MORE FROM THE WALDORF WATCH NEWS

3. 

From This Is Exeter:

A word from the teacher: Our school follows the teachings of Austrian philosopher Rudolf Steiner ... The aim of our school is to provide an unhurried and creative learning environment where children can find joy in learning and develop the confidence they need to express themselves and discover the world around them. The curriculum gives equal importance to a child's physical, emotional, intellectual and spiritual needs. It is designed to work in harmony with the different phases of the child's development.  

[10-11-2010   http://www.thisisexeter.co.uk/news/School-wants-children-discover-joy-learning/article-2741320-detail/article.html]

◊

Waldorf Watch Response:

It is always difficult to determine when a Waldorf or Steiner representative is telling the simple truth and when s/he is dissembling. The account given by this teacher may be perfectly sincere, or it may be a set of misleading remarks concealing a deep commitment to Anthroposophical occultism. For instance, does this teacher not realize that describing Steiner as an "Austrian philosopher" omits 99% of the truth about him? In truth, Steiner was a self-professed occultist, a "clairvoyant" mystic who claimed to communicate with the dead and to comprehend the intentions of the gods. [See "What a Guy" and "Occultism".]

Or consider this: The “spiritual needs” of children can be met only if some form of spiritual belief system is used. At a Waldorf school, this will almost certainly be Anthroposophy (with its doctrines of karma, reincarnation, spiritual evolution, racial hierarchies, demonic possession, and so forth). Likewise, the “phases” of childhood can be comprehended only as seen through the prism of a particular theory of childhood development. At Waldorf schools, this usually means thinking that children go through seven-year-long phases during which invisible bodies manifest, innate links to life before birth (and previous incarnations) grow dim, new clairvoyant powers begin to develop, racial identity and “temperament” assert themselves, demons or hidden doubles wrestle with guardian angels, and so on. [See, e.g., "Thinking Cap", "Races", and "Double Trouble".] 

It is possible to read too much into statements coming out of Waldorf schools, but it is also possible to read too little into them. The root cause is that the schools have a long history of intentional deceit, begun by Steiner himself at the first Waldorf school. Don’t tell outsiders what we do here, he said repeatedly, don’t shout out our secrets. [See "Secrets".]

◊ Keep this secret, for instance: “Imagine what people would say if they heard that we say there are people who are not human beings ... [W]e do not want to shout that to the world.” — Rudolf Steiner, FACULTY MEETINGS WITH RUDOLF STEINER (Anthroposophic Press, 1998), pp. 649-650. 

◊ How should Waldorf faculties react when outsiders come to inspect their schools? "We must worm our way through ... [I]t is necessary to talk with the people, not because we want to but because we have to, and inwardly make fools of them." — Rudolf Steiner, CONFERENCES WITH THE TEACHERS OF THE WALDORF SCHOOL IN STUTTGART, Vol. 1 (Steiner Schools Fellowship Publications, 1986), p. 125. 

◊ In general, “[D]o not attempt to bring out into the public things that really concern only our school. I have been back only a few hours, and I have heard so much gossip about who got a slap and so forth ... We should be quiet about how we handle things in the school, we should maintain a kind of school confidentiality.” — Rudolf Steiner, FACULTY MEETINGS WITH RUDOLF STEINER, p. 10.

.

.

.

.

.

◊                                                             

.

.

.

.

.

Developmental Progress

4. 

From The Press Democrat:

The former Gold Ridge Elementary School campus in Rohnert Park next fall will become home to the first public Waldorf-inspired high school in the North Bay [California, USA] ... The Waldorf name is trademarked and affiliated with private schools that adhere to a philosophy of an arts-heavy curriculum that is based on a student’s natural developmental progress.  

[2-1-2011  http://www.pressdemocrat.com/article/20110201/ARTICLES/110209945/1350?Title=Rohnert-Park-sponsors-Waldorf-style-charter-high-school]

◊

Waldorf Watch Response:

Many well-intentioned people are drawn to Waldorf schooling. Some of them know what Waldorf schools are really about; many do not, at least not initially.

Why do Waldorf schools emphasize art? Because, according to Waldorf belief, art helps prepare students to develop clairvoyance. 

“The artistic element, then, begins to be the guide to the first stage of exact clairvoyance — that of imagination.” — Rudolf Steiner, A MODERN ART OF EDUCATION, Foundations of Waldorf Education (Anthroposophic Press, 2004), p. 64. [See, e.g., "Magical Arts".]

What are the developmental stages children pass through, according Waldorf belief? They are seven-year-long phases during which children recapitulate the spiritual evolution of mankind as it occurred during Old Saturn and other “planetary stages.” 

