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General Anthroposophical Society Anthroposophy Worldwide 3-4/15

20 March 2015Anthroposophy Worldwide 3/4

Anthroposophical Society1 Special Appeal for Donations2 Amendments to the bylaws in 20142 Agreement on “Haus Haldeck” 3 Financial statement 20149 Meeting: Goetheanum Executive

Council and the Circle of Seven10 Switzerland: Third conference

in the series “The Christmas Conference Impulse A journey towards 2023”

12 On the Annual Theme for 2015/1613 Essay: Anthroposophy and Trial-

ogue15 Membership News

The School of Spiritual Science2 What’s in a name?9 Colloquium: Collegium of the

School of Spiritual Science and Christian Community priests10 Whitsun conference: The Twelve

Moods

Goetheanum7 Main Entrance in the West 8 Experiencing the Wooden Sculp-

ture on the main stage

Forum14 On Pluralism14 Feedback on the publication of

short essays

Feature16 Anthroposophical Body Therapy

■ Anthroposophical society

Appeal

Special DonationsDear members of the Anthroposophical Society

The financial situation at the Goetheanum requires that we ask you a particular favour.

First we would like to thank you most warmly for the wonderful communal

effort that made it possible to carry out the renovation of the Goetheanum and the main stage between the autumn of 2012 and the end of 2014 A truly en-couraging achievement!

Now we stand before the great and wonderful task of filling this new stage with life Since January, around eighty people have been very active indeed preparing for the big Faust Project 2016: sewing costumes and designing the stage set Actors and eurythmists are busy rehearsing under the direction of Christian Peter and Margrethe Solstad respectively The Goetheanum Stage will present to the world a 21-hour per-formance of this great drama of mod-ern man – Faust Parts I and II, by Johann Wolfgang Goethe The undertaking will cost seven million Swiss Francs in 2015 and 2016, and half of that sum needs to be raised through donations Tickets for the preview of Faust Part I (which will be part of the 2015 Summer Conference) are already in great demand, with 200 having been sold so far

At the same time, these important and major projects have meant that undesignated donations to the running budget – and unfortunately also the membership dues – have nosedived (see report on page 3f.) The removal of the cap on the Swiss Franc by the Swiss National Bank in January 2015 has torn another hole of 1 to 1.5 million Swiss Francs into the 2015 budget We are

therefore greatly concerned about this year’s finances.

Most staff members at the Goethea-num, whether they work in administra-tion, on the stage or in the sections, have responded to a plea from the Lead-ership by offering to give up eight per cent of their salaries this year, a step that will save up to 700,000 Swiss Francs But even with further savings in material expenses this will not be enough Would it be possible for the members to show a gesture of solidarity and support the Goetheanum in this situation, which is so particularly difficult for the people working here, with a special donation?

Please help the Goetheanum with a special donation (account details on page 6)

It is furthermore essential for the fu-ture of the Goetheanum that it receives the annual membership dues of 125 Swiss Francs per member and year This amount was agreed by the members in 1990, but in 2014 the Goetheanum received only an average of 79 Swiss Francs per member! Please ask in your branch how this is being handled and, if necessary, discuss how your group, re-gion or country could initiate a solidar-ity pool that balances the contributions of those whose situation does not allow them to pay the full amount with those who can afford more.

With thanks for your understand-ing and support | Justus Wittich, trea-surer, on behalf of the Goetheanum Leadership

2 | Anthroposophy Worldwide No. 3-4/15

General Anthroposophical Society

Amendments to the by-laws in 2014Not all members are clear about the in-tention behind the amendments to the bylaws which were accepted with great majority at the 2014 Annual General Meeting (Anthroposophy Worldwide 5/2014) and there were also questions of clarification as to why Weleda was not able in the past to give designated dona-tions to the School of Spiritual Science.

There were internal as well as external reasons for amending the bylaws in

2014 One reason was to give more weight to the Founding Statutes of the General Anthroposophical Society from Christ-mas 1923/1924 in today’s bylaws (which have historically evolved from the former ‘Goetheanum building association’) and, in particular, to make a connection with the School of Spiritual Science This School of Spiritual Science, with its particular po-sition within the General Anthroposophi-cal Society of the Christmas Conference, was not even mentioned in the bylaws be-fore April 2014 By mentioning the Found-ing Statutes of 1923/1924 in the bylaws this connection has been established and anchored in the public trade register - with reference to the forms inaugurated by Rudolf Steiner at the time

Donations are now possible

The external reasons took second place but were nevertheless important The General Anthroposophical Society is one of the two main shareholders of Weleda and would be entitled to dividends if there were to be a payout Up to and including the year 2012, Weleda also paid royalties (no donations) to the General Anthropo-sophical Society It would be problematic if Weleda were to make donations to one of its main shareholders Money donations to the School of Spiritual Science are now within tax law since, according to the by-laws, the General Anthroposophical Soci-ety is the legal owner of its silent partner, the independent and autonomous School of Spiritual Science | Justus Wittich, trea-surer

General Anthroposophical Society

Agreement on Haus HaldeckAt the 2014 annual general meeting, a motion was presented regarding ‘Haus Haldeck’, a domicile close to the Goethe-anum which is owned by the Anthropo-sophical Society and highly valued by the students and artists who live and prac-tise there The applicants requested that the house should continue to be used by artists and art students under their own administration and responsibility.

The Goetheanum administration had given notice to the tenants in order to be able to

fully renovate the building and use it for other purposes Since then, both sides have agreed that the house, which goes back to the time of Rudolf Steiner’s residency in Dornach, is to be renovated and used – as originally foreseen – by artists at the Goetheanum

Association Haus Haldeck

When the motion was voted on at the 2014 annual meeting of the General Anthro-posophical Society, the result was in favour of the tenants of ‘Haus Haldeck’, who have now – in cooperation with a group of friends on the one hand and the Goetheanum on the other – found a solution The friends of ‘Haus Haldeck’ have formed an association called “Haus Haldeck für die Kunst” (House Haldeck for the arts) and the association, which holds the building lease for thirty years, has been officially registered This means that from 1 January 2015 all rights and duties – including the controversial is-sue of fire safety – have been transferred to the association The Goetheanum will con-tribute to the forthcoming renovation work, but ‘Haus Haldeck’ itself will be in charge of the renovation work on which has already started | Justus Wittich, on behalf of the Goetheanum; Thomas Heck, on behalf of “Haus Haldeck für die Kunst”

School of Spiritual Science

What’s in a name?Following the coming-into-force on 1 January 2015 of the new Swiss university law it is illegal in Switzerland to use the designation ‘Hochschule’ (university) and any derivatives without accreditation by an academic agency There was concern as a result that the Goetheanum would no longer be able to call itself “Freie Hochschule für Geisteswissenschaft” (the German name of the “School of Spiritual Science”, literally: “independent university for spiritual science”).

A committee of the Goetheanum Lead-ership has therefore been in conver-

sation with the appropriate authorities of the Canton of Solothurn since the autumn of 2013 After investigation of the situa-tion it has now been confirmed in writing that the new university law – due to its narrow definition – does not apply to the Goetheanum and that the Goetheanum is therefore free to use the name “Hoch-schule”

As part of this process it was necessary to include the Goetheanum as a “Freie Hochschule für Geisteswissenschaft” in the bylaws which are entered in the Swiss trade register (see the article on the amendments to the bylaws on this page) | Justus Wittich, treasurer

■ school of spiritual science

Anthroposophy Worldwide appears ten times a year, is distributed by the national Anthroposophical Societies, and appears as a supplement to the weekly Das Goethea-num • Publisher: General Anthroposophical Society, represented by Justus Wittich • Ed-itors: Sebastian Jüngel (responsible for this edition), Michael Kranawetvogl (responsible for the Spanish edition), Margot M Saar (re-sponsible for this English edition).Address: Wochenschrift ‹Das Goetheanum›, Postfach, 4143 Dornach, Switzerland, Fax +41 61 706 44 65, [email protected] • Correspondents/news agency: Jürgen Vater (Schweden), News Network Anthroposophy (NNA) • We expressly wish for active sup-port and collaboration • Subscriptions: To receive ‹Anthroposophy Worldwide› please apply to the Anthroposophical Society in your country Alternatively, individual subscriptions are available at CHF 30.- (EUR/US$ 30.-) per year An e-mail version is available to mem-bers of the Anthroposophical Society only at www.goetheanum.org/630.html?L=1 © 2015 General Anthroposophical Society, Dornach, Switzerland

■ Anthroposophical Society

Granting responsibility: Haus Haldeck

Anthroposophy Worldwide No. 3-4/15 | 3

We will start with what we have achieved: thanks to the minor and

major efforts of many members, branches and national societies we have managed as a community to raise within two years the enormous amount of 13.5 million Swiss Francs that was needed to update the stage and renovate the outside of the Goetheanum. In 2014 alone, we received more than two million Swiss Francs in do-nations. A warm thank you for that!

Depending on weather, the final touch-es will be applied to the roof and concrete in the north of the building this spring, and in the summer 2015, once the scaffolding is gone, the last building stage is due to be-gin: the restoration of the terrace.

Building costs not exceeded

How did we manage to achieve this, seeing that we were still in doubt about it in 2012? Firstly, the Goetheanum Build-ing Administration has made sure that the building costs – despite all the impon-derables, newly emerging problems and other things – were kept within budget, including the fully completed updating of the stage. This is an amazing – but often forgotten achievement! Between autumn 2012 and 31 December 2014 we received altogether (figures in Swiss Francs):

– Members worldwide 6.9 million(particularly Germany and Switzerland)– National societies 1.0 million(mainly Germany and the Netherlands)– property sale to a Foundation 1.3 million– from Swiss foundations for cultural heritage preservation 0.4 million––––––––––––––––––––––––––––Total 9.6 million– construction notes and interest-free loans 2.6 million––––––––––––––––––––––––––––As of 31 December 2014 12.2 millionwere available– promised donations andheritage preservation funds 0.9 million– interest-free loans

received in 2015 0.4 million––––––––––––––––––––––––––––Total funding2012 to 2015 13.5 million

Would we today, in 2015 – with ex-change rates being what they are now and the different financial situation at the Goetheanum – dare to take on such a ma-jor project? A very warm thank you to all helpers and sponsors for their great sup-port and for the communal effort!

