Cultic Studies Review, Vol. 2, No. 2, 2003, Page 140
Schwartz later wrote to Dan Dugan to say that he was fired from Sunbridge after giving his
speech and was demoted to Waldorf teacher.
The school‘s booklet that we, as prospective parents, had received in the mail, ―Rudolf
Steiner Waldorf Education,‖ had the mystic‘s name emblazoned in large fiery red Anthro-
font on a flaming yellow cover. Among Steiner‘s followers, even typeface was prescribed by
the master for the movement literature. Steiner‘s name was, however, meaningless to us at
the time, because we were ignorant of Rudolf Steiner and Anthroposophy. Published by The
Robinswood Press in Stourbridge England, the brochure did not mention ―Anthroposophy‖
once. Nor was there any mention of the school‘s religious affiliation or explanation of the
―spiritual‖ or esoteric basis of Waldorf. Although in retrospect, I recognize the real meaning
of a Waldorf student‘s ―painting,‖ depicting the Anthroposophic icon of the Sun and rainbow,
pictured in the booklet. The explanation, a veiled reference to cosmic beings and
reincarnation, states ―A 7 year old explores the world of color, one of the many ‗worlds‘ to
be discovered when children enter school.‖ (Steiner schools fellowship, 1989, p.1)
Although ―Anthroposophy‖ was not mentioned in the brochure, and is not yet a household
word in America, within days of our involvement with Waldorf we began to hear this word.
Like others who also inadvertently stumbled into an Anthroposophic reality by choosing an
art-based, nonsectarian school for their children, I, too, wondered why people couldn‘t
pronounce the word ―anthropology‖.
Early on in my career as Waldorf mom, before we had a computer and access to the
Internet, I had consulted my Webster‘s New World Dictionary but found no mention of the
word. I also asked a teacher what ―Anthroposophy‖ was and he said, ―the study of man‖—
which really didn‘t help my understanding very much. The word ―Anthroposophy‖ was often
used as a simple explanation or answer to a question for example, a teacher might have
responded to a puzzled parent‘s question, ―In Anthroposophy we do it this way.‖ Sometimes
Anthroposophy was explained as ―Steiner‘s philosophy.‖ So for years we struggled along,
trying to function in a Waldorf reality without understanding that their worldview is
ideologically at odds with ours. There we were, a family of freethinkers, unwittingly striving
to usher in Steiner‘s esoteric prophesies, initiating our daughter in an Anthroposophic
mystery school, volunteering and donating to the cause, all in the name of ―education.‖
Volunteerism was required of all parents. My many hours, however, never seemed to satisfy
the faculty because I naturally worked from my non-Anthroposophic perspective, oblivious
of Steiner‘s esoteric doctrine, while Anthroposophists followed the dictates of their world
view, because:
The person in whom anthroposophical wisdom appears must be completely
unimportant compared to this wisdom the person as such does not matter at
all. It is only essential that this person has developed so far that his or her
personal likes, dislikes, and opinions do not taint the anthroposophical
wisdom (Steiner, 1990, p. 17).
This caused in me a mounting sense of their deep ingratitude.
On several occasions, I had wondered if Waldorf was a new religious movement because my
family had experienced peculiarities arising from the pedagogy. Because my concerns were
always alleviated by other group members (some with and some without esoteric
knowledge), with whom we had become friends, I tended to ignore my mounting confusion
and frustration. We were perpetually congratulated for choosing Waldorf for our daughter‘s
education, and other schooling systems were put down with regularity. Waldorf was the best
education available and all children in the world should have the privilege of attending such
schools, so we believed.
Schwartz later wrote to Dan Dugan to say that he was fired from Sunbridge after giving his
speech and was demoted to Waldorf teacher.
The school‘s booklet that we, as prospective parents, had received in the mail, ―Rudolf
Steiner Waldorf Education,‖ had the mystic‘s name emblazoned in large fiery red Anthro-
font on a flaming yellow cover. Among Steiner‘s followers, even typeface was prescribed by
the master for the movement literature. Steiner‘s name was, however, meaningless to us at
the time, because we were ignorant of Rudolf Steiner and Anthroposophy. Published by The
Robinswood Press in Stourbridge England, the brochure did not mention ―Anthroposophy‖
once. Nor was there any mention of the school‘s religious affiliation or explanation of the
―spiritual‖ or esoteric basis of Waldorf. Although in retrospect, I recognize the real meaning
of a Waldorf student‘s ―painting,‖ depicting the Anthroposophic icon of the Sun and rainbow,
pictured in the booklet. The explanation, a veiled reference to cosmic beings and
reincarnation, states ―A 7 year old explores the world of color, one of the many ‗worlds‘ to
be discovered when children enter school.‖ (Steiner schools fellowship, 1989, p.1)
Although ―Anthroposophy‖ was not mentioned in the brochure, and is not yet a household
word in America, within days of our involvement with Waldorf we began to hear this word.
Like others who also inadvertently stumbled into an Anthroposophic reality by choosing an
art-based, nonsectarian school for their children, I, too, wondered why people couldn‘t
pronounce the word ―anthropology‖.
Early on in my career as Waldorf mom, before we had a computer and access to the
Internet, I had consulted my Webster‘s New World Dictionary but found no mention of the
word. I also asked a teacher what ―Anthroposophy‖ was and he said, ―the study of man‖—
which really didn‘t help my understanding very much. The word ―Anthroposophy‖ was often
used as a simple explanation or answer to a question for example, a teacher might have
responded to a puzzled parent‘s question, ―In Anthroposophy we do it this way.‖ Sometimes
Anthroposophy was explained as ―Steiner‘s philosophy.‖ So for years we struggled along,
trying to function in a Waldorf reality without understanding that their worldview is
ideologically at odds with ours. There we were, a family of freethinkers, unwittingly striving
to usher in Steiner‘s esoteric prophesies, initiating our daughter in an Anthroposophic
mystery school, volunteering and donating to the cause, all in the name of ―education.‖
Volunteerism was required of all parents. My many hours, however, never seemed to satisfy
the faculty because I naturally worked from my non-Anthroposophic perspective, oblivious
of Steiner‘s esoteric doctrine, while Anthroposophists followed the dictates of their world
view, because:
The person in whom anthroposophical wisdom appears must be completely
unimportant compared to this wisdom the person as such does not matter at
all. It is only essential that this person has developed so far that his or her
personal likes, dislikes, and opinions do not taint the anthroposophical
wisdom (Steiner, 1990, p. 17).
This caused in me a mounting sense of their deep ingratitude.
On several occasions, I had wondered if Waldorf was a new religious movement because my
family had experienced peculiarities arising from the pedagogy. Because my concerns were
always alleviated by other group members (some with and some without esoteric
knowledge), with whom we had become friends, I tended to ignore my mounting confusion
and frustration. We were perpetually congratulated for choosing Waldorf for our daughter‘s
education, and other schooling systems were put down with regularity. Waldorf was the best
education available and all children in the world should have the privilege of attending such
schools, so we believed.