“If you recall the teachings of Spiritual Science [i.e., Anthroposophy] on the subject of the education of the child you will know that in the first seven-year period of life...man develops principally the physical body ... [T]his is really a recapitulation of what man underwent on Old Saturn ... The second of the seven-year periods...is a recapitulation of what man underwent on Old Sun ... The third seven-year period...recapitulates the development of the astral body that normally belongs to the Old Moon epoch.” — Rudolf Steiner, THE MISSION OF THE FOLK SOULS (Rudolf Steiner Press, 2005), p. 68. [See, e.g., "Matters of Form", "Old Saturn", "Old Sun", and "Old Moon, Etc.".]

Gravitate to Waldorf schools if you like. But do it with your eyes open. [See, e.g., "Here's the Answer".]

.

.

.

.

.

◊                                                             

.

.

.

.

.

Do You Believe?

Preface:

Many Waldorf teachers believe that each human being develops four bodies, three of them invisible. The physical body (shown schematically in red) incarnates at birth; the etheric body (blue) around age seven, the astral body (yellow) around age fourteen, and the "I" (gold) around age twenty-one.

[R. R. sketch, 2009, based on one by Steiner. 

See, e.g., "Waldorf's Purpose".]

Since arriving here on Earth, Steiner taught, humans have passed through four major developmental stages or epochs: the Polarian, Hyperborean, Lemurian, and Atlantean epochs. In the fourth of these, we lived on Atlantis, having abandoned the earlier continent of Lemuria.

“If we were to journey back through time to the age that links Lemuria with Atlantis, we would meet with a remarkable sight: gigantic flying lizards with a lantern on their heads....” — Rudolf Steiner, BLACKBOARD DRAWINGS 1919-1924 (Rudolf Steiner Press, 2003), pp. 130-131.

(This quotation doesn't tell us much about developmental stages, but it tells us a lot about Steiner and his credulous followers.)

[R. R. sketch, 2009, based on one by Steiner. 

See, e.g., "Prehistory 101".]

In Waldorf belief, human evolution began during a period called Old Saturn, which is represented by the sphere on the upper left, above. Following life on Old Saturn, we evolved on Old Sun and Old Moon. We are now in an intensely physical phase called Present Earth (the fourth sphere, above). Hanging below Present Earth is a phase that Anthroposophists generally do not like to discuss — it is the dreadful Eighth Sphere, a place or phase analogous to hell. Those humans who do not descend to the Eighth Sphere will move upward to Future Jupiter, Future Venus, and finally Future Vulcan. (And beyond those there are additional stages so wondrous that Steiner rarely discussed them.)

[R. R. sketch, 2011, based on one by Steiner. 

See, e.g., "Here's the Answer".] `

.

.

.

.

.

◊                                                             

.

.

.

.

.

5.

From Free Essays:

If you are in the midst of searching for the type of homeschooling that is right for you and your children you are most likely have run into various options such as Classical, Montessori, and another popular method called Waldorf. Waldorf education has its roots in a gentleman named Rudolf Steiner. Rudolf Steiner was an Austrian scientist who had a philosophy about developmental stages that ended up created [sic] what we now know as the Waldorf method of homeschooling.  

[1-31-2011  http://freeessays.essay-911.com/search/early_child_education.html] 

◊

Waldorf Watch Response:

The Waldorf approach does indeed provide a possible form of homeschooling. Know what you are getting involved in, however. The “gentleman” Rudolf Steiner was not a scientist. He was an occultist. [See “Occultism”.] And the “developmental stages” he described are complex and numerous — and occult. 

According to Steiner, the various stages are recapitulated in various ways during our various lives. (We have many, many lives, according to Waldorf belief: We reincarnate over and over.) 

“[I]ndividual evolution...tends to recapitulate general human evolution....” — Rudolf Steiner, THE GENIUS OF LANGUAGE, Foundations of Waldorf Education (Anthroposophic Press, 1995), p. 105.

At the simplest level, Steiner taught, children develop through a series of seven-year-long stages during which various bodies incarnate and develop. 

At a more general level, Waldorfers believe, humans have passed through four major developmental stages during our life here on Earth: the Polarian, Hyperborean, Lemurian, and Atlantean great epochs. [See "Early Earth", "Lemuria", and "Atlantis".] We are currently in the fifth or "Post-Atlantean" epoch. [See "Epochs".]

At the macro level, Steiner taught, we have passed through three "planetary stages" of evolution: Old Saturn, Old Sun, and Old Moon. We are now in the fourth planetary stage: Present Earth. Yet to come: Future Jupiter, Future Venus, and Future Vulcan. [See the entries for these terms in The Brief Waldorf / Steiner Encyclopedia.]

The overall Waldorf scheme of developmental stages is complex, but don't worry about it. None of it is based on verifiable fact. It is all moonshine. 

In providing homeschooling, you may attempt to use Waldorf methods without adopting the Waldorf belief system. But the methods make little sense without the beliefs — the methods are designed specifically to apply Steiner's doctrines to the education of children. [See "Methods".] If you believe the occult doctrines of Rudolf Steiner, fine. But if you don’t, you should realize that Waldorf is probably the wrong approach for you and your child.