Big holes in the current budget

What was still possible in 2013 when we were fundraising for the big reno-vation project, i.e. to balance the 2013 budget despite the appeal for donations towards the Goetheanum renovation, was no longer possible in the turbulent building year 2014 when the Main Audi-torium was closed until October. Other unfavourable factors were added so that, at the end of 2014, the Goetheanum was faced with a deficit twice as high as that of 2013 (four million Swiss Francs). The fac-tors responsible for the extra two million Swiss Francs are: – 0.5 million CHF due to lower member-

ship contributions, half of them from Germany as a result of a drop in mem-bership and solidarity payments of only 90 per cent.

– 0.6 million CHF due to fewer designated donations (Christmas appeal for in-stance) than in previous years, which is totally understandable seeing that two million Swiss Francs had been donated for the major renovation.

– 0.5 million CHF less in designated dona-tions and donations from institutions.

– 0.2 million CHF less incoming revenues due to the building work.

– 0.2 million CHF more expenses than in the previous year, partly due to the building site.The Goetheanum could only reduce

this hole in the 2014 budget in 2014 to 392,560 Swiss Francs by selling a property to a close foundation for just under one

million Swiss Francs and by using income out of the extraordinary budget (property inhabited by staff, liquidation of reserves and legacies), which meant that the Gen-eral Anthroposophical Society’s equity dropped from 534,000 to 141,440 Swiss Francs.

Helping by accepting a cut in salariesEven before this hole in the 2014 bud-

get became apparent in February 2015, the uncapping of the Swiss Franc on 15 January 2015 and its appreciation against the Euro of initially 20 per cent posed enormous difficulties for the Goethea-num since almost seven eighths of mem-bership contributions and at least three quarters of all donations and grants from anthroposophical institutions and project funding from foundations come from the Euro zone. In the budget adopted at the end of December 2014 for the year 2015, revenues went down by one million Swiss Francs due to the new exchange rate alone. How this development will affect the attendance at conferences and events remains to be seen.

As a way of getting a grip on a situa-tion that causes immense problems in this year’s finances and in order to avoid the laying off of staff, Paul Mackay and Justus Wittich have asked all staff members (Ex-ecutive Council and Goetheanum Leader-ship included), as a precautionary step, to express their willingness to have their annual salary reduced by 8 per cent. More than 95 per cent of staff are prepared to do this, even if it means extremely painful cuts to salaries that are already modest.

We now have to make every possible effort at the Goetheanum, but also in the national societies – and you also, dear members – so that these salary cuts, as a result of the exchange rate, can be avert-ed, and that we will instead be able to pay at least part of that money at the end of the year in the form of bonuses.

Members no longer cover the basic costs

It is generally getting ever more dif-


General Anthroposophical Society: Financial Report 2014

Immense achievements – but also losses and open questionsThe year 2014 has brought much for us to rejoice over, not least the completely new stage and the restored exterior of the building. But we find ourselves with unexpected holes in the current budget. In addition, a number of questions

have opened up regarding the future – especially after the unpegging of the Swiss Franc (from the Euro) in mid-January 2015 – and a painful appeal to Goetheanum staff to agree to a wage cut.



ficult to finance the Goetheanum as a School of Spiritual Science because of these outer circumstances and the chang-ing structure and number of members. What will we do if it is no longer possible to cover the basic costs for maintaining the Goetheanum buildings and stage ac-tivities (six million CHF per year) with the contributions from the 45,000 members worldwide? Or if we can no longer fund the basic running – around a third of staff and material expenses – of the sections of the School of Spiritual Science (an addi-tional 1.5 million CHF per year)? Will peo-ple who attend conferences and events in future have to pay for infrastructure such as Reception and Event Management, in other words, will we have to raise the pric-es which are quite steep anyway from the Euro perspective?

The annual per member dues of 125 CHF proposed as binding at the 1990 an-nual general meeting would – if they were paid everywhere in the world, if neces-sary with the help of solidarity schemes –amount to just about the six million Swiss Francs needed to secure the basic running of the Goetheanum; despite all our efforts we receive, however, only 3.5 million CHF (79 CHF per member). How can we en-hance the interest and connection people in the world have with the Goetheanum as a School of Spiritual Science to an ex-tent that makes adequate payments pos-sible? Or do we need to cut down the structures and work relationships that have evolved at the Goetheanum? This and similar questions will be discussed in the small treasurers’ meeting with Peter Krüger and Alexander Thiersch (DE), Marc Desaules (CH), Pim Blomaard (NL) and Daniel Håkanson (DK) and with the two section leaders Marianne Schubert (Visual Art Section) and Ueli Hurter (Section for Agriculture) who have been delegated to deal with economic questions.

Explaining the figures

The 2014 profit and loss account, sepa-rated in sectors (page5), reflects how we see the Goetheanum structure in finan-cial terms: the members of the General Anthroposophical Society support the Goetheanum as an independent school for spiritual science with their contribu-tion. Only the expenditure for the mem-bership administration and 50 per cent of the expenses for the Executive Council

1 The Faust production, for which 3.5 million CHF are needed in 2015 (of 7 million Swiss Francs altogether), is not included in the budget because it needs to be funded sepa-rately through donations, loans and admis-sion charges.

2 The declaration of Goetheanum staff mem-bers to accept a cut of eight per cent to their annual salary is included here. Staff and treasurer hope that this precautionary measure does not need to be fully imple-mented.

3 Reserves for particular projects that can be liquidized in 2015.

4 Remaining public funds (heritage preserva-tion) and promised donations as well as remaining building costs are not included here. The changes on the ground floor (Re-ception, Art and Card Shop, Cafeteria) at the West Entrance are not budgeted yet either. The one million Swiss Francs needed for this have to come from designated donati-ons and reserves.

5 The legacies included here were received by March 2015.

General Anthroposophical SocietyProfit and Loss Account 2014

2014 2013 Budget 2015Revenues all amounts in CHF footnote

Membership contributions 3'550'829 3'983'856 3'600'000 contributions from institutions, non-‐designated 1'614'218 1'981'024 1'600'000 non-‐designated donatations 497'709 1'128'110 700'000 designated donations 2'652'514 2'595'097 2'800'000 designated legacies -‐ 176'574 -‐ contributions and donations 8'315'270 9'864'661 8'700'000

events, studies, further training 2'071'459 2'242'726 1 2'350'000 weekly journal, publications 953'721 1'023'745 950'000 services 874'125 1'020'141 1'100'000 financial revenues 196'294 107'820 -‐ operational revenues 4'095'599 4'394'432 4'400'000

TOTAL REVENUES 12'410'869 14'259'093 13'100'000 EXPENSESexpenses events and studies -‐2'013'955 -‐2'032'855 1 -‐1'950'000 expenses services -‐2'764'988 -‐2'684'097 -‐2'600'000 maintenance, buildings, grounds, inventory -‐872'950 -‐955'751 -‐850'000 financial expenses -‐208'067 -‐139'476 -‐

TOTAL EXPENSES -‐5'859'960 -‐5'812'179 -‐5'400'000 Gross result 6'550'909 8'446'914 7'700'000

staff salaries incl. social security benefits -‐10'555'261 -‐10'625'982 2 -‐10'040'000

ORDINARY RESULT -‐4'004'352 -‐2'179'068 -‐2'340'000 EXTRAORDINARY RESULTstaff housingrevenues 1'385'433 1'418'478 1'350'000 expenses -‐693'711 -‐829'024 -‐600'000 result 691'722 589'454 750'000

pension schemes retired staff members -‐194'723 -‐217'172 -‐170'000

extraordinary mattersrevenues 2'373 21'103 revenues from property sales 964'000 expenses -‐2 -‐21'724 result 966'371 -‐621 0

reserveswithdrawals 810'974 429'591 560'000 deposits -‐516'800 -‐736'727 result 294'174 -‐307'136 3 560'000

Goetheanum renovationdonations Goetheanum renovation 2'228'056 2'027'677 revenues from property sales for renovation -‐ 736'630 reserves Goetheanum renovation -‐2'228'056 -‐2'763'637 result -‐ 670 4 0

legacies (non-‐designated)result 1'854'248 2'123'290 5 1'200'000

EXTRAORDINARY RESULT 3'611'792 2'188'485 2'340'000

ordinary result -‐4'004'352 -‐2'179'068 -‐2'340'000 extraordinary result 3'611'792 2'188'485 2'340'000 RESULT -‐392'560 9'417 0



General Anthroposophical SocietyIn 1.000 CHF revenues expenses net revenues expenses net

membership contributions 4'150 4'150 3'551 3'551annual conferences 200 -‐60 140 65 -‐64 1Executive Council and offices (50%) 16 -‐610 -‐594 1 8 -‐684 -‐676 staff housing and property 1'281 -‐704 577 1'385 -‐693 692legacies 0 0 0 1'857 -‐3 1'854shortfall charged to equity 0 2 392 -‐ 392total 5'647 -‐1'374 4'273 7'258 -‐1'444 5'814support for School of Spiritual Science 4'273 5'814

School of Spiritual Sciencesupport General Anthroposophical Society 4'273 4'273 5'814 5'814donations 2'000 2'000 3 498 498donations and contributions from institutions 2'150 2'150 4 1'614 1'614

General Anthroposophical Section 433 -‐437 -‐4 5 548 -‐701 -‐153 of that studies and further training 265 -‐261 4 318 -‐334 -‐16

