 A Modest Chronicle
Previous : We Have the Ideas - But How Do We Awaken the Will ? Dear Friends, I'm keeping a running tally for myself of themes that come up repeatedly in our group. Among these : 1) Inner Aspects : We'd like to live in a more healthy society, but how social are we - how able to make space for others in our thoughts, treat them as we'd want to be treated ? What attitudes, principles and guiding thoughts could help us transform ourselves, as participants in social life ? 2) Perspectives and Understanding : What thus far unnoticed insights and principles of social life are there, that could help us better understand it ? More effectively work in it ? Promote its health, and reduce harmful and destructive tendencies at play in it ? How do we first firmly grasp - and then best share - Rudolf Steiner's observations of society through - His own books and lectures ? - Succinct overview literature - old and new ? - Skills for sharing personally : "elevator speeches", putting threefolding skillfully/accurately into our own words ? 3) Moving from Insights to Action : How do we break free of inertia, doubt and fear to replace stagnant social concepts with better, more dynamic ones ? How can we best and most effectively move from threefold thinking to action in the world ? 4) How can we identify and spotlight healthy examples of threefolding already unfolding in the world (anthroposophical and "non-anthroposophical" examples ? 5) In addressing dysfunction in society, how can we critique clearly and firmly, without being divisive in the process ? Rudolf Steiner : the time for wars of weapons and power has passed - but spiritual warfare ("the war of ideas") is appropriate and necessary today. 6) What ideas, norms and guidelines can we identify for our study and work together, so they unfold in the most healthy and fruitful way ? (Rudolf Steiner : "the right way of working" together is crucial). 7) How can we deepen and clarify understanding of rights life in a rights-dysfunctional world - how best to interact with "the powers that be", and how to create "parallel" forms to promote progress ? In the meantime I promised to send some articles that address some of these questions : We Have the Ideas - But How Do We Awaken the Will ? Think It Right ! In Focus : The WHO Pandemic Agreement This last is written by Dr Michaela Gloeckler for Alliance Eliant - The European Alliiance for Applied Anthroposophy. It's a remarkable example of threefold principles spoken boldly and publicly, and a strong, healthy example of "rights life" played out on the largest of public stages. All the best for your week, Jeff Next in series : Three Articles on Rudolf Steiner's Threefold Social Idea
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The Path of Knowledge and the Path of Action Previous : Study Group : Rudolf Steiner's Threefold Social Idea In this week's meeting of our Sunday study group on Rudolf Steiner's threefold social idea, the need was raised yet again - and justifiably - that in a turbulent, even increasingly dangerous world, people not just be content with reading, studying and having ideas about the threefold idea, but that they take action and actually do something. I myself have come the route in life, and belong to a generation and country that did and/or does do things first, and finds out what we did only later - sometimes with large regrets and casualties. This absolutely does lead to wisdom - but I've also learned over time to be grateful for good ideas where I find them. This was especially true in my career, in the sequence of rigorous training in nursing school, then immersion in the intense world of hospital work. There's a path, therefore, from idea to action too, from knowledge to will, that gives clarity to freedom, that makes it effective, responsible, worthy of trust. As a person "head first" by nature, and a graduate in many ways of "the school of hard knocks", I've become fierce in my love for the idea, for the possibility of a cognitive path, for instance as I've met these in the work of Rudolf Steiner (resource) ( resource). This said, I was awake in the night after our study group wrestling with the many sharp dangers I can see in the world around me today. Finding my way to peace and to sleep again, though, I woke up to a clear thought and memory of the answer by Bernard Lievegoed to a question "How do we awaken the will in ourselves, as modern human beings ?" Lievegoed's answer : "To awaken the will, you must cultivate a lifelong committment to knowledge and learning ; an active inner life ; and learn to distinguish the essential from the non-essential." This is worth considering, as it puts responsibility squarely on us. To bridge the seeming chasm between concepts and action, thinking and doing, ideas and deeds, we're asked to overcome factors in us that stand in the way. But it also lends hope the bridge can be built - no matter which side of the gap we at first stand. A Recent Email to Friends
