From the World Society
On Our Gifts
Dear Members and Friends of the Anthroposophical Society in Canada,
The respite that summer brings comes all too quickly to an end with the cascade of meetings and conferences that fill the autumn months. This fall’s schedule was further intensified by the inclusion of meetings of the North American Collegium with the AGM of the US Anthroposophical Society. A first joint meeting of the Collegium with the Council of the US Society was also added. In Canada the first significant meeting of the General Anthroposophical Section within the Canadian context took place at Hesperus Village in Toronto. All of these were necessary and important expansions of the General Secretary’s tasks. Within this busy schedule islands of quiet become welcome sanctuaries in the on-flowing stream of events.
Over many years of engagement with Hesperus Village, what I look forward to is just such a quiet space. My habit has become one of arriving and unpacking, doing the shopping for my meals, and then making my way up under the roof to the western end of the the building. There I knock on the door marked 411 and wait for the welcome that inevitably comes. So it was again this October. The door opened and I was met by the rosy cheeks, the red hair and the warm embrace of someone who has become a dear friend. Surrounded by her usual creative chaos we spent the next hours catching up on all of her many interests and projects. As the day shifted into night, she spoke of the latest endeavours of her children and grandchildren. Seamlessly she shifted into the then current political campaign and her infectious enthusiasm for a local candidate who she initially had met with gruelling scrutiny. Her usual pattern.
She also spoke of two individuals who she had recently heard from, people who wanted her to know how much their lives had been touched by her. She shared how she had helped these individuals while being the administrator of a support society for those with hearing impairments. She seemed genuinely baffled that these individuals, along with others, felt that she had made a major difference in their lives simply by taking an interest in them and creating opportunities for them that enabled them to progress in their lives. As she spoke, I was reminded of many others she had spoken of over the years, people that she had helped in so many ways. For each one she had given the gift of herself, taking action on behalf of others..............
|
|
"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.
|
|
Branch and Membership Development Group
from Robert McKay & Susan Koppersmith
The Council is working with several mandate groups to engage Society members more directly and collaboratively. In my two years of working
with the Council, I have come to realize how much work there is to be done to promote and support anthroposophy in Canada. There is a great need for members on and off the Council to work together with initiatives because so much needs to be done. The contact person for each mandate group is the Council member whose task it is to keep the Council informed. Decisions of the mandate groups go to the Council to be ratified.
At one of the breaks at the Montreal AGM last May, I met Robert McKay from Toronto. We introduced ourselves and soon found out we were both heavily involved in Branch life in our respective communities and liked this work.
Within a few minutes of meeting we formed a new mandate group. It was Robert’s idea to call ourselves the Branch and Membership Development Mandate Group and to meet regularly. We had our first Zoom videoconference meeting in August and have had monthly Zoom meetings since then. We are at present establishing our Terms of Reference and thinking about projects that we want to take on.
Along the way we have collected a few more members — Janine Sade from Barrie, Mark McGivern from Victoria and, lately, Monika Yurkovich from Toronto and Nicolette Genier from Duncan.
Our mandate group would like to gather information about the various branches and groups and also other initiatives with some details on how they work. There is, to be true, some information on our Society website but we would like to know more, in some cases.
We are compiling a questionnaire that we expect to circulate to the contact people of various branches and groups. We are very much looking forward to hearing from these contacts.
Canada is such a big country with many branches and groups not in direct contact with each other. Our mandate group wants to foster a shared mood of fellowship with Society members and friends across the country.
We want to hear from you: we will be in touch!
With warm wishes,
Susan Koppersmith
BC Council Rep
|
|
FROM THE GOETHEANUM
Greater participation of members worldwide
A society relies on communication among its members – among us; and given that we are active worldwide in the Anthroposophical Society we need tools for this kind of exchange. Anthroposophy Worldwide is one such tool.
