Norway’s spiritual tasks–get to work!

Today is Norway’s 4th of July–more accurately, it’s the “syttende mai” or the “nasjonaldag” (excuse the wrong-spelling…). Norway is, with a few exceptions (for example, its waldorf schools and Tarjei ;)), a very decent country. And there’s steinerkritikk.no; hooray!

(Unfortunately, the bow has too much white and too little red. We’ll do a more accurate Norway bow next year, if we remember. And make sure the blue Swarowski-crystal can actuallt be seen, it can’t know. (It’s blue and placed right at the middle of the bow.))

The spiritual tasks

As always, Rudolf Steiner himself had very important things to say about Norway. In fact, in 1910, he made a lecture trip to Norway–”The mission of folk souls in connection to the Nordic-Germanic mythology.” In November 1921 he returned, to talk about the future spiritual tasks of Norway and Sweden. (The wisdom related below comes from the Swedish edition of The future spiritual tasks of Norway and Sweden, Telleby, 1998.)

According to Rudolf, the hearts of himself and the Norwegians had found each other in the higher spiritual worlds. In the aftermath of the big catastrophe–WWI–he thinks it’s necessary to gain a deeper knowledge about the European folk souls, in order to deal with societal difficulties, and he scolds those who didn’t care about developing such a knowledge which could have avoided the misery of those past years.

Norway, he says, will have a special task in the future, because in the Norwegian corner of Europe there will exist people who take the true spiritual progress of humanity seriously. The Nordic spirit is particularly apt for spiritual insights, and can exert an inspirational influence on the rest of the western nations. But… “The earth has really become a cosmic mole hole for the human species,” he says, though humans are still related to the devine, spiritual forces in space! The problem is, humans lack knowledge of their true selves, they’ve lost themselves. They’re losing contact with the heavens. Things are bad, but anthroposophy is here to save us! To make us progress, instead of regress! Spirituality has to win over rationalism and intellectuality. Anthroposophy will have to help people experiencing themselves as heavenly beings with life between death and rebirth, rather than simple earthly creatures. The anthroposophical knowledge about the higher worlds has to be brought out in society, it has to be made known.

We’ve got to talk about what was before birth and before conception, says Rudolf, that which we bring with us to this earthly existance. That god rules the world is probably true, but we need to know how he rules the world in different nations–because it’s not a uniform heavenly government. There’s something enigmatic about the peninsula of Norway and Sweden, he says, something that not even all Swedes and Norwegians can understand (no shit!). But there’s also something incomprehensible, for the Nordic peoples, in the southern European characters, behaviours and desires.

On history, Steiner says that external history is not true–only history seen from, and interpreted through, anthroposophy can be true. Without it, the spiritual angle is lost, and truth too. For the anthroposophical observer, it’s been made increasingly clear that the spiritual disappears more and more from, or is paralized in, from the southerns European nations, while the spritual grows in the north. People in the north you see, are still capable of receiving the devine teachings, to know the gods–that is the higher spiritul hierarchies–are walking beside them. Therefore, he urges, we’ve got to take spiritual testimonies seriously.

Gods walked with Norwegians

This may come as a surprise, but according to Rudolf, it’s a fact, back when the gods walked on earth as the teachers of humanity, the nordic peoples still lived in a state of naïvety. This will mean one thing: the nordic peoples will be the teachers of humanity. The Norwegians (and the Swedes, but he seems particularly fond of the “western half of the peninsula”–perhaps because the talks were given in Oslo, or as it was called then, Kristiania) will teach the spiritually retarded peoples of the world, not what they (I would say we, but I can hardly count myself, unspiritual as I am) have learnt from other humans, but what they once learned from the gods!

The Norwegians are the conveyors of devine knowledge!–what’s that for “syttende mai,” pretty fab, right?

We also learn that geography is pretty important. Human beings don’t grow up from the earth, like asparagus, but are born down to the earth from above. It’s absolutely no fluke whether you’re born a Norwegian or a Swede. It’s the souls that strive to be either Norwegian or Swedish. Or any of those.

The nordic deeply influences other parts of the world–the spiritual impulses that spread from here, that is. The nordic gods are not geographically isolated, their powerful tentacles are striving to spread the impulses. (Please please, can they be stopped by armed intervention?)

There are people in the north too, who don’t bother to investigate the inner spiritual, but rather occupy themselves with the outer, empirical sciences (that really, according to Rudolf, are more abstract)–not good. The only way to not be egoistical is when you care about the spiritual.

Well, back to Norway. Back then, when the Norwegians learnt from the gods, the cosmic plan made them develop a special character. The Norwegians of today have to apply their spiritual capacities and extract their sprititual knowledge of the past, using their spiritual understanding. Their special character and capacities extend beyond death, it’s got to do with the eternal life of human beings. Humans have a mission of their own souls here on earth, but they also have a higher spiritual mission. The Norwegians, or their souls, might even have special tasks after their deaths. Those Norwegian souls that pass death’s door will possibly have a special task–because of their character and the specific constitution of their minds–of stimulating their fellow souls in the post-death world, they can give those souls something of the Norwegian folk character, something of the spiritual that they–or at least som of the Norwegians–have a rare access to.

Those who have rightly lived their lives as Norwegians, will inspire their co-existing souls after death, and they will be their teachers in regards to the nature secrets… Because in the spiritual realm, the souls have to be educated about the secrets of the earth, just as those on earth need to be educated on the secrets of the spiritual world.

And would you know, the Norwegians are superiour to the Swedes–when it comes to penetrating the secrets of nature! However, we will all die out if we fail grasping the spiritual.

Love your critics

The Norwegians have a mission. And I think that is the battle against Waldorf schools and the silly anthroposophists! Steiner was wrong, the Norwegians don’t need anthroposophy, neither does anyone else. Stupid rubbish, is what it is. Failure to grasp the spiritual is the first step towards progress, and real humanness. Steiner says that those who hate anthroposophy do so because they are too lazy, too convenient… but, the thing is, he’s a liar. He imagines people hate anthroposophy, when it’s apparent that sensible people simply see that anthroposophy, and Steiner, are wrong. He’s got a message to those who dislike us critics though: it’s shameful to be praised by critics, because if you are, then you know that the anthroposophical strivings have taken a wrong turn somewhere!

Thus, the defenders ought to be happy as long as we criticize them, and they ought not to go on about how horribly mean and what bullies we are–because if we praised you instead that would be much worse!

