Here are quotations from recent Anthroposophical publications. 

They tell us that Anthroposophists today still cling to the occult, 

mystical doctrines promulgated by Rudolf Steiner.

Nothing much has changed.

Occult, mystical fantasies remain, today, 

the basis of the Waldorf movement.

(I have appended footnotes 

to the quotations, aiming 

at clarification. — R.R.) 

Clairvoyance - the ability to perceive phenomena that are not noticeable to the usual senses. [1] Clairvoyance can be developed and occurs in various degrees, either less or more consciously controlled. Rudolf Steiner was a very high initiate [2] with a high level of clairvoyance, which he was able to govern and consciously employ in inaugurating his spiritual science or anthroposophy. [3]

— Waldorf teacher Henk van Oort, ANTHROPOSOPHY A-Z 

(Sophia Books, Rudolf Steiner Press, 2011), p. 25

[1] Clairvoyance is basic to Anthroposophy and, thus, it is basic to the Waldorf movement. [See "Clairvoyance" and "The Waldorf Teacher's Consciousness".]

[2] An initiate is one who has attained entry into an inner circle, especially a circle possessing secret knowledge. Initiation is an important process in Anthroposophy. In this context, initiation might more properly be termed "occult initiation," since it promises access to occult wisdom, especially occult wisdom pertaining to spiritual matters. [See, e.g., "Inside Scoop".]

[3] Although Steiner called Anthroposophy a science — specifically, a form of "spiritual science" — in fact it is a religion. [See "Is Anthroposophy a Religion?"]

[H]yperactive children [1] bear all the hallmarks expected of the much acclaimed person of the future: highly flexible, versatile, full of ideas, communicative, technically gifted, enterprising, ready to take risks. Despite all this they are unpopular on account of their unaccommodating “wild” side, an innate anti-authoritarian attitude combined with a well developed sense of justice ... These children are also equipped with some rudimentary clairvoyance. If you observe them closely you will discover their telepathic capacity. [2] They know about conversations at which they were not present, and sometimes they answer a question you were about to ask them. [3] They can probably “read” other people's body-language, gestures and expressions of face and eyes. Also, if I am not mistaken, they have a subtle ability to perceive “atmosphere,” combined with a heightened sense of thought which does not necessarily depend on communication via language.

— "The Message Today's Children Bring", 

Interview with Waldorfish therapist Henning Köhler, 

ONLINE WALDORF LIBRARY, posted Jan. 10, 2012 [4]

[1] Anthroposophists attempt to address the needs of children with special needs, sometimes in Waldorf schools, often in special institutions called Camphill Communities. Shockingly, the means employed may include such things as horoscopes. [See, e.g., "Waldorf Now", "Horoscopes", and "My Life Among the Anthroposophists — Part I".]

[2] See, e.g, "Clairvoyance" and "ESP".

[3] Clairvoyants are sometimes credited with the ability to see the future. Steiner claimed this capacity. [See, e.g., "Past and Future" and "Future Stages".]

[4] "Kohler's approach is founded on Rudolf Steiner's view of the child, the same view that is the foundation of Waldorf Education." — Waldorf Publications, May 16, 2017.

In the closing talk of a lecture series offered at the Goetheanum [1] less than a year after the first Waldorf school was founded, Steiner addressed the root of dissatisfaction that young people may feel if their education has failed them. 

Specifically, he related how children come into the world carrying unconsciously, in the depths of their souls, profound imaginations [2] implanted before birth, or even before conception. [3] These imaginations –– which Steiner describes as “forces of pictorialized representation, which have been received before birth or conception” –– need to find their outlet in the children’s consciousness during the course of their education.

If they are suppressed, for instance by an abstract form of teaching that replaces living pictures with dry intellectual concepts [4], these forces “will burst out elsewhere if they are not brought to the surface [of consciousness] in pictorial representation” ... In brief, forces intended to arise in the realm of imaginative thinking erupt instead at the level of brute will. [5]

— Waldorf alumnus and educator Douglas Gerwin, 

"At the Taproot of Terrorism", CENTER & PERIPHERY, 

Center for Anthroposophy, Winter, 2016

[1] This is the worldwide Anthroposophical headquarters, named for Goethe.[See "Is Anthroposophy a Religion?"]

[2] According to Anthroposophical teachings, "imaginations" are true, clairvoyantly received mental pictures. [See, e.g., "Thinking".] In Anthroposophy, imagination is a precursor to, or an initial stage of, clairvoyance. 

[3] True thoughts, Steiner taught, are implanted in the soul by the gods. They are "living thoughts." [See "Thinking".]

[4] Rudolf Steiner was an intellectual, and his work is intellectually charged. Yet he viewed intellect askance. He said that as we evolved, humans needed to develop the capacity to reason, to make choices — this creates the possibility of freedom. But we need to evolve beyond intellect and, indeed, beyond use of the brain, Steiner said. 

◊ “The intellect destroys or hinders.”  — Rudolf Steiner, WALDORF EDUCATION AND ANTHROPOSOPHY, Vol. 1 (Anthroposophic Press, 1996), p. 233. 

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

[5] Gerwin attributes violence and terrorism to the dire effects of education that stresses "dry intellectual concepts." The antidote, of course, is Waldorf education.

Sleep is the only time that the body restores and renews its forces from the demands of the day. During the busy mornings in the kindergarten we are working continually on the development of the four lower senses. [1] What the children receive through the senses, during sleep will be literally digested through the metabolism and will become the child’s physical body, forming the organs, brain-nerve-sense pathways, endocrine system, circulatory-rhythmic system, digestion and the entire physical construction. This occurs under the direction of the Ego through the etheric (life) forces. [2] The etheric forces give life, form, energy, and health to the body, working strongly with the immune system and contributing to all growth and repair processes. The primary organ of the etheric body [3] is the liver, the organ of the will. The liver’s vitalizing restorative, growth related processes occur in deep sleep. Also during sleep is the only time that the nervous system can rest, repair and build up. During waking hours there is no possibility for cell growth. According to Rudolf Steiner “although the overall time spent in sleep is shorter, the evolution of the sleep life [4] is more significant in many respects than that of waking life.”

— Waldorf pedagogical director Aniko Gereb, 

"The Afternoon Program: Working on Inner Quiet (sleep) 

and Other Benefits of This Work", 

website of the International Association for Steiner/Waldorf 

Early Childhood Education (IASWECE);

item prepared for the 2017 Conferences on Sleep

[1] Steiner taught that we have twelve senses. The physical senses, he said, are: touch, life, movement, and balance sense. The soul senses are: smell, taste, vision, and temperature sense. The spirit senses are: hearing, speech, thought, and ego sense. These twelve senses are associated with the astrological influences of Libra, Scorpio, Sagittarius, Capricorn, Aquarius, Pisces, Virgo, Leo, Cancer, Gemini, Taurus, and Aries, in that order. [See "What We're Made Of".]

[2] 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. When Anthroposophists distinguish between multiple "life forces," they are referring to forces that they believe exist at the etheric level (i.e., within the etheric body of the Earth). According to Steiner and his followers, these are supersensory forces mediated by or associated with ether. These forces make themselves felt on the physical plane in ways that conventional science does not comprehend. 

The etheric body is a constellation of life forces; it is also called the life-body or formative-forces-body. The living, formative forces of this body sculpt and preserve the physical body. So Anthroposophists believe, anyway. [See "What We're Made Of".]

[3] For more on the etheric body, see "Incarnation".

[4] For more on sleep life, see "Dreams". 

Also, Steiner taught that at night, two of our four bodies — the astral and ego bodies — rise into the spirit realm. [See "Incarnation".] This spiritual journey is the most important part of our "sleep life," although in a sense we are not truly asleep then.

In the case of the child with a specific pedagogical problem such as an extreme temperament [1], constitutional type [2] or psychological or moral issue, one is concerned with the Ego [3] which, in the Earth period [4], has been sucked into the astral body [5] and into the personal problems that the individual soul is struggling with in this incarnation. [6]

— Waldorf teacher Joep Eikenboom, 

"Audrey McAllen’s ’The Extra Lesson’", 

WALDORF RESOURCES, 

International Forum for Steiner/Waldorf Education, 

December 2014

[1] See "Temperaments" and "Humouresque".

[2] See "Holistic Education".

[3] See "Ego".

[4] See "Present Earth".

[5] See "What We Are".

[6] See "Incarnation".

