Camphill Academy

I am studying “Inclusive Social Development” at the Camphill Academy. Many of you are probably hearing about the Camphill Academy for the first time, so I would like to introduce it to you.

The Camphill movement is a movement for community building and social renewal that was founded in the 1940s in Aberdeen (Scotland) by a group of refugees from Austria and Germany, including the doctor Karl König (1902-1966). Internationally, Camphill has been committed to the practice of inclusive social development, including curative education and social therapy, since its foundation.

The Camphill School Beaver Run in Pennsylvania (Curative Education Seminar) and Camphill Village Copake (Social Therapy Seminar) gradually began to offer training in curative education and social therapy. Until 2004, these were part of the “International Camphill Seminar for Curative Education and Social Therapy”, a loose network of Camphill communities around the world. In 200, a committee of the Camphill Association in North America, the Regional Adult Education Group, reformed the training and introduced a new curriculum with college credits, university partnerships for awarding academic degrees and three consecutive levels of certification. Camphill Academy is now an accredited post-secondary educational institution and, since 2018, a fully legally independent organization embedded in the Camphill movement in North America. As an active member of the international network of professional training centers for anthroposophic curative education, social therapy and related fields represented by the Anthroposophical Council for Inclusive Social Development, Camphill Academy is committed to cultivating anthroposophy, the spiritual science founded by Rudolf Steiner (1861-1925), as the philosophical and methodological foundation of its work. It is affiliated to the Anthroposophical Council for Inclusive Social Development at the School of Spiritual Science in Dornach, Switzerland, and its qualifications are recognized by the Council's International Training Circle. Contemplative skills are encouraged as an essential means of self-education and self-development. The practice of visual and performing arts permeates all aspects of the learning process, supporting and enhancing the development of practical skills, inter- and intrapersonal skills and conceptual knowledge. In keeping with the demands of an increasingly fluid 21st century environment, Camphill Academy's approach to learning focuses on supporting the transformation of the individual student into a whole, fulfilled person with the ability to be an active agent for good in the world. 

The study programs “Curative Education” (children), “Inclusive Social Development” (adults) and “Social Agriculture and Biodynamics” (farm and garden) are offered on a practice-integrated basis. Students live and work in the various Camphill communities, where they work five days a week and study at the academy on one day:

Camphill Communities California (Soquel, CA)

Camphill Village USA (Copake, NY)

Cadmus Lifesharing (Great Barrington, MA)

Camphill Hudson (Hudson, NY) 

Triform Camphill Community (Hudson, NY) 

Camphill Village Kimberton Hills (Kimberton, PA)

Heartbeet Lifesharing (Hardwick, VT)

Plowshare Farm (Greenfield, NH)

The Camphill School (Chester County, PA)

Mission Statement

The Camphill Academy is a community of learning rooted in the life and work of the Camphill Movement in North America. It aims to provide paths of transformative learning that allow individuals to unfold their potential to contribute to the healing of the human being, society and the earth.

Vision

Members of the Camphill Academy support each other in the quest for personal growth and transformation through the experience of active service in the context of community living. The Academy strives to fulfill its mission by creating formal opportunities and spaces for learning and schooling within the life of its member communities, including full-time courses of practice- and community-integrated studies in the fields embraced by the work of the Camphill Movement. All its programs seek to unite knowledge, art and practice through the cultivation of anthroposophy as founded by Rudolf Steiner (1861-1925) and the approaches to action research, phenomenological study and contemplative inquiry that arise from it. As an expression of the activity of the School of Spiritual Science, the Camphill Academy seeks to be a force for renewal in the context of North American Higher Education.

Inclusive Social Development

Of the three degree courses on offer, “Curative Education”, “Inclusive Social Development” and “Social Agriculture and Biodynamics”, I opted for “Inclusive Social Development”.

“Social Inclusive Development” is an interdisciplinary field that deals with building inclusive communities in which all people can find a fulfilling life and biographical fulfillment. Its concerns are therefore broader than those of conventional social work. They encompass all aspects of the lives of individuals and communities, from physical and mental health to social and spiritual well-being. These different aspects are considered together as integral parts of an evolving biography.

Practitioners in the field strive to approach situations from an understanding of each individual's biography. They allow these holistic insights to guide the way in which social, educational and therapeutic support is provided as an integrated whole. As a result, the study of Inclusive Social Development brings an

integral transdisciplinary approach to a field of work defined by the intersection of a wide range of disciplines, including not only education, psychology, social work and nursing, but also elements such as art, agriculture and community education. With a transdisciplinary orientation, practitioners in this field must be able to conduct comprehensive diagnostic assessments and integrate input from a wide range of professional perspectives, including the development, implementation and coordination of educational, social and therapeutic approaches and the use of the widest possible range of tools and methods.

Inclusive social development is based on a holistic, transdisciplinary understanding of human situations and biographical issues and challenges. The development of such in-depth knowledge as a basis for community building and therapeutic action requires:

-comprehensive transdisciplinary knowledge of human beings in their physical, mental and spiritual organization

-an understanding of human development from childhood to old age and of general educational and social principles

-the ability to deal phenomenologically with the human being, including its imbalances and pathologies

The program is offered in the context of community life in one of the participating communities dedicated to the practice of inclusive social development on an anthroposophical basis through inclusive community education with adults with developmental disabilities. We students are fully integrated into the daily life and activities of their community and gain practical experience while completing our studies. In addition to academic and artistic courses, students' community activities include participation in the life of the house family, the cultivation of an active cultural and spiritual life, and supervised practice through various workshops. The experience of living and working in the community is an essential part of their educational experience and forms the basis for the development of their personal and professional skills. These programs aim to provide a foundation for the lifelong development of these skills and to provide students with the means for ongoing, self-directed personal and professional growth.

