Sphere December 2011

Sphere • 1

December 2011Vol. 12 No. 4

ISSN 1175-2653$10.00

Q U A RT E R LY J O U R N A L F O R A N T H RO P O S O P H Y I N N E W Z E A L A N D

2 • Sphere

MAGIC WOOL FAIRIESChristine Schafer

Unspun sheep’s wool, also known as magic wool, is a warm vibrant material, perfect for

making these beautiful soft figures. Christine Schafer includes detailed instructions on making fairies and angels for every occasion: flower fairies for a seasonal nature table, fairies for birthday celebrations, guardian

angels to watch over a crib and, of course, a range of Christmas angels.

This book includes step-by-step instructions, colour photographs and diagrams which clearly show the reader the basics for making simple figures, progressing to detailed instructions for making more elaborate versions.104 pages, large format paperback • ISBN : 9780863158261

Price: $39.95

GENIUS OF NATURAL CHILDHOODSecrets of Thriving ChildrenSally Goddard Blythe

Young children love creative play, stories, nursery rhymes and games. These are not only good fun,

but are also good for the brain. Sally Goddard Blythe analyses why early movement matters, and how games develop children’s skills at different stages of

development. She offers a handy starter kit of stories, action games, songs and rhymes.

She explains:• Why movement is an essential ingredient for healthy brain development• Why music, song, lullabies and nursery rhymes prepare the brain for language• How fairy tales can help children face their fears in safety• How rough and tumble play develops the neural circuits for creativity and self

regulation• The links between learning problems and sedentary lifestyles and over exposure to

the electronic media• What to look out for if your child does not seem to be ‘ready’ for school.

224 pages, paperback • ISBN : 9781907359040 Price: $44.95

PROPHECY PHENOMENA HOPEThe Real Meaning of 2012 Christ and the Maya Calendar - An UpdateRobert Powell

Prophecy – Phenomena – Hope: The Real Meaning of 2012 by

Robert Powell, explores what 2012 really means, updating the research presented in his timely and ground-

breaking book Christ & the Maya Calendar: 2012 and the Coming of the Antichrist (co-authored with

Kevin Dann). In this new book, Powell focuses on two important and significant prophecies by Rudolf Steiner. The first (from 1909) concerns the Second Coming of Christ, his appearance to humanity as the Etheric Christ. The second prophecy (from 1919) represents the shadow side of Christ’s Second Coming. It concerns the incarnation in human form of the being known as Ahriman (ancient Persian tradition) or Satan (Judeo-Christian tradition). In this connection, the Christian tradition also speaks of the coming of the Antichrist (as clarified in the book, the term Antichrist, as used by Steiner, has a specific meaning and does not signify the incarnation of Ahriman).

Powell points to the steady, multifaceted encroachment of ahrimanic forces today, especially through modern technology, which is harmful to the etheric body, causing illness and other serious problems. After looking into Steiner’s prophetic remarks in relation to the Book of Revelation, Powell looks into the prophecies of the Russian poet/mystic Daniel Andreev (1906-1959) and examines the prophecy of the American clairvoyant Jeane Dixon (1904-1997) concerning the human birth of the Antichrist. He also includes spiritual research by Judith von Halle (b. 1972) regarding an earlier incarnation of Joseph Stalin, as well as Andreev’s indications relating to Stalin’s earlier incarnations, which may be seen as preparation of this individuality for his role as “Mr. X,” the human vessel for the incarnation of Ahriman.

Powell’s research - applying the astrological rules of reincarnation - supports Jeane Dixon’s prophecy, that Mr. X was born in 1962, a finding whose accuracy was also confirmed by Willi Sucher, Powell’s mentor in Astrosophy, or star wisdom. This finding, seen in relation to various contemporary phenomena, speaks an unmistakable language that confirms the accuracy of Rudolf Steiner’s prophetic statement that the incarnation of Ahriman into his human vessel would take place shortly after the year 2000.

Simultaneously, great hope for humankind is offered by the return of Christ in the etheric realm, an event to which human beings can connect, finding inner strength, support, and guidance as humanity and the Earth pass through the great trials associated with 2012.

138 pages, paperback • ISBN : 9781584201113

Price: $24.95

CHRISTMAS CRAFT BOOKNew EditionThomas Berger

Simply made decorations for home or school are an absorbing way for children to

become involved in the celebration of Advent and Christmas. Parents, teachers and children will quickly learn to make crib figures, candles, lanterns, angels, Advent calendars and a

variety of Christmas tree decorations. The projects are all described and fully illustrated with diagrams and colour photographs.

80 pages, large format paperback • ISBN : 9780863158278 Price: $29.95

[email protected] • www.ceresbooks.co.nz

Sphere • 3

4National Standards.

7The Pedagogical Section and the Visit of Florian Osswald.

9The Steiner Certificate Achieves a Milestone in Education in New Zealand.

10 The Pedagogical and Therapeutic Importance of Working in Three Dimensions.

11Steiner /Waldorf Early Childhood Education in New Zealand Today.

13A Brief History of Eurythmy in NZ.

16Educational Eurythmy.

17Flow Eurythmy Ensemble 2012 Tour.Gaea Gardens

18San Francisco Youth Eurythmy Theatre.Celebrating 100 years of Eurythmy

19Hestia Tour

212012 Conference

22News From the Council.General Secretary’s End of Year Report.

23General Secretaries Meeting – Dornach, November 2011.

24Christchurch Earthquake Therapies.

28Annual Meeting of the Economics Conference Towards an Anthroposophical Mental Health Treatment Service

29Birthing Te Ara Sophia

Contents

Front cover: Ngaio Balfour prepares for Advent at the Titirangi Rudolf Steiner School. Photographer Irina Yun.

Editorial: Vee Noble – 68a Gilletta Road, Lynfield Cove, Auckland 1041Tel: (09) 627 2044 or 027 642 2074, [email protected]

Editorial Assistants: Mary Paterson – 41 Waterloo Crescent, Hokowhitu, Palmerston North 4410, Tel: (06) 356 2043, [email protected] Swann, 28 Ledger Avenue, Motueka 7120. Tel: (03) 528 6882,[email protected]

Production:Karl Grant – P.O. Box 1109, Hastings. Telephone (06) 870 9028 [email protected]

Distribution: Doug Green – P.O. Box 1109, Hastings. Telephone (06) 870 9029, [email protected]

Sphere is published quarterly by the Anthroposophical Society in New Zealand. Sphere is circulated quarterly in March, June, September and December and the deadline is the 1st of the month prior to publication. Details of the editorial guidelines are available to any contributor on request to Vee Noble. The responsibility for the content and accuracy of all articles is taken by the individual writers and is not necessarily the opinion of any member of the editorial group or of the Anthroposophical Society in New Zealand. Sphere is available on subscription. Contact treasurer, Glen Saunders.

General Secretary Sue Simpson, PO Box 8279, Havelock North. Ph: 06 877 6656, [email protected]

Council Members Chairperson: Noel Josephson, PO Box 291, Auckland. Ph: 09 378 9254,[email protected]

Lesley Waite, PO Box 8103, Havelock North. Ph: 06 877 71 [email protected]

Trisha Glover, 46 Hamlin Road, Mt Wellington, Auckland 1006. Ph: 09 570 9720, [email protected]

Treasurer: Glen Saunders, PO Box 55, Diamond Harbour, Christchurch 8941.Ph: 03 329 4156, [email protected],

Anthroposophical Society in New Zealandwww.anthroposophy.org.nz

31Being Well Otautahi Summer Youth Gathering.

32New Australian General Secretaries.

33Book Review – The Brotherhood of the Shadows.

34Aurora Centre for Health, Learning and Development

35Meditation Workshop with Arthur Zajonc.

36Anthroposophical Initiatives in Asia.

37Volunteering in Nepal

39Obituaries.

4 • Sphere

Thoughts on National Standardsby Rosie Simpson

One of the greatest gratifications I have as a school principal is in the affirmations of Steiner Education that I hear from new parents when we have our

‘special character’ interview prior to enrolment. These interviews seek to establish parents’ connection to Waldorf Education and reassure that they understand and are open to learning more about what they are stepping into by choosing this educational pathway for their children.

The first question that is asked is, “How did you find out about Steiner education or about our school; what led you to this point?” Frequently the answer is “I work with/I have met/I know someone who attends/attended your school/had a Steiner Education.” Typical reflections might include: “There is something different about them; they are comfortable with people of all ages and with themselves; they are confident, balanced, rounded people; they have a can-do approach to life; they have interesting perspectives and insights into problems and speak highly of their experiences of school.” When I hear this feedback, I know we must have done things right.

Our students, and especially our ex-students, are the best advertisement we have for our pedagogical approach. Not only are they literate and numerate but they seem to embody well the qualities articulated in the vision statement of the New Zealand Curriculum: “… for young people who will be confident, connected, actively involved and lifelong learners.” Their success in the world was not predicated on having achieved standards or specified levels of competence at any particular age in the lower school years; in fact often we know that some of our highest achieving students in the academic realm were late starters. They were able to progress at their own pace, unhurried, unpressured, guided and supported by their teachers, but without any of the stress, anxiety, disempowerment or disengagement that failure to meet an expected standard can bring.

The concepts of individual maturation and readiness are paramount for the teacher in a Steiner School. It is this that brings many parents to our door. When I ask at that initial interview, “What are you looking for for your child… what do you see as positive differences between Steiner schooling and other forms of education?” I consistently hear what I have just articulated. Parents want their children to have an unhurried childhood, to enjoy learning and to feel confident in their progress, whatever speed or form it takes. They want them to experience a broad and rich curriculum in which the whole person, their diverse needs and strengths can be met and celebrated, not just their ability in the ‘3Rs’.

This is why the National Standards policy has been so vigorously challenged by the Steiner School movement in New Zealand. We are not alone in this; the Principals’ Federation, the teachers’ union and a raft of academics and researchers in the education sector have voiced grave concerns that not only will this policy change the face of schooling in New Zealand; it will ultimately change the face of our society. In England and America where standardisation of education is well-embedded, there has been a consequent narrowing of the curriculum, a practice of teaching to the test, and inappropriate reporting to children from as soon as the end of their first year at school (this is a requirement now in

New Zealand). Unsurprisingly, this has resulted in children labelling themselves as failures and experiencing school as a high anxiety environment. Teachers are stressed and many leaving a profession which they feel has lost its true purpose.

Many pertinent slogans have been coined by those opposing the standards: “weighing the pig will not make it heavier,” “children are like popcorn, some pop early, some pop late,” “a paint-by-numbers approach to education.” As far back as 1856 educational reformer Joseph Payne described the habit of incessant testing as ”continually pulling up the plants to see the condition of the roots, the consequence of which was that all good natural growth was stopped.”

The National Standards policy is enshrined in law and requires schools to report against National Standards to parents, to children, to Boards of Trustees and from Boards of Trustees to the Ministry of Education. As integrated state schools we are required to obey that law and, in initial correspondence, the Minister suggested that our option, should we choose not to implement them, would be to de-integrate. This is not an option our school communities would wish to follow. Steiner Education has grown and become widely accessible in New Zealand through the affordability that integration has brought.

Since that initial letter, there has been considerable movement, an assurance of flexibility from the Minister and the hope that we can continue negotiations with goodwill. Change comes through positive action; throughout New Zealand, our parents have mobilised and they are a powerful force. It is the parent voice to which our politicians listen and respond. Hundreds of letters have gone from concerned parents to the Prime Minister, the Minister of Education, to local MPs, to the education spokespeople of all parties. Alongside lobbying from parents and some MPs on behalf of their constituents, lawyer Mai Chen has been assisting the Federation in its discussions with the Ministry in relation to the strength of our integration agreements as they relate to the Education Act. Mai is certainly a force to be reckoned with and a champion of human rights.

The outcome of this is that the Federation is currently in dialogue with senior advisors from the Ministry of Education who are open to the possibility of Steiner Schools reporting against our own ‘learning steps’. These are in the process of development. For now, in relation to National Standards, we are considered ‘a work in progress’.

Can we find a pathway through this challenge without jeopardising our special character? Yes, I believe this is possible. Is it what I would wish for our children, for the children of New Zealand? No. Has any good come from it? Surprisingly, yes! Our parents have been galvanised; they are stronger as a community and awake, having had to re-examine their reasons for choosing this education, to articulate and fight for what they value. The spirit rises in adversity!

Rosie Simpson is thePrincipal of Taikura Rudolf Steiner School

Michael Park parent Callum Peters has established a website which you can visit to find out more about the standards debate www.protect.org.nz.

Sphere • 5

Rudolf Steiner acknowledged before he died that the movement begun at the end of the First World War for threefolding in society had failed. However, the issues

he was grappling with have not gone away; in fact, they have intensified. The invasion of Government by “Wall Street” in the United States is a topical case in point.

Therefore, I take Rudolf Steiner’s acknowledgement of failure to mean that the particular initiative taken in the second decade of the twentieth century, in a particular form and under certain prevailing conditions, had not made a possible breakthrough, and had not fulfilled its promise. Recognition of the tri-fold membering of society with an encompassing cultural/spiritual life whose keynote is freedom, a life of rights and social encounter which calls for equality, and the field of economic activity with the keynote of collaboration and fraternity may not have been fulfilled, nevertheless it remains a key insight, granted by Steiner, into the nature of social life. It provides a constant challenge and resource for understanding and acting within the on-going stream of social evolution and development, wherever and whenever, we happen to be located.

Just as physical health requires balance and harmonisation of bodily systems , organs and rhythms, so, in this view, social heath requires a balanced harmonisation between the prevailing forces operating within and emanating from each of the social realms. If there is an improper intrusion or domination of one by the other, then illness prevails.

Proper maintenance of and flow across the ‘boundaries’ between the spheres is also crucial. Thus freedom in the cultural sphere cannot live healthily unless influences from the sphere of rights retain their proper measure and economic support is forthcoming without being permitted to dominate the agenda or to override the unique requirements of the other spheres.

Naturally, similar and reciprocal considerations apply to the healthy functioning of the life of rights and governance, and to the fostering and development of economic life, the organisation of production, consumption and exchange both locally, nationally and internationally.

This article focuses on some current phenomena in the sphere of education which lies primarily in the realm of cultural and spiritual development.

Developments are occurring in education today that must alarm anyone who sees education as more than a project to produce the next intake of suitably skilled workers for the economy, or who is concerned with the healthy development of incarnating human individualities as beings of body , soul and spirit.

Everywhere, influences are at play which hasten, divert or impede children’s healthy development whether it be through exposure to electronic media, lack of opportunities for imitative play, early imposition of academic goals, over–intellectualised instruction, impoverishment of the feeling–life and the imagination, consumption of junk food, and so on.

This is far from being an exclusively anthroposophic or

Standing Up for Childhood and Opposing theCo-modification and Standardisation of Educationby Alistair Munro

“… the nature of cultural activity is that the gifts, talents, initiative and

creativity of people keep welling up. Education, by its nature, is full of creative responses to challenges.

One way of rebalancing the education and state systems is

to let go of the tight audit culture, and then recognise, encourage, research and spread the good practice arising in schools.” 1

- Martin Large

1 Common Wealth; for a free, equal, mutual and sustainable society. Hawthorn Press , 2010, p.2282 Large, Martin, Common Wealth, p.226

Waldorf insight or concern. Titles of ‘mainstream’ books such as The Hurried Child: Growing up too fast too soon (Elkind); Toxic Childhood (Sue Palmer); Endangered Minds (Healey); The Disappearance of Childhood (Postman); A Child’s Work: The Importance of Fantasy Play (Pale); Reclaiming Childhood: Letting Children Be Children in Our Achievement-Oriented Society (Crain) all tell the story.

A most pernicious aspect of current trends is the growing corporatisation of education where narrow economic and business interests invade the educational space. This involves the commercial exploitation of children in their learning, and the proliferation of ‘education for profit’ activities and firms. The emergence of a new language applied to education, reveals the consciousness at work which imports business concepts and values to govern the enterprise of education. Education becomes a ‘product’ to be sold, parents are ‘consumers’, and schools have ‘brands’.

“Teachers do not teach, they ‘deliver’ the government curriculum. Education has become filling buckets rather than lighting fires. Instead of education being a creative process of learning, it becomes a conveyor belt. Standards become ‘performance indicators’, language adopted from production management. Knowledge, judgement, skills become a list of competences. Advisors, once there to support teacher development, become ‘auditors’ in a school ‘audit culture’.2

All this is in stark contrast, not only to the ideals of Waldorf education, but also, and very importantly, to the best instincts of many parents and of practising teachers in regular schools whose deep familiarity with children and genuine concern for their healthy development, fill them with deep misgivings about what is at stake.

To recognise this, is not to minimise the potential significance of Waldorf Schools as centres of diversity and as exemplars of alternative ways in education. The Steiner Schools, Kindergartens and Playgroups in New Zealand are relatively few in number, although they have, it is probably fair to say, had an influence and bear a reputation which belies the small size of the educational movement. A significant moment was reached in the late 1980s and 1990s, when all the larger, and some of the smaller, Waldorf schools in New Zealand achieved integration within the state education system. This gave the opportunity for consolidation and relieved much of the immediate financial burden faced by school communities. It also brought with it new pressures arising from close involvement with the state bodies administering educational provision and resources.

A 1992 article in Anthroposophy at Work surveying the New Zealand Steiner School and Integration into the State system began with the following quotation from Rudolf Steiner:

”If one seriously desires to transform the present order of society into one in which social attitudes prevail, then one must not be afraid to place the spiritual-cultural life (including the school and educational system ) under its own independent control , because from such a free , independent

6 • Sphere

E-mail: [email protected]

system within the social organism men and women will go forth with joy and zeal to take part in all its life.“3

It concluded that: “The integration of the four biggest New Zealand Waldorf

Schools was a step taken in idealism, courage and faith against a background of financial necessity and as a pragmatic response in a politico-social climate of reform and on-going structural change. It needs to be seen as primarily a social initiative rather than a legal one – despite the trappings of legal language that surrounds it. Integration status is seen as an opportunity rather than a final resting place. It provides a platform for a time , from which the larger Waldorf schools in New Zealand may , given will and inspiration, consolidate their efforts and from which they may develop themselves as successful exemplars of a new approach to education in accordance with Rudolf Steiner’s intentions.

“Inevitably with changing social, political and legislative circumstances, the particular legal form presented to us by the integration process will lose its relevance. It may even become very uncomfortable. The test will be whether by our fruits we have become known, in the meantime, as worthy and respected participants in the cultural life of the nation, for whom in the future more congenial legal clothing can be willingly created. That could be a significant contribution to establishing practically the kind of renewed social organism about which Rudolf Steiner was writing in the collection of essays from which the quotation at the beginning of this article was drawn”.4

So there are always on-going challenges facing the Steiner schools and kindergartens and the current furore over ‘National Standards’ is one of them. From the briefing given at the recent annual general meeting of the Anthroposophical Society in Auckland about the impacts of the government’s national standards on the Steiner schools and the various responses being made to this policy, it became clear that concerns held within the Waldorf movement reflect

3 Rudolf Steiner, Essay :” The Threefold Social Order and Educational Freedom(1919) in The Renewal of The Social Organism , Anthroposophic Press, New York, 1985.

4 Munro, Alistair. “Rudolf Steiner Schools in New Zealand and Integration with the State System” in Anthroposophy At Work (Journal of the Anthroposophical Society in New Zealand) , Number 2 , 1995, pp.2-8.

widespread concern across society, particularly amongst parents, teachers and school boards. There was a strong concern that this government policy is anti-educational, ignores the uniqueness of children, is harmful to a broad approach to curriculum and is motivated by an overwhelmingly industrial or narrowly ‘economic’ view of education.

It appeared that the Steiner schools challenging this policy were in danger of being specifically targeted by the Minister for unsympathetic treatment. Nevertheless, it was understood that the Steiner school movement would sensitively and skillfully continue its efforts to obtain a less objectionable and intrusive approach from the Minister and her officials, and that people directly involved in Steiner school communities, for example as friends, parents, grandparents, teachers and so on, would be part of that. We can read elsewhere how these are being dealt with by the Waldorf movement, remembering always that what a government gives, it, or another, can also take away.

However, it was also the sense of the annual general meeting that it was important to have a concern for all children affected by such influences in education and not to be narrowly concerned for the freedom of the Steiner school movement exclusively. These two approaches, one Waldorf-focused and the other entirely general in scope, could be seen as complementary and mutually reinforcing pathways to preserving educational freedom, creativity, diversity and choice.

This was why, following the annual general meeting briefing, I took the initiative to appeal to members of the Anthroposophical Society to take an interest in this urgent concern which goes to the heart of education, the needs of all children and the freedom and creativity of all teachers, and to consider writing and protesting on this issue. A copy of this appeal has been widely circulated.