The foundation of our waking day consciousness is built upon our senses. Rudolf Steiner indicated twelve interconnected senses [1] that make up the human being. Through them we experience ourselves, our fellow human beings, and the world around us. These senses begin with the four “lower” or foundational senses, which include touch, life, self-movement and balance. These senses are directed toward and experienced in one’s own body and are also called physical senses. They are developed and nourished in the first seven years of life. [2]

We experience the world around us through smell, taste, sight and warmth, the “middle senses.” [3] Rudolf Steiner called the final four the “higher” social or spiritual senses. They are: hearing, speaking, perceiving the thought of another, and perceiving the ego (the individuality) of another. The health of these higher senses depends on the health and development of the four foundational senses. As such, balance is connected to hearing; movement to speaking; life to thinking; and touch to ego perception of the other. While recognizing the importance of all senses, especially the lower ones in our work in the early childhood classrooms, this article focuses on the sense of life.

The sense of life can be the most elusive and mysterious of the senses described by Rudolf Steiner. How do we experience it and how is it connected to the sense of thought? [4]

— Waldorf teacher Astrid Lackner, 

"The Sense of Life", GATEWAYS, 

Waldorf Early Childhood Association of North America, 

Fall 2016, No. 71

[1] See "What We Are".

Steiner taught that we have twelve senses, corresponding to the twelve signs of the zodiac. The physical senses, he said, are: touch, life, movement, and balance. The soul senses are: smell, taste, vision, and temperature. The spirit senses are: hearing, speech, thought, and ego sense. These twelve senses are associated with the astrological influences of Libra, Scorpio, Sagittarius, Capricorn, Aquarius, Pisces, Virgo, Leo, Cancer, Gemini, Taurus, and Aries, in that order.

[2] See "Most Significant".

[3] See "What We Are".

[4] For basic information about these two senses as described in Anthroposophy, "life sense" and "thought sense" in the Brief Waldorf / Steiner Encyclopedia.

Mary Stewart Adams will help upper elementary teachers and others who seek “understanding” the stars to navigate within the larger harmonies of cosmic rhythms. [1] Mary will introduce new star gestures through presentations and drawings. Cezary Ciaglo will provide some social astronomy [2] through eurythmy. [3]

Gotthard Killian, who resides in Australia, will bring the meditative life alive through a musical deepening, using Rudolf Steiner’s Six Auxiliary Exercises [4] and musical expression...

Paul Matthews and Patrice Pinette return with a course for people who love playing with the word: the twelve senses will be explored through guided writing tasks...

Michael D’Aleo is coming to Renewal to support study of Rudolf Steiner’s foundational book Philosophy of Spiritual Activity [5] and the deepening of our observational capacities in nature and in our lives...

Peter Selg, the world-renowned author, will bring aspects of the Raphael-Michaelic qualities [6] so needed today and into the future....

— Course listing,

Renewal Courses for Summer 2017, 

Center for Anthroposophy,

CENTER & PERIPHERY, Spring, 2017

[1] See "Astrology".

[2] In Anthroposophy, "social astronomy" is essentially astrology — the forging of ties between human beings and stellar spirits or gods.

[3] See "Eurythmy".

[4] Steiner prescribed many exercises and meditations for his followers. [See, e.g., "Knowing the Worlds".] The basic "auxiliary" exercises are Thought concentration, Initiative in action, Equanimity in pleasure and pain, Positivity (Christ legend), Open-mindedness (church steeple), and repetition of the preceding five exercises.

[5] This book is more commonly called THE PHILOSOPHY OF FREEDOM. [See "Freedom".]

[6] See the entries for these Archangels in The Brief Waldorf / Steiner Encyclopedia.

Solomon Jesus: Descended from the genealogical line from David through his son Solomon [1] ... The Solomon Jesus was a reincarnation of Zoroaster (sixth century BC). In turn, Zoroaster was a reincarnation of Zarathustra (6000 BC), the great prophet and founder of the ancient Persian religion of Zoroastrianism. [2] He was a bodhisattva [3], who as the founder of this new religion that was focused upon the Sun spirit Ahura Mazda helped prepare humanity for the subsequent descent into incarnation of Ahura Mazda, the cosmic Sun Spirit, as Christ.

— Anthroposophical astrologer Robert Powell, 

JOURNAL FOR STAR WISDOM 2016 

(SteinerBooks, 2015), p. 234

[1] Steiner taught that there were two Jesues; the other was the Nathan Jesus. [See "Was He Christian?"]

[2] See "Zoroastrianism".

[3] I.e., an enlightened being.

The second temptation [for a Waldorf science teacher] is the Ahrimanic temptation [1] to become the proverbial power-hungry, mad scientist. [2] As we become more proficient in the sciences, as we begin to know and anticipate the processes and outcomes, we begin to feel that we have the means of controlling the forces of nature. Look how nature does our bidding! See how we can manipulate and regulate the phenomena! How satisfying to feel the students’ increased respect for our power!

How easy it is to succumb to this temptation, for all of us strive to be competent, to master our task and our material, to do things well. Yet if we succumb, we begin to turn our students into materialists with their feet rooted in the earth, their gaze focused downward. Ahriman would like to turn human beings into completely physical beings. [3] He works to wed humans to the earth and reduce them to creatures of instinct. By giving in to his temptation, we aid him in his task.

—Waldorf teacher Roberto Trostli, 

"In Matter, Spirit — Science Education in the Waldorf School", 

RESEARCH BULLETIN, Research Institute for Waldorf Education, 

Autumn/Winter 2013, Vol. 18 , #2  

[1] See "Ahriman".

[2] Waldorf science instruction is often the weakest part of the curriculum. [See "Steiner's 'Science'".]

[3] Ahriman tempts us toward materialism; he would eliminate our spiritual inclinations, if possible.

The body is a carrier of the ‘I'-consciousness [1] and it is a carrier of developmental possibilities. Both are there.

There are two beings, Lucifer and Ahriman, who do not like these components at all. [2] Lucifer does not want us to have awareness of the world around us. He wants us to enjoy ourselves, mirror ourselves, and develop aberrations from healthy self-awareness that go toward egoism. Like Lilith, we are not so nice as women if Lucifer tempts us. [3]

Men can do this in their own way. This is where Luciferic temptation comes in. Lucifer is a microcosm interested in small things. Lucifer is happy with vanity. Life has to be fun and joyful, where we can take pride in ourselves and show off.

Rudolf Steiner once came onto the school playground in Stuttgart and said that there were two ladies sitting in front of the school who could not be allowed in. A teacher who went to look saw no one. But Rudolf Steiner explained that the two he saw sitting there were vanity and the craving for power. [4]

Ahriman, on the other hand, has a deep hatred and lack of understanding for destiny. People are only numbers to him. Everyone is exchangeable to him ... Rudolf Steiner told physicians that Ahriman wants to kill karma. [5] We cannot use a more accurate concept. We have to listen to it and ponder on it. Ahriman wants to kill destiny because it makes development possible. Grand Ahrimanic powers focus on the earth, on the solid, the rational, the mathematical. [6]

— Anthroposphical MD Michaela Glöcker, 

"From Unborness to 'I' Consciousness", GATEWAYS, 

Waldorf Early Childhood Association of North America, 

Fall 2012, No. 63 

[1] The "I" is one's unique spiritual identity, one's spiritual "ego". [See "Ego".]

[2] See "Lucifer" and "Ahriman".

[3] In Jewish folklore, Lilith is a female demon. According to some folkloric accounts, she was Adam's first wife.

[4] Steiner taught that invisible spiritual beings, sometimes embodying conditions such as vanity or craving for power, are real. Here, however, he may have been speaking metaphorically.

[5] See "Karma".

[6] According to Steiner, science, intellect, material reality, etc., are all ahrimanic — they fall under the sway of Ahriman. [See, e.g., "Materialism U.".]

[N]ew star wisdom [1] is arising in our time in response to the Second Coming of Christ [2] — known as his return in the etheric realm of life forces [3] — as a path of communing with Christ in his life body (ether body). [4] ... Christ is now the Lord of Karma [5], and this is important top take into consideration in the development of a new relationship of humanity to the stars [6] in our time, particularly with respect to the horoscope [7] as an expression of human karma or destiny. [8]

— Astrosopher Robert Powell, 

"Editorial Foreword",

JOURNAL FOR STAR WISDOM 2016 

(SteinerBooks, 2015), p. 20 

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

[2] See the entry for "Second Coming of Christ" in The Brief Waldorf / Steiner Encyclopedia.

[3] These are forces that Anthroposophists believe exist at the etheric level (i.e., within the etheric body of the Earth). Etheric bodies are constellations of life forces that sculpt and preserve physical bodies.

[4] The ether body is the lowest of our three invisible bodies, below the astral body and the "I". [See "Incarnation".]