Social Therapy

My focus in the “Inclusive Social Development” program is on “Social Therapy”.

Social therapists strive to approach individual situations from an understanding of the integrity of each person's unique biography. They are guided by this holistic insight when it comes to providing social, educational and therapeutic support as an integrated whole. As a result, social therapy brings an integral transdisciplinary approach to a field of work defined by the intersection of a variety of disciplines, including not only social work, human services, medicine, psychology and nursing, but also elements such as art, agriculture and community education. As transdisciplinary professionals, social therapists must be able to take a holistic view of human situations and individual biographical issues and challenges. On this basis, social therapists use the broadest possible range of tools and methods to shape community, social, cultural and economic processes so that individual destinies can unfold. 

Internationally, social therapists work in a variety of contexts, including:

-Home support

-assistance and work with older people, people with psychiatric problems and other marginalized groups

- Workshops and community initiatives

-Outreach work, education and support for volunteers

-building an inclusive community in a variety of contexts

I am especially happy to have been selected for a fellowship! As a Community Fellow, the tuition costs of $21,000 per year are fully covered by Camphill. The course lasts five years, with a degree being awarded after one, three and five years respectively, meaning that it is also possible to leave the program earlier. I thought about it for a long time and in the end decided to accept this generous offer! I expect to gain a deeper knowledge of disabilities, which I will need in my future as a teacher in inclusive classrooms.

The following principles were formulated in 2017 by the council’s “Social Therapy Work Group”. 

1. Anthroposophic social therapy (hereafter ‘Social Therapy’) offers support to adults who require special cognitive, psychological and or physical assistance.

2. The essential foundation of social therapy is Rudolf Steiner’s Anthroposophy whose ethic has its roots in humanitarian Christianity. This means more specifically:

a) Social therapy tries to achieve a deeper understanding of the human being. It’s essence is the anthroposophical view of the holistic human being with three dimensions, spirit, soul and body.

b) It recognizes the reality of the spiritual and incorporates this in its approach. It regards every human as a person with a healthy, indestructible spiritual essence whose dignity is inviolable. It is not bound to any denomination.

c) The social contribution to society of every human individual is recognised and seen as integral. No one is only in need of help, no one is only one who helps. Human beings are forever influencing each other, creating obstacles for each other, and enriching one another.

d) Social Therapy emerged from the anthroposophical movement and is in many ways interwoven with it.

3. Social Therapy orients itself towards the universal human need for relationship and social inclusion on the one hand and personal autonomy on the other.

4. Without trivializing the seriousness and profound impact of disability, Social Therapy focuses on the strength and resourcefulness of the person in need of support.

5. The adult in need of support is not regarded as a person requiring lifelong assistance and remedial education. Instead, it is fundamentally understood that every person is fully developed in their own way. Each person is striving to take responsibility for their own lives and - with support - is able to do so.

a) In this sense, above any assistance that is needed, the adult person is to be recognized for who they are.

b) Being an ‘adult‘ is not to be understood as a state that is reached once and for all but as a process of development. This is the same for everyone. We are not grown up but spend our lives engaged in this process. To achieve a fulfilling biography appears as a goal in this respect. What constitutes a fulfilling biography is a matter of each person’s subjective experience.

c) In childhood, this process of development is intentionally guided from the outside through upbringing, socialization, and education. In adulthood, it is primarily self-directed as a process of lifelong learning and growth. Social Therapy is therefor particularly concerned with educational and therapeutic opportunities.

6. A significant aspect of Social Therapy is the attitude (‘Haltung’) of the accompanying person, which should be characterized by interest, appreciation, acceptance, commitment, and sincerity. In addition, the accompanying person should not be confined to a professional role but is challenged to be a human being in a holistic sense. In the professional role, experience, intuition and professionalism are of equal value.

7. The situational encounter between the accompanying and accompanied person is of great significance. It is ideally a dialogic encounter founded on respect and mutual appreciation.

8. The support which a organisation that works out of Social Therapy seeks to provide, is primarily to offer a helpful, meaningful social environment, and, as a result of that, develop individual approaches for each supported person.

a) This environment should offer a space that is safe and that encourages development.

b) Important aspects of such an environment are accommodation, work, culture, and education.

c) There is a need for a variety of methods, approaches and options for accommodation, work, education, and cultural life to do justice to the diversity of individuals. Corresponding to this there is a genuine freedom of choice whether to accept or decline different options in any situation.

d) A social environment of this kind has its origins in the concept of an inclusive social therapeutic community, which allows for people with and without the need for assistance to develop together. Today there is a verity of social therapeutic offers and organisations.

9. An important task is to understand participation and involvement in public life with the goal of social inclusion.

10.Social Therapy is fundamentally open in it’s choice of methods. The dignity of the individual is fundamental.

11. Social Therapy sees in those that are supporting and in those that are supported, personalities that encounter each other holistically. Thereby it goes beyond the simple description of its service in the understanding of its mission.

12.The social therapeutic community sees itself as shaped by a social space or rather a communal being that is developed, responsibly carried, and formed by all members.

13.Social therapy is an open field of development. It unfolds in the engagement with societal developments, professional expertise, and current scientific discourse.

Rudolf Steiner

Rudolf Steiner is very present in Camphill communities. After all, it was Steiner who founded anthroposophy and laid the theoretical foundations on which Karl König, the founder of Camphill, later built.

