Last Wednesday I was in Dornach near Basel at the “Rudolf Steiner Archives“. I was invited by Frank, a friend who works there as an editor of the Complete Works of Rudolf Steiner (“Complete Works”, in German, currently 350 volumes, completion targeted by 2025, with approximately 410 volumes total. It is the biggest edition of an author and lecturer globally known so far. Steiner held about 6000 lectures between 1888 and 1924 totally.) The archives are located in the House Duldeck, directly in front of the Goetheanum, the home to the international headquarters of the Anthroposophical movement founded by Rudolf Steiner. The Goetheanum building was named by Steiner in commemoration  to Goethe. Steiner started his career as an editor for Goethe’s works on natural sciences (a brochure in English about the Goetheanum).

I hadn’t been at the anthroposophical headquarters since 27 years. For 8 years in the 80s I had been intensely studying many works of Steiner. I even did the Waldorf Teacher training and worked in a Swiss Steiner school for 4 years. During these years, I had been in Dornach several times. However, I left the school and anthroposophy in 1990. I now was curious to see the headquarters as a visitor.

Frank gave me a warm welcome, and we went into the cafeteria inside the Goetheanum. Renovation work was going on outside – did it touch also the inner attitudes which I had experienced as difficult in the past? The noise of the machines was so loud that we didn’t stay in the “holy halls” but sat outside on a bench with a beautiful view around. I felt like in an open air museum of anthroposophy – it looked all the same as it was in the 80s.

We had an intense talk about his experiences as a project manager with the data management of the archives. I took some shots of the craftsmen working outside the building – very symbolic scenes. Then Frank went with me to the floor of the board of directors. I enjoyed sitting some minutes next to the inner halls. The door-plate of one of the directors showed the name of a man whom I had met 30 years ago in Paris, where I had been a short-time trainee at a Steiner school and he a young teacher.

We then went to the House Duldeck, a fascinating iconic house built with dynamic forms in concrete in the years 1915-20. Frank gave a guided tour – a young couple joined and also one of his colleagues. It was very impressive to have a profound look into the backgrounds of this house and the work of Rudolf Steiner. He had designed and shaped this building for a dentist, Emil Grosheintz, a friend of his who had given him all the area of the Goetheanum – which first was planned to be realised in Munich but met too many obstructions there. When the first Goetheanum was being constructed – a beautiful wood building – various anthroposophs opposed to the creation of a family house directly in front of the “mystery temple”. They feared that the view of diapers on the balconies would disturb the lofty feelings. Steiner, on the contrary, said that spirituality has to be integrated into daily life – and called the house “Duldeck”, meaning “corner of tolerance”. The first Goetheanum was destroyed by arson on New Year’s Eve, December 31, 1922 – January 1, 1923. Steiner immediately decided to build a new one, this time in concrete – and much bigger, so that the first Goetheanum would have enough place inside.

In the underground archives (fire-proof!) we got an impression of the gigantic work of Steiner, who had influenced not only the esoteric thought but had given impulses for medicine, farming, architecture, education (world-wide Waldorf Schools), social activity, dance, theatre etc. We saw models of the first and second Goetheanum, of paintings, the hand-writings of rare manuscripts (The Secret Science…) or of Steiner’s many notebooks: He meticulously took note not only of thoughts for talks but also of the money spent- during a bigger part of his life he was quite poor. A huge library of all the versions of his books or the books of his library and of many other materials still unpublished. I felt deeply impressed and humble sensing the incredible impact he had manifested.

At the end we had a look at rooms normally not shown in the upper floors – office and meeting rooms full of nooks and crannies, with beautiful views.

When I left I felt grateful that I had been given the chance of looking a bit behind these curtains. And I felt a bit reconciled with the impulse of anthroposophy. Over years Steiner’s split with theosophy and its consequences, which I very well understand due to the glamour of the successors of H. P. Blavatsky, had nevertheless left a profound irritation. In the past I sensed an attitude of spiritual supremacy combined with trench warfare and a highly sceptical ideology towards the eternal wisdom teachings and their recent developments. When the golden sun-rays shone over the buildings there was a peaceful ambiance around and in me a hope that one day also the strongest thought-forms of anthroposophy will be transformed by the incoming new impulses of life.