[5] That is, he guides human destiny. 

[6] Astrology underlies much of Anthroposophy. [See, e.g., "Astrology".]

[7] See "Horoscopes".

[8] See "Karma".

Michael [1] — the archangel who from 1879 [2] acts as the spirit of the age [3], until the year 2300 ... St. Michael and anthroposophy are connected in a special way. As the custodian of cosmic intelligence, and as spirit of the age, Michael inspires all human beings who wish to connect the human spirit with the spirit in the cosmos. Anthroposophy is also called the School of Michael. Rudolf Steiner sought to establish a new festival of Michaelmas, at the end of September, to celebrate human qualities of courage and fortitude. [4] Michael, with his 'sword of iron', has a special relationship with cosmic iron, with the iron in human blood, and the meteor showers that fall in great number at that time of year. He stands sentinel over the human potential for freedom, waiting for free human deeds but not dictating how this should be achieved. See also: Kali Yuga. [5]

— Waldorf teacher Henk van Oort, ANTHROPOSOPHY A-Z

(Sophia Books, Rudolf Steiner Press, 2011), p. 78 

[1] See "Michael".

[2] See the entry for "1879" in The Brief Waldorf / Steiner Encyclopedia.

[3] That is, he embodies the essence of that historical period.

[4] Michaelmas was celebrated long before Steiner came along. Steiner did, however, seek to redefine the meaning of Michaelmas.

[5] This was the spiritual "dark age" that, Anthroposophists believe, ended in 1899 when Steiner began delivering his occult teachings.

When we see how unfriendly, impatient, how shocking and ungenerous or — on the other side — how overly indulgent and superficial our fast-paced, materialistically inclined society can be toward little children, we might ask how these little souls have the courage to come. [1] Rudolf Steiner described that each incarnating soul has a preview of what he or she is stepping toward. And in the face of what they see, they still resolve to incarnate, because they want so badly to be on the earth at this time. What deeply Michaelic souls [2] they must be! Greeting them with all their complications and mysteries is a daily challenge. But what an honor and privilege it is to be with these heroic little beings. May we greet and hold them well. [3]

— Waldorf teacher Nancy Blanning, 

"From the Editor", GATEWAYS, 

Waldorf Early Childhood Association of North America, 

Fall 2012, No. 63 

[1] I.e., to come to Earth — to be born, to be incarnated.

[2] I.e., souls deeply connect to Michael, the Archangel of the Sun, the champion of Christ. [See "Michael".]

[3] This is one way to express the role Waldorf teachers believe they fill in the lives of their young students — greeting them as new arrivals from the spirit realm.

Early in the Lemurian age [1], Lucifer and Ahriman [2] continued their onslaught on the human being, and caused a disruption of the human senses. This attack on the senses brought the human being under the influence of earth forces that threatened to pull the human being down and keep the human in the horizontal position of the animals … This was not, however, the end of this primordial Luciferic and Ahrimanic onslaught, and in the middle of the Atlantean age [3] these adversaries strove to disrupt the proper functioning of the human vital organs. Their effort was to render the human vital organs incapable of relating correctly with the outside world, to make these organs, in Steiner’s vivid phrase, ‘selfish.’ The result was that, with the turning inward of the human organs, human speech was threatened with becoming purely subjective, capable of only subjective, animal-like emotional outbursts — cries of pain, joy, meaningless babbling.

— Waldorf teacher-trainer Douglas Sloan, 

“Toward Understanding the Christ and the Christ Impulse”, 

AND WHO SHALL TEACH THE TEACHERS? 

(Association of Waldorf Schools of North America, 2007, 

reprint 2012), pp. 24-25 

[1] See "Lemuria".

[2] See "Lucifer" and "Ahriman".

[3] See "Atlantis".

From the course catalogue of the 

Waldorf Institute of Southern California (WISC), 

a Waldorf teacher-training institution:

Foundation Studies 

Foundation studies are also woven throughout the three-year program cycle. As a pedagogical basis, we have designed our work with [Rudolf Steiner's book] The Study of Man to occur within the three-year timeframe, each year covering approximately a third of the text. The Balance in Teaching lecture course [lectures by Rudolf Steiner] is also woven into the pedagogical work. 

WISC students study three of Rudolf Steiner’s basic anthroposophical books: Intuitive Thinking as a Spiritual Path during the grades 1-3 focus year; Theosophy during the grades 4-5 focus year; An Outline of Esoteric Science during the grades 6-8 year. Both more experienced and newer students benefit from their shared engagement with the foundational materials, which are actively approached throughout all three years of the program. 

In this way, our program demonstrates the reality that anthroposophical studies are not a finite achievement that ends after some period of time, but rather, constitute an ongoing process in the life of a teacher.

[accessed 10-6-2017; catalogue last revised 9-03-2017 http://www.waldorfteaching.org/waldorf_institute_course_catalog.shtml, p. 20.]

◊

Waldorf Watch Response:

Proponents of Waldorf education often claim that Waldorf today is free of any mysticism or occultism of the sort that Rudolf Steiner promulgated long ago.

The reality is that Waldorf teachers today often receive instruction in Steiner's occult beliefs much as their predecessors did, and they are typically expected to base their work on those beliefs. They generally receive such instruction during their training to become Waldorf teachers, and they are encouraged to continue studying Steiner's occult teachings — which constitute the essence of Anthroposophy — throughout their careers. ("[A]nthroposophical studies are not a finite achievement that ends after some period of time, but rather, constitute an ongoing process in the life of a teacher.")

To put the matter plainly: The doctrines of Anthroposophy continue to inform Waldorf education today. This is why, in the description of "Foundation Studies" provided in the WISC catalogue, we see that Waldorf trainees study at least five Steiner texts: STUDY OF MAN, BALANCE IN TEACHING, INTUITIVE THINKING AS A SPIRITUAL PATH, THEOSOPHY, and AN OUTLINE OF ESOTERIC SCIENCE (original title: AN OUTLINE OF OCCULT SCIENCE).

Any trainee who takes these texts to heart will become, in effect, a believing, practicing Anthroposophist. Thereby, s/he will fulfill Steiner's basic requirement for Waldorf teachers:

“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.

All five of the books assigned by WISC under the heading "Foundation Studies" are worth careful investigation, but STUDY OF MAN is perhaps the most revealing. This book is the central exposition of Steiner's rationale for Waldorf education; it consists of lectures Steiner delivered to the faculty of the first Waldorf school, defining the purpose and approach of Waldorf education. Authorities as the Anthroposophical headquarters have reaffirmed the central importance of this book: 

"The basis of Waldorf education is a study of the human being and developmental psychology presented by Rudolf Steiner (1861 – 1925) in his volume of lectures entitled A GENERAL KNOWLEDGE OF THE HUMAN BEING or STUDY OF MAN." — Pedagogik-Goetheanum, 2009.

What will you find if you study Steiner's STUDY OF MAN? Statements such as this:

“The task of education conceived in a spiritual sense is to bring the Soul-Spirit into harmony with the Life-Body [sic: emphasis by Steiner]. They must come into harmony with one another. They must be attuned to one another; for when the child is born into the physical world, they do not yet fit one another. The task of the educator...is the mutual attunement of these two members." — Rudolf Steiner, STUDY OF MAN (Rudolf Steiner Press, 2007), pp. 19-20.

You might think that the task of a school is to educate children, providing them with knowledge. But this is not the primary goal Waldorf faculties aim for. As explained by Rudolf Steiner in this, his most important exposition of Waldorf schooling, the key task of Waldorf education is to help children to incarnate properly — that is, help the children to achieve a proper fit between the various components of their beings. Anthroposophists believe that humans have both souls and spirits; the "soul-spirit" or "spirit-soul" is the combination of these invisible components. Waldorf teachers think their job is to "harmonize" their students' soul-spirits with their etheric bodies (also called life bodies or temporal bodies: these are the lowest of three invisible bodies that incarnate during childhood, according to Steiner). Ultimately, all of a child's invisible components (soul, spirit, etheric body, astral body, and ego body) need to be harmonized with her/his physical body; thus is successful incarnation achieved.

STUDY OF MAN continues in this occult vein for nearly 200 pages — the book contains 14 occult lectures. No one reading the book can have any doubt about the real nature of Waldorf schooling. Waldorf education, provided as Steiner directed, is an enactment of the occult doctrines of Anthroposophy. Waldorf education was this when Steiner concocted it decades ago in Germany, and it remains this in all genuine Waldorf schools today.

[To delve deeply into STUDY OF MAN, see "Oh Humanity", which provides a guided tour of the entire book.]