Steiner was born on February 27, 1861 in Kraljevec (Kingdom of Hungary, now Croatia). He grew up in Pottschach (Austria), where his father worked as a telegraph operator for the railroad. Rudolf lived with his parents and two siblings in the station building by the tracks. He studied biology, chemistry, physics and math at the Vienna University of Technology. However, Steiner became more and more interested in philosophy and the nature of the human being, the phenomenon of “I-consciousness”. He then completed his doctorate in Rostock with a thesis on epistemology. At the age of 29, Steiner worked in the Goethe-Schiller Archive in Weimar and edited the complete edition of Schopenhauer and Jean Paul in addition to Goethe's scientific writings. In Berlin, he worked as editor of the Magazin für Literatur, lecturer and teacher at the Arbeiter-Bildungsschule. He met personalities such as Ernst Haeckel, Hermann Grimm and Friedrich Nietzsche. He was General Secretary of the German section of the Theosophical Society. 

In addition to the natural sciences, he was also interested in the spiritual world, which he explored through consciousness research. He founded the Anthroposophy movement (Wisdom of Man) and in 1913 the Anthroposophical Society with the Goetheanum in Dornach (Switzerland), which was built between 1913 and 1923, as its center. He was very active; in addition to numerous books, there are transcripts of 6000 lectures. He published on many different topics such as education, medicine, agriculture, art, religion and politics. He died on March 30, 1925, but by this time he had influenced many people through his work and provided impulses that continue to have an impact today. 

Karl König

Karl König was born in Vienna in 1902. His parents were Jewish shoe dealers. König took a different path and studied medicine, specializing in embryology. In 1927, he met the anthroposophical doctor Ita Wegmann, who invited him to Alesheim and brought him into contact with curative education. In 1929 he went to Lower Silesia as a pediatrician, where he worked at Pilgramshain Castle, and in the same year he married Tilla Maasberg from the Moravian Brethren Church; they had four children together. In 1936, they returned to Vienna, where he opened a pediatric practice. His plan was to found an anthroposophical, curative education institution. In the 1930s, a group of intellectuals met regularly in Vienna: Karl and Tilla König, Alice and Peter Roth, Anke and Thomas Weihs, Trude Amann, Barbara Lipsker, Marie Korach, Carlo Pietzner and Alex Baum. They were inspired by Rudolf Steiner's teachings and considered how these could be used for practical work with disabled people. 

After the annexation of Austria in 1938, he and other Jewish members of his group fled to Scotland via Switzerland and Italy. After Germany invaded Poland, he and the other men were initially interned on the Isle of Man, while the women moved into the house that gave Camphill its name in Aberdeen. The “Camphill Community for Children in Need of Special Care” was founded there in 1940.  In 1955, the Botton Village community was founded in Yorkshire (England) for disabled people over school age. In 1964, Lehenhof became the first Camphill community in Germany. Life in Camphill is based on a close relationship with nature through shared work in the fields, garden, bakery, kitchen and arts and crafts. In addition to work, living together in house families and the cultural program are also an integral part of Camphill. Like Steiner, König was also very active, publishing many books on disabilities and giving numerous lectures. He coordinated the founding of the community and was very involved with people with Down's syndrome. He died in 1966 in Überlingen on Lake Constance. At that time, Camphill communities existed in England, Scotland, Ireland, Germany, Holland, South Africa and the United States. In the 70s, Finland, France, Brazil and Botswana were added. 

Three Stars of Camphill: Comenius, Zinzendorf & Owen

Johann Amos Comenius, Nikolaus Ludwig von Zinzendorf and Robert Owen are referred to as the “Three Stars of Camphill”. The stars are of celestial origin, linked to destiny and the needs of the world. According to König, spiritual nature can be a guiding principle that shines beyond earthly needs and achievements. 

Johann Amos Comenius

Comenius (1592-1670) was a Czech pedagogue. The principle of his Christian-humanist pedagogy is “omnes omnia omnino excoli” (to teach everyone everything in view of the whole). He rejected coercion and saw education as the way to lead people from their erroneous path to God. The focus was on learning by doing, contemplation before linguistic mediation, mother tongue before foreign language and example before words. He called for school reform with compulsory education for boys and girls of all classes up to the age of 12, followed by a practical apprenticeship. Gifted pupils should then go to a Latin school and later to university. With “Orbis pictus”, he created the first school textbook. Many of his principles are part of our education system today, but were revolutionary demands at the time. This made a great impression on Steiner and influenced his work. Preparations for the festivals of the seasons and Christian holidays are an important part of life at Camphill. The children listen to the stories, legends and sing the songs, paint and model the motifs and rehearse appropriate plays. In this way, minds and hearts are filled with the meaning of each holiday. 

Nikolaus Ludwig von Zinzendorf

Zinzendorf (1700-1760) was a Lutheran-Pietist theologian from Saxony who founded the Moravian Church. He drew up a congregational order for the Moravian Church. Weekdays began with a morning service and ended with a singing session. On Sundays there was a church service. In addition, new liturgical forms such as love feasts, foot washing, prayers of the hours and night vigils were introduced. In 1732, the missionary work of the Moravian Church began among the Indians in Georgia and Suriname in South America, in 1737 among the Khoikhoi in South Africa and on the Gold Coast, and in 1754 in Jamaica.  He promoted education by founding schools and demanding access to education for all, regardless of class. He offered refugees, especially persecuted Protestants, a new home and support. With the Moravian Church, he created a community where people lived together regardless of their social status and took responsibility for the community in a spirit of solidarity. He is therefore regarded as a social reformer and inspired Rudolf Steiner in his thoughts on spiritual life at Camphill with his writings on Christian life and the festive spirit of Christ. 