Stuff in the press

Swedish progressive pedagogy of the early 19th century

An essay about CJL Almqvist in Svenska Dagbladet October 3, 2007, caught my eye (it dropped into my RSS reader today, for some reason I can’t really get). Almqvist was an author as well as a teacher and a headmaster. It’s often said, by waldorf proponents, that Rudolf Steiner was ahead of his time, which isn’t true, and that he was a pedagocial reformer, which isn’t true either (he basically just applied his occult beliefs on educational practice). Well, here are some of the ideas put forth by Almqvist, almost a 100 years before Rudy:

- The importance of seeing to the students individual needs and strenghts. Education must be adapted to the individual, and every student must be encouraged to take an active role in their learning.

- Learning must be based on the students desire to learn, and their own interest for it. Desire and interest can’t be forced upon them, but have to grow from within.

- The student should be able to progress faster (or go slower) than his peers, without having to wait for others to develop to where he is.

- Thus, he emphasized personal activity and individuality in education and teaching.

- The subject matter has to be revised and reevaluated as the times change. The students must be prepared for the society they will live in. Almqvist thought the old school system was all too focused on theology and classical languages. (Though, on contrast to theology, he thought christianity was still to be a subject in school.) He meant that the students need to learn modern languages which are needed in society, like German and English. Mathematics and natural sciences were important too.

- He stated that the teacher must teach vividly and appear to his students as a human being, someone who is present, enthusiastic and engages his students, ‘electrifies’ them.

Reasons to become a Waldorf teacher

A series of articles in Svenska Dagbladet deals with the issue of depressive illness. An interviewee who had suffered from depressive bouts for years, decided to train to become a waldorf teacher. She wanted the ‘holistic’ concept–a solution for life. She said that her religious background partly explains why she went for waldorf. She wanted everything from everyday life solutions, such as biodynamic farming, to the artistic and the feeling of community, to the big spiritual issues. The teaching she experienced as too tough, so she had to give it up, but she found the anthroposophical community to be ‘healing.’ (Well, aren’t this quite a fab example of waldorf teachers becoming teachers without having what it takes to be a teacher–all aspects of it–because they want the Spiritual Life and a Solution to their problems.) Back then, she didn’t want to take pharmaceuticals, but later, when she really had to because the depression turned more severe, she found that they worked ‘fantastic.’ (Which is, I gather, a whole lot better than the anthroposophical remedies that really don’t work at all…)

Swedish artist inspired by anthroposophy, theosophy and mysticism

An exhibition (Traces de Sacré–Traces of the divine) in Paris shows the work of Hilma af Klint, a 20th century modernist painter. Dagens Nyheter writes that she was inspired by anthroposophy, theosophy and mysticism. The exhibition is called Traces ). Well, I don’t know. There’s a sample of her art in the article. She took part in spiritual seances already in 1879, and 1908 she met Rudolf Steiner.

New book about children growing up in religious cults

Dagens Nyheter as well as Swedish television has taken notice of a new book about how it is to be a child growing up in a religious cult; Sektbarn [Children in religious cults]. Dagens Nyheter Söndag included a text (taken from the book) about life in Hare Krishna, as well as an interview with the author, journalist Charlotte Essén, and an interview with the ex Hare Krishna member. In an interview on TV, Essén said that the main problem for the children are the isolation from society and the vilification of outside society and its population and the elaborate social control that the children are subjected to. She thinks that society needs to look closer at these environments. In Hare Krishna, the children were dressed up, singing songs, getting enough food to eat–every time outsiders were there to see them, the fancy facade was purely for appearances sake and to advertise the movement. Religious verses were deemed more important than actual school work. The outside world was painted in a negative way–people were ‘meat-eaters,’ materialistic, out to get the Hare Krishnas, people were evil… Children were forced to work with farm chores. The dog they had died, due to malnourishment (he didn’t get meat). Punishments were systematic and consciously perpetrated–one usual way to punish was locking the child into a dark closet. Another treatment was cold showersWhen someone became ill, it was because of sin, and they didn’t give the children medicinces, only indian folk remedies. The ex-member says she’s surprised children didn’t die–with all the diseases and the policy of never treating bacterial illnesses with antibiotics. Once, though, children had to have their stomach pumped at hospital–they had eaten too many apples, because they were so starved after having fasted. She has to live with a kateter today, because of the numerous urinary infections she had as a child–none of them were treated with anything other than spiritual remedies. What does Hare Krishna say? They say there are always someone who complains or isn’t happy–that’s not Hare Krishnas fault. If some Hare Krishnas did something wrong, it was those individuals that did these wrongs–it should not reflect on Hare Krishna. Isolated cases, nothing wrong about the movement. Moreover, those who complain are ’subjective.’ (Oh… naturally… they must be…) In the interview with the author of the book, she says that these cults teach children not to think for themselves, and they are manipulated to be afraid of the outside world; they are psychologically abused, and often they are also physically abused. She considers them to be victims of crime. (Unfortunately it seems that these articles aren’t available online, so you have to get hold of the actual paper version to read them.)

Scientology–Proposed tax-funded school scrutinized before opening

Lots of people are raising doubts since it became known that a proposed tax-funded school based on scientology’s pedagogical doctrines (’applied scolastics’) was going to be established in the Boston area. I still am unsure if there are any scientology schools in Sweden.

Religion–a figment of imagination

A New Scientist article about the origins of religious beliefs. Human beings might be practicing religion as a consequence of the capacity for imagination, and particularily the imagining of the after-death. (Which is quite interesting, even from a Steiner/anthroposophy perspective–he’s got it all, myths, tales, reincarnation, souls that live on, etc.)

rubbin’ the gnomes

was what I did, yeah!

while I was thinking of drowning the little fellas in the sea, as they were clinging desperately to my magnificent furry furiness, someone showed up and wanted to take some photos of me, the Dogly Highness and Master of the Universe. (Very hot day, it was, as you can tell from that tounge there, look right under the Spiritual Nose!)

somebody told me I could get a new job as a portable Waldorf Nature Table. What’s that supposed to mean? Isn’t it enough that I rub and roll the lives out of the wicked gnomes?

i’ll tell you, they live inside log piles too! And it’s the brave dog’s job to bark them out of there. Or just scare them really really badly. I know they drop dead when they see my teeth!!

I hunt other kinds of vermin too!! Oh, and that pic predates the gnome-rub pic! As you can tell from the fur!

Barkings to you!

Whooping-cough and a nutty-as-a-fruitcake anthro conception of disease

…is yet another disease that waldorfians don’t vaccinate against. A Waldorf school in California was closed down on Friday due to the spreading of whooping-cough. Again, it’s a disease that vaccination can’t protect you against to a 100% certainty. Whooping-cough was one of the diseases I was vaccinated against (polio, too, and I got the first thetanus/diphteria shot), yet I contracted it (likely from my waldorf kindergarten). I was ill for a long time. I wrote lots of posts about vaccinations in the past, so I won’t go inte it further today.

This is one report on the Waldorf school case.