View of the Goetheanum from House Duldeck

Last weekend I was in in North Germany for the 6th annual “CVV Sharing” meeting. Already in the previous 2 years, I participated in these meetings at Spring Equinox. This year, we were a group of 26 members from Denmark, Germany, Sweden and Switzerland. We met again at the seminar centre “Lichtblick” (“Bright Spot”) near Hude.

The meeting was following a rhythm of alignment: Every 3 hours there was a short meditative pause for attuning to the MASTER energy. There were rituals like water ritual, fire ritual, introduction and ritual for attuning to the entry of the Sun into Aries. Furthermore, we did meditations, prayers and mantrams together. The steering group had again carefully prepared the meditational and organizational aspect of the meeting. The motto given by Dr Kumar was: “OBSERVE WITHIN • OBSERVE THE MOVEMENT • OBSERVE ADJUSTMENTS.”

There were various inputs by group members. To start with, I led the group on a meditative journey through the cycles of 7 years related to the zodiac to the “Aries point” of one’s birth and a bit beyond, and from there through the unfoldment of one’s life and to a visualization of the seed of the coming annual cycle. I accompanied it with the sound of a singing bowl. The inspiration for this meditative experiment came to me during a meditation. During the process I noticed the change in the quality of the group field while we went through the different zodiacal signs. Afterwards, several members came to me and spoke about their profound experiences.

Afterwards, Hubert presented “Vision and challenges of creating a healing centre”, followed by a vivid exchange about this project. The next day Doris gave an inspiring talk about “Master CVV”.

We had a number of sessions in small “triadic groups”, (groups of 3 persons each) following a special discipline of speaking, listening and sharing: The small groups sat together in different parts of the hall. The facilitators had prepared inputs with questions like “How and in which field of life do I want to express the Arian energy of a fresh start and of the power of Will?” One person in the triadic group would express his or her thoughts and the others would listen for about 3 minutes. Then the next person would speak and the other two would listen, followed by the 3rd person speaking… These exchanges were short but very intense. Afterwards thoughts from the meetings in the small groups were shared with the big group.

There were also plenum meetings to explore the experience of the spiritual power in us and in daily life.

The team of the seminar house gave us a warm welcome and served us delicious meals. And after a rainy day the weather also cooperated and brought us a lot of sunshine with fresh wind.

We all felt very much inspired and uplifted by the presence of the One MASTER and of the Energy of Synthesis expressing through the group.

Here are some impressions from the meeting:

Two months ago, a young friend from Germany asked me if we could study together via Skype the book Spiritual Astrology by Master EK. The Skype study group was a very good experience and we read the book together several times a week. She reads, I explain.

Then my young friend came up with the idea to start another group study, “Music of the Soul“, also by Master EK. I very much love the book and had translated it to German in the early 90s (it is not the published version). I proposed to open the group for other members to join.

So we started an open study group, where we meet every second week on Friday evening, alternating with our little local group. We read the book in English and discuss in German. The book is very thrilling but not so easy for Westerners; friends told me they got lost in it. So reading and explaining in a group makes it much easier.

Then we opened also the study group on “Spiritual Astrology” (in German), and now we meet every Thursday evening to study . Both groups are with members from Switzerland and Germany. Both group studies were very stimulating and encouraging. And the exchange is very enriching. It is much more joyful to study the texts in a group, especially when unclear points are explained. And even though Skype sometimes gives problems with dropouts, it is possible to easily follow along with the books.

When I spoke about these study groups to an Indian friend from the States, he asked if we could also start a study group in English, on Saturdays. I proposed to study “Spiritual Psychology“, also by Master EK and mentioned it to other members from Germany, Spain and the States, and they also said they want to join. After a little pilot meeting last Saturday, we will now launch an English study group:

We will start next Saturday, 4 October. The meetings will be from 8:00 pm Central European Time (UTC + 2 summer time, UTC + 1 winter time) till 9:30 pm. (See here the corresponding time zones).

