, crocheting, woodworking, and other handcrafts. Steiner taught that manual activities like these have curative effects. Concerning knitting and crocheting, for instance, he said this:

“Go into our needlework classes and handicraft classes at the Waldorf School, and you will find the boys knit and crochet as well as the girls ... This is not the result of any fad or whim, but happens deliberately in order to...permeate the fingers with soul. And to drive the soul into the fingers means to promote all the forces that go to build up sound teeth.” — Rudolf Steiner, THE RENEWAL OF EDUCATION (Anthroposophic Press, 2001), p. 10.

[29] These are often prayers or meditations written by Steiner. [See "Prayers" and "Power Words".] They presumably "structure time" by reorienting participants from ordinary existence to a focus on the eternal.

[30] Named for originator Graf von Bothmer, an Anthroposophist, Bothmer gymnastics is a non-athletic form of movement in which the practitioners "experience" the space around them. 

"Bothmer Gymnastics is intended to foster balance, not just physical balance but mental and spiritual balance too. It's sometimes associated with the phrase 'spatial dynamics' as it aims to help older children (and adults) explore the relationship between their body and its position in space." [http://answers.google.com/answers/threadview?id=93199] 

As employed in Waldorf schools, such gymnastics are related to the practice of eurythmy. The distinction between these two disciplines is sometimes indistinct, but in general Bothmer gymnastics is a form of physical education (PE) whereas eurythmy is a form of art.

[31] These are often essentially Anthroposophical religious observances. [For the nature of such services, see, e.g., "Waldorf Worship".]

[32] Steiner taught that a completely incarnated human being has a physical nature, a soul nature, and a spirit nature. The spirit-self (or spirit self) is the first division of our spirit nature. [See "spirit self" in the BWSE.]

[33] According to Steiner, various invisible bodies incarnate during, or at the end of, childhood. The astral body is the second of these invisible bodies. [See "astral body" in the BWSE].

[34] For Perra's own experiences at a Camphill community, see the section "Camphill Summer" in the essay "My Life Among the Anthroposophists".

[35] From Wikipedia:

"The MIVILUDES (a French acronym for Mission interministérielle de vigilance et de lutte contre les dérives sectaires, i.e. Interministerial Mission of Vigilance and Combat against Sectarian Aberrations) is a French government agency, created by Presidential decree in 2002. It is charged with observing and analyzing the phenomenon of sectarian movements (cults), coordinating the government response, informing the public about the risks arising from sectarian aberrations and facilitating the implementation of actions to aid the victims." — "MIVILUDES", Wikipedia, accessed Nov. 1, 2020 [https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/MIVILUDES].

[36] See "Astrology" and "Star Power".

[37] See "esoteric, esotericism" in the BWSE.

[38] From the Encyclopaedia Britannica:

"[The] New Age movement...spread through the occult and metaphysical religious communities in the 1970s and ʾ80s. It looked forward to a 'New Age' of love and light and offered a foretaste of the coming era through personal transformation and healing. The movement’s strongest supporters were followers of modern esotericism, a religious perspective that is based on the acquisition of mystical knowledge and that has been popular in the West since the 2nd century AD, especially in the form of Gnosticism. Ancient Gnosticism was succeeded by various esoteric movements through the centuries, including Rosicrucianism in the 17th century and Freemasonry, theosophy, and ritual magic in the 19th and 20th centuries." — "New Age movement", ENCYCLOPEDIA BRITANNICA, accessed Nov. 1, 2020 [https://www.britannica.com/topic/New-Age-movement]. 

The Britannica locates the origins of the New Age movement in Theosophy. Anthroposophy is a direct outgrowth of Theosophy. [See "Basics".]

— R.R.

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