Orac on Respectful Insolence writes that

[a]nother problem, of course, is that the unvaccinated tend to cluster in crunchy places like Waldorf schools, a nidus for infections that can provide a reservoir of disease that can spread to the rest of the community, endangering those who can’t be vaccinated for medical reasons and the small percentage of the vaccinated who did not develop immunity. Contrary to the insinuations of antivaccinationists, who view diseases like pertussis as not a big deal, pertussis is a huge deal, particularly in infants. The WHO estimates that 294,000 infants died of pertussis worldwide, and in the prevaccination era there were on the order of 10,000 deaths a year from pertussis in just the U.S. alone.

There’s also some new weird information directly from the anthroposophical sources, Stephen Hale and Carol in an exchange of ideas on the spiritual side of vaccinations and disease, write at the anthroposophy-group, that

[Carol] [n]erve damage is mentioned on this list as a major concern against state imposed vaccinations for  infants and children especially but this phenomena involves the full spectrum of the population. I personally received only a couple of shots throughout my whole childhood, and therefore could not furnish a direct witness account on how nerve damage could play into the WILL of the ‘prince of darkness’. I believe that I can now. I believe that the spirit being Ahriman gains ‘living space’ for himself within each individual whose body is weakened by medically inflicted nerve damage.

[Stephen Hale] Ahriman gains space within the human body through the agency of the elementary spirits of birth and death, also known as ‘ahriman’s messengers.’ By exceedingly clever means, the evil powers ruling the world were able to see that by making these elementary spirits active within the human being in the period between birth and death, that weakening and self-destructive tendencies could be planted within the human system. Thus, inoculations of ‘viruses’ meant to kill larger viruses was conocted as a clever scheme to put these elementary spirits within the human body as ‘antibodies’ designed to kill the primary viral agent.

Me.

It’s just immensely annoying

It’s warm. My termometer says 35 degrees C, and it was in half shadow. Weather reports say 25, in the shadow of course. I’m trying to get a sun ‘umbrella’ up, on my balcony, but whichever way I place it, it still won’t give any shadow. I really don’t understand why. It’s like the sun is just everywhere. It’s killing me. Then there’s the incessant helicopter sound. It just won’t end. It’s hovering and hovering. Always right above me. This is pretty much the situation for several days each week. Anytime there’s marathon, a parade, a demonstration–anything that gathers people–that damn helicopter is right above my head for hours on end… going ‘brrrrrrrrrrrr … grrrrrrrrrrrrrrr … brrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrr’ So, ok, how many hours do I have to endure it this time? I have no idea. I think 4 or 5 hours more. And I feel I want to knock myself unconscious after like 10 minutes. It’s unbearable.

Then there’s the idiot who keeps moving furniture, or operating a concrete blender, or dragging around huge rocks… I have no idea what. Interestingly that noise stopped when the helicopter-thingy started to growl.

Now I’m just waiting for my neighbours kids to start practicing the violin. That could make you want to commit sucide quickly.

I’m sure their parents think, like my parents thought, that playing instruments are good. Even if you really suck, it’s still good for you, and if you don’t learn it, you will regret you haven’t, when you’re an adult and dream that you had got the chance earlier.

i will never ever in my life go anywhere near a musical instrument again. I don’t see why I should. Other people can play, and are great musicians, so I let them play, and I can listen. Why would I want to do anything that are simply a torture–and that I’m really bad at? No, I don’t see the point of that.

In waldorf we had to play flute. We also had lessons in lyre-playing and violin. On top of that, our parents were told they had to force us to play another instrument outside school hours. My mum chose the piano for me. I hated to the piano, but she felt she had to force it on me, because the teachers at waldorf said it was obligatory. I hated the piano teacher. And she hated me, because I hated the piano, and had really no intention of learning anything. I really REALLY hated it, you know. And, being an adult, I don’t feel at all ‘happy’ I had the fortunate chance of learning it. It’s a waste of time, in my estimation. I wish I’d been without it.

And those disgusting flutes. I’m going to run a repost, slightly modified, from the wc-list, that I wrote about the flutes…

…Those horrible flutes! My mother had to buy 4 different flutes; I stayed until 6th grade, and every other year there was another flute version to buy. I never played the flutes, but they taste pretty good to chew on. The 4th flute was a ‘ordinary’ flute (my dictionary says it is called a ‘recorder’ - but that just doesn’t seem right to me, but maybe it is), didn’t quite have the taste of the Choroi pentatonics. That taste is still in my mouth when thinking of it. Exquisite, for a stick of wood…

Why do people think it’s so good for kids to play and sing and craft? Do it yourself, don’t force it onto unwilling children…

As for my neighbours’ violin-abuse… I just feel it would be very satisfactory to use that violin as a target on a shooting practice… if that was my hobby (which it isn’t).

I can’t for my life imagine the kid likes to practice and does it voluntarily. It’s simply that awful. I know this is a bit mean of me, but some children, like myself, are not meant to be musicians…

I don’t regret it. I don’t miss not having had something I don’t know what it’s like to have. I don’t see why it would be enjoyable to play musical instruments, and it doesn’t bother me one bit that I can’t do it. It’s a complete non-issue.

Oh, finally, the helicopter moved to another location a bit further away. The sound is slightly less intrusive.

Waldorf vill ta över drift av kommunal skola

DN skriver att Waldorfskola strider för att få ta över Drottningholms skola.

Mälaröarnas waldorfskola, som nu befinner sig i en annan lokal på Mälaröarna (inte Drottningholm utan i Svartsjö), bespetsar sig på att ta över driften av den kommunala skolan på Drottningholm. Kommunen har beslutat att man inte längre önskar driva en kommunal skola på Drottningholm, och planerar därför att en privat aktör ska ta över. Mälaröarnas waldorfskola önskar fler elever samt att ta över en ny lokal. Det tycks vara meningen att de elever som idag går i Drottningholms skola ska fortsätta sin skolgång i den friskola som kommer att ta över driften, och det kan alltså befaras bli en waldorfskola.

Är eleverna och föräldrarna införstådda med vad det innebär? Waldorf är en religion, inte en pedagogik.

Är de medvetna om att waldorf innebär att eleverna kommer att be morgonbön, tala med andevärlden i eurytmin, fördröja–in absurdum–den intellektuella utvecklingen? Att skolskötseln, traditionerna och hela den idémässiga atmosfären kommer att följa en clairvoyant ockultists läror från runt 1900?