◊

Addendum

As we have seen, Steiner said that the purpose of Waldorf schooling "conceived in a spiritual sense" is to help kids with their incarnation on Earth. Does this mean that the purpose of Waldorf schooling conceived in an educational sense might be to give kids a good, solid academic education? No. Academics are generally low on the list of Waldorf priorities; Waldorf schools often have low academic standards. [See "Academic Standards at Waldorf".] As a leading Anthroposophist has explained, 

“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.” — Peter Selg, THE ESSENCE OF WALDORF EDUCATION (SteinerBooks, 2010)‚ p. 30.

Attaining "life force" is, from an Anthroposophical perspective, essentially the same as incarnating properly, so that your bodies (physical, etheric, astral, and ego) are filled with the right spiritual/physical energies.

The purpose of Waldorf schooling is primarily spiritual, not academic. Genuine Waldorf schools are, beneath the surface, Anthroposophical churches. [See "Schools as Churches".] You might like the idea of sending your child to a school that is primarily spiritual. But you should understand that the religion enacted in Waldorf schools is Anthroposophy. [See "Is Anthroposophy a Religion?"] Unless you can accept the occult doctrines of Anthroposophy, the spiritual nature of Waldorf schooling will ultimately be alien — and quite likely unacceptable — to you.

From the Waldorf Watch News:

October 15, 2017

Although Waldorf spokespeople often deny the tight bonds between Waldorf schools and Rudolf Steiner's mysticism, the bonds are actually easy to discern, if we only know where to look. Here is the beginning of the lead article currently posted at the site Waldorf Resources. Note that the article is presented as a "resource" for Waldorf teachers. Teachers at other types of schools use quite different sorts of resources to aid them in their work.

Foundations

Puberty, etheric body, astral body, brain research, brain physiology, developmental processes [*]

By: Dr. Richard Landl, September 2017, First published in Lehrerrundbrief 2005

Puberty as the Gateway to Freedom

A Transformation of the Etheric-Astral in Puberty

All teachers are familiar with the physical presentation of a young person at puberty: the increasing weightiness of the body as it “descends” into a young person, typically visible in gait and posture, and also the soul chaos that often manifests in seemingly incomprehensible and contradictory behaviors.

Let me add an image of Rudolf Steiner’s that clarifies what occurs at this time in the soul-body of a young person. In his lecture of May 25, 1922, on “Human soul life and spiritual striving in relation to world and earth evolution,” Steiner describes how, before birth, a human being assembles its own etheric body out of the entire etheric cosmos. This etheric body contains a copy of the entire cosmos, in particular of the animal world, the sun, and the moon. During the first years of a child’s life, this prenatal etheric body is born. This soul development parallels physical development with regard to the inherited etheric body. In this process, the configuration of the etheric body is transformed in such away that, among other things, a certain concentration of etheric formative forces takes place in the region of the heart. Steiner describes this process as the formation of a new etheric heart to replace the old etheric heart. Spatially, this etheric heart should be conceived as occupying the same location as the physical heart. This process reaches its height, its conclusion, at the time of puberty. From this time onward a young person carries a copy of the entire cosmos in his or her heart region.

Steiner also presents an image of the transformation of astrality. The astral body, too, is brought into a new incarnation following pre-natal stages. At first, the astral body is a copy of a person’s experiences between death and rebirth. All the secrets of a particular individuality are visible in the highly differentiated structure of the astral body. Here, again, developing astrality gradually replaces inherited astrality. According to Steiner, beginning with ego or self-consciousness in the second or third year, highly differentiated astral structures plunge into the physical organs. This affects particularly organs above the diaphragm — principally the brain. This especially dynamic process also concludes in puberty. Prior to puberty, astral structures become increasingly undifferentiated and the astral body is reduced to a kind of foggy cloud. Dissolved astral forms begin to form anew in puberty.

[accessed 11-15-2017   http://www.waldorf-resources.org/articles/display/archive/2017/09/18/article/puberty-as-the-gateway-to-freedom/5772e9a6ac8db1fe1509e00f017a881c/]

◊

Footnote by R.R.

* Revealing terms used in these paragraphs include "etheric body", "astral body", and "incarnation". For definitions of such terms, see The Semi-Steiner Dictionary. To dig a little deeper, see the relevant entries in The Brief Waldorf / Steiner Encyclopedia.

Re. brain research: Anthroposophists grab onto any tiny bit of scientific research that might conceivably be twisted to make it seem to support Steiner. They do this while ignoring the vast bulk of scientific consensus that cannot possibly be twisted to seem to support Steiner. Anthroposophy is fundamentally antiscientific. [See "Steiner's 'Science'" and "Science".]

November 6, 2017

Currently featured at the Waldorf Publications website:

THY WILL BE DONE:
The Task of the College of Teachers in Waldorf Schools

(Waldorf Publications, 2017)

From the publisher:

In Waldorf schools around the world, teachers gather to build an imagination of their school that opens hearts and minds to higher realities on behalf of the children entrusted to the care of the teachers and the school. This colleagueship forms a vessel for the receiving of strength, courage, light, and love for the children in each Waldorf school. The “College of Teachers” is the name given to these circles of teachers who work actively, collaboratively, and meditatively on finding the best approach for each child through the Waldorf curriculum. Roberto Trostli describes the practices and the task of the College of Teachers with clarity and insight in these pages. The book sheds light on this unique aspect of Waldorf education and offers perceptive suggestions for success. 

[accessed 1-6-2017   https://www.waldorfpublications.org/collections/frontpage/products/the-task-of-the-college-of-teachers-in-the-waldorf-school]

◊

Waldorf Watch Response:

Several points are worth noting. (The following comments overlap one another, causing a certain amount of repetition. But hang in there. The repetitions should become eye-opening, illuminating key realities about Waldorf schools.)

 ◊ The author of THY WILL BE DONE, Roberto Trostli, is well qualified to discuss the inner workings of Waldorf schools. He has had a long career in Waldorf education. [1]

 ◊ Waldorf representatives usually deny that Waldorf schools are religious institutions. Yet Trostli's book has a distinctly religious title, and the image on the cover is at least suggestively spiritualistic. In fact, Waldorf schools are aligned with a distinct — and unique — religious faith: Anthroposophy. [2] Anthroposophy is the new-age religion instituted by Rudolf Steiner. [3] Anthroposophy bears some resemblance to Christianity, but it is a polytheistic creed. [4]

 ◊ The phrase "to build an imagination" may need explanation. Rudolf Steiner claimed to be clairvoyant, and he encouraged his followers — including Waldorf teachers — to develop their own clairvoyant powers. [5] Through clairvoyance, Steiner taught, a seer develops true mental pictures or images, which Steiner called "imaginations." When Waldorf teachers "build an imagination of their school," they jointly create a mental picture of the school as it should be, thereby potentially causing the school to become what they imagine. A true mental picture, Steiner taught, becomes a living spirit — in effect, a god — that acts to create a desired reality in the physical world. [6] Indeed, according to Anthroposophical belief, a true mental picture is not created in the human brain; it is received clairvoyantly from the spirit realm. A meeting in which Waldorf teachers "gather to build an imagination" is essentially a spiritual or religious assembly, seeking spiritual blessings for the benefit of all the participants and for the benefit of the souls the participants wish to guide.

◊ The college of teachers becomes "a vessel for the receiving of strength, courage, light, and love." These blessings — which the teachers intend to pass along to their students — are believed to flow down from the spirit realm above. Specifically, they come from the gods who are believed to preside over the school. In this sense, Waldorf teachers see their role as petitioning for, and receiving, divine blessings that they will then send out into the world. This is why Steiner made statements such as this:

“Among the faculty, we must certainly carry within us the knowledge that we are not here for our own sakes, but to carry out the divine cosmic plan. We should always remember that when we do something, we are actually carrying out the intentions of the gods, that we are, in a certain sense, the means by which that streaming down from above will go out into the world.” [7] 

 ◊ The "college of teachers" is, in ordinary parlance, a central committee. It is the seat of power within a genuine Waldorf school, where the important decisions for the school are made. It is called a "college" for several reasons. One reason is that the members — generally the school's senior faculty members — are deemed to be colleagues of equal status who make their decisions in a collegial manner. (Thus, Trostli speaks of the college as a "colleagueship" in which the members work "collaboratively.") Another reason is that the meetings of the college usually include periods of study during which the teachers work to educate themselves. Chiefly, the texts they study in their "college" are the works of Rudolf Steiner. A Waldorf "college of teachers," then, is in effect a college of Anthroposophical studies and actions. [8]

