Do you know young folks who might be interested in going to New Orleans for an inspiring youth gathering? WRC Youth Grant for 2018 AGM now available.

Thanks to the generosity of the Rudolf Steiner Charitable Trust, the Western Regional Council (WRC) has received a grant of $2,000 to support Anthroposophical work in the Western Region.  The Western Regional Council would like to use these funds to support youth to attend the Annual Conference and Annual General Meeting:  HERE AND NOW: TRANSFORMING OURSELVES, TRANSFORMING THE WORLD, New Orleans, Louisiana, United States (October 5-7, 2018) preceded by a NATIONAL YOUTH GATHERING on October 4th, 2018.
 
We would like your help in getting the word out to young people who might be interested in attending but who would otherwise be unable to attend because of the cost involved. Though funds are limited, we are hoping to help as many young people as possible. We encourage interested youth to apply sooner rather than later, since grants will be awarded on a first come, first served basis.  We also understand that some may need the funds in advance to purchase an airline ticket.  We will do our best to accommodate such a request. We ask that you forward this letter and accompanying application to interested young people or you can let us know their name and contact information and we will send the application to them directly. If you have any questions, do not hesitate to contact any one of us at The Western Regional Council

Joan Treadaway,  joanaway@msn.com    Ph: (928) 445-2363 / Daniel Bittleston,  danielbittleston@hotmail.com    Ph: (831) 212-1947 / Daniel Evaeus,  daniel.evaeus@gmail.com    Ph: 323-229-2820 / Micky Leach,  micky.leach@gmail.com    Ph: 505-438-0156 / Rebecca Soloway,  jrsoloway@hotmail.com    Ph: (516) 850-1027

Grant application form

​From Portland Waldorf School

A recent study by the Austrian government found that Waldorf graduates have a greater aptitude and affinity for the natural sciences than their peers. Why is that? What makes the Waldorf approach to science education so special, and so effective?

Early childhood and grades students begin their scientific exploration by observing and experiencing the whole — watching seeds grow into food, raising salmon eggs while learning about their life cycle, creating a comprehensive animal report that includes both ecological and cultural research. In these early years, the tools for this scientific study come from nature, and encourage curiosity and interest in the world around them.

By middle school, students begin to break down the phenomena they experience into questions. How do basic machines work? Why can’t I see the colors of light except through a prism? What are the chemical elements of the foods I eat every day? As they begin to explore the invisible and intangible forces at work in the world, their scientific tools become more refined.

High school students deepen their study of the individual parts and processes at work in the world, breaking them down into cells, atoms, and elements. Sophisticated learning requires sophisticated tools, so the microscope replaces the naked eye, test tubes replace bowls, and bunsen burners replace candle flames. Equipped with these tools, students are empowered to reimagine the world around them with new understanding. Infinite possibilities open up. They no longer simply accept the world the way it has been, but question the ways it could be. They learn to ask the question that has inspired the greatest human discoveries and inventions: “What if?”

To what degree is Waldorf education of its time? Is it contemporary? These questions are put forward by Neil Boland, senior lecturer at Auckland University of Technology in New Zealand. He looks towards possible futures and finding new forms of and for education. This is his second article; the first, "A sense of place within the Waldorf curriculum", asks how Waldorf pedagogy can find its place within local cultures and the extent to which it localises itself when it moves beyond its European beginnings. By Neil Boland

I would like to address a second audit – one of time, of being of one’s time. It needs to look at how time is treated, where in the flow of time the Waldorf movement places itself. Waldorf education’s relationship to place is important. I have come to think that the importance of realising our relationship to time and to the needs of the time we live in is nothing short of critical.

Join us for Healing Forces, a three part webinar series with Dr. Adam Blanning, Elizabeth Sustick, RN, Dr. Carmen Hering, and Dr. Steven Johnson.

When: Wednesdays June 13, June 27, July 11 from 7:30-8:30 pm Eastern. 

Where: Online! (Can't make the live webinars? No problem. All webinar recordings will be emailed to participants within 24 hours of the live event.) 

What: Explore the concepts of warmth, the value of fevers and the healing properties of the lemon, and the seven life processes. 

June 13: Warmth as a Healing Force, with Adam Blanning, MD Warmth plays a very special role in the healing process. We will trace the diverse ways warmth can work as a developmental catalyst on physical, social, emotional and spiritual levels, and explore how this can be explained through an anthroposophic understanding of the human being.
 
June 27: Nature's gifts: Natural approaches to fever with Carmen Hering, DO and Elizabeth Sustick, RN  Fever can be an important ally for growth and healing.  Through fever, warmth activates the immune system to defend and detoxify itself.  We will explore the qualities of lemon and how it can be used to help the body redistribute and harmonize these warmth processes.
 