Robert Owen

Owen (1771 - 1858) was an entrepreneur and early socialist. He worked as an apprentice in a textile business and lived in Manchester. During a business trip to Scotland, he met the daughter of a wealthy manufacturer and in 1799 became co-owner and manager of a factory that had previously belonged to his father-in-law. He was concerned with the social conditions of industrial work, reduced working hours from 14 to 10.5 hours, set up health and old-age pension schemes and had houses built for his workers. He was against consumerism and child labor. Many of his ideas were far ahead of their time and are taken for granted today: abolition of child labour, schooling for children, limited working hours, efficient organization of operations, employee motivation, clean workplaces, unionization, cooperatives. In 1825, he sold the factory and founded the cooperative colony “New Harmony” in the United States. Unfortunately, the attempt failed in practice. Steiner adopted some of Owen's ideas on social justice and the promotion of a harmonious community. Like Owen, the question of how education and community can promote individual and collective well-being was central to Steiner's thinking.

In anthroposophical schools, this involves pupils researching historical figures. This is not about a cult of personality around people like Comenius, Zinzendorf and Owen, but about discussions about spiritual impulses on the movement. A quote from Gustav Makler, Gustav Makler's favorite composer, sums it up nicely:

“Tradition means feeding the flame, not worshipping the ashes” (Gustav Makler)

Three Pillars of Camphill

The tasks of Camphill

We read the book “The Spirit of Camphill - Birth of a Movement” by Karl König with an introduction by Richard Steel, whom I met at Camphill Copake. He studied at the Camphill Seminar for Curative Education in 1975 and remained connected to the Camphill movement afterwards. Richard Steel manages the literary estate of Karl König and founded the Karl König Institute. He is the managing director of the Institute and runs its office in Kleinmachnow near my hometown Berlin. 

In this book, I learned about the three pillars and basic principles.

People often asked König how they could become a member of the Camphill movement. König said that there was no such membership. The Camphill movement is neither an association nor a club. The movement has a council of a certain kind. It is a kind of temporary body that meets twice a year for a single purpose: to assess the current state of the movement and discuss past and future tasks. When these meetings are over, the members of the council return to their daily work and are no longer council members of the movement; they are head nurses, doctors, overseers, farmers, carpenters and so on.

Comenius' ideals in the College Assembly

The first pillar is the Universal College, which Comenius conceived 300 years ago. His Pansophia was recreated in Anthroposopia, the essence of anthroposophy. Pansophic learning is a concept based on the ideas of Johannes Amos Comenius. The term “pansophy” is made up of the Greek words “pan” (all) and “sophia” (knowledge, wisdom) and means something like “all-encompassing knowledge” or “universal wisdom”. Steiner said of Comenius:  

“We can see how a beginning was made in the sixteenth and seventeenth centuries of what we can now take up and further in our own efforts for humanity's evolution. Then what we seek will be very much the right thing ... what the evolution of humanity requires and necessitates" (Steiner)

Anthroposophy continues what Comenius conceived. Like Steiner, Comenius was a teacher who brought forth a new approach to educating children, including disabled children. Both had a similar vision, which emphasized a holistic approach and the development of the individual. 

1. Comenius pointed to the holistic development of the human being - intellectually, morally and emotionally. In Waldorf education, this idea is taken up and education is understood as the harmonious development of all aspects of the human being. 

2. Comenius emphasized the need for child-oriented teaching, which is geared towards the needs and abilities of the children. Steiner implemented this demand and geared lessons to the children's developmental stages.

3. Comenius called for universal education that should be accessible to all. Steiner also saw a need to educate all people regardless of their background.

4. According to Comenius, art and creativity were of central importance in the educational process. Steiner therefore integrated art, music and drama into the curriculum in order to encourage pupils' creativity.

5. The exchange of knowledge between colleagues is important in order to achieve common goals. Karl König therefore emphasized the importance of colleague meetings. Every week, the staff of a house meet to discuss one of the children. The medical history is read and the staff report on their impressions. Together, a picture of the child, his or her habits, achievements, mistakes and failures emerges. Recognizing the individual nature of the child then leads to an awareness of the necessary curative and educational treatment. It is not about exchanging scientific concepts, but about recreating the true nature of a personality in our minds. Sometimes, König reports, the child has already changed in character and behavior the next morning. It senses the great effort made by everyone involved to understand its particular situation and reacts quickly. There are also regular meetings between the teachers, doctors and farm workers. The meetings do not necessarily have to focus on an individual; another topic such as the garden, farm, an aspect of work or challenges of the present can also be the subject of a collegiate meeting. By working together, challenging situations can be dealt with in a timely manner. Comenius compared it to the building of Solomon's temple: 

“The Solomonic Temple was built of stones which were hewn to perfection. During the erection of the temple no noise of any hammer, axe or iron tool was heard. Similarly when the Temple of Wisdom is built, neither quarrel nor discord shall be working in a square so that it need only be put together” (Comenius)

Zinzendorf's religious endeavors and the Bible evening

Bishop Nicolaus Zinzendorf was convinced that there is no Christianity without community. König's view was that there is no community without Christianity. Zinzendorf's dream was that his Moravian Church would grow to such an extent that it would encompass all existing churches. König said that, in contrast, it was never the aim of the Camphill movement to develop into a sect. Christianity is an essential part of Camphill life, but Camphill does not work for the propagation of Christianity. All participants are free to be members of any religion, group or society. The Camphill Movement is an attempt, an impulse, a community of men and women trying to live and work together for a spiritual goal.

