After much deliberation, the Michael Branch of the Anthroposophical Society has evolved into a new form. Previously, this group met on the first Tuesday of the month. The meeting usually involved the study of Rudolf Steiner's Letters to the Members following a method suggested by Dr. Heinz Zimmermann. The Michael Branch will now meet on the second Wednesday of every month and will be a more festive occasion open to members and guests. Those who wish to still study the Letters to the Members will also continue to meet the first Tuesday of the month at 8:00 p.m. in the room in the lower level at Hesperus across from the Anthroposophical Library. Any member who is interested may join. A copy of the book may be obtained from the library at Hesperus. The next letter to be studied is called 'The Freedom of Man and the Age of Michael (p.181) plus Further Leading Thoughts #162,163, and 164.
This is an invitation to all members and guests to join us on Wednesday, October 14th for a Michaelmas celebration at 8:00 p.m. in the room in the basement at Hesperus. There will be a variety of contributions from members as well as two artistic activities. (eurythmy, drawing) If anyone wishes to contribute or get involved in any way, please contact Moira Huston (416-201-9537).
Wednesday, September 30, 2009
Monday, September 21, 2009
Mot du secrétaire général
Chers amis,
Déjà plus d'un mois s'est écoulé depuis la soirée de clôture de notre congrès Encircling Light – Expectant Silence à Whitehorse! Lorsque tout le branle-bas d'annulations et d'inscriptions de dernière minute a fini par se calmer, nous étions en tout 181 participants venus pour créer ensemble un des événements les plus remarquables qu'ait jamais connu la Société anthroposophique au Canada. Nous sommes reconnaissants, les membres du comité de planification, que la mosaïque de possibilités que nous avions voulu rendre disponibles pour la semaine se soit en effet concrétisée. Des réflexions sur l'événement continueront à paraître dans notre bulletin électronique et dans Glimpses, entre autres, pendant un certain temps encore. Pour ma part, j'aimerais vous faire part de deux événements qui ont touché notre semaine à Whitehorse.
Owen Lange, un membre habitant l'île de Vancouver, s'est éteint le 4 août, pendant le congrès. Owen et sa femme Marilyn s'étaient inscrits pour participer à l'événement mais ont dû annuler en raison de la maladie d'Owen. Ceux des congressistes qui avaient connu Owen de ce côté-ci du seuil le sentaient présent parmi nous, comme s'il tenait à participer à la semaine d'une forme ou d'une autre. L'annonce de sa mort aux participants, d'une part, et l'hommage rendu à Owen, à Marilyn et à sa famille lors des présentations artistiques du vendredi soir, d'autre part, ont fait de sorte que le congrès entier puisse accueillir la vie et le travail de notre ami et collègue de l'École de Science de l'esprit.
Un deuxième phénomène remarquable, c'était la couche de fumée qui couvrait le ciel de Whitehorse, provenant d'un feu de forêt des environs. Il n'y avait aucun menace pour Whitehorse même, mais nous avons assisté à un obscurcissement du ciel bleu et clair qui avait accueilli le début de notre congrès. Ceux d'entre nous qui avons voyagé jusqu'à Teslin lors des excursions du mercredi, nous sommes retrouvés plus proche de du foyer de l'incendie, dans les environs du lac Teslin et de la rivière Teslin. Le soir, nous nous sommes tenus sur les bords du lac, près du Tlingit Heritage Centre, d'où nous avons pu observer comment le feu altérait les couleurs du paysage; le dessous des feuilles des trembles revêtait un vert étrange et le soleil, tout rouge, se brûlait un passage à travers les nuages chargés de fumée.
Au Canada, nous avons tendance à considérer l'eau, l'air, la lumière et la terre comme étant les éléments prédominants. Pourtant, l'élément feu, hibernant sous terre pendant les longs mois d'hiver, est là en attente, jusqu'à ce que, d'une façon ou d'une autre, quelque chose vienne le déclencher pendant les grandes chaleurs et les orages de la période estivale. Encore une fois cet été, les incendies ont fait rage dans le sud de la Colombie Britannique, menaçant des communautés telles que Kelowna. Avant de venir participer au congrès, Ron et Monika Ficke de West Kelowna avaient dû évacuer leur demeure en attendant que le feu qui la menaçait soit circonscrit.
