Methods of Concentration and Meditation Born out of Anthroposophy

Saturday, July 12, 9:30 AM  

Paloma Hall
4096 Fairway Drive, Soquel

This is a three-part series, based in the work of Rudolf Steiner, to take place on three separate Saturdays: July 12, August 2, and a September date to be determined. The first class introduces the practice of “The Logic of the Heart”. This is a method for finding inner peace and connection to the Higher Self. The second class introduces “The Logic of the Will”, a method to instill harmony and healing in social connections and contexts. The third class introduces “Working with Chains of Repeated Occurrences”and builds on the first two practices to introduce a method for healing our life experiences, connecting us to the Grail stream. Commitment to the series is not required. Participation in one of the first two classes is a prerequisite for the third class. Classes meet 9:30 – 6:30, with snack and lunch breaks.

Dietlind Kionke-Thoemmes was born in Germany where she trained and practiced as a physician before moving permanently to Marin County in the U.S. in 1995. Her deeper impulse, rooted in Anthroposophy, was always to bring healing not only to the physical body but also to all the layers of the human being. In 2003, she became deeply inspired by the work of Armen Tougu, a Christian Community priest who was visiting San Francisco at that time. As she heard his descriptions of his work with a group of his congregants, she could see how Anthroposophical wisdom was able to illumine pressing social and destiny questions, leading to positive solutions and significant healing. Armen based his approach to inner and social healing on the exercises described by Rudolf Steiner and has, supported by an international group, developed a body of basic methods of concentration and meditation for inner and social healing in our time.

Dietlind began her study and practice with Armen in 2003, pursuing this path intensively. In recent years she has been providing counseling and instruction in the basic methods and has also been teaching more comprehensive courses built on these methods. She recognizes that inner and social healing are what is needed if humanity is to evolve towards the tasks of the future.

As San Francisco Waldorf School students, we’ve had the immense privilege of being taught eurythmy by many incredible teachers, most recently during the inaugural Youth Eurythmy Conference hosted at our high school campus. After workshops taught by Virgnia Hermann and Sea-Anna Vasilas, we discussed the possibility of re-establishing a summer youth eurythmy intensive hosted by Eurythmy Spring Valley. Through this one-week intensive we hope to create a space for young eurythmists to engage deeply with the pedagogical and spiritual foundations of eurythmy.

 There are 6 of us: three graduating seniors whose last chance this may be to do eurythmy, and three rising seniors. We are hoping to raise a total of $7,500 to cover the costs of flights ($2250) and tuition ($5250)

 In supporting this initiative, you contribute not only to the cultivation of artistic excellence but to the continuity of a tradition that seeks to harmonize inner and outer life through conscious movement that will continue to live on through us and future generations of the SFWHS Youth Eurythmy Troupe.  

https://www.gofundme.com/f/help-sfwhs-students-attend-eurythmy-intensive?attribution_id=sl:5e46d662-c3d8-455e-9b60-364341502ce4&utm_campaign=natman_sharesheet_dash&utm_medium=customer&utm_source=copy_link

A big thank-you to the organizers of the Anthroposophy in the Bay Area & Beyond celebration of the 100^th anniversary of Rudolf Steiner’s death.  I am grateful that I could attend this important commemoration in person with other anthroposophists since my work with threefolding has anticipated this 100-year window for the last several years.

The speech and eurythmy (Jeremiah Turner and Karen Gallagher) beautifully expressed the flame within the human being and its larger context (thank you both for performing this twice to frame the celebration).  Daniel Polikoff gave the main commemoration presentation.  Although I had some difficulty hearing Daniel since I sat far away, I heard most of it, enough to appreciate that it was a sweeping, deep, and perceptive overview of Steiner’s life that was based on Daniel’s deep knowledge of his subject.

The grand finale of the program was a display of more pictures of Steiner than I had ever before seen (as well as a few other pictures such as the Representative of Humanity).  Most were accompanied by succinct and profound quotes that in themselves were worth study.  These pictures were in large format of several square feet each, most on canvas, created over many years by Steve Gersich.  This was a one-time exhibition that deserves permanent display in a museum, so we felt very privileged indeed to see them.

Thank you again to the organizers for such a meaningful event!

— Linda Lingane

Whitsun in the Year’s Festival Cycle 

Though the spiritual new year is said to begin at Easter, Karl König describes a mood of fulfillment at Whitsun, just 50 days later, followed by a seasonal pause before the cycle begins again at St. John’s. 

With this framing as our context, Mary Stewart Adams will lead us in a consideration of the year’s festival cycle, and how festival life works with real consequence in the destiny of a community, especially in challenging times, for it is here we may create the substance for the spiritual world to use where it is most needed in the world. More and more this requires our conscious and active participation, but what does this conscious, active participation look like?

Further, as the culminating moment of the sacred Easter Festival in this 100th anniversary year of Rudolf Steiner’s death, this year’s Whitsun is unique and potentially consequent for the next iteration of anthroposophy in the world. In order that the centenary celebrations and observances be more than a remembrance of things past, we are invited to consider Rudolf Steiner’s Leading Thoughts 168-170 (attached), and to prepare inwardly by reviewing our “festival life” from St. John’s 2024 to Easter 2025. This preparation is suggested so that it may serve as a foundation from which we can share ideas about what is needed for our going forward together

We appreciate your support of the ongoing work of The Faust Branch in making these offerings available.
Admission for lectures (no one excluded for lack of funds) :
Faust Branch members: $5, Non-members: $10, Supporting Members and Donors – No Fee.
Admission fees may be paid On-line at https://www.faustbranch.org/ or  By Check to Sacramento Faust Branch (mail to Treasurer, Carol Nordaas, 7620 Woodglen Dr, Fair Oaks, CA 95628)

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Since 2023, Mary Stewart Adams has been general secretary of the Anthroposophical Society in America. She serves as a spokesperson for the society and country representative in the international movement. She is also a Star Lore Historian and independent contractor working out of the initiative to safeguard the human imagination by protecting our access to the night sky and its stories.