Annual Kolisko Institute Workshop

October 15-18, 2020

Pewaukee, Wisconsin, USA

The Initiation Path of the Kings and the Shepherds

We will see how the Impulses flowing out of these two Esoteric Streams will prove helpful in understanding the Principle of Polarities in the world of Substances, of the Soul, and of the Spirit. As in the past few years we will continue our work on the unique importance of the Foundation Stone but connect it centrally with the 100 year anniversary of the beginning of the Anthroposophical Medicine! These principles will be richly demonstrated also in Eurythmy. Emphasis on workshops in applying the material to practical use in daily activities.

For the Kolisko Institute Team, Dr. Ross Rentea

​More ...

The Living Farms research project documents the work being done on biodynamic farms around the world. The project team recently visited Kenya.

As part of the Living Farms project, the team from the Section for Agriculture at the Goetheanum in Switzerland will, by February 2022, evaluate the impressions gained on up to twenty biodynamic farms. The results will mostly be presented in short videos. Two pilot films have been completed, which document the work carried out by the Goetheanum Garden team (CH) and at the Heggelbach farm community in Germany. Project leader Lin Bautze recently went to visit Kenya together with Benno Otter from the Goetheanum Garden Park.

In Limbua, five thousand small organic farmers have joined forces and supply Germany with high quality macadamia nuts, whilst also producing food for their own needs on less than one hectare of land. Some of the small farmers have started using biodynamic preparations. They are experimenting with adapting them to local conditions because there are, for instance, no oak trees in Kenya.

The Mbaghati Waldorf School has around 350 students from classes 1 to 9. It uses the school garden and agricultural land for teaching and for growing produce for the school canteen. It also keeps cows, which means that the school has its own milk supplies. Regular biodynamic training sessions take place at the school and are attended by people from all over Africa.

Both initiatives are applying agroforestry, a system that combines trees such as macadamia, avocado, papaya with crops of vegetables and sweetcorn. This system leads to greater biodiversity and to carbon dioxide being absorbed by the trees. In addition, the soil does not dry out so fast thanks to the shade provided by the trees.

The project team will next visit Australia and New Zealand and then continue on to Europe. Experiences were also recorded at the recent Agriculture Conference. More ...

Anthroposophical activity is growing in Puerto Rico, with several Waldorf schools and kindergartens and a training course in curative education. By Jan Göschel

The Caribbean island of Puerto Rico, once an important part of the Spanish colonial empire became part of the USA in 1898 ...  The two hurricanes that hit the island in September 2017 in quick succession brought it to the attention of the world.

In the still young anthroposophical movement in Puerto Rico there are now several Waldorf schools and kindergartens, which are all still in their pioneering phase. In addition, study groups deal with the most diverse topics. There are connections to the anthroposophical movement in the USA and Latin America through personal relationships.

The initiative group for anthroposophical curative education and social therapy there consists to a large extent of politically active young people who are deeply involved in issues of social justice, equality for disadvantaged minorities and the protection of women and children from abuse and violence.

Some years ago, a curative education study group was formed, consisting mainly of Waldorf teachers and educators, psychologists, therapists and social workers connected with anthroposophy. With the support of the social worker Myriam Orrillo from Buenos Aires (Argentina), a co-founder of the curative education training Seminario Cruz del Sur, it was finally possible in 2019 to initiate a three-year course coordinated locally by Elsa Arenas, Luzdaris Morales, Raiza Ascanio and Yozibe Martinez. This course aims to provide the foundations for developing curative education and social therapy initiatives in Puerto Rico. More ...

Waldorf Today: New job postings --- Just click here to see all the current job postings.

By Shannon Boyce
 
Recently, I learned that each of Rudolf Steiner's indications for the 12 Holy Nights given to Herbert Hahn can be applied to each month of the year. This year I am taking up the practice of meditating on each of these mysteries throughout the year. Now that February is here, I am reflecting on the Mystery of the 2nd Holy Night indication: "Choosing the narrow and difficult path or the path that is wide and easy".
 
In my reflections, I realized that while the path of singing study has been my passion my whole life, it has also been the path that has led to my spiritual awakening. I choose the narrow and difficult path but by facing my challenges and difficulties and remaining open to new ideas the narrow and difficult path of singing is now wide and full of joy and ease.
 
