Prefatory Notes

"Says Who?" was originally compiled for a different website. Some parts of it overlap some parts of "Who Says?" Nonetheless, you may find it informative if you want to become acquainted with the sorts of topics discussed in Steiner circles nowadays.

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The numbering of quotations on this page follows from, and continues, the numbering begun on "Who Says?"

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In compiling and annotating notable quotations, I have tried to make each each paragraph and sentence comprehensible even to newcomers who may know little or nothing about Rudolf Steiner and his doctrines. One drawback to this approach is that I very often have to repeat points I have made before. I ask for your forbearance. When you come upon material that you have seen previously, please remember the reason for this redundancy, and skip ahead.

— Roger Rawlings

 220.  “Rudolf Steiner (1861-1925) is a phenomenon of our time ... He saw and addressed himself to the latent possibilities in man of advancing beyond the present-day accepted limits of cognition [1] to awaken knowledge of the spiritual worlds [2] ... That means that man himself properly belongs to those higher worlds ... If [a person] learns systematically to apply his will to his own thinking...it becomes God-thinking, a creative force itself [3] ... Rudolf Steiner’s method of work calls upon man, in the highest degree, to face and outgrow himself [4].” — Waldorf educator Francis Edmunds, AN INTRODUCTION TO STEINER EDUCATION - The Waldorf School (Rudolf Steiner Press, 2004), pp. 6-7.

[1] Instead of accepting the limits imposed by our brains and our ordinary senses, Steiner advocated "supersensible" cognition — clairvoyance. [See "clairvoyance" in The Brief Waldorf / Steiner Encyclopedia (BWSE).]

[2] Steiner claimed that by using precise, disciplined clairvoyance, we can know the spirit realm. One of his most important books is titled HOW TO KNOW HIGHER WORLDS (or, in other editions, KNOWLEDGE OF THE HIGHER WORLDS - How Is It Achieved?, and KNOWLEDGE OF THE HIGHER WORLDS AND ITS ATTAINMENT). [See "Knowing the Worlds".]

[3] This is the result, Steiner said, of following his instructions for developing "exact" clairvoyance. [See "Exactly".] We move toward the status of gods, able to alter reality through the sheer spiritual force of our thoughts: We think something, and that thing is thereby created. [See, e.g., the discussion of "Anthroposophy 101" in "Thinking Cap".] In the future, Steiner taught, people who follow his guidance will evolve to literally become gods. [See, e.g., "The Tenth Hierarchy".]

[4] This essentially means evolving to higher and higher levels of spiritual consciousness. [See "evolution of consciousness" in the BWSE.] We evolve upward through the ranks of the gods. Steiner taught that there are nine such ranks. [See "Polytheism".]

 221.  "Eurythmy [1] is an art of the sun [2]. This statement is not contained in the literature [3], but it is this writer's view that Rudolf Steiner intentionally juxtaposed the deepest esoteric lectures about the sun with the continually evolving work in eurythmy [4] ... [Steiner once said] 'When anyone learns to master consciously the hidden [5] Sun forces...then indeed conscious Imagination [6] arises.'" — Beth Usher, introduction to EURYTHMY - An Introductory Reader, a collection of Steiner texts (Sophia Books, Rudolf Steiner Press, 2012), p. 3.

[1] This is a form of spiritual dance — in effect, temple dancing — devised by Rudolf Steiner. It is practiced in Waldorf schools (and in very few other places). 

"Eurythmy is obligatory. The children must participate. Those who do not participate in eurythmy will be removed from the school." — Rudolf Steiner, FACULTY MEETINGS WITH RUDOLF STEINER (Anthroposophic Press, 1998), p. 65. [See "Eurythmy".]

[2] In Anthroposophical belief, the Sun is the original home of Christ, the Sun God. [See "Sun God". For an introduction to Anthroposophy, the belief system on which Waldorf education stands, see "Anthroposophy" in the BWSE.]

[3] I.e., Anthroposophical writings.

[4] Usher contends that Steiner delivered some of his "deepest esoteric lectures" at about the same time he was developing eurythmy, and she infers deep significance. This is how Anthroposophical "research" often works — Steiner's followers pore over his works, trying to glean significance from indications that are often uncertain or contentious.

[5] Steiner's teachings are based in "occult" or hidden spiritual knowledge that he claimed to discover through the use of precise clairvoyance. [See "Occultism" and "Exactly".]

[6] Imagination, as Steiner used the term, is a precursor to — or a stage of — clairvoyance. [See "imagination" in the BWSE.] Here, the suggestion is that eurythmy, as an art associated with the sun, helps practitioners develop clairvoyant powers.

 222.  "Rudolf Steiner describes how, in our development after physical birth, we human beings go through further 'births' [1]: 'Just as we are enclosed within the physical sheath of our mother up to the time of birth, we are enclosed in an etheric sheath up till the change of teeth, that is, till about the seventh year [2]' ... The archetypal knot of whirls [in childrens' drawings] is already a 'house' and is depicted by children as a sheath, as the state of being enclosed [3]. So we can understand that many children return again and again to drawing the ball of whirls [4], even at an age when they have long outgrown this early phase ... The narrowing down in the perception of cosmic realms [5] through the acquisition of selfhood — the process of becoming an 'I' [6] — resembles an encapsulating of the soul. The house-form arising from this is based on the right angle [7]." — Anthroposophist Michaela Strauss, UNDERSTANDING CHILDREN'S DRAWINGS: Tracing the Path of Incarnation (Rudolf Steiner Press, 2007), p. 51.

[1] Steiner taught that children are born four times, as the four human bodies (the physical body, etheric body, astral body, and ego body or "ego" or "I") are incarnated. [See "Incarnation".] If you don't believe that human beings develop four bodies, the following will likely strike you as nonsense.

[2] The etheric body (a constellation of formative forces) incarnates at around age seven, Steiner taught. Its arrival is signaled by the loss of baby teeth, replaced by adult teeth ("the change of teeth"). [See "teeth" in the BWSE.]

[3] The thesis of Strauss's book is that the drawings of children reflect spiritual conditions and truths (which happen to coincide precisely with Rudolf Steiner's teachings). She thus interprets the whirls and whorls in kid's drawings as visual references to the "sheaths" kids experienced before birth. (The physical womb is the most obvious of these sheaths, but Steiner also spoke of the "etheric sheath" and other invisible sheaths.) Strauss likewise interprets houses in kids' drawings as references to these enclosures. Her interpretations become more and more strained as she proceeds.

[4] The "ball of whirls" recalls Steiner's elaborate description of evolution, adopted largely from Theosophy: a long series of swirling recapitulations, sometimes referred to by such terms as "rounds", "globes", etc. [See "rounds" and "globes" in the BWSE.]

[5] Steiner's followers (including many Waldorf teachers) believe that children arrive on earth with memories of their previous lives in the spirit realm (in "cosmic realms"). They believe that, to preserve these memories for the children, they should work to keep kids as young as possible for as long as possible. Central to this is the determination to withhold academic instruction and, more generally, mental stimulation at least until the children reach age seven — and often longer. [See "Thinking Cap".] In general, Steiner argued for downplaying intellectual and brain-centered instruction. [See, e.g., "Steiner's Specific".] Whether a good education can be result from such an approach is doubtful at best. 

[6] According to Anthroposophical belief, the astral body incarnates around age 14 (signaled by puberty) and the "I" incarnates around age 21, marking the end of childhood. A child is not really a "self" until the "I" incarnates. [7] According to Strauss, drawings of houses having right angles (as opposed to houses that lean in various directions, having no right angles) reflect a child's movement toward selfhood. Waldorf teachers' interpretation of childhood drawings can raise alarms. Thus, for instance:

"One [Waldorf] parent, Ray Pereira, reported that he could not believe what he was hearing from the school faculty. His son's teacher had informed him that his child had to repeat prep because the boy's soul had not fully incarnated. She said 'his soul was hovering above the earth,' Pereira said. 'And she then produced a couple of my son's drawings as evidence that his depiction of the world was from a perspective looking down on the earth from above. I just looked at my wife and we both thought, we are out of here.'" — Aron Raphael, CULTS, TERROR AND MIND CONTROL (Bay Tree Publishing, 2009), p. 114.

 223.  "[W]e can understand the damage to the function and form to our organs that a technological instrument in daily use, like television [1], does to our ether body [2]. No true pictures are transmitted by this mechanism, only pictures formed from rapid light movements [3]. All TV, computers, video games — all this in daily use — work negatively onto the ether body ... All such electronic devices work onto the senses as destroyers of form and weakeners of life forces [4], subtly severing the human body from its cosmic origins [5]." — Waldorf teacher Audrey E. McAllen, SLEEP - An Unobserved Element in Education (Rudolf Steiner College Press, 2004), p. 14.

[1] Waldorf schools, following the lead set by Rudolf Steiner, are generally averse to modern technology. [See "technology" in the BWSE.] Waldorf schools often have "media policies" under which students' use of technological devices is strictly limited, both at school and at home. [See "media policies" in the BWSE.]

[2] Whether Waldorf's concerns about technology have any realistic basis is doubtful. These concerns are connected to such things as the Waldorf belief in the "ether body" — an invisible body that allegedly incarnates when a child is approximately seven years old. [See "etheric body" in the BWSE.]

[3] Of course, in reality, all images that reach the human eye do so in the form of light waves or "light movements." TV screens produce images through rapid changes in light patterns, but this does not make those images untrue. (Images projected by televisions are true or false for wholly different reasons.)

[4] In reality, there is no such thing as a "life force." Life force was a concept in nineteenth century science that was eventually discarded. [See "life force" in the BWSE.] But like many other obsolete and false concepts, belief in life force — our multiple life forces — hangs on in the Waldorf world. Sadly, it hangs on at the expense of giving children a good, solid, real education. 

“The success of Waldorf Education...can be measured in the life force attained. Not acquisition of knowledge and qualifications, but the life force is the ultimate goal of this school.” — Anthroposophist Peter Selg, THE ESSENCE OF WALDORF EDUCATION (SteinerBooks, 2010)‚ p. 30.

"Not acquisition of knowledge."

[5] According to Waldorf belief, modern technology disconnects us from the spiritual realm (it severs us from our "cosmic origin"). Chiefly, it does this by exposing us to the influences of demons. Steiner taught that steam engines cause demons to incarnate on Earth. Steiner's followers think devices more advanced than steam engines are even more effective at bringing demons into Earthly life. 

◊ “When we build steam-engines, we provide the opportunity for the incarnation of demons ... In the steam-engine, Ahrimanic demons [i.e., demons allied with the arch-demon Ahriman] are actually brought to the point of physical embodiment.” — Rudolf Steiner, “The Relation of Man to the Hierarchies” (ANTHROPOSOPHICAL MOVEMENT, Vol. V, Nos. 14-15, 1928).

◊ "[W]hat has been said here about the steam engine applies in a much greater degree to the technology of our time ... [T]elevision, for example. The result is that the demon magic spoken of by Rudolf Steiner is spreading more and more intensively on all sides ... It is very necessary that anyone who aspires towards the spiritual should realise clearly how the most varied opportunities for a virtual incarnation of elemental beings and demons are constantly on the increase."  — Waldorf graduate Georg Unger, “On ‘Mechanical Occultism’” (Mitteilungen aus der Anthroposophischen Arbeit in Deutschland nos. 68–69, 1964).◊ "When we consider computer technology, it is apparent...that we are dealing with an externalized ahrimanic doppelgänger [i.e., an evil human double associated with Ahriman] ... The computer is a cold machine with a very high level of intelligence and an uncompromising will ... Rudolf Steiner [describes] how these technologies, originating in America, will spread throughout the world." — Waldorf lecturer Andreas Neider in the introduction to a collection of Steiner lectures, THE ELECTRONIC DOPPELGÄNGER (Rudolf Steiner Press, 2016), pp. 8-17.

[See "computers", "demons", and "Ahriman" in the BWSE.]

 224.  “This is the obvious flaw in fact-based education [1]. Whether we were taught about the solar system, the Soviet Union, or computers, much of what we had to learn in school is now outdated [2].” — Waldorf teacher Jack Petrash, UNDERSTANDING WALDORF EDUCATION (Gryphon House, 2002), p. 26.

[1] Facts are what is otherwise known as information or knowledge. "Fact-based education" is knowledge-based education. It is real  education, giving kids real information about the real world. But this is precisely what Waldorf education rejects. Waldorf education is based on the fact-free, knowledge-averse mystical visions of Rudolf Steiner. [See, e.g., "knowledge" in the BWSE.] 

[2] Of course information changes — the human store of knowledge expands as science and scholarship make new discoveries. But this doesn't mean we should turn our backs on facts. It means we should teach kids how to acquire and test facts, and how to keep abreast of changes in human knowledge. We should, in other words, give them real educations. But Waldorf education has different goals and priorities. A few examples:

◊ “[T]he purpose of [Waldorf] education is to help the individual fulfill his karma.” — Waldorf teacher Roy Wilkinson, THE SPIRITUAL BASIS OF STEINER EDUCATION (Rudolf Steiner Press, 1996), p. 52.

◊ "Waldorf education is based upon the recognition that the four bodies of the human being [the physical, etheric, astral, and ego bodies] develop and mature at different times.” — Waldorf teacher Roberto Trostli, RHYTHMS OF LEARNING: What Waldorf Education Offers Children, Parents, and Teachers (SteinerBooks, 2017), p. 4.

◊ “Waldorf education strives to create a place in which the highest beings [i.e., the gods]...can find their home....” — Waldorf teacher Joan Almon, WHAT IS A WALDORF KINDERGARTEN? (SteinerBooks, 2007), p. 53.

◊ “The success of Waldorf Education...can be measured in the life force attained. Not acquisition of knowledge and qualifications, but the life force is the ultimate goal of this school.” — Anthroposophist Peter Selg, THE ESSENCE OF WALDORF EDUCATION (SteinerBooks, 2010)‚ p. 30.

"Not acquisition of knowledge."

Not a real education.