I am not a teacher, but I am a grandparent and I fear for the future of our country’s children if the present government’s confrontational and unimaginative approach in education is maintained. In particular, the Government’s attempts to improve educational outcomes by imposing hastily developed and ill thought-out ‘national standards’ and by attacking the teaching profession are deeply concerning.

Politicians’ meddling endangers the fabric of our educational provision, demoralises teachers and confuses parents. Reality will eventually expose the sham of such tactics but much damage may result in the meantime. So why don’t we take another tack entirely? A positive and creative one, following the example of Finland: Trust the teachers, resource them to become the best they can be by enhancing their training and professional development, make teaching the most respected profession which the best young students clamour to enter, and liberate teachers to do the work they love; meeting the needs and developing the capacities of all children. (See www. learningfirst.org/teachers-we-trust-interview-finnish-education-expert-reijo-laukkanen).

I believe New Zealand can do the same and better, but only if political gamesmanship and control is dropped. Politicians need to back off, and allow teachers the professional freedom essential to their vocation. I invite readers to contact me if you are willing to share in this work of defending a free cultural space for education or have thoughts, questions or suggestions. Alistair Munro, [email protected]

Sphere • 7

The Sections of the School of Spiritual Science were founded on the 27th December, 1923, as part of the Christmas Foundation Meeting re-founding of the Anthroposophical

Society in Dornach [refer: Steiner (1963) GA or CW 260 ]. Initially the General and the Pedagogical Sections were united and there were six others. Steiner, himself, led the General and Pedagogical Sections, and appointed co-ordinators for the other Sections. Today there are more Sections, including Youth, Mathematics and Astronomy, Natural Science, Agriculture and three Arts Sections.

Dr Heinz Zimmermann, who passed away recently, was a former leader of the Pedagogical Section at the Goetheanum. He was always most supportive of our work in education and is remembered for his quiet wisdom, generous warmth, sense of humour, earnestness and, above all, great dignity and respectfulness towards all those he met. He led the world-wide Pedagogical Section for many years (before handing over leadership to Christof Wiechert), visiting Waldorf Schools and Kindergartens throughout the world. Heinz visited both Australia and New Zealand in 1995 (and New Zealand again later in July 2002, with Florian Osswald). Following the 1995 Conference in Hastings, he encouraged the working towards having a Pedagogical (Education) Section in New Zealand. To this end, he founded separately the Australian (with Karl Kaltenbach and Alduino Mazzone) and New Zealand (with Hans and Ineke Mulder) Initiative Circles.

Over sixteen other countries also have Initiative Circles/Groups to help co-ordinate Education Section work: en-couraging Spiritual Scientific research, organising conferences, study groups, publishing research or being available for consultation in case of difficulties; showing overall care or consciousness for Steiner education. The Section at the Goetheanum assists in organising ongoing study, conferences and, every four years a world teacher conference (the next one will be in April next year); as well as publications and carries an overall awareness and consciousness of the more than 1000 Waldorf Schools and Kindergartens world-wide.

In most countries, a requirement of being a member of such Initiative Circles/coordinating groups is that one is already a member of the School of Spiritual Science. In volume 9 of the Journal for Waldorf/Rudolf Steiner Education (2007), Peter Glasby, Alduino Mazzone and I contributed an article which aimed to answer teachers’ questions about the School of Spiritual Science and the Pedagogical (Education) Section (the diagram and part of the text below were part of that article).

Spiritual research and the deepening of our chosen vocational work is the crux of working in any Waldorf school – whether a teacher is a member of the Anthroposophical Society, School of Spiritual Science or is someone quite new to Anthroposophy, but has a desire to learn and grow into a deeper understanding. Each day in the classroom the children pose spiritual questions (often demonstrated in the guise of very earthly behaviour!) to us - and Steiner suggested that a most important part of working with colleagues in a College of Teachers would be to share what we have learnt with each other. Steiner gifted a most beautiful imagination to the College (called the College Imagination) which recognised that in a circle of striving people the answers could come from any one of them.

The concept of a Section incorporating many levels of co-working is illustrated in the following diagram, which dates

The Pedagogical Sectionand the Visit of Florian Osswaldby Neil Carter

right from the foundation of the Christmas Foundation Meeting: i.e., anyone involv-ed with deepening the work of Waldorf Education out of Anthroposophy may consider themselves as a co-worker of the Section if they so wish.

Our rendering of Rudolf Steiner’s diagram In this drawing, it seems clear that the Section work is

not confined to the School of Spiritual Science but receives its direction from groups of people - from both within the School of Spiritual Science, the Anthroposophical Society and others working and engaged with various Anthroposophical professions and organisations. Of course, there is the need for accountability, which is where the ‘Initiative Circle’ comes in.

In the book The Constitution of the School of Spiritual Science - lectures by Steiner shortly after the Christmas Foundation Meeting, he outlines the work of the Sections and makes it clear that activities done under the auspices of the Section need to be communicated and agreed to by the leadership of the Section. The Initiative Circle, made up from members of the School, try to keep in active contact with the Section Leadership in Dornach and elsewhere in the world. Their task is to accompany initiatives in their own area and support them where possible. To this end, Peter Glasby for Australia and Sue Simpson for New Zealand regularly communicate with the work at the Goetheanum. Sue Simpson is also a member of the Hague Circle which has evolved into a group of delegates from around the world.

Some of our Australasian activities have included:• Publication of the Journal for Waldorf/ Rudolf Steiner

education - now in its 13th year• Co-ordinating dates and venues of various Waldorf

conferences in Australia and New Zealand • Connecting with the work of Steiner Education Australia

(formally RSSA) and the NZSTE in New Zealand (Steiner Teacher Education group - mandated by the NZ Federation of RS/Waldorf Schools).

• Publications printed by our Initiative Circles in Australia and New Zealand –seven books and various overseas Journals are distributed.

• Local study groups were initially a feature of the Section in the 1990’s- but have been replaced by organisational groups - such as we had for the Kolisko Conference held in Cambridge in 2010; a joint effort of Medical, Pedagogical Section and Federation of New Zealand Steiner School members

• Organising visits – the most recent visitor being Florian Osswald. Florian Osswald’s visit to Australia and New Zealand The recent visit to Australia and New Zealand (four weeks

in July - August, 2011) of Florian Osswald, as the new Section co- leader from the Goetheanum, further strengthened the work of Waldorf education in our two countries. Florian spoke on the subject of ‘Deepening the inner work of the teacher so its light might shine through the subjects’. His talks and human encounters were appreciated by all those who experienced his enthusiasm, practicality and encouragement - whether he was addressing parents or teachers.

8 • Sphere

Michael Park School is seeking a highly-motivated, NZ registered teacher to join our creative and inspiring team of teachers in Term 1, 2012.

Experience in years 6 - 8, with successful classroom practice in literacy and numeracy essential, as is an on-going commitment to expanding your professional knowledge in education. MU available dependent on curriculum and leadership ability. Prior experience in Rudolf Steiner / Waldorf education an advantage, but not required, as professional development will be provided.

A willingness to teach and organise programmes in accordance with the special character of the school shall be a condition of employment.

For an application form please email [email protected]

MICHAEL PARK SCHOOLCLASS TEACHER 2012

In the latest (November) Journal for Waldorf Rudolf Steiner Education 13.2 is a short report I made of one of Florian’s lectures – a fuller article written by Florian will appear next year in Journal 14.1. In one lecture, Florian recalled a challenge one of his students had made. Florian shared this question: “What gives me, the teacher, the right to stand in front of a class of children/teenagers? Is it my job contract with the school? Is it my qualifications and certificates? – No - what gives me the right is that I am prepared to change myself – and to do inner work to make that change.”

Florian’s visit was made possible by the Australian Anthroposophical Society, who paid for Florian’s return travel from Dornach to Australia. The Australian Waldorf Schools covered Florian’s internal travel in Australia and the New Zealand schools provided for his trans -Tasman and internal travel costs in this country.

Peter Glasby and Sue Simpson co-ordinated the busy schedule of over ten Australian schools from Brisbane to Perth and seven destinations in New Zealand. The overall comment was that Florian is a most appreciated and inspiring colleague – although the visit was all too brief! Florian gave up his (northern) summer holiday break to be with us.

Given the openness of the Education Section as interpreted from the diagram above, I conclude with some burning educational research questions that are relevant to the healthy development of children wherever in the world, and answers/solutions/ debate and research are all welcomed:

The place of information technology in child development. Should it begin in Kindergartens? If not, then at what age is it appropriate in our curricula? – see the recent article in the New York Times (edition- 23 October, 2011 http://www.nytimes.com/2011/10/23/technology/at-waldorf-school-in-silicon-valley-technology-can-wait.html?nl=todaysheadlines&emc=tha25

Religion, the sacred and sacrament in education - the place of “free religion” lessons in our Waldorf schools - the importance of indigenous peoples’ spirituality: The theme for next year’s Australian Anthroposophical Society and Steiner Education Australia (formally RSSA) Conference is ‘Bringing the sacred into the social life of a post- modern world’ – contact [email protected] for further information.

Leadership in schools – Waldorf Schools began 1919 with the principle of a College and republicanism and now many Waldorf schools in Australia and New Zealand have principals, or the equivalent in management groups - how does this affect parents, children, the teachers and the interface between society and the school?

Teacher training – Can University courses and degrees like those in Canberra, AUT, and qualifications from Waldorf seminars that can lead to University or further qualifications such as those in the Sydney, Melbourne and Taruna Seminars be increased? There is a need for important development of in-service and continuing education for teachers and parents alike.

The Teacher as Artist is the theme of the Fellowship of New Zealand Waldorf/Rudolf Steiner Teachers’ biennial conference to be held at Michael Park school in July next year

Assessment and qualifications – e.g. the National Standards debate

Such outer challenges can be met with courage and practicality by, in the words of Florian’s challenge, “allowing our inner work to shine out into practical solutions and co-operative working in the world.”

Neil Carter is the editor of the Journal for Waldorf/Rudolf Steiner Education, back copies of which can be accessed at www.waldorflibrary.org

Sphere • 9

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After two years of concentrated work, the Steiner School Certificate has now achieved full approval from the New

Zealand Qualifications Authority. This is a major breakthrough in the recognition of Waldorf Steiner education in New Zealand for not only serving as an alternative education model but of also having academic equivalency with state and international certificates, such as the International Baccalaureate.

The courses covered by the certificate have now been registered as providing quality assurance with regard to course structure, assessment rigor and national consistency.

The certificates are awarded at Achieved, Highly Commended, and Distinction levels and have equivalent status across a range of state school subjects such as English, the Sciences, Mathematics, and the Arts as well as validating the significant extra effort required of Steiner students to publish independent research projects, be involved in school and community events such as drama and outdoor activities and so on.

As a result, and in addition to this, the representative body

The Steiner Certificate Achieves a Milestonein Education in New Zealandby Karen Brice-Geard

for New Zealand’s eight universities – Te Pokai Tara, has also approved the certificate, which means that students who have achieved a Steiner School Certificate in Class 12 at Level 3 may be admitted Ad Eundem Statum (with equivalent status) to any of those universities.

The certificate will provide a protective framework around the Waldorf curriculum and provide a state recognised pathway for Steiner School pupils through to tertiary education. This is an enormous achievement for our Steiner/Waldorf movement and one that deserves celebration, particularly in the light of the current ideological trends in our education system.

I would like to take this opportunity to acknowledge and sincerely thank Donna Skoropada for her work in developing this qualification and to the qualifications committee members Mark McGavock, David Stephenson and Des Pemerika for their work and contribution in this endeavour.

Karen Brice-GeardOn behalf of the Federation of Rudolf Steiner/Waldorf

Schools in New Zealand.

10 • Sphere

When we talk about art in school, art as a therapy, the world of colour springs to mind for most people, yet there is a whole world of form we are part of

that seems to be somewhat less obvious.

What is it we are working with when we shape a lump of clay, or carve a piece of wood or stone? What is the ground we stand on when we say that clay modelling, woodwork etc. are an important part of an education? What is it we are working with when we facilitate a therapeutic process through bringing form to, as yet, formless matter?

Sculpture lives in that part of our being that we take for granted, that is unconscious most of the time. We are not constantly aware of the fact that we ourselves are three dimensional forms, living in a 3 dimensional world of form.

Knowing space, the integral unconscious experience we have of space: where is left/right, up/down, front/back, both within our own body and in the space we move in, is something the child develops early on and which quickly becomes an automatic skill. When this is developed well in the first seven years, the faculties of learning and social skills become available. If that innate knowing of our three dimensions in body and space has not fully developed, learning and social skills are often compromised. Being three dimensional beings in a three dimensional world is part of the foundation for human development. Coming to terms with the three dimensions is so fundamental in this earthly life, it is the first thing that happens after fertilisation. The very first of the divisions of the fertilised cell is in the left and right half, then in front and back, and thirdly along the horizontal plane and separating the above and below.1 The three dimensions of space are ’taken hold of’ from the very first beginning of development.

When working with sculpture, we work on our foundations, help strengthen them so that thinking and feeling can be free faculties. Sculpture works with and on the four lower, body senses.

The sense of touch, where we experience where I end and the world begins, is a sense on the surface of our body. In sculpture, we are always working on the surface, adding on, taking away, moving the surface of the material to where it gives the right expression to the idea. Can we have the surface just right, where the inside is not extending too far out (convex) or being too much overwhelmed by the outside and pushed back (concave)? While working on the surface of a form, we are using our own sense of touch, feeling as much as seeing, what we do.

The sense of life is that which lifts the dead matter into living matter, and when all is well, we do not notice it. Rhythm, flow, levity are all aspects we bring to the matter of clay, wood, stone... when sculpting it. Using our own life forces, we give ‘life’ to a dead material. Can we manage to make a big lump of clay, or even a block of stone weighing a tonne, look as if it is light and living? Can we bring flow and rhythm to it, so that the higher idea of the sculpture can find its expression?

The Pedagogical and Therapeutic Importance of Working in Three Dimensionsby Lut Hermans and Ken Smith

1 J. W. Rohen, Functional Morphology, p 43 -45

The sense of movement gives us our understanding of form. By being able to move, unconsciously, automatically in the three dimensions, we can inwardly move in these dimensions to recognise form around us. In this way, our will brings us into relationship with the world. We can only ever see one side of a sculpture, we need to move around it to get an understanding of the whole. Movement is an integral part of sculpture, in making it and looking at it. With our inner sense of movement, we can ‘enter a form’, imagine being that form, moving in that form, and experiencing the flow, rhythms in it. Does it feel comfortable? Or do we feel held back or interrupted in that movement?

The sense of balance gives us the ability to be still. It is only out of that stillness, out of a quiet and secure centre, that the different directions in space make sense, that we can meet what comes towards us without feeling overwhelmed. In sculpture, we try and make all the different parts, all the different sides of the form, come into balance. Are they all part of the same idea, working together to express one idea, bring unity while being multidimensional? Can we find the stillness in a form? Do I experience one whole when seeing all the parts? Are they in the right proportions?

Children play with these aspects when making mud pies, tunnels and marble runs in the sandpit. That play is as fundamental to the development of the child as food and water. Michael Howard in his little but invaluable book, Developing the Will, talks about the need to develop what he calls ‘the feeling will’. Willing using these four lower senses, where we let our body-senses tell us about the qualities of the work we do. For this to happen it is important that we do not work with trying to copy nature, measure things, make something that ‘needs to look like’ a bird, for example, but try and work towards an understanding of pure form. Even when making birds, what are the different qualities between one child’s bird that has more rounded shapes than another one that is more stretched into the straight line...? We can work towards integrating the thinking (having an idea), the feeling (translating it into gesture, form) and the doing (bringing that to execution). For this, it is important to always work from the whole to the parts. When we assemble a form from its different parts, we are using our analytical, quantitative thinking. When starting from the whole, out of which form appears and grows, we are working with our feeling will, qualities of form.

So when we see a child, or adult, in class or therapy session, make a form, we can understand that this is created out of the four body senses, using the feeling-will. That is if we give it the right time and place where we can leave the awake, nerve sense thinking person and drop into this unconscious part of us. We know that this happens when the talking stops, the breathing slows down and becomes a bit heavier; there is a more dream-like absorption in the work, away from that oh so clever head. The child/adult will often be surprised at their own work when they ‘wake up’ to it at the end of the session. It is important that the teacher, therapist, works on his/her own work while the class or client is working. It sets the right mood, it gives opportunity to imitate, and to see the adult go

Sphere • 11

[email protected]

through the creative process, gives confidence that it is alright to try things out. It also gives the teacher the opportunity to show how to do something using their own piece, without touching the child’s work, which is very important. Unless in exceptional circumstances, and with explicit permission, the teacher, therapist, does not work on the child’s piece.

Out of our four body senses, we can only produce what is living there. So we might start off with very unbalanced pieces, with lots of gravity, with clay becoming so thin it collapses... Giving the opportunity and guidance to transform that into a more balanced, lighter, stronger form, brings those skills into our inner living reality.

In the end, it is the transformation, metamorphosis aspect of sculpture that is always at the core of the creative process. Metamorphosis from starting point to finished form, metamorphosis from one piece to the next, inner metamorphosis the creator experiences through working with the four body senses, strengthening the will.

Lut Hermans runs the Imago Studio in Lower Hutt, where she provides sculpture therapy and classes.

Ken Smith teaches sculpture at his Red Earth Studio in Tauranga.

The world is continually changing and so is Steiner/Waldorf early childhood education in New Zealand.

Life in this sector, for both teachers and children, has altered dramatically over the last few years. For example, most kindergartens used to be open for only four hours, in the mornings. Each group of around 17 children had one familiar and constant kindergarten teacher, who remained the same one every day. Children started kindergarten at around four years old. Kindergarten teachers did their own interviews, administration and their own consultation with their children’s angels. The myth of what happened behind closed pink doors remained a mystery and parents had implicit faith in their kindergarten teachers.

Rather than thinking about early childhood Waldorf education as being for four year olds up, we now talk about ‘early childhood Steiner’ as being something which includes children from birth. For a number of years now, we have had day care centres which are open all day, five days a week. We also have nursery groups attached to kindergartens which work with children from the age of two and a half up, as well as formalised play groups which are run with qualified teachers in specific rooms which are not unlike the sitting rooms of enthusiastic mothers of yesteryear. We even have home based Steiner/Waldorf child care.

All these variations on the same Waldorf theme operate out of an understanding of the very young child from an anthroposophical perspective. One may ask why it is necessary to offer such options and one can discover part of

Steiner/Waldorf Early Childhood Educationin New Zealand Todayby Kathy Macfarlane

Grace Smith (foreground) Sophie Smith (right) and fellow classmates in a stone carving class at Titirangi Rudolf Steiner School.

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12 • Sphere

the answer when one considers that the youngest child in a day care centre in Auckland was four days old and the first 24/7 (24 hours a day, seven days a week) child care centre was also opened in Auckland this year. Does one stand on one’s principles and stand in splendid isolation, or does one move with the current, attempting to stem the tide of daycare as an increasingly impersonal and industrialised affair?

We currently have over 60 Early Childhood Centres in New Zealand. In February, a new kindergarten began in Taupo after 20 years of having a play group there. Two new kindergartens will be opening in Kerikeri and in Whitianga next year. The most northern play group we have is ‘Honeymoon Valley’ at Coopers Beach and our most southern play group is in Invercargill. Marjorie Theyer, as Federation Advisor, has continued her support of all our early childhood centres around the country, which is no easy task, considering all our unique qualities!

Ministry regulations have meant that early childhood teachers these days mostly have their state qualifications and will be working towards Steiner qualifications. In the past, it was invariably the other way around. Funding and ministry requirements are now the determining factors regarding the size of the groups, the hours of operation and the number of staff required. As a consequence there are a number of staffing arrangements which might include many teachers working with many children who join different groups at different times of the day. We hope their angels are as flexible as we are!

‘In service’ early childhood teacher education has continued for teachers at Taruna, with ‘pre service’ training being available at AUT in Auckland. Both these are teacher education programmes set up by the Federation in partnership with Taruna and AUT out of a need to have more teachers who hold both state and Steiner qualifications. To date, there have been over 90 early childhood teachers pass through the ‘in service’ training at Taruna and 16 early childhood teachers will have a B. Ed. in early childhood Steiner/Waldorf education by the end of this year.

Around 100 early childhood teachers attended the biennial Early Childhood Conference in Tauranga in October this year. The title was “Joy- Koa” (‘koa’ is te reo for ‘joy’) and our key note speaker, Eleanor Winship, a most proficient musician, sang many wonderful songs with us and spoke to us about the “mood of the fifth”. This elusive topic is something that by its very nature can be hard to define, yet Steiner spoke strongly about the valuable healing qualities that can be brought to our young children by working and singing to them in the mood of the fifth.