La présence du feu aux limites extérieures de notre congrès et la mort d’Owen au cœur même de l'événement nous ont rappelé que nous étions réellement engagés dans un processus qui embrassait toute une gamme d'expériences humaines, intérieures et extérieures. Peut-être celles-ci ont-elles offert à plusieurs d'entre nous l'occasion de pratiquer le quatrième exercice donné par Rudolf Steiner. Pour pouvoir découvrir ce qu'il y a de positif dans tout événement, dans toute expérience, nous devons traverser, avec notre penser et encore plus avec notre sentiment, jusqu'à « l'autre côté » de la réalité émotionnelle et spirituelle de cette chose qui se trouve devant nous. * Car il s'agit de découvrir une nouvelle façon de saisir ce qui a occasionné cette réalité et, par là, de découvrir ce que nous pouvons devenir grâce à elle.
Une fois le congrès terminé, en route pour Fort St. John, Marjorie et moi avons passé la nuit au Dawson Peaks Resort, situé juste au sud de Teslin. Le propriétaire, David Hett, a raconté comment un ancien de la nation Tlingit voyait le feu comme un agent salutaire qui purifie et renouvelle la terre, pourvu toutefois qu'il reste de l'autre côté du lac et de la rivière pour ne pas empiéter outre mesure sur les vies humaines. Pour nous, participants du congrès, le feu a apporté à l'événement une nuance, en quelque sorte un « autre côté » qui a été présent durant toute la semaine. Était-ce un cadeau inattendu des êtres qui avaient porté ce congrès avec tant d'amour tout le long de sa planification et de sa réalisation?
Mes meilleures pensées vous accompagnent vers la Michaëlie.
Philip Thatcher,
Secrétaire général
*d'une image tirée d'une conférence de Franz E. Winkler (The Psychology of Leadership) donnée le 6 février 1957 à l'institut Myrin.
Déjà plus d'un mois s'est écoulé depuis la soirée de clôture de notre congrès Encircling Light – Expectant Silence à Whitehorse! Lorsque tout le branle-bas d'annulations et d'inscriptions de dernière minute a fini par se calmer, nous étions en tout 181 participants venus pour créer ensemble un des événements les plus remarquables qu'ait jamais connu la Société anthroposophique au Canada. Nous sommes reconnaissants, les membres du comité de planification, que la mosaïque de possibilités que nous avions voulu rendre disponibles pour la semaine se soit en effet concrétisée. Des réflexions sur l'événement continueront à paraître dans notre bulletin électronique et dans Glimpses, entre autres, pendant un certain temps encore. Pour ma part, j'aimerais vous faire part de deux événements qui ont touché notre semaine à Whitehorse.
Owen Lange, un membre habitant l'île de Vancouver, s'est éteint le 4 août, pendant le congrès. Owen et sa femme Marilyn s'étaient inscrits pour participer à l'événement mais ont dû annuler en raison de la maladie d'Owen. Ceux des congressistes qui avaient connu Owen de ce côté-ci du seuil le sentaient présent parmi nous, comme s'il tenait à participer à la semaine d'une forme ou d'une autre. L'annonce de sa mort aux participants, d'une part, et l'hommage rendu à Owen, à Marilyn et à sa famille lors des présentations artistiques du vendredi soir, d'autre part, ont fait de sorte que le congrès entier puisse accueillir la vie et le travail de notre ami et collègue de l'École de Science de l'esprit.
Un deuxième phénomène remarquable, c'était la couche de fumée qui couvrait le ciel de Whitehorse, provenant d'un feu de forêt des environs. Il n'y avait aucun menace pour Whitehorse même, mais nous avons assisté à un obscurcissement du ciel bleu et clair qui avait accueilli le début de notre congrès. Ceux d'entre nous qui avons voyagé jusqu'à Teslin lors des excursions du mercredi, nous sommes retrouvés plus proche de du foyer de l'incendie, dans les environs du lac Teslin et de la rivière Teslin. Le soir, nous nous sommes tenus sur les bords du lac, près du Tlingit Heritage Centre, d'où nous avons pu observer comment le feu altérait les couleurs du paysage; le dessous des feuilles des trembles revêtait un vert étrange et le soleil, tout rouge, se brûlait un passage à travers les nuages chargés de fumée.