July 11: The Metamorphosis of our Life Processes through Body, Soul and Spirit, with Steven Johnson, DO  Both Modern Science and Rudolf Steiner speak about 7 Life Processes as the healthy foundation of all life. We will explore the “phases” of metamorphosis these life processes undertake in the course of our human life to support a healthy integration of body, mind and spirit.
Suggested donation: $40.00.

Please click here to register and contribute in any amount you see fit. 
Your confirmation email will contain your Zoom registration link, so please look for it after you register! You need the Zoom link to join the live webinars and receive the recordings.  

All donations support accessible, interactive programs about anthroposophy.

Presenter Biographies:

Adam Blanning, MD practices anthroposophic family medicine in Denver, Colorado. He works with many individuals and families to find healing paths for chronic developmental, medical and emotional challenges. He is board president of the Association for Anthroposophic Medicine and Therapies in America (www.AAMTA.org) and directs the physicians' training programs in Anthroposophic Medicine (www.AnthroposophicMedicine.org).

Carmen Hering, DO practices anthroposophic and osteopathic family medicine in Berkeley, California. She works with patients of all ages for acute and chronic illness and specializes in childhood development. She trains medical students and residents in her office, serves as faculty for the Bay Area Waldorf Teacher Training (bacwtt.org) and the physician training program for anthroposophic medicine in the US (AnthroposophicMedicine.org).

Elizabeth Sustick, RN is an Anthroposophic Nurse Specialist, dedicated to the art of caregiving and an educator and co worker in the Medical Section. She has joyfully accompanied and advocated the Waldorf Early Childhood work as a parent, grandparent, Waldorf school board member and Early Childhood teacher.  Elizabeth serves on the board of Anthroposophic Medicine and Therapies in NA (AAMTA), The International Council of Anthroposphic Nurses Associations (ICANA), and the Anthroposophic Nurses Association of America. (NAANA).

Dr. Steven M Johnson, DO is trained in Internal Medicine and currently specializing in the area of preventative health, musculoskeletal disorders and chronic or challenging medical disorders including cancer support.  He is currently president of the Physicians Association of Anthroposophic Medicine (www.paam.net) and active as both a teacher and consultant in several areas of anthroposphic medicine and integrative health. He is currently founding a new public health alliance  to help re-define preventative health.

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If you haven't checked out our website recently, we invite you to stop by and see what's new, thanks to generous donations to our crowdfunding campaign this fall.

As one step in our work to enhance the site, we've upgraded our home page and key pages like What Is Biodynamics, and we've added new ones likeCommunity Connections and Biodynamic Principles and Practices. Another exciting new addition is the Biodynamic Stories blog, which showcases inspirational stories from across the biodynamic community, the great work of partner organizations, and updates from the BDA.

The site is constantly evolving, much like a biodynamic farm! We look forward to letting you know about further additions, including a Spanish-language resources page, more video and interactivity, and helpful new information.
 
www.biodynamics.com

By Laura Mattos, from SÃO PAULO

Swimming against the current of schools which have been increasingly using computers, tablets and smartphones in education, Waldorf's pedagogy values crafts, movement, and student's contact with nature, and it is now expanding with the opening of the first Waldorf college in Brazil.Authorized by the Ministry of the Education at the end of 2017, Rudolf Steiner College started its activities in February.

It offers a pedagogy course and in addition to traditional education, it teaches the Waldorf methodology. It is defined, therefore, as a Waldorf college of pedagogy, and not as a college of Waldorf pedagogy. Their program associates subjects such as Brazilian dances, poetical experiences, and education of the body to regular subjects required by the Ministry of Education.

Those who complete the course will be able to teach in any school. This is, by the way, the intention of the group responsible for designing the course's structure.

"It will be excellent to create a dialogue with different educational lines. We wish that the majority of teachers who graduate here work especially in non-Waldorf schools, particularly public schools", states Melanie Mangels Guerra, 54, college dean.

Brazil currently has 74 schools authorized to use the methodology by the Federation of Waldorf Schools, with a total of 9,702 students. Approximately 130 additional schools are undergoing their certification process. The state of São Paulo has 40 official schools, the largest concentration in the country. There were only nine, 20 years ago.

Seeking that less conventional approach, Olívia Schimidt, 22, enrolled at Rudolf Steiner College. "We feel an internal transformation, it is not only about learning new content", she said.

From Fohla de S. Paulo

At Camphill Village, Copake, New York, we welcome dozens of volunteers, age 19 and over from around the world to enjoy their Gap Year or Service Year or to become a Biodynamic Apprentice. Many volunteers find it to be the richest and most vibrant experience of their lives.