After I announced it via the WTT mailing list, quickly members from California and Oregon to Mumbai, from Danmark to Spain, and Germany joined. It is a fascinating experiment of the fusion of East and West, with people from very different backgrounds will come together.

I moderate the groups. We begin with a little guided invocation / visualisation. Then we read the text in small steps, sometimes just 1-2 sentences. Afterwards, I summarize and give some explanations, and we discuss questions or other thoughts relating to the text. I wrote a a little guideline with some more details about the group work.

If you would like to join the study group “Spiritual Psychology” (or, in German one of the other groups), let me know. Before starting, I need to include you in the Skype group, and so you have to make Skype contact with me (my Skype-ID is “good-will”, but since there are many who have good will in their names, please search me via: “Circle of Good Will” or send me an e-mail with your Skype ID). For a group mailing list I also need your e-mail address, and best also details about your location (address). Group members proposed to have a list with all the participants names and photos and some background information, so please also share these. I will inform via a mailing list, for example when a session cannot take place.

You don’t need to be a specialist – you just should be willing to participate regularly. It is OK when you stay away 1-2 times because of other obligations (the group also might pause sometimes when I’ll be away) but then you should read yourself the text which the group has read. You need the book “Spiritual Psychology” – either you get it from somewhere or I can send you an electronic version (PDF). You need a place where you can follow the study group in silence, best without external interruptions (in case of interruptions, you can just attend to the situation and join the group again). Furthermore, you need a device (computer, mobile) with Skype and a headset or any other sound system, which does not generate acoustic feedback with the other members.

The evenings of the group meetings, I will call your Skype account, whether you are there or not. We will do the meetings as audio conferences, without video.

Members have asked if each one can share a picture of himself/herself and a short remark about yourself so that it is easier to know who is in the group. So if you send it to me, I will make a document with the details and share it with the group.

If you don’t participate for a couple of times without informing me, I will take you out of the group. You can join again when your life situation allows you to attend regularly.

Sitting at the office table in contact with all over the world

Some days ago, I met some friends. I knew that some of them like to talk extensively, and I asked myself how I wanted to deal with it. I remembered Sri Kumar once telling how Master EK in such situations withdrew inside and kept a mental cut-off until the discoursing was over.

I decided to use the situation for learning and to observe my reactions on the impact of these friends. At least up to a certain degree, and then maybe silently slip away.

In the past, I was impressed and often carried away by articulate persons with a strong mental impregnated with a lot of wisdom concepts and I felt some inferiority. I knew it was a weak point of myself, and with the time I noticed that such eloquence is like a hot air blower. The concepts presented in quick sequences leave no impact; they feel like straw without grains.

The friends were well versed in theosophical thoughts, with a love for power politics and conspiracy theories. As expected, the dialogues were intense. At the beginning, I followed the content. Inwardly, I had to smile noticing that in the presence of someone who is a very strong talker, the less strong ones got silenced, at least for a while. The less talkative persons don’t step in at all.

At the beginning, I followed the content; with the time I became more and more an observer. At some occasions, I slipped away to help the lady of the house in the kitchen.

I noticed that monologic discoursing gets carried away by a gush of ideas. They don’t notice whether their talk is of interest for the others or what they think and particularly, what is being unsaid.

I tried to observe when the talk was saturated by own experiences, and what is “voicing opinions” or “teaching one’s beliefs”. The experience part is much more vivid and impressive. However, I found that a fuelling energy in most sequences was the indignation about manipulations of the power mongers, of big money and pharma, about the machinations against alternative innovative inventors… In a way, the fire is encircling the attention but leaves an empty feeling and disorientation, and it sucks your energy – you get depleted.