This brings us to the children we work with in Aotearoa/New Zealand in this, the 21st century. Over the last twenty years of working with young children in Steiner Education in New Zealand, I do experience a marked difference in the children who come into our care. Twenty years ago children ate whatever was provided; now even healthy children seem to have multiple allergies and intolerances to ordinary food. Some children are no longer able to listen to fairy stories, as they have seen the videos and find the pictures overwhelming and frightening. Imitation as a healthy response to life can be

dulled as screen time dominates much of their lives. Play also doesn’t come as naturally these days as many children have been intellectually over stimulated, so that they live more in their heads and are less attuned to the natural rhythms of their being. Early childhood diseases such as chicken pox and measles have been replaced by nervous disorders such as anxieties, sleeplessness and even depression.

Research and literature frequently appears in the media, such as the one on the BBC (Oct 25th, 2011) demonstrating how a lack of outside play is linked to shortsightedness in children , or the one in the Daily Telegraph (Sept 11th, 2011) illustrating how childhood is being eroded by a relentless diet of advertising, addictive computer games and test drive education. Despite these, however, we are nonetheless constantly being challenged

by overzealous government agencies and over anxious parents who want their children to succeed in a demanding world, to articulate what positive learning can occur for children who are ‘just playing’. For many early childhood organisations, this downward pressure from primary school is causing a trend in early education to move away from a play-based curriculum to a more school-like environment of directed learning, creating yet another energy consuming hurdle for teachers endeavouring to remain true to Steiner’s core philosophical principles.

Rudolf Steiner has given us invaluable insights into human development and the child’s changing consciousness. This understanding is something that we need to be able to articulate to parents and government bodies with clarity. More than ever, children need us to provide a place where there is an appreciation of the need for an unhurried picture of child development.

We have a huge challenge in Steiner early childhood education in New Zealand. On the one hand, we need to be able to meet the powerful needs of the children of our time and, on the other hand, we have to meet the needs of their parents, without compromising the very principles that we stand for.

Without being dogmatic in form and structure, we need to continue to find new ways to meet the current situation; otherwise, Steiner/Waldorf education in New Zealand will be compromised by material demands.

Kathy MacFarlane is a kindergarten teacherat Titirangi Rudolf Steiner School

At the beginning of November, New Zealand was confirmed as a member of the International Association

of Steiner Waldorf Early Childhood Education (IASWECE).

For a long time, Australia has represented New Zealand so this is a significant step for the Early Childhood movement in New Zealand. The Federation of Rudolf Steiner Schools in New Zealand will be the member association in IASWECE, as there is representation of early childhood on the Executive of the Federation.

Kathy Macfarlane for the Federation Executive.

Early Childhood Representation

Children at Matariki Rudolf Steiner Kindergarten in Palmerston North enjoy baking bread.

Sphere • 13

Whitianga Rudolf Steiner Kindergarten at the Aotearoa Lodge, Racecourse Road

Head Teacher & TeacherThis is an exciting new opportunity for inspired educators at this new Whitianga

Kindergarten. We are seeking experienced, fully qualified Early Childhood educators who wish to work & live in an idyllic location.

This new Kindergarten will work alongside the established Kuaotunu Rudolf Steiner Kindergarten & be managed & governed by the Kuaotunu Kindergarten

Charitable Trust.Positions are full-time & commence beginning 2012

This is a chance to have the quality of life you always dreamed of, whilst nurturing this Kindergarten in a friendly & supportive working environment.

Salary to be negociated according to experience.We invite you to send your resume & a letter expressing your interest ASAP to;

[email protected]

We are looking for a full time, enthusiastic, competent and inspiring English teacher

for our lovely High School in Christchurch.

Applicants will need to demonstrate experience or a strong interest in

Steiner Education and have NCEA understanding.

We look forward to your interest for a 2012 start.

Please go to www.ch.steiner.school.nz for more full information or contact Thomas

Proctor 021 292 3291

CHRISTCHURCHRUDOLFSTEINERSCHOOL

Early history

By all historical accounts, it was Nancy Hartmann who was this country’s first eurythmist. Nancy had attended the Christmas Conference at the Goetheanum in 1936

and went on to complete a year’s study at the Waldorf Education Seminar in Stuttgart. She took some eurythmy lessons in 1937 which resulted in Else Klink, director of the Stuttgart Eurythmeum, recommending that Nancy seek financial support in New Zealand to complete eurythmy training. This met with an instant positive response and Nancy began training in 1938.

She returned to New Zealand in 1944 and, at the 1944/45 Christmas conference at Taruna, delivered what was probably the first talk about eurythmy here and “at 8.30 am each day in the Village Hall Miss Hartmann held her Eurhythmy classes for an hour or so.” (1) Four years later, at the Society’s General Meeting at Michaelmas in Wellington, there was discussion around “assisting the establishment of eurythmy in New Zealand, and a small committee was set up to explore possibilities.”(2)

Ultimately Nancy’s destiny led her to England where she taught for a number of years at Michael House. It was here that Carl Hoffman was her colleague and he remembers her well, “Eurythmy was her life. There could not have been a better pioneer for this art in New Zealand, nor a better representative of the movement. She explained, and we thought we understood. She demonstrated the gestures, she made a few poems ‘visible’, and we were convinced.” (3)

It was as a student at Chilton St. James School in Lower Hutt that Janet Lodder first heard about eurythmy from her teacher Ella Benbow. Janet also travelled to Dornach in 1939 to study eurythmy, but returned after two years due to the war. Janet taught music in Wellington, and she continued to practice eurythmy with Nancy, giving demonstrations and working with the Wellington Group. From various reports, the duo took their eurythmy to different centres during those years after the end of the Second World War. Janet returned

It is 100 years since Rudolf Steiner gave the art of eurythmy to the world when he responded to the question of “can a new meaning be given to the art of dance?” It was some years later before eurythmy arrived in New Zealand, but in this issue of Sphere and in subsequent issues, we will give a picture of the pioneering artists, the growth of eurythmy

and the artistic, curative and pedagogical work.

A Brief History of Eurythmy by Vee Noble

to Dornach around 1949 to complete her eurythmy course and she took part in some stage performances of the Mystery Plays at that time.

In 1958, Janet returned to New Zealand to inaugurate eurythmy lessons at Queenswood, the first Rudolf Steiner School in Hastings, take adult classes and work artistically. In an obituary for Janet, Jean Manteath wrote “Janet showed herself a true creative artist, as well as with her own eurythmy when she performed for the members of the Anthroposophical Society at a Festival or a General Meeting. Tone eurythmy she particularly loved, and it was a delight to watch her interpretation in liquid movement of Beethoven, Mozart or Bach.” (4)

It was in the same year, 1958, that John Leonard returned to Auckland, after “a long association with eurythmy during an extended stay in Dornach, and gave his support to what was emerging in Auckland.” (5) John later formed a group of eurythmy enthusiasts that worked together each week over many years. Another Aucklander, June Mahon, had returned to Auckland three years previously, in 1955, after completing her eurythmy training.

In the same year, Alice Crowther, an Australian eurythmist, was invited to hold a eurythmy seminar for the Queenswood

14 • Sphere

teachers and members. Over the next few years, Alice crossed the Tasman a number of times to give courses in both speech and eurythmy. She was, undoubtedly, an inspiration to many at that time and the following reflection from Gwen Malden gives a sense of the person and her energy. “1955 was very special for Anthroposophy in New Zealand because it was the year when Alice Crowther came to help Queenswood in speech, eurythmy and drama. Not only did Alice cast the play “Persephone” for the whole school, but she worked before school with children who were having difficulties in the play. She showed the adults how to make the front stage-curtain more interesting by breaking on the colour unevenly (she did the work too), she knew about grouping to balance a stage effect, and on top of all this she gave eurythmy classes for the teachers and others interested. She also gave speech lessons, and on a spare evening she had readings of Shakespeare’s plays with the Havelock North group at “Taruna”: Hamlet, The Tempest, Romeo and Juliet and Coriolanus. These plays were, of course, not all done during her first visit, for Alice came over once a year for several years.” (6)

Mary Netherwood was one of those inspired by Alice. Born in Yorkshire in 1920, Mary travelled to New Zealand in 1948 to work as a nurse, met Dr Geoff Townsend and began her lifelong connection with Anthroposophy. After reading Eurythmy As Visible Speech And Song, she resolved to study eurythmy and went on to train in artistic and curative eurythmy in Dornach under Frau Zuccoli, graduating in 1961. Three years later, she returned to New Zealand as Robert Simpson explains in the obituary for Mary(7), “She was determined to bring therapeutic eurythmy to New Zealand and after contacting Marjorie Allan at Hohepa Home School she was invited enthusiastically to come, arriving in 1964. A hall was built for her work (still called the Eurythmy Hall) with an adjacent flat for her.”

Her great sadness was that a sense of professional isolation dulled her artistic work, but in 1967, Mary was joined by Katherine Laing, who came from Edinburgh, to work at the Queenswood Rudolf Steiner School. The pioneering spirit of these two women is reflected in the following reflection by Elizabeth Whyte: “In 1967 Katherine Laing arrived by sea, via Panama, from Scotland. The arrival of the ship was delayed by several days and Mary Netherwood, who was waiting to welcome her, had to start the journey back to Hawke’s Bay almost as soon as Katherine had disembarked. Most of her first journey in New Zealand was therefore limited to what the headlights showed and to the sensation of climbing up and down innumerable hills, chatting hard the while to the driver to keep her awake!” (8)

Katherine Laing had also completed her eurythmy training in the Zuccoli School in Dornach and had gone on to teach eurythmy in the Edinburgh School (where she had been educated). After spending some time observing classes at the Michael House School in Ilkeston with Nancy Hartmann, she arrived in Auckland in 1967 and immediately set off for Hawke’s Bay.

Trudi Schladitz immigrated to New Zealand with her daughter, Barbara, in 1960 but returned to Dornach shortly after to train as an eurythmist. She returned to New Zealand, working firstly at Hohepa Homes in Hawke’s Bay and then returned to Wellington where it became her dream to co-found a Rudolf Steiner School: she became a driving force in the establishment of Raphael House. Trudi, who was a Swiss-trained teacher, was the first kindergarten teacher and eurythmy teacher, a founding trustee and member of the

College of Teachers at Raphael House. Karen Brice-Geard was the next eurythmy teacher at the school and also performed with the Persephone Stage Group in the 1980s.

Ulla van Erp and Molly von Heider, who had met when teaching at the Elmfield School in Stourbridge, England, arrived together in Christchurch in October 1967. Molly was to stay in Christchurch for just nine months during her sabbatical, but during the boat journey to New Zealand, they had planned the first public performance of eurythmy in the South Island. This became a Eurythmy Demonstration, with seats cramped into a classroom at Hohepa, packed and sizzling with expectancy. Ulla remembers the occasion well: “Margaret Farrow, the founder of Hohepa Canterbury, truly was a eurythmy enthusiast and had inspired the arriving audience accordingly. We did our best – boxed in between the first row and the wall behind us – unaware that the well-dressed lady in the front row was the Mayoress of Christchurch. People signed up for classes and that was the humble beginning which soon developed into an active eurythmy life in Christchurch. Theo van Erp, trained in Dornach, joined Hohepa the following year and Elke Bergkessel came from Stuttgart to join us soon after. Elke and I both trained with Else Klink and we were continuously planning and practising for eurythmy performances.”

All of these pioneer women carried a love and commitment to eurythmy that left a wonderful legacy to all those who have followed.

A new wave of eurythmists

During the early 1970s, many young anthroposophists came to Christchurch and the weekly eurythmy sessions “became a high point in our busy lives”, recalls Ulla van Erp. From this weekly group, five members went to Europe to complete further training in eurythmy. “By the late 1970s, our family lives had taken over and eurythmy had to take a back seat but not before we undertook the mammoth task to stage Faust 1 under Jean Oates and Penelope Snowdon-Lait’s directorship. For the choruses, we were inspired by Else Klink choreography. These Faust performances were positively reviewed in the local paper. This performance was also taken to Napier in the late 1980s where they were joined by Hawke’s Bay eurythmists and performed during the IDRIAT festival, in the Napier Municipal Theatre.”

It was in 1978 that Catherina McAven completed her eurythmy training and returned to New Zealand where two years later she took up the position of the first eurythmy teacher at Michael Park School in Auckland. Five years later, she returned to Europe to complete her training in curative eurythmy and continues to work as a eurythmy therapist in Germany.

The 1980s brought a group of new eurythmists to New Zealand shores and the new art was to firmly establish itself throughout the country. Pamela Cooper had arrived back in Auckland after completing her eurythmy training in 1972. Theresa Mahon had arrived in this country in 1974 and lived in Warkworth for ten years until schooling was needed for her young family, bringing her to Auckland. Theresa went on to teach eurythmy at Michael Park School and establish Gaea Gardens, just north of Auckland, as this country’s first eurythmy training school. Other eurythmists who worked at Michael Park School in that decade were Jonathan and Karen Whyte, Priscilla Jamieson and Cameron Tanner. They were followed by another eurythmist, Heidrun Leonard, who

Sphere • 15

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arrived in Auckland in 1988. Heidrun, who is also a trained eurythmy therapist, continues to teach at Michael Park School.

When John Alison and Sue Simpson arrived in Hawke’s Bay in 1982, both Katherine Laing and Mary Netherwood were still working, though due to illness, Katherine soon had to stop. The Rudolf Steiner School, Hohepa and the artistic work kept the two new eurythmists busy. In January 1983, eurythmists from around the country joined together at Hohepa Clive for a eurythmy workshop; there were a whole five of them! During the seminar, Jacqui Barrington arrived from England and, over the next years, there was a steady flow of eurythmists to New Zealand.

“It was out of the wish to develop eurythmy as a performing art and the need to break down the isolation that a number of eurythmists found themselves in the Persephone Stage Group”, recalls Sue Simpson. “The impulse came from Jacqui Barrington and me, and it was wonderful developing the work throughout the eighties. At one time there were seven in the group. In practice it required a tremendous commitment from those involved, coming together to work and evolve pieces over several weekends, practicing in-between sessions and for some alone, until finally performing on stage at a conference or for the public. Performances were held in Auckland, Hamilton, Hastings, Wellington, Nelson and Christchurch. Eurythmists were drawn together from Hawke’s Bay (Jacqui Barrington, Sue Simpson, John Alison, Claire Babbel), Wellington (Karen Brice), Christchurch (Paula Lee, Theresa Holzmer, Michael Bullingen) and Auckland (Priscilla Jamieson). We also had some wonderful speakers and musicians working and travelling with us.”

In time, professional life and family commitments meant that fewer eurythmists could commit to the national work and it was time for Persephone to sleep. At that time, there were enough eurythmists in most centres for them to focus on local performances.

Compiled by Vee Noble from historicalrecords and with much assistance

from Sue Simpson, Ulla van Erp and other eurythmists.

1 The New Zealand News Sheet, March 19452. The New Zealand News Sheet, February 19493. Anthroposophy in New Zealand, July 19854. New Zealand News Sheet, February 19745. Geoffrey Townsend, Outline of the History of the Anthroposophical

Society/Movement in New Zealand.6. New Zealand News Sheet, February 19687. Sphere, December 20078. Anthroposophy in New Zealand, Journal No.99, July 1983

Christchurch eurythmists in the Faust Easter Choruses. From left: Shona Tupper, Johana Mackenzie, Ulla van Erp, Paula Lee, Halina Rubish

16 • Sphere

Observe any baby in the first three years of life and you will see that they, primarily, express themselves through movement. Arms waving, legs kicking, hands and toes

stretching and curling; the limbs are active and responsive. Gradually the head is lifted and facial features become increasingly expressive. Later the child crawls, pulls itself into its uprightness and learns to stand and walk. From the cosmos we come and from this early age, through movement, there lives the will to reconnect with the cosmos. In this process, each needs to take hold of his body in the right way.

During the first three years, the child continues to be guided by the cosmic forces that were active in the creation of the body. From the time the child awakens to the sense of self, expressed in the use of the word ‘I’, eurythmy can play a supporting role in the child’s development. Before then, a child may receive therapeutic eurythmy, but does not have the consciousness to engage with the movement.

Eurythmy is first and foremost an art. In education, the task of the teacher is to draw out the potential of each child. This requires artistic skills; think of drawing a thread without breaking it. It takes patience, sensitivity and consciousness, and it calls on the educator to find the artist in himself.

Throughout the first seven years of life, the formative, life-giving forces that penetrated and formed the child before birth continue to transform the body. Having been completely guided until birth, the child continues its habit of imitating the surrounding world and, in particular, the adults close to them. Sounds become words and words develop into sentences and finally thinking. The child makes many sounds but those sounds that ultimately become speech are intimately a part of our humanness. Through language, we identify with our sense of self; our language forms body and soul, and it gives access to the spirit, the higher self, of each human being. Eurythmy brings the sounds, vowels and consonants, into movement. It extends speech into the limbs and ultimately works on the developing organs and body.

During these first seven years, the eurythmist is given the task of becoming at one with what they are doing. In my experience, this asks of eurythmists that the movements should not be indicative but that the sounds are formed with the imagination of the action or word, and that the eurythmist enters into the gesture. This differs from acting or miming in that the nature of the sound, for example B brings a quality that might be a rabbit, bear or butterfly through the B gesture. The children will imitate when they can experience and connect with the gesture. It is not uncommon to hear a small child repeat a sound, forming, tasting and sounding it as though it is completely connecting with the sound and making it its own. Imitation, repetition, story and play are the tools all teachers bring to the children in those early years. Eurythmy works strongly even when it is done just once a week. Where there is joy in imitation, the child will go on repeating the movement inwardly and sometimes outwardly long after the session.

Between seven and fourteen, the emphasis is that the teacher be a loving authority. The child trusts that the adult knows what is right and will provide them with the guidance

Educational Eurythmyby Sue Simpson

they seek. Throughout these years, it is important to strengthen the rhythmical system and support each child to take hold of his/her body in the right way through appropriate activities and exercises. It is well known that many children struggle with body co-ordination, spatial awareness and dexterity of movement. Right breathing is paramount to every lesson, especially in countries like New Zealand where there is a high ratio of asthma sufferers.

There are a number of approaches to right breathing. When we laugh, we exhale and when we cry, we inhale; moods draw the soul in or release it. We experience this in listening to a story, painting, drawing, singing and speaking. The exertion of learning tends to concentrate our energy on completion and success often brings release. Observe the tension when someone is first learning a new skill and the joy of success.

Using poetry, music or story, the eurythmist brings the children into movement. Picking up on such elements as rhythm, beat or phrasing, they ask the children to bring them into movement through stepping, skipping, stamping or clapping. Children are now listening and moving, gradually they understand what gesture to make for a sound. Over the seven years, the movement becomes increasingly complicated and challenging.

In a world where we can all too easily lock into our heads and intellect, it is important that children experience the wholeness of their bodies, from their head to their toes. Dexterity exercises ask the children to differentiate right-left, up-down, front-back; to move with exactness and an increasing tempo; in time, master contrasting actions between feet and hands.

The arrival of puberty heralds the painful birth of the soul. This is experienced as influences of the forces of gravity, the body visibly slumps, and there is a falling out of the uprightness. The young person disappears behind hair, clothes and today, hoodies. For a time the gesture is ‘just don’t see me, I don’t want to be exposed’. Many changes are taking place in the soul that are not understood but powerfully experienced. In this time, when the young person may want to dive too far in or out, it is important for them to hold an interest in the world; love of self will gradually change to love for the world. The first step is to awaken interest.

The student can now develop an understanding for eurythmy whether with rod exercises to support deportment and flexibility, or gestures for the sounds or music that deepen their connection to language and music, strengthening what is human in them. Another aspect of eurythmy is the group work. Through constantly being challenged to work and move with others, to be cohesive and find the group dynamic, to learn to lead and work co-operatively, all strengthen social skills essential for life. Over the years of adolescence, the work leads from gaining control of soul turbulence and inner conflict by mastering the movement, to mastery of the movement in artistic productions and performances of eurythmy. When eurythmy is well taught and supported until class 12, a high level of performance can be experienced from the students in this final year.

Sphere • 17

In June 2010, a dynamic group of six Australian eurythmy artists, fuelled by the conviction that art can play a reinvigorating and healing role in our troubled world, gave

birth to FLOW Eurythmy Ensemble, and next year, they plan a tour of New Zealand with performances in Christchurch, Wellington, Hastings and Auckland.

Diane Tatum, Isabella Jaworski, Marian Goodman, Josefin Porteous, Liz Chan and Jan Baker-Finch (photograph above)have all trained in the Stuttgart Eurythmeum and all share the

If Poetry allows thoughts to be felt by human hearts, and Music allows what words can’t express to resonate in human hearts, then Eurythmy allows the movement and the form of Poetry and Music to become visible as flow in time.

