I don’t know if this is a trend in anthroposophy, but a number of anthroposophists seem to be into clowns. Is this another reason to fear clowns, I wonder? Is the combination of anthroposophy and clownery particularly spooky? I cannot think of anything more frightening than a eurythmist dressed in full eurythmy attire — combined with a clown nose and a red, curly-haired wig. Performing a eurythmy act while mixing fake laughs with real tears.
Steiner Institute offers courses in clowning, to name one example. (Find the clown within. There are three levels, from beginner to advanced.) Today I found, via the Youth Section of the Goetheanum, another clown education alternative: ‘The Simple Fool’s Silly School of “Top Secret” esoteric clowning’ (yes, that is actually the name of this educational enterprise):
Playing in the actual realm of imagination, the simple fool lives in the threshold between matter and spirit. It is this space that the art of the simple fool approaches. By awakening to the thoughts and feelings of the authentic Self, we can discover an infinitely wise, funny and creative being – the clown within. (Source.)
The Silly School is, I assume, a division of the School of Spiritual Science. Oh, wouldn’t that be fun.
the ethereal kiosk 
Makes me think of that song. ‘Rudolf the rednosed.. clown’.
A lot of kids from Steiner schools here go on ‘clowning courses’. What do they do then? I wonder. Is there room for all these clowns educated at (possible) UK Free Schools to flood the Big Society? Perhaps they’ll all end up in Parliament. This is a charming metaphor (again) for something or another.
I must have been in a very fundamentalist waldorf school. Clowns were unthinkable. Unless you count archangel Michael as a clown.
They’ll probably all become steiner school teachers and teach clown science. All facts are up-side-down and reversed and dressed in red noses.
they go AFTER school, at the moment where they realise it’s either that or face going to the nearest community college to get some GCSEs.
The course I’m thinking of is maybe a circus skills course, which may teach other stuff; juggling (with the facts?) trapeze, walking on stilts. Bearded lady? There’s an infinite market for circus skills in.. politics?
Aha. Maybe I didn’t stick around long enough the experience the array of opportunities lying ahead of me. Circus, clowning, eurythmy, et c.
Mr Dog knows many, many bearded ladies, and can testify that bearded girls are very popular. Though they have 4 legs, which is an advantage, clearly.
one of the Mrs Dogs is downright whiskery.
that’s mr D’s kind of girl!
But, I wonder, is ‘top secret’ in the school name a reference to hidden spiritual truths — or what? In general, it’s difficult to be top secret when you move around in the world dressed in a red nose. So I suppose there’s more behind than meets the eye.
Ref https://zooey.wordpress.com/2010/11/02/esoteric-clowning/#comment-5244
Thetis, we (in our family) watch the British Parliament’s discussions. Sometimes, it seems there is plenty of space in the benches.
The funny thing about the british parliament is that the MPs appear more sophisticated, i e better dressed and much neater. Then they start a fight and try to beat each other up. It looks quite funny. Though worse dressed, I’ve never seen swedish MPs go at it like that. (Or are the TV cameras turned off…? ha ;-))
A number of anthroposophists seem to be into clowns… Because they are. Clowns are known for their ability to to distract people. Here we have on of them: Captain Oddvar, the anthroposofic clown with his amazing and fabulous camouflage tricks! Watch it:
http://steinerskole.blogg.no/
‘Because they are. Clowns are known for their ability to to distract people. ‘
Well, ha! Yes. It’s interesting that clowns either distract or scare people. Their effect is very similar to that of anthroposophists… Most people are distracted by their tricks. A few react with panic, much like Kramer does in one epic Seinfeld episode.
This lecture is part of a lost cycle called: “Man as Cacophony of the Creative Clown,” given exclusively to members of the First Underclass of the Anthroposophical Society in 1924. The lost manuscript was recently discovered in the attic of the Goetheanum in a secret compartment of the statue of the Representative of Man, just behind the gnarly face of Ahriman. Its GA Number is 666.
(It was translated from underhanded reports, unregurgitated by the lecturer)
——————————-
Man as Cacophony of the Creative Clown
My Dear Friends,
It warms me superficially to be here with you this evening on this hundredth anniversary of the death of Count Dracula. As you know, I have spoken to you here at “Door Knob” many times before of the insidious bat droppings that the dragon so ravenously feeds on. As you know, dear friends, bats are the dreams of the earth, but, if you die out of matter, the soul begins to perceive its own reflection in the mirrored consciousness of beings on other planets. These beings are hideous creatures which I might describe in our language, which is inadequate for these things, that fly through our livers and deposit larvae into a frothy substance in the ether holes that the dragon creates with his painfully sharp teeth.
