March 28, 2021

Dear Members & Friends,

If you’re a member, you may have been up early Saturday morning, with 360 others from 45 countries, for the nicely run members’ meeting that was livestreamed from the Goetheanum, though the building itself was not visible. Friends as well as members may have their nostalgia or curiosity piqued about this celebrated structure, so we've posted a good number of photos on RudolfSteiner.org in a phone- as well as laptop-friendly layout. Taken about this time in 2019, they show its “eloquent concrete” and its neighborhood by day and by evening, inside and out. The forms and changing colors are inspiring.

EASTER

A reminder from Laura Scappaticci about program resources available for the Easter week that begins today. Last year Micky Leach, Western Regional representative on the General Council, led a community gathering on “Experiencing Easter through a Pandemic: The Healing Impulse of Raphael for the Earth, Humanity and the Individual” You can find links to the recording and slides here, and scroll down for links to the webinar by Rev. Jonah Evans: “The Heart of Easter: Becoming New, Encountering Christ,” as well as other resources from the Central Region and current offerings from the Rudolf Steiner Branch in Chicago.

HEALTH

The Medical Section at the Goetheanum gave a report earlier this month, “Covid-19: Looking to the future,” which is well worth reading. It is both more European and more global than most reports in the USA, where vaccinations are now ramped up, deaths among seniors have fallen dramatically, but there are new spikes of serious illness reported in middle-aged people. The USA is the land of production, so the Medical Section’s concern about rushing to vaccinate children may be important to think about here, as so many people including children long for a return to school.

Coming Soon: SOPHIA & THE STARS

Sophia is one of those spiritual beings known to the Greeks who have become mental abstractions in modern human consciousness. Philosophy itself was born as “the love of Sophia,” and the greatness of the work of Rudolf Steiner and those who have followed him is how much love is found blossoming from his insights and from their effects in the world.

Sophia means wisdom, we can say, drily, but anthroposophy doesn’t leave it there. We are on a return path now on which we hope to regain the experience of such beings in their living reality. How would it feel to stand in the presence of the being of wisdom? Perhaps for some of us that is signaled by goosebumps! Among the old gods, Sophia is particularly important since she is manifesting to us today as cosmic-human wisdom: Anthropos-Sophia, described sometimes as our own true being.

The Sophia Community Circle would like to invite you to gather with them monthly to explore the spiritual and social significance of the Sophia in our everyday lives. This will be hosted by the ASA Sophia Group on the first Wednesday of each month, and registration will open the first week of April. This is a free series with donations going towards the Sophia Conference planned for spring 2022. Look for an email with details on the Circle. Meanwhile, for preparation, if you don’t get the print edition, the latest being human offered “A Sophia Mosaic” [PDF here] — a collection of short, thought- and feeling-ful sharings about the being and experience of Sophia.

Another email will soon detail a new year-long program. Coming the third week of April is registration for Mary Stewart Adams’ exploration of The New Images of the Zodiac in the Cycle of the Year. In these monthly, interactive workshops, Mary will lead us through the historical context for understanding these new images, their physiological context, their shining celestial colors, and how we can work with them to support our engagement with the Being of the Year. Direction will also be given for how to proceed artistically. This is highly recommended for those who want to dive deeply into the evolving star wisdom.

PERFORMING ARTS

The professional conference for Eurythmy, Speech Formation, and Eurythmy Therapy is postponed until 2022, but the Section at the Goetheanum is offering a working meeting in digital format where “the format itself becomes the content”: “How does movement and language work on and through a screen? What has proven successful, what tips and tricks are there for teaching, seminars and training? In practical action and reflection, one’s own experience can become a field of learning. If we consciously deal with the limits of our profession, we create new possibilities and perspectives. Some lecturers with a wealth of experience in new media have already agreed to participate – and we look forward to further contributions from you!” The event will be April 7 & 8, details here.

