In this edition
Meeting One Another INVITATION
Meeting one another:
Marjorie Thatcher
Michelle Havixbeck
Invitation - Branch and Membership Development Group - Cross-country zoom
FSM book launch
Obituary: Arthur Osmond
ASC Expands Fundraising Capacity by Accepting Donations of Securities
Trillium Waldorf School is raising up to $2 million in Community Bonds
Membership Update
Anthroposophy Worldwide #01/02, 2022 (Pending)
Events and information:
AGM: Save the Date
Christine Gruwez event
RSCC Courses
Nature Institute
Perennial Roots Farm - Winter 2022 Biodynamic Study Group
Agricultural Conference Feb 2, 2022
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Meeting One Another
In the vastness that is Canada we celebrate those times when we can come together, to be with one another. The separation we have experienced over the past year has affected us deeply. We have longed to be with one another. This is our strength.
As we come closer to the point of renewal, of re-inauguration, at Christmas 2023 we seek to support this longing to meet each other month by month through the eNews. To make this possible an invitation is given to each of you to share your story.
How did you meet anthroposophy? What led you to join the Anthroposophical Society?
With 500 words, and a photo, share your journey with us. We all look forward to meeting you.
Thank you to members who have already sent in contributions.
Send your contribution to:
See below for this months contributions
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Marjorie Thatcher
North Vancouver, British Columbia
Marjorie’s story is one of people – constellations of anthroposophical luminaries, communities of devoted colleagues, lifelong friends. At the centre of this intricate tapestry of relationships is her family: strong, ever supportive, warm. At the heart of this wondrous weaving of lives Marjorie places her younger brother, Roderick. Born with Down Syndrome when Marjorie was seven, he was at the centre of a fundamental life transformation for everyone involved.
Marjorie’s mother and aunt, both musicians, were intimately connected sisters. At opposite ends of the globe, one gave birth in New Zealand while the other studied music in London. Having found her way to anthroposophy in London on hearing of Roderick’s birth, Marjorie’s aunt made the decision to move to Dornach. Here, for seven years, she prepared herself to take up a significant initiative – to found what would become one of the first anthroposophical institution in New Zealand. Reflecting on these years, Marjorie remembers vividly the warmth and love surrounding her brother, rather than the anxiety and regret that often comes with such a birth.
At eighteen several critical events opened the door to Marjorie’s future: her father’s unanticipated death, the commencement of her nursing and midwifery training, and the move of her mother and brother to Hohepa, her aunt’s initiative to establish an anthroposophical support community for those with special needs. It is here that Marjorie would visit during her training, meeting and forming relationships with many anthroposophists invited to join or support the community. Intermittently immersed in the life of this community, Marjorie was often struck by what seemed to come from anthroposophy. Long standing questions found answers here, open answers not based on dogma. This openness was critically important for her. In considering her waking up to anthroposophy, what she recalls is a copy of Rudolf Steiner’s Occult Science an Outline coming into her hand and being invited to join the community’s anthroposophical doctor and nurse in their weekly eurythmy classes.
Wanting to complete her midwifery training in Scotland she, with two fellow nurses who had become close friends, decided to see Canada on the way. They chose Kamloops, British Columbia. Here Marjorie’s journey intersected that of her future husband, Philip. Their two young children were to lead them into their next life phases, a move to North Vancouver for the Waldorf School, and an invitation for Marjorie to take up what would become her significant work with young children. It was at this time that anthroposophy came into true focus for her. These young ones filled Marjorie with initiative. Completing her early childhood training at Emerson College in England, she became central to the development of early childhood education in North America, work that she nurtured for decades. She links her decision to join the Anthroposophical Society in 1973, when she was 35, to the ‘fire’ these children ignited in her. And, it was the sense of responsibility for all that this work means in our world that moved her to join the School of Spiritual Science in 1983.
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Michelle Havixbeck &
Kim Hunter
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Interview with Michelle Havixbeck
by Kim Hunter
How did you meet Rudolf Steiner's work?
There are two answers:
I had a daycare in Vancouver and we did a lot of gardening with the kids and I saw and ordered a book which turned out to be the agricultural lectures that Rudolf Steiner gave. At the time, it was about 98% over my head but the other 2% was amazing. At the end of the book there was a blurb about Steiner. It was the start of a path that eventually led me to the West Coast Institute where I joined the teacher training without having ever been inside a Waldorf school: I was a Montessori teacher.