Youth Section 71 -‐232 -‐161 69 -‐179 -‐110 Mathematical-‐Astronomical Section 183 -‐314 -‐131 6 44 -‐316 -‐272 Medical Section 1'490 -‐1'565 -‐75 1'592 -‐1'701 -‐109 Natural Science Section 468 -‐762 -‐294 324 -‐622 -‐298 Pedagogical Section 407 -‐547 -‐140 585 -‐674 -‐89 Visual Art Section 28 -‐150 -‐122 7 18 -‐207 -‐189 Section for Agriculture 425 -‐565 -‐140 517 -‐647 -‐130 Performing Arts Section 97 -‐261 -‐164 147 -‐311 -‐164 Literary Arts and Humanities Section 75 -‐212 -‐137 142 -‐263 -‐121 Section for Social Sciences 42 -‐40 2 15 -‐17 -‐2

Executive Council and offices 16 -‐610 -‐594 1 8 -‐684 -‐676 communication and documentation 1'012 -‐1'550 -‐538 1'001 -‐1'603 -‐602 of that documentation 39 -‐367 -‐328 27 -‐357 -‐330 of that weekly journal 963 -‐1'071 -‐108 973 -‐1'147 -‐174

Goetheanum stage 508 -‐2'327 -‐1'819 722 -‐2'624 -‐1'902 of that Mystery Dramas 350 -‐359 -‐9 365 -‐244 121

Goetheanum Building Administration 1'139 -‐3'204 -‐2'065 1'006 -‐3'248 -‐2'242 Reception and Events 47 -‐924 -‐877 72 -‐873 -‐801 Human Resources 12 -‐278 -‐266 14 -‐250 -‐236 Finance Department 5 -‐367 -‐362 0 -‐375 -‐375 IT Department 0 -‐350 -‐350 3 -‐328 -‐325 unallocated revenues and expenses 0 0 0 232 -‐199 33

support for retired staff members 0 -‐186 -‐186 -‐195 -‐195 extraordinary revenues and expenses 0 0 0 8 964 -‐ 964reserves 0 0 0 68 -‐ 68Goetheanum renovation 0 0 0 2'228 -‐2'228 0

14'881 -‐14'881 0 18'245 -‐18'245 0

Budget 2014 Result 2014


1 The higher figure goes back to the fact that the costs of the membership office were, inadvertently, not mentioned here in the 2014 budget.

2 The equity is almost used up due to the shortfall in the 2014 annual financial state-ment (see Balance)

3 The free donations dropped drastically in 2014; on the other hand, more than two mil-lion Swiss Francs were donated by members for the renovation of the stage and the Goe-theanum exterior!

4 A donation of CHF 300,000 went this year directly from Weleda to the Medical Section rather than to the School of Spiritual Sci-ence.

5 The expenses of the General Anthroposophi-cal Section include CHF 86,000 spent in support of the Rudolf Steiner Archives, the class work in Asia and North America as well as the website of the School of Spiritual Sci-ence and the re-opening of the stage.

6 A considerably higher amount was originally set aside to construct, and patent, the first

and second prototype of an oloid-engine (see Anthroposophy Worldwide 12/2014, pa-ge 2), but the money could not be raised. At the end of February 2015 work on this pro-ject was abandoned for the time being due to lack of funds.

7 In 2014 the entire section was newly esta-blished with the arrival of the new section leader, Marianne Schubert.

8 This refers to the sale of a property to a close foundation in Dornach.



and its office are deducted from that. The rest – 5.8 million Swiss Francs in 2014, six million in 2013 – benefit the Goetheanum as a school with its sections and infra-structure. It is very different for each sec-tion – depending on the field of life they represent or the particular nature of their research – how their basic needs and proj-ects are being funded. Anthroposophy Worldwide often publishes reports about the work in the sections (see the in-depth reports in AWW 12/2014, and also in this edition).

Growing financial awareness

The ordinary profit and loss account (without division into areas) allows you to compare this year’s revenues and expens-es with last year’s. The budget shown here includes the salary cuts of eight per cent for staff members.

The balance of 31 December 2014 shows how the large sum of money raised for the renovation of the Goetheanum has been drained off through the building work. In reserves, on the other hand, the funds raised and the construction notes and interest-free loans designated to the renovation of the building (12.6 million Francs) stand against the figure for “start-ed renovation work Goetheanum” (10.1 million Francs).

A positive aspect in these difficulties and major plans (a 21-hour performance of Goethe’s entire Faust) is that financial awareness has grown among the Goethe-anum staff, the section leaders, the mem-bers and the national societies as well as in the anthroposophical movement. We therefore hope that we can together, out of our shared insights, decide what needs doing. Lastly, I would like to say a very big thank you to all our supporters and helpers, and especially Walter Laub, the head of the finance department at the Goetheanum, and his team members Sylvie Stürchler Krüsi, Karl Friedrich Sprich and Stephan Frei, who have kept the ac-counts in order. | Justus Wittich, treasurer

Special Appeal for DonationsPlease use one of the following accounts for your donation

From Switzerland and non-Euro countries:Allgemeine Anthroposophische Gesellschaft, 4143 Dornach, Bank: Schweiz. Raif-feisenbank Dornach, 4143 Dornach, BIC: RAIFCH22, IBAN: CH36 8093 9000 0010 0607 1, Reference: Special donation Goetheanum 2015.From Germany with a donation receipt for tax purposes: Anthroposophische Gesellschaft in Deutschland, GLS Gemeinschaftsbank eG, Bo-chum, BIC: GENODEM1GLS, IBAN: DE13 4306 0967 0010 0845 10, Reference: Spe-cial donation Goetheanum 2015.From other Euro countries:Allgemeine Anthroposophische Gesellschaft, 4143 Dornach, Schweiz, GLS-Gemeinschaftsbank, Bochum, Deutschland, BIC/Swift: GENODEM1GLS, IBAN: DE53 4306 0967 0000 9881 00, Reference: Special donation Goetheanum 2015.

General Anthroposophical SocietyIn 1.000 CHF revenues expenses net revenues expenses net

membership contributions 4'150 4'150 3'551 3'551annual conferences 200 -‐60 140 65 -‐64 1Executive Council and offices (50%) 16 -‐610 -‐594 1 8 -‐684 -‐676 staff housing and property 1'281 -‐704 577 1'385 -‐693 692legacies 0 0 0 1'857 -‐3 1'854shortfall charged to equity 0 2 392 -‐ 392total 5'647 -‐1'374 4'273 7'258 -‐1'444 5'814support for School of Spiritual Science 4'273 5'814

School of Spiritual Sciencesupport General Anthroposophical Society 4'273 4'273 5'814 5'814donations 2'000 2'000 3 498 498donations and contributions from institutions 2'150 2'150 4 1'614 1'614

General Anthroposophical Section 433 -‐437 -‐4 5 548 -‐701 -‐153 of that studies and further training 265 -‐261 4 318 -‐334 -‐16

Youth Section 71 -‐232 -‐161 69 -‐179 -‐110 Mathematical-‐Astronomical Section 183 -‐314 -‐131 6 44 -‐316 -‐272 Medical Section 1'490 -‐1'565 -‐75 1'592 -‐1'701 -‐109 Natural Science Section 468 -‐762 -‐294 324 -‐622 -‐298 Pedagogical Section 407 -‐547 -‐140 585 -‐674 -‐89 Visual Art Section 28 -‐150 -‐122 7 18 -‐207 -‐189 Section for Agriculture 425 -‐565 -‐140 517 -‐647 -‐130 Performing Arts Section 97 -‐261 -‐164 147 -‐311 -‐164 Literary Arts and Humanities Section 75 -‐212 -‐137 142 -‐263 -‐121 Section for Social Sciences 42 -‐40 2 15 -‐17 -‐2

Executive Council and offices 16 -‐610 -‐594 1 8 -‐684 -‐676 communication and documentation 1'012 -‐1'550 -‐538 1'001 -‐1'603 -‐602 of that documentation 39 -‐367 -‐328 27 -‐357 -‐330 of that weekly journal 963 -‐1'071 -‐108 973 -‐1'147 -‐174

Goetheanum stage 508 -‐2'327 -‐1'819 722 -‐2'624 -‐1'902 of that Mystery Dramas 350 -‐359 -‐9 365 -‐244 121

Goetheanum Building Administration 1'139 -‐3'204 -‐2'065 1'006 -‐3'248 -‐2'242 Reception and Events 47 -‐924 -‐877 72 -‐873 -‐801 Human Resources 12 -‐278 -‐266 14 -‐250 -‐236 Finance Department 5 -‐367 -‐362 0 -‐375 -‐375 IT Department 0 -‐350 -‐350 3 -‐328 -‐325 unallocated revenues and expenses 0 0 0 232 -‐199 33

support for retired staff members 0 -‐186 -‐186 -‐195 -‐195 extraordinary revenues and expenses 0 0 0 8 964 -‐ 964reserves 0 0 0 68 -‐ 68Goetheanum renovation 0 0 0 2'228 -‐2'228 0

14'881 -‐14'881 0 18'245 -‐18'245 0



1 The liquid assets, together with the in-creased construction notes/ loans were used for the renovation of the stage and the outside of the Goetheanum. The work that has been started is covered by the corre-sponding reserves. Both figures will be set back to the remaining liabilities once the work is complete (as has been done in the

case of the Main Auditorium).2 The assets in form of securities, worth more

than a million Swiss Francs, that were trans-ferred to the Goetheanum some time ago (with right of withdrawal), have been tur-ned into a legacy following the death of the member in question.


■ Goetheanum

It is not often that outer circumstances coincide to such favourable effect: mov-

ing the Goetheanum’s reception area from the “porter’s lodge” in the south to the centre was a way of bringing it closer to the ticket office in the west of the build-ing Having the Reception in the middle of the building has, however, the disadvan-tage that it is difficult to locate, while people working at reception have no clear view of what is going on in the entrance area (also a security issue) And there is the added problem that the hustle and bustle of the reception area imposes on the caf-eteria and vice versa (noise levels, food smells etc.) Now it so happens that the cafeteria kitchen needs to be modernized in order to meet modern hygiene require-ments and that this coincides with the last stage of the renovation plans: turning the west portal of the Goetheanum into its main entrance.