 225.  "I entered [a Waldorf school] when I was nine years old, and I completed all my schooling [at Waldorf schools] right through 12th grade. My analysis of my experience within this pedagogy leads me to believe that these are in fact schools where an insidious indoctrination process takes place [1] ... Rudolf Steiner makes it clear in some texts that these schools are the means by which Anthroposophy can be disseminated [2] ... [W]ithin these institutions, there is a transmission of [Anthroposophical] doctrine, but in my opinion it is done perniciously, making it difficult to detect [3] ... For example, Anthroposophists believe in the existence of Atlantis [4], a continent with soft-boned human beings with extensible limbs. If their arms were cut off, these could be reconstructed by the force of their will. [Also] according to Anthroposophy, the solar system reincarnates [as humans do] [5] ... The outermost planet is Saturn, gnomes cause plants to grow, Christ came down from the Sun and is now united with the Earth, and Mars is a liquid planet, a large water bubble. Anthroposophy is a whole cosmology composed of beliefs that contradict modern science. [6] Anthroposophy also includes practices and life choices that control the details of daily life. For example, women should not cut their hair too short, as this would develop their aggressiveness. It is recommended to eat rice on Mondays, as this cereal is related to the Moon, and Monday is the day dedicated to this star. Other cereals are recommended for each of the other days of the week. Vegetarianism is recommended, as eating meat would prevent you from having spiritual perceptions. The menu in Steiner-Waldorf school cafeterias is based on these principles. Freckles are a sign that you were an idiot in your previous life [7]. Atheists all have diseased organs, because atheism is unnatural. Knitting produces good teeth. [8] Anthroposophy as presented by Steiner is also a racist doctrine: Blacks are subject to their instinctive impulses because they think with their 'rear brain.' Asians ('yellows') think with their 'mid-brain,' which means they are controlled by their emotions. Only whites reason correctly, because they think with their 'fore-brains.' [9]"  — Former Waldorf student and teacher Grégoire Perra [10] 

[1] See "Indoctrination".

[2] See "Here's the Answer".

[3] See "Waldorf's Spiritual Agenda" and "Sneaking It In".

[4] See "Atlantis".

[5] See "solar system" in the BWSE.

[6] For an overview of Anthroposophical cosmology and the Anthroposophical view of science, "Everything" and "Science".

[7] I.e., through the processes of karma and reincarnation, your circumstances in one life are the result of your actions and conditions in previous lives. So, if you were idiotic in one life, you will have freckles in your next life.

[8] For an overview of life within Anthroposophy, see "My Life Among the Anthroposophists", "Cautionary Tales", and the series of "Ex-Teacher" essays.

An approximation of Waldorf-style art.

[R.R., in the 21st century.]

Proponents of Waldorf education — especially the true-believing Anthroposophists among them — have faith that Waldorf schooling, imbued with Anthroposophy, is itself a form of medical care, perhaps the only medical care children will need. Steiner promoted this faith:

 226.  "From the beginning of his work with teachers and physicians, Rudolf Steiner always stressed that educating is simultaneously healing, a subtle healing. The curriculum of the Waldorf school is therefore built exclusively on physiological aspects of learning and child development. Each subject is considered, above all, with respect to its effects on physical development ... [Steiner] develops his pedagogical starting point from those principles and interconnections of [spiritual/therapeutic] laws that work throughout human life in the service of health and represent the system of forces that promote self-healing." — Waldorf school doctor Michaela Glöckler, EDUCATION AS PREVENTIVE MEDICINE (Rudolf Steiner College Press, 2002), pp. 15-16.

Hence, children who attend Waldorf schools may not need vaccinations or other ordinary medical treatments. Rather, they can rely on the healing forces that flow into them thanks to their enrollment in these wondrous schools. 

(And, significantly, this conception of Waldorf education, coming from the founder of Waldorf education, shifts focus away from the crux of real education as most people understand it: conveying knowledge to children, teaching them. Rather, Waldorf schools focus on the occult pattern of human development dreamed up by R. Steiner.)

 227.  "Post-Modern art [1] has found a new polarity in 'environment' or 'happening' art, or conceptual art. But there is a vacuum nowadays filling with commercialism, technology and blasphemy [2]. The most fantastic it is the more it makes its mark. Or the laws and dictates of the machine [3] take over ... Actually, what now fills art galleries and museums or takes the fancy of the critics and art dealers is desecration, urine, excrement and dirty beds! [4]" — Anthroposophist Anne Stockton, introduction to ART - An Introductory Reader (Sophia Books, Rudolf Steiner Press, 2003), p. 3.

[1] Anthroposophy generally deplores the modern and post-modern — in art as in all else. Anthroposophy is, in many ways, a backward creed. [See, e.g., "The Ancients".]

[2] Good art, according to Anthroposophy, is essentially spiritual or even religious. It reflects and serves the beneficent gods, as conceived in the heterodox, polytheistic doctrines developed by Rudolf Steiner. In this sense (and perhaps only in this sense) it is never "blasphemous."

[3] "The machine" is modern technology and its products, which Anthroposophy generally abhors. [See, e.g., "technology" in the BWSE.]

[4] Stockton's extremely hostile (and highly debatable) characterization of post-modern art is consistent with Anthroposophy's view of modern culture and society generally. The modern world is populated, at least in part, by people who are blind rodents, robots, or demons. Or so Steiner said. 

◊ “When we today — permeated even a little with anthroposophical consciousness — take a walk in the streets, we no longer see human people; rather we see moles that move about in the smallest of circles....” — Rudolf Steiner, EDUCATION FOR ADOLESCENTS (Anthroposophic Press, 1996), p. 92. 

◊ "[W]e must not shock [our students' parents]. We cannot speak to them in the way we speak among ourselves. We cannot say to them: 'You ought to be grateful for the fact that your son cannot read and write fluently at the age of nine* ... If he could read and write to perfection already at age nine, he would later turn into an automaton...a robot.'” — Rudolf Steiner, EDUCATION FOR ADOLESCENTS (Anthroposophic Press, 1996), p. 128. 

◊ "Imagine what people would say if they heard that we say there are people who are not human beings. Nevertheless, these are facts. Our culture would not be in such a decline if people felt more strongly that a number of people are going around who, because they are completely ruthless, have become something that is not human, but instead are demons in human form." — Rudolf Steiner, FACULTY MEETINGS WITH RUDOLF STEINER (Anthroposophic Press, 1998), p. 650.

* Waldorf schools generally postpone instruction in reading and writing until children reach age seven or even later.

 228.  "The moist earth where [a plant's] seeds germinate and the roots grow...is the domain of the elemental beings [1] of the earth, the gnomes [2]. The region of moist air where the leaves unfold...is the domain of water beings or undines, nymphs [3]. That of warm air is the place of sylphs or air sprites [4] who serve the blossoms ... Lastly, the concentrations of fire and light within the blossom...give a home to the fire spirits or fire sprites [5]...." — Anthroposophist Roger Druitt, OBSERVING NATURE'S SECRET (Rudolf Steiner Press, 2018), p. 88.

[1] According to the belief system on which Waldorf education is founded — Anthroposophy — the ancients were right: The physical world is built up from just four elements: earth, air, fire, and water. Anthroposophy teaches that each element is the manifestation of an invisible "elemental being" or "nature spirit." [See "Neutered Nature".] These beliefs are, of course, incompatible with modern science, which has identified over 100 elements — with nary an elemental being anywhere.

[2] According to Anthroposophy, the element of earth is the province, and manifestation, of gnomes. [See "Gnomes".] The gnome dolls and figurines often found in Waldorf schools represent these entities, which Steiner taught are real. Hence, the dolls serve to subtly introduce young Waldorf students to Anthroposophical beliefs. [See "Sneaking It In".] Gnomes are also sometimes called dwarves or goblins. In science, of course, earth (dirt, soil), is not an element — it is a compound typically including such elements as calcium, copper, iron, magnesium, nitrogen, phosphorous, potassium, and zinc.

[3] Anthroposophists believe the element of water is the province, and manifestation, of undines — also called nymphs. [See "undines" in the BWSE (BW/SE).] In science, of course, water is not an element — rather, it is a combination of two elements, hydrogen and oxygen (H2O).

[4] The element of air, Anthroposophists say, is the province, and manifestation, of sylphs — also called air sprites. [See "sylphs" in the BWSE.] In science, of course, air is not an element — rather, it consists of a combination of many elements, predominantly nitrogen and oxygen.

[5] In Anthroposophym, the element of fire is believed to be the province, and manifestation, of fire spirits — also called fire sprites and salamanders. [See "fire spirits" in the BWSE.] In science, of course, fire is not an element — rather, it is the process of combustion in which various substances combine with oxygen, producing heat, light, and (often) smoke. 

Fire spirits ("salamanders") should not be confused with the amphibians also called salamanders. The amphibians (once believed to be fireproof) actually exist, whereas the elemental beings called fire spirits ("salamanders") do not.

 229.  "Childhood diseases — these specific diseases result from a necessary developmental process in which the human being tries to overcome influences from the inherited physical body [1]. The child must bring inherited substances into line with his own 'I' [2], a process that culminates in the change of teeth [3]. The intensity of this process depends on the degree of conformity between the physical body and the 'I'. The bigger the difference, the more intense the harmonization process expressed in these types of disease will have to be [4]. This basic concept of the origin of childhood diseases has been complicated by new forms of medication that suppress symptoms (vaccination). Although these medicines are widely applied to prevent childhood diseases, it is clear that the harmonization process is partly blocked by their use. [5]" — Waldorf teacher Henk van Oort, ANTHROPOSOPHY A-Z (Rudolf Steiner Press, 2011), p. 20. 

[1] I.e., according to Anthroposophical belief, inherited characteristics (received from one's parents) must be overcome if a child is to develop properly. Karma may require you to have certain parents; likewise, karma may require you to undergo certain diseases in order to overcome inheritances from those parents, inheritances that restrict the development of your unique individuality.

[2] The "I" is the spiritual ego, the spark of divinity that constitutes one's individuality. [See "Ego".] Here, van Oort says inherited physical characteristics must be corrected — they must be brought into "conformity" with the "I".

[3] The change of teeth — replacement of baby teeth by adult teeth — is given extraordinary importance in Anthroposophical doctrines. [See "teeth" in the BWSE.] The change is said to signal the incarnation of the etheric body, occurring at about age seven. [See "etheric body" in the BWSE.]

[4] I.e., childhood diseases are necessary and even beneficial — they affect the physical body in ways that lead to the "harmonization process." If the physical body is badly misaligned with the "I", the harmoniation process may be intense — the child may need to undergo intense or severe illnesses, for her/his own good.

[5] Medical practices that would block the harmonization process — in particular, vaccination — are at least potentially harmful. If the harmonization process is necessary, as Anthroposophy teaches, then medical practices such as vaccination should generally be avoided. In a sense, all this is a matter of karma — purging the legacy one carries into this life, a legacy created by the errors committed in past lives. [See "Karma" and "Reincarnation".]

 230.  "In cancer, as Steiner describes it, the etheric body [1] is no longer fully under the influence of the astral and ego [2], but starts behaving autonomously ... We could say that cancer is a tissue growing with a foreign etheric force [3] separated from the patients's overall etheric forces ... [Steiner] also speaks of ways in which we can view medicinal herbs through an intuitive type of perception [4] ... Steiner describes mistletoe [5] as 'aristocratic, Bohemian and contrary' ... [I]t has a certain maverick quality, doing its own thing ... Although few of us, if any, have Steiner's highly developed perceptive capacities [6], we can at least make a start in his direction. We can also subject his findings to scientific analysis [7]." — Anthroposophical doctor Andrew Maendl, commentary in MEDICINE - An Introductory Reader, a compilation of Steiner texts (Rudolf Steiner Press, 2003), pp. 145-146.

[1] This is the first of three invisible bodies that, according to Steiner, incarnate early in a human being's life. [See "Incarnation".]

[2] The astral body and the ego body are the second and third of the three invisible bodies. [See "Incarnation".]

[3] See "etheric force(s)" in the BWSE.

[4] Intuition, Steiner taught, is a precursor to — or a form of — clairvoyance. [See "intuition" in the BWSE.]

[5] Steiner taught that mistletoe can be used to treat cancer. [See "mistletoe" in the BWSE.]

[6] Steiner claimed to employ a very high, "exact" form of clairvoyance. [See "Exactly".] Despite a virtually complete absence of evidence, his claim is generally accepted by his followers. (There is, indeed, little or no evidence that any type of clairvoyance — exact or otherwise — actually exists. [See "Clairvoyance".])

[7] Some "scientific" studies touted by Steiner's followers seem to show that mistletoe indeed has curative anti-cancer properties. Maendl cites such a study from 2001. However, an authoritative 2019 review of the medical literature reached a devastating conclusion: 

"With respect to survival, a thorough review of the literature does not provide any indication to prescribe mistletoe to patients with cancer." [See https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/30673873.] 

A journal devoted to science stated the matter thus: 

"[T]he researchers concluded that the product [extract of mistletoe] has no efficacy in the treatment of cancer or even in supportive care. The authors state that most studies showing a benefit are either of poor quality or compromised by strong conflicts of interest because they are linked to the pharmaceutical companies directly concerned." 

[For Waldorf Watch coverage, see "Mistletoe and Cancer - Heart of a Scandal", May 19, 2019.]

 231.  "Imagination as living, pictorial thinking [1] is a primary aspect of the anthroposophical path of schooling [2]. Rudolf Steiner regards Imagination [3] as a foundational stage of supersensible cognition [4] ... Rudolf Steiner states that the development of sense-free logical thinking [5] is the precondition for Imagination (and supersensible cognition altogether [6])." — Anthroposophist Edward de Boer, introduction to a collection of Steiner texts, IMAGINATION - Enhancing the Powers of Thinking (Rudolf Steiner Press, 2019), pp. 1-2.

[1] According to Steiner, living thoughts are true spiritual apprehensions, achieved through the use of intuition or clairvoyance — a participatory process in which one lovingly, imaginatively enters into the inner essence of the subject being considered. [See the discussion of "living thoughts" in "Thinking".]

[2] This refers to schooling in Anthroposophy itself, not Waldorf schooling per se. The former is the occult path of initiation prescribed by Rudolf Steiner for his followers. [See "Inside Scoop" and "Knowing the Worlds".] But imagination is indeed stressed in Waldorf schooling. The purpose is this latter case is to start children on the path that may lead, ultimately, to full, adult commitment to Anthroposophy.