When I was introduced to "The School of Uncovering the Voice" over ten years ago, I quickly realized it was unlike any other singing training I had ever experienced and I had to consciously choose to stay open to the new ideas. Ideas that were based in Anthroposophy and deeply researched by Valborg Werbeck-Svärdström and verified by Rudolf Steiner. Before I began my studies in "Uncovering the Voice" my singing was harsh, too loud, overbearing and often out of tune. I had no flexibility in the voice and no inner flexibility of soul. I was often closed-minded in my thinking. And I had no understanding of how to relate to the other socially in a healthy way.

The School of Uncovering the Voice changed all that for me. It was my path of spiritual initiation. Not only has my voice changed for the better and become more flexible and supple, my soul and spirit are more flexible and supple. And I have learned to make room for the other. Is it still a work in progress? Of course.
 
While life will never be a breeze and just easy going all the time, The School of Uncovering the Voice, through the practice of singing, has taught me how to live in the essence of imagination, which is connected to our will life. This is the place where the muscle of the soul resides. By consciously working through the singing exercises I have learned to engage my will forces in two directions, engaging the will where needed and not engaging the will were not needed. Steiner calls the latter the "Turned Around Will".  The singing has taught me to build up the capacities in my selfhood that allow me to live life more fully with a feeling of wide and easy-open spaces.
 
Any difficulties we face in life are like puzzles that must be solved. If we just ignore them we may think we are choosing the easy path. But are we really? In reality, it's often the selfish path. Learning to live in the essence of imagination gives you the courage to face the narrow and difficult path, the path of the spirit. It can be compared to singing. It's like your air which carries the tone; it is your lifeline that carries you and gives you the courage to face the difficulties when they come along in life. Some even call this living in the Christ consciousness.
 
In the last article I published in Waldorf Today, I talked about how the Voice is connected to this Muscle of the Soul. Developing this muscle is developing the capacity to live in imagination. Not a fantasy imagination but a place of balanced living.  If you didn’t get a chance to read the last article, click here to read Your Voice: The Muscle of the Soul.
 
While the groundhog indicated that we will have an early spring here on the East Coast of North America, it is still very much winter. Just as the seeds are still very much sleeping in the depths of the earth gathering the physical forces of the earth to prepare to blossom in the spring, at this time of year we as human beings are bound up with the spiritual forces of the earth waiting to blossom for ourselves in the spring.

Therefore, I invite you to come to the Winter East Coast Singing Retreat of The School of Uncovering the Voice led by Christiaan Boele for a time of winter renewal to draw strength and courage for your spring awakening.
 
Singing renewal is for everyone. If you can talk, you can sing. The School of Uncovering the Voice invites you to develop a deeper self-awareness through moving with confidence and joy toward discovering your own voice. It is a gentle process and the voice is never pushed along, but develops slowly through the engagement and active participation of the singer, who gains a deeper understanding and manifestation of the truly free voice.

East Coast Opportunities to work with Christiaan Boele are: 
February 19, 2020, an evening workshop at Washington Waldorf School, Bethesda, MD 7:30-9:00.  
February 20, 2020, an evening workshop at the Waldorf School of Baltimore, Baltimore, MD 7:00-8:30.  
February 21-23 East Coast Singing Winter Retreat, Threefold Educational Foundation, Spring Valley, NY  
February 24, 25, 26 workshop classes with Eurythmy Spring Valley Students open to the public, Spring Valley, NY
February 27, 2020, an evening workshop at Garden City Waldorf School, Garden City, NY (Long Island).  Contact Shannon for more details. 
SAVE THE DATES July 5-10 a new cohort is forming to begin the 3rd East Coast Singing Foundational Training, Spring Valley, NY.  This may be the last opportunity to begin the Foundational Training in the U.S. 
July 10-12 Alumni Graduate Retreat, Spring Valley, NY.
 
For more information on the East Coast Uncovering the Voice Singing opportunities contact Shannon Boyce at shannonaliciaboyce@gmail.com or 845-288-2824 or click here.
  