At this year’s AGM we took up a proposal from the Nordic countries and discussed how members who cannot travel to Dornach can nevertheless participate in the Annual General Meeting and the decisions taken there. Among the suggestions made were voting by letter and regulations for the AGM process. In November the members of the Conference of Country Societies (formerly: country representatives) asked the Executive Council at the Goetheanum to stream parts of the 2020 AGM live in English and German so that members all over the world can at least participate in some of the events. Preparations, too, should be shared, for instance by making it possible for members to send written contributions prior to the AGM. In a trial run, a committee will advise the Executive Council on how to deal with submitted motions. With some experience of such a procedure one then needs to assess whether it is conducive to strengthening our common awareness of the anthroposophical impulse.
Shared responsibility
A further form of participation will consist in including the general secretaries and country representatives more directly. Following positive feedback from the members at the last Annual Conference and the agreement of the Conference of Country Societies, the Executive Council at the Goetheanum would like to ask at the 2020 AGM that the conference of presently 36 country societies be included in the Statutes as an organ of the General Anthroposophical Society. When the treasurers of the Anthroposophical Societies worldwide met at Rudolf Steiner House in London on 9 and 10 November, it became apparent that, on the strength of – in this case – 80 percent of members represented, a community can take on responsibility and convey incentives if they work together critically as well as trustfully.
Justus Wittich, Goetheanum
|
|
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
|
|
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.
When cooperation is established in this way, we may perhaps speak of a cultural impulse that could have significance beyond the work of the Branches and Groups, thus having an impact in the public sphere.
In order to learn to realize such a calm way of dealing with each other ("in stillness of thought") more and more, an excerpt from the 3rd verse of the "Foundation Stone Meditation" (the annual motif) could form the golden foundation of this attempt:
...
Practise spirit-beholding
In stillness of thought,
Where the gods’ eternal aims
Bestow the light of cosmic being
On your own I
For free and active willing.
And you will truly think
In human spirit depths.
...
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
|
|
The Grail Quest, or the art of asking the true question
-
an interview by Michel Dongois with Jean Poynard
Since 1967, Jean Poyard has been interested in the history of esoteric Christianity, by way of Eastern orthodoxy. For over 30 years he has carried on research into the Grail tradition and the spiritual impulse of the Knights Templar. He is a member of the Anthroposophical Society in France (1988) and a member of the School for Spiritual Science (2003). Since retiring from an active professional career and stepping back from his responsibilities as director in the area of social housing, he has devoted his time to his research in the above mentioned fields. He has lectured extensively, and is the author of
Le Graal,
queste christique et templière
(“The Grail and Templar Streams as Christian quests), published by Dervy. The following interview with Michel Dongois took place this fall in Paris.
Why was Chrétien de Troyes’ romance
Perceval ou le Conte du Graal
left unfinished?
The Perceval romance is generally considered to be an unfinished work. The story does indeed end abruptly, as if the author set down his pen one evening, never to take it up again. However, a step by step analysis of this text, which derives from the highest tradition, reveals a rigorous architecture showing that the Grail story has been brought to its completion, in spite of seeming at first glance to be unfinished!
The Grail legend is like the human being, incomplete, as we can observe every day of our lives; it is like the evolution of History itself, going forward step by step on its way towards fulfillment. As is the case with Christianity – still in its adolescent stage when considered from the perspective of an adult Christianity that is somewhere in the future. In this sense, the Grail story is in its essence a question, which is why it has given birth to a multiplicity of offspring and why it remains a source of soul searching and inspiration. Its unfinished nature has a germinative potential which by its very nature reveals the essence of the quest. It is an
enigma
– meaning, etymologically speaking, a word waiting to be revealed.
Everything is there, in seed form, in the romance of Perceval, though hidden behind a veil of what appear to be naive symbols and images. In order to untie the “Gordian Knot” of the tale, one must keep in mind the fact that Perceval symbolises both an individual path, which is fulfilled in the romance, and the evolutionary path of mankind as a whole, which is in a process of becoming!
Thus, Perceval does not ask the healing question required to cure the Fisher King, which would have led the story to a premature ending. And yet, this does not keep him from continuing to strive for personal development, nor from ...............
|
|
Vancouver Mystery Drama Group
On the west coast, the Vancouver Mystery Drama group is alive and active.