SaraMae Kline from Seattle, WA, put it this way: “There’s so much of a focus of education and a career and moving forward that this part of life - of serving other people - can be lost sometimes … I think that’s really important to go out into your community and help others and commit to that for a while … you’re young, there’s a lot of time, there is no rush. There’s a lot of people who need help, you have the energy and the time to do that.”

Only 2 hours north of New York City, in Copake, NY, Camphill Village is an intentional community where you share daily life with other young people from around the world, with adults and families, and with individuals with developmental differences. At Camphill Village you learn to be responsible and yet independent.

We grow and cook healthy organic food, enjoy music and laughter, share in spiritual practice and connect with our residents as friends. Volunteers come to Camphill Village to explore nature, human nature, and to learn about themselves. At the same time they will form lifelong memories.

Antonia Goevert, a Camphill volunteer from Germany, describes her experience: “All of the volunteers are from different countries. I’ve got some friends from Korea, some from France … it’s really interesting to meet them, to get to know them and their culture, and what they bring to the Village.”

Many overseas volunteers, like Antonia, find their English is much improved after a year immersed in the language. A highlight for many is the activities which include: Biodynamic agriculture, farming (crops, animals, artisanal goods), baking, candle making, book-binding, stained glass crafting, woodcraft and growing and using herbs.

Dan Hayden from New Jersey sums up his time at Camphill Village, “This place has so many opportunities in so many different areas - just let yourself go! This is an amazing place for growth and change.”

Interested in volunteering at Camphill Village, Copake, New York? If you live in the USA, click here for information. If you live outside the USA, click here for information.

Lesson preparation for Waldorf teachers and painting for experienced and inexperienced painters.

July 15 - 20 in Harlemville, New York, United States
July 29 - Aug. 3 in Santa Monica, California, United States

The course is taught by Gail McManus, graduate of the Goetheanum Painting School, and veteran Waldorf class teacher and high school painting teacher. Painting exercises focus on an exciting and entirely new and unique approach to color given by Rudolf Steiner to teachers and painters. Teachers find great relief when experiencing a painting method which can be grasped regardless of prior painting experience, a method which builds upon itself, which replaces arbitrariness, and which clarifies the purpose of painting regularly with one’s class. They come away with practical guidelines and exercises to share in their classes in the coming school year. As well, beginning and experienced painters learn a method of painting which increases color perception, enhances creativity, and fosters a sense of inner balance and well-being.

Cost: Tuition is $500. Register before May 15th for a 10% discount! Some tuition assistance may be available. Lodging: Assistance with lodging can be provided. Camping is also possible. Registration: Please send a $50 non-refundable deposit to be applied toward tuition to the Arteum School of Painting, 1030 Route 21, Harlemville, Ghent, NY 12075. Additional Information: Contact Gail McManus at gail@gailmcmanus.com or (518) 653-2957.

"In rare moments of deep play, we can lay aside our sense of self, shed time’s continuum, ignore pain, and sit quietly in the absolute present, watching the world’s ordinary miracles.”

One July morning during a research trip to the small New England island of Nantucket, home to pioneering astronomer Maria Mitchell, I had a most unusual experience. Midway through my daily swim in the ocean, my peripheral vision was drawn to what at first appeared to be a snorkel. But as I looked directly at the curious protrusion, I realized it was the long glistening neck of a stately bird, gliding over the nearly waveless surface a few away. By some irresistible instinct, I began swimming gently toward the bird, assuming it would fly away whenever my proximity became too uncomfortable.

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30% off online orders until April 30th with offer code BB30 at SteinerBooks. 

1. Artistic Sensitivity as a Spiritual Approach to Knowing Life and the World (CW 161). Rudolf Steiner. What is it to know something? This question lies at the foundation of spiritual science. Rudolf Steiner had first to solve it for himself, pointing the way for others to do the same (in, for example, his Philosophy of Freedom), long before he could give such lectures as these.
2. The Anthroposophical Society. The Understanding and Continued Activity of the Christmas Conference. Peter Selg and Marc Desaules. In 2014, the Anthroposophical Society in Switzerland launched a series of conferences to deepen the impulse of the 1923 Christmas Conference.The goal of the conferences was to develop a deeper understanding of the Anthroposophical Society’s essential task and contribute to shaping its future. This volume presents six talks from the conference of February 2016, the purpose of which was to let the Anthroposophical Society as an archetypal phenomenon speak to us.
3. Autism: Meet Me Who I Am. A Contribution toward an Educational, Sensory, and Nutritional Approach to Childhood Autism that Supports Families and Ignites the Child’s Deeper Wish to Connect to People and the World. Lakshmi Prasanna and Michael Kokinos. This book is for parents and families, teachers and schools, doctors, and therapists who are looking for a deeper understanding of children with autism. The children themselves led the authors on a pathway through efforts to connect and communicate their means to heal and educate children with autism.

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