[3] Distinctions must be made here. According to Anthroposophy, imagination is not fantasizing — it is not dreaming up pictures of things that never were. Instead, according to Anthroposophical belief, imagination is the formation of vivid, true mental pictures. And a further distinction must be made, between imagination (small i) and Imagination (capital I). In Anthroposophical belief, imagination (small i) produces accurate mental images of ordinary reality, whereas Imagination (capital I) produces true apprehensions of spiritual realities. Imagination (capital I) is a type of "supersensible cognition," yielding accurate visions of realities that lie beyond the reach of our senses — things that are essentially supernatural or spiritual.

[4] This, in a word, is clairvoyance. [See "Clairvoyance".] According to Anthroposophical belief, Imagination (capital I) is the first of three stages of clairvoyance. The other stages are Inspiration and Intuition. [See the entries for all these terms in the BWSE]. According to Steiner, a range of cognitive stages is available to mankind today. Simplifying greatly, we can say they are — running from lowest to highest — ordinary rational consciousness, imagination (small i), Imagination (capital I), Inspiration (capital I), and Intuition (capital I). Ordinary rational consciousness has its uses, Steiner taught, but it is also a barrier that must be overcome. Small-i imagination is, effectively, a transitional stage that may lead to clairvoyance. Capital-I Imagination, Inspiration, and Intuition are progressive stages of true clairvoyance, yielding true knowledge of the spirit realm. (Steiner said that for mankind generally, the stages of true clairvoyance will not be attained until we evolved to Future Jupiter, Future Venus, and Future Vulcan, respectively. [See the entries for these terms in the BWSE]. But, Steiner indicated, his followers can attain them now.)

[5] "Supersensible" cognition is free of the senses — it does not depend on the unreliable reports we get from our eyes, ears, and so on. "Sense-free logical thinking" is a perfected, higher form of ordinary rational thought, freed from sensory input. It is "pure" thinking, produced by the mind turned back on itself, which opens the door leading toward clairvoyance. (Whether Anthroposophy values logical or intellectual thought is dubious, at best. Steiner generally dismissed intellect — it destroys or hinders, he said. [See, e.g., WALDORF EDUCATION AND ANTHROPOSOPHY, Vol. 1 (Anthroposophic Press, 1995, p. 233.] Rationalists would argue, moreover, that sensory input — the reports we get from our senses — are indispensable. These reports bring us indications from which we can deduce facts, knowledge, reality. Our senses may deceive us, certainly, as may our minds. But this means we must be vigilant and scrupulous; it does not mean that we should disregard what our senses tell us. "Supersensible cognition" is, from this critical perspective, unmoored, disconnected from the actual world. Such "cognition" becomes the very thing Steiner and his followers claim to disown: imagination as commonly understood, which is to say mere fantasizing.) 

[6] I.e., all types of clairvoyance: Imagination, Inspiration, and Intuition. While de Boer is dealing with Anthroposophical initiation rather than Waldorf schooling, he lays out a key set of concepts that underlie Waldorf schooling. [See, e.g., "Soul School".]

[Waldorf Publications, 2017]

 232.  “Rudolf Steiner describes that the task of education in the spiritual sense [1] is to bring the Soul-Spirit [2] into harmony with the Life Body. [3] He introduces the terms sentient or astral body [4], etheric body [5], and physical body. Gaining a background in what these terms mean is an essential part of early Waldorf teacher education and needs to be revisited over and over again [6]. Working with these subtle bodies [7] is a bedrock of the Waldorf teacher’s understanding of human development….” — Waldorf teacher Betty Staley, in ENTRY POINTS - A Guide to Rudolf Steiner’s Study of Man, edited by Elan Leibner (Waldorf Publications, 2017), p. 17. [8]

[1] From the Waldorf perspective, education in the true “spiritual sense” is education based on Rudolf Steiner’s gnostic creed, Anthroposophy. When a Waldorf school is run properly — that is, in accordance with Rudolf Steiner's teachings — then it provides education in the true “spiritual sense” as conceived by Steiner. 

[2] This, according to Steiner, is the combined soul and spirit; it is sometimes called the spirit-soul. Steiner taught that a human being has both a soul and a spirit. Your soul is your spiritual identity during one incarnation; your spirit is your eternal spiritual identity, which you carry through all your incarnations. [For further information about the various subjects we are touching on, see the appropriate entries in the BWSE: "soul", "spirit", etc.] 

[3] According to Waldorf belief, this is the etheric body; it is an envelope (a body) of formative forces. Technically, harmonizing the Soul-Spirit with the etheric body is the chief goal of Waldorf education only in the early years. Steiner taught that the etheric body incarnates at about age seven. Education before then is largely a preparation for this event, and education immediately afterward is largely a response to this event. Later, attention starts to turn to the astral body. 

[4] This is the second of the subtle bodies that children develop, Steiner taught. An envelope or body of soul forces, it incarnates at about age 14. [See “Incarnation”.] 

[5] This is the life body, mentioned previously. It is also sometimes called the formative-forces body. 

[6] Becoming immersed in Anthroposophical doctrines is indeed central to Waldorf teacher training. [See "Teacher Training".] The result may best be described as Anthroposophical indoctrination. [See "Indoctrination" for descriptions Waldorf teacher indoctrination.]

[7] For "subtle", read invisible, gossamer, spiritual. (Steiner often preferred the term "supersensible" — meaning beyond the reach of our ordinary senses.) 

[8] STUDY OF MAN has also been published under other titles, such as A GENERAL KNOWLEDGE OF THE HUMAN BEING and THE FOUNDATIONS OF HUMAN EXPERIENCE. Under the latter title, the book is the first volume in the series Foundations of Waldorf Education, published by the Anthroposophic Press. [See "Oh Humanity".] 

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The crucial point in all this is the acknowledgement that Waldorf teachers should be deeply versed in Anthroposophical beliefs. They should adopt these beliefs early and return to them throughout their careers. 

"Gaining a background in what these terms mean is an essential part of early Waldorf teacher education and needs to be revisited over and over again."

 233.  “[Waldorf] education is essentially grounded on the recognition of the child as a spiritual being, with a varying number of incarnations behind him [1], who is returning at birth into the physical world, into a body [2] that will be slowly moulded into a usable instrument by the soul-spiritual forces [3] he brings with him. He has chosen his parents for himself [4] because of what they can provide for him that he needs in order to fulfill his karma [5], and, conversely, they too need their relationship with him in order to fulfill their own karma ... Teachers too will know that it is their task to help the child to make use of his body, to help his soul-spiritual forces to find expression through it, rather than regarding it as their duty to cram him with information and knowledge [6]....” — Anthroposophist Stewart C. Easton, MAN AND WORLD IN THE LIGHT OF ANTHROPOSOPHY (Anthroposophic Press, 2023), pp. 277-278.

[1] According to Anthroposophical belief, the child has had numerous previous lives. Reincarnation is a key Anthroposophical tenet. Hence, depending on how many times s/he has reincarnated, the child has "a varying number of incarnations behind him." [See "Reincarnation".]

[2] This is the physical body. Steiner taught that the child also has, or will develop, three additional, nonphysical bodies. [See “Incarnation”.]

[3] Anthroposophists believe that each human has both a soul and a spirit. [See the entries for these terms in the BWSE.]

[4] I.e., the child makes this choice while still living in the spirit realm, prior to beginning a new life in the physical world.

[5] Anthroposophical belief in reincarnation is paired with belief in karma. [See "Karma".]

[6] Waldorf education is largely anti-intellectual, placing low emphasis on "information and knowledge." In general, Waldorf schools have had low academic standards. [See "Academic Standards at Waldorf".] Whereas many people think education should provide children with knowledge about the real world, equipping the kids for life in the real world, Waldorf schools have other priorities. [See "Here's the Answer".]

 234.  "Imaginative cognition [1] is...[a] step leading toward the supersensible world [2], and is followed by the further stages of Inspiration and Intuition [3] ... Whereas enhanced wakefulness [4] focuses solely on our material, corporeal and sensory surroundings [5], Imagination leads us into the world of flowing, living pictures [6], and thus is a form of independent pictorial thinking no longer founded on merely representational or object [sic] awareness [7]. The world of Imagination appears as a realm of soul and spirit [8] in which everything is in continual movement [9]." — Anthroposophist Edward de Boer, introduction to a collection of Steiner texts, IMAGINATION - Enhancing the Powers of Thinking (Rudolf Steiner Press, 2019), pp. 1-2.

[1] This is heightened imagination — the first stage of clairvoyance, or (at a minimum) a precursor to clairvoyance. [See "imagination" in the BWSE.] Imagination is stressed in Waldorf schooling, often as an antidote to intellect or rationality. [See "Thinking Cap".] Many Waldorf teachers believe they are clairvoyant [see "The Waldorf Teacher's Consciousness"]; they do not, however, usually seek to foster clairvoyance, as such, among their students. Instead, they encourage imaginative thinking that, according to Anthroposophical doctrine, may help preserve young students' intuitive ties to the spirit realm, and lead to the possible development of "exact" clairvoyant powers eventually. Steiner claimed to exercise exact clairvoyance, and attaining such power is a central goal for his followers. [See "Exactly".]

[2] I.e., the world lying beyond the reach of our senses — the spirit realm.

[3] See the entries for these terms in the BWSE. "Inspiration" is a clairvoyant stage beyond Imagination, and "Intuition" is a stage beyond Inspiration.

[4] I.e., ordinary but sharpened brain-and-senses consciousness. (Steiner taught that clairvoyance, by contrast, is "supersensible" — it does not rely on the brain or ordinary senses, but transcends them.)

[5] I.e., the world accessible to our senses — what is often called the real world.

[6] See "living pictures" and "living thoughts" in the BWSE.

[7] I.e., such thinking is freed of the restrictions found in the physical realm — it does not confine itself to representing or objectively conveying information about "our material, corporeal and sensory surroundings."

[8] Steiner distinguished between these. [See the entries for these terms in the BWSE.]

[9] This, indeed, is how Steiner described the spirit realm. Just as human beings are evolving, Steiner taught, the gods above us are also evolving. [See "gods" in the BWSE.] Moreover, the truths of the spirit realm (the thoughts or embodiments of the gods) evolve and grow. Thus, the spirit realm is epitomized by "continual movement," continual flux and ascendance. There are no harsh lines or divisions in that realm, Steiner taught, but instead entities flow together without sharp boundaries or distinctly separate forms.

“You see, when the soul arrives on earth...it has come down from spirit-soul worlds in which there are no spatial forms ... But though the world from which the soul descends has no spatial forms or lines, it does have color intensities, color qualities. Which is to say that the world man inhabits between death and a new birth... is a soul-permeated, spirit-permeated world of light, of color, of tone; a world of qualities not quantities; a world of intensities rather than extensions.” — Rudolf Steiner, THE ARTS AND THEIR MISSION (Anthroposophic Press, 1964), p. 23.

"Living pictures" express the living thoughts that constitute the "world of intensities rather than extensions." Waldorf students are taught to approximate such pictures (generally without being told the reason) by producing "wet-on-wet" watercolor paintings that have few if any distinct lines or sharply separated forms. [See "wet-on-wet painting" in the BWSE.]

 235.  "The success of Waldorf Education, Rudolf Steiner [said], can be measured in the life force attained [1]. Not acquisition of knowledge and qualifications [2], but the life force is the ultimate goal of this school. What is this life force? According to Rudolf Steiner it is nothing biological [3], it is a force of the incarnated individuality [4]. It includes the capacities of courage and hope — so that the young people who graduate from a Waldorf school will have the confidence that they can cope with their future, that they are ready to take hold of their life [5]." — Anthroposophist Peter Selg, THE ESSENCE OF WALDORF EDUCATION (SteinerBooks, 2010)‚ p. 30.

[1] Steiner often adopted concepts and terms originated by others; his contribution (if we can call it that) was to give those concepts a spiritualistic twist. He did this with the idea of "life force." Several nineteenth century philosophers and scientists hypothesized the existence of a force in nature, a "life force" (élan vital), that conveys life, confers health, and fosters the process of evolution. Although the idea of such a force seemed intuitively obvious to many people, no specific, identifiable life force was ever discovered, and science ultimately dropped the concept. But like many other obsolete or rejected beliefs, life force lingers on in the thinking that underlies Waldorf education.

[2] Waldorf schools indeed do not usually emphasize "knowledge and qualifications." This is a severe fault. Knowledge and qualification are essential goals in any real form of education. To receive a genuine education, students must be provided with real, reliable knowledge about the world, and they should be equipped with the skills — the qualifications — that will enable them to make their way in the world. Otherwise, their schooling may prove to be a sort of unintended hoax — it teaches them little and it helps them little. And that, sadly, is what Waldorf schooling can often become — a false form of education that focuses on a false concept: "life force."

[3] I.e., it is spiritual; it is not rooted in, or a product of, the physical body. Virtually all concepts given credence in Waldorf thinking are fundamentally spiritual. Waldorf schools are essentially spiritual or religious institutions, the religion being Anthroposophy. [See "Schools as Churches" and "Is Anthroposophy a Religion?"]

[4] Anthroposophy embraces the concepts of incarnation and reincarnation. Steiner taught that a child, with its unique individuality, incarnates on Earth after a life in the spirit realm. Prior to that, the child had many other lives, alternating between the physical and spiritual realms. [See "Incarnation" and "Reincarnation".] As with the concept of life force, if the concepts of incarnation and reincarnation are false, then central props are knocked out from under Waldorf education.

[5] Waldorf schools do attempt to give their students confidence. Unfortunately, the result can be a false (and thus fragile) sense of self-assurance. Typical Waldorf grads may think highly of  themselves, but in many cases this self-assurance may crack when the grads come in contact with the world beyond Waldorf's protective walls. If Waldorf schools do not give students much real knowledge nor equip them with real qualifications, the "courage and hope" instilled may prove useless. [See "Mistreating Kids Lovingly".] It would be far better to graduate from school possessing knowledge and qualifications than feeling charged up with a surfeit of imaginary "life force."