The central event in Christian life is the Bible evening. It corresponds to the college meeting in the area of the pansophical ideal. Every Saturday evening, everyone meets in the house to prepare for the bible evening. First we sit in the living room (Triform) or the house library called "Blue Room" (California), where we sit together in silence. After some time, someone lights a candle on the already burning candle, then the person goes to the dining room, where the short one standing there is lit. The person comes back, extinguishes the candle where the residents are sitting and invites everyone to come into the dining room. We stand behind our chairs, say a verse and then eat our meal. It is always a simple meal, in Triform and California we always ate a bowl of soup and two halves of a bread roll. We are all well dressed and talk about a common question over the meal, such as what situation someone helped us with last week for which we are grateful. After the meal, a passage from the Bible is read out and everyone can contribute something. What experiences did we have while reflecting on the Gospel passage? At the Bible supper, volunteers, residents and householders meet as brothers and sisters. Everyone at the table has the same goal and shares a devotion to Christ and their fellow human beings. No matter what difficulties exist between the housemates, here they sit together and turn their souls towards a common goal and meet each other anew in the true light of the Spirit. Turning to the gospel together creates strength and a sense of purpose, a common task for all residents. Formulating their own thoughts on the weekly passages is an exercise in concentration and courage. Once a month on Sunday, everyone meets in the assembly hall. Three formally dressed householders light candles at the front under a picture of Jesus, read out a bible passage and sing songs together. They then walk through the rows, touch the foreheads of those present and say “The spirit of Christ lives in you”. The response is then “May I receive the spirit of christ”. According to König, the souls of the children thirst for the true religious drink and "drink it every Sunday" with the greatest devotion. Regardless of his/her disability, each one can follow the content of the service with their hearts. He recognized the deep and lasting healing power for the children when they encounter the omnipresent power of Christ, his light and his love. It is not just about remembering his deeds and his nature, but about sharing in his eternal presence. Together, children and adults approach the central event of earthly existence, the mystery of Golgotha. Prayer has a firm place in everyday life, for example in the regular morning and evening prayers, prayers spoken at the table and the hymns on Sunday mornings. The children need an environment that is imbued with higher spiritual and religious values. They require a renewal of their souls.  

In addition to special anthroposophical holidays, the children are also prepared for Christian holidays such as Christmas and Easter. In the weeks beforehand, they listen to appropriate stories, legends and fairy tales, do handicrafts, paint and sculpt corresponding works of art, take part in theater performances and thus experience the meaning of the holiday in their minds and hearts.

My colleague in Triform is very Christian and was surprised that there are some differences to Christian church services. This is because Rudolf Steiner created a new understanding of the deeds of Christ and interpreted the words of the Gospels in such a way that the modern mind can follow them. 

Owen's economic ideals and the basic social law

The third pillar is Robert Owen's economic order. He wanted to redesign human society by transforming its economic conditions. He believed that people are influenced by their environment and that a corresponding way of life produces good people. He can be seen as a forerunner of a socialist society because, in his opinion, an equal distribution of all material goods would bring everyone the same share of happiness. He was very dissatisfied with the working conditions of workers during industrialization.

His vision was a village community of 1,000 people. The children were raised separately from their parents in large crèches and boarding schools so that they would develop into exemplary members of a controlled and planned society. He moved from England to the USA in 1824 and founded several communities.

Rudolf Steiner says of this attempt:

"He started, in New Lanark, model industries, in which he managed to employ the workers in such a way that they not only enjoyed a decent human existence in material respects, but also lived their lives under conditions that satisfied the moral sense"

Due to human conflicts, all communities failed until the small community in New Lanark, where Owen himself lived. Rudolf Steiner sums up the conclusion Owen reached in the following words:

"He is forced to the conviction that any good institution is only so far maintainable as the human beings concerned are disposed by their own inner nature to its maintenance and are themselves warmly attached to it" (Steiner).

Rudolf Steiner explained that industrial or other institutions can only be kept in a functioning and vibrant state if those who work in them are internally connected to the work. However, this is a question of responsibility. If people only use one lever during the production process, they will soon lose interest in their work. Your main concern will be the number of hours worked and the pay at the end of the week.

Production, but not who is produced, can be socialized. Once people are given responsibility for the work they do, they have the opportunity to identify with their work. They will then be satisfied with their achievements, even proud and happy.  To do this, everyone needs to be fully informed about the area where they work. Only then can he develop a sense of responsibility. König says that modern industrial psychologists have recognized and are trying to take this need into account in modern production. However, this factor is often still overlooked.

At Camphill, every employee is helped to take collective responsibility for the whole. I am often asked how much money I earn at Camphill and how the salary increases as I take on more responsibility. The truth is: no coworker gets a salary at the end of the month! We manage the income and expenses of our unit where we work together. When profits are made, the independently managed units should support each other and the money should flow back into the community. When family members of my housekeepers in Triform died, they received more money to travel to the family with the children, and others who did not currently need it shared their budget. Next time, someone else will need more, and there is always a solution for that. Each house and each work area is an independent economic unit that is responsible for its own finances. We do our work without expecting payment, but we expect to live in conditions that meet our personal needs. We work for the sake of the work; we do not expect anything in return, because we gradually come to understand that what we receive in return is a gift, a donation, an act of goodwill that others do for us. Rudolf Steiner formulated the Fundamental Social Law which Camphill attempts to adhere to. We give and receive through it. Thus the innermost secret of all work begins to reveal itself: it is love and nothing but infinite love. It is the love and charity of which St. Paul speaks in the first letters to the Corinthians. Thus the ideals of Steiner are brought together with the visions of Owen. Rudolf Steiner formulated the Fundamental Social Law which Camphill attempts to adhere to. In a community of people working together, the well-being of the community will be greater the less the individual claims the fruits of his own work for himself.

