Letter from Justus Wittich
Dear Members of the Anthroposophical Society,I would like to take this opportunity to thank you most warmly for the trust you placed in me and for your agreement to my continued position on the Executive Council as treasurer of the General Anthroposophical Society.
The Goetheanum staff members clearly also agreed with this decision and I take both these votes very seriously.
It was a busy lead-up to the AGM and the Annual Conference of the global Anthroposophical Society, with additional meetings of the representatives from 30 countries. The Goetheanum was ‹buzzing›, particularly because directly after the AGM, more than 1100 early childhood educators from all over the world came together here, followed by 700 Waldorf students, all filling the buildings and the campus with vibrant life. These events, which were part of the Waldorf 100 celebrations, showed the Goetheanum as the heart of a strong, future-oriented movement.
Affirming the evolving human being
My Executive Council colleagues Joan Sleigh (for the English-speaking world), Constanza Kaliks (also Youth Section leader) and Matthias Girke (also Medical Section leader) and I, together with the other Section leaders at the Goetheanum, feel supported and encouraged in the direction we have taken on behalf of the Anthroposophical Society.
«In the Heartbeat of the Time» is our motto this year and this motto is linked to the question as to the effectiveness of Anthroposophy in its forthcoming second century. How are we shaping the social life? How do we meet the future in our actions? How do we affirm the evolving human being? The concrete examples from all over the world of how spiritual knowledge is put into living practice were impressive and inspiring. Such achievements require an Anthroposophical Society! The task before us is to transform the image of the Anthroposophical Society where you are, in your situation, with your initiative and active engagement, and to make the Society visible. This is something we can only achieve together.
We therefore call, above all, on all members of the School of Spiritual Science! We need your active commitment as representatives of the «anthroposophical cause», in the branches or groups, locally, regionally and nationally. Take the experience and expertise in areas that connect you with the School of Spiritual Science, but also yourself – on a purely human level – into the anthroposophical work in your area. Only then can the School become the «soul of the Anthroposophical Society» (Rudolf Steiner) and contribute to meeting the challenges of our time.
If you are working in an anthroposophically oriented institution or enterprise it is worthwhile finding out whether it has already signed up to the charter of our World Goetheanum Association and can therefore work actively out of anthroposophical impulses within this global alliance. Call people’s attention to the interesting World Goetheanum Forum at Michaelmas 2019 (www.worldgoetheanum.org)
Freedom of choice under threat
And finally, it is important to take action to defend the individual freedom of choice that is presently under threat even in the Scandinavian countries, which are usually seen as liberal, for instance when it comes to the use of anthroposophic or complementary therapies and medicines. The introduction of mandatory vaccinations or the digitalization of schools are similar concerns. Many civil society initiatives and alliances could grow from the conscious search for knowledge and deepening within the context of the Anthroposophical Society.
If this can be achieved, the Anthroposophical Society will be able to make the effectiveness and healing influence of spiritual science visible wherever it is applied in practice – an endeavour that could also be attractive to the younger generation.
The Leadership and staff at the Goetheanum, together with the country representatives worldwide, look forward to working with you in the year leading up to the next annual conference in the first week of April 2020.