 236.  “A growing question in Waldorf kindergartens and schools is to what extent is Waldorf education bound to the Christian religion [1] and to what extent is it more universal. The answer points towards the modern mysteries [2], for Waldorf education is centered around the Christ as a Universal Being [3] who has helped humans in their development from the beginning of time [4]. Rudolf Steiner speaks of the Christ in the present time as dwelling in the etheric world surrounding the earth [5] through which each incarnating soul passes [6] ... Waldorf education strives to create a place in which the highest beings [7], including the Christ, can find their home, but it is not bound to one religion or another [8].” — Waldorf teacher Joan Almon, WHAT IS A WALDORF KINDERGARTEN? (SteinerBooks, 2007), p. 53.

[1] The Waldorf belief system, Anthroposophy, may appear to be Christian — it reveres Christ. But the Christ of Anthroposophy is the Sun God, the same god worshipped under such names as Hu and Baldr. [See "Sun God".] This is not the Christ worshipped in orthodox or mainstream Christianity. The differences between Anthroposophy and Christianity are at least as large as the similarities. [See "Was He Christian?"]

[2] The "mysteries" at the core of Anthroposophy — modern mysteries and ancient mysteries — are spiritual secrets, the hidden spiritual wisdom that Steiner claimed to penetrate. [See "Everything".]

[3] I.e., a god. Anthroposophy is polytheistic, revering many gods of many ranks. This is one of the key differences between it and Christianity. As "a" Universal Being, the Anthroposophical Christ is a very high god, having universal importance; but Anthroposophy also acknowledge numerous other high, universal gods. [See "Polytheism".]

[4] Steiner taught that Christ has involved himself in mankind's evolution several times, starting long, long ago. Christ's life on Earth as recorded in the New Testament was only one of the times Christ "helped humans in their development." [See "Christ Events".]

[5] This, in Anthroposophical belief, is the Second Coming of Christ. He did not return to the physical Earth but to the "etheric" region around the Earth. [See "Second Coming" in the BWSE.]

[6] I.e., each child who descends to Earth in order to be born (or reincarnated) passes through the etheric region before reaching the physical planet. [See "etheric realm" in the BWSE.]

[7] I.e., the gods.

[8] This is true only if we accept the claim that Anthroposophy is not a religion. But, in fact, Anthroposophy is  a religion — it is the religion that Waldorf schools are "bound to."  [See "Is Anthroposophy a Religion?"] 

[Waldorf Publications, 2017]

 237.  "The College [1] in every Waldorf school has the sacred duty [2] to get to know and work with the Archangel Michael [3]. Through him the College can receive the drop of light [4] that enlightens their work; through him they can unite themselves with his mission [5] to create a more human future; through him they can experience more fully The Spirit [6] of The Waldorf School." — Waldorf teacher Roberto Trostli, THY WILL BE DONE: The Task of the College of Teachers in Waldorf Schools (Waldorf Publications, 2017), p. 70.

[1] I.e., the "college of teachers" — the central leadership committee within a tyipcal Waldorf school. [See "college of teachers" in the BWSE.]

[2] The college of teachers has a "sacred duty" because Waldorf schools are essentially religious institutions, the religion being Anthroposophy. [See "Is Anthroposophy a Religion?" and "Schools as Churches".]

[3] In Anthroposophical belief, Michael is the Archangel of the Sun. A warrior-god, Michael fights on behalf of Christ, the Sun God. [See "Michael".]

[4] I.e., a portion of divine radiance, originating on the Sun.

[5] Steiner taught that Michael is overseeing human evolution in our time. His mission is to steer us to higher spiritual levels — a mission he accomplishes while fending off our spiritual adversaries. His mission is essentially the same as the mission of Anthroposophy, which is reflected in Waldorf schools. [See "School of Michael" in the BWSE. Concerning the mission of Waldorf schools, see "Mission".]

[6] This "Spirit," Steiner taught, is the true spirit of Christianity — by which he meant worship of the Sun God. [See "Sun God".] True Christianity, Steiner taught, is not to be found in mainstream Christian churches but in his own teachings, Anthroposophy. [See "Christianity" in the BWSE.] In this sense, the Spirit of The Waldorf School can be understood as the god — or a close relation to the god — of Anthroposophy. [See "Anthroposophia" in the BWSE.]

 238.  "It is a key tenet of anthroposophy [1] that the night, when we sleep, is an essential counterpart to the day. By day we possess the capacity of conscious, logical thinking, while at night, leaving the physical body [2] to regenerate, we give ourselves up to a quite different form of consciousness. Steiner describes night-time as the realm of intuition [3], a place of deep spiritual encounter [4] ... For initiates [5], as we learn both from the ancient mysteries [6] and from modern initiation science [7], the night is a field of conscious awareness, becoming illumined if we can acquire supersensible consciousness [8] within it." — Anthroposophist Edward de Boer, introduction to a collection of Steiner texts, THE NIGHT - As a Wellspring of Strength (Rudolf Steiner Press, 2018), pp. 1-2.

[1] Anthroposophists usually deny that their spiritual system has "tenets" or "doctrines" — they deny that it is a religion. But sometimes (perhaps unintentionally) they admit the truth, which is that Anthroposophy is indeed a religion that does indeed have tenets and doctrines. [See "Is Anthroposophy a Religion?"]

[2] Steiner taught that, at night, two of our four bodies — the astral body and the "I" — leave the physical Earth and enter the spirit realm. [See "Incarnation".]

[3] In Anthroposophical belief, intuition — when properly schooled — is a high form of clairvoyance. Thus, the visions that a true Anthroposophist has at night are not mere dreams — they are clairvoyant apprehensions of spiritual truths. [See "Dreams".]

[4] I.e., when the the astral body and the "I" enter the spirit realm at night, they encounter the gods there.

[5] Anthroposophists — including many of those who work as Waldorf teachers — consider themselves occult initiates: They think they have been admitted to the inner circle of spiritual savants, making them privy to spiritual secrets. [See "Inside Scoop".]

[6] "Ancient mysteries," in the sense used here, are spiritual secrets known to ancient seers. Anthroposophists trace much of their own spiritual "wisdom" to hush-hush ancient lore.

[7] The modern spiritual "science" pursued by Steiner's followers is Anthroposophy. [See "Everything" and "Knowing the Worlds".] Committing oneself to Anthroposophy is meant to produce "initiation" into the circle of those who possess occult knowledge (or who profess to do so). [See "Inside Scoop".]

[8] "Supersensible consciousness" is a purported form of awareness that does not depend on information provided by our ordinary senses. It is, in a word, clairvoyance, which purportedly pierces the veil separating physical reality from the spirit realm. Everything in Anthroposophy (and, by extension, in Waldorf education) ultimately depends on the use of clairvoyance. And this is a severe problem, since there is virtually no evidence that clairvoyance actually exists. [See "Clairvoyance".]

◊

Many Waldorf teachers — those who are devout Anthroposophists — use highly questionable means to get to "know" their students and to direct their students' educations. Many rely on their claimed powers of clairvoyance. Many also rely on their dreams. Some may consult horoscopes. And so forth. If you doubt that wisdom can come through such things — if you doubt that such things convey truth — you may want to think long and hard before sending your child to a Waldorf school.

 239.  “One question that is often asked is: ‘Is a Waldorf school a religious school?’ The best answer that I have heard to that question is 'Yes and No. [1]' It is not a religious school in the way that we commonly think of religion. There is no creed, no catechism, and no proselytizing [2] ... And yet, in a broad and universal way, the Waldorf school is essentially religious [3] ... [I]nnate spiritual awareness shines in little children like the light that sparkles in their eyes [4] ... For their continued spiritual development [5], children need only a little outward instruction. According to Rudolf Steiner, they simply need to be taught in a balanced three-dimensional way, that that develops head, heart, and hands [6] to preserve their innate religious awareness [7].” — Waldorf teacher Jack Petrash, UNDERSTANDING WALDORF EDUCATION  (Nova Institute, 2002), pp. 134-135.

[1] Waldorf spokespeople often equivocate in this way. Whenever possible, they tend to avoid direct answers to direct questions. Steiner urged his followers to do this — and, indeed, he urged them to mislead outsiders. [See "Secrets".]

[2] When Waldorf representatives say things like this, they may think they are speaking the truth. Rudolf Steiner insisted that Anthroposophy — the spiritual system that pervades Waldorf schools — is not a religion. If this were true, then it would be correct to say that Waldorf schools have "no creed, no catechism, and no proselytizing." But if we recognize Anthroposophy for what it actually is — a religion — then all of this changes. Then we must acknowledge that Waldorf schools do have a creed — Anthroposophy;  there is a catechism — the doctrines of Anthroposophy; and proselytizing is constant — luring students toward Anthroposophy. [See "Is Anthroposophy a Religion?", "Schools as Churches", and "Sneaking It In".] So, for instance, Waldorf students recite a mildly disguised Anthroposophical catechism when they recite the morning prayers Steiner wrote for them. [See "Prayers".]

[3] From an Anthroposophical perspective, the religious spirit found in Waldorf education is "universal" because Anthroposophy is considered the universal truth that undergirds all other knowledge. [See "Everything".] But note that for Petrash's admission to make sense, Anthroposophy must be acknowledged as a religion.

[4] In Anthroposophical/Waldorf belief, little children arrive on Earth with memories of, and ties to, the spirit realm. "Spiritual awareness shines" in them. [See "Thinking Cap".] As a different Waldorf teacher has written:

"[Children are born with] a dream-like yet intensely real awareness of spiritual worlds. This awareness fades quickly in early childhood, but fragments of it live on in the child for a much longer time than most people imagine ... [I]n a Waldorf school, therefore, one of the tasks of the teachers is to keep the children young." — A. C. Harwood, PORTRAIT OF A WALDORF SCHOOL (The Myrin Institute Inc., 1956), pp. 15-16.

Keeping kids young means retarding the maturation process, which can include such strategies as withholding real information about the real world — the sort of knowledge that constitutes the essence of a genuine education. Instead, Waldorf schools encourage students to dwell within a "dream-like" world of fantasy.  

[5] Waldorf schools are "essentially religious" because they undertake spiritual tasks, such as fostering children's "spiritual development." They do work that ordinarily would be undertaken by a church, mosque, or temple. When Waldorf schools pursue such work, they implicitly acknowledge that they are religious institutions. (Note that "spiritual development" may be quite different from mental or intellectual development. Steiner generally warned against the harm he said intellect can inflict on children and even adults. One consequence is that academic standards at Waldorf schools are often low. [See "Academic Standards at Waldorf".])

[6] "Head, heart, and hands" is a commonly used Waldorf motto. Waldorf schools claim to educate the "whole child." But their conception of human wholeness is rooted deeply in Steiner's mystical preachments: Humans have four bodies, twelves senses, both souls and spirits, karmas, astrological identities, etc. [See "Holistic Education".] In this, again, we see that Waldorf schools embrace a religious vision, one that cannot be confirmed by rational, scientific investigation. Clairvoyance is needed, Steiner indicated. But this is a delusion, since clairvoyance does not exist. [See "Clairvoyance".] So, in reality, faith is needed — as Steiner sometimes admitted. [See "Faith".]

[7] Previously, Petrash spoke of "spiritual awareness." Here he changes his wording to "religious awareness." Preserving such awareness is part of the religious mission of Waldorf education — it is a major reason that Waldorf schools can be described as "essentially religious." [For more on Waldorf's self-appointed mission, see "Mission".]

 240.  "I was a teacher of philosophy at Steiner-Waldorf schools until my 37th year. But within myself, I had already started a process of reflection and criticism. I had long held doubts, but eventually I chose to heed them. My first doubt concerned Anthroposophy's claim that it is method enabling its followers to become clairvoyants capable of perceiving the spiritual world. Since I was nine years old, I had never met a single Anthroposophist who actually had this ability. Another question that bothered me was the behavior of Rudolf Steiner's followers who, quite systematically, had a complicated relationship with the law. In Waldorf schools, I witnessed cheating during academic inspections [1]. Facts were also sometimes masked which, if they had become known in civil society, could have damaged a school and caused it to close. When I started teaching in parallel in public schools [2], I was able to make comparisons and I realized that this was not normal. I also found some of Steiner's semi-secret texts where he gives very clear advice on lying. I quote: 'You have to talk to people and internally fool them' [3]. Rudolf Steiner was a man with an enormous charisma that deeply affected the people around him. Anthroposophists even imitated him when he limped. It was therefore he who transmitted these behaviurs and values to the leaders of Anthroposophy [4]. I was a big shot in the movement, writing articles in Anthroposophical journals in which I began expressing my criticisms more and more. Finally, I resigned in 2009. I created my blog 'The Truth about Steiner-Waldorf Schools' in 2013. It is increasingly popular, with 200,000 visits per year, because there is a real lack of information on the subject of Waldorf education." — Former Waldorf student and teacher Grégoire Perra, "Anti-vaccins, délires cosmologiques... les étranges « vérités » des anthroposophes" {"Against Vaccines, Cosmological Delusions - the Strange 'Truths' of Anthroposophy"}, Le Point, April 2019, https://www.lepoint.fr/societe/les-anthroposophes-ne-vont-pas-pouvoir-cacher-la-verite-eternellement-29-04-2019-2309998_23.php  Translation by Roger Rawlings, leaning heavily on DeepL.

[1] See, e.g., "He Went to Waldorf":

"[I]n these schools, misleading state officials is commonplace. For example, I witnessed that, when a teacher is scheduled to be inspected in class, s/he will commonly be replaced by another teacher who has the [necessary] skills or qualifications. Then the students are asked to 'play the game' when the inspector is present, and to act as if the teacher who conducts their class [this day] is their regular teacher. Similarly, it may happen that there are health and hygiene inspections. I remember one time when the inspectors had to check how the children ate in the canteen. However, in this school, the children did not eat in a canteen, but in classrooms with their teachers who watched them and made them recite their prayers before meals. For this inspection, the teachers were notified 24 hours in advance, so we organized three successive meal services in a canteen for the students, so that everything appeared normal. In the evening, during a faculty meeting, teachers congratulated themselves that their students had 'played the game.'