Under the surface of such talks, I noticed hidden wounds of the individual biographies which shone forth through small remarks. The fight against “the darkness” is nourished by unresolved business inside. Caroline Myss speaks of “woundology”. The urge to focus on and fight against the outer shadows is resulting from your inner wounds and dark spots. I have intensely experienced it the last years and only come out of it through prolonged meditative and therapeutic work with myself.

One’s own shadows are difficult to notice and understand. My friends are decennies on the spiritual path but the fascination for the “projection play” was still intense. I had experienced myself that it needed profound crises and pain to change the habit of projecting the problems out into the world. Fighting against darkness increases fighting; only increasing the inner light creates a lighted sphere.

I later spoke with my wife how one could help others understand their projections. She said, “The pressure of suffering needs to be high enough. Suffering is easier than learning. Mostly, they don’t want to wake up.” Even many people doing spiritual practices or studying wisdom teachings seem to have great difficulties to realize their own part and predisposition while criticising what they perceive as wrong in others or the society. The yearning for salvation towards a guru, a theology or cosmic interventions is also mostly nourished by a longing that one’s own pain might end.

Sometimes, mindful listening to the other might help and, where possible, guiding the conversation from “talking about the world” to “what does it do to you?”, and recognizing the hidden pain. It is a slow process and best without expectations. When the wounds are cleared, healing can come from the inner.

Have a look at this playful hand-drawn short film by Glen Keane in dark blue. Keane was the main creative in some of the most famous animated Disney films. Animated and directed entirely by him, DUET tells the story of Mia and Tosh and how their individual paths in life are woven together to create a duo – cute :-). Here you can read more about the realisation of the film. And here is a video about how it was done with “ATAP” (Google’s Advanced Technology and Projects group).

An extract from the video (c)

Last week during the meeting with Sri Kumar and the WTT Executive Board, there was a short sequence of conversation which this morning came again to my mind:

I told Sri Kumar that I had several Skype and email exchanges with a doctor who is very much interested in meeting him during Sri Kumar’s tour to Europe. I said, “He is also engaged in the (XX) School and very seriously committed to the spiritual path.”

Sri Kumar replied, “Yes, there are many students of this school very serious with spirituality and I have first to get them away from their seriousness. Without joyfulness, not much can be done on the path.” And he looked at me with his soft, smiling glance.

A day after the talk, Sri Kumar arrived at Spain, Barcelona Airport, 6 June 14 – picture of a friend

Like other organisations, the WTT also has an organisational structure. And since the seat of WTT-Global is in Switzerland and it is an association, we also have an Executive Board and General Assemblies… This sounds much like paper, paragraphs and paraphernalia. That’s true but it also has a fascinating part of contacts and cooperation.

Two days ago, Sri Kumar arrived in Switzerland for the beginning of this year’s tour to Europe. And yesterday we had our Executive Board meeting with him, to review what has been going on during the last year and to prepare the General Assembly – it will be in two weeks in Germany. I love these meetings; they are always a good occasion to observe Sri Kumar how he deals with organisational matters, and in this he has been a great role model for me – leisurely, clear, inspiring and constructive.

We discussed the Annual Report and the topics of the General Assembly. And we spoke about the May Call Day celebrations; I told Sri Kumar of our meeting at the Paracelsus centre. He was very positive about it and proposed that we should do there regular celebrations at the cardinal points of the year, the solstices and equinoxes. I will see with some group members how this can be put into practice.

After the evening meditation all of us went for a little walk at a beautiful way along Lake Lucerne. And the evening ended with a tomato soup + rice dinner with Indian chutney 🙂 before I returned home again.

Cooperation on the lake. In the background you see Hergiswil, where there is the seat of WTT-Global.

The children born in the last decades are much more electric and have a faster reaction time -through the influence of Uranus their bodies are becoming lighter and more refined.

Last Saturday I was invited to a “Generation Workshop” (GenerActions) at a regional trade fair in Grenchen. A friend working at Infocklick.ch, the Swiss child and youth promotion, had invited me for this encounter of different generations: Young persons who have ideas and projects meet experienced people of the elder generation and can tap on their knowledge and experience. A fascinating approach.