Hur kommer det sig att det verkar förutsättas att eleverna och föräldrarna på Drottningholm bara ska acceptera detta som om det vore en vettig, normal, och fungerande pedagogik vilken som helst? Informerar de föräldrarna om att vad waldorf innebär, så att de kan göra ett övertänkt val? Det finns, antar jag, andra skolor i kommunen, på andra mälaröar, så de står ju inte utan alternativ. Däremot är det ju farligt att tro att de berörda ska nöja sig med att fortsätta i den geografiskt närmsta skolan, och hålla till godo med waldorfpedagogik–men man tänker sig kanske att man kan lura dem in i detta, genom att tiga om waldorfs fundament. Låtsas att det är ‘bara’ en pedagogik. Låtsas att det på intet sätt är undermålig kvalitet på undervisningen och att kopplingen antroposofi-waldorf är insignifikant.

Föräldrarna i Drottningholms skola…

… har kämpat hårt för att behålla skolan kvar som kommunal.

De lär säkert vara ännu gladare över att skolan inte bara kan bli privatdriven, utan även tokstollig i kubik.

Om det inte blir något av övertagandet av den kommunala skolan, kan det vara slutet för waldorfskolan på Mälaröarna, säger representanten för skolan, J. Tovatt. Det är väl för mycket att hoppas på, dock… Han ‘känner’ att det kanske är så att kommunen vill ha en annan sorts friskola på Drottningholm. (Kanske en med riktig pedagogik, önskade resultat och med bas i något slags förnuft??)

Och just det, så intervjuar de en lärare i Mälaröarnas waldorfskola. Hon säger att eleverna trivs. Det gör de ju alltid i waldorfskolor…

Not just one Himmler around

See! Other people are re-named Heinrich Himmler too! This time, a catholic newspaper tells us,

[t]he Darwinists even have their own Gestapo in the National Center for Science Education led by a modern day Heinrich Himmler named Eugenie Scott.

Eugenie Scott, btw, has once–more than 10 years ago now–written a piece on waldorf science education, which I recommend.

En kortis

En utomordentligt intressant diskussion har pågått på VoF:S forum, Överlevde jag waldorf? En s.k. utbildning.

Om bristande kunskaper, oförmåga att hantera “problem,” skapande verksamhet som är allt annat än skapande, antroposofiska behandlingar som leder till att barn lider istället för att bli botade, osv.

Dagen skriver om att ta bort uppdelningen av skolor i konfessionella och icke-konfessionella. Meningen är ju ändå att de ska följa exakt samma regler, och att “predikande” inte ska förekomma under lektionstid. Det är väl kanske ett ännu bättre alternativ för att bli av med det helt idiotiska problemet att waldorfskolor räknas som icke-konfessionella.

Birgitta Nilsson tycker att en bra väg att gå är ta bort skollagens formulering om konfessionell inriktning, eftersom den bara skapar förvirring. Lagen bör utgå från att det är läroplanen som bestämmer innehållet i undervisningen - och det räcker, anser hon.- Det konfessionella, det måste vara utanför undervisning, säger hon.

Den inre spirituella aspekten av mitt väsen har fått en diagnos. “Carol” har genom imponerande tankeverksamhet slutit sig till följande:

Now, in returning to the WC gang, I’d like to mention that I also took the opportunity to take a peek at Zooey’s blog and noticed something very peculiar therein. Whereas the top section of his home pages contains an minimalistic urban horizon image (in black and grey), within the his site, one can find many images of examples of organic anthroposophic creativity. The question which thus rose up in MY soul can be formulated as such; what does this ‘tell’ about Zooey’s unconsciously chosen position within the broad ’spectrum’ which clearly distinguish heavenly and demonic influencial powers? From my personal perspective, I can distinguish a firm, however refined, hold of ‘egoism’ by way of the chosen urban image which I see as a creative reflection of an inner spiritual aspect of Zooey’s being (call it a piece of Zooey’s soul map). Otherwise, throughout the sections of his site in which I investigated, I found organic anthroposophical creative forms, transcribed quotes of Rudolf Steiner himself, comments by both sympathizers and critisizers of spiritual science, Zooey himself constituting one of the latter (from the comments in which I saw his name signed).

With this type of light shone towards the WC gang, I find that Zooey, and the rest of the WC gang for that matter, to varying degrees and ‘colorings’, look more like cowardly CHICKENs in that they most definitely cling to and keep Anthroposophy ever SNUG and present in their daily lives, all the while, in some form or another, they despise and/or defile it, and yet- in REALITY they unconsciously NEED it in a raw and selfish manner to ensure for themselves a comfort zone, for the purpose of guarding themselves against powerful Ahrimanic forces which ALREADY DO flow freely within their souls (Diana ?) however, most definitely not as severely as their potential can permit.

Tom, in all, I thought to point out how both Peter S. as well Zooey show a certain quality of Egoism- firm, still solidly unrelenting and yet refined (artistic) as reflected somewhat in the darkened horizonal urban image placed up at the top of Zooey’s blog website.

Jojo

Aningen mindre imponerande var tankeverksamheten som låg bakom utnämnandet av mig som en Heinrich Himmler (Himmler, som dessutom, ironiskt nog, var inne på detta med ockultism och esotericism) på anthroposophy tomorrow-listan:

Yep, they’ve got real Nazis in the Hole, in the Unthinkable Facility. While their historical pundits and revisionists are turning every stone to exhume anthroposophical Nazis from the 1930’s in Germany, Göring, Goebbles, Himmler, Mengele, and Hitler himself are all alive and kicking today in the Unplumbable Toilet, the WC [min kom.:waldorfcritics-listan].

Take Heinrich Himmler, the very father of the dreaded SS. He is resurfacing in the Hole these days in the guise of “Zooey”[...]

“Zooey” has been very active in the Unthinkable Facility lately, going on about anthroposophists being a threat to the world because many parents choose not to vaccinate their children against gcommon childhood diseases like measles. But she’s also got a tiny local hole of her own with eight dwellers, and here’s a neat little piece from a message she posted there on Friday:[min kom.: länk.]

[...]

The hole-creatures don’t have the guts to say that anthroposophists don’t deserve to live (like Himmler), but they imply that nevertheless too by claiming they’re killers, because there’s at least one character, namely “emmanuel”, who echoes Dr. Mengele by implying forced mass-sterilization of anthroposophists because they are killers (posted Saturday):

http://groups.yahoo.com/group/waldorf-critics/message/3351

[...]

Goebbles has been raising his voice for a long time in that dark place (the Abyss), and every once in a while we’ve seen a glimpse of Adolf, but this time we have Himmler ( SS Reichsführer) and Dr. Mengele showing up. Good going, so-called “critics”, my dear Constipated Ones — Goebbles would also be proud of you.

Tarjei kanske kan förtjäna epitetet The Squeak Of Waldorf? För om Sune är The Voice of Waldorf, vilket PeteK visar* - med all önskvärd tydlighet - är en korrekt beskrivning av fakta, då är väl Tarjei åtminstone ett litet råttpip, en rap eller ett litet kvitter?