"These various circumventions of the law make students participate in acts of defiance against outsiders perceived as hostile. They subtly teach the students that the rules and laws of the society at large are deficient — this is likely to strengthen their students' feeling of living in a world apart. Anthroposophists view anything that does not belong in the 'milieu of Anthroposophy' as 'the outside world,' so to the students the general society in which they live becomes, for them, an alien place!" — Grégoire Perra, "He Went to Waldorf".

[2] I.e., while still teaching at a Waldorf school, Perra also started teaching in a mainstream French public school.

[3] Steiner, addressing Waldorf teachers:

"We must worm our way through. We have to be conscious of the fact that this is done in life — not through an inner provocation, then it would be the way the Jesuits work — but done with a certain mental reservation in response to external requirements. We have to be conscious that in order to do what we want to do, at least, it 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.

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

[Waldorf Publications, 2014]

 241.  "Rudolf Steiner spoke about how a Waldorf teacher needs to form a relationship to the Beings of the Third Hierarchy [1] ... The Third Hierarchy is the hierarchy which is closest and most accessible to the human being [2]. These beings are particularly interested in the earth and human evolution [3], and they receive their sustenance from human beings [4] ... The activity of the Third Hierarchy is, therefore, an intricate part of our lives, and of our work [5]. These beings...have a particular relationship to the renewal of culture through Waldorf education [6]." — Waldorf teacher Jane Wulsin, in CREATING A CIRCLE OF COLLABORATIVE SPIRITUAL LEADERSHIP, edited by Waldorf teacher Roberto Trostli (Waldorf Publications, 2014), pp. 82-83.

[1] The Waldorf belief system, Anthroposophy, is polytheistic. Steiner taught that there are nine ranks of gods, subdivided into three groupings that he called "hierarchies." The Third Hierarchy consists of the three lowest ranks of gods — ranks seven, eight, and nine. [See "Polytheism."]

[2] As the lowest gods, the members of the Third Hierarchy are only slightly more spiritually advanced than human beings, and they are the easiest for us to contact — according to Steiner. The lowest gods of all, members of the ninth rank, are the gods sometimes called Angels. (Other names for them used in Anthroposophy include Sons of Twilight, Spirits of Dusk, Lunar Pitris, etc.) The gods of the eighth rank are sometimes called Archangels. (Other names for them include Spirits of Fire, Sons of Fire, Solar Pitris, etc.) The gods of the seventh rank are sometimes called Archai. (Other names for them include Spirits of Personality, Original Forces, Time Spirits, etc.)

[3] Steiner taught that humans and virtually all other things are engaged in a continuous process of evolution. The Steinerian conception of evolution is, however, quite different from anything found in Darwin. [See "evolution" in the BWSE.]

[4] Anthroposophists believe that the gods bestow spiritual blessings on humans, and the gods receive spiritual blessings from us in return. Indeed, Steiner indicated that the gods actually worship us. 

"[H]igher beings, the gods, also have a religion: they too look up to something in awe and reverence. What is this religion of the gods? What is it that the gods revere? It is man. Man is the religion of the gods." — Rudolf Steiner, quoted by Waldorf teacher Charles Kovacs, THE SPIRITUAL BACKGROUND TO CHRISTIAN FESTIVALS (Floris Books, 2007), pp. 72-73.  

The gods, then, receive blessings from us, much as worshippers in any religion hope to receive blessing from the spirits they worship.

[5] Although Waldorf schools almost always deny being religious institutions, in fact we find that "a Waldorf teacher needs to form a relationship" with the gods, and the activities of these gods is "an intricate part...of our work." [For more on the religious nature of Waldorf schools, see, e.g., "Schools as Churches".]

[6] The Anthroposophical movement, including Waldorf schools, is messianic: It seeks to reform all human institutions to comply with the occult doctrines of Rudolf Steiner. This is the "renewal of culture" that Waldorf schools are meant to promote. [See "Mission".]

 242.  "The Jesus child [1] mentioned in the Gospel of St Matthew descends from the royal line of King Solomon [2], whereas the Jesus child in the Gospel of St Luke descends from Nathan the priest [3]. From Rudolf Steiner's information about the four members [4] of the two Jesus children, it appears that the spiritual world [5] had been working for long ages to create a very special human body [6] — one that would eventually enable Christ [7] to incarnate on earth. Siddhartha Gautama as Buddha [8], and Zarathustra as Ahura Mazda's priest [9], also played a part in this remarkable process [10]. The four bodily sheaths [11] of the two Jesus children merged at a certain stage [12], to create the body in which Christ could incarnate and live for three years until his crucifixion [13]."  — Waldorf teacher Henk van Oort, ANTHROPOSOPHY A-Z (Rudolf Steiner Press, 2011), p. 63. 

[1] Rudolf Steiner taught that there were two Jesuses, born to two different sets of parents named — in what seems an amazing coincidence — Mary and Joseph. The two families knew each other and indeed were neighbors. Steiner offered his account of the two Jesus children as the explanation for contradictions between accounts of Jesus's childhood given in the Bible.

[2] Solomon was a son of King David, the second king of ancient Israel. Solomon in turn became King of Israel. 

[3] Nathan was another son of King David.

[4] Steiner taught that each human being has four bodies (or "four members"): the physical, etheric, astral, and ego bodies. [See "Incarnation".] Steiner claimed to have "information" about the bodies of the two Jesuses thanks to his wonderful powers of clairvoyance.

[5] I.e., the gods who dwell in the spirit realm. Anthroposophy is polytheistic. [See "Polytheism".]

[6] I.e., a special human receptacle fit to serve as the host for the incarnating Sun God. (This "very special body" would consist of pure versions of the four human bodies. The descending Sun God would incarnate within this pure four-in-one body.)

[7] According to Anthroposophical doctrine, "Christ" is in fact the Sun God, the same god — associated with the Sun — who has been worshipped under such names as Hu and Baldr. [See "Sun God".]

[8] Siddhartha Gautama was a Nepalese prince who became spiritually enlightened. We know him now as the Buddha. Steiner taught that one of the Jesus children (the Nathan Jesus) bore the spiritual essence of the Buddha. 

“[N]ot one but two Jesus-children were born ... Buddha forces permeated the astral body of the Nathan Jesus-child.” — Rudolf Steiner, FROM JESUS TO CHRIST (Rudolf Steiner Press, 2005), pp. 133-136. [See "Was He Christian?"]

[9] Ahura Mazda is the Sun God as worshipped in the religion of Zoroastrianism. That religion was founded by the Persian prophet Zoroaster, also known as Zarathustra. Rudolf Steiner distinguished between Zoroaster and Zarathustra, teaching that Zarathustra was actually a later reincarnation of Zoroaster. Steiner also taught that the Solomon Jesus bore the soul of Zarathustra. 

“[T]wo Jesus children were born ... In the body of the Solomon child lived the soul of Zarathustra.” — Rudolf Steiner, THE OCCULT SIGNIFICANCE OF THE BHAGAVAD GITA (Anthroposophic Press, 1968), p. 59.

[10] Steiner taught that the Solomon Jesus died so that his essence could pass into the Nathan Jesus. Afterward, the Solomonic-Nathanic Jesus carried the essence of both Buddha and Zarathustra. 

"The Christ Being incarnates in the Nathan Jesus Child with the Solomon Jesus Child, the Christ Being Who comes from beyond the super-earthly, Who draws into the personality of this Solomonic Nathanic Jesus in the 30th year....” — Rudolf Steiner, THINGS OF THE PAST AND PRESENT IN THE SPIRIT OF MAN (transcript, Rudolf Steiner Archive), GA 167. 

[11] I.e., the four bodies (physical, etheric, astral, and ego).

[12] This happened when the Solomon Jesus was twelve years old, Steiner taught. (The Nathan Jesus was nearly, but not exactly, the same age.)

[13] The Sun God lived on earth, in the body of the Solomonic-Nathanic Jesus, for a total of just three years, Steiner taught.

[For more on all this, see "Was He Christian?", "Christ Events", and "Steiner's Fifth Gospel".]

 243.  "Waldorf education is based upon [1] the recognition that the four bodies of the human being [2] develop and mature at different times. The physical, etheric, and astral bodies provide the foundation for our existence [3], but as they develop, the higher bodies [4] increasingly provide the basis for psychological and intellectual processes [5], which Steiner called soul functions [6]. As they develop, the etheric body will serve as the foundation for our thinking, the astral body for our life of feeling, and the 'I' for our independent will [7]." — Waldorf teacher Roberto Trostli, introduction to RHYTHMS OF LEARNING — What Waldorf Education Offers Children, Parents, and Teachers (SteinerBooks, 2017), p. 4.

[1] This is crucial. Waldorf education is based  on the baseless beliefs a Waldorf teacher outlines here.

[2] In Waldorf belief, each child is born four times as her/his four bodies (three of which are invisible) incarnate. The first body emerges at the moment of physical birth; the second body incarnates around age seven (when baby teeth fall out); the third body incarnates around age 14 (at puberty); the fourth body incarnates around age 21 (at the end of childhood). [See "Incarnation".]

[3] I.e., these three bodies enable us to live as incarnated beings upon the Earth. [See "physical body", "etheric body", and "astral body" in the BWSE .] The fourth body, bearing the "I", confers one's unique spiritual/divine identity. [See "I" in the BWSE.]

[4] The "higher" bodies are the three invisible bodies (the etheric body, astral body, and the "I").

[5] I.e., as the higher bodies mature, they enable a human being to develop a mature inner life — an awakened consciousness.

[6] This is, perhaps, a loose way to put it. Steiner distinguished between soul and spirit. [See the entries for these terms in the BWSE] A human has both a soul and a spirit, Steiner taught. The astral body confers soul forces, he said, while the "I" conveys spirit forces.

[7] Note the ranking: The lowest of the three capacities listed is thinking; higher than that is feeling; and higher yet is willing. Waldorf education is largely anti-intellectual, placing a low premium on thinking. [See "thinking", "feeling", "will", and "thinking-feeling-willing" in the BWSE.]

◊

All of this may strike some readers as interesting. Perhaps it strikes some readers as plausible. But we should pause to remember that the three "higher bodies" do not exist. They are fantasies. Yet Waldorf education is based  on belief in these bodies.

 244.  "Most of us had the chicken pox and measles and we came through them just fine. With proper care, support and understanding, the human body does its best to take care of itself ... Childhood illness is a soul cleansing process necessary for the full and complete development of the child. From a spiritual perspective, childhood illnesses are the means by which the individual adapts her inherited body to her own needs ... Julian Scott, in his book Natural Medicine for Children writes: '...The impact of measles can be best understood by observing changes in your child’s behavior, attention and attitude before and after the illness ... On the physical level, the poisons accumulated during life [in] the womb have been expelled. At the higher emotional and mental levels, negative forces such as greed and selfishness have also been expelled. So a child who has measles is afterwards less self-centered and more openhearted, and often more able to express his or her individuality....'" — "Childhood Illness: Molding of the Human", WALDORF HOMESCHOOLERS, February 14, 2011.

 245.  "With time, many of Steiner's practical suggestions (for example in education, medicine and agriculture) arising from his observations of the 'invisible world' have been validated [1] ... Central to all of Steiner's work was a specific understanding of the nature of human beings and their relationship to the world [2]. The name which Steiner adopted for his world view is anthroposophy [3] ... The term 'spiritual science' (in German Gesitwissenschaft) is often used interchangeably with anthroposophy [4]. Waldorf Education then has its theoretical basis [5] in anthroposophy and it is not surprising that Steiner insisted that the educational philosophy [6] should not be separated from it [7], although anthroposophy itself is not taught in Waldorf schools [8]." — Waldorf teacher Alduino Mazzone, A PASSIONATE SCHOOLING - Key Ideas Behind Steiner Waldorf Education (Alduino Mazzone & Susan Laing, 2017), pp. 21-22.

[1] This is highly debatable. Steiner's devout followers tend to think that his views have been "validated," but almost no one else does. Steiner's "practical suggestions" for education produced Waldorf schooling, which is by no means a proven form of pedagogy; his medical guidance is often little short of quackery; and his agricultural guidance is often silly, at best. [See, e.g., "Academic Standards at Waldorf", "Steiner's Quackery", and "Biodynamics".] The fundamental problem is that Steiner's "practical suggestions" stem from his "observations of the 'invisible world'," and these observations are almost entirely unvalidated. Indeed, much that Steiner said seems phantasmagoric. [See, e.g., "Steiner Static" and "Steiner's Blunders".] Putting the matter in different words, we can say the fundamental problem is that Steiner relied on his claimed use of clairvoyance, but clairvoyance is almost certainly spurious — it does not exist. [See "Clairvoyance".] Steiner did not have the visionary power he claimed to possess, so the "observations" he claimed to make with this fallacious power are themselves fallacious.

[2] See "Oh Humanity - The Key to Waldorf".

[3] See "Anthroposophy" in the BWSE.

[4] See "spiritual science" in the BWSE. (Steiner's "science" was the use of "exact clairvoyance" [see "Exactly"] to study the spirit realm. But if clairvoyance is null and void, then so is Steiner "science.") 

[5] Steiner's followers do not consider the basis of Waldorf education to be "theoretical." They take Steiner's educational preachments to be rock-solid truths that are virtually sacrosanct. [See, e.g., "Soul School" and "Foundations".]

[6] I.e., Anthroposophy. (Steiner's devout followers do not consider Anthroposophy to be a mere "philosophy." They consider it to be rock-solid and virtually sacrosanct. During discussions among Anthroposophists, a statement beginning with the words "Steiner said," followed by a citation, is usually unanswerable. If Steiner said X, then X must be true.)

[7] Steiner indeed insisted that Anthroposophy must remain at the core of Waldorf education. So, for instance, he said the following to the faculty of the first Waldorf scool: 

"As teachers in the Waldorf School, you will need to find your way more deeply into the insight of the spirit and to find a way of putting all compromises aside ... As Waldorf teachers, we must be true anthroposophists in the deepest sense of the word in our innermost feeling." — Rudolf Steiner, FACULTY MEETINGS WITH RUDOLF STEINER (Anthroposophic Press, 1998), p. 118. 