 ◊ The college works "meditatively." This word drives home the religious, spiritual nature of the college and, indeed, of Waldorf education generally. Rudolf Steiner wrote numerous prayers and meditations for his followers to use. Most days at a Waldorf school begin with teachers and students reciting, aloud and in unison, prayers written by Steiner. [9] Likewise, faculty meetings at a Waldorf school often begin with such prayers, and during these meetings meditations written by Steiner may be quoted and reflected upon. Any form of true Waldorf meditation has a distinctly religious purpose. As Steiner said,

"Let's make it clear to ourselves what's really brought about by meditation. Streams of spiritual life are always flowing through the world ... [O]ur meditation words [10] are like portals that are to lead us into the spiritual world. They have the strength to open up our soul so that the thoughts of our great leaders, the masters of wisdom and of the harmony of feelings [11] can stream into us." [12]

In sum, meetings of a Waldorf college of teachers are meant to be gatherings of religious adherents who are on a spiritual mission. The participants in the meetings focus on "higher realities." This is why Steiner made such statements as these:

◊ “We [Waldorf teachers] can accomplish our work only if we [see it] as a moral spiritual task. Therefore, you will understand why, as we begin this work today, we first reflect on the connection we wish to create from the very beginning between our activity and the spiritual worlds ... Thus, we wish to [reflect] upon how we connect with the spiritual powers [i.e., gods] in whose service and in whose name each one of us must work.” [13]

◊ "I would always...like to see our feelings permeated, as it were, with a healthy sensing of our great task, so that we may in all humility feel ourselves as missionaries....” [14]

◊ "[A] teacher’s calling becomes a priestly calling, since an educator becomes a steward who accomplishes the will of the gods...." [15]

Waldorf Watch Footnotes:

[1] From the author's bio: "Roberto was a class teacher for 10 years at the Rudolf Steiner School in New York City, which he attended as a child ... Since 2009, Roberto has been a class teacher at Richmond Waldorf School in Virginia."

[2] See "Schools as Churches".

[3] See "Is Anthroposophy a Religion?"

[4] See "Polytheism".

[5] See, e.g., "The Waldorf Teacher's Consciousness".

[6] See the entries for "imagination", "imaginations", and "living thoughts" in The Brief Waldorf / Steiner Encyclopedia.

[7] Rudolf Steiner, FACULTY MEETINGS WITH RUDOLF STEINER - Foundations of Waldorf Education VIII (Anthroposophic Press, 1998), p. 55.

[8] See, e.g., "Faculty Meetings".

[9] See "Prayers".

[10] I.e., the words of our meditations.

[11] i.e., thoughts of the great spiritual masters and, indeed, the thoughts of the gods.

[12] Rudolf Steiner, FROM THE CONTENTS OF ESOTERIC CLASSES (transcript, Rudolf Steiner Archive), GA 266.

[13] Rudolf Steiner, THE FOUNDATIONS OF HUMAN EXPERIENCE - Foundations of Waldorf Education I (Anthroposophic Press, 1996), p. 33.

[14] Rudolf Steiner, EDUCATION FOR ADOLESCENTS - Foundations of Waldorf Education X (Anthroposophic Press, 1996), pp. 135-136.

[15] Rudolf Steiner, HUMAN VALUES IN EDUCATION - Foundations of Waldorf Education XX (Anthroposophic Press, 2004), p. 9.

November 9, 2017

Currently featured by SteinerBooks, a book to be released next month:

THE LOGIC AGAINST HUMANITY

The Myth of Science and the Path of Thinking

(Lindisfarne Books, 2017)

From the publisher:

The Logic against Humanity is considered by many to be Massimo Scaligero’s most important work. It examines the difficulties faced by modern-day philosophers and scientists who employ “discursive” thinking to explain the mystery of human existence. “Discursive” thinking, which accounts for the inherent limitations of rationalism and scientific presumptions, is viewed by Scaligero as a form of mental disorder, widely prevalent in today’s culture. Indeed, he shows how members of the scientific community and academia — unaware of the effect of thinking’s adherence to bodily forces — are often themselves inadvertent diffusers of the mental disorder that they seek to analyze in their research. 

In the first half of the book, “The Myth of Science,” Scaligero discusses numerous topics, including ways that the works of Freud and Jung led to the elimination of the “sacred” through the “sacralization” of the unconscious.

In the second half of the book, “The Path of Thinking,” the author contends that, to remedy problems of modern thinking, we must cultivate the perception of the “being” of thinking — a perception that has eluded many thinkers, from Hegel to Krishnamurti, who were unable to liberate their thinking effectively from “discursiveness.” 

[accessed 11-9-2017   https://steiner.presswarehouse.com/Books/BookDetail.aspx?productID=530486]

◊

Waldorf Watch Response:

Rudolf Steiner claimed to be a scientist, of sorts — he presented himself as an objective, clairvoyant investigator studying the spirit realm. And Steiner’s followers today refer to Anthroposophy as “spiritual science.” But, in fact, Steiner was often harshly critical of real science — natural or physical science. The gap between Steiner’s teachings and the findings of science was wide, and it has only grown wider in the years since Steiner’s death.

Steiner opposed “scientific simpletons” with their “scientific trash” and their “logical, pedantic, narrow-minded proof of things.” He deplored “primitive concepts like those...of contemporary science.” What is wrong with science? "[S]cience speaks under the influence of the demonic Mars-forces." Hence, "[W]hen we listen to a modern physicist blandly explaining that Nature consists of electrons...we raise Evil to the rank of the ruling world-divinity.” [See “Steiner’s ‘Science’” and “Science”.]

The alternative to coldly logical scientific thinking, Anthroposophists believe, is disciplined, warm-hearted clairvoyance. Unfortunately for them, however, there is no evidence that clairvoyance actually exists. It is a phantasm, a dream. [See “Clairvoyance”.]

The weakest part of the Waldorf curriculum, often, can be found in its science courses. The sort of “thinking” promoted in Waldorf science classes in indicated by Waldorf teacher David S. Mitchell in his book THE WONDERS OF WALDORF CHEMISTRY:

"When a foundation of observation and disciplined thinking is established, the high school science teacher now introduces a new type of thinking ... [T]his 'new' thinking is called phenomenological thinking ... [F]irst a phenomenon is carefully observed; second, the rigors and laws of thinking and science are applied ... third, everything up to now is laid to rest, the mind is cleared, and the phenomenon itself is allowed to speak. The student observes what comes forward while keeping the mind from straying ... This activity opens on up to new possibilities ... This type of thinking is freed from the senses and allows the universe to speak through the individual. It is a type of thinking which is truly moral and can be the fertile ground for the 'new' science of the twenty-first century." — David S. Mitchell, THE WONDERS OF WALDORF CHEMISTRY (Association of Waldorf Schools of North America, 2004), pp. 12-13.

The "new" thinking is a form of meditation ("the mind is cleared...keeping the mind from straying"). It is the sort of thinking Steiner advocated for producing clairvoyant powers. And as such, it is, ultimately, empty and unproductive. [See “Test Case: Waldorf Chemistry” in “Steiner’s ‘Science’”]

Waldorf education is, at its roots, anti-scientic and anti-intellectual. Ultimately, such schooling can be affirmed only by individuals who believe in clairvoyance, astrology, numerology, and other occult fallacies promoted by Steiner. [See, e.g., “Clairvoyance”, “Exactly”, “Astrology”, and “Magic Numbers”.]

◊

The decision by SteinerBooks to promote, in 2017, a book by Massimo Scaligero raises another issue. Scaligero was both an Anthroposophist and a fascist. As some historians have pointed out, there have been troubling intersections between Anthroposophy and the Fascist/Nazi movement. [See “Sympathizers?”]

“Massimo Scaligero [was] the foremost Italian anthroposophist of the last century … Scaligero was [also] one of the leading figures in the extreme wing of the Italian neo-fascist movement, much more radical than the main neo-fascist currents of the post-war years.” — Historian Peter Staudenmaier, message at the Waldorf Critics discussion site [https://groups.yahoo.com/neo/groups/waldorf-critics/conversations/messages/31280].

Scaligero’s fascistic views do not disqualify him from thoughtful consideration today; perhaps, despite his political opinions, he wrote wisely and well on various topics of interest to Anthroposophists. But anyone who becomes interested in Anthroposophy should grapple with the knowledge that some Anthroposophical teachings — especially about race — are congruous with fascist beliefs. Unfortunately, it seems that Anthroposophists themselves have yet to confront these matters squarely. They rarely acknowledge that some of their leaders, ranging from Scaligero to Steiner himself, have been racists. Hence, they have rarely identified — and, as the next step, explicitly repudiated — the racist teachings of these leaders. [See, e.g., the section “Racism and the Relationship of Anthroposophy to Nazi Philosophy” at the website of People for Legal and Nonsectarian Schools: http://www.waldorfcritics.org/articles.html#Racism. Also see "Steiner's Racism" and "Races".]