Main entrance in the west

Since last autumn a new path has been laid which runs up from the carpark in the east to the west of the Goetheanum (see Anthroposophy Worldwide 11/2014) and

which will be tarmacked in the spring, once the temperatures will no longer drop below 10° On reaching the main entrance, visitors will stand before the three double portals which look as they always have done – apart from the fact that, to the right and left of the doors, large new win-dows have been installed (as specified in the building application signed by Rudolf Steiner, see Anthroposophy Worldwide 6/2014, page 12) Their purpose is to intro-duce day light to the newly designed areas inside the west entrance.

Enhancing security

Visitors who seek information about the Goetheanum or want to buy a ticket will be able to do this on entering in the west, on the right-hand side, where the Card and Art Shop is at present From there, the receptionists can overlook the new entrance area in the west and they can also see the “old” south entrance This is important because it enhances the se-curity in the building.

The cloakroom will be to the left of the main entrance, where the old ticket coun-ters used to be The new Card and Art Shop

will be right next to the book shop, with both sharing one till This means that the cloakroom area is also overlooked, at least during the opening hours of the Card and Book Shops

From the new reception area as well as from the new card shop there will be direct access to the two main west stair-cases (the building structure shows that this access was part of the original plan)

The present reception area will become the new cafeteria This change will not only satisfy the hygiene requirements (separa-tion of food preparation and washing up), it also has the advantage that the south patio will be more directly accessible from the cafeteria Also, the windows in the east of the inner patio (to the corridor between the lift and the ladies’ toilets) will be made bigger so that more daylight can enter the building from there

The three building stages Reception, cloakroom and Card Shop as well as the new location of the cafeteria (architect: Yaike Dunselman) will start in May and are scheduled to be finished by Decem-ber This ambitious goal, to be carried out while business is running as normal, will make it possible that the new Main En-trance in the west will be ready in time for the premiere of Faust Parts I and 2 at Easter 2016

Less light elsewhere

There are some disadvantages, too: the financial situation is tight at the moment and the mandate holders in the Goethea-num Leadership had to ask all staff to give up 8 per cent of their salary in 2015 Further savings will be necessary Is this the right time to build, one may ask Paul Mackay, who is responsible for the building work, and Justus Wittich, who is in charge of fi-nances, assure us that the money for the renovation in the west (cost: half a million Swiss Francs) will not come out of the run-ning budget, but that it was raised espe-cially, as in the case of the new orchestra pit below the main stage.

It had been planned, as part of the overall building concept, to improve the situation in the foyer (in front of the Foun-dation Stone Auditorium) through chang-es that would bring more light to this area too, but in view of the financial situation it has been decided to put these plans on ice for the time being | Sebastian Jüngel

Main entrance in the West

Friendly ReceptionNow that the main stage and the outer façade of the Goetheanum have been renovat-ed and updated, work will start in May on making the west portal the main entrance to the building According to schedule this work should be finished by December 2015 The conversion is the result of necessary changes to the cafeteria kitchen due to mod-ern hygiene requirements

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negen gradenHeiligenbergerweg 113 - 3816 AJ AmersfoortT.033.4702436 - F.033.4702437 - E. [email protected] - I. www.9graden.net

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Floor plan with the three areas due to be restructured: cloakroom (left) and Reception (right) in the west and the cafeteria in the place where the reception is now (top right).


■ Goetheanum

Nathalie Klux, organizer of a series of events that were held in front of the

Representative of Humanity, was present at all the meetings and invited us in Janu-ary to see scenes from Rudolf Steiner’s Mys-tery Dramas in the Sculpture Room Striking a balance between the struggle to gain knowledge and understanding of questions surrounding the Representative of Human-ity and the opposite gesture, that of shared experience, has become a characteristic mo-tif in this group

At the last of the four meetings, which took place on 21 February, everyone gath-ered eagerly in front of the Main Audito-rium, ready to embark on an experiment: the mouth of the stage was to be opened as wide as possible – this is possible now that the stage has been renovated – and a large cloth the size of the statue was to be sus-pended How amazed we were when we en-tered the auditorium! Not so much because the mouth of the stage could not be opened due to a (then still) missing motor, but be-cause the Representative of Humanity was projected in its full size onto the back of the stage (thanks to Martin Zweifel)!

Performance and statue

What we experienced exceeded our ex-pectations Suddenly, the auditorium with its forms and colours made sense There was an interaction, a resonance, between the Representative of Humanity and the auditorium The sculpture had come to life, much more so than in its present location The Representative of Humanity seemed to step into the room, with immense presence that could be experienced from the west en-trance By shifting the projected image, one also gained an impression of whether the Sculpture should stand on a plinth, and how high this plinth should be

We then tried out how it would be to do eurythmy in front of the Sculpture Unfortu-nately, there was no eurythmist around, but the members of the group did what they could What would be the effect if someone appeared before Ahriman’s cave? Would they

be bound to his realm? This was not the case At a future meeting with a differently consti-tuted group – ideally with someone from the Performing Arts Section and the Literary Arts and Humanities Section – we will look more closely at the interplay between the Sculp-ture and possible performances

Position on stage envisaged

Christian Hitsch told us about his efforts, when the Main Auditorium was renovated, to create a situation that could accommo-date the Sculpture on the stage The relation-ship, enhanced by the architecture, between the Representative of Humanity and the fourth column – Christ’s appearance in the fourth cultural era – could be experienced We also wondered whether the mouth of the stage should be raised to a height of 16 rather than 12 meters, seeing that the stage is 16 metres wide For this, it would be neces-sary to open the stage right up to the curved forms of the proscenium arch The next step in this direction would be to open the mouth of the stage to its full height, as soon as the missing motor is installed

Making this experience possible has been a long process that involved visits to the ar-chives, looking with Kurt Remund through documents that mention the installation of the Representative of Humanity, studying the model of the First Goetheanum with Ru-dolf Feuerstack, and – because of his recent article about the Representative of Human-ity, an invitation to Michael Blume, who was an actor at the Goetheanum for many years Those who have a deeper interest in the top-ic are referred to Dino Wendtland’s study in the journal “Stil” (see box below)

The conversations we had in the work group were profound and varied Especially when opinions met that had been estab-lished through long years of work, it was difficult to retain one’s openness towards others But in such moments the group tried to remain aware of the fact that it is a gath-ering of spiritual individuals, of people who respect each other.

What has come out as the essence of the meetings of this work group is a clear idea that the location of the Representative of Humanity cannot be decided on the basis of the sources or of people’s knowledge, because both allow for many plausible in-terpretations The question of the location seems to want to be explored through (self-)experience If there is enough interest, a mo-ment for this will surely be made available at the next AGM for the members present | Moritz Christoph, Bad Säckingen (DE), a member of the open work group

Work Group on the Location of the Wooden Sculpture

Experiencing the sculpture on the main stageFollowing the Annual General Meeting of 2014, an open work group was formed as a result of a concern presented by members This work group, which explores the ques-tion as to where the Representative of Humanity should be located, was received by Marianne Schubert of the Visual Arts Section (Anthroposophy Worldwide 5/2014 and 12/2014) The following is a report from the group’s fourth meeting.

An informative basis for further considerations

Dino Wendtland has published a twenty-one page study in the Ger-

man journal “Stil” (4/2014-2015) en-titled ‘On the location of the wooden sculpture in the Second Goetheanum Exploring the sources’ His essay propos-es a source-based solution to the con-troversial question as to where Rudolf Steiner’s sculpture of the Representative of Humanity should be standing Wendt-land argues in a clear and compelling way, using expressive images that make reading an exciting experience.

Although he finds a solution to the lo-cation question, Wendtland is cautious in his conclusion, “With regard to the often emotional discussions […] it has been shown that, on the basis of the historical

sources, one may argue that the present Sculpture Room is not necessarily the one intended by Rudolf Steiner, without de-manding the immediate relocation of the Sculpture to the stage because ‘that is where it belongs’ For to this day, this step would require – and this was true for Steiner – that a satisfactory solution is found for a difficult problem: that of inte-grating a technology that can meet the requirements of ‘eurythmy, mystery and other performances’ into an artistic de-sign that is inspired by the organic buil-ding idea.” Whatever one’s own view is on this, one must thank Dino Wendtland for making the historical facts accessible as a basis for further considerations | Re-inhold J Fäth, Apolda (DE)


■ school of spiritual science | Anthroposophical Society

When the Goetheanum’s Executive Council met with the Christian Com-

munity’s Circle of Seven in January 2014 the thought arose to extend this group by invit-ing the section leaders and the class members among the priesthood It was agreed that col-loquia would be the best form of working together.

The members of this first meeting looked at their individual founding impulses, the present situation and the future tasks of the priesthood (Thomas Bonek) and of the Collegium of the School of Spiritual Science (Michaela Glöckler) The section leaders and Stephan Meyer on behalf of the Christian Community then presented esoteric ques-tions arising in their particular field In the Ped-agogical Section, for instance, it is the imagi-nation at the beginning of “The Foundations of Human Experience” (The Study of Man) and the teachers’ meditation, in the Section for Agriculture the effect of the preparations down to the substantial level

The topics discussed and the ways of work-ing depended on the individual conversation

groups and the orientation of the group members The breadth of the topics was also apparent in the concluding plenum: they ranged from the founding impulses, through the challenges of the present time to ways of moving into the future for both movements.

Towards the renewal of the mysteries

Both institutions – the School of Spiritual Science which has the Michael School as its centre, as well as the Christian Community – were inaugurated by Rudolf Steiner as parts of the exoteric reality For almost a hundred years now people who decided to take the re-newal of the mysteries seriously and to con-tribute to their realization have done all they could to foster and implement the substance of each of these institutions.

The School of Spiritual Science as well as the Christian Community see their original source in the spiritual world that finds individ-ual expression in the world in each of us This is the first – intra-individual – point of dialogue and tension, which only becomes apparent in the esoteric act of the one (School of Spiritual

Science) or the other (Christian Community) The second – inter-individual – point of dia-logue and tension happens within each insti-tution (School of Spiritual Science or Christian Community) The third can be perceived when the representatives of each institution suc-ceed in their meeting to raise aspects of the mystery of the will to ordinary day conscious-ness The esoteric aspect of each institution was solemnized in the class lesson and in the act of consecration of man.