Bible evenings and college meetings permeate our lives with a higher goal, so that we work to fulfill our ideals of brother- and sisterhood without making a profit. When we work for the community, says Steiner, we must feel the value and meaning of this community. Only when the community is more than an indefinite sum of individual people, but is connected by a common spirit, can a real community be experienced here. In the past, communities such as congregations and nations were connected by common tasks, e.g. the building of a cathedral, war or a pilgrimage. König says that conditions have changed so much today that common tasks can only be created in spiritual communities.

Unlike Owen, Steiner is not concerned with dividing the cake equally. We can share the work, but not the proceeds. The proceeds can never be distributed equally, because that would ignore people's individual needs and thus create injustice. The work, on the other hand, can be divided among all members of the community according to their individual abilities, so that all needs can be met. Money, houses, land and tools are never personal property. Nor do they belong to the Camphill movement. The local community manages them. According to König, Owen was unsuccessful because he tried to share the proceeds of the work equally.

The college meeting, the Bible evening and the attempt to implement the basic social law in the economic field as formulated by Rudolf Steiner are the three pillars of the Camphill Movement. Wherever working groups and centers of the movement are established, the three pillars must be erected to form the framework within which the work of the Camphill Movement can progress. The construction of the pillars cannot be carried out in the same way in every community, for example the conditions in South Africa and Holland are very different. König says that no rigid dogmas can be applied, but each institution must be considered separately. It is a dynamic principle which must be adapted to changing social conditions over time. Koenig compares the pillars to the development of a child who learns to walk, talk and think. The body develops its sincerity when the child learns to walk. The soul can unfold when the child learns to speak its mother tongue. The human mind can shine when the first steps in thinking have been taken. What these three steps are for the development of the child, they are also for the Camphill Movement.

Owen's social economic order gives the movement sincerity. It does not run, jump or climb with fitness like other economic enterprises. But the economic order enables the institutions to become masters of their own economic conditions. Money is to be a servant and not a tyrant. Through the work done, the community can stand upright and regulate its economic conditions with clarity. It will never be financially successful, but it will maintain a healthy economy to meet all the needs of the community.

The Bible evening imbues the movement with a common language. The members of the houses come together at the table and learn to develop consideration and a human attitude towards their fellow men and their work. The common language makes everyone a disciple of Christianity and is a profound unifying force of the movement.

The college meetings give freedom of thought. In the college each person is like an instrument in an orchestra, everyone plays his own melody, together the symphony is made to sound and the image of man conceived by Rudolf Steiner is striven for. Movement is like a person who learns to walk, talk and think under the guidance of Comenius, Zinzendorf and Robert Owen. They are the three wise men who give their gifts to the child.

The French Revolution once sought to establish the three great ideals of our modern times: liberty, equality and fraternity. The evil forces of French nationalism, as König describes them, destroyed these three ideals and made them their opposites. Rudolf Steiner revived them when he proclaimed the idea of ​​the threefolding of social life. He described how freedom must prevail in the realm of free spiritual life, how equality has its justification in the realm of rights, and that fraternity is the only possible relationship between men in the realm of the economic order. Thus in the movement we become brothers in the economic realm, we are all equal at the table of Bible evening, and we attain our freedom in the realm of the collegiate meeting. We share our work in fraternity, we are equal before the face of Christ, and we are free as individuals when we attain anthroposophy. In this way we seek to become true men so that we can serve humanity.

Three Essentials of Camphill

Camphill's "Three Essentials" are fundamental principles that shape the community work and way of life in Camphill communities. Camphill started with a group that fled to Scotland from the war, was initially interned and then put a lot of work and effort into forming a new community for people with disabilities. Little by little, doctors, teachers and parents heard about the new offer, so that the available space was no longer sufficient to meet the demand. With time, more volunteers joined, additional properties were rented and new Camphill communities were created in other cities, countries and continents. At that time, many homes cared for disabled children but gave them little or no support in their personal development. Today, special education has progressed further, and disabled people are no longer just kept in but are supported. Three principles have always formed the basis for life and work in Camphill communities.

Recognizing the wholeness of each person

Rudolf Steiner believed that any kind of physical or mental disability is not accidental or unfortunate. It has a specific meaning for the individual and is meant to change his life. Parents and teachers must try to break through the shell of the child and reach the inner sanctum in each person, the seat of his spiritual being, even when it is obscured by disabilities and uncontrolled emotions. We are not concerned with the disabled child, but with the child who is disabled. The basis of life and work in the Camphill communities is the belief that each person is more than his physical and psychological makeup; his essential spiritual being is unimpaired and whole. In this respect we are all equal, regardless of what limitations or gifts we may seem to have.

Striving for personal, inner development

Everyone living at Camphill is encouraged to pursue a path of personal growth and development to strengthen his independent thinking and judgment. The development of our inner creativity benefits not only ourselves but also our environment; taking responsibility for our lives and our destiny enriches our relationships with other people. According to Steiner, the teacher must constantly continue his education. The two indispensable virtues of the special needs teacher are his responsibility for the destiny of the child and his conscientiousness in working with the child. He must strive for inner education, turning to the source of his existence in meditation or other spiritual exercises so that his own spiritual courage does not disappear. He must create an environment of loving friendship and peaceful love, a house without noise, haste, arguments and restlessness so that the disabled child can feel comfortable. The temptations of modern life such as television, radio, alcohol, chatter and gossip are the greatest enemy of these children and should be banished from daily life. Millions of people with disabilities are "entertained" by television and radio and left alone in front of the devices. The children at Camphill are not only given knowledge. They also learn to ignite their creative powers and make them a constant source of their strength and sacrifice.