.

.

.

.

.

◊                                                             

.

.

.

.

.

Teething

6. 

From The Daily Pilot:

A Stitch in Time Teaches New Skills - Part of [this Waldorf] school's curriculum is knitting, sewing and cross stitching, which shows [the students] how to be patient and gives a way to bond with their families ... The second-grade class at the Waldorf School of Orange County [California, USA] was practicing knitting skills Thursday afternoon in a bi-weekly handwork class ... The private school, tucked away near the Talbert Nature Preserve, incorporates handwork into its curriculum. The school starts students in first grade with weaving and knitting, and trains students to build upon such skills with each grade, said handwork teacher Angie Meier.  

[1-23-2011  http://www.dailypilot.com/news/tn-dpt-0123-itc-20110122,0,3347736.story] 

◊ 

Waldorf Watch Response:

I wonder if the reporter got this quite right ("bi-weekly handwork class"). Kids at most Waldorf schools engage in some form of handwork — knitting, crocheting, and so forth — almost every day. Outsiders are often surprised that handwork forms such a large part of the Waldorf curriculum. The schools give all sorts of justifications for such activities, some of which make perfect sense. What the schools usually do not admit is the occult reason for handwork. (If you are new to the Waldorf world, the following will seem surpassing strange. But that, in and of itself, is a useful insight to acquire about Waldorf thinking.) Rudolf Steiner, the ultimate authority for all things Waldorf, taught that handwork has a spiritual effect on the teeth. (I kid you not.) 

“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 ... [T]o drive the soul into the fingers means to promote all the forces that go to build up sound teeth.” — Rudolf Steiner, SPIRITUAL SCIENCE AND MEDICINE (Rudolf Steiner Press, 1948), lecture 17, GA 312.

Now, teeth are very important in the Waldorf worldview. Steiner taught that human beings are born four times: once when the physical body is born, again when the invisible “etheric body” is born, a third time when the invisible “astral body” is born, and a fourth time when the invisible “ego body” is born. Waldorf teachers believe that the etheric body is born or incarnated at about age seven. They usually refrain from teaching their students reading and arithmetic until the kids’ etheric bodies arrive. And how do Waldorf teachers know when this invisible (indeed, imaginary) event has come to pass? They attempt to use clairvoyance and other mystical techniques, but mostly they study the kids' teeth. The etheric body announces its arrival through the replacement of the kids’ baby teeth by adult teeth. (Or so Waldorf teachers believe.)

Teeth play a surprisingly important role in human life, according to Steiner. 

”It will seem strange that in discussing man as a spiritual being, I speak first of the teeth ... [A] truly spiritual understanding of the human being shows us [that] the child develops teeth not only for the sake of eating and speaking, but for quite a different purpose as well. Strange as it sounds to-day, the child develops teeth for the purpose of thinking. Modern science little knows that the teeth are the most important of all organs of thought." — Rudolf Steiner, EDUCATION (Rudolf Steiner Publishing Co., 1943), lecture 4, GA 307.

Such silliness — especially the incarnation of four separate bodies — is fundamental to the Waldorf approach. 

“Waldorf education is based upon the recognition that the four bodies of the human being develop and mature at different times ... According to Steiner, one of the indicators of the birth or emancipation of the etheric body is the loss of the child's baby teeth, which takes place at the age of seven.” — Waldorf teacher Roberto Trostli, RHYTHMS OF LEARNING: What Waldorf Education Offers Children, Parents, and Teachers (SteinerBooks, 2017), pp. 4-5.

Note that Waldorf education is "based" on these weird concepts.

.

.

.

.

.

◊                                                             

.

.

.

.

.

What's Left Out

7. 

From This Is Bath:

A new education centre using the principles of an Austrian teaching pioneer has opened its doors in a village near Bath [UK]. The Steiner kindergarten, which encourages children aged up to seven to learn at their own pace, has started work in Peasedown St John. The Laurel Farm nursery is based in an old Buddhist temple at Carlingcott, which has been converted into a classroom, and also has easy access to the nearby farm animals and nature area.  

[1-13-2011  http://www.thisisbath.co.uk/education/Alternative-kindergarten-opens-Buddhist-temple/article-3093394-detail/article.html]

◊

 Waldorf Watch Response:

As I have pointed out before, whenever Steiner or Waldorf schooling is described without explicit references to occultism, you know that much is being concealed. [See. e.g., "Secrets".] In Steiner schools, children up to the age of seven are kept in a pleasant haze of play, fairy tales, and myths. This is done for a specific — and occult — reason. The teachers are waiting for the children's "etheric bodies" to incarnate. If this sounds screwy to you, you have just learned something important about Steiner education. [For information about etheric bodies, astral bodies, and other occult concepts inherent in Steiner schooling, you might consult The Brief Waldorf / Steiner Encyclopedia.]