Au Canada, nous avons tendance à considérer l'eau, l'air, la lumière et la terre comme étant les éléments prédominants. Pourtant, l'élément feu, hibernant sous terre pendant les longs mois d'hiver, est là en attente, jusqu'à ce que, d'une façon ou d'une autre, quelque chose vienne le déclencher pendant les grandes chaleurs et les orages de la période estivale. Encore une fois cet été, les incendies ont fait rage dans le sud de la Colombie Britannique, menaçant des communautés telles que Kelowna. Avant de venir participer au congrès, Ron et Monika Ficke de West Kelowna avaient dû évacuer leur demeure en attendant que le feu qui la menaçait soit circonscrit.
La présence du feu aux limites extérieures de notre congrès et la mort d’Owen au cœur même de l'événement nous ont rappelé que nous étions réellement engagés dans un processus qui embrassait toute une gamme d'expériences humaines, intérieures et extérieures. Peut-être celles-ci ont-elles offert à plusieurs d'entre nous l'occasion de pratiquer le quatrième exercice donné par Rudolf Steiner. Pour pouvoir découvrir ce qu'il y a de positif dans tout événement, dans toute expérience, nous devons traverser, avec notre penser et encore plus avec notre sentiment, jusqu'à « l'autre côté » de la réalité émotionnelle et spirituelle de cette chose qui se trouve devant nous. * Car il s'agit de découvrir une nouvelle façon de saisir ce qui a occasionné cette réalité et, par là, de découvrir ce que nous pouvons devenir grâce à elle.
Une fois le congrès terminé, en route pour Fort St. John, Marjorie et moi avons passé la nuit au Dawson Peaks Resort, situé juste au sud de Teslin. Le propriétaire, David Hett, a raconté comment un ancien de la nation Tlingit voyait le feu comme un agent salutaire qui purifie et renouvelle la terre, pourvu toutefois qu'il reste de l'autre côté du lac et de la rivière pour ne pas empiéter outre mesure sur les vies humaines. Pour nous, participants du congrès, le feu a apporté à l'événement une nuance, en quelque sorte un « autre côté » qui a été présent durant toute la semaine. Était-ce un cadeau inattendu des êtres qui avaient porté ce congrès avec tant d'amour tout le long de sa planification et de sa réalisation?
Mes meilleures pensées vous accompagnent vers la Michaëlie.
Philip Thatcher,
Secrétaire général
*d'une image tirée d'une conférence de Franz E. Winkler (The Psychology of Leadership) donnée le 6 février 1957 à l'institut Myrin.
Thursday, September 17, 2009
Letter from Philip Thatcher
Dear Friends,
It has been over a month since the closing evening of the Encircling Light – Expectant Silence Conference in Whitehorse. When the flux of late cancellations and registrations had come to rest, there were 181 participants who came together for one of the most remarkable events in the life of the Anthroposophical Society in Canada. Those of us on the Planning Group are grateful that the mosaic of possibilities we wanted to make available for that week came to fruition. Reflections from those who took part in the Conference will continue to appear on our E-news, in Glimpses, and elsewhere over the next while. For my part, I want to note here two events that touched into our week in Whitehorse.
Owen Lange, a member from Vancouver Island, crossed the threshold on August 4th, while the Conference was in progress. Both Owen and his wife, Marilyn, had registered for this event and then had to cancel due to Owen’s illness. Those at the Conference who had known Owen on this side of the threshold were very much aware of his presence, as if he had resolved to take part in the week, one way or another. As we shared word of his passing with other participants and then spoke of Owen and Marilyn and their family in the context of the Friday evening artistic offerings, the Conference as a whole embraced the life of our friend and colleague in the work of spiritual science.
A second phenomenon was the smoke that lay over Whitehorse from a fire in the surrounding area. Whitehorse itself was not threatened, yet we witnessed the clear, blue sky that greeted many of us upon arrival darken as the Conference began. Those of us who went to Teslin on the Wednesday excursion found ourselves closer to the source of the fire, in the vicinity of Teslin Lake and the Teslin River. In the evening we stood at the shore of the lake, near the Tlingit Heritage Centre, and observed how the fire affected the colouring of the landscape; the underside of the aspen leaves turned an eerie green and a red sun burned a hole through the layer of smoke-laden cloud.