Looking to the forthcoming centenaries

This first meeting gave those participating in it the opportunity to get to know one an-other In view of the forthcoming centenaries of the inauguration of the Christian Commu-nity in 1922, the fire at the First Goetheanum in 1922/1923 and the Christmas Conference of 1923/1924, particular groups of priests will be invited in the future depending on the top-ics that will be chosen In open dialogue and in awareness of the field of tension that exists, both institutions want to look together to-wards these anniversaries and, through these celebrations, to the future, in accordance with the words of Rudolf Steiner’s Foundation Stone Meditation, “that good may become what from our hearts we would found and from our heads direct with single purpose.” | Seija Zimmermann and Joan Sleigh, Execu-tive Council at the Goetheanum

Colloquium: Collegium of the School of Spiritual Science and Christian Community priests

One original sourceFrom 27 to 29 January 2015, a first work meeting took place at the Goetheanum of the Collegium of the School of Spiritual Science and Christian Community priests who are class members The meeting can be summarized in three words: “descriptive, active, informative”, in other words, it included a class lesson, the act of consecration of man and the sharing of information.

Executive Council at the Goetheanum and the ‘Circle of Seven’

Good colleagueshipThe Executive Council of the General Anthroposophical Society and the leadership of the Chris-tian Community (Circle of Seven) meet once a year The venue alternates between Berlin and Dornach This year’s meeting took place in Dornach from 25 to 27 January 2015.

In the introduction round we hear from each other about important events that occurred

in the preceding year, about new research that is being carried out, what one observed on journeys to other countries and what kind of problems one faces We also talk about par-ticular current impressions, experiences and situations in the world.

The relationship between freedom and community

Our work is based on Rudolf Steiner’s lec-tures of 27 February and 3 March 1923 on the one hand and his lecture of 20 February 1917

on the other, for one of the main interests of both these leading bodies is the question of community building and how it is to be ap-proached in both movements The younger generation of Christian Community priests, but also young people in general, ask how personal freedom can be compatible with community building Young people who have a connection with anthroposophy often ex-perience a threshold when it comes to mem-bership – not only in the General Anthropo-sophical Society, but generally They live in the aftermath of the twentieth century.

Virginia Sease looked back over the meet-

ings of the last thirty years Constellations kept changing as new members joined and others withdrew In 1986, the illness of Rudolf Frieling made a particular impact After his death Taco Bay took his place Since 1989 eight members of the Executive Council have crossed the threshold of death, and two from among the leadership of the Christian Community For Virginia Sease this means that the earnest en-deavours of these meetings have been carried to the spiritual world tenfold.

The annual meetings have created great trust that we will be able to speak openly about problems and challenges and about current events, a fact that both sides welcome Through the sense of colleagueship, which both sides appreciate, the steps that can be taken together have become stronger | Virgin-ia Sease, Executive Council at the Goetheanum, and Anand Mandaiker, Council of the Christian ommunity Leadership

The next Colloquium will follow on from the 2016 Synod: 31 May to 2 June 2016


■ Anthroposophical Society ■ school of spiritual science

The first step on this journey was made in 2013 with a conference that focused on the laying

of the foundation stone for the first Goethea-num The conference in 2014 was entitled “The Social Structure of the Christmas Conference” and this year’s theme was “The Foundation Stone and the Foundation Stone Meditation”.

The “Stone of Love”

The lectures given by members of the Council of the Anthroposophical Society in Switzerland, as well as the three eurythmy performances of the Foundation Stone Meditation, made it clear why the Foundation Stone is a meditation: be-cause the Anthroposophical Society was newly founded during the Christmas Conference of 1923/1924 through the words and rhythms of this meditation The meditation is the founda-tion stone, or to be more precise, as Peter Selg pointed out: it surrounds, envelops the founda-tion stone This foundation stone was not the “philosophers’ stone” of old, not the stone of wisdom, but the “stone of love”, the imagina-tive form of the new Michaelic grail Making fre-quent references to Rudolf Steiner and Sergei O Prokofieff, Peter Selg spoke of the culmination of anthroposophy that Rudolf Steiner intended for the end of the century and the cooperation between Aristotelians and Platonists that would determine not only the future of the Anthropo-sophical Society but also that of human civiliza-tion

Speaking of practical esotericism, Johannes Greiner referred to topical questions, using the example of mass events (in politics, sport, music etc.) to describe a state of “group obsession” that results from a, mostly backward, spirituality and has a compelling effect on the masses The forms of contemporary community-building and those of anthroposophical communities would, he said, always arise from, and be devoted to, hu-man freedom

Marc Desaules spoke of polarities such as in-ner/outer, light/darkness, heaven/hell and good/evil that would be overcome through the three-fold Christ He also pointed out that good was not simply the opposite of evil, but that good

needs to affirm its place between the luciferic and ahrimanic influences, consigning each of them to their place: we see this symbolized in the Wooden Sculpture that depicts the Repre-sentative of Humanity standing between the two adversary powers

The Remembrance of the Dead was dedicated to two women, one a colleague of Ita Wegman (presented by Clara Steinemann), the other of Marie Steiner (presented by Peter Selg) The first is Marianne Fiechter-Bischof (1915-2014), whom Ita Wegman herself called to her hospital in Arlesheim, the second Hella Wiesberger (1920-2014), the “architect” and long-time editor of the Gesamtausgabe, Rudolf Steiner’s complete works The artistic presentation “And the spiritual world rejoiced” illustrated the spiritual relationship be-tween Rudolf Steiner and Ita Wegman (there was unfortunately no ‘artistic presentation’ of his rela-tionship with Marie Steiner…).

At the end of the conference, Clara Steine-mann read out the address Rudolf Steiner gave at the laying of the foundation stone of the Gen-eral Anthroposophical Society during the Christ-mas Conference of 1923/1924; her presentation was followed by a third eurythmy performance of the Foundation Stone Meditation

Strengthening the relationship with Rudolf Steiner

This series of conferences holds spiritual impulses that are related to the secular recur-rence of the Christmas Conference It seeks to strengthen our relationship with Rudolf Steiner and to represent and bring to life the future-ori-ented impulse of the Christmas Conference The spirit of Sergei O Prokofieff, this eminent pupil of Rudolf Steiner’s, was present and tangible during this conference Like Rudolf Steiner, he devoted his life to this society and to anthroposophy | Ba-lázs Korcsog, Budapest (HU)

Switzerland: Third conference in the series “The Christmas Conference Impulse” A journey to the year 2023.

The Foundation Stone and the Foundation Stone MeditationIn 2013 the Anthroposophical Society in Switzerland embarked on a series of con-ferences in preparation of the 100th anniversary of the Christmas Conference of 1923/1924 From 13 to 15 February 2015 the third conference of this series, which includ-ed the Swiss Society’s annual members’ meeting, was held at the Goetheanum It was entitled “The Foundation Stone and the Foundation Stone Meditation”

On 24th of August 1915, one year after the beginning of World War

I, Rudolf Steiner handed over his poem “Twelve Moods” to the eurythmists who performed them only five days later The “Twelve Moods” are less well-known and more mysterious than his “Soul Calen-dar”, the weekly verses that many people work with regularly As one enters more and more deeply into the verses of the “Twelve Moods” with their mysteriously veiled and challenging language, care-fully seeking access to them by speaking them aloud and gradually making them one’s own, one can be profoundly moved by the magical effect and power of these words Who is it that speaks to us? Where do these verses come from? Whom are they speaking to? What do they convey?

Cosmic order

The “Twelve Moods” consist of twelve verses that appear to us in various modes of being and evolving in a particular or-der They represent spiritual aspects of the images of the Zodiac, each verse pro-ceeding line by line through the souls of the seven planets Anyone who has had opportunity to experience the “Twelve Moods” performed in eurythmy, must have been impressed by the powerful ef-fect of the cosmic order, represented by the twelve images of the zodiac spread out in a huge circle, with the planets forming a moving radius from the pe-riphery to the centre The signs of the Zodiac, shown in different colours, and the planets which convey their impulses to them, give expressions to the words of the “Twelve Moods” through sounds, planetary gestures, Zodiac gestures and spatial movement, pervaded by music: a unique, cosmic image of the evolving hu-man I, presented through the arts.

Human being and cosmos

The harmony of the laws of nature can be a true reflection for an inner peace and coherence in our soul life that we hardly ever achieve The peace and lawful movements that we observe in the cosmos are rarely present in the lives we lead today The cosmos with its fixed stars and moving planets shows us a lawfully ordered world from which traditional astrology derives particular effects on human beings.

Peter Selg: Grundstein zur Zukunft, Arles-heim 2013. Peter Selg, Marc Desaules (eds): Die Sozialge¬stalt der Weihnachtstagung, Arlesheim 2014.


■ school of spiritual science

Whitsun Conference at the Goetheanum: The Twelve Moods

A new creation story Based on Rudolf Steiner’s “Twelve Moods”, this year’s Whitsun Conference has a cos-mic theme and seeks to deepen the relationship between us human beings and the cosmos The conference is organized by the Literary Arts and Humanities Section, the Performing Arts Section and the Anthroposophical Society in the Netherlands

The “Twelve Moods” are not conven-tional astrology, however: they do not re-fer to ancient wisdom or seek explanations for the riddles of life in the starry worlds; they offer access to “the lawful harmony of a spiritual world that reveals itself in us and in the cosmos alike True spiritual sci-ence does not seek to find human laws in star constellations but tries to find them, as well as the laws of nature, in the spiri-tual world”

The spirit of time, Michael, and the hu-man being

As a way towards understanding this approach, we will look more closely at the evolution of humanity in connection with the hierarchies, since this is connected with the evolution of the cosmos How can we today connect with the cosmos in a way that is appropriate to our develop-ment in the age of the consciousness soul? Modern thinking has led us away and de-tached us from the cosmos, so much so that we experience ourselves as minute specks of dust in the universe Our free-dom as human beings without authorities has left us to our own devices amidst the earthly-spatial conditions of the material world.