“Over and above the physical body, spiritual science [i.e., Anthroposophy] recognizes a second essential principle in Man: it is that which Steiner usually refers to as the ‘etheric body,’ though he sometimes refers to it as the ‘life-body’ or ‘formative-forces-body’ ... [T]he etheric body is accessible to investigation only to [i.e., by] those who have developed the necessary higher organs of perception.” — Gilbert Childs, STEINER EDUCATION IN THEORY AND PRACTICE (Floris Books, 1991), p.26.

The "necessary organs of perception" are invisible "organs of clairvoyance." Waldorf education hinges to an amazing extent on belief in clairvoyance (which does not exist). [See "Clairvoyance".] Steiner taught that devout spiritual seekers can cause nonphysical organs of clairvoyance (also called chakras or "lotus flowers" to develop within themselves.

"[J]ust as natural forces build out of living matter the eyes and ears of the physical body, so will organs of clairvoyance build themselves...." — Rudolf Steiner, KNOWLEDGE OF THE HIGHER WORLDS AND ITS ATTAINMENT (Anthroposophic Press, 1944), p. 28.

Yes, I know, this seems screwy. But we're discussing Steiner education. [See, e.g., "Holistic Education".] It is  screwy.

.

.

.

.

.

◊                                                             

.

.

.

.

.

Secular Waldorf?

8. 

From subpages.com:

Oak Meadow is touted by many as a secular Waldorf inspired curriculum and for many it is Waldorf enough. However, for people who want a true Waldorf education this program has disappointed many. The benefits of the program are that they don't push the child to learn too much too fast ... The program is laid back and not rigorous ... The concept of the curriculum is fantastic, but the reality is that it is not exactly how the curriculum turns out to be. For example, in 2nd grade reading you are barely getting past reading 3 letter words. Some people love it and others really dislike it. If you don't mind things moving at a slow pace then you will probably be in the first group.  

[2-6-2011  http://hubpages.com/hub/Oak-Meadow]

◊ 

Waldorf Watch Response:

Oak Meadow is a Waldorf school offering online instruction as well as homeschooling materials.

The crucial question — one that bears on the efforts to create Waldorf charter schools and free schools — is whether it is possible to create a “secular” curriculum based on the Waldorf model. Waldorf teacher training usually includes instruction in Anthroposophical occultism. [See, e.g., “Teacher Training".] Steiner himself stated that Waldorf teachers should be “true Anthroposophists” who are deeply devoted to the Anthroposophical worldview. [See, e.g., “Here’s the Answer”.] Efforts to make Waldorf schooling seem unconnected to occultism have usually been little more than ploys. Advocates of Waldorf education are quite aware of the need for good public relations. [See, e.g., "PR".]

If you try to strip the occultism out of the Waldorf approach, what are you left with? Very little. Every part of the Waldorf curriculum and Waldorf methodology is rooted in occultism. [See, e.g., “Curriculum” and “Methods”.] The reason kids aren’t taught to read until they are seven, for instance, is that Waldorf teachers are waiting for the kids' “etheric bodies” to incarnate. If you don’t believe in such occult nonsense as etheric bodies, then there is no reason to postpone reading lessons. Indeed, postponing such lessons may be permanently harmful, depriving children of the benefits of early-childhood education.

Waldorf schools emphasize art (for occult reasons — see “Magical Arts”), they put little academic pressure on the students (for occult reasons — see “Academic Standards at Waldorf” and "Thinking Cap"), they emphasize fairy tales and myths (for occult reasons — see “Fairy Tales” and “The Gods”), they aim to educate the whole child (for occult reasons — see “Holistic Education”), and so on. You can imitate these procedures, and perhaps your children will derive benefits. Certainly art is a good thing, and kids shouldn't be pushed too hard, and myths are often quite nice, and educating the heart and hands as well as the head sounds very good. But you don’t need to turn to Waldorf schools (with their cargo of occult beliefs) to find attractive educational options. In any event, a better strategy is to get to know your children, understand what they need, and try to provide it by selecting from among sensible, real-world educational resources.

"Secular" Waldorf programs are generally geared to the occult agenda of Waldorf education — manifestation of the etheric body, manifestation of the astral body, development of initial stages of clairvoyance, etc. — without say so. In other words, they are not secular at all; they have generally misrepresented themselves. But this is standard for all types of Waldorf schools — they almost always conceal their purposes. It is not hard to dig below the Oak Meadow surface to find vestiges of Steiner's occultism. Thus, the most significant of Steiner's educational principles is that children develop through three seven-year stages. [See "Most Significant".] In the first stage, children develop their physical bodies and their wills; in the second stage, children develop their etheric bodies while living mainly through their emotions; in the third stage, when they develop their astral bodies, they finally start to gain the ability to think for themselves. While avoiding the weirdest parts of this terminology, Oak Meadow embraces the schedule: 

"The threefold nature of the child manifests through consistent developmental stages ... According to Dr. Steiner, The first stage begins at birth and continues to the change of teeth [i.e., age seven], and during this stage the will, expressing itself through physical growth and movement, is the predominant force in the child's life. The second stage begins at the change of teeth and progresses through the onset of puberty [i.e., age 13], with the focus upon the child's emotional nature. In the third stage, the faculty of thinking predominates, and the child begins to explore the world of thought ...." — Dr. Lawrence Williams, "Oak Meadow and Waldorf", http://www.oakmeadow.com/resources/articles/oak-meadow-waldorf.php.