FLOW Eurythmy Ensemble 2012 Tour

common goal to develop a new eurythmy programme each year, focusing on ensemble works, creating a wide ranging repertoire and performing regularly to audiences in Australia and in New Zealand.

Details of next year’s tour, planned for around September, will be available early next year and will be published in Sphere.

For more information or expressions of support, please contact Elien Hoffmans at [email protected]

Rudolf Steiner placed eurythmy into the Waldorf School curriculum as a central subject and he repeatedly emphasised the importance of eurythmy for healthy

development of a child.

Not only is Waldorf education a totally new approach to learning, but having eurythmy included throughout the twelve years of schooling, it is a nexus with all other subjects taught within the Waldorf curriculum. It is at the same time one of the most difficult subjects to teach, as the eurythmy teacher needs to present this subject to all age groups within a school, which requires that the eurythmy teacher is well equipped to meet this challenge.

After immigrating to New Zealand with a young family and having taught eurythmy for some years at different schools in Europe, I made contact with eurythmists working in Auckland.

The work was primarily artistic, performing eurythmy for public performances as well as for festivals at Rudolf Steiner House in Ellerslie. This relationship with the eurythmists (many working within a school) allowed me to gain insight into their work, their approach to teaching eurythmy and all the difficulties associated with it. I took up a call from Michael Park School and taught eurythmy there for three years. This experience unveiled to me how teaching eurythmy in New Zealand schools is quite different to teaching eurythmy in schools in Europe. It became apparent to me that there was

Gaea Gardensby Theresa Mahon

a need in New Zealand for training eurythmists to meet the demand for teachers in this field, as there were more and more Waldorf kindergartens and Waldorf schools being founded around the country.

Around 1990, the impulse to create an oasis, where the anthroposophical approach to the arts and agriculture can be fostered, came into being in the form of the Gaea Gardens Trust. Eurythmy became an integral part of the Trust’s activities, namely, the founding and accommodation of a training facility for eurythmy. The immense support of the Gaea Gardens Trust made this possible and in 1993 the Gaea Eurythmy School welcomed its first students. By 1995 the Gaea Eurythmy School had gained accreditation from NZQA as a private tertiary education establishment, which gave the graduating students a national accredited diploma.

Alongside the training, the Gaea Gardens Trust supported the performance group of trained eurythmists in the effort to bring artistic eurythmy to a wider audience. Many public performances were presented by the Gaea Gardens Eurythmy Ensemble, some of which were in collaboration with groups and musicians visiting New Zealand from Switzerland.

Graduates are now bringing eurythmy to children, young people and adults in the wider Auckland area.

Theresa Mahon lives in Titirangi

18 • Sphere

Steiner trained ECE teacher with experience running a room required to start Term 1 2012 at Fossil Bay Rudolf Steiner Kindergarten, Waiheke Island. We are a well established kindergarten of 3 rooms, each with 2 teachers and are set in a rural area on beautiful Waiheke Island, a thriving small community. This is a lead role in a 4 day room of 3-4 year old’s. Please email: [email protected] or phone Dawn Jeffery, centre manager 09 372 2152

The San Francisco Youth Eurythmy Theatre, comprising 26 young people from Class

10, 11, 12 from San Francisco Waldorf School, arrives in New Zealand on 17th February 2012 and will perform in Auckland, Hastings and Wellington.

The school’s intensive practice of eurythmy in their curriculum as a performing art culminates in an annual public performance in San Francisco and a worldwide tour to other Waldorf schools. These have included: performing at Youth Conferences in Switzerland and Germany, in August of 1999; performing at an International Teachers’ Conference in California in 2000; performing in Switzerland in 2001 and 2003; and tours to New York in 2002, Texas in 2004; Germany in 2005; Japan in 2006, Italy in 2007, Egypt in 2008, India in 2009, France in 2010, and China in 2011.

The following dates in February are scheduled for performances. There will be more than one performance in each centre:

Auckland Monday 20th February

Hastings Wednesday 22nd February

Wellington Friday 24th February

For further details of performances, please contact Sue Pegler at [email protected]

The San Francisco Youth Eurythmy Theatre will peform in New Zealand under the directorship of Astrid Thiersch. Raised in Stuttgart, Germany, Astrid attended Waldorf school from kindergarten through high school, performing solo eurythmy for her senior project. She trained at the Eurythmeum I Stuttgart with Else Klink and went on to perform with the Eurythmeum Stage Group. Astrid was active as a performer and teacher

San Francisco Youth Eurythmy Theatreat the Eurythmeum for several years, touring internationally, teaching in the eurythmy training, and giving courses at the Wala (Dr. Hauschka) company.

She settled in America, where she has taught students from kindergarten through to Class 12, and adults in teacher training. Her special interest is working with high school students, who respond with great enthusiasm to her inspired teaching and artistry. Each year she creates a new original program with the San Francisco Youth Eurythmy Theatre for public performance in San Francisco, and under her direction, the troupe has performed in cities across the United States, and in Germany, Switzerland, Italy, France, Egypt, India, Japan, and China. And, shortly, New Zealand will be added to that list.

100 years ago, Rudolf Steiner enriched our civilisation with an immeasurable gift, the new Art of Eurythmy. Through

this he lets us enter into the world of pure Movement, making the invisible world visible through the revelation of the creative forces of Word and Song.

We will celebrate this with a little festival for those who carry Eurythmy close to their heart. In Titirangi from April 13th - 15th we will have Eurythmy workshops, a talk on the beginnings and history, a demonstration and, on Sunday evening, we will finish with a performance, which will include verses of the Calendar of the Soul and other forms given by Rudolf Steiner.

The cost will be $300 (excluding breakfast) or $225 without food. Please contact: Kimberle Haswell 09 8118879 or e-mail [email protected] or Elien Hoffmans 04 9046854 or e-mail [email protected]

Celebrating 100 years of Eurythmy

Left: Astrid Thiersch

The San Francisco Youth Eurythmy Theatre

Sphere • 19

Eurythmy still lives at the beginning of its life in this world as it is now close to one hundred years since its birth. In the world of objects, something is considered

an antique once it is over one hundred years old. But for an art-form, it is only an infant, waiting for the time when spiritual faculties develop more fully and consciously to have a broader audience. It is an art-form that demands Anthroposophy to be fully experienced and asks the audience to be inner participants. It is a sharp contrast to modern forms of entertainment. How do we look after this child of Anthroposophia? This has been one of the questions that has guided the work of Hestia Eurythmy.

Hestia is a group of adults interested in the art of eurythmy, and though not trained professionals, have a wish to support the art of eurythmy working out of Titirangi Rudolf Steiner School. Hestia began with the understanding that a group devoted to eurythmy provides a living example for the children and community to experience the art-form. This has been essential, as other artistic disciplines have many centuries of history creating cultural relevance. From Hestia flow artistic offerings that have allowed the children to experience some of the possibilities of eurythmy.

Over the last decade, different stories and programmes have been shared with the community. The first story was Grimm’s ‘The Queen Bee’, followed by; ‘Snow White’, ‘The Story of the Lambs’, ‘The Fisherman and His Wife’,’ Hyacinth and Roseblossom’ and this year’s story of Hans Christian Andersen’s ‘The Ugly Duckling’. Hestia has also taken Artistic programmes to senior homes during Advent.

This year’s production of ‘The Ugly Duckling’ took an ensemble of 14 children and 12 adult performers down to the Kapiti coast to Te Ra School. The Wellington performance had to be cancelled due to snow! Though it was disappointing not to make it to Raphael House, the snow was like a gift sent especially for the children.

Hestia Tourby Kimberle Haswell

What an extraordinary journey it was! The group met early on a Sunday morning to catch the train taking us south. As it turned out, the train proved to be a pleasant mode of travel. Perhaps the teens did not look like an average group of young people without the electronic media so often attached to this age group. Yet the lack of one thing creates a space for other ways of experiencing time. One could see teens knitting, reading, drawing, even painting, or enjoying the outstanding scenery from the observation deck. After a day on the train, we arrived in Paraparaumu to a warm welcome and were shuttled off to our home for the next few days: the Eurythmy room at Te Ra. An important part of artistic work happens in between rehearsing and performing so it was important to us to be housed together.

During the tour, each teen had the responsibility to manage and carry their own possessions. As we were away for a week, it was interesting to see how each one managed and supported those needing help to strengthen this faculty. As the ensemble had around 25, we also had to carry with us three very large bags of costumes as well. Somehow we managed to return home with few losses or casualties.

A eurythmy performance requires a great deal of practical ground work to make it to the stage; months of rehearsing, costume design and sewing, endless ironing and if fortunate, lighting. It is the efforts of many, some who are never seen on the stage, that allow the final event to shine. We are grateful for the gifts and donations that make it possible for us to do this work.

20 • Sphere

The fairytale was shared a few weeks into Term Three, with rehearsals beginning in term one for both groups. In this way, the adults and children could have enough time to live into the material. During the building up process, many of the parts were learned by all before assigning individual parts. The adults would be taking all of the solo parts with Class 7 doing ensemble work. Each year the constellation of young people requires a unique approach. This year was no different. Class 7 were enthusiastic to take on challenges so the roles assigned grew - as well as the number of costumes needed. The adults also began at the beginning of Term One, meeting twice a week. For some of the adults it was a familiar path having been part of the very first fairytale, whist for others it was the first time ever! The social atmosphere of the work endeavoured to be one of support and learning with emphasis on the whole.

The work will continue. Each new Class 7 now looks with eager anticipation at what will be their fairytale. Eurythmy has become an accepted form of artistic expression for the children thanks to the devotion of many.

If you feel inspired to support the ongoing work of Hestia Eurythmy donations can be made to Titirangi Rudolf Steiner School; please state that the donation is for Hestia Eurythmy.

Kimberle Haswell is the eurythmy teacher at the Titirangi Rudolf Steiner School

Our 2011 conference focused on the inner struggles many of us face today. With ‘In this Time of Chaos – Inner Challenges of Modern Life’, we wanted to

address what many people deal with personally. The feedback was that people found it direct, relevant to their own lives, and provided ways to digest ideas and insights which brought new thoughts and approaches.

This year, we want to keep that style but face outwards instead of inwards. Our theme is around work, taking initiative, finding ways to do new things while keeping ourselves grounded and practical. How do we find doors which will open to something new in our work and other initiatives, leading to one of those roads less travelled?

For those of you who try, you’ll know that this is difficult. It’s very easy to repeat what’s been done before but many people now feel we have to take new steps socially, economically and culturally. That won’t come from ‘them’ – some powerful group, doing it, but from what we can do ourselves. How do we find the ways?

Our morning speaker will be Peter Blom. Peter joined Triodos Bank in the Netherlands at its creation in 1980. Triodos was then a small, new social bank based on anthroposophical ideas – itself part of a new movement in Europe. Triodos (Tri-hodos – threefold way) has since grown enormously and become a world leader. It is now active throughout Western Europe along with many investments internationally – including Prometheus Finance here in New Zealand and a new social banking initiative called SEFA in Australia. It’s been a pioneer in renewable energy, organic and bio-dynamic agriculture, in investment in culture, in microfinance in the developing world, investing in banking for the very poor, and many other areas which are now taken up by mainstream banks.

Roads Less Travelled - working and engaging with a changing worldAuckland, 4 - 7 October 2012

Sphere • 21

Roads Less Travelled - working and engaging with a changing world

The London Financial Times voted it the world’s most sustainable bank in 2009. It started the new Global Alliance for Banking on Values in the same year, working together with a growing network of social banks in Europe, North America, Mongolia, Bangladesh and South America. It is one of the leading green shoots for a new approach to finance and investment with a clear foundation on human values and dignity. It’s involved in initiatives affecting tens of thousands of people, managing funds of over $10 billion and is extremely successful.

Triodos’s threefold way has been one road less travelled, and its work, providing the funds for many thousands of initiatives, has directly contributed to many other roads less travelled as well.

Peter has been at Triodos’s centre from the beginning. He has a rare quality of combining high idealism with practicality and of finding those new roads. He has a great deal of insight into the challenges which arise and how you find the way through. And he’s a very eloquent speaker who draws on spiritual insight but presents this in a completely contemporary way.

Peter will talk from his own experience and of seeing what others have been able to do. He’ll face questions of bringing spiritual insight into practical life. He will draw on the work of Triodos, on banking and economics and social questions but his focus will be on the much broader theme of what our times need to travel new roads. We hope you will come and

contribute to what promises to be a significant conference wherever and however you work.

Our title comes from Robert Frost’s fine poem ‘The Road Not Taken’ which embodies something of the theme

Two roads diverged in a yellow wood, And sorry I could not travel both And be one traveller, long I stood And looked down one as far as I could To where it bent in the undergrowth;

Then took the other, as just as fair, And having perhaps the better claim, Because it was grassy and wanted wear; Though as for that the passing there Had worn them really about the same,

And both that morning equally lay In leaves no step had trodden black. Oh, I kept the first for another day! Yet knowing how way leads on to way, I doubted if I should ever come back.

I shall be telling this with a sigh Somewhere ages and ages hence: Two roads diverged in a wood, and I— I took the one less travelled by, And that has made all the difference.

The Conference Group

22 • Sphere

The year moves to its close. These last months, I went to Christchurch, Dunedin, Wellington, Te Ra on the Kapiti Coast and the Coromandel. What I offer and am asked

to do varies from place to place, whether it is giving talks, meeting with people or doing eurythmy as a teacher or a colleague.

This year has been unusual in that I had the opportunity to visit Christchurch on four occasions. The February visit fell shortly after the major earthquake and the June one during major earthquakes. In my meetings with Hohepa co-workers, teachers at the Christchurch Rudolf Steiner School and members, I felt an openness and vulnerability amongst those living with this day to day. This moved and inspired me deeply. The whole council is looking forward to meeting members, friends and those who carried the Christchurch Earthquake Appeal when we are there on 2nd and 3rd December.

I will be in Dornach from 4th to 13th November. I’ll meet with class holders and attend the General Secretaries’ Meeting. This dovetails with the International Teachers’ Meeting (the Hague Circle) which I will also attend. From there, I fly to Hong Kong where I will give talks and a eurythmy seminar to participants of a part-time teacher training course.

Back here, the year closes with the council meeting in Christchurch on 2-3 December, and a visit to Kerikeri on 7-9 Dec, before going to Australia on 9 December. This earlier departure enables me to see a performance of the Foundation Stone in Sydney by a group of Melbourne eurythmists who I’ve guided over the last two years.

My first task in January 2012 will be to accompany Arthur Zajonc in his travel and meditation workshops.

I want to thank everyone for opening their doors and supporting me in my work. My task as General Secretary continues to evolve. It is encouraging to receive increasing requests and invitations from organisations and members around the country. I wish you a blessed Christmas and, for many, a summer that brings rest and healing.

Sue Simpson

General Secretary’s End of Year Report

This has been an exceptional year for New Zealand. We won the Rugby World Cup, which is perhaps not of interest to some of you, but is important for New

Zealand to balance a trying time – with the earthquakes in Christchurch, the tragedy at Pike River, the oil spills in Tauranga, and for the continuing confusion around the world’s financial and economic systems which affects us directly too. Some have seen aspects of this close up. Many have not but all will be affected over the longer term, and many feel that this is a harbinger for what is coming.

Much of Rudolf Steiner’s work was in the early part of the twentieth century in Central and Western Europe, a time of extraordinary privation and change. We sometimes forget how extreme those times were and continued to be until the middle of the century. We seem to be entering a new period of turmoil now. We need to remember how important it is to find the ways through that and how this will be about new genuine spiritual insight, and initiative and spiritual friendship which Rudolf Steiner held to throughout.

We meet as a Council four times a year around the country – in Christchurch, Auckland, Wellington and Hawke’s Bay – and at the annual conference. There are many other meetings as well with members and groups around the country which Sue Simpson especially takes on. For our last meeting in 2011, we will be in back in Christchurch and we hope to meet with Christchurch members and friends on 3 December at the Helios Medical Centre.

That will be completing the cycle we started about that time last year in Christchurch, soon after the first earthquake. We’ve been meeting with members and asking what is wanted from the Society, what we should focus on and whether the more open direction we started with the changed conferences is what you want. We did not then know the full backdrop this year would present, but the theme of change has been strong for the whole year.

We are grateful for the candour and positivity of these many lively meetings. We have reflected on what we have heard and are now discussing all we heard and what we will do in response. We will talk this through with Christchurch members in December and then will communicate with everyone in early 2012.

This issue of Sphere also completes an outstanding matter from the AGM, with the insertion of the financial accounts for 2010. We thank members for their understanding in the delay of these accounts due to circumstances involving the Christchurch earthquakes.

At the AGM, we also discussed the need for Council members to have a limited term so that the Council would stay refreshed with new people and ideas. This helps keep alive a spirit of evolution and change. We want to avoid that too many of the current Council members finish their terms at the same time. However, we would like to get members comments as we plan to put forward a new by-law at the next AGM. It could say:

1. Term and reviews of Council members and the General Secretary.

The Council is aware of changes within the GAS to introduce reviews in the Executive. We invite members to discuss over the coming year what should happen in New Zealand to Bylaws 8.2 and 9.1. with the intention of changing the bylaws formally in 2012.

A possible change is the following. But rather than rush into something which can create problems, we are suggesting a year to talk it through thoroughly. For instance, we see a difficulty in many of the current members of the Council leaving at the same time under this change and the loss of continuity within the Council. This implies us starting this year to find new Council members.

Possible amendment to bylaws (in brackets and underlined)

Bylaw 8.2 Council members, the General Secretary exempted, are appointed for four years and are eligible for re-nomination (for one further term of four years)

Bylaw 9.1 The General Secretary shall be appointed at an Annual General Meeting and shall hold office for an indefinite period as an ex-officio member of the Council (subject to a review every seven years and reconfirmation by the AGM)

We wish all members and their families a very happy Christmas and best wishes for the coming year.

Noel Josephson for the Council

News from the Council

Sphere • 23

The path to the Goetheanum is carpeted in leaves and above, in the canopy of trees, the sun catches the last blazing brilliance of autumn. There is an air of

expectation and interest. It is six months since the Annual General Meeting in Dornach and the questions that many carry are: What has happened? What has changed since this extraordinary meeting? There is also the joy of meeting and reconnecting with old and new colleagues.

The mood of the meeting was open. A weight has lifted from the Goetheanum and there’s a space like the stillness after a storm. It is a time to take initiative, work to resolve issues and come to grips with the challenges the Society faces. If this does not happen, the challenges and attacks will return with a vengeance. I experience greater openness and honesty in reports from the Goetheanum and in the exchanges between the Executive and General Secretaries.

Gathering around the table, it was noticeable that the Executive has diminished in size. With Sergei Prokofiev on leave until the end of December, there are only four active members. Fewer Section leaders attended this meeting; the Youth Section awaits Constanza Kalik’s arrival, and Marguerite Solstad was fully engaged in productions with the new stage group. Only one General Secretary was absent and three new members joined us: Arie van Ameringen (Canada), Mario Dahmen (Belguim) and Marc Desaules (Switzerland).

Before taking on the role of treasurer, Paul Mackay invited a group of four treasurers, from European countries, to meet and work with him regularly on resolving the Society’s financial crisis. They are also in process to find a person to take over the treasurer’s position as Paul’s intention is to be the bridge for one year. He manages the task with the support of Hans Hasler, who has stepped out of retirement for a year to work with Paul, in this transition phase. The General Secretaries greatly appreciated the clear and comprehensive financial report. Looking to the future, they presented a three year overview of a maintenance and building plan. Another idea was the suggestion to create a ‘supporting membership’ (Fördermitgliedschaft). This would enable institutions and businesses to have membership of the Society but with non-voting rights. It was clear that there is much more to be discussed and it will be further reported on in Anthroposophy Worldwide.

The theme central to the meeting was ‘Perceiving the differences, working together’. This theme is always present in our meetings as it can be a struggle to understand one another through different languages, capturing the nuances and intentions behind words. In any situation, words spoken are not always heard in the way the speaker intends; for one, the underlying idea is paramount, but for another it is life experience that counts. We can experience, perceive and even acknowledge such differences. Having the will to work with them is more challenging but essential if we are to bring a healthy way of working in the Society.

At the close of 2010, four General Secretaries met with the Executive to consider what support they could offer. Since then, an extended executive has formed and Hartwig Schiller (Germany), Ron Dunselman (Holland) and Marc Desaules (Switzerland) meet monthly with the Executive. Their involvement brings the membership and issues of the Society closer to the Goetheanum. As well as supporting

General Secretaries’ Meeting – Dornach, November 2011the Executive, they can also act as a reflective body. In our meeting, the General Secretaries affirmed their support for this work. In the review at the close of the meeting, it became apparent that several General Secretaries want to see more direction in our work. Sharing the challenges and initiatives in the various countries, we all identify the themes we work with. Do we and can we work together on visions for the Society? Is it possible to lift our gaze and hold to the future moving towards us?