Steiner's followers today generally accept Steiner's statement as literally correct. So, for instance, one Waldorf teacher has written this: 

"Waldorf teachers must be anthroposophists first and teachers second." — Gilbert Childs, STEINER EDUCATION IN THEORY AND PRACTICE (Floris Books, 1991), p. 166.

[8] While Anthroposophy is usually not taught to Waldorf students directly, it is conveyed by many indirect methods. [See "Sneaking It In".] When a Waldorf education is thorough — and when students take it seriously — it becomes a broad and potent indoctrination in Anthroposophical attitudes, beliefs, and behaviors. [See "Indoctrination".]

 246.  "The first seven years of life [1] are a time of tremendous growth and transformation. Having left the spiritual worlds [2], the child begins the journey of incarnation [3], and the soul and spirit [4] have to struggle to adapt to the vessel of the [physical] body ... Although young children are earthly beings, to a certain extent they are still cosmic beings [5]. Living as they do between these two worlds [6], they need to find a relationship to time [7]. This relationship is developed through the etheric body [8]...." — Waldorf teacher Roberto Trostli, introduction to RHYTHMS OF LEARNING — What Waldorf Education Offers Children, Parents, and Teachers (SteinerBooks, 2017), p. 97.

[1] In Waldorf belief, children develop through a succession of seven-year-long periods. [See "Most Significant".] Here, a Waldorf teacher focuses on the first of these periods.

[2] I.e., the spirit realm. In Waldorf belief, children arrive on earth having lived previously in the timeless "spiritual worlds."

[3] In Waldorf belief, children undergo a gradual process of incarnation on earth, slowly bringing to embodiment the various components of their being. [See "Incarnation".]

[4] Rudolf Steiner distinguished between soul and spirit. [See the entries for "soul" and "spirit" in the BWSE.]

[5] In Anthroposophical belief, children are "cosmic beings" — they are spiritual entities as distinct from wholly earthly (physical) creatures. Seiner taught that children arrive on earth retaining ties to — and even memories of — the spirit realm. [See, e.g., "Thinking Cap".]

[6] I.e., the physical world and the spiritual world. (Actually, Steiner taught that human beings alternate between three worlds: the physical world, the soul world, and the spirit world. [See "Higher Worlds".] To describe the process approximately: When we die on Earth, we rise into the soul world, Later, we ascend further into the spirit world. Later yet, we descend again to Earth, beginning a new life through the process of reincarnation. [See "Reincarnation".])

[7] According to Waldorf belief, the spirit realm is timeless and eternal. Time exists only here below, in the physical realm. Thus, children arrive on earth having no immediate prior experience of time — they must learn how to live in a realm where time exists.

[8] This is the first of three invisible bodies that, according to Waldorf belief, incarnate during the first 21 years of life. [See "etheric body" in the BWSE.]

◊

Conceptions such as these dominate Waldorf belief and practice. From a strictly rational perspective, these beliefs and practices appear to be based in fantasy, not reality. To view the matter more charitably, we might say that Waldorf beliefs and practices arise from a unique religion — Anthroposophy. [See "Is Anthroposophy a Religion?"] Probably no parents should send their children to a Waldorf school unless they can embrace Anthropsosophy.

[Temple Lodge Publishing, 2018]

 247.  "When ahrimanic demons [1] enter or are created in the body [2], the results are always negative [3]. How they affect us depends a lot on our personal weak areas. If for example they enter into the physical body we become physically sick, our blood circulation is hindered, we are without life [4] and energy, we become sclerotic and old. If they enter into the soul [5], we become bound-up with cold emotions, interested in money and adapt an ignorant perspective on life, especially toward other people's sufferings. If they enter into the spirit [6] we become ignorant towards the spiritual world, hostile and in denial of religious belief ... When luciferic demons [7] enter us, the effect is that we become self-occupied ... If, for example, they enter the physical body, we get pain and infections; we become feverishly sick. If they enter into the soul, we become bound-up with negative emotions, such as greed, jealousy, and anger ... If they enter into the spirit, we become confused, depressed and lose our way on our spiritual path." — Steiner adherent Are Thoresen, DEMONS AND HEALING - The Reality of the Demonic Threat and the Doppelgänger in the Light of Anthroposophy (Temple Lodge Publishing, 2018), pp. 46-47.  This book has been promoted by both SteinerBooks and Rudolf Steiner Press.

[1] In Anthroposophical belief, Ahriman is a mighty demon, one of humanity's chief adversaries. [See "Ahriman".] "Ahrimanic demons" are Ahriman and his subordinate demons.

[2] I.e., some Ahrimanic demons already exist, and they threaten us from outside. But we may also create Ahrimanic demons within ourselves, through our own errors and wickedness.

[3] I.e., damaging to one's health.

[4] I.e., zest for life, love of life.

[5] In one of his many descriptions of the human constitution, Steiner taught that human beings have three major components: the physical body, the soul, and the spirit. [See "What We're Made Of".] The soul is the personal spiritual self, renewed with each incarnation.

[6] Different from the soul, the spirit is the transcendent, undying spiritual self that one carries through all one's many lives — according to Steiner.

[7] In Anthroposophical belief, Lucifer is another mighty demon, another of humanity's adversaries. [See "Lucifer".] "Luciferic demons" are Lucifer and his subordinate demons. Anthroposophists believe that some Luciferic demons already exist, and they threaten us from outside. But we may also create Luciferic demons within ourselves, through our own errors and wickedness.

 248.  "The physical human form has been shaped progressively since the very dawn of evolution. The first seed was planted on Old Saturn [1]; then the human body was prefigured etherically on Old Sun [2]. Even on earth itself, a long developmental stage was needed [3] ... Looking at the formative forces emanating from the zodiac [4], the human head has been formed by the influence of Aries the Ram, and the feet by Pisces the Fishes [5] ... The stellar forces of Leo create the heart space ... As we follow the creation of the upright human form through the zodiac, we come to the lower legs and the forces of Aquarius ... With the knee we enter Capricorn ... The thigh is formed by the forces of Sagittarius ... The cosmic forces of Libra create a state of equilibrium...in the pelvic region ... The cosmic forces of Virgo form the abdomen ... The force of Cancer shapes the rib cage ... Gemini brings the right and left sides [of the body] together through the shoulder girdle and the collarbone ... The larynx...owes its formation to the energies of Taurus ... Finally, with Aries we return to the head as the image of the cosmos [6]." — Anthroposophist Werner Barfod, THE ZODIAC GESTURES IN EURYTHMY (Floris Books, 2019), pp. 15-17. This book is a translation of a German text published in 2018 at the Anthroposophical headquarters, Verlag am Goethenanum.

[1] Old Saturn, according to Rudolf Steiner, was the first incarnation of the solar system — the first period of our own evolution. [See "Old Saturn".] The book quoted from here deals with eurythmy, the form of spiritual dance inaugurated by Steiner. [See "Eurythmy".] Students in Waldorf schools are often required to perform eurythmy. Here we see how the mystical cosmology of Anthroposophy is fundamental to eurythmy (as it is fundamental to almost everything else in Waldorf schools).

[2] Old Sun, Steiner said, was the second incarnation of the solar system. [See "Old Sun".]

[3] Steiner taught that after Old Sun, we evolved on Old Moon. [See "Old Moon, Etc.".] Later yet, we began our further evolution ("a long developmental stage") on the Present Earth. [See "Present Earth".]

[4] In Anthroposophical belief, our evolution on Earth has been largely influenced by astrological forces streaming down from the stars ("formative forces emanating from the zodiac"). Astrology runs through much of Waldorf belief and practice. [See "Astrology" and "Waldorf Astrology".]

[5] In Anthroposophical belief, specific constellations in the zodiac (Aries, Pisces, Leo, and so on) have played particular roles in the development of specific parts of the human anatomy (head, feet, heart, and so on). 

"Each region of the zodiac can be looked upon as the home of particular spiritual beings and a centre of forces. There are 12 signs of the zodiac and 12 corresponding parts of the human organism." — Waldorf teacher Roy Wilkinson, THE SPIRITUAL BASIS OF STEINER EDUCATION (Rudolf Steiner Press, 1996), p. 47. 

[6] I.e., the head — conceived as a globe — is a microcosmic replica of the cosmos — conceived as a globe. Steiner taught that the human being overall is a microcosm of the cosmos overall. [See "The Center".]

 249.  "The night is...the realm [1] where we meet real beings: not only our own higher self, our genius [2], but other beings too [3] ... In many of his lectures, Steiner described how the spirit or angelic hierarchies [4] work upon our human nature. The angels [5], along with other spiritual beings [6], work upon us formatively at night, giving our sleep an upbuilding, regenerating, renewing potency. [paragraph break] The world of the dead, too, is close to us at night. Chiefly at the transitional moments falling asleep and awakening it is possible for us to develop a conscious and inspiring relationship with dead souls [7]." — Anthroposophist Edward de Boer, introduction to a collection of Steiner texts, THE NIGHT - As a Wellspring of Strength (Rudolf Steiner Press, 2018), p. 3.

[1] Night, of course, is not a realm — it is a period of time. De Boer presumably means that at night we travel to a realm — the spirit realm. This is a real journey, according to Rudolf Steiner: At night we really go to the spirit realm where we meet real spiritual beings. We do this in actuality, not merely in dreams, Steiner said. [See "night" in the BWSE.]

[2] Steiner taught that the highest component of our nature, our "higher I," remains in the spirit realm while lower parts of ourselves incarnate on the Earth. [See "Higher I" in the BWSE.]

[3] The other beings include gods and the souls of dead humans.

[4] In Anthroposophical terminology, the "hierarchies" are the multiple ranks of gods, which include — among lower deities — angels and archangels. [See "hierarchies" in the BWSE.]

[5] Steiner taught that angels are members of the lowest rank of gods — they stand just one spiritual level higher than human beings. [See "Angels" in the BWSE.]

[6] Overall, Steiner taught, there are nine ranks of gods. [See "Polytheism".]

[7] Communicating with the dead is a priority for Anthroposophists. Anthroposophical literature includes books with such titles as WORKING WITH THE DEAD (Waldorf Early Childhood Association of North America, 2003), THE DEAD ARE WITH US (Rudolf Steiner Press, 2006), and OUR DEAD (SteinerBooks, 2011). Rudolf Steiner himself claimed to receive messages from the dead. [See "Steiner and the Warlord".]

◊

Many Waldorf teachers — those who are devout Anthroposophists — use highly questionable techniques to guide them in their work. Many believe they receive messages at night from the gods and from the dead. They use the "wisdom" garnered in this way to help direct their interactions with their students. If you doubt the validity of this approach, you may want to find a different sort of school for your child.

 250.  “The situation Steiner describes of a humanity [living on Atlantis] that had highly developed memory, and dreamlike spiritual perception of their living environment, but nothing of what we know as rationality or self-awareness, makes sense [1] ... Knowledge of the Atlantean stage of human development was important to Steiner [2] ... Steiner's Atlanteans [3] are...a timely reminder of the way our own evolution is always part of a larger evolution [4] ... With their 'human' but still undifferentiated, 'cosmic' consciousness, [the Atlanteans] were in touch with the kinetic and growth forces in nature in a direct way which we can no longer experience [5] ... The catastrophe of Atlantis is in part a warning for us today [6]...." — Andrew J. Welburn, introductrion to ATLANTIS - The Fate of a Lost Land and Its Secret Knowledge, a collection of Steiner's teachings about Atlantis (Sophia Books, Rudolf Steiner Press, 2007), pp. 3-5.

[1] According to Rudolf Steiner, mankind has evolved — and is continuing to evolve — through an upward-trending sequence of mental/spiritual stages. [See "evolution of consciousness" in the BWSE.] During the stage before our present condition, Steiner taught, we lived on Atlantis. At that time, we were closer to nature and the spirit realm, but we had not yet become fully human as we understand this term today. Our consciousness today is in some ways lower than it was on Atlantis, but we are preparing for higher stages of consciousness yet to come.

[2] See "Atlantis and the Aryans" and "Atlantis".

[3] I.e., the residents of Atlantis.

[4] See "evolution" in the BWSE. Steiner taught that we began our existence on Old Saturn, after which we lived on Old Sun and Old Moon. [See "Old Saturn", "Old Sun", and "Old Moon, Etc."] After arriving on Present Earth, we passed through many permutations, including several great epochs, the fourth of which was our life on Atlantis. [See "Present Earth", "Lemuria", and the entry for "Atlantis" in the BWSE.]

[5] The Atlanteans made practical use of their knowledge of nature, Steiner taught. 

"[T]he Atlanteans could control what one calls the life force. As today one extracts the energy of heat from coal and transforms it into motive power for our means of locomotion, the Atlanteans knew how to put the germinal energy of organisms into the service of their technology ... The vehicles of the Atlanteans [operating with life force]...floated a short distance above the ground....” — Rudolf Steiner, COSMIC MEMORY (Rudolf Steiner Publications, 1959), chapter 3, GA 11.

Steiner taught that in our current, Post-Atlantean condition, we have become more rational and self-aware, but we have lost our previous intuitive/clairvoyant connection to nature and to spiritual realities. We will gain new, higher clairvoyant wisdom when we evolve to more elevated stages in the future, he said. His own teachings point us in this direction, he claimed — they foster greater knowledge of the spiritual worlds. [See "Knowing the Worlds".] 

[6] Our progress has frequently been interrupted by paroxysms of evil and violence, Steiner taught. Humanity destroyed Atlantis, much as we destroyed our previous home, the continent of Lemuria. And today we face the prospect that humanity will unleash more terrible destructive forces at the end of our current historical period. 

◊ “Mighty and ominous powers of Nature were thus let loose by the deeds of men, leading eventually to the gradual destruction of the whole territory of Atlantis by catastrophes of air and water." — Rudolf Steiner, OCCULT SCIENCE - AN OUTLINE (Rudolf Steiner Press, 2009), p. 198. 

◊ "The Lemurian epoch was destroyed by fire, the Atlantean by water; our epoch and its civilisation will be destroyed by the War of All against All, by evil." — Rudolf Steiner, “The Work of Secret Societies in the World” (transcript, Rudolf Steiner Archive), a lecture, GA 93. [See "All v. All".]

