Anthroposophy in the Bay Area & Beyond – Connecting Seekers across Northern California

Michaelmas Social – 2026

Community Celebration

Sunday, October 18, 2.30 – 4.30 pm
Golden Gate Park – Mother’s Meadow

Sponsored by the San Francisco Bay Branch
and the Anthroposophical Society of America

Inspirations of Mani for the Future of Christianity and the Redemption of Evil

Troubadours and Cathars of the Languedoc. Through glimpses from a study-tour to the Pyrenees and a Concert with Eurythmy. Part 1: The Troubadours

October 17
3 pm ET – 2 pm CT – 1 pm MT – Noon PT – 8 pm UK – 9 pm CET

Carol Holmsen

Description: Zoom talk with PowerPoint about the Troubadours and Cathars of the medieval Languedoc with illustrations, pictures and musical clips. Facts and romanticized fiction. Why a presentation about the troubadours and the Cathars in a webinar series about Manichaeism? Who were the Troubadours and the Cathars? What was Courtly Love? Examples of several Troubadour songs. What were Cathar beliefs? Were they connected with Manichaeism? What was the Albigensian Crusade which led to the demise of the Cathars and the decline of the Troubadours?

This presentation is seen through the “lens” of a Concert with Eurythmy of Troubadour Music with a section on their neighbors and contemporaries, the Cathars, as well as through glimpses from a study-tour to the Pyrenees with Roland van Vliet in 2015. The 1987 series of Concerts with Eurythmy about the Troubadours and Cathars in Languedoc in the 1200’s was held in Norway. In the first part of this presentation, an attempt will be made to take a deep dive through immersion into the poetry and music of the Troubadours and the framework of ideas behind them. In the second part of this presentation, the story of the Cathars, who they were, what they believed, how they lived and their tragic end will be presented.

Bio: Carol Holmsen has worked in the teaching and health fields and has a background in eurythmy, curative eurythmy, nursing, rhythmical massage, homeopathy, English and literature. Author, translator, sheep-keeper of Old Norwegian short-tailed sheep, and a weaver.

Presentations are free, but a $15 suggested donation per presentation or $150 for the entire webinar will help to support this program and provide for a speaker honorarium.

Please type “Webinar on Mani” or presenter’s name
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2nd Sunday’s at the Plant Cafe

Inspirations of Mani for the Future of Christianity and the Redemption of Evil

Manichean Impulse of Alanus ab Insulis of the School of Chartres and Cathars in Relation to the Future of the Earth

October 10
3 pm ET – 2 pm CT – 1 pm MT – Noon PT – 8 pm UK – 9 pm CET

Frans Luthers

Description: Did something of the Manichean impulse flow into the mission of the School of Chartres and from there to the Cathars? Alanus ab Insulis was a famous teacher in the school of Chartres. He wrote an important book The Anti- Claudian on the Nature of the world and humanity. He was in contact with the Cathers in the South of France and had discussions with them on good and evil the world and in humanity. Frans will show how this has a great actuality around our opinion on the earth, climate change and the role of humanity.

Bio: Frans Lutters (MA) has been a Waldorf teacher in the Netherlands for forty years. He is the author of over 15 books of which 7 are also in English; such as Who Is Harry Potter?; The Grail Mystery and the Seven Liberal Arts; and An Exploration into the Destiny of the Waldorf School Movement. He is worldwide known as a lecturer and author.