From the World Society
On Stairs, Doors and Windows
Dear Members and Friends of the Anthroposophical Society in Canada,
During a series of autumn meetings, the gift of an uncommitted afternoon made it possible for me to spend several hours with a companion who, unfamiliar with Rudolf Steiner or anthroposophy, was visiting Dornach for the first time. Our shared love of architecture and art was our guide through these hours together. A bright, crisp late autumn day accompanied us as we walked unhurriedly around the Goetheanum grounds, wandered through the reshaped landscape and followed the pathways laid out by Rudolf Steiner. We marvelled at the breadth of Rudolf Steiner’s architectural work, an extraordinary collection of buildings realized in just over a decade early in the 20
th
century. As the light began to fade, we found ourselves beside the steps leading to the Rudolf Steiner Halde, one of the earliest of the completed buildings. Standing quietly together we turned toward the west, watching the sky over France gradually descend into a wash of golds and rose. We fell silent, as if in anticipation.
Pointing to the staircase cascading from the building’s entrance, to the sweeping forms above us and the windows mirroring them, my companion asked; “Why are the stairways like that, the doors and windows as they are?” He recalled different entrances with their flowing staircases curving into the landscape. He remembered doors and windows with their irregular and unfamiliar forms.
The question was almost too familiar. Having worked with these artistic impulses for decades, integrating them into my own architectural practice, this was a question I had been asked many times. Having lectured on Rudolf Steiner’s artistic legacy for many years, I was prepared to give an accustomed answer. But I hesitated. It seemed that the question asked was but the face of one not yet formed, the words not yet found. Standing together, facing the setting sun, the silence lingered between us.
As often happens when I stand on the brow of this hill, I am startled by an unexpected experience. I am suddenly conscious of the magnitude of undertaking this architectural work within hearing of the battle sounds of World War I, continuing to create while accompanied by unimaginable devastation on all sides. I could then hear an unspoken question – how to understand Rudolf Steiner and his work within the context of his contemporary world, and of our current world? I could then try to approach this un-articulated question.
“For me the most striking sense of Rudolf Steiner is that he had a deep, a profound love and concern for his fellow human beings.
“All of what was created in Dornach came at a time when the world was descending into an abyss. The disintegration of civilization that occurred during World War I was, for him, but the face of a profound and fundamental challenge faced by all of humanity. We are still in that chaos. He describes our time as being pivotal for the future of humanity. What had been the foundations of civilization were at an end, and the possibility for what might arise had not yet taken on form.
“Rudolf Steiner saw that the roots of this chaos had been woven into western culture throughout the preceding millennia. Slowly a soul darkness enveloped us, a darkness embedded in our inner experience of ourselves - of each other. He asked us to recognize this leaden-ness within ourselves and to discern the ways of seeing the world, of seeing each other, that continuously re-create the roots of this social chaos. Can we identify what these habits of thinking are now, in our time?”
My companion paused, reflecting - then searched for an answer.
“We live in an unequal world. Everything that takes place has to do with privilege, with advantage over each other. We see in hierarchies, in the need to influence, in the exercise of power. We orient ourselves to these, unconsciously. We live in a world formed out of privilege.”
The truth of his observations was clear, they gave me a way to continue.
“Rudolf Steiner perceived these same influences at work. Ever and again he pointed out that unless we recognize these seemingly all-pervading forces, we will remain unfree – controlled and shaped by them. He asked that we be ever vigilant, understanding how these principles determine our lives. They structure our associations. They determine educational curricula. They inform how we see ourselves as masters over nature. They are the hidden language of our laws. They teach us to see how we are different from each other. All have their origins in the processes that have led to our common experience of an inner darkening, to isolation, alone-ness. There is something in this stream flowing out of the past that would imprison the human soul.
“These same principles work directly into how we think about and form our surroundings. The principles we have learned to use to shape our environments are also based on strengthening hierarchies, reinforcing power structures, increasing privilege. For millennia, major buildings have been designed to accentuate their axis, limiting how we can connect with them. Raised above us we must climb ranks of stairs to access them. The environment is designed to ‘make small’ the individual, to inflate institutionalized power structures. These are the buildings of governments, of corporations, of religious institutions. As we move through these spaces we draw these
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"Building Pathways to the Foundation Stone Meditation:
An Appeal for Gift Money"
John Glanzer, Dorothy LeBaron, and Robert McKay
John, Dorothy, and Robert are part of the Gift Money Mandate Group of the Anthroposophical Society in Canada. Reporting to the Society Council, the Mandate group will raise funds to support anthroposophical projects. We will also be available to members who are interested in making a bequest or other donation through their will so we can ensure funds donated in this way carry the donor’s intentions clearly into practical work.