In Canada, we think of water, air and light, and earth as being the predominant elements. Yet hibernating in the earth during the long winter months, the fire element waits its time until it is ignited, one way or another, during the heat and storms of the summer. Once again, fires raged this summer in the south of British Columbia, threatening communities such as Kelowna. Before coming to the Conference, Ron and Monika Ficke of West Kelowna had to leave their home until the fire that threatened it was contained.
The presence of fire at the edge of our Conference and Owen’s death at its heart reminded us that we were truly engaged in a week that encompassed a range of human experience, outwardly and inwardly. It may also have given some of us an opportunity to practice the fourth basic exercise given by Rudolf Steiner. In order to find that which is truly positive in any event or experience, we need to penetrate with our thinking and even more, our feeling, to the far side of the emotional and spiritual reality before us*, and discover another way of seeing what has brought it about and what we can become because of it.
On our way to Fort St. John after the Conference, Marjorie and I stayed a night at the Dawson Peaks Resort, just south of Teslin. David Hett, the owner, remarked that a Tlingit elder had welcomed the fire as an agent for cleansing and renewing the land, so long as it stayed on the far side of the lake and river and did not impinge on human lives more than what was needed. For us at the Conference, the fire brought a nuance, or edge, that journeyed with us throughout the week—perhaps an unexpected gift from those beings who had carried this event so lovingly throughout the planning and living of it.
With good thoughts toward Michaelmas,
Philip Thatcher
General Secretary
* From an image found in The Psychology of Leadership, a lecture given by Franz E. Winkler at the Myrin Institute on February 6,1957
It has been over a month since the closing evening of the Encircling Light – Expectant Silence Conference in Whitehorse. When the flux of late cancellations and registrations had come to rest, there were 181 participants who came together for one of the most remarkable events in the life of the Anthroposophical Society in Canada. Those of us on the Planning Group are grateful that the mosaic of possibilities we wanted to make available for that week came to fruition. Reflections from those who took part in the Conference will continue to appear on our E-news, in Glimpses, and elsewhere over the next while. For my part, I want to note here two events that touched into our week in Whitehorse.
Owen Lange, a member from Vancouver Island, crossed the threshold on August 4th, while the Conference was in progress. Both Owen and his wife, Marilyn, had registered for this event and then had to cancel due to Owen’s illness. Those at the Conference who had known Owen on this side of the threshold were very much aware of his presence, as if he had resolved to take part in the week, one way or another. As we shared word of his passing with other participants and then spoke of Owen and Marilyn and their family in the context of the Friday evening artistic offerings, the Conference as a whole embraced the life of our friend and colleague in the work of spiritual science.
A second phenomenon was the smoke that lay over Whitehorse from a fire in the surrounding area. Whitehorse itself was not threatened, yet we witnessed the clear, blue sky that greeted many of us upon arrival darken as the Conference began. Those of us who went to Teslin on the Wednesday excursion found ourselves closer to the source of the fire, in the vicinity of Teslin Lake and the Teslin River. In the evening we stood at the shore of the lake, near the Tlingit Heritage Centre, and observed how the fire affected the colouring of the landscape; the underside of the aspen leaves turned an eerie green and a red sun burned a hole through the layer of smoke-laden cloud.
In Canada, we think of water, air and light, and earth as being the predominant elements. Yet hibernating in the earth during the long winter months, the fire element waits its time until it is ignited, one way or another, during the heat and storms of the summer. Once again, fires raged this summer in the south of British Columbia, threatening communities such as Kelowna. Before coming to the Conference, Ron and Monika Ficke of West Kelowna had to leave their home until the fire that threatened it was contained.
The presence of fire at the edge of our Conference and Owen’s death at its heart reminded us that we were truly engaged in a week that encompassed a range of human experience, outwardly and inwardly. It may also have given some of us an opportunity to practice the fourth basic exercise given by Rudolf Steiner. In order to find that which is truly positive in any event or experience, we need to penetrate with our thinking and even more, our feeling, to the far side of the emotional and spiritual reality before us*, and discover another way of seeing what has brought it about and what we can become because of it.