Some of the points discussed are not so pressing in New Zealand. We are fortunate that the Goetheanum yearly report is always sent out in English but, for many of my colleagues, this is not the case. Translation is very expensive and yet there is a wish for people to receive the report in their language. The Goetheanum (in German) has a new appearance which has been generally received positively. In 2012, the Annual General Meeting will have a different structure, partly because the time has been reduced due to time restraints with the Early Childhood (EC) conference hard on the heels of the Annual General Meeting. The EC and the following World Teachers’ Conference promise to be full.

One of the most poignant moments was hearing Frode Barkveld speak to the events in Norway, more specifically to the truly human responses. As one colleague said, the words of the prime minister acted as a deed that touched people throughout Norway and the world: Roses instead of retaliation, normality instead of an increased police state, courage in the face of disaster and fear. Yugi Agamatsu spoke of Japan and the aftermath of the radiation effects. It is clear that people are not getting accurate information. One example is that radioactive top soil has been removed to somewhere unknown, and now people are being encouraged to return to live in these areas. There is an awakening in Japan that all is not well. New Zealand may have fallen off the world’s radar but there were many questions regarding Christchurch.

At this meeting, we said farewell to Elizabeth Wirshing (Youth Section), Esther Gerster (Switzerland), Norma Blackwood (Australia), Gudrun Cron (France) and Martina Maria Sam (Section for the Literary Arts and Humanities)

As the meeting closed, I reflected that this had been an honest and productive meeting, and that the steps taken since the Dornach Annual General Meeting have already given strength to the work.

Sue Simpson, General Secretary

e-Mail: [email protected]

24 • Sphere

The following membership changes took place between August and November 2011.

New MembersRobert Fry AucklandAleka Beaumont Kapiti Coast Malcolm Halley Auckland

Reactivated MembershipNoel Dallow Taiwan

ResignationsMarie Bedford Tauranga

Members who have diedRodger Lamb TaurangaDavid Tabuteau RotoruaShirley Wall Havelock North

Transfers OverseasLubica Lucina transferred to Slovakia

Membership Changes

• Sept 4th 2010. 7.1

• February 22 2011 6.3 • June 13 2011 5.7 & 6.3

Christchurch has been hit by four significant earthquakes since September 2010. These have crumpled the city, changed the suburbs, rocked the people and have

altered our lives significantly, and forever. They have brought out the best and the worst in us; people have found things within themselves, both good and difficult, that they had no idea were even there. The cascade of the earthquake and aftershocks have called on all of our forces, both personal and community, for us to be able to stand tall during this time.

As a group of therapists working in Christchurch, both at Helios Integrative Medical Centre and in private practice around Christchurch, we were there to experience the earthquakes and the multitude of effects from them. Our homes, our community and our work were all impacted by the devastation and ongoing stress of the seismic activity beneath us. We have all lived through over 8,800 aftershocks, some of these significant earthquakes in their own right. We have all continued, as best we can, to maintain our lives amongst the ongoing change that is a natural result of such events.

As a group we were thrown a lifeline - to help others in our community. This experience has brought us together as a group and given each of us the opportunity to stand strongly in our sphere of work during such extraordinary times. The Earthquake Appeal Fund launched by The Anthroposophical Society in New Zealand offered us funding, as a group, with the objective being to use our therapies to support children and adults to maintain the integrity of their development and health during these times. At the time the fund was initially offered I don’t think any of us had any notion of just how long

Christchurch Earthquake Therapies:Standing Up When Things Are Falling Downby Emma Ratcliff

this was going to continue (we have now had over 12 months of shaking), nor just how important it would be.

Through people’s generous contributions to the fund, we have been able to provide a range of therapies in a very integrated way - Anthroposophical Nursing Therapies, Rhythmical Massage Therapy, Art Therapy, Eurythmy and Occupational Therapy. For some families, this has been invaluable during a time where they have lost their home, have been displaced more than once, have lost work, friends and community members who have moved away. The therapies have provided an outreach for tired bodies, hearts and minds. They have been a place where people can come back to themselves, re- connect with their soul nature, and carry on with their roles - be it parent, teacher, student or friend. To date, we have been able to provide these therapies to over 270 people, and we continue to get referrals each week.

As a group it has been an honour to be able to provide such therapies, and we are so grateful for the support that we have been given. We would sincerely like to thank Glen Saunders, Michael Sargent, Mary Green and Mark Thornton for making this possible for us. Without their initiative, foresight and guidance we would not have come together in this way to provide what has turned out to be much needed therapeutic support during this time. We would like to thank Weleda for their gifts, and the nurses who made heart cloths and generously provided compress cloths to be used.

We would also like to thank the nurses who travelled to Christchurch and spent up to a week each at Helios Integrative Medical Centre, doing many, many therapeutic nursing sessions, giving up their own time and holidays, to help us in the early months when our community was under such intense pressure.

Following are some words from two of the therapists involved. I hope they capture the experience, and provide some insight into their roles.

Post-Quake Anthroposophic Nursing Therapy

Nursing Therapy is often the first place of referral for the funded quake therapy. It offers the initial message of recovery - often the shock and repeated trauma of continued quakes. The disconnected family, vulnerability, anxiety, exhaustion are the body’s response. The nursing therapy session begins with a foot bath and it always amazes me how immediate the response is - the children’s expression brightness and contour returns to their cheeks, tensions release. For adults it is often a sigh and relaxation of shoulder tension. With the oilings we are able to offer warmth, wrapping, gentle touch and rhythm of the application of therapeutic oils. Over four sessions a restoring balance takes place; they are less anxious, more grounded, confident and able to cope.

Various home care packages and instructions are given and people are relieved and grateful to be empowered to continue with self care. The heart cloth is such a winner: Gold, Rose and Lavender cream applied to the cloth, warmed

Sphere • 25

and placed over the heart at night to provide a peaceful and open space to restore.

Although demands on our personal life are ongoing, working in this way with people brings renewed energy .It is so great to be helping and the funding makes this possible and accessible for people.

Shonah Stronach

Post-Quake Anthroposophic Art Therapy The pathway developed by the Earthquake Recovery

programme, leading from body based therapies,to work on a soul level, included art therapy. In particular, what art therapy could offer, was a re-connection outwards, from oneself, to the world at large - to Nature, and to other people. The eye travels outwards into the world, the ear travels inwards. For many people, children and adults, nature turned hideous on February 22nd, something to be feared. Flashbacks occurred, and the world lost colour and went ‘grey‘ to one’s senses. Powers of concentration were poor for many months.

email: [email protected]

Beginning with colour in the art therapy, the senses were called upon to participate again, and concrete experiences were designed to digest what were otherwise indigestible sense impressions.

Painting requires a full engagement, with head, heart and hands. When we are present within each action, this restores our energy. We drain ourselves if we are not able to be in each activity. Where the head and heart meet, there are the greatest abundance of meridians (etheric energy), concentrating in the palms of the hands.

Through human stories of overcoming, animal and nature studies, the colourless monster under the earth could be faced, and children and adults found courage through colour.

Margaret Snowdon

For specific details on Margaret’s work, themes, colours, stories and processes with some individuals, please see the September 2011 issue of Sphere.

Therapists Involved in this work Anthroposophic Nursing Therapies: Shona Stronach,

Anne Oliver-Maxwell.

Rhythmical Massage Therapy: Rita Noetzel, Sonya Barrie, Linda Moon.

Anthroposophic Art Therapy: Margaret Snowdon.

Eurythmy: Yvonne Jones.

Occupational Therapy: Emma Ratcliff.

Visiting Nurses: Deborah Bednarek, Sarah Therkleson, Nicole Adams and Sheryl Trigg.

Emma Ratcliff is an occupational therapist at Helios Integrative Medical Centre in Christchurch.

26 • Sphere

Day for the Soulby Matthew ter Borg and Melanie Ryder

Earlier this year, the Welsh architect and author, Christopher Day,visited New Zealand. He had offered to share his ‘consensus design process’ with the Titirangi

Rudolf Steiner School and develop the future environment of the School. Melanie Ryder, a parent of the school and member of the High School Group, discovered Christopher’s work as she researched ‘spaces’ for the newly started High School. With the Upper School underway, the High School Group evolved into a Whole School Development Group (WSDG) and in conversation with the College of Teachers an acceptance sent to Christopher to visit and to share his expertise in the designing of a master plan for the whole school that would accommodate the early childhood waiting lists, the larger classrooms needed for the growing numbers of children coming through into lower school, as well as the developing Upper School.

His experience in designing Waldorf schools in diverse geographical locations, working with limited design and building budgets, accommodating gift (often unskilled) labour contributions, and an anthroposophically-based methodology seemed a good fit for the school.

Wellington architect, Matthew ter Borg was keen to learn about this process and volunteered to assist Christopher throughout the nine-day process and accompany him and his wife, Ola, on a North Island tour offering workshops and presentations in various venues in Auckland, Hawke’s Bay and Wellington. Later the couple visited Motueka/Nelson and Dunedin during their sight-seeing tour of the South Island.

Following a PowerPoint presentation evening and talks with teachers, Christopher began the process with a weekend workshop attended by 24 community members, who ‘lived’ the process of evolving the future plans for the school. This took its start from the objective physical characteristics, moved to the spatial gestures (etheric), then to the mood (soul), finally arriving at the spirit of the place: a process developed by Goethean scientist, Margaret Colquhoun that by-passes individual opinion to arrive at group consensus. After establishing the current situation, the process then moved on to “what should the spirit of the place say, what mood and gestures would support this?” before arriving at interpreting how this could be physically manifested. Christopher calls this method ‘consensus design’, which is described in detail, in his book of the same name, published in 2003.

Architects have sometimes been accused of creating buildings that express their own design concerns but do not sufficiently take into account the needs of their clients; the building can become an egotistical statement of the architect. Over several years, Christopher developed his design process that allowed clients to take part in the evolution of the design for their new environment as well as the building itself.

The workshop was followed by a week of activity as Christopher and Matthew began to make concrete the spirit, mood and gestures arrived at during the workshop with clay models and drawings, assisted by teachers and WSDG members (see sketch opposite). Each day ended with teachers reviewing the day’s work and providing feedback. It was from all of this work that master plan drawings of the whole school site were created. “Those who attended got to know the soggy clay of the site, shared meals and made the copier work hard,” recalls Matthew. ”We listened to comments and incorporated them into the proposals. We drew with help from parents and coloured up for the final presentations to

CHIROPHONETICTHERAPY

A unique therapy of healing sounds, using Voice and Touch

A new training course taking place February 24th - 28th, 2012, in Sydney

Chirophonetic Therapy or Chirophonetics is a tactile therapy combining SOUND and TOUCH to create a multi-sensory imprint of the sounds of spoken language. It is an effective treatment for:

o All types of Speech Disorderso Stutteringo Learning Difficultieso ADD & ADHDo Autismo Downs Syndromeo Cerebral Palsyo Global Developmental Delayo Insomniao Eneuresiso Allergies

Chirophonetic Therapy was developed in the 70s in Austria by Drs. Gunde and Alfred Baur and is based on the fundamentals of Rudolf Steiner’s principles, Anthroposophy. It is currently practised and taught in many countries throughout the world. One of the great benefits is that this therapy, when supervised by an experienced practitioner, can be carried out by one of the child’s parents in their own home.

About this CourseThe course constitutes the foundation course of the eight-module training in Chirophonetic Therapy. Lectures and practice sessions introduce the basic concepts and application of this therapy. Artistic activities in speech and eurythmy serve to deepen your understanding.

Course leader: Barbara Baldwin – a close collaborator with Drs Alfred and Gunde Baur since 1986. Barbara is a curative educator, therapist and speech pathologist, currently working as a consultant and lecturer in curative and remedial education She will be assisted by Michael Burton (speech) and Helen Cameron.

Applications for this course should include your CV and a separate, short biographical sketch in which you state why you are interested in embarking on this training. Please send your application to Michael Burton at the email address below.

For further information contact Michael Burton, Sydney:Tel: +61 411 736 752;Email: [email protected] Website: www.barbara-baldwin.com.au

Sphere • 27

the School Community. The result was plans that described the overall intentions with a few specific design concepts for building and outdoor areas. What also still exists amongst the participants is a shared memory of what was seen, felt, discussed, and celebrated.”

Christopher Day has Motor Neurone Disease which over several years has resulted in increasing disability. This brought a unique quality to all of his presentations as the wheelchair-bound Christopher, who can no longer speak, communicated in his own special way. He had arrived from Wales with a PowerPoint file and the hope that a webcam could be directed onto a paper where he would write or draw, and to see him write responses to questions and draw by way of explanation provided a unique and true connection with this individual.

Apart from initially learning to read his handwriting, Matthew also had to understand cryptically short notes and ‘translate’ Christopher’s interesting shorthand; for example, a drawing of an udder meant he wanted more milk in his tea!

Christopher Day studied architecture in the late 1960s, took sculpture classes, and in the early 1970s, completed a Biodynamic course at Emerson College. His slideshow, significantly called Places for the Soul – Architecture as Place Conversion for Inhabitants, illustrated clearly his work and his approach,. The photo here is of his own house at an early point in his career. It can hardly be detected in the landscape. The house emerged from a fifty-year old ruin and Christopher wanted to retain what he described as “the rightness of place”.As he writes in an exposition of his philosophy, “From concern about how environment is experienced I developed concern about how weaffect our environment.” The humility of this design approach is clearly expressed in the appearance of this house, although the essence of the place cannot be detected from a photograph but needs to be experienced. Another facet of this building is the part played by the work of the hand; in a caption of one interior shot of his house in Wales, Christopher says, “In massage, there is no part of the body the hand does not fit. What we feel with the hand, we feel with the heart. Hand-finished plaster surrounds us with a heart-felt sheath.”These last words are especially evocative when consideration is given to the machine-smooth surfaces that we have experience of in New Zealand.

In his book Places of the Soul, Christopher presents an argument for a gentler meeting of buildings’ lines and surfaces, not at rectangles that ‘collide’, but with an initial preparatory bend and sometimes by another. The outline of window frames in his slideshow illustrates this and the gentle change of line and surface worked with in Christopher’s buildings, often respond to adjoining building elements and there is a ‘softening off’ of corners in the rooms by framing up and lining the existing rectilinear corners.

Early in his career, Christopher Day was concerned about the relationship between architect and client. As he explained in the slideshow, “Architects experience buildings as objects; users experience them as environment” and “ ….buildings are so expensive that I have no right to indulge my design wishes at the clients’ expense.”

The ‘consensus design process’ was used to create the Goethean Life Science Centre in Pishwanton, Scotland which was also illustrated in his presentation. Clients of another of

his projects had purchased a farm to establish a Retreat Centre (see photograph below). Originally the farm was a straightforward building with roofs stepping up. Christopher converted the cowsheds into accommodation and meeting rooms and inserted the room for the communal activities into the roof space; from there, views were a feature, while at groundlevel individual bedrooms, modelled on monastic cells, were located. This style is counter to the usual occupation of a two-storey house in the United Kingdom but makes sense for a retreat when one considers that the communal activity is oriented to the external world and the

individual meditation more inward and centred on the self.

Also in his slideshow, he had a sequence illustrating the journey of a young child to kindergarten. A certain preparation is necessary for the child to go from the external world to his or her own realm of imaginationin the playroom. The route is shown commencing with a path along a stream amongst trees, to a gate with a light-flooded area behind it, and on to a space in front of the door, a narrow passage, a foyer with pegs forcoats and through a multi-sensory door to the open area of the playroom where there is playing. It is a route with space that contracts and expands, waxes and wanes and can be linked to the rhythms of nature in the growth of a plant or the meandering of a river. The physical creation shows the working of hands with natural materials, and the use of light and colour to create hues and shadows that aid the child’s imaginative powers in play.

In another project for a Waldorf School in Wales, an existing building was transformed largely with volunteer labour. Christopher was involved with both the design and construction. He made the doors for this project and devised ways of making the rooms more suitable for occupation. This shaping of the interior encourages the development of the social dynamic between the children.

Christopher’s presentation also depicted proposals for eco-villages in Sweden and the Netherlands, where he worked with the future occupants using the ‘consensus design process’.

Matthew ter Borg is a Wellington-based architectand Melanie Ryder is a parent at the Titirangi Rudolf

Steiner School

28 • Sphere

At Michaelmas this year, I attended the annual meeting of the Economics Conference of the Goetheanum which is a part of the Section for Social Sciences in the School for

Spiritual Science. I was one of the 19 participants coming from South Africa, Brazil, USA, Romania, Netherlands, Germany, Great Britain and Switzerland as well as New Zealand. This is an edited version of the report by Marc Desaules, one of the conference co-convenors. It reflects my recollection of the meeting and some of the many themes discussed.

The gathering was again held at L’Aubier, Neuchatel, Switzerland ,this time in the context of celebrations marking 100 years since Rudolf Steiner gave the lectures in Neuchâtelat the founding of the Christian Rosenkreuz Branch. This gave this year’s gathering the theme: Rosicrucian Aspects of Economic Life.

The meeting was prompted by a consideration of the international situation, and the failure – in the view of many economists – of a central pillar of its intellectual foundation: the ‘efficient market hypothesis’. This was reflected in the founding in May 2011of the ‘ World Economics Association’ (see www.worldeconomicsassociation.org) to rescue or restore the reputation of the economics profession. Remarkably, there are already 6,000 members.

The Rosicrucian path was characterised as being the key to the development of the New Mysteries. The spiritual world finds its relation here to the individual ego within the field of its many senses, and it is a way of understanding that leads step-by-step to enlarged perception. The contents of the 12th and 13th Class lessons of the School of Spiritual Science added valuable insights.

Reviewing the three important preparatory steps in the 13th, 15th and 17th centuries, the path of humanity’s greatest martyr was characterised “through his way of acting ‘in relation to’ the great difficulties truth has to go through” as Steiner speaks about in his lecture given on 17 June, 1912 in Hamburg (GA130).This standing for truth in one’s work is surely part of the essence of the Rosicrucian path. How can such authenticity appear in today’s economic life in theory and practice?

Next came a consideration of the fourth step, the founding on Earth of the New Mysteries at the Christmas Conference in 1923. Rudolf Steiner spoke of the economic basis of the new society three times. Firstly, statute 12 covered membership dues. Each National Society should pay pro rata for the General Society’s costs based on the number of members in that country. How it does that is for it to decide. Secondly, the way he speaks of the enormous amounts needed for research (50-75m Swiss Francs at that time!). Lastly, the question of founding a future organisation for the many people who value the fruits of Anthroposophy, but do not wish to become members of the Society.

Towards the end of the meeting, we talked about ‘Project2023’. 2023 will be 100th anniversary of the founding of the world-wide Society at the Christmas Foundation Meeting. We have twelve years to reach a healthily financed worldwide organism for the anthroposophical movement. In this way – perhaps homeopathically – the movement could contribute to the healing of the world economy.

Glen Saunders is the treasurer of the New Zealand Society.

Annual Meeting of the Economics Conferenceby Glen Saunders

As mentioned in a past article in Sphere, I (with support from my wife, Paschal, and others) am focused on beginning a personal development treatment

programme based on Anthroposophy for adults experiencing personal challenges, mental health and/or addiction issues in New Zealand. My recent Master of Arts in Arts Therapy dissertation was on anthroposophical treatment and explored overseas services providing this approach.

Update

As word of this proposed service has been circulating, I have been contacted by a number of people from Australia and New Zealand who have family members with mental health and/or addiction issues who are dissatisfied with the available mental health services and hope for a holistic anthroposophical service for their loved ones.

At this year’s Anthroposophical Society conference in Auckland, a discussion group was organised to discuss the development of an anthroposophical treatment service for those with mental health and addiction issues. Support and ideas for beginning the service were elicited from this discussion.

My wife and I have applied for and achieved charitable trust status for the proposed service. This is a significant step towards being able to apply for grants from community and government organisations. This also means that any donations received are tax deductable. The name and logo for the proposed organisation is shown below.

At the time of writing this article, I have just given a speech at a small conference in Auckland led by a number of professionals and mental health service user organisations dissatisfied with the predominantly allopathic medical approach to mental distress. The holistic anthroposophical approach was well received as an important alternative to the current limited treatment options.

