Cultic Studies Review, Vol. 2, No. 2, 2003, Page 138
―imagination‖ by Steiner. Developing ―imagination,‖ which you‘d expect at an art-based
school, really meant developing ―psychic sight.‖ Even the word ―art‖ takes on a different
meaning with acquired esoteric knowledge. ―Art‖ becomes ―The Art‖ (of Magic). The
secularization of religious words became an effective tool for hiding the esoteric core from
us as uninformed parents. ―Sermon‖ became ―lecture,‖ ―occultist‖ became ―scientist,‖
―prayer‖ became ―verse,‖ Steiner‘s scheme of reincarnation—‖The True Nature of Man‖—
became ―child development model,‖ ―nature altar‖ became ―nature table,‖ ―pentagram‖
became ―star‖, ―religion‖ became ―science‖ and ―sectarian‖ became ―nonsectarian.‖ Another
word with dual meanings, ―materialistic,‖ was also used ubiquitously at our school. Its
definition within Waldorf culture was ―non-spiritual‖—very different from my understanding
of the term in those days, i.e., ―seeking wealth, goods, comfort and pleasure.‖ The word
―reincarnation‖ was never used in our presence at the school and was not mentioned in
brochures we read or meetings we attended, despite the fact that reincarnation is a main
doctrinal tenet of Anthroposophy crucial to Steiner‘s ―child development model,‖ his
prophetic future, and Waldorf‘s curriculum and pedagogy. In fact, we only learned about the
importance of reincarnation in Waldorf after we left the school and I began reading his
sermons. Although, in passing conversation, a devout Anthroposophist teacher, while
picking up her daughter from our house, did let it slip that Steiner is expected to reincarnate
in a green, hilly place in North America, possibly the area where our ex-school is located.
This puzzling comment was added to my mental list of Waldorf peculiarities and concerns. It
was another piece of the puzzle that eventually led to my awakening. (I have since
discovered that some Anthroposophists involved with the schools speculate on whether or
not a child might be the reincarnation of Steiner!) I later learned from an Anthroposophist
that words such as ―occultist‖ or ―mystic‖ are considered ―labeling and name calling‖
(although believers have no problem using such words amongst themselves, and Steiner
utilized them as well).
The third factor contributing to our confusion about Waldorf being ―nonsectarian‖ has to do
with our education. Neither my husband, nor I, nor our child, had a background in occultism
prior to joining. We knew little about Theosophy, and we did not have a detailed grasp of
turn-of-the-last-century German history or Renaissance history that might have made
things clearer. My family and other esoteric-illiterate members of the group served as an
effective veil of ―normalcy,‖ contributing to the general confusion that runs rampant in
Waldorf.
It has long been customary for the Anthroposophical movement to offer only the ―outer
form‖ of Anthroposophy to parents not ―in the know,‖ as reflected in the following collection
of quotes by Anthroposophists. A press agent for Anthroposophy says:
The task that needs to be lovingly taken up, says Barkoff, is utterly concrete:
convey information, supply visible impressions (e.g., the bread baked by
children at a school, or a tour of the top floor of the Goetheanum), or tell
simple human stories. Anthroposophy needs to be dealt with as a
phenomenon. The press agent has to convey the outer appearance of things
rather than the essential core. A deep esoteric background is necessary to
make the essential core comprehensible. (Jungel &Stockmar, 2000, p. 12)
A sixty-year veteran of Anthroposophy—teacher, writer, and lecturer, Roy Wilkinson—
states:
It has been known for parents to say that they like the school, but wish it
were divorced from certain ―crazy‖ ideas which they may have garnered, or
which a teacher may have expressed. The Waldorf school and the ―crazy‖
ideas are, however, inseparable. Waldorf schools would not exist if they were
not related to these ideas. (Wilkinson, 1996, p. 17)
―imagination‖ by Steiner. Developing ―imagination,‖ which you‘d expect at an art-based
school, really meant developing ―psychic sight.‖ Even the word ―art‖ takes on a different
meaning with acquired esoteric knowledge. ―Art‖ becomes ―The Art‖ (of Magic). The
secularization of religious words became an effective tool for hiding the esoteric core from
us as uninformed parents. ―Sermon‖ became ―lecture,‖ ―occultist‖ became ―scientist,‖
―prayer‖ became ―verse,‖ Steiner‘s scheme of reincarnation—‖The True Nature of Man‖—
became ―child development model,‖ ―nature altar‖ became ―nature table,‖ ―pentagram‖
became ―star‖, ―religion‖ became ―science‖ and ―sectarian‖ became ―nonsectarian.‖ Another
word with dual meanings, ―materialistic,‖ was also used ubiquitously at our school. Its
definition within Waldorf culture was ―non-spiritual‖—very different from my understanding
of the term in those days, i.e., ―seeking wealth, goods, comfort and pleasure.‖ The word
―reincarnation‖ was never used in our presence at the school and was not mentioned in
brochures we read or meetings we attended, despite the fact that reincarnation is a main
doctrinal tenet of Anthroposophy crucial to Steiner‘s ―child development model,‖ his
prophetic future, and Waldorf‘s curriculum and pedagogy. In fact, we only learned about the
importance of reincarnation in Waldorf after we left the school and I began reading his
sermons. Although, in passing conversation, a devout Anthroposophist teacher, while
picking up her daughter from our house, did let it slip that Steiner is expected to reincarnate
in a green, hilly place in North America, possibly the area where our ex-school is located.
This puzzling comment was added to my mental list of Waldorf peculiarities and concerns. It
was another piece of the puzzle that eventually led to my awakening. (I have since
discovered that some Anthroposophists involved with the schools speculate on whether or
not a child might be the reincarnation of Steiner!) I later learned from an Anthroposophist
that words such as ―occultist‖ or ―mystic‖ are considered ―labeling and name calling‖
(although believers have no problem using such words amongst themselves, and Steiner
utilized them as well).
The third factor contributing to our confusion about Waldorf being ―nonsectarian‖ has to do
with our education. Neither my husband, nor I, nor our child, had a background in occultism
prior to joining. We knew little about Theosophy, and we did not have a detailed grasp of
turn-of-the-last-century German history or Renaissance history that might have made
things clearer. My family and other esoteric-illiterate members of the group served as an
effective veil of ―normalcy,‖ contributing to the general confusion that runs rampant in
Waldorf.
It has long been customary for the Anthroposophical movement to offer only the ―outer
form‖ of Anthroposophy to parents not ―in the know,‖ as reflected in the following collection
of quotes by Anthroposophists. A press agent for Anthroposophy says:
The task that needs to be lovingly taken up, says Barkoff, is utterly concrete:
convey information, supply visible impressions (e.g., the bread baked by
children at a school, or a tour of the top floor of the Goetheanum), or tell
simple human stories. Anthroposophy needs to be dealt with as a
phenomenon. The press agent has to convey the outer appearance of things
rather than the essential core. A deep esoteric background is necessary to
make the essential core comprehensible. (Jungel &Stockmar, 2000, p. 12)
A sixty-year veteran of Anthroposophy—teacher, writer, and lecturer, Roy Wilkinson—
states:
It has been known for parents to say that they like the school, but wish it
were divorced from certain ―crazy‖ ideas which they may have garnered, or
which a teacher may have expressed. The Waldorf school and the ―crazy‖
ideas are, however, inseparable. Waldorf schools would not exist if they were
not related to these ideas. (Wilkinson, 1996, p. 17)