We are writing to ask for your support to help publish a book that will bring forward new perspectives on how to work with the Foundation Stone Meditation. This great meditation lives in the very heart of the anthroposophical movement. Through this important new volume, a wider range of people may find their way to working with it actively in their daily lives.
The project is being led by Arie van Ameringen, the former General Secretary of the Anthroposophical Society in Canada, and will include chapters on different approaches from multiple contributors including:
· Paul Mackay's chapter on working with the rhythms of the Foundation Stone
· Michaela Glockler's chapter on the Foundation Stone and healing
· Joan Sleigh's chapter on the social significance of the Foundation Stone
· Jean Michel Florin’s chapter about the elemental beings and biodynamic agriculture
in relation to the Foundation Stone
· Helmut Goldman's chapter on the Philosophy of Freedom and the Foundation Stone
· Claus Peter Röh's chapter on the Foundation Stone and education
The book will also include chapters by Bert Chase, the Canadian Society's current General Secretary, and several other leading anthroposophists. It will be published in English, French and German.
In order to cover the costs of translation, design, printing, and promotions, the Society is seeking to raise $5,500 from both Society members and others who recognize the importance of the Foundation Stone Meditation.
Any contribution you could make would be gratefully received. Your contribution is fully tax deductible.
You can donate directly through Canada Helps (see below) or send in a cheque
to the Society noting the reason for the donation.
We are currently looking for more Mandate Group members. If you are interested in finding out more, please contact John Glanzer (
john.glanzer@gmail.com
) to discuss the opportunity.
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The Essence of Conversation
The humanist, consciousness that awakens other consciousnesses
by Michel Dongois
What is a human being? This question was the starting point for a spontaneous four-way conversation over coffee and croissants which took place in Montreal in early November. The conversation was full of warmth, while
Renée Cossette, Bodo von Plato and Arie van Ameringen
(photo Michel Dongois).
outside, winter was preparing to make its yearly appearance over the city. The four individuals seated around the table were: Renée Cossette, Bodo von Plato, Arie van Ameringen and Michel Dongois.
What is a human being? This question has been asked during every period of human history. The great philosophers, artists and politicians have approached it in a multitude of ways. “If one does not ask (oneself) this question, consciousness cannot take hold of it. And consciousness is the very essence of a human being’s autonomy, and, in today’s world, the sign of an individual’s capacity for taking responsibility for the planet.” This notion was put forward by Bodo at the very outset of the conversation.
Arie then went on to say that “It is up to us to make this question relevant for today’s world, and to individualise it. And this becomes increasingly essential, since our traditional points of reference – social, cultural, spiritual – are rapidly being lost.” But it is only the human being who can take the initiative to ask the question, and do so in complete freedom.
Risks
What risks must we take today in order to expand our awareness? And what risks must society take in order to become more human, and therefore more aware?
On the subject of risk taking, Renée gave the example of her own field of expertise, that of workplace safety and security. Even though clear rules and regulations are absolutely necessary, they are not enough to minimise the risks of accidents. The workers themselves must be educated, “formés pour transformer” – trained in such a way that they themselves can bring about a transformation. This means creating awareness of the risks inherent in one’s own surroundings, since prevention is the best protection.
In her humanist approach, Renée uses the Enneagram, a tool for self-knowledge and behavioural awareness based on personality profiles. By means of this tool, a worker becomes more aware of his or her personal predisposition in relation to various risk factors and learns why he or she takes undue risks.
Speech is Gold
At this point in the conversation, the four participants agreed that the thing that connects us all is “otherness.” We can even go so far as to speak of the “mystery of otherness.” Bodo von Plato advocates a pragmatic humanism that cultivates care for a fellow human being’s inner life and that represents our innate desire to serve others. Carrying on a conversation “at eye level,” he says, is one sign of our search for the human quality in our meetings with others.