Website with Section for Anthroposophical Practitioners

A donation has been gifted which has allowed for the development of a website for Mandala Wellbeing Trust. This website is nearly complete and will be online in the near future (www.mandalawellbeingtrust.co.nz). It will include a section for anthroposophical practitioners to post profiles and advertise services to interested parties. This is envisaged to include eurythmists, art therapists, medical services, biographical therapists, other therapists and counsellors with an anthroposophical perspective, as well as those offering art, eurythmy and personal development activities, classes and workshops with an anthroposophical perspective. The aim is to foster further interest and access to anthroposophical

Towards an Anthroposophical Mental Health Treatment Serviceby Gabriel Suggate

Sphere • 29

therapeutic activities, including the proposed service. Please contact us via the website or the email below if you would like to post a profile.

Work in ProgressCurrently, we are involved with spreading the word about

the proposed activities of Mandala Wellbeing Trust, as well as meeting individuals who express an interest in being supportive of this initiative. We are particularly interested in talking to those who are motivated to become practically involved in the work or to those who have farmland/accommodation and would like to work together in creating an anthroposophical treatment service. The preferred option, to enhance accessibility of the service, is for the service to be located on the outskirts of Auckland. Other locations such as Northland are also being considered. Depending on how these opportunities work out and where those willing to be involved are located, this location is flexible.

So far the vision for Mandala Wellbeing Trust includes a residential service (and likely day programme) that aims to support individuals to find their path and their tasks in life. The treatment is envisaged to include meaningful work on a biodynamic farm, anthroposophical medical support, nursing therapies, art activities and therapies, group and individual therapeutic work with an emphasis on community, and an overarching developmental framework similar to the Waldorf pedagogy. As this service is unlikely to gain government funding in the near future, funding options include taking fee paying clients. Although the fees are likely to be lower in cost than other private residential services, unfortunately these fees will still be out of reach of many. We envisage the possibility of seeking corporate sponsorship for individuals who cannot afford these fees to attend the service.

If you are interested in being involved or supporting this endeavour, please email [email protected] or phone Gabriel on (09) 575 2205.

It was in October 2009, when seven parents, grandparents and professionals came together as a group in Christchurch with optimism and the full intention to give birth to a local

anthroposophical initiative, Te Ara Sophia Family Life Centre.

Te Ara Sophia means ‘The Pathway of Wisdom’, a name conceived by Shona Stronach (of Helios Integrative Medical Centre) many years ago. To each of us, this name represents the image of a path of wisdom that can be offered to children incarnating into this world, as a parenting growth journey, and as a pathway of awakening to one’s own heart wisdom. Shona envisaged this initiative as a response to a call from the local community and parents, who aspired to a deeper understanding of parenting in the current social context with insight from Rudolf Steiner’s picture of human development. She dreamed of one day establishing a family life centre for children and their families where various support services such as a library, play group, social and therapeutic services, workshops, seminars, festivals, and information would be offered, so that local families may be empowered to meet the challenges on the incredible journey of parenting. This vision inspired us all and drew us to this initiative.

When we first gathered, our group members Kristina Small and Shona Stronach were running a successful series of talks and workshops together with local teachers and professionals at Helios, which were met with much interest and enthusiasm. The range of topics and themes was wide, and covered numerous areas of parenting such as health, medicine, festivals, play, child development, art, cooking, and crafts.

As a group, we planned to secure funds and premises for the family life centre, alongside the above talks and workshops. We met regularly for over a year, and much work and effort was put into setting up a trust, negotiating the lease of a property, and planning ways to raise funds. Glen Saunders generously gave us advice on financial matters and Margaret Snowdon created our beautiful logo.

Then the earthquakes and the aftershocks came. After the September quake last year, we noticed that our energy level dropped, and after the February quake this year, it dropped even more. Shock, amazement and even terror, led us initially to reach out to others and offer assistance wherever possible. Following this, each of us hunkered down with our immediate family and friends in order to begin the process of

making sense of it all, and caring for each other. During this time, we had to put our work for Te Ara Sophia on hold to work through our personal and professional challenges.

When we met again as a group in July 2011, after a period of seven months, we all shared our experiences and reassessed our relationships and commitments to this initiative. Many of us were still exhausted. But, just as some of us had become aware of what did not matter in our lives following the quakes, such as things, possessions, and clutter, we also began to look more deeply at what we wished to value, keep, enhance or create anew in our lives and environments and we each realised that Te Ara Sophia was still important.

After that, it seemed that our initiative reached another stage. We began to talk of Te Ara Sophia, not merely as our project, but as a being – a spiritual being guiding this initiative. We feel that she is there, and that we are trying to assist her incarnation into the world. It may not be easy and may not happen immediately, but we do not want to give up on birthing her.

As our next step, we have decided to keep the long-term goal of securing funding and premises, and meanwhile focus on running the talks and workshops in order to keep Te Ara Sophia alive. Together with Marinus La Rooij, we have started to run a year-long series of biodynamic home gardening workshops in October this year which filled up quite quickly, and we will hold a home-nursing workshop at the Christchurch Rudolf Steiner School’s Fair in November. We are currently in the process of planning more talks and workshops for 2012.

For now, Yuri Wilson will mainly co-ordinate the talks and workshops, and as we wish to be receptive to the local needs and wishes, we are welcoming requests or suggestions for topics and themes. We would also like to add that whilst our primary focus is on supporting children, parents and their families, we hope that Te Ara Sophia will be a meeting place of the many streams and applications within Anthroposophy, and that what we offer will interest everyone who wishes to learn more about anthroposophical and holistic living.

If you wish to contact us or join our mailing list, please feel free to send us an email [email protected].

Norma Marriott, Shona Stronach & Yuri Wilson for the Te Ara Sophia Initiative Group

Birthing Te Ara Sophia

30 • Spherewww.spindlewood.co.nz

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[email protected]

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We will always do our best to source items we do not have in stock. Come in and see us or phone.

221 Heretaunga Street East, HastingsTelephone (06) 876 6248

April 5-11, 2012 will see the second of the five part International Postgraduate Medical Training (IPMT) series being held in Auckland at the St. Francis Retreat

Centre. The conference is a key opportunity for doctors, medical students and allied health professionals from Australia and New Zealand to explore anthroposophic medicine, gain confidence in their understanding and practice, as well as network withothers active in the field.

This year’s conference aims to phenomenologically explore the activity of the etheric through eurythmy, Goethean plant observation, remedy studies based on medicinal plants, text study, as well as clinical sessions tailored for the various participating professional groups. The evening lectures this year will be with Dr. Alicia Landman from the USA and focus on meditation using the approach that many here have been introduced to through the work of Arthur Zajonc. Alicia heads the training for anthroposophic physicians in the United States as well as being a GP and Waldorf school doctor.

Although the IPMT format was originally set up exclusively for doctors and medical students, it has grown in breadth and now includes participants from many allied health professions looking for a foundation for their work with a clear soulful and spiritual orientation. In 2011, it was held in 13 countries. It is an exciting week to which all registered health professionals are invited. For more information and/or registration details, please email [email protected] . We would also welcome contact details of anyone you know of that might want to attend, in case they aren’t already on our mailing lists.

For the organising committee.Mary Green [email protected]

and Simon Bednarek [email protected]

IPMT in Auckland

Sphere • 31

The tapestry of our sustenance and well-being cannot be woven by one strand alone. Only by the working together of strands and the working together of us all, will such a tapestry be completed.

E kore e taea e te whenu kotahi ki te raranga i te whariki kia mohio tatou kia tatou. Ma te mahi tahi o nga whenu, ma te mahi tahi o nga kairaranga, ka oti tenei whariki.

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Nau mai, haere mai ki

Being Well Ōtautahi Summer Youth GatheringJanuary 20th - 25th 2012, Ōnuku Marae, AkaroaCost: $200 - $220, sliding scale depending on what you can afford.

This Gathering will weave together activities that develop our thinking, feeling and willing, reflecting the same integration that is necessary for us to be healthy and balanced individuals in the world.

In the heart the loom of feeling,In the head the light of thinking,In the limbs the strength of will.Weaving of radiant light,Strength of the weaving,Light of the surging strength,Lo, this is man.

Rudolf Steiner

If you are interested in attending this Gathering, or would like more information, please contact Ana Pearson at [email protected] or check out our website www.summergathering.co.nz.

Donations will be gratefully accepted into the following bank account: 38-9005-0416444-07.

Emily Clark is one of the Gathering organisers.

In January 2012, about thirty young people (aged 18 - 35) will gather together at Onuku Marae, on Banks Peninsula about an hour from Otautahi (Christchurch).The marae

is situated in a restful spot, balanced between the hills and bush, with the ocean right on the doorstep. We would love you to join us.

The Aotearoa Summer Gatherings have happened annually for the last five years in different locations around New Zealand. They are an initiative affiliated with the Youth Section of the New Zealand Anthroposophical Society, created as an open space for young people to meet each other on a deeper level. Each year we have a new volunteer organising group, a new topic, and a new location. A past participant summed up what the Summer Gatherings mean for her: “It’s a place where being who I am, being an individual is encouraged. The gatherings are a chance for me to reconnect with myself and refuel for the year. I get inspired meeting lots of vibrant young people and sharing skills and experiences”.

This year the organisers are in Otautahi. At the previous Summer Gathering, participants identified health and sustainability as topics of interest, and after our shaky experiences this year, these topics seemed particularly relevant. We decided our theme would be holistic exploration of what it means to be well. We had a strong desire to engage with Maori concepts about our topic, and have consulted with our contacts at the University of Canterbury in order to gain a better understanding of how to approach this in a respectful way.

Our conversations and connections have led us to Onuku Marae, who have agreed to host us. We have begun a process of collaboration with the marae, exploring connections between Maori values of waiora and the anthroposophical view of holistic well being. We are thrilled to be able to invite other young people to share this place with us. In most previous years, Gathering accommodation has been gifted, however this year we are actively seeking funding in order to pay for our unique venue and still keep attendance costs low.

At the Being Well: Otautahi Youth Gathering we will explore the connections between being well individually, being well in relationship with others, and being well in relationship to the earth. Throughout the week, speakers such as David Ritchie will prompt discussion on our theme. These ideas will be actively engaged with through completing an artistic biography project, developing compassionate communication skills, and learning about biodynamic and other sustainable practices. We are excited that during the Gathering we will be assisting Onuku Marae as they begin re-establishing historic vegetable gardens on site, with the support of Ngai Tahu.

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Dear Editor,

It is inappropriate for an author to comment on a review (of ‘Finance at the Threshold’ by Glen Saunders in your

September issue), but I would like to share with your readers an irony.

For nearly 40 years, I have ‘vanity published’ six books and countless articles, as well as over 150 editions of the journal ‘Associate!’ in its various incarnations since 1980. ‘Vanity’ means the writer, editor, proof reader and publisher are all the same person.

Then for the first time, just as retirement beckons (as if!), I am commissioned to write a book by a foremost academic publisher. It took almost a year to pass via two editors, a professional proof reader, and a professional indexer. My own pair of beady eyes were usurped by four other pairs.

And to think that when marking and examining students I insist that, if the message is complex, the reader should be given no, but no, excuses to ignore it - such as typos, missing pages, and poor indexes!

Christopher Houghton BuddCanterbury, England

32 • Sphere

Peter Glasby

I was born in a place called Shillong, north-east India in 1954. Most of my primary schooling took place there against a

backdrop of Kanchenjunga – the Queen of the Himalayas - the third highest mountain in the world. My adolescence was

spent in Tasmania. My parents worked in mining towns, and my brothers and I boarded on a dairy farm with two wonderful old spinsters. This all had a profound influence on my life.

My university studies were not continuous but included the beginnings of an Agricultural Science degree (not completed) at the University of Tasmania and then a Science degree with First Class Honours in Biochemistry and Botany from Macquarie

University in Sydney. Much later, I completed a Grad, Dip Ed at Adelaide University. In between, I met Anthroposophy when I was 19, while trying to reconcile my experiences of Eastern religions and Christianity, and worked and learned a lot in the Curative Village of Warrah (begun by Karl and Hannelore Kaltenbach) outside Sydney. I completed a course in Curative Education, met my wife Rosemarie and started a family. I joined the Anthroposophical Society in 1976.

I worked as a research biologist for a short time at the Society for Cancer Research, Arlesheim, Switzerland, before a decisive meeting with scientist and Waldorf High School teacher, Dr Manfred von Mackensen. I began a course for Waldorf High School teachers in Kassel, Germany, done in connection with the Natural Science Section at the Goetheanum. This was life changing. In 1983, I joined the School for Spiritual Science in Switzerland. I was asked to become a class holder for the School of Spiritual Science in the late 1980’s and I have continued in that role till today.

In 1984, I moved back to Australia with Rosemarie and our four children to help found the high school at Mt Barker in South Australia, where I worked primarily as a teacher of the natural sciences, with a passion for teaching in a phenomenological way. We lived there until 2011 and they were extremely formative years of collegial work. I resigned from Mt Barker Waldorf School in 2008, then in January 2011, Rosi and I moved to Queensland to take up a new work at the school of our friend and colleague, Jan Baker –Finch. I now work as the High School Administrator of the Samford Valley Steiner School. I co-edit the Pedagogical Section Journal with my friend and colleague, Neil Carter, and I work with teacher support and professional development in India and Brazil and well as other places in the world, including Japan and New Zealand.

Jan Baker-Finch

I was born in 1957 in New Plymouth and also grew up in the shadow of a mountain- Taranaki by name. With my two

sisters I attended local schools and then went on to Canterbury University to study French, German and Psychology. These

At the end of this year, Norma Blackwood will retire from the role of General Secretary of the Anthroposophical Society in Australia. She will be replaced by Peter Glasby and Jan Baker-Finch who will jointly take up the task.

Featured here are short biographical details of both Peter and Jan.

New Australian General Secretariesstudies culminated in a Masters Degree in 1978 and led me to apply for a language assistantship in France. After a year in a French College, I took up a position as au pair for Patrick Sirdey (now CEO of the Weleda group) and his family, my first encounter with ‘posophs’ (as the children called them) and the work of Rudolf Steiner. This encounter set the new direction for my life.

After some further travelling, I spent a year at the Foyer Michael, with Pierre della Negra doing a foundation course, and shortly after, began Bothmer Gymnastics under Jaimen McMillan in Stuttgart. After a term, I transferred to eurythmy and completed my studies with Else Klink in 1986, becoming a member of the Society and of the First Class in this time. I stayed on with the ensemble until the end of 1990. In 1989 we had travelled to the United States, New Zealand and Australia. It was on this journey that I came to Brisbane and the Samford Valley Steiner School. Early 1991, I returned and have been based here ever since. In addition to teaching in the school, I have always worked as an artist, and most recently have co-founded FLOW Eurythmy Ensemble. My teaching and performing have taken me far and wide, including to South Australia, where began what has become a rich association with Peter Glasby and his wife Rosi, one made all the stronger by their recent move to Samford.

Our TaskWe were both asked to take up the role of General Secretary

jointly at the 2011 Easter conference of the Anthroposophical Society, in Sydney. As we live in close proximity and both work at the Samford Valley Steiner School, we feel well placed to collaborate in this task of being joint General Secretaries for Australia, though we are very grateful for this ‘grace time’ before we find out really what the demands are. We have begun attending meetings of the Management Group for the Society in Sydney. Norma is continuing as General Secretary till the end of the year when we will step into her role. We see the role having two main foci: the first being to get to know and support the initiatives within the Society in Australia – from all the corners of this big land with Branches from Tasmania in the south, to the branches of the East Coast stretching from Melbourne through Canberra to Sydney, the central and north coast of New South Wales to Queensland and then from Adelaide to Darwin, right across to Perth and the communities of Western Australia; secondly, to get to know and help support the needs and the representatives of the World Society.

One of our first tasks is to help facilitate a conference in conjunction with the Steiner Education Australia next year in July. The theme of the conference will be: “How can the Sacred live in Post Modern Social and Professional Life?” We see this both as a pressing question for us in the Anthroposophical Society as well as for society at large and hope to engender interest and fruitful exchange between people who are stirred by this question.

Sphere • 33

The above work is an English translation of the fourth edition of a book which first appeared in Germany in 1981. It has been thoroughly researched and the

contents enlarged to describe, as far as possible, events of a contemporary nature.

Hans Pfeifer, the author, may well be termed a spiritual scientific investigator who strove to contrast Rudolf Steiner’s historical symptomatology with the current pragmatic method of describing history. He takes the view that officially accepted written history is a convenient fable based on cause and effect. In reality, history progresses in a series of ‘jumps’ triggered by much deeper lying causes.

Now, these deeper lying causes arise from the activity of the “Brotherhood of the Shadows”, groups of powerful, politically-orientated men, who are striving to eliminate true Christianity, and turn humanity into a collection of mindless slaves integrated into the world computer. Man becomes a machine! They will stop at nothing, including persecution, suffering and murder to achieve their goal of total power and world domination.

Their ultimate goal is to form a dichotomy of East and West which will be used to crush Christianised Europe.

However, all of these groups are controlled and manipulated by three retarded spiritual beings, well known through the ages as Asura, Ahriman and Lucifer (using Rudolf Steiner’s terminology.)

Asura and his hosts are motivated by social destruction, Ahriman, the father of lies, by purely mechanistic concepts, and Lucifer, the custodian of world wisdom, by egoistic arrogance. These beings are necessary for human evolution, for as mankind struggles against them, it develops the necessary strength to overcome them.

These power groups and their satellites are greatly assisted in their efforts by the fact that present humanity, as a whole, lacks the will to break free from their present scientific/materialistic conditioning and would prefer to drowse along the accepted lines of thought.

To ensure the continuance of the above trend, humanity

is fed a continual stream of entertainment and global gossip, assisted by the use of drugs and spurious spiritual movements.

After the exposition of the basis of his fundamental investigations, the author devotes the bulk of the book to the detailed study of a large number of ‘triggering’ events in history and the individuals involved. These are well researched, complex, crammed with detail and profusely referenced. They can, in no way, be summarised and consequently leave a wealth of detail for the reader’s personal investigation. To chose, at random, two examples, we can cite the French Revolution which terminated the French monarchical system forever and the 1914-18 war which netted certain Brothers a large amount of money.

At this stage, the reader will be wondering whether humanity can survive the attacks of the Shadow Brotherhood. However, in the last chapter, the author throws some light onto the bleak world picture previously depicted. Here he tells of a Brotherhood of Light opposing the Shadow Brothers. They are a group of individuals working for rightful human progress and the true acceptance of Christ.

He then turns to Rudolf Steiner and his revelatory work and how the study of Anthroposophy gives the student the courage to face the arduous trials lying ahead of mankind and opens his awareness of the spiritual world. He also points to Rudolf Steiner’s concepts of a threefold social order and monetary system as steps in humanity’s progress towards freedom.

However, of vital importance to human freedom is the necessity that every individual human being casts aside his apathy and strives with all his might to revitalise within himself the goal that inspired the French revolutionaries.

Liberty – Equality – Fraternity.Frank Knowles

The Brotherhood of the Shadowsby Heinz Pfeifer Published 2010, Lochmann-Verlag

When you next prepare to attend your regular study group, looking forward to it with much anticipation, spare a thought for the members

around New Zealand who have no group to share with. Yes, our small country has a number of members and interested people whose geographical or personal circumstances do not allow them to participate in deepening their understanding of spiritual science amongst other like-minded people. They are unable to fully experience the promise found in the Book of Common Prayer: “When two or three are gathered together in thy Name, thou wilt grant their requests.”

I contacted a number of these isolated members and I am most grateful to those who replied.

For a number of members, their chosen path is to work on the land; thus, this choice means they have to live away from the bigger centres. Derek Hanson in Marton finds that reading Anthroposophy on his own, often over and over again,

No Man is an Island

34 • Sphere

gives him the chance to really master what is said. He draws strength from the words of Robert Louis Stevenson: “Human nature is always the same, and you see and understand it better when you are standing outside the crowd.” Derek has enjoyed contact with members in Palmerston North.

On the other hand, Warrick Thomson in Balclutha finds it lonely to study on his own, and experience has taught him that it is unwise to discuss spiritual matters with rural neighbours. He is able, however, to attend the Dunedin group meetings once a month.

Hella Coenen made a lifestyle choice to move from Hawke’s Bay to Masterton where she and her husband are establishing buildings suitable for future camps and accommodation on a rural property bordering the Tararua Ranges. The physical demands of this work mean she does not have much time to study, but she does meet with Alison Dye in Carterton. Their energies are going into establishing playgroups and maybe a kindergarten/school eventually.

Also changing location, Lynette James and her partner Graham Smith, who used to live in Auckland where they were part of a group and enjoyed festivals, now lead a busy life on their property in Central Otago. They have not met anyone interested in Anthroposophy nearby, apart from some biodynamic wine growers. At least the couple can study together but “miss the input that comes from a larger more diverse group.”