The problem with this schedule is that it is based on nothing except occultist fantasies. The three invisible human bodies do not exist and thus they do not manifest on any schedule, much less a schedule of seven-year-long phases. Basing a curriculum on this schedule is meaningless, unless you accept Steiner' occultist fantasies.

◊

Oak Meadow's attitude toward computers is intricate. 

"[T]he workplace of the future will require good computer skills. Therefore, we want Oak Meadow students to learn to use computers effectively." — "Oak Meadow and Computers" [http://www.oakmeadow.com/resources/articles/oms-computers.php]. 

But typical Anthroposophical concerns nonetheless crop up. 

◊ Oak Meadow suggests that children not use computers until they are at least 11 or 12 years old. 

◊ The school worries that computers may inhibit "[l]earning that transforms the individual, which is the kind of learning Oak Meadow encourages." 

◊ And the school is concerned that using computers "tends to inhibit the development of the will and the integration of mind and body." ["Homeschooling and Computers", http://www.oakmeadow.com/resources/articles/homeschooling-computers.php.] 

In Anthroposophy, the will is considered a separate faculty [see "Will"], and the integration of mind and body is part of the overall process of incarnation that lies at the heart of Waldorf schooling. Computers, and indeed all forms of modern technology, are viewed askance in Waldorf schools; they are generally associated with the demon Ahriman. [See "Ahriman".]

◊

Disclosure statement: Lawrence Williams, of Oak Meadow, taught at the Waldorf school I attended, but not during my years there. He greatly admired our headmaster, John Fentress Gardner: 

"John Gardner had been a strong guiding light for me: my mentor and my inspiration in education." [http://www.oakmeadow.com/resources/articles/oak-meadow-trilogy.php]. 

Mr. Gardner was a true-believing Anthroposophical occultist who strove to make Waldorf education seem unobjectionable to average Americans. This effort collapsed, eventually. [See "Waldorf Scandal".] Mr. Gardner oversaw the construction of our school, which was designed to resemble conventional American schools — the odd architectural touches found in many European Steiner schools were avoided. For a similar reason, Mr. Gardner published such misleading statements as this: 

“There was nothing in Rudolf Steiner that [famed American authors] Thoreau and Emerson and Whitman would not have approved wholeheartedly.” — John Fentress Gardner, “The Founding of Adelphi’s Waldorf School,” ONE MAN’S VISION: In Memoriam, H.A.W. Myrin (The Myrin Institute Inc., 1970), p. 46.

Thoreau, Emerson, and Whitman would almost certainly have wholeheartedly rejected Mr. Gardner's statement — most of Steiner's doctrines are quite alien to their own work.

Many years after the school was founded, Mr. Gardner' stated his purpose this way: 

"I minimized the difference between a Waldorf school and other schools ... As soon as fundamental questions began to be answered plainly, wild rumors and frightened guesses quieted down.” [Ibid., p. 48.] 

Sadly, many of Mr. Gardner's "plain" answers were untrue.

.

.

.

.

.

◊                                                             

.

.

.

.

.

Waldorf Homeschooling

9.

From craigslist:

Hi, There is a Waldorf inspired homeschool group forming in the Cazenovia area [New York, USA]. So far we are two families with 9 kid (8 and under) between us and are both following Christopherus for the first time. Looking for others who are inspired by the Waldorf philosophy. Ideas are welcome on structure of group.  

[8-31-2011  http://syracuse.craigslist.org/grp/2575806524.html]

◊ 

Waldorf Watch Response:

Homeschooling is a growing movement, and while its attractions are clear, the movement also has some obvious drawbacks. Children benefit enormously from the attention of highly qualified, master teachers — if and when these can be found. Many schools have at least a few expert teachers. Most parents do not have real qualifications as educators.

A second possible drawback is isolation, sometimes bordering on escapism. A real education will equip a child to make her way in the real world. It will also expose the child to many points of view and to people of various backgrounds. Staying home with one's parents and a select handful of neighborhood children can confine a child to a highly insular and perhaps cramped worldview.

Waldorf homeschooling may only intensify these problems. Waldorf education is almost always escapist, being founded on occult doctrines that have no connection to reality. [See "Occultism".] The Waldorf curriculum and Waldorf methods have meaning only in the context of Rudolf Steiner's occult system, Anthroposophy. [See "Curriculum" and "Methods".] One central goal of Waldorf schooling is to facilitate the incarnation of the children's invisible spiritual bodies. [See "Incarnation".] Trained Waldorf teachers presumably know (or think they know) how to supervise this process; others do not possess this presumed knowledge.