On our way to Fort St. John after the Conference, Marjorie and I stayed a night at the Dawson Peaks Resort, just south of Teslin. David Hett, the owner, remarked that a Tlingit elder had welcomed the fire as an agent for cleansing and renewing the land, so long as it stayed on the far side of the lake and river and did not impinge on human lives more than what was needed. For us at the Conference, the fire brought a nuance, or edge, that journeyed with us throughout the week—perhaps an unexpected gift from those beings who had carried this event so lovingly throughout the planning and living of it.
With good thoughts toward Michaelmas,
Philip Thatcher
General Secretary
* From an image found in The Psychology of Leadership, a lecture given by Franz E. Winkler at the Myrin Institute on February 6,1957
Wednesday, September 9, 2009
L’École Waldorf des Laurentides
It is with joy that we announce that L’École Waldorf des Laurentides has opened its doors this past September 2009 with 25 children: one nursery/kindergarten combined class with teachers Sara Vallières and Éric Schneeberger and one class of grade 1, 2 and 3 with Noémi Glen and Annie Trudeau as class teachers. The new independent waldorf school is located in Val David, Laurentian mountain area, one hour north of Montréal island.
L’École Rudolf Steiner de Montréal is very pleased to witness the development of this initiative and is all heartfelt supporting it.
In this pioneering phase, we welcome any donations to secure our cost operating, teacher training, family assistance, etc
With kind greetings and warm gratitude,
Jocelyne Arseneau for the college of teachers
Donations made to: Kerglas Centre (Foundation for special need adults)
Send to:
Jocelyne Arseneau
7, chemin Kerr
Canton de Gore, QC, Canada
J0V 1K0
450-562-4378
jocelyne.arseneau@hotmail.com
L’École Rudolf Steiner de Montréal is very pleased to witness the development of this initiative and is all heartfelt supporting it.
In this pioneering phase, we welcome any donations to secure our cost operating, teacher training, family assistance, etc
With kind greetings and warm gratitude,
Jocelyne Arseneau for the college of teachers
Donations made to: Kerglas Centre (Foundation for special need adults)
Send to:
Jocelyne Arseneau
7, chemin Kerr
Canton de Gore, QC, Canada
J0V 1K0
450-562-4378
jocelyne.arseneau@hotmail.com
Saturday, September 5, 2009
Meeting Meta, a First Nation Member of the Wolf-Clan
She came alone, but her ancestral guides were with her.
Was this the secret of her quiet strength and her presence
leaving us spellbound in anticipation?
Who did not shed a tear in the delivery of silence amidst plain words.
Knowing not the pleasure of self-seeking, her pain came alone.
Uncluttered, it tore into well-protected spaces
and rippled forth.
On the refugee’s land of Dan Kenji, neither theirs nor ours
where reverence was more precious than gold,
and responsibility was a fact of nature.
It was there where her vision took hold.
Just an ordinary clearing in the woods,
where strawberries grew and wild roses
healing was foretold.
- t’was there where I met the wolf.
In a space of silent encounter
where no strawberries grew nor wild roses where no visions filled the spaces
where nothingness came unforetold.
In this northern place of encounter
-nothing,
expecting-
where the day walk’s long into the night,
and the past, lonely, meet’s the present.
May the future ignite.
- Heidi Vukovich
Was this the secret of her quiet strength and her presence
leaving us spellbound in anticipation?
Who did not shed a tear in the delivery of silence amidst plain words.
Knowing not the pleasure of self-seeking, her pain came alone.
Uncluttered, it tore into well-protected spaces
and rippled forth.
On the refugee’s land of Dan Kenji, neither theirs nor ours
where reverence was more precious than gold,
and responsibility was a fact of nature.
It was there where her vision took hold.
Just an ordinary clearing in the woods,
where strawberries grew and wild roses
healing was foretold.
- t’was there where I met the wolf.
In a space of silent encounter
where no strawberries grew nor wild roses where no visions filled the spaces
where nothingness came unforetold.
In this northern place of encounter
-nothing,
expecting-
where the day walk’s long into the night,
and the past, lonely, meet’s the present.
May the future ignite.
- Heidi Vukovich
Youth and Elders
Exchange between Youth and Elders in the Anthroposophical Community
- From the conference Encircling Light, Expectant Silence.