Bringing equality, freedom and community to our communities

Man is a social being ("zoön politikon" - Aristotle). Man can only be human if he is part of a human community. This is not only about communicating with others, but also about being recognized by others. Many children with disabilities suffer from the disappointment of their parents and the lack of understanding of those around them. It drives them into isolation. Therefore, the creation of a suitable social environment is the most important prerequisite for any kind of special education. The fact that the employees do not receive a salary is part of the effort to create the right environment. Remuneration creates a barrier between the one who gives and the one who receives. Giving and taking is a matter of human relationships, the real relationship disappears when remuneration comes into play. Paid love is no love, paid work is no work. Paid help has nothing to do with real help, the sacrifices of employees simply cannot be paid for. Everyone has the right to express their opinion freely and to be heard. Everyone should do the work they feel called to do. We have different needs, abilities and talents, but we are still equal. Nevertheless, there should be a space where we can live out our identity and individual existence. A family room can provide this, a bedroom of one's own, time for private study, one's own workbench or library. Camphill strives to create interdependent communities based on the ideals of equality in our social interactions, freedom in our spiritual/cultural lives and community in our economic lives, based on the social principle underlying the following quotation.

"In a community of human beings working together, the well-being of the community will be the greater, the less the individual claims for himself the proceeds of the work he has himself done"

 (Rudolf Steiner)

Brotherhood lives in the economic sphere. Equality is required in the sphere of cooperation and work. Freedom, accompanied by the voice of conscience, governs cultural life. The aim is to create a place where children with special needs feel welcomed and safe, everyone feels affirmed in their humanity and employees find a place where they can live and work creatively. The three essentials show the difference between Camphill and other schools and homes for children with disabilities. Respect for the spiritual nature of fellow human beings, striving for one's own inner development and creating a true community are a trinity; they are a threefold unity. It is an ideal that can never be fully achieved, but one that we must work towards every day. According to König, in a community striving for the three essentials, the words of John the Baptist can be heard:

"The crooked shall be made straight, and the rough ways shall be made smooth; and all flesh shall see the salvation of God" (Luke 3:5f).

Overview Courses

PRACTICUM EXPERIENCES

Community and Care Practicum I - Gaya Mezhlumyan

Professional Practice Practicum I - Willow Roberge

Social Therapy Project I - Gleice Paulino da Silva, Gaya Mezhlumyan 

ACADEMIC COURSES

Human Being I - Gaya Mezhlumyan

Includes the following components:

Observation (Physical, Life, Movement) - Szilvia Budai

Observation (Speech) - Kathryn Rycroft

Threefold Nature of Human Being - Szilvia Budai 

Goethean Observation - Penelope Baring

Human Being through the Arts - Becky Rutherford

Clay Modeling - Jeanie Elliott

Human Development I - Jeanie Elliott

Includes the following components:

Biographies of the Founders - Katherine Lyles

Human Biography - Jeanie Elliott

Kaspar Hauser - Coleman Lyles

Introduction to Social Therapy - Gaya Mezhlumyan

Includes the following components:

Intro to Money and Finance - Bernard Murphy

Intro to Community/Care and Professional Practice Practica - Willow Roberge, Gaya Mezhluyman

Intro to Social Therapy & Project Support - Gleice Paulino da Silva, Gaya Mezhlumyan

History, Pillars and Ideals of Camphill - Katherine Lyles, Gleice

Experiential Writing & Journaling - Seth Jordan

Festivals - Szilvia Budai

Compassionate Communication I  - Gregory Bondi, Willow Roberge

Inclusive Social Development - Gleice Paulino da Silva

ARTISTIC COURSES

Movement and Performing Arts - Philipp Jacob

Includes the following components:

Eurythmy - Szilvia Budai

Speech / Drama - Coleman Lyles

Music Exploration - Philipp Jacob

Puppetry - Kathleen Avalon

OTHER

Inner Work in Anthroposophy (Retreat)

Anthroposophical Study I - Jeanie Elliot, Coleman Lyles, Penelope Baring

Eurythmie

Calender of the Soul

Money and Finances

Festival Planning Essay

I have been attending the “Festival Planning” course since mid-October. In the seminar, we looked at the festivals that accompany us throughout the year at Camphill. These include Christmas in winter, Easter in spring, St. John's in summer and Michaelmas in fall. The festivals are not only a great reason to break out of everyday life and celebrate together, but also bring structure to the year. Weeks before the festival, the residents already deal with it, sing matching songs, prepare plays and make decorations. The path of Raphael (Spring Equinox), Uriel (Summer Solstice), Michael (Fall Equinox) and Gabriel (Winter Solstice) reflects the seasons and thus the inhalation and exhalation of nature. I know many festivals from my time in the Triform Camphill Community in New York. But the course helped me to understand why we celebrate these festivals. Especially the connection to the zodiac signs and Celtic festivals such as Imbolic, Peltane, Samhain and Lughnasadh were very new to me.   

Our task as a course was to plan and hold our own festival. We decided on the All Souls Festival, which took place on November 2nd. On All Souls Day, we remember friends and family members who have passed away. Before the festival, we asked the residents in our homes several questions. What is All Souls Day? What does the festival mean to them? How did they celebrated the festival in the past? What are their wishes and expectations for All Souls this year? We used the answers as a basis for planning the festival together as a team. We were faced with the challenge of meeting the expectations of the residents and continuing the traditions, but also introducing new elements. For example, we came up with the idea of playing a quiet song with an electric guitar. However, we realized that at a festival like All Souls, where the focus is on mourning and remembrance, great value is placed on tradition and too many changes are viewed with scepticism. I believe that we have found a good balance between tradition and innovation.   