I spent a year in Bali as a single parent when I was in my 20s. Upon returning to Canada I started my daycare. I wanted the children to be outside, to be free, so we were outside a lot and in the garden. Waldorf offered a deeper understanding of what freedom is. I had this as an intuitive concept, as an ideal, that I only really understood when I engaged in the study of Anthroposophy.
Answer 2: I came across Rudolf Steiner's work in Bali. I lived there for a year when Kiara – my first child - was young. I knew the founders of the Green School and they were very anthroposophically oriented. They hosted a workshop given by Bruce Sherratt on Goethe's colour theory. Seeds were planted there but I wasn't aware of them until later, when I returned to Canada.
It was deeply soul connecting for me in Bali. It was the first place that I really felt connected to the earth. I met my husband in Vancouver, but we were married in Bali. Our son, Logan, started to walk the day we arrived there on a return trip. I still feel very connected to Bali.
Why is it important to be a member of the Society?
I became a member of the Anthroposophical Society because one day when I was with Ruth [Ruth Kerr - Programme Director of the early childhood teacher education programme at the West Coast Institute] I told her that when I read the 'little book' about Whitsun that was put out by WECAN, I was so moved that I cried. Ruth said, “You might think about joining the Society”. I knew that was what I needed to do, and I did. I didn't think about it, I just did it.
In the larger community I see how connecting it is, how the ASC is a part of what I am. Anthroposophy has grounded me. Before I did the teacher education course I had explored several spiritual ideas in search of the right path for me. A year into the course I realized that I wasn't doing all the other spiritual practices I had tried over the years; I didn't need them any more. Anthroposophy was nourishing me deeply.
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Dear Friends,
On behalf of the Branch and Membership Development Group I warmly invite you to our next Cross-country zoom call on Sunday, February 20th, 4 pm EST, 1 pm PST. This virtual meeting is dedicated to "News from the Branches". We are excited to hear from active members all across Canada how the work in their branches and/or study groups is going, what have been recent highlights and how they are meeting the challenges of our current situation. Please use the following zoom link to join the conversation. I am looking forward to seeing you!
There is no need to register for this call but if you are interested in presenting, please contact me at corinna.sons@gmail.com by February 11th.
Thank you!
Corinna
Susan Koppersmith is inviting you to a scheduled Zoom meeting.
Join Zoom Meeting
Meeting ID: 838 591 9046
Passcode: asc
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Book Launch in Toronto
On Saturday afternoon, December 18th, Arie van Ameringen, our former General Secretary, joined with 24 others for the Toronto book launch of The Foundation Stone Meditation and the Challenges of Our Times. The publication of this wonderful new volume of essay on the great mantra was made possible in part through donations from members of the Anthroposophical Society in Canada.
Robert McKay opened the event by guiding the participants in imagining Christmas morning 1923 in Dornach when Dr. Steiner first presented the great verse. Mark McAlister then presented the verse itself in a most interesting way, drawing on his skills in dramatic speech. Arie then spoke about the origins of the book, referred to some of the content, and about his unfolding experience of research in the Foundation Stone.
Many participants left with one or more copies of the new book. If you live in Toronto and would like to purchase a copy, please contact Paper Pipit (www.paperpipit.com) orTri-Fold Books
Special thanks to Dorothy Lebaron, Diana Hughes, Siobhan Hughes, and the Rudolf Steiner College Canada for their help in putting on the event.
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Arthur Edwin Osmond
October 3rd 1947–November 30th 2021
by Susan Koppersmith
A few years ago, when visiting Nova Scotia, our Society president, Micah Edelstein, invited me to a study group at the home of long-time anthroposophists, Arthur and Margaret Osmond, who lived in Dartmouth — just across the harbour from Halifax.
The Osmond’s house was near Oathill Lake which is close to the house in Dartmouth, where I spent my early teenage years. Dense forest surrounded Oathill Lake in those days. Much of this has been replaced by single-family homes with gardens and trees — different, but still a pleasant environment. Arthur and Margaret lived in one of these houses. They invited me for dinner with a chance to take part in a study group afterwards. We ate our meal at a large round table placed near a picture window where the living room would normally be in a house. This space seemed especially created to welcome guests and share food! Behind the table and against the wall, was a sofa and chairs where our study took place.