* I en av mumsnet-trådarna (tjena, Sune, avstängd??? ;)). PeteK:

Nice try Sune… but you ARE The VOICE OF WALDORF - and that is confirmed by how many waldorf sites link to your website. 500 you say? That’s impressive. Yep, you ARE the very embodiment of the Anthroposophical Movement - dishonest, deluded, fanatical and sinister. You ARE what Anthroposophy stands for. You should be proud of it - not try to hide it. C’mon, it’s what you spend your entire life defending - at least be honest about what you’re doing Sune. You are LYING to promote Anthroposophy. We all see it anyway… whether you admit it or not. Nice job!

Mässling

Smittskyddsinstitutet varnar, och rekommenderar att vuxna ovaccinerade ser till att vaccinera sig.

De flesta barn i Sverige vaccineras mot mässling, men bland barn i familjer som avstått från vaccination, ofta av religiösa eller kulturella skäl, finns grupper av icke-immuna.

I Norge har en Steinerskola drabbats av en mässlingsepidemi, importerad från Österrike.

__________________________________________________________________

EpiNorth news reports that Norweigian Steiner school kids brough the disease back from a Steinerian trip to Austria where there’s a massive measles outbreak in Steinerland. The children were not vaccinated.

This is just insane…:

Outbreak of measles in Norway imported from Austria

Norwegian Institute of Public Health reports that an outbreak of measles among a group of schoolchildren from Steiner school was registered in Nøtterøy municipality, Vestfold county, Norway in the beginning of April in connection with an outbreak of measles in Austria. Three Norwegian children were infected while they were on a study trip in Austria. These children were not vaccinated against measles due to various reasons. One child has returned back and infected another child attending the same school. Two other infected children are still in Austria. On Wednesday, 9th of April, all children from Steiner school were offered vaccination against measles, but not all parents accepted it.
As early as in the end of March health authorities in Austria reported the outbreak of measles in and around the city of Salzburg, but also in Germany (Bavaria) and Upper Austria. About 180 cases were registered. The outbreak occurred originally in Waldorf school (equivalent of Steiner school in Norway), where some parents were against any immunization, according to the ProMED-mail (Global electronic reporting system for outbreaks of emerging infectious diseases and toxins).”

Eurosurveillance links recent measles outbreaks in Europe to anthroposophic communitites/ schools in Germany, Austria and Norway.

“The initial case series investigation revealed that the common link was attendance of an anthroposophic school and day care centre in Salzburg city. The majority of the pupils were not vaccinated against measles.

[...]

The outbreak described here indicates that the anthroposophic community also is an at-risk group of measles spread, because many parents in this group choose not to vaccinate their children with the MMR vaccine [4]. Anthroposophy, based on the writings of the mystic and social philosopher Rudolf Steiner (1861-1925), combines human development with an investigation of the divine spark found in all of nature. The movement has marked education (Waldorf/Steiner schools) and medicine. Anthroposophical doctors emphasise nature-based therapies that support the body’s innate healing wisdom. Antibiotics, fever-reducing agents, and vaccinations are used at one’s own discretion only [5].”

More stuff on vaccinations and anthros.
http://www.eurosurv eillance. org/edition/ v13n16/080417_ 1.asp

“Although considerable progress has been made since 2002, and vaccine coverage with MMR has increased dramatically, huge outbreaks of these diseases have nevertheless been reported in recent years and are still ongoing in western European countries.[. ..]

In many cases, outbreaks start in environments with a high proportion of susceptibles, for example in anthroposophic groups, which are known for their critical attitudes towards vaccination. These outbreaks may then be exported to the general population, as is currently the case in Salzburg, Austria, where the first cases emerged in an anthroposophic school with very low vaccination coverage.
[...]
Efforts must also be made to identify populations with low coverage and tailor strategies to address those communities. Different communication strategies must be identified to target these groups, and a strong commitment is needed to ensure that human and financial resources are also provided.”

Some general, but realated, interesting stuff:
http://www.eurosurv eillance. org/edition/ v13n16/080417_ 2.asp

“While national programmes still face problems delivering services to geographically and socially marginal populations, the effectiveness of vaccinations in reducing the incidence of what were once common scourges has led to a broader public misapprehension. Internet use and a combination of complacency and scepticism have allowed for the persistent propagation of misinformation via anti-vaccination activists. This has resulted in a stagnation or decrease in immunisation coverage in many countries and contributed to recent outbreaks of disease that threaten the health of Europe and other regions of the world. For example, an ongoing measles outbreak in Switzerland, which started in November 2006, has to date resulted in more than 1,400 cases reported in that country and has been linked to local outbreaks elsewhere in Europe and North America [1]. Other examples include recent measles outbreaks in Austria [2] and large epidemics in Ukraine and Romania, which resulted in tens
of thousands of cases over the past five years. Moreover, the geographic distribution of measles in Europe is shifting. While once more common in the East, by 2007 the countries with the most cases, and the lowest vaccination rates, were located in the West [3].”

Nya tips

Frank Christensen, f.d. waldorflärarstuderande, har en hemsida, Fronkensteiner!

Robert Smith-Hald, uppväxt i Camphillsamhälle, har många intressanta blogposter om livet där.

Norges Steinerskolor hamnar i kvällspressen igen, denna gång är det korrekt läroplan de saknar, VG.

Steinerkritikk publicerar ett öppet brev från paret Ulvund, det har även publicerats i Dagbladet.

Heller ikke denne gangen har skolen gjort noe galt. Det er som vanlig foreldrene det er noe galt med, og de går så langt at de stiller spørsmålet om ikke vi burde be om unnskyldning. Den uttalelsen slår alle rekorder! [...]

Hvis du påtenker å sende barnet ditt på Steinerskolen, bør du klikke deg inn på nettstedet www.steinerkritikk.no som er et verdensomspennende nettverk for foreldre og lærere som har negative erfaringer med dette skoleslaget.

S:t George slays Michaelmass

Post prompted by the ongoing discussion on mumsnet about the meaning of michaelmass in anthroposophy and other interesting anthro-issues!

No dragons were hurt by the furry monster’s teeth during the photo session!

SvD varnar för mässling

SvD varnar för mässling efter att åtskilliga europeiska länder drabbats av mässlingsutbrott.

Expressen varnar för mässling.

Eftersom jag redan skrivit så mycket om det på sistone ska jag tillfälligt låta bli. (Däremot ska jag absolut gå och ta min andra MMR-spruta, vilket inte har blivit av än.)

Anthroposophists and vaccinations.

Anti-vaccinationists deliberate harmful behaviour.

Anti-vaccinationists deliberate harmful behaviour

Only a few days since I wrote about vaccinations - among other things about “measles parties” - the last time, but today Orac posted a piece that I though was so important. I quote a small part, but I think anyone considering not to vaccinate should read the whole post.