HELP FOR NONPROFITS

Many of us are involved with non-profit organizations, anthroposophic and otherwise, which are impacted by the present pandemic. Details of the provisions of the American Rescue Plan Act are at the website of the National Council of Nonprofits. Along with the better-known help for individuals, these include the Paycheck Protection Program, Economic Injury Disaster Loan, Shuttered Venue Operators Grant Program, Unemployment Insurance & Self-Insured Employers, Employee Retention Tax Credit, Paid Leave Tax Credits for Employers, Child and Dependent Care Tax Credit, and aid for state, local, tribal, and territorial governments which can be used to assist nonprofits among many others. There may be a lifeline for a group you support.

CALENDAR OF THE SOUL

One of Rudolf Steiner’s most engaging revelations of the organic workings of the cosmos is The Calendar of the Soul. Fifty-two weekly verses fill a year beginning at Easter; they describe how the human soul is met and carried and elevated by the course of the seasons... Easter is a “movable feast,” however, and each year requires a little adjustment—repeating a verse two weeks, or bringing two verses together on one week. Herbert Hagens of the Princeton Group has offered a way to do that each year, and our Calendar page has been updated  with his help for the year ahead. It contains links to some other related resources, including a luminous essay by Prof. Gertrude Reif Hughes.

FARM RELOCATION

Many Americans are facing eviction in this pandemic time—a truly dire life situation. This is perhaps an even greater challenge for farmers who have spent years bringing soil to life and gaining Demeter biodynamic certification. Blossom’s Farm, a very active and socially-engaged farm east of Santa Cruz near Camphill California, is facing that challenge. “We are a biodynamic herb farm in Corralitos, 25 minutes from Santa Cruz. We grow medicinal herbs and produce digestive bitters, skincare, hydrosols, oils and tinctures.” Their work includes apprenticeship, social inclusion, on-farm learning, community-supported herbalism, as well as land stewardship, farmers markets, a farm store and coffee shop, with a “big vision” of a farm-centered living community. “Food is Medicine, Medicine is Food: the Journey of Blossom’s Farm” tells their story in a 4 minute video or a 12 minute one. A full presentation on the relocation vision is also online.

BODY & SOUL

Around 1917 Rudolf Steiner shared results of one of his most difficult research projects, aligning the soul/psychic forces of thinking, feeling, and willing with the layout of the human body. This makes possible an informed engagement between psychology and medicine and, along with many other insights, is a key part of the endowment of the field of anthroposophic psychology. 

In a few week, AAP, the Association for Anthroposophic Psychology, is offering a supplemental conference, “Psychological Disturbances in Relation to Lung, Liver, Kidney, and Heart,” to the 2021 medical conference on the Four Cardinal Organs, the annual medical part-time training organized by the Physician’s Association for Anthroposophic Medicine (PAAM).

PAAM’s offerings online include a four-week Monday evening series focusing on artistic activities from April 5-26, 8:30-10pm EDT, and a 6-day training week, Sunday May 2 - Friday May 7, 2-3:30 EDT, all focused on exploring the four major organs. In PAAM’s keynote sessions of the training week, James Dyson MD, also a senior faculty of AAP, will lead anthroposophical medical providers in a study of these four organs (3 sessions) and a study of psychiatry and psychosomatics (3 sessions). PAAM’s conference is open to doctors, nurses, and therapists. Eligible mental health practitioners should register directly with PAAM to take advantage of these offerings.

Anthroposophic psychology is unique in its understanding of the inter-relationship of organic disturbance and psychological symptoms. Its supplemental online conference, May 3-7, 11-12:30am EDT, will explore the connection of soul imbalances to the four cardinal organs: lung, liver, kidney and heart. Click here for more information on the AAP event, and to register.

Our photos from Dwight Ebaugh were taken this time of year in various locations. It’s good to notice that cacti, well-defended as they are, also enjoy the springtime!

Thank you for reading and viewing, and may we all be wakeful and be well!

John Beck
Editor, being human
editor@anthroposophy.org
Anthroposophical Society in America