January 3, 2018

Now featured by — and available from — the Rudolf Steiner Press:

Rudolf Steiner

NATURE SPIRITS

(Rudolf Steiner Press)

From the publisher:

Based on knowledge attained through his highly-trained clairvoyance, Rudolf Steiner contends that folk traditions regarding nature spirits are based on spiritual reality. He describes how people possessed a natural spiritual vision in ancient times, enabling them to commune with nature spirits. These entities — which are also referred to as elemental beings — became immortalised as fairies and gnomes in myth, legend and children's stories.

Today, says Steiner, the instinctive understanding that humanity once had for these elemental beings should be transformed into clear scientific knowledge. He even asserts that humanity will not be able to reconnect with the spiritual world if it cannot develop a new relationship to the elementals. The nature spirits themselves want to be of great assistance to us, acting as 'emissaries of higher divine spiritual beings'.

[accessed 1/3/2018    https://rudolfsteinerpress.com/viewbook.php?isbn_in=9781855845305   Note that NATURE SPIRITS has been available, in various editions, for many years. This latest edition first became available in 2016.]

◊

Waldorf Watch Response:

The nature spirits most commonly represented — in stories, pictures, statuettes, and so forth — in Waldorf schools are the beings commonly called "gnomes." Other names for these beings include "goblins." Here are a few representative statements Rudolf Steiner made about gnomes:

◊ “There are beings that can be seen with clairvoyant vision at many spots in the depths of the earth ... Many names have been given to them, such as goblins, gnomes and so forth ... What one calls moral responsibility in man is entirely lacking in them ... Their nature prompts them to play all sorts of tricks on man....”

◊ "It is true that the beings which we call gnomes and goblins have a physical body, but they do not possess what in man we call the ego ... [T]heir bodies [are] far less visible than the physical body of man."

◊ “A gnome is only visible to someone who can see on the astral plane [i.e., a level of existence transcending the physical plane], but miners frequently possess such an astral vision [i.e., clairvoyance]; they know that gnomes are realities.”

◊ "The predecessors of our Earth-gnomes, the Moon-gnomes, gathered together their Moon-experiences and from them fashioned this structure, this firm structure of the solid fabric of the Earth, so that our solid Earth-structure actually arose from the experiences of the gnomes of the old Moon.”

◊

Gnomes (or their images) play a far larger role in Waldorf schools than in virtually any other educational establishments. Here are statements made by two mothers who sent their children to Waldorf schools:

◊ "Gnomes are something that Waldorf schools can hook onto in popular culture, from suburban lawn ornaments to familiar fairy tales, and insinuate a message about 'nature spirits' that is meant to prepare children to be receptive to a wide variety of related beliefs about the 'spiritual hierarchies' as outlined by Rudolf Steiner. Nature spirits are at or near the bottom of a very complex hierarchy, going up through various rankings of angels and archangels to the Christian seraphim, cherubim, etc. ... I think gnomes get more systematic emphasis because talk of angels is too blatantly religious, parents will wonder if their child comes home always talking about angels, whereas gnomes can be treated as simply creatures from children's stories or fairy tales, and of course most Waldorf schools deny to parents that the curriculum is religious." — Diana Winters

◊ "The felt gnome in my son's Waldorf classroom sat on a shelf near the top of the chalkboard. I remember the class teacher telling a group of parents that the gnome's role was to watch the children while he was out of the classroom. He said it with a smile and a twinkle in his eye, so my reaction was that it was funny and cute. I assumed it was intended as a big joke ... The teacher spoke of the gnome affectionately. I think he said the gnome's name was George. It's really weird to look back now, picturing all those adults sitting at their children's desks, listening attentively to a man who, unknown to us, believed his guru [Rudolf Steiner] could see real gnomes...."  — Margaret Sachs

Gnomes make appearances in many types of classes and activities in Waldorf schools, including arithmetic lessons. Here is a typical drawing from a Waldorf student's arithmetic lesson book:

The lesson, here, concerned the number 6. 

So the teacher drew six gnomes walking among flowers 

with six clouds overhead, 

and the student copied the image. 

Probably no child has ever been harmed by being asked to draw a single picture of gnomes. But if the underlying purpose is to nudge the child into an occult belief system that considers gnomes real — and if this purpose is reenacted day after day, in multiple ways, involving gnomes and other invisible beings — then serious long-term damage may ultimately occur. The ultimate purpose of genuine Waldorf schools is to lead children toward Anthroposophy.

[See, e.g., "Lesson Books" and "Sneaking It In". For more about gnomes in particular, see "Gnomes". For Anthrosophical beliefs about other types of nature spirits — including sylphs, undines, and fire spirits — see "Neutered Nature" and "Beings".]

— R.R.

January 27, 2018

WALDORF: PLANETS, 

TYPES, & PHASES 

From Mountain Xpress [Asheville, North Carolina]:

Rainbow and 

Azalea Mountain schools

to host educator

ASHEVILLE — Join educators, parents and interested community members on Feb. 7 for two public events with Torin M. Finser. On the campus of Azalea Mountain School…Finser will be discussing the foundations of Waldorf education found in anthroposophy through study and the practice of the arts.…

At 7 p.m., on the campus of Rainbow Community School...Finser will be discussing his new book, Education for Nonviolence: The Waldorf Way. In this book, Finser describes how Waldorf education provides much-needed pathways towards wholeness….

Finser is chair of the Education Department at Antioch University New England … Torin is the author of numerous books, including School as a Journey (1994); School Renewal (2001); and Organizational Integrity (2007).

[accessed 1/27/2018  https://mountainx.com/blogwire/rainbow-and-azalea-mountain-schools-to-host-educator/]

◊

Waldorf Watch Response:

Rudolf Steiner's followers, Anthroposophists, often work as missionaries, proselytizing for their belief system and promoting one of that system's chief embodiments, Waldorf education. In these missionary efforts, they usually try to make their beliefs seem sensible. But if we dig a little, we can reach down to the bedrock doctrines of their faith, which are anything but sensible.

Torin M. Finser is the author of numerous books bearing respectable titles that would alarm no one. But, then again, Finser is also the author of works such as this:

INITIATIVE

A Rosicrucian Path of Leadership

(SteinerBooks, 2011)

Rosicrucians are members of a secretive group — or a loose-knit array of secretive groups — professing occult spiritual wisdom. Rudolf Steiner declared that Rosicrucianism is the correct spiritual path for modern humanity. [See "Rosy Cross".] Steiner did not mean just any old Rosicrucianism, of course. He meant Rosicrucianism as reconceived by himself; he meant, in effect, Anthroposophy. [See the entries for "Rosicrucianism" and "Anthroposophy" in The Brief Waldorf / Steiner Encyclopedia.]

When Torin M. Finser writes of "A Rosicrucian Path of Leadership", he means the Rosicrucian path delineated by Steiner. He means the belief system embraced by many Waldorf teachers and their trainers (such as Torin M. Finser). 

The path Finser discusses is infused, at almost every step, by astrology. As we have noted here previously, astrology is almost always present in Waldorf thinking. [See, e.g., the news item for Jan. 19: "Waldorf Astrology, FYI".]

Let's hear Finser on this matter.

"In my 2007 book Organizational Integrity, I introduced the notion of planetary types ... [I]n the years since that original piece, I have done further research in regard to the role of planetary influences [on human beings]." — Torin M. Finser, INITIATIVE - A Rosicrucian Path of Leadership (SteinerBooks, 2011), p. 63.

By "planetary types," Finser means types of human beings who are heavily influenced by the astrology forces flowing down from specific planets overhead. In INITIATIVE, Finser discusses this at some length. Notice how his terminology is reminiscent of the astrological claptrap found in newspaper horoscope columns.

"[L]et us look more closely at what I call the 'planetary types'...

"The Saturn Type Such person cultivate their inner world with great energy but generally have poor relationships with the outer world ... Saturn types can be awkward in practical matters (they are typically not good car mechanics), and they tend to be easily offended ... Their virtue is loyalty; their vice is spite....

"The Mercury Type ... The Mercury type can observe things and people with great acuteness ... They always seem to be in motion, dancing through life as it were, but they are inwardly quite passive ... The virtue of the Mercury type is their light-footed cleverness; their vice can be a kind of superficiality that can border on dishonesty....