Arthur, born in the US, spent 35 years in the UK. He and Margaret had lived and taught in Kings Langley, near London. Margaret is a Eurythmist and Arthur, also a Eurythmist, was a former Waldorf class teacher with special talents to teach gardening and religion and direct plays in the lower school. At the time I visited, he was also the Class Holder for Nova Scotia. He rose every morning just after 3 am to do meditative and Eurythmy practice. Then he travelled to be in time for his 5 am shift at Pete’s Frootique, a high-end grocery and catering store in Halifax where he worked full-time as the produce clerk. He was known there as Arthur, King of Organics because he used every opportunity to promote organic food.
I asked Margaret, “Why did your family move to Dartmouth from Kings Langley? Why move from a centre of anthroposophy to a city in a new country thousands of miles away where there is no Waldorf School and little anthroposophical activity?”
She said it was because of the “light.” This struck me as odd, because I had no awareness that Dartmouth possessed anything that was special. She said that she and Arthur and their daughter, Dee, had visited Dartmouth years earlier because her sister lived there and they had always wanted to visit the Maritimes. They noticed and appreciated the quality of light around Dartmouth’s hills and many lakes.
They then returned to Kings Langley thinking that they would forget about this part of the world and life would carry on as usual back in England. But it didn’t. The charms of Dartmouth kept coming to mind and, after a year (in 2008), they decided to move permanently to Nova Scotia.
During my visit, the Osmond’s and I talked of many things, including our Anthroposophical Society. I came away thankful that one can visit Society members across Canada and feel welcome in each other’s homes because it is the fellowship in our Society that unites us.
Now fast-forward several years when, this past October on a return-visit to Nova Scotia, I was able to visit the Osmond’s again. Beforehand, Margaret had let me know that Arthur had developed dementia. He had been slowly losing his memory and two years ago was officially diagnosed. I arrived on a sunny warm day; we had a leisurely lunch, followed by a long walk around Oathill Lake.
While Margaret and I exchanged news, Arthur stayed....
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St. Francis giving his mantle to a poor man.
GIOTTO di Bondone
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ASC Expands Fundraising Capacity by Accepting Donations of Securities
Note: The information in this article is for convenience only. Nothing in this article is to be taken as financial advice. Please consult your investment or legal professional for specific advice relative to your situation.
On October 15, the ASC received a donation of securities in the form of stocks in a Canadian company. This landmark milestone represents an evolution of our capacity to offer our donors more flexibility in gift planning and bequests. It all began some months ago, when Council resolved to expand our capacity to receive gifts by opening a securities trading account. The sole purpose of this account is to enable the receipt of donated securities (stocks, bonds, etc.).
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Trillium Waldorf School is raising up to $2 million in Community Bonds as part of our Trillium Rising Campaign to purchase our school building.
We call on school supporters, local businesses, foundations and other advocates to be key contributors by investing in this project.
Community Bonds and Social Impact
A community bond is a social finance tool. Investors are paid their interest annually. At the end of the bond period the investor may choose to redeem the principal or re-invest if another offering is available. Trillium bonds will be used for the purchase of our school building, thus ensuring the availability and impact of Waldorf education on many more children from our community.
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MEMBERSHIP UPDATE
DECEASED
Arthur Edwin Osmond, Dartmouth, NS
Bevan Ballah, Thornhill, ON
RESIGNED
Taressa Mikaila, Victoria, BC
TRANSFERRED IN
Douglas Wylie from U.S.A.
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Anthroposphy Worldwide - 2022
AWE 1/2 will be published in February.
If you would like to see the archive of past issues, go to: Archive
then, if required, enter password AWE-2018
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Editorial Notes
The eNews is published 10 times per year from September to June for members of the Anthroposophical Society In Canada.
Please send correspondence and articles in either Word doc or ipages without formatting except for paragraphs before the 15th of the month prior to publication. If you are including photographs please also attach a pdf showing placement. Articles over 1,500 words may be edited.
BACK ISSUES are available on our website:
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Contact Info
Anthroposophical Society in Canada
# 130A - 1 Hesperus Rd.
Thornhill, ON
L4J 0G9
Membership Administrator
Claudette Leblanc
416-892-3656 (Toronto area)
877-892-3656 (Freephone)
Communication Administrator
Jef Saunders
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Anthroposophical Society in Canada
ANNUAL GENERAL MEETING and CONFERENCE
JUNE 24, 25 & 26
2022
GLENCOLTON FARM
(North of Toronto)
We look forward to seeing you there.