We are a group of about 12 or more who rehearse one weekend a month. Marie-Reine Adams, who has had much experience working with a mystery drama group in the United Kingdom, travels to Vancouver from Vancouver Island to direct us. We are also grateful for Anja Macmurchie who accompanies her and helps us with speech and drama exercises.
At present we are working with the
Portal of Initiation
with the plan of sharing some rehearsals with the public in the new year and the spring. We hope to have a performance in early July.
It is amazing to witness all the little miracles that happen around our practices. Even those with small parts benefit from hearing, repeatedly, the longer speeches of some others. In scene one we are introduced to all the characters and their views of life. One can feel one’s soul expand, gaining sympathy for many different points of view.
We struggle with our parts as each tries to feel the words he speaks coming from the depths of the soul. Finding the appropriate gesture is important. The spoken word is transformed gesture; it is bodily motion changed to sound. Watching each other grapple with all of this is like watching a play within a play. Improvements come in leaps and bounds.
Along the way our group has had some setbacks. At present, our Strader is very ill and we do not know if and when he will be able to rejoin us. For the time being, another member of the cast has stepped in to read his part.
The latest miracle: one of our cast members invited a person very new to anthroposophy to visit a rehearsal and consider taking the part of Felicia, as we have been without a Felicia since the beginning. This woman had learned a few the lines and immediately stepped into the part as if she was born for it. We all spontaneously applauded her first efforts!
Susan Koppersmith
Vancouver
|
|
OBITUARY
Sybille Hahn, March 19, 1944 ~ October 22, 2019
Having been a part of Hesperus for over 25 years, in many ways Sybille embodied the vision of Hesperus....life-fulfilling elderhood. She was actively involved, engaged and inclusive. Through her time with Hesperus, she held the roles of board member, administrator and most recently that of a volunteer and resident. She played an integral role in the creation of our new building and she remained committed to her strong connections to the other anthroposophical initiatives on this campus. She was tireless in her efforts to build community.
We each have our own path in life but hers can be an inspiration. As Robert Massoud, the MC at her Celebration of Life said, "the best part of this event to celebrate Sybille is that it causes each of us to examine ourselves and what we stand for and take courage from her example of commitment and love."
Sybille had a very difficult childhood but did not let that rule her life...rather she worked to rise above it. Born on March 19, 1944 in Militsch, Silesia - now part of Poland but at the time part of Germany and before that of Prussia...a land and battleground between empires for 200 years. Her family fled Militsch in January 1945 and lived in various refugee camps until early 1946. A few years ago Sybille rallied people in the Hesperus community to sponsor a refugee family from Syria. She knew what it was to be a refugee.
While fiercely independent, Sybille was especially grateful for living in a community where she could work at cultivating what is truly human by "rubbing up against others." Sybille's daughter Hilary spoke at the Celebration. "All her years of working and seeking led her to Hesperus. With you, she built community and experienced friendship and camaraderie. With you, she lived a life of creativity, ceremony and ritual deeply rooted in the earth and life's cycle. With you, she felt a sense of purpose, meaning and spiritual fulfilment. She lived her happiest years amongst you all. For the last five days, I have lived in the bosom of that warmth and kindness and have experienced first hand what my mother has been trying to explain to me my whole life. And like most mother/daughter relationships, I can say that only now in her passing, do I understand Sybille more fully."
As a young person in the sixties, she read voraciously (comparative religion, Buddhism, Sartre, Nietzsche, Marx, Rand, Hesse). Through Yaqoob and Antje Ghaznavi she met Waldorf where her two children attended the Toronto Waldorf School. Her years as a student of Theravada Buddhism made it easy to find her way into Anthroposophy. Through this connection with Yaqoob and Antje she had the opportunity to meet teachers and Anthroposophists and benefited from countless conversations paving the way for life at TWS and Hesperus.
Sybille was idealistic and worked to make the world a better place whether it was through supporting a politician she believed in or trying to change the culture of aging by advocating on behalf of seniors at a roundtable meeting with Deb Schulte, currently the Minister for Seniors. She did all this out of pure love and devotion to the ideals of equality, justice and above all for people.
The two pieces below were found in Sybille's belongings after her crossing.
And, so I cross over
Energy willed, disperses.