One of the most obnoxious and idiotic things that antivaccinationists claim is that measles and the mumps are not particularly harmful diseases, and it drives me nuts when I see such claims on antivaccinationist websites. There are even those who advocate “measles parties,” where they intentionally expose their children to children suffering from the measles in order to have their children contract the disease. Why would anyone do something so dangerous to their children? These parents are deluded by the belief that it’s somehow better to become immune by getting a disease “naturally” than becoming immune through the “artificial” method of vaccination. I kid you not.

[---]

Anyone who claims that the MMR is more dangerous than actually getting the measles simply does not know what he or she is talking about, and anyone who intentionally exposes his or her child to the measles is playing Russian Roulette with that child’s life. Australian skeptic and diehard fighter of antivaccination lunacy Peter Bowditch also has a good response to such dangerous ignorance in the form of pictures of the results antivaccinationists can expect to achieve with their work.

My findings at eurosurveillance.org

Recently there are, or have been, outbreaks of measles in France, Austria and Switzerland (the latter mentioned in my last post), too. The recent outbreak in France is reported here, where is stated:

This outbreak underlines the need to achieve higher vaccine coverage among children, teenagers and young adults.

Prior to this there was a smaller outbreak of measles in Denmark.

A recent outbreak in Germany was linked to the outbreak in Switzerland, and occurred in an area with low vaccination rates (note the conclusions about not being able to make these people vaccinate their children):

Of note is that measles vaccine coverage in the affected region is below the federal state average (94.1% for one and 83.9% for two doses among prospective school beginners in 2007). This is due to a regional prevalence of groups with a critical attitude towards immunisation.

Public health authorities expect the outbreak to continue. Vaccination rates may improve county-wide but are unlikely to rise in the population group opposed to vaccination in which the current outbreak is occuring. Local health authorities in Germany and Switzerland maintain cross-border contact and are co-operating in outbreak investigation and prevention measures.

In another report on the same outbreak, the reasons for the unwillingness to vaccinate among the inhabitants of this geographical area was mentioned to be the following:

However, a study conducted earlier in the region currently affected identified three main factors for non-immunisation against measles: physicians advising against vaccination, physicians abstaining from advice, and parental reservations due to alternative health beliefs.

The same report also informs that, during the last 2,5 months of 2007,

Measles specific complications were notified for eight cases (8%). Two suffered from otitis media, and six from pneumonia. Three of the pneumonia patients (aged 10, 27 and 31 years) required hospitalisation. The total number of notified hospitalised cases was 24 (25%). Twelve of them were ≥20 years-old (Table).

There’s an outbreak of mumps in Moldova.

Mumps outbreaks comparable to this one with respect to size and affected age group have occurred recently in several countries, including the UK, the US, and Canada.

Dahlin-rapporten

Finns nu uppe i fulltext på på norska på steinerkritikk.no. (Se också tidigare avsnitt.)

It is also available in English.

I tidningen idag

DN debatt har en artikel signerad av skolchefen, den moderata utbildningsnämndsordföranden och det socialdemokratiska oppositionsrådet i Haninge, Betygsliknande tester stort lyft för nioåringar.

De styrande i kommunen är ense med opposition om att testning av kunskaper i ett tidigt skede har haft otvetydiga positiva konsekvenser för kunskapsläget. Testning av lågstadieelever är därför inte någon politisk stridsfråga i kommunen. Redan i första klass kontrollerar man barnens kunskaper i läsning, och i och med att testerna införts har läsförmågan förbättrats markant. Om en problemuppgift som eleverna ställs inför:

Frågan blir då om det skulle vara skadligt att ställa nioåriga elever inför en sådan uppgift? Vi tror inte det. Tvärtom. Det vore skadligt att inte ställa den. Om eleven klarat den, så är allt gott och väl. Om eleven inte klarat den, så får skolan anledning att vidta åtgärder. Om många elever inte klarat uppgiften får rektor eller förvaltning eller politiker anledning att göra något. Om ingen kunskapskontroll genomförts, så hade det kanske hänt att ingen hade gjort någonting!

DN Stockholm skriver om att S vill ha hårdare krav på friskolorna. S föreslår att skolverket ska inspektera skolorna oftare, och att inspektionerna ska kunna vara oanmälda (vilket borde vara självklart). Mogert säger:

- Vi har framför allt på gymnasienivå ett antal skolor som är rent affärsdrivande och som saknar en pedagogisk idé.

Och här kan man ju invända att alla s.k. pedagogiska idéer verkligen inte är relevant pedagogiskt sett. Waldorfpedagogiken är givetvis en av dem. Att det finns en idé, bakom en skolform, som kan benämnas pedagogisk är inte ett kvalitetstecken, i somliga fall snarare det motsatta, då idén i fråga är dålig till att börja med. Jag tror heller inte att det är de skolor som definierar sig som affärsdrivande som är de sämsta för eleverna. Även där är det i många fall precis tvärtom.

Skolborgarrådet, Edholm (Fp), säger att:

det är viktigt att fokusera både på kunskapsresultaten i skolans och att värdera betygen kontra de verkliga resultaten.

Vilket ju är fullt korrekt på alla sätt och vis. Genom att granska resultaten på ett seriöst sätt kommer man att finna de usla pedagogiska idéerna som inte gör något positivt alls för en skolforms kvalitet.

SVT2:s Existens handlar ikväll om religiösa friskolor, bl.a. om att Maranatarörelsen driver friskola utan tillstånd (skriver Dagen). Tydligen anser Maranatarörelsen att övriga samhället är ett hot, och därför har man startat den här skolan. Dock är det inte tillåtet att bedriva organiserad skolundervisning utan myndighetstillstånd. De existerande tillåtna kristna friskolorna duger inte, eftersom de följer den statliga läroplanen och skollagen. Maranataskolan använder sig av bestraffningar och aga.

En liten korrigering kan man få uppleva. En liten smärtförnimmelse är på sin plats om det behövs, men oftast räcker det med ord,

säger deras företrädare enligt uppgift till Rapport.

Religionnewsblog rapporterar om en artikel i The Guardian som varnar om hårdare tider för medier och dylika trollpackor.

Promises to raise the dead, secure good fortune or heal through the laying on of hands are all at risk of legal action from disgruntled customers. Spiritualists say they will be forced to issue disclaimers, such as ‘this is a scientific experiment, the results of which cannot be guaranteed’. They claim the new regulations will leave them open to malicious civil action by sceptics.

Katolska kyrkan utnämner 2 nya exorcister. Det var visst inte lätt att hitta personer med de rätta kvalifikationerna. Vad det nu innebär.

Under Pope Benedict XVI and his predecessor John Paul II, talk of Satan and his minions has made a comeback.

