A Leadership Retreat in Extraordinary Circumstances

The Goetheanum Leadership is making use of the cancellation of public events to intensify its inner work and work on questions concerning the present and future.

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The restrictions imposed by the pandemic make it impossible right now for people to meet and work together in the Anthroposophical Society and School for Spiritual Science – but not for inner work The leadership met in the week before Palm Sunday for a retreat to examine the School’s approach to the current challenges.

We are living in apocalyptic times. After the financial crisis came the so-called refugee crisis, then the climate crisis and now the corona crisis. In the fight against viruses, humanity and the societ element often fall by the wayside. Freedom and democracy are restricted, brotherly and sisterly cooperation is prevented. Earth, life, individuals and society are being threatened as never before. The crisis forces us to reflect in principle on the future path of humanity.

What does the time require? What does it all depend upon now? And what contribution can the Goetheanum make as a free School of Spiritual Science? The crisis has prompted us to identify three major areas in which we want to work together more intensively and across Sections in the coming years:

Earth

We regard the earth as a living being. Can we find a relationship based upon partnership with it? What does this mean for agriculture, for the way we deal with plants and animals, with land, with the climate and the earth's resources?

Life

Our science still understands life through what is dead. How can the living be experienced and perceived? The living spirit, the living earth? This is where the arts are an essential help to enliven perception, thinking and doing.

Connection

All life and knowledge is relationship. How can reciprocity be understood and formed as the basic structure of both life and mankind? What does this mean for any future culture, economics and politics? Can we develop non-violent interaction with each other and with nature?

The Goetheanum leadership will develop concrete projects and plans based upon these topics by the June Leadership retreat which will span a period of three years.

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