[SteinerBooks, 2019]

 251.  "The exercises given [1] in the Esoteric School [2] for inner development [3] should lead also to knowledge of the 'Masters of Wisdom and of the Harmony of Sensations and Feelings [4],' as the actual founders and leaders of the Esoteric School [5]. These supreme beings [6], active already on the higher planes [7]...'have completed the path the rest of humanity still has to tread [8]' ... Imparting an understanding of these lofty spiritual leaders of humanity is an essential motive that extends from the beginning, throughout not only the esoteric but also through the whole of Rudolf Steiner's teaching activity [9] ... [T]he leaders of humanity and Masters of the fifth great epoch — the post-Atlantean epoch [10] — will arise from the ranks of human beings [11] ... Such individuals will then become the 'true' Masters of Wisdom and of the Harmony of Sensations and Feelings." — Anthroposophist Hella Wiesberger, RUDOLF STEINER'S ESOTERIC TEACHING ACTIVITY (SteinerBooks, 2019), pp. 52-55.

[1] These were spiritual exercises such as meditations.

[2] This was the spiritual academy — dispensing esoteric and/or hidden (occult) spiritual teachings — created by Rudolf Steiner and others during Steiner's period as a practicing Theosophist. [See "Esoteric School" in the BWSE.]

[3] I.e., for developing one's spiritual capacities.

[4] These are enlightened spirits who have acquired extremely high — and generally occult — spiritual knowledge. [See "Masters of Wisdom" in the BWSE.]

[5] Steiner founded the Esoteric School, but he claimed that transcendent spirits were the true inspirers or creators of the school.

[6] "Supreme" must be understood, in this context, as a relative term. The Masters are essentially gods, spirits higher than human beings — but they are not the highest of the gods. Steiner taught that there are nine ranks of gods under the Godhead. Gods who are close to humanity rank low, while those who are close to the Godhead rank high. [See "Polytheism".]

[7] I.e., on levels of existence higher than the physical plane. [See "Higher Worlds".]

[8] I.e., they have risen to extraordinary enlightenment, becoming gods. This is the path Steiner said all human should eventually follow (the path he claimed to delineate).

[9] Steiner disseminated his teachings in various ways. He delivered thousands of lectures, and he wrote numerous articles and books. He also established educational institutions such as the Esoteric School, its successor the School of Spiritual Science [see "School of Spiritual Science" in the BWSE], and the original Waldorf school [see "Waldorf School, the first" and "Waldorf schools" in the BWSE].

[10] Steiner taught that we currently live in the fifth major evolutionary period here on Earth. During the fourth such period, we occupied Atlantis. We now live in epoch following the destruction of Atlantis — the "post-Atlantean epoch."

[11] Humans walking the Earth today may become Masters if they heed Steiner — they may become sufficiently enlightened to rise into the ranks of the gods (as all humans should do in the future, Steiner taught). Note that Steiner's followers generally regard him as one of the greatest spiritual Masters, if not literally a Master of Wisdom and of the Harmony of Sensations and Feelings. [See, e.g., "Guru".]

 252.  "The lectures that Rudolf Steiner gave in April, 1924...represent a remarkable synthesis of Waldorf education as a practical manifestation of anthroposophy [1] ... Steiner delivered these lectures just eleven months before his death in March, 1925 and five years after the founding of the first Waldorf school in 1919 ... [The lecture series] Essentials of Education is embedded in his concurrent work on karmic relationships [2] ... Themes, such as human relationships [3], biography and temperaments [4], the influences of Sun and Moon [5], the need to see beyond the sense-perceptible [6], and much more, were developed in great detail in the karmic lectures, and they are echoed in the lectures on education ... Waldorf education works with the mysteries of time [7]. Whether looking at life between death and rebirth [8] or simply asking teachers to consider the effects of temperament on a child’s later life [9], Steiner urges us to consider our present actions in terms of both the 'before' and 'after' ... [This] contextual picture shows how important it is that Waldorf education not be thought of as just a 'method' of teaching...but that it be seen as a transformative, social impulse with far-reaching implications [10]." — Waldorf teacher Torin M. Finser, in the introduction to THE ESSENTIALS OF EDUCATION (Anthroposophic Press, 1997), a series of Steiner lectures, pp. vii-viii.

[1] Waldorf education stands on the foundation provided by Anthroposophy — Waldorf education is Anthroposophy applied to the schooling of children.

[2] At the same time Steiner was delivering the lectures found now in THE ESSENTIALS OF EDUCATION, he was also delivering a series of lectures about karma. Belief in karma is woven through much of Anthroposophy — and it is woven through Anthroposophy's application in Waldorf schools. [See "Karma".]

[3] Steiner taught that our relationships in this life generally result from the karma we created for ourselves during past lives. Thus, for instance, Anthroposophists believe that a Waldorf class consists of souls who have been brought together by their shared karma. So, for instance, a proponent of Waldorf education has written this:

"A school class is a destiny community [i.e., it is bound together by karma] ... A class is not a group of children who have been thrown together arbitrarily.” — Anthroposophist Peter Selg, THE ESSENCE OF WALDORF EDUCATION (SteinerBooks, 2010)‚ p. 45.

[4] Drawing from ancient Greek belief, Steiner taught that each individual human may be classified as being predominantly choleric, melancholic, sanguine, or phlegmatic. These are the four classical temperaments. [See "Humouresque".] In Waldorf schools, children are often classified according to this ancient (and outmoded) schema. [See "Temperaments".]

[5] Belief in astrological influences runs through much of Anthroposophy — and it runs through Anthroposophy's application in Waldorf schools. [See "Astrology".]

[6] I.e., the need to develop clairvoyance. Ordinary thinking is limited by what we can perceive through our ordinary senses, Steiner said; "supersensible" knowledge becomes possible when we develop clairvoyant powers, he said. [See "Clairvoyance".]

[7] In Anthroposophical discourse, "mystery" is an extremely important concept. A mystery is a deep, often hidden spiritual truth, or a miraculous ceremony or event. [See "mystery" in the BWSE.] In Anthroposophical belief, the "mysteries of time" are the deep spiritual meanings of our existence in temporal reality.

[8] Paired with Anthroposophy's belief in karma is belief in reincarnation. [See "Reincarnation".] "Life between between death and rebirth" is the life one experiences after dying on Earth and before reincarnating on Earth. The intervening life occurs in the spirit realm, Steiner taught.

[9] A Waldorf teacher may decide how to treat each child on the basis of that child's classical temperament and/or the child's karma and/or the child's astrological sign, etc. But if these considerations are fallacious, then the decisions made are likely to be equally fallacious. And these considerations are indeed fallacious.

[10] The transformation that Waldorf schools — and all other Anthroposophical enterprises — aim for is the triumph of Anthroposophy. Steiner's followers would like to remake all human institutions to conform with Anthroposophy. In this sense, Anthroposophy — including Waldorf education — is a revolutionary social movement having occult spiritual objectives. [See, e.g., "Threefolding".]

 253.  "In one sense...Waldorf teachers are bound in absolute terms to a definite educational philosophy, curriculum and didactic method; in another they are completely free agents, albeit within the 'law' of Waldorf methodology ... Waldorf teachers must be anthroposophists first and teachers second; as the first, they are enabled to approach the curriculum with true understanding, and as the second they are enabled to implement it also with true understanding. The danger of ossification of the curriculum arises when a Waldorf teacher is a teacher first and an anthroposophist second, because they are then more likely to interpret it by the letter rather than the spirit, so that the whole pedagogy becomes in danger of being reduced to a kind of 'going by the book' procedure. To deny that a teacher's world-outlook influences the whole approach to his or her vocation would be unrealistic and foolish." — Waldorf teacher Gilbert Childs, STEINER EDUCATION IN THEORY AND PRACTICE (Floris Books, 1991), p. 166.

 254.  "Based on my experience as a former [Waldorf] student, a teacher at my old school, and an Anthroposophist, I would like to describe the subtlety of indoctrination that students in Waldorf schools are subjected to. In fact, its chief characteristic is its disguised form. I should state that the various ideas of Rudolf Steiner are taught to Waldorf students, but this is done without reference to their origin [Steiner's Anthroposophy] or their special nature. The teachers associate these ideas with their subjects as if they were objective facts and not part of a prescribed vision of reality. This is why Waldorf students can have the feeling that they are left completely free to form their own ideas. At the most, they may notice certain specific practices (that may seem very odd to some of them), which they may choose to ignore. Nevertheless, Anthroposophical ideas and practices form their psychic, cultural, and intellectual universe for many years, immersing them unconsciously in a worldview that will accompany them throughout life and that they are likely to return to on many occasions." — Former Waldorf teacher Grégoire Perra, "The Anthroposophical Indoctrination of Students in Steiner-Waldorf Schools" (UNADFI, 2011).

 255.  "Steiner described kundalini energy [1] as early as 1903. At the time, his accounts were somewhat unusual in the West. Helena Petrovna Blavatsky had previously introduced the term into theosophical literature [2] ... The term kundalini...refers on the one hand to the creative power within us in general, and on the other it is one of the various Indian designations for the occult power [3] that is also called 'snake fire' or 'snake potency' [4] ... Steiner used the terms 'kundalini', 'kundali', 'kundalini light' and 'kundalini fire' in his lectures and books [5]. Light is seen as the symbol of wisdom, and warmth as that of love. The kundalini polarity manifests in light and warmth, or wisdom and love, and thus in that spiritual 'power of perception' [6] whose right awakening — in connection with the development astral organs of perception (lotus flowers) [7] — is the precondition for spiritual seership [8]." — Anthroposophist Andreas Meyer in the introduction to KUNDALINI — Spiritual Perception and the Higher Element of Life (Rudolf Steiner Press, 2019), pp. 2-3. The book is a series of lectures delivered by Rudolf Steiner.

[1] The concept of kundalini originated in Hinduism; it refers to a form of holy energy said to lie coiled at the base of the spine.

[2] Helena P. Blavatsky, who greatly influenced Rudolf Steiner, was one of the founders of Theosophy. Steiner was a Theosophist before establishing Anthroposophy as a separate movement — many Anthroposophical beliefs are derived from Theosophy, which in turn draws many of its teachings from Hinduism. [See "Basics".] 

[3] The word "occult" as used by Steiner is essentially a synonym for "hidden" or "mysterious." Steiner identified himself as an occultist — he professed to know, and selectively reveal, hidden or mysterious spiritual wisdom. [See "Occultism".]

[4] In Western tradition, the image of the "snake" is baleful, carrying implications of Satan in the Garden of Eden. But in the usage referred to here, derived from Eastern (Hindu) teachings, the term "snake" ("snake fire", "snake potency") is meant to convey the image of a powerful coil of energy that can be released for great benefit.

[5] He did so primarily while he was still a Theosophist. After breaking away in 1913 to found the Anthroposophical movement, Steiner retained the concept of kundalini but he used other terms to describe it.

[6] The "spiritual 'power of perception'" is clairvoyance. [See "clairvoyance" in the BWSE.]

[7] In mystical belief, these "astral organs" — otherwise called lotus flowers or chakras — are invisible, incorporeal organs that allegedly make clairvoyance possible. Steiner referred to astral organs, on occasion, as "organs of clairvoyance," and he claimed that he could show his followers how to develop such organs, releasing such clairvoyant powers. 

"The first step is taken by observing different natural objects in a particular way ... The thoughts here mentioned should pass through [the aspirant's] soul ... By sinking deeply into such thoughts, and while doing so, observing [natural objects] with rapt attention, there arise in the soul two quite separate kinds of feelings ... Out of these feelings and the thoughts that are bound up with them, the organs of clairvoyance are formed ... The organs thus formed are spiritual eyes." — Rudolf Steiner, KNOWLEDGE OF THE HIGHER WORLDS AND ITS ATTAINMENT (Anthroposophic Press, 1947), pp. 50-52. [See "Knowing the Worlds".]

[8] As the term is used here, a "seer" is an individual who allegedly can perceive the spirit realm, its denizens, and its truths. The precondition for spiritual seership is the development of clairvoyance, Steiner said. 

"Clairvoyance is the necessary pre-requisite for the discovery of a spiritual truth...." — Rudolf Steiner, THEOSOPHY OF THE ROSICRUCIAN (Rudolf Steiner Press, 1966), lecture 1, GA 99.

 256.  "While traveling in [a northern land], I had the good fortune to meet the elders of both an elf tribe [1] and two tribes of the 'hidden people' [2]. I was initiated in three parts of their history and lives [3] ... So what do the elves and the 'hidden people' look like? How can they be addressed and how do they respond? ... [T]he blue [elves] are related to our thinking, the yellow ones to feeling and the red ones to the strong force of the will [4] ... [T]he red elves are connected to gravity...[they] are therefore heavier than the others [5].

"There are elves of all sizes. Some are as big as human beings, some as small as tiny flowers. The 'hidden people' are mostly like human beings, although some families look more like older human species, such as Neanderthals ... Rudolf Steiner says that [elves] have no incarnated 'I' and their physical body is in the astral world [6]..."  — Steiner adherent Are Thoresen, DEMONS AND HEALING - The Reality of the Demonic Threat and the Doppelgänger in the Light of Anthroposophy (Temple Lodge Publishing, 2018), pp. 46-47.  This book has been promoted by both SteinerBooks and Rudolf Steiner Press.

[1] Elves, as Thoresen describes them, are essentially what Rudolf Steiner called elemental beings — invisible beings that dwell within the elements of the natural world. Steiner taught that ancient peoples knew these beings, describing their activities in the narratives that have come down to us as myths, legends, and sagas.

"[O]ur brain connects us with certain elemental beings...the elemental beings of the myths and sagas. There they are called elves, fairies, and so on." — Rudolf Steiner, THE RIDDLE OF HUMANITY (Rudolf Steiner Press, 1990), lecture 5, GA 170.

Steiner insisted that these beings genuinely exist. Thus, for instance, Steiner taught that gnomes dwell within the earth. To "see" them, we must be clairvoyant. 