Yet, we are still connected with the cos-mos, due to an immensely important fact

described by Rudolf in his Michael Letter “The Future of Humanity and the Work of Michael.” When we descend from pre-earthly existence to a new birth, we seek to establish “harmony between the stars and our earthly life.” That this is possible we owe to Michael, Rudolf Steiner pointed out Michael’s deed makes it possible for us to enter voluntarily, from the earth, into a spiritual, productive relationship with the cosmos and to re-enliven the cosmos by becoming aware of our own connection with it How can we gain awareness of our cosmic origin?

The “Twelve Moods” – a sentient expe-rience of the cosmos

The mighty cosmic language of the “Twelve Moods” speaks to us from the cosmos, as an expression of the Logos, allowing those who hear and encounter these words to acquire a sentient expe-rience of a world where the laws of the cosmos prevail The words of this language awaken us to the spark inherent in them In his address for the first performance of the “Twelve Moods”, on 29 August 1915, Rudolf Steiner outlined how we human be-ings, who, from a cosmic point of view, are wandering around aimlessly in our earthly conditions, can “rise above our disoriented earthly thinking and receive strength in

thinking and feeling from the calm move-ment and regularity of the cosmos […] And in the cosmos we see, as if crystallized, the word in its calmness and the word in its movement But we do need to feel it in the cosmos.”

According to the Michael Letter quoted earlier, the “Twelve Moods” can be seen as an expression of the Christ-Michael lan-guage The fact that they can help us to feel our way into the cosmos is deeply healing and enlightening Something that has be-come disconnected becomes part of the whole again, of the universal cosmos.

At this year’s Whitsun Conference the “Twelve Moods” will form the centre of our artistic and intellectual endeavours Helped by four eurythmy performances of the “Twelve Moods” over the four days, complemented by three eurythmy demonstrations, we will be able to enter deeply into the multiple dimensions of this great work of art In addition, we will hear a choral performance of Jürgen Schriefer’s musical rendering of the “Twelve Moods”

Twelve worldviews

The twelve worldviews Rudolf Steiner presented in 1914 provide a different kind of access The element that has remained with us from the spiritual cosmos and that is connected with our innermost be-ing is our thinking Our thinking has been wrought from the laws of the cosmos and we can unfold it in the greatest possible freedom.

Looking back to its forms, it sees their twelvefold inspiration through the spiri-tual hierarchies Just as our ‘I’ needs twelve senses to gain awareness of itself on earth, our thinking unfolds in twelve cosmic worldviews in order to wake up spiritu-ally and become part of the world With the twelve worldviews we have direct ac-cess to the spiritual cosmos – not only in philosophical views of the world, but in all cultural realms This we will also explore during the conference, in thought and ac-tivity.

Working with the “Twelve Moods” in this way can lead us to an actual, artistic experience of “being one with the laws of the cosmos” We hope that this conference at the Goetheanum will become a spe-cial Whitsun experience for many people | Christiane Haid, Goetheanum; Jaap Sij-mons, Antroposofische Verening in Neder-land

Pfingstttagung Die Zwölf Stimmungen

Eine neue Schöpfungsgeschichte des Menschen

22.–25 Mai 2015 Goetheanum

www.goetheanum.org/6759.html



When the German biologist and teacher Ernst-Michael Kranich

died, a message from him was read out by the priest at the end of his eulogy to those gathered at the memorial service, “As a researcher I worked intensively on topics but I showed too little interest in the people I met in my professional work.” This kind of self-knowledge at the end of a person’s life reflects also an essential aspect of the meaning and justification of the Anthroposophical Society What does it mean?

In the Founding Statutes of 1923 1924, which have, at Easter 2014, be-come the legal foundation of the Gen-eral Anthroposophical Society, this mo-tif is made explicit in paragraph 1: “The Anthroposophical Society is to be an as-sociation of people who intend to culti-vate the soul life of the individual and of the human community on the basis of true knowledge of the spiritual world” In the last comment Rudolf Steiner made on this, in September 1924 at the Goetheanum, he said, “Esoterically speaking, the Anthroposophical Society can only be founded on and carried by true human relationships Everything must therefore in future be founded on real human relationships in the widest sense, on an actual, not abstract, spiri-tual life.” (GA 260 a)

Real human relationships

The quality of “real human relation-ships”, so clearly outlined by Rudolf Stein-er, constitutes the goal as well as the way towards the goal, the path of develop-ment, not only of the Anthroposophical Societies in the various countries with their branches and groups, but also of an-throposophical initiatives It is the “anthro-posophical way of meeting one another” that Rudolf Steiner explained in-depth in his letters to the members If this meeting is successful, it will contribute in an im-portant way to the thriving of institutions and initiatives.

Day in and day out, we are confront-ed with media reports that dwell on the conflicts between people and nations Knowing about these conflicts, it is the more shocking to see how, in anthropo-sophical contexts, our self-knowledge – if we do practise it – points us to the same forces in us, on a smaller scale, that we find are underlying the catas-

trophes in the world: forces of polari-sation, nationalism, hunger for power, lack of transparency in the economic and social life, rejection, irreconcilabil-ity, indifference and egotism

Sharing responsibility

If we see through these forces, we pave the way for a form of world- and self-affirmation that is based on the principle of shared responsibility: a sense that whatever happens in the world has to do with me, or with us in the anthroposophical society And any inner efforts I undertake to over-come them are important in the wider context In Anthroposophy Worldwide 2/2015 Paul Mackay referred to the central motifs of branch work, as Rudolf Steiner explained them to the members with regard to their preparation for the sixth cultural era They are the motifs that have been most instrumental so far in keeping the worldwide anthropo-

sophical community together It seems therefore the more urgent to ask how the social skills that are inspired by such motifs are to be developed today.

Rejoicing in the other person

If we consider how much the Anthro-posophical Society has shrunk in Ger-many, the country of its birth, since the 1980s and how much its membership has grown in the still “young” countries, we realize that what enthuses people in the still “young” countries is that they are not alone with their interest in an-throposophy – they rejoice in the oth-ers who join in; they are open to every-one who comes along, and they are the more interested in others because they still know so little about anthroposo-phy, since not much of it has as yet been translated into their language.

But it is characteristic of anthropos-ophy that life is not only made simpler and more inspiring by it – whether it un-folds its effect in its original country or elsewhere in the world For wherever an-throposophy is received, it contributes to a stronger individualization process and therefore enhances people’s poten-tial to not only say ‘yes’ to each other, but to also say ‘no’ in order to experience their individuality more strongly We need to welcome this fact because it is an essential developmental step Know-ing this may be painful, but it is inevita-ble In order to be able to say ‘yes’ in the right way – rather than join someone or something out of sympathy – we need individual steadfastness Only then will we be free, also from ourselves and our own preferences or dislikes, so that we can be open to others If we have not de-veloped enough steadfastness, we will tend towards forms of self-affirmation that arise from rejection and criticism of the world and of other people.

Rudolf Steiner pointed out how, in the course of repeated earthly lives, physical diseases go back to a lack of in-terest in the world, while the causes of mental illness are the result of disinter-est in other people Understanding, and being inspired by, these relationships unites us with forces in the spiritual world that originate in the sphere of Mi-chael | Michaela Glöckler, Goetheanum

The Theme for the Year 2015/2016

Interest in others as a principle of world affirmationIn her contribution Michaela Glöckler tries to explain how important interest in others is as a basis for anthroposophical work and she outlines the factors that stand in the way of such interest The annual theme arises from Rudolf Steiner’s verse “Know your-self and your self will become the world […]”

Interest builds bridges despite growing indivi-dualization



I was born on Java in 1931 My father was a civil servant there from 1910 to 1935

He loved talking about his work in Indo-nesia, speaking always very respectfully of the people and their religion, Islam Indonesian Islam has strong links with Hindu culture There was, however, also a fanatical and violent Islamist movement around the politician Kartosuwiryo, called Darul Islam, the house of Islam Our family moved to the Netherlands in 1936 Since 2000 social tensions have emerged there, too – a fact that led me to look at Islam more closely

References to Jesus in the Quran

The starting point of my research was the role of Jesus in the Quran Jesus (the Messiah) is mentioned in approximately thirty surahs, and always with the deep-est respect and spiritual profundity The Quran does not speak of “Jesus the Mes-siah” as a “God” but as the “Word of God and the Spirit of God” (Surah 4:171) I dis-covered that Rudolf Steiner also studied the Quran and Islam and that he spoke of both with great appreciation: accord-ing to the Rudolf Steiner Archives, Ru-dolf Steiner’s library included a copy of the Quran (published by Max Henning in Leipzig) as well as Samuel Zwemer’s 1921 book on Christ and Islam [German title: “Die Christologie des Islam Ein Versuch über Leben, Persönlichkeit und Lehre Christi“]

It is widely thought that the Quran refers to Jesus merely as a second-class prophet who appeared between Moses and Mohammed, but Islamic philoso-phers of religion often see this differ-ently When Anton Wessels asked the Egyptian writer Taha Husayn if Moham-med was as important to the Muslims as Jesus Christ was to the Christians, he said, “Certainly not! Mohammed was a person like you and me; Jesus, on the other hand, is the Word of God and the Spirit of God.”

The Quran’s interpretation of Jesus is deeply occult By meditating on the

Quran one can connect with the “Islamic Christology” One realizes that some surahs can help Christians to understand Christ in a new way

Pointing to the Mystery of Golgotha

One example: verses 29 to 33 in surah 19 (“Maryam”) mention that the boy Je-sus spoke as soon as he was born (cf also surahs 3:46 and 5:110) Christian theo-logians refer to this information as the apocryphal “Evangelium infantiae salva-toris arabicum.” Rudolf Steiner pointed out repeatedly too – in 1909, 1911, 1913 and 1914 – that the Jesus child spoke that early, and in a way only his mother could understand There is consequently some information in the Quran that we do not find in the Gospels! In 1919, Stein-er moreover quoted the words of the Quran, surah 19:2-40, about the birth of John the Baptist and the Nathan Je-sus The important part is the end: “And peace is on me the day I was born, the day I will die and the day I am raised to life again.” (Surah 19:33; see also surah 19:15) This, it seems to me, is a reference to the Mystery of Golgotha.