Steiner said that Waldorf teachers need to be real Anthroposophists. [See "Here's the Answer".] Thus, Waldorf homeschooling truly makes sense only if the parents providing the education are knowledgeable Anthroposophists (and even then the schooling will be irrational, since Anthroposophy is irrational).* [See "The World of Waldorf".] Other parents attempting Waldorf homeschooling may have little idea what they are doing and, as a consequence, chaos may result. In either case, children may be significantly harmed.

Christopherus is an outfit offering homeschooling materials and guidance [http://www.christopherushomeschool.org/home.html]. Another such source is Oak Meadow. [http://www.oakmeadow.com/].

* “You will injure children if you educate them rationally because you will then utilize their will [power] in something they have already completed — namely, life before birth.” — Rudolf Steiner, THE FOUNDATIONS OF HUMAN EXPERIENCE (Anthroposophic Press, 1996), p. 61.

.

.

.

.

.

◊                                                                       

.

.

.

.

.

[R.R.]

.

.

.

.

.

◊                                                                       

.

.

.

.

.

QUOTES OF NOTE

(from Waldorf Watch News):

Old Saturn and Thereafter

"If you recall the teachings of Spiritual Science [i.e., Anthroposophy] on the subject of the education of the child you will know that in the first seven-year period of life, between birth and the change of teeth, man develops principally the physical body ... [T]his is really a recapitulation of what man underwent on Old Saturn ... The second of the seven-year periods from the ages of seven to fourteen...is a recapitulation of what man underwent on Old Sun ... The third seven-year period covers the years between fifteen and twenty-one. During this period man recapitulates the development of the astral body that normally belongs to the Old Moon epoch.” — Rudolf Steiner, THE MISSION OF THE FOLK SOULS (Rudolf Steiner Press, 2005), p. 68.

◊ 

Waldorf Watch Response:

Waldorf schooling has only a tangential connection with the real world and real knowledge about the real world. Much if not all of what happens in Waldorf schools is keyed to bizarre occult doctrines.

Allow me to try, in as few words as possible, to explain the Waldorf conception of humanity’s past. This account will almost certainly make your eyes blur and your head spin. But that's the nature of Anthroposophy. I encourage you to keep reading, even if you start to feel lost. Think of this as an introduction to the mad concepts that constitute the underlying Waldorf belief system: Rudolf Steiner's Anthroposophy. (I have appended a diagram that may help you visualize the matters I will be discussing. Scroll down.)

According to Anthroposophical doctrine, we humans came into existence long ago in a period called Old Saturn. Since then, we have been evolving to higher and higher levels of consciousness. To date, we have evolved through three evolutionary phases called “Conditions of Consciousness” or “Planetary Stages”: Old Saturn, Old Sun, and Old Moon. Even as our consciousness has risen higher, our bodies have become progressively more physical at each stage. Today, during the fourth Condition of Consciousness — called Present Earth — we have awakened from the dreaming forms of conscious we previously possessed and our bodies are about as densely physical as possible.* In the future, our consciousness will rise beyond awareness of the physical world to conscious awareness of the spirit realm, and our bodily constitutions will become less and less physical as we evolve toward spiritualized lives. Our future evolution will take us to at least three new Conditions of Consciousness: Future Jupiter, Future Venus, and Future Vulcan.

The Conditions of Consciousness contain numerous shorter periods nested inside one another (somewhat analogous to the way each year contains several months, each of which contains several weeks, each of which contains several days). Each Condition of Consciousness contains seven Conditions of Life, each of which contains seven Stages of Form, each of which contains seven Epochs, each of which contains seven Ages. (The terms vary from Condition to Condition, but the pattern does not.**) As we move along through these stages and sub-stages, we repeatedly recapitulate — in altered form — the stages and sub-stages we passed through previously. Cumulatively, we progress, although certainly not in a straight line. We sharpen our capacities, and develop new capacities, as we go, so that in the future we may rise to higher and higher states of perfection.

Our current Condition of Consciousness is the Present Earth Condition of Consciousness. In the Present Earth Condition of Consciousness, we are now in the fourth Condition of Life, the Mineral Condition (very densely physical indeed). Like all the other Conditions of Life, the Mineral Condition contains Stages of Form ranging from Higher Spiritland to the Archetypal Stage of Higher Spiritland (a recapitulation with improvements). We are presently in the Physical Stage of Form (very very densely physical indeed indeed).

There are or will be seven Epochs or Great Epochs in this Stage of Form. So far we have passed through the Polarian, Hyperborean, Lemurian, and Atlantean Epochs. We are currently in the Post-Atlantean Epoch (i.e., the period following the sinking of Atlantis — yes, Atlantis).