In today’s world we seem to be intent on destroying everything on both the social and ecological levels; we risk causing disruption in the hopes of seeing some sort of new consciousness emerge. In point of fact, we must become co-creators, because creation itself is in an unfinished state; the spiritual world needs the help of human beings who act in complete freedom. Mankind must provide assistance in creating a new order, one that is in accordance with cosmic evolution.
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Ross Alden posthumous 100th birthday celebration
Ross Alden was drawn to the work of Rudolf Steiner and in 1976 was invited as a pianist and composer to work at the Goetheanum in Switzerland, the Headquarters of the Anthroposophical Society. He also accepted an invitation from Else Klink and moved to the Eurythmeum in Stuttgart, Germany.
The Canadian Music Centre (CMC) recognises Ross Alden (1920-2008) as a composer posthumously, cataloguing and publishing all of his music on the occasion of the composer's 100th anniversary memorial concert in Vancouver on 10 February 2020.
Biography by his daughter Elizabeth Carmack
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Ross Alden (aka Murray Carmack) (11 February 1920 – 15 October 2008)
My father grew up on a family farm just outside of Nanton, Alberta. He was the eldest child of a family of five. It was a hard life and he began helping his father with chores at the tender age of four. His father came from American pioneer stock, whereas his mother was a teacher whose family was from Ontario.
His love of intellectual study must have come from his mother. Ross excelled at school, graduat- ing from high school with honours two years early. He suffered from violence in the home and developed a stutter, overcoming it only through force of mind.
One of his earliest and happiest memories as a child was learning to read music from his mother’s hymnal when he accompanied her to church. An upright piano came into the house a little later, through a debt someone owed his father. For Ross, music became a kind of sanctuary.
He loved reading, and books not only fired his imagination, but created another form of refuge from the drudgery of farm life.
His father thought him a disappointment and a failure, whereas his teachers found him unusually intelligent. It’s no surprise that he left home at sixteen, and moved to Calgary, where he earned a living playing the piano.
He was a deep and complex thinker and his innate sensitivity is continually expressed through his music. It was through music that my father overcame his suffering and expressed a deeply re- fined sense of the spirit. And it was this spiritual quality of my father that impressed those that knew him.
Like many composers, he was multi-talented. As a pianist he took his LRSM and passed his ARCT at the age of 18, later completing his LTCL and FTCL exams in piano solo performance from Trinity College London. He wrote ten surprisingly mature works for piano between the age
of 15 and 22, known as Juvenilia, which he later performed within the context of his live Pacific Pianoforte broadcasts for the CBC.
He received his teaching certificate with honours from Calgary Normal School at age 19 and went on to teach in Calgary and Vancouver. Just as his hours of disciplined practice at the key- board resulted in compositions for piano, his experience of teaching inspired a period of choral writing for children. A collaboration with Burton Kurth and Mildred McManus on the music cur- riculum for the BC public school system produced two publications: “We Like to Sing” (1954) for primary school children and “Sing Me a Song” (1956) for grades four to six. When “Sing Me a Song Teacher’s Edition” (1958) was published, the Board of Education in Ontario, as well as London, England adopted the book as their music curriculum. Winning the BC Centennial Song Competition in 1958 was a high point of those years of choral composition.
Later in life Ross studied composition, history, and counterpoint from Durham, Harvard, Oxford and Brown universities. In 1966 Ross went to Harvard University on scholarship and completed his two year master’s degree in eleven months. Later during his graduate
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Annual Conferences of the Anthroposophical Society from 30th March to 5th April 2020 at the Goetheanum in Dornach/Switzerland
Dear Friends responsible for the Anthroposophical Society,
Dear General Secretaries and Country Representatives,
Dear Councils and Treasurers,
Dear members responsible for Branch and Group,
Dear Friends,
In the spirit of "Save the Date" we would like to give you the exact dates and times of the intense week of the Anthroposophical Annual Conference in March/April 2020, in which we hope for rich and plentiful encounters, initiatives and achievements from all the work in the worldwide society. Justus Wittich
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Branch work as a cultural impulse
Not only is the public becoming more and more polarized, but among us we also find views that tend to polarize. However, they do not always need to be recognized as such, but rather point to essential challenges for all of us and show the diversity that lives actively among us. Thus, the question of how to deal with such challenges arises.
This also applies to our publications, which have different objectives: "Anthroposophy Worldwide" (AWW), the official newsletter of the Anthroposophical Society, and "Ein Nachrichtenblatt" (ENB), which also sees itself as a newsletter on "What is going on in the Anthroposophical Society".