"The Mars Type ... [T]he Mars type looks continually to the future ... These people are goal oriented, they push obstacles aside, and they can be quite rude at times ... [T]heir virtue is courage, but their vices are anger, excessive zeal, and the tendency to give free rein to their passions...." — Finser, ibid., pp. 69-72.

Finser goes on to tell us about the Moon type, the Venus type, the Jupiter type, and the the Sun type. [pp. 72-75] 

Finser also explains that each person, over the course of a typical lifetime, passes through seven distinct "planetary phases" during which s/he rises through the planetray spheres, as it were: 

"Moon phase, from birth to age seven ... Mercury phase, ages seven to fourteen ... Venus phase, ages fourteen to twenty-one ... Sun phase, ages twenty-one to forty two ... Mars phase, ages forty-two to forty-nine ... Jupiter phase, ages forty-nine to fifty-six ... Saturn phase, ages fifty-six to sixty-three." — Finser, ibid., pp. 102-103.

Bear in mind that when Anthroposophists talk this way, they are not speaking metaphorically. They mean these things literally. Thus, Rudolf Steiner taught that humans undergo significant mental, physical, and spiritual changes every seven years. [See "What We're Made Of".] Indeed, the idea that children change significantly every seven years is sometimes called Steiner's most significant educational insight. [See "Most Significant".] Anthroposophists say this, anyway — no one else does.

Finser provides a handy chart showing the planetary spheres and the schedule of our movement upward through these spheres:

INITIATIVE, p. 103.

Finser credits other mystics for inspiring some of his occult notions, but toward the end of INITIATIVE, he puts the ultimate credit where ultimate credit is due:

"I base all my research on the anthroposopjoc worldview as described by Rudolf Steiner." — Finser, ibid., p. 109.

If you have an opportunity to attend a public presentation by Torin M. Finser or any other proponent of Waldorf education, I'd suggest you go. But I'd also suggest you bring along a list of pointed questions.

— R.R.

January 30, 2018

WALDORF, HARRY,

AND HIDDEN DEEPS 

From The Des Moines Register [Iowa, USA]:

‘Harry Potter’ comes to life 

in Des Moines this weekend

Wizards and witches of Iowa, you don’t need an official letter from Hogwarts to experience a real-life taste of the Harry Potter universe in Des Moines this weekend.

Running Friday and Saturday, touring cinema concert production company CineConcerts brings film favorite “Harry Potter and the Sorcerer’s Stone” to life via a performance from the Des Moines Symphony....

[accessed 1/30/2018  https://www.desmoinesregister.com/story/entertainment/arts/2018/01/29/harry-potter-comes-life-des-moines-weekend/1075313001/]

◊

Waldorf Watch Response:

What does this announcement have to do with Waldorf education?

Come to that, what does Harry Potter have to do with Waldorf?

Nothing, of course.

Except...

Some Waldorf teachers evidently believe that Harry Potter has already come to life. He is real. He exists. Although, of course, he is not quite what he seems.

Let's take this one step at a time.

Rudolf Steiner taught that all fairy tales and myths are true.

◊ “Fairy tales are never thought out [i.e., invented]; they are the final remains of ancient clairvoyance [i.e., the clairvoyance ancient peoples possessed] ... All the fairy tales in existence are thus the remnants of the original clairvoyance.” — Rudolf Steiner, ON THE MYSTERY DRAMAS (Rudolf Steiner Press, 1983), p. 93.

◊ “Actual facts concerning the higher Spiritual Worlds lie at the foundation of all myths.” — Rudolf Steiner, UNIVERSE, EARTH AND MAN (H. Collison, 1931), GA 105.

All  fairy tales. All  myths.

The beings described in fairy tales and myths really exist, Steiner taught. 

“Myths and sagas are not just 'folk-tales'; they are the memories of the visions people perceived in olden times ... At night they were really surrounded by the world of the...gods of which the legends tell ... [These gods] were experienced in the spiritual world with as much reality as we experience our fellow human beings around us today.” — Rudolf Steiner, THE FESTIVALS AND THEIR MEANING (Rudolf Steiner Press, 1998), p. 198.

Even beings created by human imagination can become real, Steiner taught: These imagined characters become actual spirits residing in the spirit realm. Shakespeare's characters, for instance. If a Shakespeare play is performed properly, the characters in it take on real existence on high:

“When you make Shakespearean characters living [i.e., when you "bring them to life," as theater folk say]...you can raise them into the supersensible world [i.e., the spirit realm] where they remain living. Of course, they do not do in the higher worlds what they do on the physical plane, but they remain alive, nevertheless, and they act there.” — Rudolf Steiner, FACULTY MEETINGS WITH RUDOLF STEINER (Anthroposophic Press, 1998), p. 336. 

Well, then. Such beliefs can lead Steiner's followers to believe that Harry Potter and other imagined beings may really exist. Steiner taught that imagination is akin to, or a form of, clairvoyance.

This is why a Waldorf press puts out books such as WHO IS HARRY POTTER? Written by a Waldorf teacher, WHO IS HARRY POTTER? claims to reveal (or indicate, or anyway suggest) Harry's real identity.

WHO IS HARRY POTTER?

(Waldorf Publications, 2015)

Here is how Waldorf teacher Frans Lutters states his conclusions about Harry Potter:

"I found Harry's true identity in Mani [the founder of the religion called Manichaeism] and in the continuation of his mission as Parzival [a knight who searched for the Holy Grail] ... One thing is a certainty for me: The real Harry Potter is alive and working as our contemporary ... The Harry Potter story shows in pictures real events that have been happening in the world since 1980. We have to do with a spiritual battle being fought behind the scenes of outer reality. Great initiates such as Mani and Zarathustra [the founder of the religion called Zoroastrianism] are involved in this battle." — WHO IS HARRY POTTER?, pp. 61-62.

There's a lot of humor in Anthroposophy, although most of it is unintentional. Rudolf Steiner's followers believe — really and truly — the loopiest things. (For instance, they believe the teachings of Rudolf Steiner.) So some of them believe that Harry Potter is probably Mani, aka Parzival. And they think that Harry Potter really exists. "One thing is a certainty [sic] for me...."

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Oh. About Zoroaster. In case you haven't guessed, he is Harry's teacher, Albus Dumbledore. See Chapter 8 of WHO IS HARRY POTTER? Its title is "Zoroaster and Dumbledore."

"In Albus Dumbledore the spiritual force of Zarathustra is living again...." — WHO IS HARRY POTTER?, p. 48.

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Now, all of this would be okay if Lutters was simply saying that the Harry Potter books repeat themes found in certain ancient myths and belief systems. But he is not saying that. Or his is not saying only  that. He is saying (as Steiner taught) that mythic characters — in this case, Harry Potter and Albus Dumbledore — really exist. Really.

"One thing is a certainty for me: The real Harry Potter is alive and working as our contemporary." — WHO IS HARRY POTTER?, p. 62.

Now you know.

— R.R.

P.S. If you'd like to examine some of the bizarre beliefs that Rudolf Steiner preached to his followers — bizarre beliefs that his followers generally accept — you might take a peek at "Steiner Static" and "Oh Man" and "Steiner's Blunders". There you will find teachings that can lead people into such a welter of delusion that they wind up thinking seriously that, for instance, Harry Potter (aka Mani, aka Parzival) is alive and well today. This is the welter toward which Waldorf education can lead innocent children. The question becomes, then, whether you want your children to be led in that direction. Bear in mind, some of Steiner's true-believing followers work as teachers in Waldorf schools. They would be happy to "educate" your children for you.

January 12, 2018

STEINER, WALDORF,

AND THE DEAD

Currently featured at SteinerBooks:

WONDERS AT THE VEIL 

Creating a Living Relationship with 

Your Loved Ones Who Have Died

(Arts2thrive, LLC, 2017)

From the SteinerBooks website:

In Wonders at the Veil, you will discover veil work — the extraordinary spiritual practice of intentionally approaching the veil between the living and the dead to be of service to your loved ones who have died. You will learn how to penetrate the veil and forge a living connection with those you thought had traveled beyond your reach, supporting them as they journey through the spiritual realms. You will even discover ways to engage in co-creative activities with your loved ones, learning how to recognize the messages you receive from them and together bringing new creations into being on Earth that will enrich your own life and benefit humanity.

Based in part on Rudolf Steiner's indications, author and eurythmist Lynn Stull shares in Wonders at the Veil the practices she has engaged in for nearly twenty years. Topics covered include creating a successful veil work practice, communication basics, the fundamental practice of reading to our loved ones, steps for co-creating with loved ones who have died, and eurythmy and painting exercises that facilitate connection.