Each Epoch consists of (you guessed it) seven sub-epochs. In our Post-Atlantean Epoch, these sub-epochs are called Cultural Ages or Cultural Epochs. Our current Cultural Epoch — known as the Anglo-Germanic Age, or simply as the Present  — falls between the Greco-Roman Age and the Russian Age. (Don't worry — the Russian Age will be followed by the American Age.)

Cultural Epochs are divided into fairly brief (350-year) periods, which in turn are divided into very brief (33-year) cycles. (The math doesn't quite work out, but let it go.) The various Conditions and Epochs and periods along the way are presided over by various gods, and during each we spin through repetitions (with improvements) of all the prior Conditions and Epochs and periods.

OK? Got it? Few Waldorf teachers will lay out much of this for the students, at least not openly. But this is what devout Waldorf teachers believe and, directly or indirectly, it informs almost all of their work. [If you’d like more information on all of this imaginary history — which Anthroposophists take for reality — see, e.g., “Matters of Form” and “Everything”. “Steiner Static” and the “The Brief Waldorf / Steiner Encyclopedia” are also, I hope, informative. To sample the teachings of a Waldorf educator who openly lays Anthroposophical occultism on his students, see "Out in the Open".]

◊

This is a pictorial representation of at least part of what we are discussing. 

If you trace the yellow line, you will see where we presently stand,

according to Anthroposophyical belief.

We are in the [Present] Earth Condition of Consciousness.

Within this, we are in the Mineral Kingdom Condition of Life.

Within this, we are in the Physical Stage of Form.

Within this, we are in the Post-Atlantean [Great] Epoch.

Within this, we are in the Present [Anglo-Germanic] Cultural Epoch.

[THE FUTURE OF HUMANITY AND THE EARTH AS FORESEEN BY RUDOLF STEINER,

by Richard Seddon (Temple Lodge Publishing, 2002), excerpt, pp 132-133; highlighting added.]

◊

* Anyone who becomes even more densely physical will fall into a sphere analogous to hell: the "Eighth Sphere". [See "Sphere 8".]

** Different labels may apply to some of these subdivisions in some macro-devisions. We can be a little loose in our terminology, since all of this is fantasy.

.

.

.

.

.

◊                                                             

.

.

.

.

.

Turning Seven

“We can observe the child’s growth until the time of its second dentition around the seventh year. Far more than one generally thinks is connected with this second dentition. If we observe the soul-bodily processes in an unprejudiced way, we can see that after the second dentition the child’s whole way of thinking, its whole life of representation and feeling, in fact the whole life of the soul, undergoes a complete change.” — Rudolf Steiner, PATHS TO KNOWLEDGE OF HIGHER WORLDS (Anthroposophical Publishing Co., 1947), GA 79.

◊

Waldorf Watch Response:

A child’s seventh birthday is highly important in Waldorf schools. At age seven, Waldorf teachers generally believe, a child’s "etheric body" is incarnated. The child then moves from the first stage of growth (a period of seven years during which the will and the physical body predominate) into the second stage (a period of seven years during which the emotions predominate and the etheric body is developed). The Waldorf lower-school curriculum is built around this concept.*

Several problems leap out. For one, there is no such thing as an etheric body. For another, there is no objective evidence that “the child’s whole way of thinking” changes at or around the seventh birthday. And for yet another, the notion that the “second dentition” (i.e., the replacement of baby teeth by adult teeth) occurs at or around age seven is incorrect. Most adult teeth don’t arrive until about age eleven, and some don’t arrive until age twenty-one.**

Even if we extend every possible courtesy to Steiner, stipulating that by “second dentition” he meant the arrival of the first adult tooth — which on average happens between ages six and seven — our main objections remain. There is no etheric body, nor is there any reason to think that children change profoundly when the adult teeth start appearing.***

So why all the fuss at Waldorf schools about age seven? Steiner liked to group phenomena in sets of seven and twelve because he claimed that these numbers possess occult, magical significance. [See “Magic Numbers”.] Thus, Steiner built the Waldorf curriculum around the number seven. But dividing things according to occult fantasies about numbers is arbitrary and meaningless. Steiner was making things up, spinning them out of his occult imagination, with little or no regard for reality or truth. If he believed his teachings on such points, he was deluding himself — just as his followers delude themselves now in accepting his teachings.

The truth about the design of the Waldorf curriculum is plain. The design is truthless (or should I say toothless?). In truth, there is just about zero truth in it.

*  The upper-school curriculum is built around the idea that a second fundamental change occurs in children at age fourteen. At that time, according to Waldorf belief, the "astral body" incarnates.