In the past two decades, Italy alone has increased the ranks of its exorcists from 20 to 350.

Det finns fler än antroposoferna som väntar på övergången till en annan tidsålder:

Brett Mitchell, owner of Esoteric Publishing which published Servers of the Divine Plan, says Englishman Simon Kadwill, 45, wrote the book prophesising the birth of a new world of higher consciousness following the end of a 75,000-year cycle.

Författaren verkar dock vara försvunnen. Publicisten är missnöjd över att boken sammankopplas med en domedagskult, eftersom den publicerades för att hjälpa människor att hitta sanningen, inte att hitta en sekt. För övrigt verkar några andra personer vara försvunna tillsammans med författaren. Släktingar befarar att de har blivit hjärntvättade av sekten.

Edit: SvD om maranatarörlsen och TV-programmet: Frikyrka kan bedriva olaglig undervisning.

Vi har en annan människosyn än samhället. Vi är bibliska fundamentalister enligt det nya testamentet och vi har bibeln som läroplan. Alla mina sex barn har fått hemundervisning och hade jag barn i skolåldern nu skulle jag aldrig skicka dem till skolan,

säger Tage Johansson.

link tips

Aarvarchaeology on Steiner and measles outbreak in Austria.

Anti-vaccinationists try to silence blogger.

Antroposofiska Ekobanken i DN igen

För ett par veckor sedan, den 26 mars, hade DN en artikel om Ekobankens framgångar, vilket jag nämnde här. Idag har DN ett helt uppslag som till största delen handlar om Ekobanken (men även om en annan mindre bank). Tyvärr tycks inte artikeln, precis som förra gången, finnas tillgänglig på internet.

Inte heller denna gången nänns DN nämna att Ekobanken är en antroposofisk bank, som tillgodoser antroposofiska intressen (se min tidigare post om detta). Utan att ifrågasätta bankens syften, låter man dess vice VD, Lüthi, berätta att banken beviljar lån till “verksamheter som jobbar med rättvis handel, ekologiska jordbruk eller sociala verksamheter.” Enligt Lüthi växer banken för att folk vill ta ett större socialt ansvar, och företag drivs av den sociala nyttan istället för med syfte att ge ekonomisk vinst.

De verksamheter som banken finansierar är dock till övervägande del antroposofiska verksamheter. Antroposofiska verksamheter är faktiskt inte automatiskt - eller ens oftast - socialt nyttiga. Om man anser att stödjande av pseudovetenskapligt bedriven verksamhet är ett socialt mål i sig, kan jag tänka mig att Ekobanken passar en bra (man kan avstå ränta på sina banktillgodohavanden - för att verkligen understödja tossigheter och möjliggöra mer förmånlig utlåning till företag som bedrivs enligt bl.a. antroposofiskt dill). Jag kan dock inte förstå varför irrationalitet skulle vara av socialt värde.

För övrigt är det rätt missvisande att DN okritiskt relaterar till Ekobanken som understödjare av ekologiska verksamheter. Talar vi om lantbruks- och livsmedelsbranschen, så är det biodynamisk verksamhet som Ekobanken understödjer. Biodynamik är förvisso ekologisk per definition, men ekologik pepprad med ockult irrationalitet. Biodynamiskt lantbruk bör inte förväxlas terminologiskt med ekologiskt, eftersom det ger en trovärdighet som det biodynamiska jordbruket inte förtjänar. Banken vill naturligtvis hellre se det som ekologiskt, eftersom det har en viss positiv klang idag. Angående biodynamik, se t.ex. länksamlingen på PLANS hemsida och VoF:s artikelsamling.

Steiner on teeth

Human Life in the Light of Spiritual Science:

From the change of teeth onward begins a second section of human life lasting until about the fourteenth year, when we become physically mature. Concerning this section of human life Spiritual Science knows that the processes which reveal themselves in the physical body are no longer to be explained by what is active upon the earth itself, but by extra-terrestrial forces, similar in kind to those which have been described in connection with plant life during the course of the year. This particular spirit life (etheric life) which characterizes the plant world is active during the second human life period, but its activity is of such a nature that the process which occurs in plant development in a single year, in reciprocal relationship with the extra-terrestrial forces, is accomplished by the human being during his earth life in about seven years. (All of this is not being said with a sidelong mystical glance at the number seven, but merely as a result of a spiritual observation.)

The Education of the Child in Light of Anthroposophy:

Thus, Anthroposophical Science has to speak of three births of the human being. Until the change of teeth, certain impressions intended for the etheric body can as little reach it as the light and air of the physical world can reach the physical body so long as this latter is resting in the mother’s womb.

The ‘second teeth,’ i.e. the human being’s own teeth, taking the place of those which he inherited, represent the culmination of this work. They are the densest things embedded in the physical body, and hence they appear last, at the end of this period.

I include this quote simply because it’s hilarious:

If before his seventh year the child sees only foolish actions in his surroundings, the brain will assume such forms as adapt it also to foolishness in later life.

Back to teeth:

WITH the change of teeth, when the etheric body lays aside its outer etheric envelope, there begins the time when the etheric body can be worked upon by education from without.

And some non-odontologically-related wisdom concerning this period of life and the importance of a teacher and a leader:

Those beautiful words of the poet, ‘Every man must choose his hero, in whose footsteps he will tread as he carves out his path to the heights of Olympus,’ have especial meaning for this time of life. Veneration and reverence are forces whereby the etheric body grows in the right way. If it was impossible during these years to look up to another person with unbounded reverence, one will have to suffer for the loss throughout the whole of one’s later life. Where reverence is lacking, the living forces of the etheric body are stunted in their growth.

The subject of history and how it should work pre- and post toothloss:

In the history lesson especially, the teacher should lead his teaching in the direction thus indicated. When telling stories of all kinds to little children before the change of teeth, our aim cannot be more than to awaken delight and vivacity and a happy enjoyment of the story. But after the change of teeth, we have in addition something else to bear in mind in choosing our material for stories; and that is, that we are placing before the boy or girl pictures of life that will arouse a spirit of emulation in the soul.

The art of indoctrination:

In order to be ripe for thought, one must have learned to be full of respect for what others have thought. There is no healthy thought which has not been preceded by a healthy feeling for the truth, a feeling for the truth supported by faith in authorities accepted naturally.

Steiner on the 4 temperaments

Rudolf Steiner did, of course, have stuff to say about the four temperaments and their meaning for development, personality and mentality. (See my post yesterday about the Norwegian debate.)

One of Rudolf’s lectures deals with this issue, and can be viewed for free at rsarchive.org. It’s called The Four Temperaments.

Our first impression of the temperaments is that they are external, for although they can be said to flow from within, they manifest themselves in everything we can observe from without. However, this does not mean that the human riddle can be solved by means of natural science and observation. Only when we hear what spiritual science has to say can we come closer to understanding these peculiar colorations of the human personality.