As you know, the human being during his present stage of evolution consists of many members. Only a few of these may be discussed at public gatherings. Man basically consists of:
1. PHYSICAL BODY, which he has in common with brutes;
2. EITHER-OR BODY or SHADOW BODY, which is a mere semblance of the former.
3. ASPARAGUS BODY— so-called for its likeness to a blooming asparagus; and,
4. EAGLE or EYEBALL, the highest member of man but the lowest member of lofty beings in the outer planetary spheres.
You see, dear friends, these things are not simple, though many people today would like them to be so. We must penetrate ever deeper with a muddy, limestone-like consciousness into these things so that we can then perceive spiritual beings weaving through the “either-or” world. When we sink to such consciousness, we gradually begin sub-sensibly to perceive huge clowns dancing around those who are sad. Yes, my dear friends, it is truly such that when tears morbidly stream down from the eyes of sorrowful persons, gigantic clowns scoop up the finer parts of the lacrimal fluid into fantastic golden goblets and splash it all over their heads with gleeful abandon. But, when we lower our gaze still further, vacantly, to the infra-sensible beings of _joyful_ persons, we observe there melancholy elementary beings like blubbering infants. They foolishly sob, yet their tears nevertheless quicken the felicity of living human souls.
Thus, when we see someone heartily laughing or warmly smiling, there are corresponding beings who cry tears of sorrow. Therefore, in our age, we must no longer laugh when we are happy or cry when karma deals us a heavy blow, but we should actually weep when we are lighthearted, and laugh away our cares and personal troubles. This is truly the only way we can beat these bothersome creatures at their own game! Then we will truly live in the spiritual and transform our sanity slowly.
In parting, I would like to leave you with these thoughts to meditate on in Carnival. It is this that I wanted to bring to you tonight. If we truly take these things to heart, and work with these things faithfully, we may gradually enter the realm of the foolish.”
_________________________
[Written by David Anderson at Rudolf Steiner College in 1985 and performed as part of Foundation Year skit. Actor was costumed in black frock coat, making him a dead ringer for Rudolf Steiner.]
++++++++++++++++++++++++++++
*boggles* SteinerWorld just got even more weird. The thing I found most amusing about the RSI “clown facilitator” training course was the rigorous selection process for applicants.
Silly School is serious stuff! Without rigorous selection, you may end up facilitating the wrong types of clowning, with dreadful results…
OPENING THE CLOWN CHAKRA
Spiritual Scientists from the Bio-Dynamic Clown Academy have recently discovered that all our problems can be placed under one heading: Seriousness. Seriousness is the leading cause of everything from cancer to reincarnation. These scientists have also discovered a new source of healing. It is a psychic energy point located between the heart chakra and the throat chakra. It is called the Clown Chakra. If people are feeling miserable, if they have financial problems, if their relationship situation is the pits, if they are in ill health, if they have a need to sue people, if they find fault with their brother, then obviously, their Clown Chakra is closed. When this happens, the scientists have observed under a highly clairvoyant microscope that the cells of every organ display a sad face, and when the Clown Chakra is open and functioning normally, then the cells display a happy face.
The scientists realized that if a person is ill, it is because his mind has projected guilt onto the cells of his body and has forced out the love that is normally found within each cell of the body. The cells are therefore saying, “I Lack Love,” or “ILL” for short. The scientists also discovered that all disease is due to the fact that the cells are out of ease or dis-eased.
When the Clown Chakra is opened and working (or rather, playing) properly, this psychic mechanism then sucks up misery, pain, anger, resentment, grievances, unhappiness, etc., and converts this dark energy into tiny red heart-shaped balloons. Such red heart-shaped balloons contain Love and Joy. These balloons are then directed to the dis-eased cell or situation, and a happy- face appears instantly. When the light enters the darkness, the darkness is gone. Sometimes these red heart-shaped balloons are called endorphins, due to the fact that when anyone experiences them, the feeling of separation ends. They experience being back home with All That Is and hence are no longer an orphan. This is the well-known “end-orphan” (endorphin) effect.
So, if you think someone is attacking you, Clown Scientists recommend that you visualize sending that person red heart-shaped balloons filled with Love and Joy. Remember to keep your Clown Chakra open and remember to laugh, because . . .
Seriousness causes reincarnation!
++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++
From the BioDynamicNow list, February 23, 2002
upgraded by TM, 2010
http://www.mail-archive.com/bdnow@envirolink.org/msg01283.html