We therefore have invited the editors to our meeting and asked them to support us in our search for and development of a culture which accepts different views and seeks to discover new views and insights based on mutual understanding
...
We warmly invite all those who are active in and feel responsible for the Branch and Group work, to participate in our gathering.
Joan Sleigh for the Executive Council of the GAS at the Goetheanum, Andreas Heertsch and Ronald Templeton for the Branch at the Goetheanum
Programme
1.4.2019 17:00 Welcome [Joan Sleigh] followed by an introduction to the topic [NN, not yet confirmed]
1.4,2020 20:00 Easter Celebration of the Branches around the Goetheanum (All are warmly invited)
2.4.2020 09:00 Introduction to the topic [Andreas Heertsch]: Goals of our publication organs [Sebastian
Jüngel/Kersten Juel & Roland Tüscher].
2
.4.2020 10:15 Break
2.4.2020 11:00 Working groups on the topic
2.4.2020 11:45 Plenary on the topic
2.4.2020 12:30 End of the meeting
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Society for Bio-Dynamic Farming and Gardening in Ontario
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General Information and Upcoming Events
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Branches & Groups
Calgary Branch
Contact: Christine at
*******
Cantons de l'Est
*******
Confluence of Three Rivers (Ottawa)
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Duncan
Contact:
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Edmonton
*******
Huronia Branch (Barrie)
Contact Janine at
705-728-1443
*******
London
*******
Montréal (Français)
Institute Rudolf Steiner Quebec
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Montreal Branch (English)
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Nelson, BC
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Nova Scotia
*******
Polaris Branch (Thornhill)
*******
Saugeen Cedar Branch
(Durham)
*******
Sherbrooke (Français)
*******
Sunshine Coast (BC)
********
Thornhill Group
*******
Toronto Branch
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Vancouver
*******
Val David (Français)
*******
Victoria
******
Membership Update
New M
embe
rs
Annabelle Gareau, Ste-Adele, QC
Philippe Hetu, Ste-Adele, QC
Caspar Radden, Consecon, ON
Welcome!
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Editorial Notes
The eNews is published 10 times per year for members of the Anthroposophical Society In Canada.
Please send correspondence and articles in either Word doc or iWork pages without formatting except for paragraphs to
BACK ISSUES are available on our website:
You will need the password: ASC
Contact Info
Anthroposophical Society in Canada
# 130A - 1 Hesperus Rd.
Thornhill, ON
L4J 0G9
Membership Administrator
Christine Tansley
416-892-3656
877-892-3656
Communication Administrator
Jef Saunders
Members website
please note you will need to use the password
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to access the members only page
Council
President
Treasurer
Secretary
General Secretary
School For Spiritual Science
For list of Class Holders,
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Ross Alden: 100th Birthday Celebration
Tickets: $39.50 / Students with ID $10
Continuing a tradition of recognizing the important work of neglected Canadian composers, CMC BC Concerts will present a posthumous 100th Birthday Celebration of Canadian composer
Ross Alden
(also known as Murray Carmack) with performances of his lush chamber music by
Vetta Chamber Players
in CMC BC’s uniquely intimate
Murray Adaskin Salon
on Monday, February 10, 2020 at 7:00 pm.
Ross was drawn to the work of Rudolf Steiner and in 1976 was invited as a pianist and composer to work at the Goetheanum in Switzerland, the Headquarters of the Anthroposophical Society. He also accepted an invitation from Else Klink and moved to the Eurythmeum in Stuttgart, Germany.
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ONTARIO - MARCH 5TH, 2020
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NOVA SCOTIA - March 6 - 9th
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BANCROFT, ONTARIO - July 30 - August1
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The geology of Bancroft region will be the general theme of this conference, including hands-on geological field activities, lectures and discussions about Goethean observation, spiritual-scientific insights into the earth’s geology and related topics observation exercises, plus a visit to the RockHound Gemboree.
An artistic activity will enhance the experience.For information and to register for the conference, please contact: Dr Sandy Musclow in Bancroft, ON at
sandymusclow@gmail.com
or (613) 334-9802.
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Anthroposophy Worldwide - 2020
Next edition will be published in February as a joint Jan/Feb edition.
If you would like to see the archive of past issues, go to:
Archiv
e
then enter password AWE-2018
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