Like Lynette, Peter Cotterill in New Plymouth buys books from Ceres, or borrows from the Society’s library in Hastings. He also uses the internet for study: “I download the mp3 files, and, with a portable player that fits in my pocket, I can listen to Rudolf Steiner’s lectures whenever I like.” He says the disadvantage is “you cannot draw from the knowledge of a group.”

For Elizabeth Heybrook near Ashburton, it is a constant source of frustration that she cannot study with a group. She used to live near Hamilton and misses her group there, but now in South Canterbury, it is difficult. She recently made contact with interested people 70 kms away and hopes this will develop into something fruitful. Meanwhile, she values her connection with the Christian Community in Christchurch greatly.

Membership of the Society is vital to isolated people. “We are all members of a large extended family,” says Warrick. It is important to read Sphere and be able to attend the annual conferences, say some. Derek sees these as important links to the Society. Visits from other members are few and far between for most of these people. Perhaps the sense of remoteness could be alleviated by a series of mini-conferences throughout New Zealand, suggests one. Another says maybe a list of names and addresses of people who would like to be contacted could be made available. Lynette wonders whether it could become possible to be a class member from a distance.

And it should be noted that a feeling of isolation is not confined to out-lying members. We all experience periods of aloneness in our lives, even if we do attend group meetings regularly. John Donne once wrote, “No man is an island, entire of it self.” Yes, we need to share with our fellow human beings; as a wise head offered, “We learn what we have said from those who listen to our speaking.”

Mary Paterson is an editorial assistant with Sphere

It all started many years back, with a meeting of people working therapeutically in Lower Hutt, either at Raphael House school, independently or at other facilities. The

main questions for that meeting were: “How can we best try to answer the questions and needs of the children at the school and the people in our community? How can we carry the therapeutic work together? And how can we create a warmth-body to support the individual therapists, be they the doctor, nurse, eurythmist, or extra lesson practitioner?”

Out of that meeting came a group of people wanting to work together. It soon became clear that it was not going to be a study group, nor was it going to take the needs of the individual therapists as its starting point. We were going to take the needs of the child/client as our core task. We decided to do this in the form of case studies, and to give that work its significance as the core of our own work, we decided to meet during our working day. Another important decision we made was that this needed to be time and energy freely given and freely received. In every therapist’s free will to give, to listen, to share, to carry... the true therapeutic gesture of these meetings would live.

So every Thursday morning, for about six years now, a case study has been brought to the group. Whenever a therapist feels the need for support for a client, to help the therapeutic process into the next phase, the offer of the therapeutic case study is there. There is also the occasional morning that is dedicated to guest speakers talking about their work, or one of us offering the group an insight into our own work.

Those gatherings soon became the highlight of our week. It was as if some of that ‘goodness’, some of that healing and support that we hoped to offer our clients, was rubbing off on us. Even though none of us came with our own questions and needs, we were given more than we could have asked for. In our own therapeutic work, in our colleague-ship, in our own personal growth, the work we did weekly gave us answers when we weren’t even always aware of the questions.

After some time, we became aware that our work was moving beyond answering the needs of Raphael House school and its community. So we asked Michael Sargent if he could give us some help in finding our ‘true form’, and his advice then is something we have revisited often since:

“Try to find your guiding Spiritual Impulse; what is your

AURORACentre for Health, Learning and Development

Janet Richardson and Sheryl Trigg unveiling the sign at the blessing ceremony of Aurora Centre in Lower Hutt earlier this year.

Sphere • 35

leading Star? And out of that, the right form will become clear”.

To achieve this, he suggested an artistic process. Consequently, we spent some time with our hands in clay, looking (digging?) for what it was that had brought us together. Two ‘answers’ came: firstly, that our leading star is the Spiritual Healing Impulse, the Christ being. Secondly, we found a ‘form’: a sculpture was made with all hands together (out of which our logo later developed). From this process, it became clear to us that we were looking at standing next to the educational stream, so that pedagogy and therapy could work together side by side.

In the meantime, for a few of us working out of our lounge or spare bedroom, the need for a more professional and appropriate space to work in, brought us to a rental agreement with the Wellington branch of the Anthroposophical Society. In these same rooms, back in 1984, Dr. Rene de Monchy started his GP practice with Sheryl Trigg and Janet Richardson as the nurses. Later Dr. William Crawford took over the practice. Are we full circle?

So we found a home, or rather, a home was given to us through the generosity of the Anthroposophical Society. On Dr. Crawford’s return from Canada, the opportunity to buy the house next door arose - a house with a magical garden which had inspired many people before us as they looked over the fence; an ideal place for therapeutic work, where he established his medical practice.

And in the meantime, many people offered us their help. Dr. Sargent supported us, visiting monthly to consult with clients. David Ritchie offered to come up from Christchurch and give lectures, consultations and professional development. Jocelyn Freeman guided us through a weekend of biography work. Glen Saunders offered his time and wisdom to find the right

legal structure. Terry Creighton helped to focus our minds on financial aspects (things that don’t come naturally to a bunch of therapists!) What a learning curve that was to think about legalities and finances in the bigger scheme of things!

So what is Aurora?

Aurora is a body that allows us as individual therapists to give the Spiritual Healing Impulse a place to be in this world. The client with his/her questions always stands at the core of what Aurora does. Meeting the Spiritual Healing Impulse through our collegial work together is what sustains us, feeds us and helps us grow, tiny little step by step.

At Aurora, the therapists are fully responsible for their own independent practices, Aurora is not an employer and, in essence Aurora needs to stay ‘not for profit’. Aurora has now become an association of therapists. Currently the Association is working on developing an adult education programme, parenting group and professional development.

So many people have come our way to help us, to ask a simple question which led us to a clear thought, to be there along the way. We thank you! Your little word, your big gesture, your free gift of love and support has been invaluable! Without each one of them, we would not be here today; we feel truly blessed by your presence! Aurora is blessed and it is a privilege to be part of it.

Dawn Cowdry, Extra Lesson, Janet Thomson, Eurythmy therapy, Judy Frost – Evans, Biographical counselling, Kirsty Winter, Extra Lesson, Laura Hurtado, Extra Lesson, Lindy Peters, Extra Lesson, Lut Hermans, Extra Lesson and Sculpture therapy, Marcia Pollock, Nursing, Reflexology and Bowen therapy, Sheryl Trigg, Anthroposophical nursing, Rachel Clarke, Anthroposophical nursing, William Crawford, Anthroposophical medicine.

Arthur Zajonc will be in New Zealand from 16 – 27 January. His visit will take him to a number of centres and it is wonderful that he has offered to hold a talk and a one day meditation workshop in Christchurch as well as the meditation workshops at Tauhara. He will also give talks in Auckland and Hastings. For those interested in attending his talks or the workshop his itinerary is as follows:

Auckland, Tuesday, 17 January 2012 8.00pm, AUT (Auckland University of Technology) ‘The

Place of the Contemplative in Teaching, Learning and Research.’

Wednesday, 18 January, he will hold a one-day workshop at AUT. The title is ‘The Contemplative and Spiritual Dimensions of Tertiary Education’. Neil Boland is coordinating the Auckland visit; for details you can contact him [email protected] .

Hastings, Thursday, 19 January 7.30pm at the Anthroposophical Centre, ‘Confronting the

Challenge of Materialism’. We have never been faced more forcefully with the challenge of materialism as we are today. It dominates the halls of academia, and subtly pervades public policy in education, health care and our treatment of the Earth. Using modern physics as his starting point, Arthur Zajonc will refute the claims of materialism and show how the turn toward experience and the contemplative can offer a

Meditation Workshop with Arthur Zajonc“When we turn to meditation, we turn toward renewal, peace and insight. We may take up contemplative practice as a means of tapping into the abundant resources of the mind and heart that bring serenity, but the meditative journey leads

further, to the place where wisdom and love unite.” Arthur Zajonc author of Meditation as Contemplative Enquiry.

viable way forward that is open to a fuller spiritual picture of ourselves and our relationships to our planet and the human community.

20 – 23 January the main workshops will be held at Tauhara, Lake Taupo. For details contact Sue Simpson [email protected]

Christchurch, Wednesday, 25 Jan 7.30pm Helios Integrative Medical Centre, 275 Fifield

Terrace, Opawa “Seeking the Heart of Self-transformation” The teachings of the great spiritual traditions of all ages speak to the remarkable transformative potential of the human being. We have been set on a path that continually invites us to become more fully human each day of our lives. How can we respond ever more actively to this call, both as individuals and as a community of aspiration? Through his own life story, Arthur Zajonc will share with us the experience of his personal search, and he will invite participants to examine their own lives for the particular character, trials and openings for realising their spiritual potential.

Thursday, 26 January, there will be a one-day workshop in Christchurch. Yuri Wilson is co-ordinating this; for further details you can contact her [email protected]

After his whirlwind visit to New Zealand, Arthur departs for Australia where further workshops await him!

36 • Sphere

Fifteen years ago the first steps were taken in the attempt to connect all the initiatives working out of Anthroposophy by four General Secretaries: United States: Arthur Zajonc,

Canada: Olaf Lampson, Australia: Karl Kaltenbach and New Zealand: Hans van Florenstein Mulder.

The first of these steps was a conference in Manila where, apart from the four general secretaries, representatives from many countries in Asia and the Pacific, and the local members of the Anthroposophical Society in the Philippines were present.

That was the beginning. What is the situation now?It could be said that the work grew very rapidly, first the

Waldorf/ Rudolf Steiner education then came questions about anthroposophical medicine. This was followed by the wish for more knowledge of Anthroposophy and, in the last five years, a growing interest in bio-dynamic agriculture in Asia has grown steadily. The biodynamic impulse was already flourishing in India and had been for over 15 years but now there was interest in other Asian countries.

After the Manila meeting in 1996, it was decided that not only would the General Secretaries and the various representatives meet yearly but a biennial Asia-Pacific anthroposophical conference would be organised. For ten years, that format worked well, but two years ago at the 2009 conference in Manila, the decision was made to discontinue the biennial Asia-Pacific anthroposophical conferences and instead have annual conferences in each of the Asian countries. This was now feasible as the number of members of the General Anthroposophical Society in many countries had experienced substantial growth.

Last year, 2010, the first of these national conferences was held in Taiwan, Thailand and Nepal. This year saw the first national conference in India and it was at that conference the Indian members expressed a wish to found the Anthroposophcial Society in India and on October 21, 2011 The Anthroposophical Society in India was founded in Hyderabad, with Aban Bana, as Country Representative. Currently, there are over a hundred members in India, and there are three Branches: the Gateway Branch in Mumbai, the Rudolf Steiner Branch and the Mercury Branch in Hyderabad. In addition, there are 23 members of the First Class of the School of Spiritual Science.

So what other anthroposophical initiatives have emerged in the last fifteen years?

The first Waldorf kindergartens soon expanded into primary and then high schools. New kindergartens and schools are continuously opening throughout Asia and many of these, some already with twelve classes, have beautiful new buildings.

The International Post-graduate Medical Training (IPMT) is held each year in the Philippines, Taiwan, India, and hopefully soon in Thailand. In addition, there are curative initiatives in India, Nepal, Pakistan, Thailand and Vietnam.

Biodynamic agriculture is developing fast in the Philippines, Malaysia, Taiwan, Thailand, China, Hong Kong, North and South Korea and Nepal.

In the last few years, a steady interest in Anthroposophy has further developed and an interest in the work of the School Spiritual Science at the Goetheanum. The First Class lessons were introduced at the Asia-Pacific Anthroposophical Conferences in 1996 and now the First Class of the School of Spiritual Science is active in the Philippines, Taiwan, Thailand and India.

As Japan has its own Anthroposophcial Society and General Secretary, I do not visit and report on Japan.

Anthroposophical Initiatives in Asiaby Hans van Florenstein Mulder

What has been happening this year? In India the conference of the members of the General

Anthroposophical Society was held in Hyderabad on the 29 and 30 April with the theme, ‘Rudolf Steiner, an Inspiration for our Time’, followed by a week-long Asian Waldorf teachers’ conference.

‘Healing the Earth, Healing the Human Being’ was the theme of the August conference in Thailand, when Dr. Simon Bednarek and Hans van Florenstein Mulder were the two key-note speakers. About 60 people attended this lively conference with a wonderful eurythmy performance by Thai eurythmists. In Thailand, the number of Waldorf schools is growing and, at the end of July, the first biodynamic course was held. The initiative towards the setting up of the first IPMT course in Thailand will hopefully come to fruition in 2013. The curative impulse is strong here, especially work with hearing and sight impaired children.

Taiwan had its second anthroposophical conference from 12-15 August with the theme ‘Finding Taiwan from a human and earth evolution’. Each day started with a lesson of the First Class of the School of Spiritual Science. The morning speakers were Hans and Ineke van Florenstein Mulder. During the conference the various initiatives in Taiwan presented their work and members gave talks on the ecological and geographical aspects of Taiwan. Again in the evening, we saw a wonderful short eurythmy performance by a Taiwanese eurythmist. This eurythmist has started a eurythmy school in Taichung, a large city in the centre of Taiwan.

In September, the first biodynamic conference for Asia was held in Shanghai. Farmers from South Korea, Japan, Malaysia, Taiwan, China, the Philippines, Hong Kong, New Zealand and even from Sekem in Egypt came together for three days to share successes and challenges and to deepen their understanding of biodynamic agriculture. (See web-page www.sisymposium.asia)

In November, the second anthroposophical conference took place in Nepal, where there are about 40 members of the General Anthroposophical Society. Here the strongest impulses are in Waldorf education (the schools Tashi and Shanti-Sewa and Balmandir) and the curative work with leprosy patients in Shanti Seva. After three years of introductory seminars in biodynamic agriculture, next year will see the start of the first biodynamic training course. As interest in biodynamic farming is strongly growing in Nepal, there will be a need for training future advisors. At the end of this year, a preparatory course for Waldorf teachers and kindergarten teachers is planned for Kathmandu. An experienced teacher from the Sloka school in Hyderabad, who herself is Nepalese, has agreed to be the principle tutor and will be assisted by a Nepali kindergarten teacher.

I trust this gives a broad picture of what is happening in Asia.

Hans van Florenstein Mulder is the General Anthroposophical Society Representative in Asia

Participants and the two keynote speakers at the Anthroposophical Society conference in August in Bangkok.

Sphere • 37

Kahare is a small village, like any other of its size in Nepal; paddy fields abound, a cluster of 15 or so shops cling to the main street, buses honk their way through the

numerous motorbikes, kids play in the rubbish-filled stream and women call to each other in their seeming continual daily work. Life is not easy, but most go about it with a smile on their face, secure in their family and social web, upheld by their cultural pillars.

Nepal is a country with stunning natural landscapes; it boasts the highest mountain in the world, it is flush with rice fields fed by the monsoon and dotted with more temples than you can count, both Hindi and Buddhist that co-exist in wonderful harmony. But it is also a country struggling as a developing nation to incorporate its old ways of living (still very strong in the rural areas) with the western influence and increasing dependence on it (evident in the cities). The contradictions here exist as they do in India: extreme care and dedication is given to the shrines and temples; devotion times and puja ceremonies are respected, but the rivers are dirty beyond belief, devoid of life and drowning in rubbish. Women in rural areas work tirelessly, hand planting rice paddies and cutting grass with machetes, though everyone owns a cell phone.

Yes, Kahare is a town like any other, but it has a secret weapon, and his name is Krishna Gurung. He is not on the front line, fighting the battles that revolutionaries fight in the media or on the streets but is a spark in the undergrowth. He is a man with vision, motivation, enthusiasm, compassion, and a wonderful way with people. Krishna’s work stared 18 years ago, when he founded a project working to give leprosy affected people a better life. Most were beggars (as even those cured of the disease won’t go back to their villages – they have become outcasts) around the temples. Krishna and his wife Lila – alongside many others – worked hard to make a space of those physically and mentally disabled to live, eat, contribute to the community and feel a sense of worth. This project was called Shanti Sewa Griha, and after 18 years grew to a community of over 1000 which included a Waldorf inspired school, teaching programmes for nurses, biodynamic farming, craft initiatives, making briquettes (for alternative fuel), clean water programmes and a medical centre.

The future took a sharp turn for the Gurung family, when Krishna’s son Kevin died in a domestic accident, aged seven. This was in 2009, and it turned their world upside down. Krishna left Santi and, after some soul searching and travelling, decided to open a new project in memory to his

son. The Kevin Rohan Memorial Eco-Foundation was born.The vision (to put it into my own words) is dedicated to

striving towards a healthy, sustainable, vibrant and inclusive model village. One made by the people it supports, by empowering them as individuals, to contribute what skills they have and discovering as a community what they have in abundance to create what is needed. Not only this, but a model that is achievable and easy enough to be replicated in other more remote parts of the country, where the dependence on outside resources is currently higher and life is harder. Here the community is looking for wholeness, and so puts its energy into everything from building a new orphanage/kindergarten building, to working to include the local leper community, to free medical care, and finishing the new library. The three aspects of this community development I’d like to highlight here are making of alternative fuels (bio briquettes and bio gas). Biodynamic farming education, and the natural building technique with adobe mud, bottles and thatch. Dependence on outside fuel supplies is becoming more of a problem in Nepal as the availability dwindles. Communities rely on gas or kerosene to cook on and the price is on the rise. At KRMEF, we have two cows. They serve a number of purposes; for milk, (never for meat as they are sacred animals), for manure for the garden, and for biogas. This works by taking the manure and urine in the morning and putting it into a mixing tank that is underground. The methane rises and when needed, the tap is turned on, the methane goes up the gas line and can be used for cooking. The other alternative fuel made here is briquettes, a mixture of shredded paper, sawdust and manure which gets pressed, dried and used on the cooking fire. This has another positive side, which is using waste paper from the cities’ over flowing reserves, and is made at the foundation by members of the leprosarium.

Krishna was lucky enough to be at the Agricultural conference this year at the Goetheanum and was very inspired by the Biodynamic work being done around the world. Though a psychotherapist by training, he has become passionate about spreading Biodynamic ideas and other aid to farmers around Nepal. Their dependence on chemical inputs is not good environmentally but also poses a huge cost burden; in fact, money is so short that even the price of vegetables means there are often none on the table. So Biodynamics offers the chance to be self sufficient by growing more food through having healthier soils and bringing in the natural sacred element natural to Nepal. Hans Mulder from New Zealand has been to the foundation a number of times to run seminars, and will be visiting again in November this year. Traditional houses in Nepal are mud and thatch, low, with not many windows, and for most (especially in rural areas), to rebuild in brick is out of their reach. But there is a new kind of building initiative afoot. Bill Hutching, an architect from

Community Development in Nepalby Rosa Henderson

38 • Sphere

Helicon Works in America has been to KRMEF a number of times to start building projects that use recycled glass bottles to make the buildings’ walls. This also bodes well for Kathmandu which has no other way of disposing of the rubbish. The foundation now has one model house, a simple working man’s cottage, and a community centre/library built in this style.

There are now 29 people working here (including from the nearby leprosarium) on gardening, briquettes, jewellery and craft, silver-smithing, and office administration. Add in international volunteers (anywhere from two-ten) and you get quite an incredible team. Volunteering here was quite an experience for me. Some of the highlights were working together with

locals, sometimes with no common words but with the most shining smiles; being welcomed into the spiritual and cultural traditions (especially the festivals); seeing first- hand the extremes

of urban and rural; harsh pollution and stunning mountains; and rip off brands beside delicate traditional craft. The other gift was the space given at the foundation in which to create. There was freedom to work on daily tasks, on the main projects underway or initiate a project where a need was seen. I am happy to say I work in all three ways, my project being creating a space in the entrance way.

I will miss those lovely faces from KRMEF, their warmth, generosity and dedication to carving out a better way for their country to move forward. I am forever grateful and hope to be back one day. Also a special thanks to Crystal Bridge for gifting money so I could be here to have this experience.

Rosa Henderson has explored a number of anthroposophical initiatives

around the world

For more information on this foundation, there is a 15 minute documentary that was made in August 2011 by a New Zealand volunteer, Tony. Here is the link to the video http://vimeo.com/27797495.

www.astro-calendar.com

Sphere • 39

Erwin Berney began his life as the youngest of three boys in Budapest, Hungary. He was a brilliant student and

achieved some of the highest marks at his school. He wanted to study medicine but Jewish people were not allowed to attend university. Instead he studied photography as it was the most scientific thing he could find to study. This interest in medicine and science stayed with him throughout his life and was shared with warmth and enthusiasm in many lectures.

When Erwin was 18, his dear friend, Susan Haris took him to a talk about a fascinating philosophy she had discovered – Anthroposophy. Erwin was extremely critical and disagreed strongly with what was said. However, the lecturer, Maria Nagy, played a significant role in his ongoing involvement with Anthroposophy and it became the central spiritual core of Erwin’s life. Erwin met Ann at about the same time and thus began a life-long partnership.