West Coast Opportunities to work with Christiaan Boele are:
February 13-15, 2020 Alumni Master Class, Ananda Retreat Center, Nevada City, CA
June 19-21, 2020 Annual Singing Retreat, Davis Waldorf School, Davis CA
June 28, 2020, Choir Day, Marin Waldorf School, San Rafael, CA 
 
For more information on the West Coast Uncovering the Voice Singing opportunities contact Sheryl Adler-Eldridge at healing.round@gmail.com or visit www.werbecksinging.com.

A Child's Seasonal Treasury by Betty Jones

A Child’s Seasonal Treasury was conceived as a Waldorf-inspired resource book for parents and teachers of young children. Throughout the seasons, songs, verses, poems, riddles, fingerplays, games, creative drama and movement, watercolor painting, handcrafts, healthy recipes and gratitude for life that rekindles a sense of wonder are keynotes of this Smithsonian Notable Children’s Book (Nov. 1997, Vol 28, Number 8) 

Having been chosen as the first book in the Hearthsong Family Library (1996), Waldorf Education has grown tremendously and with the surge of home schools, charter schools, pre-schools and daycare centers, quality curriculum that is child-centred to help counteract the influences of TV and technology on the very young is imperative.

This newly published edition has been up-dated with more writing and all illustrations by the author, a conversion chart for the recipes to "translate" world-wide, and the promise that at home or at school, this book will bring joy into the process of learning, both for children and for the adults who are involved with them on a daily basis. More ... 

Throughout recorded history the garden has been a place for the human need for cultivation. Think of the baroque garden in the West and the Zen Buddhist garden in the East. The Garden of Eden in the Old Testament is probably one of the clearest pictures of how man has existentially and spiritually connected the garden with life, growth, doctrine, and wisdom. But what does the garden have to do with a book on kindergarten life? A great deal if you ask this book's author!

”The garden helps us to understand that the world is good and that life is best lived in the now for a child.” Based on 25 years of experience Waldorf kindergarten teacher Helle Heckmann perceives the garden as a microcosm that reflects the macrocosm, in all stages of life from birth to death and the resurrection expressing itself through the changing seasons. This outdoor space where the one to six year-old child with all their senses learn about life through daily contact with the organic and hard-working activities there, always in a process of transformation. A little sprout that gradually grows to be harvested and eaten by all, the caterpillar in the cocoon that becomes a butterfly in early summer.

The garden is described in detail in this book as a place of cultivation for the adult educator and a learning environment for the child. Through observing the adult working and caring for the plants and animals in the garden, the child learns about life through their own experiences as they imitate the purposeful acts of the adults in their play. Through the adult observing the child playing, the garden is gradually built up and transformed to be the learning setting that creates the very best framework for child development. The garden is described as a living, organic space, forming a sounding board for all the processes the young child goes through, to become ready to meet life with an essential inner understanding of themselves as belonging to a world they can actively intervene with, shape, and transform. More ...

The Ultimate Meeting Notebook ™ and Calendar / Planner for 2019/2020

The Ultimate Meeting Notebook ™ and Calendar / Planner is a publication by Sophia Institute. The calendar / planner pages are large format month by month with lots of space for entering important dates and appointments. The calendar section includes monthly calendars for July 2019 through December 2020. Holidays and the dates of festivals are also included. The notebook pages feature  generous sections for taking notes and recording other essential data during meetings including: name of meeting, attendance list, absentee list, date, to-do-list/action items section and date of next meeting.

The Virtues of the Month are included with each month in the calendar section of this publication. The Virtues of the Month were given by Rudolf Steiner as meditations in the publication “Guidance in Esoteric Training.”

More ...

Meditation and Initiation
Knowledge of the Higher Worlds
Meditation, Initiation, Spiritual Exercises and Will Development
by Conrad Rehbach

​The book Meditation and Initiation by Conrad Rehbach is based on the authors research and work with Anthroposophy, a spiritual path of self development given by Rudolf Steiner. The book includes a comparative study of the sixfold path which is one of the basic teachings of Anthroposophy, and a way of self development, meditation and initiation. The author attempts to provide the reader and fellow student of Anthroposophy with a guide and workbook, sharing ideas and practical examples on how to work with the sixfold path, without being dogmatic or narrow in the approach to and practice of meditation. The book is of interest to anyone wanting to learn about meditation and Anthroposophy, and the sixfold path as given in Anthroposophy in particular. More ...