"Now is the time in our spiritual evolution to create conscious, living relationships with loved ones who have died. I welcome you to this sacred, heart-opening work." — Lynn Rollins Stull, Director, Institute for Veil Work

[accessed 1/12/2018  https://steiner.presswarehouse.com/Books/BookDetail.aspx?productID=512711]

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Waldorf Watch Response:

Contacting the dead, and offering assistance to the dead, are preoccupations for many of Rudolf Steiner's followers.

This preoccupation extends into Waldorf schools. Here is a book, published by a Waldorf educational outfit, offering guidance for Waldorf teachers:

WORKING WITH THE DEAD 

(Waldorf Early Childhood Association of North America, 2003)

In WORKING WITH THE DEAD, the author — a Waldorf teacher — advises his colleagues to teach young Waldorf students to "serve the dead." In the same vein, he urges Waldorf teachers to have their students celebrate not only people's birthdays but also their "death days." [See "Waldorf Wisdom", installment 2, "The Dead".]

Other Anthroposophical books dealing with the dead and our ties to them include STAYING CONNECTED - How to Continue Your Relationships with Those Who Have Died (Anthroposophic Press, 1999) and OUR DEAD - [Rudolf Steiner's] Memorial, Funeral, and Cremation Addresses (Steiner Books, 2011). 

Steiner himself claimed to communicate with the dead. [See, e.g., "Steiner and the Warlord".]

— R.R.

June 28, 2018

NATURE, TECHNOLOGY,  

AHRIMAN, AND WALDORF  

SPIRIT-LED COMMUNITY

Healing the Impact of Technology

(SteinerBooks, 2018)

Waldorf schools are sometimes lauded for promoting a natural, organic, technology-free mode of life. The schools are largely devoid of computers, televisions, movie projectors, and other technological gadgets. At most Waldorf schools, the Internet and other electronic media are not considered valuable educational resources. Instead, they are generally shunned. Instruction in most Waldorf classes is decidedly a tech-free process, with nary a gizmo flashing or buzzing.

Families sending their children to Waldorf schools are often required to abide by a “media policy.” By and large, the essence of this policy is that the use of high-tech gadgetry will be avoided at home much as it is avoided at school. Keep the TVs off, restrict access to computers, strictly limit the use of smart phones, and so on.

Waldorf schools are usually most vigilant about opposing technology in the lowest grades — preschool and elementary school. The youngest children are shielded most intensively from modern technology. The anti-tech shield is dropped a little in the higher grades.

What is the reason for Waldorf’s aversion to modern technology? A book published this year by an Anthroposophical press suggests the answer. The following is from the opening pages of SPIRIT-LED COMMUNITY: Healing the Impact of Technology.

"[I]n our time, each generation is increasingly being educated more through the 'invented' world than through the natural world … A child who is raised on the invented technology of the internet has a different inner development … Technology that is designed to form unhealthy habits of thinking, feeling, and will impulses in the child in order to increase monetary wealth for others is immoral … We have entered the era where intentional immorality is raising the next generation." — Anthroposophist and Waldorf teacher-trainer Lisa Romero, SPIRIT-LED COMMUNITY (SteinerBooks, 2018), p. 2

There is much to absorb from these words. Romero posits a dichotomy: We can lead natural lives or we can fall into the trap of leading unnatural lives. Technology, which epitomizes unnatural impulses, represents a particularly treacherous form of this trap. "Invented technology" tends to be immoral. It is produced by people who are motivated by greed — they use their inventions to generate ill-gotten gains for themselves. Along the way, they lure people (especially kids) into “unhealthy habits” of thought, emotion, and will. High-tech gadgetry represents “intentional immorality.” Such gadgetry is leading generations of kids away from the right path through life.

This is a harsh indictment. We should dig into it a bit deeper. Why, fundamentally, is technology so immoral? Because, alas, it is demonic. Technology is “materialistic” in the worst sense — it diverts our attention from the natural and spiritual into dark alternative realities ginned up by immoral technologists. To put it bluntly, technology serves the purposes of the arch-demon Ahriman.

Here is a passage from another of Romero’s books, this one released a few years ago. I have added footnotes to help the uninitiated make sense of the Anthroposophical terminology:

"If we now turn our attention toward the consciousness that lives behind materialism [1], we find the activity of beings that come under the rule of Ahriman. [2] The ahrimanic beings [3]…want to hold spiritual development [4] back, and allow us to experience only as far as the elemental world. [5] This gives the illusion that the spiritual world is similar to the physical world [6] … Ahrimanic consciousness and its minions overpower human progression through us [7] if we believe that all that really exists, all that is important, is the physical world. [8] These beings wish to sever humanity by drawing it downward [9]…." — Lisa Romero, DEVELOPING THE SELF - Through the Inner Work Path in the Light of Anthroposophy (SteinerBooks, 2015), p. 139.

Romero is certainly correct, according to Anthroposophical teachings. She echoes the master Anthroposophist, Rudolf Steiner:

"Everything that has arisen in recent times in the way of materialistic science and industrial technology is of an out-and-out ahrimanic nature." — Rudolf Steiner, GUARDIAN ANGELS (Rudolf Steiner Press, 2000), p. 55.

The danger of yielding to Ahriman and his temptations is that we will lose our souls. Waldorf education is meant to protect us from that terrible fate.

"We live in a time when people face the danger of losing their souls to materialistic impulses. This is a very serious matter. We now stand confronted with that fact ... Such things as the pedagogy of the Waldorf School can arise from a recognition that humanity must turn toward spiritual activity ... We [Waldorf teachers] should work out of that spirit." — Rudolf Steiner, FACULTY MEETINGS WITH RUDOLF STEINER (Anthroposophic Press, 1998), p. 115.

Waldorf schools are essentially religious. The religion involved in Anthroposophy. [See "Is Anthroposophy a Religion?" and "Schools as Churches".] Many parents want a spiritual education for their children. But they should select Waldorf schools only if they can embrace the Waldorf faith: Anthroposophy.

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Waldorf Watch Footnotes:

[1] “Materialism,” as conceived in Anthroposophy, is not just excessive love of material objects or wealth — it is excessive immersion in the physical world. The chief danger of such materialism, according to Angthroposophy, is that we may fall for the illusion that only the physical universe exists and there is no spirit realm.

[2] According to Anthroposophical belief, Ahriman is the demonic lord of materialism, technology, intellect, and material science.

"Intellectuality flows forth from Ahriman as a cold and frosty, soulless cosmic impulse.” — Rudolf Steiner,  ANTHROPOSOPHICAL LEADING THOUGHTS (Rudolf Steiner Press, 1998), p. 98. 

[See “Ahriman”.]

[3] I.e., Ahriman and his minions.

[4] In Anthroposophical teachings, "spiritual development" is the goal of human life: We should develop or evolve to higher and higher levels of spiritual consciousness. [See the entry for “evolution of consciousness” in The Brief Waldorf / Steiner Encyclopedia.]

"Our materialistic worldview does not recognize that the purpose of life is the evolution of consciousness." — Lisa Romero, SPIRIT-LED COMMUNITY, p. 105.

[5] I.e., Ahriman and his underlings want to confine our awareness to the elemental world — the sub-natural world. If nature is healthy and even divine, the sub-natural world is more problematic. It is the domain of “elemental beings,” also called “nature spirits” — gnomes, sylphs, undines, and fire spirits. These beings lack true spirituality and their behavior cannot generally be deemed moral. 

"What one calls moral responsibility in man is entirely lacking in them [i.e., gnomes]." — Rudolf Steiner, NATURE SPIRITS (Rudolf Steiner Press, 1995), p. 62. 

[See “Neutered Nature”.]

[6] According to Anthroposophical belief, this is the first level of illusion produced by materialistic thinking. We fail to see the spirit realm as it truly is.

[7] I.e., the false consciousness produced by Ahriman and his attendants blocks the spiritual evolution that we humans should embody.

[8] This is the second level of illusion produced by materialist (Ahrimanic) thinking: We start to believe that only the physical universe really exists, and thus we fail to recognize the very existence of the spirit realm.

[9] I.e., Ahriman and his minions, operating through such things as modern technology, drag us down from the spirit realm to the elemental world. They try to sever us from truth and spirit.

— R.R.

For all the installments of the "Today" series, see

"Today"

"Today 2"

"Today 3"

"Today 4"

"Today 5"

"Today 6"

"Today 7"

and

"Today 8"

[Waldorfy art by R.R.]