On an evening where young people gave several artistic presentations the question was raised, "What can one do to bridge the gap between young and old?"
In a conversation I had afterwards, I said that I did see a lack of places for people of these different ages to meet. Mentioning the Christian Community Conferences for youth that I went to during high school, I found an echo in the older lady I was talking to. There needs to be places such as these, where young people can measure themselves by their peers and elders in a setting apart from their lives at home. At the Christian Community conferences, high school aged youth participate in artistic workshops and conversation groups, where they come into a different kind of exchange with others their age, young adults who have more experience than themselves, as well as older adults, including the priests. A central element of these conferences is, besides the services, the evening plenum. Everyone sits in one room, in concentric circles of chairs, and has a conversation, led by a facilitator. The conversation is often sparked by an idea out of the morning's presentation.
Out of the conversations at the conference in the Yukon this Summer it was evident that something was being missed. Could a meeting of the different ages contribute towards uncovering and bringing to light impulses that have not been able to come into being in the older generation, and are in danger of being stifled in the new?
Dave Luborsky Homer, Alaska
- From the conference Encircling Light, Expectant Silence.
On an evening where young people gave several artistic presentations the question was raised, "What can one do to bridge the gap between young and old?"
In a conversation I had afterwards, I said that I did see a lack of places for people of these different ages to meet. Mentioning the Christian Community Conferences for youth that I went to during high school, I found an echo in the older lady I was talking to. There needs to be places such as these, where young people can measure themselves by their peers and elders in a setting apart from their lives at home. At the Christian Community conferences, high school aged youth participate in artistic workshops and conversation groups, where they come into a different kind of exchange with others their age, young adults who have more experience than themselves, as well as older adults, including the priests. A central element of these conferences is, besides the services, the evening plenum. Everyone sits in one room, in concentric circles of chairs, and has a conversation, led by a facilitator. The conversation is often sparked by an idea out of the morning's presentation.
Out of the conversations at the conference in the Yukon this Summer it was evident that something was being missed. Could a meeting of the different ages contribute towards uncovering and bringing to light impulses that have not been able to come into being in the older generation, and are in danger of being stifled in the new?
Dave Luborsky Homer, Alaska
Conference Reflections - Debbie Allen
The Northern Conference was in my experience a wonderful conference. To sum up the experience, I would say that this was a conference in the social realm designed to cultivate community. To that end it was most successful as the air was fairly palpable with talk of new initiatives.
“Designed” because it was clear to me that a great deal of thought went into the planning of the conference: from the bus schedules, day trips, accommodation, conversation groups, work shops, and group singing all contributed to meeting the greatest number of people in the short time together.
This conference, in my limited experience of a dozen or so conferences, broke new ground:
* Each participant received an address booklet including the name, address, telephone number, and e-mail contact for all participants.
* Members of the Vorstand present were clearly accessible to everyone as they mingled with participants during coffee breaks, lunches, etc.
* The Youth Section was very much apart of the conference. Conversation with Youth section and the “rest of us” was very enlightening, closing some of the perceived gulf between us.
* The Native stream was interwoven throughout the conference, culminating in a gift of song from a choir of Anthroposophists to Meta Williams thus fulfilling a childhood vision of Meta’s.
* A new form of Anthroposophical clapping arose out of the silence: hold your hands in the air above you; wiggle your hands and fingers in silent appreciation.
* Tear-inducing laughter brought on by the artistic work of Dawn the Simple Fool. (I have an audiotape of Anthroposophists gaffawing in record number and with gusto to prove it.)
* Conversation groups and workshops had opportunity to present a culmination of their efforts on the last day. This was a wonderful way to experience what others were doing during the week.
I wish to thank the ASC Council members, and their teams, for their efforts to bring this Conference into being. Having been there I now can understand the need for all the trips to the north to bring people together. Without that personal connection I think not as many people from other countries would have attended.
In closing, this was an amazing conference for me personally. The conference, the place, the people I met, all exceeded my imaginations. I am looking forward to now connecting with the Alberta people I met to “set mine I aflame” again as it was during the conference.
Sincerely,
Debbie Allen(formerly in Vancouver, BC, now in Vimy AB
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