Details to follow
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Saturday, February 19, 2022
12:00 – 2:30 PM (Eastern Standard Time), USA
Thinking with the Heart and Meditation
As a Gateway to the World of Imagination
Zoom presentation by
Christine Gruwez
from Antwerp, Belgium, Europe
For registration, please contact:
$15.00 suggested donation
The link to the Zoom Meeting, will be available a week prior to the meeting
Christine Gruwez studied philosophy and linguistics at the KU Leuven, the Catholic University in Louvain, Belgium. She met Anthroposophy through the Waldorf School in Antwerp, which her four children attended, and where she taught from 1976 to 1986. She also taught for a decade in the Waldorf Education Training Program. Since 1997, Christine has led seminars and conferences at Emerson College, at the Goetheanum, in Europe, Asia and the US.
Synopsis of the Presentation
How to understand what is happening in our actual time? How to bridge the divides, how to truly meet our fellow human being?
In “The Dawn of the Michael Age” Rudolf Steiner describes how in the Michael Age, in which we have entered, Michael sets the way free for our thoughts to become thoughts by the heart. Michael opens them the gateway to the heart. The hearts are starting to think. What opens up is ‘gedankengetragene Seelenklarheit’, ‘souls clarified by thought’,[1] where light and warmth do meet.
The etheric heart is the thinking organ to be developed in order to think along the interwoveness of the life processes in nature and in human being. Not the content of the thought, but the activity of thinking itself is at the center of this next step.
Together with deepening the unfolding of the etheric heart, we will also have a moment for some practices.
Suggested Reading
· (CW 190) “Past and Future Impulses in Social Events” Lecture VII (5 April 1919), (not translated in English):
at the end of this lecture Rudolf Steiner describes how the physical heart and the etheric heart are loosening their connection.
· (CW 212) Human Soul/Evolution: Lecture VI (26 May 1922), “The Formation of the Etheric and the Astral Heart”.
[1] The Age of Michael has dawned. Hearts are beginning to have thoughts; spiritual fervour is now proceeding, not merely from mystical obscurity, but from souls clarified by thought. CW 26
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“For actions that have consequences, the only
attitude that is appropriate is complete presence of mind.” – Georg Maier
In this time of great distractability where presence of mind is habitually fractured, Maier’s quote amounts to a modern challenge. But this late German physicist, who published numerous inquisitive papers in the 20thcentury, offers help for harnessing our attention.
We invite you to explore more of Georg Maier’s work here.
Enjoy,
Elaine Khosrova
Outreach and Relations
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Perennial Roots Farm - Winter 2022 Biodynamic Study Group
Tuesdays 7 pm EST, January 3 - March 22 (online, based in USA)
“Course Description: Biodynamics can seem confusing and even impractical. This course is delivered by a farmer for aspiring gardeners and farmers in order to communicate esoteric concepts as clearly as possible. This course draws on years of experience and extensive research.
“Goals: Gain a comprehensive working knowledge of Rudolf Steiner’s Agriculture Course in order to develop better farms and gardens.
“When: every Tuesday at 7pm EST from Jan 3rd to March 22nd
“Price $150 (billed as $50/mo. for 3 payments, totaling $150) includes twelve live study group Zoom sessions AND access to discussion group questions AND access to the live Zoom meeting recordings.
“Requirements: Participants must attend eight (8) out of twelve (12) sessions. If a session is missed, paticipants must review the recording of the previous session. Participants will be asked to refrain from commenting on passages they have not read unless what they offer is from relevant direct experience. Participants must submit 1-3 succinct questions about the assigned reading at least 48 hours before each meeting.”
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Agricultural Conference Feb 2, 2022 – ‘Quality Through Biodynamics’
– at the Goetheanum, Dornach, Switzerland, and online:
Under the theme for the year, ‘The quality of biodynamic products and what it means for the earth and for human beings’
“…But what exactly is biodynamic quality? How is it produced during cultivation, and how is it developed or possibly even improved by processing?” … and other questions to explore.
With: Joke Bloksma, Olivier Clisson, Romana Echensperger, Maike Ehrlichmann, Jean-Michel Florin, Agata Glazar, Thomas Hardmuth, Craig Holdredge, Georg Meissner, Arizona Muse, Jasmin Peschke, Carlo Petrini and others.
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GOETHEANUM COURSES 2021/2022 |
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GOETHEANUM LEADERSHIP COURSE
Entrepreneurial Leadership in a Complex and Challenging World.
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