Rudolf Steiner continued by saying “I have read you surah 19 of the Quran; ev-ery true Turk believes as much of Jesus as is said in this surah 19 There is therefore a great number of people among us who call themselves Christians even though they neither know or believe enough of Christianity to merit calling themselves Turks” (p 246 f.) Steiner’s reference to the Turks here probably has to do with the connection Turkey had with Germany at the time In his lecture of 23 May, Rudolf Steiner spoke of the contradiction be-tween predestination and free will This contradiction is one of the fundamental questions of human existence, and it is equally important in Islam Steiner said that for Muslims everything was prede-termined, but that they accepted this in a mood of “If it is God’s will, so be it!” (p 268).

A spiritual laboratory of humankind

Judaism, Christianity and Islam are three independent religions that each go their own way At the same time, they form a triptych in that they share mono-theism and the Messiah event Rudolf Steiner also said, “Call the foundation underlying all religion ‘the spiritual labo-ratory of humankind’.”

Each brings something to the whole if they work together: Judaism contributes expectation (without expectation and longing there can be no Messiah event), Christianity brings the annunciation (the Messiah event has come), and Islam calls us to action: It needs to be done! Histori-cally, we observe the following stages: following on from each other, co-exis-tence, and in future – now? – working together | Rob Steinbuch, Driebergen (NL)

Essay

Anthroposophy and TrialogIn Anthroposophy Worldwide 2/2015 René Becker encouraged the members of the An-throposophical Society to study the spirituality of the Muslim world and the Quran Rob Steinbuch, a member of the “Commission for Contact with Muslims” of the Council of churches in Driebergen (NL), has responded by sending the following contribution.

The speaking Jesus child: Dutch edition of two lectures by Rudolf Steiner

An unabridged version of the essay ‘The relationship between Islam and the Mystery of Golgotha’ is available from the author Contact: [email protected]

1 Bruno Sandkühler: Begegnung mit dem Islam, Stuttgart 2005, p 78f.2 In: Anton Wessels: Gelukkig in de Akbar-straat, Ten Have 2004, p 8.3 Rudolf Steiner: Gegenwärtiges und Ver-gangenes im Menschengeiste (GA 167), Lec-ture of 16 May 1916.4 Rudolf Steiner: Die Welträtsel und die An-throposophie (GA 54), ‹Der Weisheitskern in den Religionen›, p 161.


■ Forum

A Response to Sevak Gulbe-kian’s contribution “From Relativism to Pluralism” in Anthroposophy Worldwide 2/2015

In principle, I agree with the advocacy of pluralism ex-pressed in Sevak Gulbekian’s article, but I find it helpful to make a few observations about where pluralism is ap-plicable, and where it meets its limits I maintain that this is a crucial yet subtle point hav-ing consequences far beyond the theme of publishing.I agree that in order to culti-vate robust, thoughtful dia-logue, one cannot be a purist (and certainly not an absolut-ist), but must instead take an expansive view of what is good and valuable in order to be able to perceive the indi-vidual virtues in various points of view However, “pluralism” is only a generalization, behind which are to be found many individ-ual judgments Each individual will make use of his knowledge and inner qualitative sensitiv-ity in the process of forming the judgments constituting his pluralism But those judg-ments can be respectfully de-bated, ideally making us wiser, more discerning, and more responsible in forming such judgments.Even the most general of publishing decisions—deci-sions one might think follow self-evidently from a “toler-ant” stance—are still rooted in individual judgment The “self-evidently tolerant” deci-sion is only an unexamined judgment Behind every toler-ant pluralist is an individual moral agent striving to form judgments to the best of his ability – on the basis of “the sum of ideas which are effec-tive in [him]” (GA 4, Ch 9) There is no “tolerant pluralism” to be

applied without active inner engagement; to think other-wise (however unconsciously) would be to take a program-matic approach to morality, and to deceive oneself about the fulcrum of “I”-activity (or its vacancy) underlying all hu-man actions and decisions The interesting question is therefore not whether one is a tolerant pluralist, but why exactly one has formed the specific judgments that actu-ally constitute one’s pluralism That question could provide us with a fruitful ground for anthroposophical cultural-spiritual life—a ground upon which truth (in all its intricacy) may be held as an ideal worth striving for, unexamined as-sumptions challenged, and moral-spiritual discernment developed Further thoughts on this theme may be found in fu-ture editions of Deepening Anthroposophy ([email protected]) | Thomas O’Keefe, Ohio (US)

To the question of essays in Anthroposophy Worldwide 2/2015

I heartily approve of the ongo-ing initiative for Anthroposo-phy Worldwide I see a real connection between the re-ports on how Anthroposophy lives around the world and a discursive essay that describes how Anthroposophy lives in an individual I enjoy both per-spectives, they feed my soul Both reveal the spiritual life that lives in members, in our worldwide community Please continue to include both in fu-ture issues as the space allows.I thank you for your and your fellow editors’ work as this vital publication continues to evolve That there is an understanding of the need

to continually evolve, to be open to changing needs and desires, is a great inspiration to me. | Hilmar Moore, Fort Worth, Texas (US)

I for one appreciated those that were included and would appreciate seeing similar arti-cles on diverse Anthroposoph-ical subjects […] Ruth Bruns, Philmont, New York (US)

Many thanks for this develop-ment which I welcome I really liked the two essays and will use the one on community building in our team work in the Munich Herzschule![Medical-therapeutic programme for heart patients Translator’s note] | Maria Kreye, Munich (DE)

Following a period of internal paralysis and divisions within the anthroposophical move-ment I see an increase in indi-vidual, practical, open initia-tives in the Anthroposophical Society: in the question asked by young people in Germany (“Anthroposophy- How?”), and now in the two most re-cent issues of Anthroposophy Worldwide To mention just a few exam-ples: Barbara Messmer’s re-port about the branch meet-ings that points out that now, after a hundred years have passed, the central task – that of gaining knowledge and act-ing individually – first needs to be recognized The request for openness towards other spiritual movements, such as Buddhism, and the remark that anthroposophical medi-tation is “almost entirely un-known” and that it needs to be developed internally first Very interesting thoughts from Se-vak Gulbekian on a culture of pluralism! The recognition of authentic approaches in the three individualities presented by Ronald Richter.

Barbara Messmer concludes her account by looking at what she sees as our task: apart from an individualized anthroposophy we needed “lasting truths.” Does Steiner’s cosmos of ideas stand above the changeability of all knowl-edge? What wants to develop lies before us as the germ of an era that will only complete the development of its spirit hun-dreds of years from now: the consciousness soul which we do not have yet, but which we are working to develop We are building on the faculties that have begun in the sixth centu-ries before Christ, with the loss of “lasting” truths! And there is much we still have to learn! My personal conclusion: the truly new approach will allow for questions that will give us courage | Dietrich Esterl, Stutt-gart (DE)

I am heartened by two pieces: First ‹Awakening from Lethar-gy› by René Becker, the French General Secretary It is an open, spontaneous response to a shocking event The inclusion of articles and information other than reporting of ac-tivities is also welcome by me Thank you.I hope you will take it in good faith but I find the two es-says you include ‹Community Yearned For, but not Willed› and ‹From Relativism to Plural-ism’› are abstract, theoretical They are just essays and dull.I would not have used the word “lethargy” in the piece by René Becker (not if he is re-ferring to Anthroposophists.) I would say rather Anthropops need to drop fear and stop be-ing over-whelmed by the great Doctor Steiner And then to speak from the heart About present-day events - politically as well as culturally Anthro-posophists need to have the courage to write about their connections with what is go-



ing on in the world Writings on such subjects will be wel-comed by me.To give an example, I am read-ing an article in The Guardian (18th February) Journal section written by Yanis Varoufakis, academic and now finance minister to the new Greek gov-ernment […] He says, among other things, that freedom of

the human being is in conflict with Capitalism Goodness only knows how this most difficult Greek situation will evolve with Germany ada-mant about Greece remaining in austerity It seems to me that someone should be (apologies if they are) seeking to relate Dr Steiner’s social philosophical ideas to what Yannis is pre-

senting and doing something about it - in the political world Is there a connection between these two points of view? Then work on it To go forward we need to take courage in both hands in order to speak our truths Become ac-tive in relation to world events, cease dwelling in the past! Connect with what is now.