He then explains how people of the different temperaments appear and act. Understanding the temperaments is essential to the education of children:

Accordingly, only spiritual science can give us knowledge that will benefit the individual and all mankind. In education, very close attention must be paid to the individual temperaments, for it is especially important to be able to guide and direct them as they develop in the child. But the temperaments are also important to our efforts to improve ourselves later in life. We do well to attend to what expresses itself through them if we wish to further our personal development.

The practical consequences, one example, do not flog the child to make him what he is not (which is actually wise, if it weren’t for the flawed assumptions of temperaments underlying the non-flogging suggestion).

In light of all this it is clear that to guide and direct the temperaments is one of life’s significant tasks. If this task is to be properly carried out, however, one basic principle must be observed, which is always to reckon with what is given, and not with what is not there. For example, if a child has a sanguine temperament, he will not be helped if his elders try to flog interest into him. His temperament simply will not allow it. Instead of asking what the child lacks, in order that we might beat it into him, we must focus on what he has, and base ourselves on that.

This is especially good, I think (and I was a melancholic, you see - tall and thin):

The melancholic has a capacity for suffering, for discomfort, which is firmly rooted in his being; it cannot be disciplined out of him. However, it can be redirected. We should expose the child to legitimate external pain and suffering, so that he learns there are things other than himself that can engage his capacity for experiencing pain. This is the essential thing. We should not try to divert or amuse the melancholic, for to do so only intensifies his despondency and inner suffering; instead, he must be made to see that objective occasions for suffering exist in life. Although we mustn’t carry it too far, redirecting the child’s suffering to outside objects is what is called for.

I guess they succeded, is all I can say.

From the examples of these pedagogical principles, we see how spiritual science can address practical problems.

And, well, just to prove the versatility of anthroposophical wisdom, it’s the foundation of life:

Anthroposophy acts not by means of sermons, exhortations, or catechisms, but by creating a social groundwork, upon which human beings can come to know each other. Spiritual science is the ground of life, and love is the blossom and fruit of a life enhanced by it. Thus spiritual science may claim to lay the foundation for humankind’s most beautiful goal — a true, genuine love for man.

True, genuine love for man, subject the melancholic child to suffering, but don’t flog the sanguine.

Another lecture, The Mystery of the Temperaments, has the following gems (though you can read the whole thing at rsarchive):

In the question of education in particular, and also in self-education, will not the knowledge and estimation of the temperaments be of essential value to the educator? We must not be misled into depreciating the value of the temperament because it is a one-sided characteristic. In education the important thing is not to equalize the temperaments, to level them, but to bring them into the right track. We must clearly understand that the temperament leads to one-sidedness, that the most radical phase of the melancholic temperament is madness; of the phlegmatic, imbecility; of the sanguine, insanity; of the choleric, all those explosions of diseased human nature which result in frenzy, and so forth.

[...]

When we contemplate all that, we shall see that a tremendously significant task in practical life lies in the directing and guiding of the temperaments. It is important for the educator to be able to say to himself: What will you do, for example, in the case of a sanguine child? Here one must try to learn from the knowledge of the entire nature of the sanguine temperament how to proceed. If other points of view must be considered concerning the education of the child, it is also necessary that temperament, as a subject in itself, be taken into account. But in order to guide the temperaments the principle to be observed is that we must always reckon with what is there and not with what is not there.

There’s some more practical guidance for the teacher regarding the different temperaments.

The melancholic child again:

For this temperament too there is one important point: Above all we must show the melancholic child how people can suffer. We must cause him to experience justifiable pain and suffering in external life, in order that he may come to know that there are things concerning which he can experience pain. That is the important thing. [...] It is always good if you try to cure the young melancholic, not by giving him gay companionship, but by causing him to experience justifiable pain. [...] Hence, it is even advantageous if — strange as it may sound — we build up for the child actual hindrances, obstructions, so that he can experience legitimate suffering and pain with regard to certain things.

Spiritual science is the answer:

When it is a case of mastering life, we must listen for life’s secrets, and these lie behind the sense perceptible. Only real spiritual science can explain such a thing as the human temperaments, and so thoroughly fathom them that we are able to make this spiritual science serve as a benefit and actual blessing of life, whether in youth or in age.

And it’s loveable and nice.

We learn to know the individual human being in every respect when we perceive him in the light of spiritual science. We learn to perceive even the child in this way; we learn little by little to respect, to value, in the child the peculiarity, the enigmatic quality of the individuality, and we learn also how we must treat this individual in life, because spiritual science gives to us, so to speak, not merely general, theoretical directions, but it guides us in our relation to the individual in the solving of the riddles which are there to be solved: namely, to love him as we must love him if we not merely fathom him with the mind, but let him work upon us completely, let our spiritual scientific insight give wings to our feelings, our love.

Don’t question it, its truth is not dependent on evidence:

Spiritual science needs no theoretical proofs; life brings the proofs.

Norway Steiner toothloss

Yet another piece on Norwegian Steiner schools today in VG: Toothloss indicates maturity to start school.

The curriculum for the steiner schools makes toothloss the most important sign of readiness to start learning, according to VG. It’s a sign that the child ends its first approx. 7-year period of life. This wisdom can be known from the pedagogical guide books and from a new proposed curriculum for the waldorf schools that has not yet been approved by the educational authorities. The curriculum document, written by a teacher trainer at the Steiner college, says: “In Steiner pedagogy, toothloss is looked upon as the outer expression of the end of the first life stage. The teeth constitute the hardest substance in the body, and their changing is to be understood as an expression of a passage of development coming to an end.”

Rudolf Steiner described the human development in 7-year periods. These 7-year periods are foundational for the understanding of children’s capacity to learn, according to Steiner.

Norway’s leading specialists in children’s teeth development reject this hypothesis, writes VG. A professor of odontology at the university in Oslo, Ivar Espelid, says that capacity to learn does not correspond to any odontological occurance. To him it appears crazy to connect intellectual maturity with toothloss. Tooth development is genetically determined, and families with relatively late tooth development are not known to be intellectually immature.

A secretary of the Steiner schools’ parents’ union and mother of six children says she thinks the toothloss criterion is entirely valid; toothloss tells that the next developmental stage is breaking in. Toothloss is a visible sign of the developmental process. She thinks it’s really great that Steiner schools takes notice as to how mature a child is and adjusts the learning and progress to that child’s level. She thinks Steiner’s description of 7-year phases of life is reliable. Evidence provided is the 7-year crisis in marriages. Experience tells us that life is rythmical and the 7-year stages makes practical sense.

The author of the Steiner curriculum, Arve Mathisen, is open to the possibility of removing the toothloss-hypothesis from the text.