“There are beings that can be seen with clairvoyant vision at many spots in the depths of the earth ... If you dig into the metallic or stony ground you find beings which manifest at first in remarkable fashion ... They seem able to crouch close together in vast numbers, and when the earth is laid open they appear to burst asunder ... Many names have been given to them, such as goblins, gnomes and so forth.” — Rudolf Steiner, NATURE SPIRITS (Rudolf Steiner Press, 1995), pp. 62-63.

[2] "Hidden people" are essentially a subset or variant of elves. 

◊ "Huldafolk ('hidden people') are species of reclusive fairies in Scandinavian folklore. Although their interaction with humans is very rare, when it occurs they will deal fairly and reward good and honest behavior." — Theresa Bane, ENCYCLOPEDIA OF FAIRIES IN WORLD FOLKLORE AND MYTHOLOGY McFarland, 2013), p. 185.

◊ "Hidden people are elves in Icelandic and Faroese folklore. They are supernatural beings that live in nature. They look and behave similarly to humans, but live in a parallel world. They can make themselves visible at will." — Wikipedia, September 23, 2019.

[3] Thoresen claims to have met and been accepted by elves and hidden people. In being "initiated," he was (he claims) made privy to their secret lore.

[4] Thinking, feeling, and will are three states of mental life described in the Waldorf belief system, Anthroposophy. [See the entries for these terms in the BWSE.]

[5] I.e., red elves are the most deeply entangled in the physical level of existence (and as such they are more nearly demonic than are other elves).

[6] Elemental beings are also sometimes called elemental spirits and/or nature spirits. Steiner taught that the former term ("elemental beings") is preferable, because the entities referred to have no real "spirits" — they do not have spiritual egos or "I"s.

”[B]eings exist which are no longer visible to the physical senses, beings possessing body and soul. In various occult teachings they are often called elemental spirits. To call them elemental spirits shows the greatest possible ineptitude, for it is just spirit that they do not possess. It is better to call them elemental beings ... [M]an in his present phase of development cannot see them; one who wishes to see them must have progressed to a certain degree of clairvoyant consciousness.” — Rudolf Steiner, THE INFLUENCE OF SPIRITUAL BEINGS ON MAN (Anthroposophic Press, 1961), lecture 7, GA 102.

Steiner taught that there are two "higher worlds" above the physical world: the soul world and the spirit world. [See "Higher Worlds".] The astral world is the soul world. 

“The three worlds are 1. The physical world, the scene of human life. 2. The astral world or the world of soul. 3. The...world of spirit. The three worlds are not spatially separate. We are surrounded by the things of the physical world which we perceive with our ordinary sense, but the astral world is in the same space; we live in the other two worlds, the astral and [spirit] worlds, at the same time as we live in the physical world." — Rudolf Steiner, FOUNDING A SCIENCE OF THE SPIRIT (Rudolf Steiner Press, 1999), pp. 10-11.

◊

Belief in elves, hidden people, gnomes, etc., is widespread among Anthroposophists, including at least some Waldorf teachers. Here is a Waldorf teacher writing in an Anthroposophical reference work: 

"Among these [elemental] beings are creatures such as dwarves...undines...sylphs...and salamanders [i.e., fire spirits]. Our visible physical world is a modification of these invisible elemental beings ... [A]ll visible substances come into being by materialization of these elemental entities. When these substances are destroyed, the elemental beings are freed again.” — Henk van Oort, ANTHROPOSOPHY A-Z (Sophia Books, Rudolf Steiner Press, 2011), p. 36. 

Not all of Steiner's adherents go as far as Thoresen, claiming to be able to "see" and communicate with these supernatural beings. But some do.

 257.  "Rudolf Steiner [taught] about music and its effect upon life after death ... [He said:] 'We furnish a possibility that the human entity will be better formed in its next life if, during that time after death when it still has its astral body [1], it can have many recollections of things musical [2].' Considerations such as this open up completely new dimensions of preventive medicine [3]. During the school years, children can learn to incarnate themselves [4], with all that they bring along in the way of karmic burdens and strengths out of previous lives [5]. At the same time, a ground is laid in the child for the possibility to prepare worthily for the great crossing of the other threshold — death [6]. With this background, celebrations of the annual festivals in the school, the enormous efforts that are made in practicing for a concert or the preparation of a theater presentation are seen in quite a new light [7]." — Waldorf school doctor Michaela Glöckler, EDUCATION AS PREVENTIVE MEDICINE (Rudolf Steiner College Press, 2002), pp. 112-113.

[1] This, Anthroposophists believe, is the second of three nonphysical bodies that fully incarnated humans possess, in addition to the physical body. The astral body — a constellation of soul forces — is believed to incarnate at about age 14. [See "astral body" in the BWSE.]

[2] Rudolf Steiner taught that all art forms, certainly including music, have spiritual effects. [See "Magical Arts".] In Waldorf belief, a person who plays or listens to music is lured toward occult spiritual experiences. 

“[O]n listening to music, he has an inkling...of the spiritual world.” — Rudolf Steiner, quoted in ART INSPIRED BY RUDOLF STEINER, by John Fletcher (Mercury Arts Publications, 1987), p. 136.

[3] Anthroposophists believe that Waldorf education, in and of itself, is a form of preventive medicine. (See the title of Glöckler's book.) The purpose of Waldorf education can be conceived as the work of Waldorf teachers aiding the children in the process of incarnating their three nonphysical bodies. (E.g.,

“[F]rom a spiritual-scientific [i.e., Anthroposophical] point of view child education consists mainly in integrating the soul-spiritual members [the nonphysical bodies and their parts] with the corporeal members [the physical body and its parts]." — Waldorf teacher Gilbert Childs, STEINER EDUCATION IN THEORY AND PRACTICE (Floris Books, 1998), p. 68.) 

If the nonphysical bodies incarnate properly, so that they are well-coordinated with the physical body, many physical ailments will be avoided, Waldorf practitioners believe.

[4] I.e., the children learn how to incarnate their nonphysical bodies in coordination with their physical bodies. (This "learning" occurs below the level of conscious thought. Waldorf students rarely receive explicit, open instruction in the doctrines of Anthroposophy, including the doctrines about incarnation. Waldorf schooling imparts Anthroposophy to the students in subtle and covert ways. [See, e.g., "Sneaking It In".])

[5] "Karmic burdens" are the obligations carried from previous lives through the mechanism of karma. Anthroposophists believe in both reincarnation and karma. Steiner taught that we evolve by passing through a long series of lives, alternating between the physical and spiritual realms. [See "reincarnation" and "karma" in the BWSE.]

[6] Just as Waldorf education presumably helps children make the transition from their previous lives into their new earthly lives, so it is meant to help them eventually make the transition from their present lives on Earth to their next lives in the spirit realm. Much of Waldorf belief and practice concerns death and the ways children can be taught to "work with" the dead. [See, e.g., the Waldorf teachers' booklet, WORKING WITH THE DEAD (Waldorf Early Childhood Association, 2003.)]

[7] The Waldorf school year is punctuated by numerous festivals, many of which are at least approximately linked to religious observances such as Michaelmas. Waldorf students often spend a great deal of time preparing for such festivals — "enormous efforts are made" in such preparation. [See "festivals at Waldorf schools" in the BWSE.]

 258.  "The concept of Intuition [1] is fundamental to Anthroposophy ... In combination with Imagination and Inspiration [2], Intuition furnishes the gateway though which supersensible knowledge [3] is able to bring light [4] into human knowledge ... When thinking is schooled systematically [5] it develops into an intuitive organ [6] through which what is spiritual can be consciously comprehended and penetrated [7]. Intuition links us to what is spiritually real...." — Anthroposophist Edward de Boer in the introduction to a series of Steiner lectures titled INTUITION - The  Focus of Thinking (Rudolf Steiner Press, 2019), p. 1.

[1] According to Anthroposophical belief, Intuition (often designated with a capital "I") is a high form of clairvoyance. [See "Intuition" in the BWSE.] Steiner taught that humanity as a whole will attain perfected Intuition after we move to Vulcan. [See "Vulcan" and "Vulcan consciousness" in the BWSE.] But, Steiner said, his followers can attain Intuition now by following his instructions. [See "Knowing the Worlds".]

[2] These, according to Anthroposophical belief, are two lower forms of clairvoyance, preceding Intuition. [See "Imagination" and "Inspiration" in the BWSE.] Thus, the three progressive stages of clairvoyance, according to Steiner, are Imagination, Inspiration, and Intuition. Steiner taught that humanity as a whole will attain perfected Imagination after we move to Jupiter, and we will attain perfected Inspiration after we move to Venus. [See "Jupiter consciousness" and "Venus consciousness" in the BWSE.] But, Steiner said, his followers can attain these stages now by following his instructions.

[3] According to Steiner, "supersensible knowledge" is knowledge we attain without depending on our ordinary senses — it is knowledge of otherwise invisible things, chiefly spiritual things, Steiner taught.

[4] I.e., enlightenment, in the spiritual sense. [See "enlightenment" in the BWSE.]

[5] This systematic "schooling" of the thinking process is the essence of Anthroposophy — it is the disciplining of cognition, supposedly producing the heightened consciousness that Steiner claimed to have attained for himself and that he claimed he could enable his followers to attain. Anthroposophy allegedly enables practitioners to objectively study and know the spirit realm. In this sense, Steiner taught, Anthroposophy is a "science" — it produces objective, verifiable knowledge. Specifically, Anthroposophy is a "spiritual science" — it produces objective, verifiable knowledge of spiritual beings and realities. [See "spiritual science" in the BWSE.] 

In reality, however, Anthroposophy is a religion, not a science.  [See "Is Anthroposophy a Religion?"] Like all religions, Anthroposophy relies heavily on faith, not verifiable knowledge. [See "Faith".] Anthroposophy is, in many ways, anti-intellectual. [See "anti-intellectualism" and "anti-scientific bias" in the BWSE.] Far from being exact or objective, the "thinking" Steiner prescribed for his followers is fuzzy and credulous; it relies more on feelings (emotion) than cool reason. [See "emotion" in the BWSE.] The purportedly precise "thinking" found in Anthroposophy is what Steiner called "exact clairvoyance" [see "Exactly"]. But clairvoyance is a fantasy — the attempt to attain it is fruitless, and any affirmations resulting from its purported use are unfounded. [See "Clairvoyance".] Anthroposophy's purported schooling of thought boils down to Anthroposophists' subjective determination to think what Rudolf Steiner — in his vast array of books and lectures — told them to think.

[6] Steiner taught that clairvoyance is not seated in the brain or any other physical organ. Rather, he said, it is seated in nonphysical "organs of clairvoyance" that are developed when the spiritual aspirant rises to the necessary elevated levels of consciousness. [See "organs of clairvoyance" in the BWSE.]

[7] Steiner taught that the most important spiritual knowledge is hidden or occult — it consists of "mysteries." [See the "occult" and "mystery" in the BWSE.] In order to evolve to higher levels of spiritual consciousness, we must "penetrate" these mysteries, Steiner indicated. [See, e.g., "Gnosis".] And he volunteered to show us how.

The important point to grasp, if you want to understand the Waldorf movement, is that the Anthroposophists on a Waldorf faculty believe what Steiner had to say on these matters — and on virtually everything else. [See, e.g., "Here's the Answer".]

 259.  "From the spiritual world the human being comes into earthly incarnation [1] with certain tendencies, potentialities, and ambitions acquired as a result of experiences in previous existences [2] ... It could therefore be said that the purpose of education is to help the individual fulfill his karma [3] ... The teacher is an intermediary [4] and his task [5] is to guide the incarnating individualities [6] into the physical world and to equip them for earthly existence [7], bearing in mind what they bring with them from the past and what they are likely to take with them into the future [8]. It is also the task of teachers to equip themselves suitably — by studying the laws of child development and such knowledge as spiritual science disseminates [9]." — Waldorf teacher Roy Wilkinson, THE SPIRITUAL BASIS OF STEINER EDUCATION (Rudolf Steiner Press, 1996), pp. 52-53.

[1] Belief in incarnation and reincarnation are basic to the Waldorf faith: Children arrive on Earth — they incarnate here — having previously had many lives, alternating between lives in the spirit realm and lives in the physical realm. [See "Incarnation" and "Reincarnation".]

[2] I.e., past lives. In Waldorf belief, we carry our "tendencies, potentialities, and ambitions" from life to life.

[3] Rudolf Steiner taught that our actions in each life have consequences for our future lives: They form our destiny or karma. [See "Karma".] The role of a Waldorf teacher, then, may be conceived as an effort to help children to fulfill their karmas.

[4] I.e., a mediator between the gods and the incarnating students (or between the kids' past spiritual lives and their new earthly lives).

[5] The descriptions Wilkinson gives — of "the purpose of education" and the "task" of the teacher — apply almost exclusively to Waldorf education (the subject of his book). They would strike teachers in most other sorts of schools as exceedingly strange if not utterly absurd.

[6] I.e., the children, the students.

[7] A frequent criticism of Waldorf schools is that they do not equip kids for lives in the real world — they do not provide the students with much knowledge about the real world nor much training for leading productive lives in that world. Wilkinson inadvertently provides support for this criticism. Waldorf ideas about how to "equip [students] for earthly existence" are fundamentally mystical and, therefore, impractical. They have almost nothing to do with preparing the kids to live rationally and fulfillingly in the real world.

[8] Waldorf teachers cannot rationally know about the past or future incarnations of their students (which may be entirely imaginary). They may think  they know about such incarnations if they are practicing Anthroposophists who attempt to employ clairvoyance. But, sadly, clairvoyance is a delusion. [See "Clairvoyance" and "The Waldorf Teacher's Consciousness".]

[9] "Spiritual science," as understood from the Waldorf perspective, is Anthroposophy. [See "Anthroposophy" and "spiritual science" in the BWSE.] Here, Waldorf teacher Roy Wilkinson stresses the importance of Anthroposophy (with its descriptions of "the laws of child development," etc.) as the basis ("the spiritual basis") of Waldorf education. On this one point, Wilkinson speaks truly. Waldorf education is Anthroposophy applied to the education (or miseducation) of children. [See, e.g., "Foundations".] Waldorf teacher training generally places considerable emphasis on "studying...such knowledge as spiritual science disseminates" — that is, studying Anthroposophy. [See "Teacher Training".]

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