Sounds seen fade away.
Sights heard melt.
Experience in memory held or not.
Only love remains.
s.b.hahn
"I am grateful for the people who touched my life in so many ways providing what I needed when it was needed. I am sure they were inspired by angels as I most likely was when I had the occasional opportunity to be of assistance to others. I am grateful for and proud of my children and grandchildren; and, very grateful they live nearby. In sum, I do believe I have had a charmed life and I feel very loved and appreciated, by friends and neighbours." Sybille
Reprinted from Hesperus December Newsletter
|
|
|
|
Perspectives:
theme for 2020 -
Good and Evil, Light and Darkness
.
|
We are calling for articles of 1500 words or less and, in order to be considered for selection, they must be received no later than Dec. 31, 2019. Files can be sent in English or French (we will take care of the translation). We would also like to receive good quality photos of artwork based on the theme.
Closing date December 31, 2019
|
|
|
|
Society for Bio-Dynamic Farming and Gardening in Ontario
|
|
General Information and Upcoming Events
|
|
Branches & Groups
Calgary Branch
see National Council January visit in upcoming events in right hand column
Contact: Christine at
*******
Cantons de l'Est
*******
Confluence of Three Rivers (Ottawa)
*******
Duncan
Contact:
*******
Edmonton
*******
Huronia Branch (Barrie)
Contact Janine at
705-728-1443
*******
London
*******
Montréal (Français)
Institute Rudolf Steiner Quebec
*******
Montreal Branch (English)
*******
Nelson, BC
*******
Nova Scotia
*******
Polaris Branch (Thornhill)
*******
Saugeen Cedar Branch
(Durham)
*******
Sherbrooke (Français)
*******
Sunshine Coast (BC)
********
Thornhill Group
*******
Toronto Branch
*******
Vancouver
*******
Val David (Français)
*******
Victoria
******
Membership Update
******
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
ASC
to access the members only page
Council
President
Treasurer
Secretary
General Secretary
School For Spiritual Science
For list of Class Holders,
|
|
CALGARY - December forward
|
NATIONAL COUNCIL VISIT
JAN 9 - 12, 2020
The Council of the Anthroposophical Society in Canada strives to connect with Members across the country wherever possible through eNews, Constant Contact emails, AGMs and Council Retreats at various centres.
Please see the itinerary below; locations are TBA. It was about 10 years ago that we last hosted the Council, so we very much look forward to another fulfilling engagement with them now.
Jan. 9
5:30 pm - Potluck supper with Council
members and hosts
7:30 pm - Conversation with our study group
and other interested people
Jan. 10
All day Council meeting
Jan. 11
9:30 am - All day clay workshop for
members and friends with Jef Saunders
on the Healing of Wounds
5:30 pm - Supper with Council members
and members of the First Class
7:30 pm - Meeting of members of the
First Class of the School for Spiritual
Science
Jan. 12
10:00 am - School for Spiritual Science
Class lesson Council lunch and
departure
|
ONTARIO - MARCH 5TH, 2020 : ADVANCE NOTICE
|
Anthroposophy Worldwide - 2019
We will continue to provide a link for anthroposophy worldwide for the time being. Please refer to article below concerning direct delivery from the Goetheanum.
If you would like to see the archive of past issues, go to:
Archiv
e
then enter password AWE-2018
Anthroposophy worldwide to your inbox
If you are a member of the Anthroposophical Society in Canada (ASC), you are also a member of the General Anthroposophical Society (GAS) centred at the Gotheanum, Dornach, Switzerland. The GAS is currently pursuing a policy of direct email communication with members.
Anthroposophy Worldwide, which reached its 21st birthday this year, is available ten times a year by email. You can now receive it in pdf form directly from the Goetheanum. Please send them your email address – to ensure correct identification add your name and postal address – using the online forms, which are available in English, French, German and Spanish at:
anthroposophie.org/abo.
S
elect ENGLISH (EN)/FRENCH (FR) on the welcome page.
Fill out the form. If you have problems filling in or submitting the form, you can also send your data informally to
abo@dasgoetheanum.com
.
Many Thanks,
Editor
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