Previous : Study Group on Rudolf Steiner's Threefold Social Idea Dear Friends, I've promised one each of these resources to Earl and Chris, and am sending them to the rest of you on the spur of the moment. Why ? Becuse you each, as much as I know you, are or have been deeply involved in the world professionally, and have immersed yourselves in it in as thoughtful, competent and creative way as you can. I'm sending this, you could say, in the sense of "the rich get richer" - but in a good way ! Rudolf Steiner's "threefold social idea" was presented as a set of observations about forces living deeply everywhere in human society as needs and feelings - yet grasped consciously by human beings virtually nowhere. Simply said, the threefold social idea is a new set of scientific observations about society, discovered and presented for the first time by Rudolf Steiner. I first met this threefold idea almost 50 years ago. My experience has been that the idea is like a seed : in gradually and more deeply grasping these principles, they begin to generate clear understanding of why things go badly in society when they do, and organic pictures and ideas how they could possibly go better ; and an impressively strong will and enthusuasm to do those things. Rudolf Steiner on Building Healthy Organizations A Way Forward : From Social Illness to Social Health Study Group on Rudolf Steiner's Threefold Social Idea This is a sampler - as the old Alcoholics Anonymous saying goes, "Take what you like and leave the rest". Please also share with more friends as you think best ! With best greetings, Jeff There is a knighthood of the 21st century
Whose riders do not ride through the darkness of physical forests as of old, But through the forest of darkened minds. They are armed with a spiritual armor, and an inner sun makes them radiant. Out of them shines healing. Healing that flows from the knowledge of the human being as a spiritual being. They must create inner order, inner justice, peace and conviction in the darkness of our time. They must learn to work side by side with angels. - Karl Koenig Previous : Study Group Rudolf Steiner's Threefold Social Idea Dear Friends Around the World Our study group on Rudolf Steiner's threefold social idea meets on Zoom every Sunday afternoon at 1 pm U.S. Pacific Time (U.S. Eastern time 4 pm), and we're welcoming potential new members. We've just finished Steiner's major work Towards Social Renewal, and will next read some shorter pieces, lectures and articles, probably about three. Whether you're a long time student of this threefold idea, or keep hearing about it and want to look into it more deeply, you may want to join us ! Our group has been meeting for several years now, and has studied the threefolding movement of 1919 in some detail. With Towards Social Renewal we've also refined how we study, to make the most of our available time together. We've established a half hour before we read for news and updates on threefolding work, both our own and work elsewhere. To start the study itself we read the weekly verse from Rudolf Steiner's Calendar of the Soul, and importantly, invite those who have died who took special interest in threefolding, and worked for it actively. Our way of study is to read the work at hand closely and carefully, to understand it clearly, and again importantly, build a shared vocabulary. We stop as needed for questions, for insights that arise and for ideas for applying threefolding concepts in the real world around us. We start our meetings promptly at 1 pm PST (4 pm EST) and finish promptly at 2:30 pm PST (5:30 pm EST), with a reading of the Karl Koenig verse above. Our next reading is Rudolf Steiner's article Culture, Law and Economics Read for Free Read for Free Listen (Audio) The Zoom link for the group is https://us02web.zoom.us/j/85414625808?pwd=KzU5Nlcra3o1b01ieGZPNEhKSEtDZz09 This Sunday and every Sunday at the time noted ! Jeff Smith For our Sunday Study Group UPDATE : The reading above is from the collection of Rudolf Steiner essays and articles entitled "Renewal of the Social Organism". When we met the idea was raised and agreed on to first read the Forward by Joseph Weizenbaum Next in series : We Have the Ideas - But How Do We Awaken the Will ? |
AuthorJeff Smith RN, born 1950. A registered nurse since 1984 - but holistic in my outlook to health since probably around 1968. Living Waters Wellness considers not just the health of the physical body, but our soul and spirit, our social forms, our environment - and as a matter of fact, our whole earth. It's a new website, and a work in progress - but by all means, have a look around ! Archives
April 2025
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