The stand of the workshop was in the huge hall of the Swiss Velodrome. Members of three projects and some  experienced adults were there. One project was a magazine called “und” (and), of young and old working together in a “generation tandem” magazine. Another project was about launching a youth parliament in a Swiss canton. And a third one was a web radio.

I joined the two 14 years old boys who are running since 2 years the web radio “WRS1” (Web Radio Switzerland 1) – youngsters for youngsters. With their team of 4 boys Dominic and Noah realise two broadcasts of two hours per week. I was fascinated by their technical knowledge and cleverness. Beside the broadcasting they are actively using different communication channels: website, YouTube, Facebook…

I went with them through their website and gave them hints how to optimize the site and the way they are communicating. They were very attentive, taking notes, asking. And while the other workshops were already over we were still sitting together and intensely discussing. There was a breeze of Aquarian wind in the air – I’m sure these young people will bring fresh innovations in the near future. Thank you Dominic and Noah for allowing me to use the photos of you.

The two members of the web radio team

In action

Do you like reading reports, annual reports, for example? And if you open one, would you read more than 2 lines?

I think most would answer both questions with a “no”. Clicking a “like” on Facebook is easier and faster than understanding what a report like the Annual Report of WTT-Global is really about.

12 years ago, Sri Kumar told me on two occasions that such an overview of the activities of the movement is very important. And he remarked that it had taken him years to convince the Indian members of its significance so that they started preparing such reports.

I felt the impact Sri Kumar was giving to compose an Annual Report but I didn’t really understand. I had just been called by him into the Executive Board of WTT-Global. For the previous 2 years I had translated the reports – they were more reviews of the tours and activities of Sri Kumar  in different parts of the world. Since I wasn’t touring this could not be my approach. I would collect information about the tours but rather gather reports about what the groups are doing.

Since 12 years, I am now editing the Annual Report of WTT-Global. The first report had 24 pages – short inputs from activities from 31 groups – the last one, published on May Call, has 81 pages – reports from 38 groups and committed individuals, partly very long ones, with insights into a huge variety of activities of service and meditative work; furthermore short insights into Sri Kumar’s tours in the West, the Paracelsus magazine project and the activities of the Executive Board.

The work for the Annual Report – writing, compiling, translating, and editing – turned out to be full of subtle dimensions. It was not only a kind of taking the pulse of the various groups – I can strongly feel the echo of the qualities of the different groups. The seemingly administrative exercise is a fascinating instrument of weaving a network of cordial relations around the globe. You feel a difference whether the contributions are a “copy-paste” of the previous year (“we are just doing the same like in the years before”) or from a group which reflected on their own work, discovered the scope and complexity of what they are doing. You easily forget this in the currents of everyday life. By sitting down to formulate and to translate, to gather photos and inputs from the other group members, you receive new impulses, for re-sharpening the focus and cooperation: When you look at a thing with loving attention, a further unfolding develops.

Last Tuesday, the day I wanted to get the report printed, I received the biggest group input, a very impressive read which I included just before I drove to the copy centre. And two days ago another interesting contribution arrived which I could include only in the soft-copy version – I started gathering the texts in March but it seems it is not so easy for the groups to organize themselves. And some groups didn’t react at all – no problem, all are free to decide what they want to do.

Sri Kumar gave two mottoes for this year’s Annual Report, one for the cover and one as an “Editorial”: “There is no higher purpose than serving the Plan and the Hierarchy.” and “Let us Strive to Beautify the Personality To be Temple, the Solomon’s Temple.” They describe not only two guiding lights of the spiritual path but also of the work the Annual Report is all about: An instrument of alignment and transformation.

>> Read the Annual Report online / Download PDF version

Some days ago I got a very well done commercial for a Thai telecom company about true giving. It says somewhere that the spot is made after a true story of Dr Prajak Arunthong. It is a message that though you might forget, acts of good will are not done in vain. Enjoy

A screenshot from the video (c)