During World War II, Erwin and Ann had to fight for their lives and suffered at the hands, first of the Germans and then the Russians. They fled Hungary and arrived in Sydney in 1949, where Erwin started the photographic business, Berney Studios, which became very successful. With their growing knowledge of Anthroposophy, Erwin and Ann moved to Middle Cove to send all three of their children to Glenaeon School. Erwin, of course, became deeply involved in the school, helping with many aspects of it. He joined the Anthroposophical Society in 1968.

Anthroposophy became the central core of Erwin’s life. He strived to take the concepts of Anthroposophy right into the practical life. After travelling through Europe, he came back with the image of a bakery he had seen in Europe, where there was the opportunity for those who were suffering from addiction to work in a healthy rhythmic way. This, and his interest in healthy food and agriculture, led to the establishment of the Demeter Bakery which made biodynamic and organic bread both with and without yeast. This was at a time when organic bread was virtually unheard of in Sydney. Some say that a circular saw was needed to cut the bread in the bakery’s early days! Work was provided for many young people, including those who were studying speech and drama. Above the bakery, he set up and oversaw a laboratory for research and for the making of anthroposophical medicines, supplying doctors in Australia. In addition, school groups and/or outside of school hours, children with their parents, were invited to the bakery to watch and take part in the bread-making process. The bakery flourished for over 25 years delivering produce all over Sydney and New South Wales.

During these years, Erwin saw that there was not enough biodynamic grain in Europe while, at the same time, in order to be exported from Australia, it had to be put in containers with pesticides. Along with Jonathan Banks and Hamish Mackay, he started a revolutionary international wheat exporting initiative that used no insecticides. Although they could have made this a very profitable business, they chose to share the method for the benefit of all, releasing the process without patent rights.

Erwin also became very enthusiastic about schools and training courses. With a group of interested people, the Anthroposophical Activities Group commenced with occasional conferences and workshops. At Martindale, the home of Enid Cryer, a group comprising Erwin and Ann Berney, Susan Haris, Anna Havas, Mechthild Harkness, Mark Baxter and John Blackwood planned the first Orientation Course in Anthroposophy. This later became Parsifal College

Erwin Berney – 23 February 1922 – 30 September 2011

Erwin Berney, an Australian member well-known to many in New Zealand, passed over the threshold in September. Here, the outgoing General Secretary in Australia, Norma Blackwood,

shares some of his biography.

which has held a Foundation Year in Anthroposophical Studies with a second year in Rudolf Steiner Education as well as expanding into other areas, including Early Childhood Education. Many students still remember Erwin’s lectures on Male/Female, Evolution, The Elements and the Ethers to name but a few. When he retired from Parsifal College, Erwin then took up an impulse to make anthroposophy available to those who found it difficult to attend a training school by developing a distance course in Anthroposophy. Those who sent in their work could always expect thoughtful dissertations from Erwin in response.

It is not possible to mention here every one of Erwin’s initiatives but one cannot omit the one he was working on right up until his death. Up until that time, he was communicating with Government Ministers and others about his project ‘Bio-Agriculture, A Solution to Global Climate Change’. Erwin imported a machine from the United States to carry out soil-carbon measurements of biodynamic and organic farms in the same areas as farms currently being measured by the CSIRO all over Australia. The Company which he formed – Bio-Agriculture Ltd – has received the geo-references and measuring timetables from the CSIRO of the farms participating in the nationwide project. The machine arrived shortly after Erwin’s death and his son, Michael, will carry on the work. More information can be found on the website at www.bio-agriculture.org

In November, 1986, Erwin was appointed a Class Holder in the School of Spiritual Science. As with all he did, he gave this work his whole self. Erwin always wanted to help the members of the School find a bridge from the mantra given, to whatever professional work they might be doing. He was a researcher with a great capacity for wonder. There was an occasion when he and Ann were driving past our house when he stopped the car, knocked on the door and greeted us with the call to come outside and look at the amazing rainbow stretching across the sky! He was a true example of someone who followed a path of meditation so that he could work for the good in the world.

Karl Kaltenbach wrote of Erwin’s lectures: “They were not only good for their content but also because Erwin’s whole soul expression led me to appreciate that he was a true Rosicrucian who could unite the knowledge of his loftiest spiritual experiences with the deepest physical knowledge of chemistry. He embodies what Rudolf Steiner described as a core value which needs to be defended in public and which is also an expectation of the spirit of the Archangel Michael: “in the future we must cease to differentiate abstractly between the material and the spiritual, but we must look for the spiritual in the material itself and describe it as such; and we must recognise in the spiritual the transition into the material and its mode of action in the material. Only if we have attained this shall we be able to gain a true knowledge of man himself”… (From the Mission of Michael, November 30, 1919). What remains foremost in my memory about Erwin is his love for the spirit of the rainbow, be it as an outside phenomenon or be it as an inner experience in the soul. Erwin enjoyed demonstrating this spirit-physical reality in colour. He did this in his workshops and to countless participants whom he helped to find their own spirituality.”

Norma Blackwood (with the help of notes from Erwin’s family)

40 • Sphere

Born into the English countryside of 1924, an only child, Shirley had a loving, well-educated and musical mother

and a father who was at sea most of his life, including both world wars. An ill advised purchase of a gasworks resulted in the loss of their home and separation — Shirley’s mother to a housekeeping situation, her father back to sea and Shirley (then aged five) to a small home-style boarding school. The self identified phlegmatic sanguine child coped well with school and spent happy holiday periods with her mother’s parents. Both her grandparents were keen readers and came from artistic families interested in spiritualism and new ideas.

Anthroposophy was in Shirley’s life right from the start. In the house where she was born a a lecture by Rudolf Steiner, Spiritual Science, Christianity and the Future of Mankind lay unnoticed for many years, She also received exercises for a ‘lazy eye’ from a lady whom she later discovered to be an anthroposophist and whose biodynamic garden Shirley visited.

When she was twelve the family reunited and Shirley was able to attend a private day school. She contracted osteomylitis and, on recovery, almost attended Michael Hall which was then in South London, but she did not, another of the near misses of her early life. Reading widely, from Mein Kampf to the Gospels, painting and writing were Shirley’s main leisure interests.

1939 brought the war and evacuation for Shirley to the countryside. Later she applied for a place in the Land Army but missed out. A theosophical friend knew of a place where gardening help might be wanted but in fact they wanted help looking after children. In her eighteenth year, destiny stepped in firmly and Shirley found herself at Sunfield, an anthroposophical curative home in the Midlands.

With no experience of young children to draw on, Shirley helped Hazel Straker with the ‘babies’, Down’s Syndrome toddlers in nappies. Later she worked with all age groups. Her second year at Sunfield was spent in the kitchen, bakery and house, learning a lot and reading The Philosophy of Freedom of before work. At Sunfield, the Calendar of the Soul was read each day after breakfast, and she heard the Foundation Stone Meditation read at New Year. Fairy story plays for the children were performed on Sunfield’s beautiful stage and visits from leading anthroposophists such as Konig, Stein and Heidenreich, all added to Shirley’s feeling of being in the right place.

A new group of paying students arrived, foreshadowing the start of Emerson College, and they were tutored by leading Steiner teachers. Shirley was able to attend some of their studies, which included literature and science as taught in a Steiner school and well as doing weaving, pottery, eurythmy and art. All was a revelation.

It would have been so easy for Shirley to remain in this congenial environment. Too easy, she said, but she knew it was time to experience other sides of life. After two private jobs, she went to Southampton to join Audrey McAllen in her growing Steiner school, assisting with transition and then taking class 1 for a year. This resulted in more life-time connections. Then Shirley went back to London to study at the new occupational therapy school. Shirley boarded with a group of anthroposophists who were working with Eleanor Merry. The group hoped to take Anthroposophy to a wider public by publishing booklets such as Think to Find Freedom by Francis Wall, and Pure Colour by Eleanor Merry and Maria Schindler on Goethe’s colour theory. As if a certain destiny had been accomplished the group, which included

John Fletcher and Willi Sucher, gradually dispersed. By this time Francis and Shirley were together and they moved to rooms elsewhere. Shirley left the occupational therapy school, having completed the first part, and the couple’s first child, John Francis, was born in 1949.

With a Sunfield colleague Shirley and Francis (who had retired from his job in a bank) established a small anthroposophical curative home near Bath. Their daughter, Elisabeth, was born there in 1951. After four years, this venture ended. Connections took the family to East Grinstead near to Michael Hall and Francis and Shirley were soon involved in anthroposophical activities. They arranged public lectures, art and study groups. With a biodynamic farmer friend, a winter vegetable delivery came about. Another child, Martin, was born in 1957. Shirley’s father had now retired and her parents moved to be near them.

Francis took up some part-time office work at Weleda in East Grinstead and Shirley did cleaning at a school nearby. Shirley thinks her second moon node was making itself felt as about this time she began to experience feelings of unease. In 1962 an advertisement was published in an anthroposophical newsletter requesting helpers for Hohepa in New Zealand. After considerable thought, Francis and Shirley decided to apply and were accepted. On May 31st 1963, the family left London and crossed the world, arriving in Wellington on July 1st. Shirley says she felt immediately at home in New Zealand and among new friends. At Hohepa, she cared for a group of boys, John McKendrick and Donald Nichols among them.

After fifteen months, the family moved to Havelock North to be nearer schools. Shirley was able to take up a job at Weleda, which had been recently established, and she filled and labelled bottles and tubes and made herb teas. After eight years, Shirley left to take more care of her elderly partner. After three years in Duart Home, Francis died in 1983 at the age of 90. The connection with Weleda was renewed later when someone was needed to take care of the library there.

After two visits to England to deal with family affairs, Shirley was able to be more involved with local anthroposophical activities, though she had been on the Biodynamic Association Council since 1971. She joined the Centre Committee and served on it from 1981 until 1999 and was active with an inspiring group of people who helped to create a suitable focal point for all the local groups and activities. Shirley especially appreciated an art study group which met for many years under the wing of Diana Bacchus.

From early days in the newly acquired Centre building, Shirley joined with Sybil Smith to take care of the small collection of books that belonged to the Society in New Zealand. Books for the local Branch were gradually added and both collections kept on growing, overflowing into extra spaces.

In recent years, hearing loss, severe deterioration in sight and a heart problem slowed Shirley down. She felt supported by willing helpers and the sharing of responsibilities with the books but did wonder what might happen in the future. Francisca Obers offer to assist in the library allayed that concern for Shirley. She crossed the threshold on 27 September of this year.

Cleone Armon

Shirley Wall – 12 July 1924 - 27 September 2011

Sphere • 41

David Vaughan Tabuteau was born on the 22nd of November, 1933, in Auckland. His father, Roy Tabuteau,

was an active and well-known anthroposophist and his mother, Edna Lyall, was a theosophist.

Both parents worked in the same building in central Auckland. His mother was a hairdresser on the fifth floor and his father worked as a homeopath with alternative medicines, which was not common in those days. It was there that they met, fell in love and married. David was their first born, followed by his sister, Zelda, then Michael and Lloyd. In the late 1970s, both Roy and his son Michael were actively involved in establishing Michael Park School in Ellerslie.

David attended Cornwall Park Primary School in Auckland and he continued to love that park for all of his life. After finishing Intermediate School, he was a pupil at Auckland Boys Grammar.

Around 1958 the family, excluding Michael, moved to Murupara where Roy and Edna bought a drapery shop and all the family worked there. The business was very successful and they soon acquired the neighbouring two shops, turning them into one large establishment where they sold everything from haberdashery to shoes and clothes. It was by far the largest shop in Murupara. When Roy and Edna retired and moved back to Auckland, they left the shop in Murupara to their two sons Lloyd and David, and a furniture shop across the road to Zelda and her husband.

David met and then married Maria Gear and they had two children, Fletcher and Stacey. The youngest, Stacey, was born with a serious heart condition and they were told by doctors that she would only survive a few days. But Stacey,

with the infinite care of her loving parents, lived until the age of 29, far longer than ever expected. This was regarded by both medical staff and her family as a miracle.

Later, Maria battled cancer for 13 years and David cared for her through this time until the end. David’s life had been a constant flow of hospitals, doctors, operations and treatments both for himself and his family. He had been a quiet boy and, as many members know, he became a quiet man.

When David was still a young child, his father would sometimes take him to anthroposophical reading groups and would sit his son on a chair beside him. At that time, David found those meetings very boring, but he patiently sat through them. Perhaps this is the reason it was not until towards the end of his life that he became interested in Anthroposophy? David became a member of the Society early in his life but was not an active member until a little over three years ago, a year after Maria had died, when he went to his first anthroposophical conference. It was here that I met him. He was the kindest and most loving man I have ever met - a perfect gentleman. Nobody ever heard him say an unkind word about anyone.

It was a great honour to have had him as a friend. I do not think I will ever meet a nicer person. He will be greatly missed by me.

Maritza Kocsis

David Tabuteau – 22nd of November 1933 - 7 September 2011

Rodger Alexander Lamb was born in 1950, on a dairy farm in Morrinsville. Rodger had an elder sister and was

followed by another sister and a brother. After attending the local primary school there, he went to a boarding school for boys, completed college with good grades and then joined the Air Force as he wanted to fly. However, before finishing his training he went off to travel America, Europe and England. He returned to New Zealand in the late 1970s when he met the mother of his two daughters and they took up residence in Tauranga. After some years, the couple mutually agreed that Rodger would take care of the two girls and see to their education which he did.

Through a neighbour-friend, Rodger was introduced to Rudolf Steiner education in Tauranga. He joined forces with a founding group of parents, first studying about the education with Margaret Hoffy. Rodger liked to remember those days of initiative, where many cake stalls and fairs resulted in the opening of the first Tauranga Steiner kindergarten. Rodger became committed to having his girls receive a full Steiner education. As the Tauranga school was not going to be able to grow soon enough to make this possible, Rodger decided to move to Hastings.

It was there that I got to know Rodger as he enrolled his youngest daughter Tara in my kindergarten group. Rodger also offered to be the liaison father and he did this for several years. He often came during sessions and created a wood-box or helped with the creation of a big sandpit with a fountain in the middle. Not only the children loved his presence there, but also some fathers who dropped their children off and

remained in conversation with him. They often joined forces with him to do school maintenance work. That brought good ‘father energy’ around the kindergartens. At that time, this was an unusual sight, as it was usually the mothers having their social time in front of the school gates. Rodger once told me that it was in Hawke’s Bay that ‘learning became life’; his life’s values could mature and be realised there.

For some years, Rodger also helped to manage the school shop The Seasons. He also completed the Taruna teacher’s training. After his daughters had finished school in 1999, he became a House Father at the Poraiti Curative School.

In 2003, he moved to Wellington to be close to his first grandchild, Arabella, who gave him much joy. There he also joined in the evenings and study groups of the Wellington Branch. He particularly enjoyed coming to the weekly library mornings and often brought along some dainties from the French Bakery. After morning coffee, he would be engaged in conversation about Anthroposophy with the librarians and whoever else happened to come to borrow books. It truly became a ‘philosophers’ circle’. Rodger was a stern questioner; he did not take thoughts and opinions on face value. He needed a long time to turn new thoughts over in his sharp and critical mind. Once accepted, he would be passionately inspired by the insights offered to him. He also

Rodger Lamb – 25 October 1950 - 1 September 2011

42 • Sphere

loved the power of the Word, the big Webster Dictionary was always there on his table. His humour was a great balance to his serious demeanour. Again he would often stay on whenever he could to fix something or work in the garden. In the years that Rodger lived and worked in Wellington, he spent much time and enthusiasm with his friend Norbert Mulholland, creating the practical tools for the colour - shadow therapy at Raphael House School in Lower Hutt.

In October 2008 Rodger was diagnosed with Motor-Neuron disease. A year later he decided to move to Tauranga to be close to his family and daughter Tara. A fund was set up for Rodger to receive Anthroposophical nursing therapies at the Tauhara Therapy Centre planned for April this year. Rodger was much enthused by this possibility and he prepared himself for this great source of strength through the medical people in Hawke’s Bay whom he knew and honoured. Unfortunately the Christchurch earthquakes made this impossible. It was a personal sacrifice he bore with dignity. The fact that so many of his friends had wanted him to have this therapy gave him great joy and strength. This in itself was therapy for him. His eyes would sparkle when he spoke of this as if it was a fairytale. He felt as if all his ‘fairy- godmothers’ had given him of their best forces. Instead of the Hawke’s Bay medical help, he decided to see a doctor in Auckland, which was closer, as travelling became more and more difficult. Rodger received ongoing help from him and also therapeutic help here in Tauranga.

As he was a very independent man, he lived mostly by himself in the last years of his life, although he received daily home help as well as caring support from his family and friends. However, it gradually became too much to manage

so Rodger decided to go into a nursing home in the city. This gave him also the possibility to go out on a good day and enjoy the freedom of a drive around town in his wheelchair, and the good news that a new grandchild was on its way lifted his spirit tremendously in the last months of his life there.

Rodger and I had continued weekly anthroposophical work up to the last week of his life. As his physical suffering asked more and more of his energies, he centred his thoughts and meditations mainly on the Soul Calendar and the Foundation Stone Meditation. He often said how grateful he was to Anthroposophy, as his meditative work gave him the strength he needed to deal with this challenging illness. Indeed, I am deeply grateful to Rodger for his courage in sharing his life’s battles and sufferings with his friends and family. This led him to deep experiences which prepared him for his death and life after death with courage. Rodger died peacefully in the early morning hours of Thursday the 1st of September. Elke Baublies gave him the Christian Community Service he had wished.

The Soul Calendar verse Rodger last worked with was verse 50.

To the ‘I’ of Man there speaks, In grandeur manifesting Releasing forces of his being, The Joy-in-growth of world existence. My life to you transporting, Released from its enchantment, I now may reach my rightful aim.

Ingela Gude

Heinz Zimmerman – November 23, 1937 – September 6th, 2011On 13th September this year, almost 1000 people from all over the world gathered at the Goetheanum to pay

their respects and farewell Heinz Zimmerman. There have been many tributes to this man, who touched so many in his life, including those from Virginia Sease, Michael Debus, Jon McAlice and Florian Osswald in the

October issue of Anthroposophy Worldwide: and here Edda Nehmiz, who is known to many New Zealanders as the Co-ordinator of the Anthroposophical Studies in English at the Goetheanum shares her memories.

Memories of Heinz Zimmerman

I was privileged to have known Heinz Zimmermann as a teacher while I was a student, as a colleague in the Studies

and Further Learning in English at the Goetheanum, and as a friend.

We first met in 2005 during a Parsifal weekend in Rudolf Steiner House, London. I have two memories of him from that time, which are most characteristic of him, and are particularly strong. On the one hand, the ease of encounter – always attentive, with a spark of humour and real interest. On the other hand, it became obvious to me how deep his love of the word was, and language and art in general, when he recited for eurythmy during our artistic work.

As a student, one could learn an infinite amount. Much of that, in my opinion, could be learnt ‘between the lines’. His ability to find the right balance between form and content, and to weigh this up time and again, was remarkable and made the theme at hand approachable in the truest way. He had the capability of removing himself totally from the matter, in order to give it the right framework, so that one was able to freely find a connection with the subject, without being carried by his enthusiasm. This was an ever-recurring experience in his teaching. This strength of inviting participation with a maximum respect for individual freedom, whilst challenging each ‘to want to do it oneself’ provided, in that process, the opportunity of making something one’s own: a wonderful gift.

As a colleague, I learnt a lot from Heinz. Within the everyday work, his search for new social forms and methods of collegial collaboration were always present. He had the ability to think things through anew without losing his point of view. He was willing to consider things and then, detached from his opinion, appraise it in order to bring both together, as if in dialogue; thus to decide anew. These qualities gave groups that he worked with, such as a College of Teachers, a great deal of strength and certainty.

I especially appreciated that he always gave me the opportunity to correct myself. I cannot recall one occasion when he said I had done something wrong or badly. I was always left to discover my own mistake, through him if I wanted to, and then was left to my free choice.

One of the most wonderful attributes I discovered and experienced in Heinz was the beauty and purity of his love. He gave so much and to so many. However, this love, which poured out of him, always lived in the danger that the receiver may not have noticed it. Very often this love was expressed, humbly and often unnoticeably, through a deep interest in and an equally deep acknowledgement of the individual human being.

It was never difficult for me to appreciate Heinz, either in personal or professional work. He was a living example in so many ways and will continue to be a quiet help upon my own journey. Edda Nehmiz

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For further information or to enrol in any of our programmes, pleasecontact Taruna on Phone: 06 8777 174, email: [email protected]

or visit our website: www.taruna.ac.nz

Call today on 0800 776 648 or visit www.prometheus.co.nz

44 • Spherewww.weleda.co.nz