I am being very outspoken - you have asked for opinions! Less clever abstract essays (why call them ‘essays’?) More heart-felt honesty at world happenings - relating them to what Dr Stein-er has written So that we can all start getting a larger picture Time to grow up That would be most welcome. | Pamela Re-inganum, Tunbridge Wells (GB)

We have been informed that the following 88 members have crossed the threshold of death In their remembrance we are providing this information for their friends | The Membership Office at the Goetheanum

Barry Liebowitz Saugerties/NY (US) 17 Juni 2013Johanna Brand Avalon (AU) 11 January 2014Margarete Bugjerde Oslo (NO) 31 January 2014Duilio Ferrari Bologna (IT) in January 2014Ezio Canale Genova (IT) 1 February 2014Luciano Filho Sao Paulo SP (BR) 2 February 2014Gloria Lorente La Cumbre (AR) 4 March 2014Alessandro Fedrizzi Trento (IT) 17 March 2014Otto Vaagen Nesoddtangen (NO) 1 June 2014Ingeborg van Goor Amsterdam (NL) 7 August 2014Ingrid Sahlin Oslo (NO) 24 August 2014Gunda Latrille Niefern-Öschelbronn (DE) 27 August 2014Wytske Kamstra Leeuwarden (NL) 30 August 2014John Bruvel Woodville (AU) im August 2014Carmen Filippo Binago (IT) im August 2014Inga Joerges Stanghov Hamar (NO) 6 September 2014Daniele Beringheli Lancenigo (IT) 19 September 2014Roger Schneider Cappel (FR) 1 October 2014Bernd Rautenstrauch Heilbronn (DE) 10 October 2014Francesco Toniato Padova (IT) 11 October 2014Ann Berney Greenwich (AU) 16 October 2014Anneliese Reiter Feldkirch-Gisingen (AT) 19 October 2014Sigrid Widmann Tübingen (DE) 21 October 2014Betty Clausen Lillehammer (NO) 27 October 2014Christa-Maria Maurer Ottersberg (DE) 7 November 2014Helge Bolneset Lysaker (NO) 12 November 2014Wilma Petters Enniskerry (IE) 28 November 2014Peter Smith Dexter/MI (US) 29 November 2014Henry Jordan Cheltenham (GB) 30 November 2014Frau H Wolf Den Haag (NL) 30 November 2014Naděžda Geryšerová Praha 1 (CZ) 5 December 2014Edward Hessong Lancaster/PA (US) 5 December 2014Eduard Kühnert Murrhardt (DE) 12 December 2014Herbert Seltz Sao Paulo SP (BR) 12 December 2014Sietsia Padmos Zeist (NL) 20 December 2014Marcela Kameš Wien (AT) 24 December 2014Josefa Feiler Stuttgart (DE) 27 December 2014Jean-Paul Marin St Louis (FR) 28 December 2014Hendrik Ledeboer Nuenen (NL) 30 December 2014Gianfranco Doni Trieste (IT) 31 December 2014Helene Megerle Basel (CH) 31 December 2014Yuko Okada Carmichael/CA (US) in the year 2014Ingrid Løvlie Bergen (NO) 5 January 2015Rita Gimm St Jakob/Thurn (AT) 7 January 2015

Ellgard Alrutz Göttingen (DE) 13 January 2015Volker Dembinski Bobingen (DE) 19 January 2015Leonard ter Haar Zeist (NL) 19 January 2015Elisabeth Hartman Agoura/CA (US) 19 January 2015Guillaume Thijs Zeist (NL) 20 January 2015Adriana Reusch Santiago (CL) 21 January 2015Günter Kohfeldt Lübeck (DE) 22 January 2015Wilfried von Engelhardt Linz (AT) 24 January 2015Lore Schewitz Hirschberg (DE) 24 January 2015Nelly Kaufmann Riehen (CH) 25 January 2015Henriette Selinger Althofen (AT) 25 January 2015Bettina Altmann Berlin (DE) 27 January 2015Caroline Ivens Stroud (GB) 27 January 2015Heide Randebrock Stuttgart (DE) 29 January 2015Jean-Marc Robyr Basel (CH) 29 January 2015Reinhard Drengenberg Kiel (DE) 31 January 2015Telse Kardel Hamburg (DE) 31 January 2015Margrit Ellenberger Walkringen (CH) 1 February 2015Elisabeth Dreissig Berlin (DE) 2 February 2015Ute Schlossmacher Stroud (GB) 2 February 2015Ursula Desaules Montezillon (CH) 3 February 2015Søren Gunge Järna (SE) 3 February 2015James Anderson Edinburgh (GB) 4 February 2015Ute Östringer Schopfheim (DE) 4 February 2015Fiona Barnett Opotiki (NZ) 6 February 2015Hendrina Viersen Den Haag (NL) 6 February 2015Hermann Schütz Bad Liebenzell (DE) 9 February 2015Hendrik Vögler Dortmund (DE) 10 February 2015Aruna Küsters Cuxhaven (DE) 11 February 2015Burkhart Messer Heidelberg (DE) 14 February 2015Paul van Iddekinge Nelson (NZ) 18 February 2015Ilse-Maria Koch Dornach (CH) 18 February 2015Stefan Leber Ostfildern (DE) 18 February 2015Marcelle Macpherson Kings Langley/Herts (GB) 18 February 2015Beatrice Oling Dornach (CH) 18 February 2015Thomas Fünfschilling Münchenstein (CH) 19 February 2015Werner Schmitt Hemsbach (DE) 20 February 2015Rita-Maria Rau Nürnberg (DE) 23 February 2015Anita Zingg Zürich (CH) 23 February 2015Brian Butler Havelock North (NZ) 24 February 2015Karl Honegger Villeret (CH) 25 February 2015Ursula Arndt Buenos Aires (AR) 26 February 2015Rosemarie Nohl Marburg (DE) 28 February 2015

From 27 January to 3 March 2015 the Society welcomed 96 new members. 136 are no longer registered as members (resigna-tions, lost, and corrections by country Societies).


■ Feature

Sebastian Jüngel: The Body Therapy Confer-ence is to show us ways from exhaustion to strength – this sounds as if our life forces can run low, like a battery, and can be re-charged again… Albrecht Warning: This touches on one of the secrets of human existence. Maybe we were allocated a measure of life forces – maybe they were credited to our life’s ac-count beforehand. There certainly are peo-ple who can lean back and float along on the waves of these forces, allowing themselves to be carried through life. Others are strug-gling through the waters of life, panting for breath, exhausted by vortices that play havoc with their plans and schedules. The breathless may learn from this conference how they can become strong, active agents in the living stream of forces. Those who are floating along peacefully may receive the one or other enlightening inspiration from one of the work group.

Respect for our earthly body

Sebastian Jüngel: Anthroposophical body therapy supports the ‘I’ by working on the skin and the movement body. How is it pos-sible that the autonomously acting ‘I’ can weaken itself, that it can become weak at all?Albrecht Warning: However autonomous the ‘I’ appears to us in its role as the con-ductor of our life’s symphony, the members of our organization do tend to jar the har-mony here or there. It is often our astrality that becomes loud and shrill, preventing us from listening to our life’s tune. This tune we need to find, it forms the underlying cantus firmus that is always there, and that is never too strong or too quiet.Sebastian Jüngel: The anthroposophic phy-sician Kathrin Studer-Senn points out that the anabolic forces are most energetically at work in the physical organization, the part of us “that is woven in the highest regions of the spiritual world”. Does the anthropo-sophical image of the body need to be re-newed or extended?Albrecht Warning: This is exactly what the body therapy conferences in recent years,

and also this year, are about: the body in its dignity, as the “temple of the holy spirit”. In its sense-perceptible physical substance, the body represents, in the bones, the ten-dency to immortality, and in the short-lived red blood cells the spark of the moment. Our earthly body merits the greatest respect because it is like a precious gift that “gives us access to our experiences”.Sebastian Jüngel: Speaking of overcoming prejudices: when does physical movement be-gin to be spiritual, and when is sport putting too much emphasis on our ani-mal nature?Albrecht Warning: Movements that evolve and flow in tune with etheric im-pulses, or soul impulses – as is the case in eu-rythmy and eurythmy therapy, in Bothmer Gymnastics and Spacial Dynamics – carry the spirits of movement within them. They are basically spiritual. Sport can appear very materialistic, at first glance, even mechani-cal. But there are different kinds of sport. There certainly have been approaches that involved strengthening and steeling the body – as in the early nineteenth century in Germany, under the “father of gymnas-tics” Friedrich Jahn (“Turnvater Jahn”) – that aimed at making young men fit for para-military activities. But if you are a skier, going down the piste in giant slalom, con-centrating on your body, if you overcome your self through the power and endurance of physical exercise, you will also sense, or touch, your self inwardly as the tension sub-sides. The sense of touch conveys a level of consciousness that Rudolf Steiner describes as the experience of something divine. So, sport can indeed evoke religious feeling.

Feeling good promotes health

Sebastian Jüngel: One of your workgroups offers a bathing experience – will you pro-vide twenty bath tubs there? Albrecht Warning: This workgroup will offer a demonstration bath, so there will just be

one bath tub. We want people to appreciate this kind of therapy – maybe they become interested in the applications or even in training.Sebastian Jüngel: What is the difference be-tween wellness and going to a saltwater spa for relaxation (not necessarily for therapy)?Albrecht Warning: Anyone who spends time on such an application should expe-rience a sense of wellness, of wellbeing. Enjoying a warm bath on the weekend or in the evening, after an exhausting day, is good for your health. A saltwater bath, on the other hand, can be quite strenuous. Salt tires the body. But a lavender bath in the

evening, why not?

Uniqueness

Sebastian Jüngel: An-other workgroup is about our need to learn how to relax. Do you find open ears for this? Do anthroposophists

not need to be rather over-busy? Or is there no dichotomy

for you between being extremely busy and being relaxed?

Albrecht Warning: That is a hint, of course, to our conference theme. Sure, anthro-posophists should not spend their days slumbering under fig trees, nor should they rush from meditation to meditation. It may well be a question of rhythm. That is what we would like to call attention to. A iambic rhythm at the start of the day, hexameter at midday, and trochees in the evening – but not in front of the television. Why not? I sug-gest you test that yourself with your heart rate variability. This brings us back to our earlier questions regarding the harmonious concert of the members of our organization.Sebastian Jüngel: Do you expect new re-sults from this conference or will it be more like a trade fair where you present your therapies?Warning: If you ask that you will get a provoc-ative answer: “Find the very best rhythm.” That is what the conference is about. In the end it will be the participants who decide. This kind of conference is unique and there will certainly be new results. The attendees will find that out, too. ó

Anthroposophical Body Therapy

“Hexameter at midday”Moving from exhaustion to re-creation, from de-vitalization to re-vitalization, is possible! Albrecht Warning, who is involved in preparing the conference “Obtaining Balance”, to be held at the Goetheanum from 30 April to 3 May 2015, presents a positive image of the physical body as the part of our organization that “gives us access to our experiences”.

Grafic: S.J.

Conference: Obtaining Balance. From De-vitalization to Revitalization, 30 April to 3 May 2015, at the Goetheanum, https://www.goetheanum.org/Koerpertherapieta-gung.6715.html

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