**  See, for instance, the “Permanent Tooth Eruption Chart” put out by the American Dental Association. It shows that various adult (“permanent”) teeth come in (“erupt”) at various times, from around the sixth year of life up to around the twenty-first year. [http://www.ada.org/sections/publicResources/pdfs/chart_eruption_perm.pdf] Using the data provided by this dental authority, we can see that the average date for the arrival of an adult tooth is slightly less than eleven years, which is more than half way into the Waldorf-fantasized second stage of childhood (ages seven to fourteen).

*** We have bent over too far to accommodate Steiner. Note the following: 

“[In] the first seven-year period of life, between birth and the change of teeth, man develops principally the physical body.” — Rudolf Steiner, THE MISSION OF THE FOLK SOULS (Rudolf Steiner Press, 2005), p. 68. 

Here, Steiner is clearly saying that adult teeth replace baby teeth ("the change of teeth") at age seven, as if the entire process is completed at that time.

Let’s look a bit more deeply into Steiner’s dental doctrines. Steiner taught that the arrival of adult teeth marks a stage when various forces that had been needed by the physical body can be redirected to higher purposes. 

“After the second dentition, the human being no longer requires certain forces for the development of his physical organism which he formerly required. The forces which push out (if I may use this trivial expression) the second teeth are not merely localised in the human head, but they are forces which work in the whole body....” — Rudolf Steiner, PATHS TO KNOWLEDGE OF HIGHER WORLDS (Anthroposophical Publishing Co., 1947), GA 79. 

But the forces that "push out" the adult teeth have by no means finished this work by age seven. Unfortunately for Steiner's teachings and the Waldorf curriculum [see "Curriculum"], the forces that “push out” adult teeth are still slaving away in the physical body until about age twenty-one, which is the end of the Waldorf-fantasized third stage of childhood (ages fourteen to twenty-one). In sum, Steiner’s numbers don’t add up. Or, to frame this more broadly, Steiner used little or no real information to reach conclusions that make little or no sense.

(P.S. The Waldorf conception of the third stage of childhood may seem to make more sense than the conception of the first two stages. Stage #3 corresponds, roughly, to the period beginning with puberty and ending with the attainment of adulthood. But in reality puberty comes at widely varying ages for different individuals, and the threshold of adulthood is a legal or cultural convention — different societies draw the line at different ages.)

.

.

.

.

.

◊                                                             

.

.

.

.

.

Polarity: Teachers, Parents

At Waldorf schools, there is a “fundamental polarity between teacher and parents. ... [T]he role of the teachers [is] to take primary responsibility for the incarnation of the child ... [T]he teacher is the king or queen of their classroom.” 

The role of the parents is quite different. Parents should always ask themselves “What can I do for you [i.e., the school]?” This means identifying “the concrete tasks which serve to embody the school in the community.” 

When teachers take their role to extremes, “it becomes ‘Luciferic,’ tending toward dogmatism, pride, and exclusivity.” 

When parents overstep their bounds, their activity “becomes ‘Ahrimanic,’ and can be characterized by attempts to control, power-plays, and manipulation.” 

— Waldorf educator Robert Schiappacasse, essay #1 in ADMINISTRATIVE EXPLORATIONS: Essays on Business Practices within Waldorf Schools (Association of Waldorf Schools of North America, 2000), pp. 6-8.

◊

Waldorf Watch Response:

Schiappacasse identifies two overarching goals of Waldorf education: “Incarnating the Child” and “Incarnating the School.”* Teachers have primary responsibility for the former (they represent the “spiritual/cultural pillar” of the school), parents have primary responsibility for the latter (they represent the “economic pillar” — i.e., providing the money the school needs).

The "polarity" between teachers and parents means these two groups stand at opposite poles. From these positions, they may work harmoniously together — or they may end up as, in effect, opponents. Steiner often expressed disdain for the parents of Waldorf students, and he often encouraged Waldorf teachers to supplant parents as the most important adults in the students' lives. He urged Waldorf teachers to "take over" the guidance and nurturing of their students. Ideally, he said, Waldorf teachers should (or "almost" should) take control immediately after the birth of the students. 

Here are two statements Steiner made to Waldorf teachers:

◊ "You will have to take over children for their education and instruction — children who will have received already (as you must remember) the education, or mis-education given them by their parents." — Rudolf Steiner, addressing Waldorf teachers, THE STUDY OF MAN (Rudolf Steiner Press, 2004), p. 16. 

◊ "[I]t might almost be preferable from a moral viewpoint if children could be taken into one's care soon after birth." — Rudolf Steiner, WALDORF EDUCATION AND ANTHROPOSOPHY, Vol. 2 (Anthroposophic Press, 1996), p. 69. [For more on the teacher-parent polarity, see, e.g., "Faculty Meetings".]

* According to Waldorf belief, children incarnate three invisible bodies;  the main task of a Waldorf teacher is to supervise this process. A Waldorf school is “incarnated” when it is given physical form thanks, in large measure, to the financial support provided by students’ parents.

— Compilation and commentary 

by Roger Rawlings

[Waldorfetic paintings by a Waldorf alum and a Waldorf student.]