Before entering the hall, two students explained the course of the event. People then entered the hall and took their seats without saying a word. Then two students and I each read a poem in our mother languages (German, Hungarian, English). After the reading, we picked up a candle handed over by two students and walked through the spiral on the floor. The candle was put down and the name of the deceased person was called. After we had placed our candles, the other residents also placed a candle for the deceased in the spiral. Gradually, the spiral and the dark room were illuminated by the candlelight. During the event I had the idea, that the fireplace would certainly have added to the atmosphere, but we didn't thought about it before. 

The event was highly praised by my housemates. The atmosphere was very appropriate to the character of the festival, people were well informed about the procedure so that the hall itself was quiet for the entire duration and no announcements had to be made. I was surprised that even residents who tend to make loud noises and wander around the room remained completely calm and focused here. Even if not everyone understood the poems in our native languages, they still felt the emotions. The design of the spiral received a lot of praise and people also thanked us for asking the residents about their expectations and wishes and thus involving them in the planning process. 

The course helped me to think about the many different aspects that need to be considered when planning a festival. How can we reconcile our own ideas, traditions and residents' expectations? How should the event be organized so that it is as inclusive as possible, and all residents can participate? It was a lot of fun planning the event and designing the room together as a team. At Triform, I often asked myself why we celebrate a festival in this way and not another. I have now developed a better understanding of why decisions were made the way they were in the past. I am very interested in getting involved in organizing festivals in the future, the course and planning the festival was a wonderful experience. 

Care & Community Practicum

Professional Practice Practicum

Social Therapy Project

Observation Essay

Intro 

In this essay I would like to share the insights I gained from my observations of a resident of Camphill Community California. The essay consists of three parts. The first part is about the physical appearance of the resident (Physical Body). I will present an overall sketch of the person, purely based on things that make a first impression on the purely physical level from head to toe. The second part is about the life or constitutional picture (Etheric Body). I observe the person’s level of vitality, his digestion, health, sleep and body warmth. The third part is about the movement of the resident (Astral Body). I will describe the person's manner of movement, gesture and facial expression. The fourth part is about the aspect of speech (Self, I). The goal is to perceive the resident without judgement and to develop a picture of him as a whole human being. Therefore, I need to describe the observed characteristics in an objective and accurate way. I will strengthen my observation skills and develop an eye for detail. It also gives me the opportunity to get to know one of the residents from a new perspective. To protect the individual's identity, I will refer to him as resident. He has been living in Camphill California since 2010 and has autism with OCD tendencies, asthma, allergic rhinitis, eczema and dermatitis. He is verbal and can write. Before I started the observations on 10/19/2024, I obtained the resident's permission and informed him about this project. 

Physical 

He is 37 years old and a white male.  He has an athletic build and is 5’11 feet tall and weighs  165 lbs. He has brown/blond hair and a short buzz cut. He wears no beard and is always well shaved. His face has an oval form, his eyes are green and almond formed. The neck is often stiff, the shoulders are round. He has some pimples, but no freckles or other special features on the skin. He is tanned, but his skin is not very sensitive to sunlight. Even though he spends a lot of time outdoors, I have never seen him get sunburnt. He has short eyelashes, narrow eyebrows, flat cheekbones, a big forehead, a droopy nose and long, narrow, close-fitting ears. His teeth are white, healthy looking and in good shape, the lips are small. His chin is slightly protruding. Its extremities are even and symmetrical. His legs are long and his hands are large. His feet are large with a shoe size of 12,5. His muscular arms, torso and especially the strong legs prove his enthusiasm for sports. Nevertheless, I can observe how his belly is slowly building up. His toes are straight, his finger- and food nails are clean, always short and regular sized. On Arms and legs is body hair. Vains are not openly visible. He has often dry skin because of his mentioned conditions. Overall, he has sharp body features, an athletic build and a well-groomed body, that also shows a certain stiffness.  

Life 

He has a skin tone that I would identify as limestone tone. He has a high muscle tone, which manifests itself in a certain stiffness of his limbs and torso, especially when he sits. His eyes show brightness but often create an impression of being in another world. The resident needs to be reminded of the temperature and weather. Most times he wears short shirts and shorts, even if it's cold outside. In certain situation he complains about the temperature. For example, if he is running in the sun for a long time or when there is a mixture of coldness and wetness in the morning. When you touch his skin it's usually warm. He has always a big appetite. There are some things he don't like, but no matter what food is served, he will eat it in one or two minutes.  When he is hungry and no one is watching him, he will even eat whole butter sticks from the fridge, walk into staff rooms to eat sweets or go to fridges in other houses. He doesn't seem to have digestive issues and is very quick in the bathroom. When he complains about tummy ache, it's a sign that he steals food and eats without control. In cases like this he shows regret and admit, that his behavior made him feel sick. He needs to be reminded to go to the bathroom before going to bed, outings or runs. The resident will forget this need to use the toilet when he is excited about something. When it's bedtime, he goes to bed very quickly without getting distracted. If he forgets to use the bathroom before going to bed, he will wake up in the night. Otherwise, he will sleep through the whole night. When the staff knocks at his door in the morning, he jumps out of his bed without any problems getting up, opens the door and starts his morning routine immediately. He can't regulate his water consumption and will drink until he feels sick. He has always a high energy level, which is expressed in his constant urge to move. He has a good circulation. A short time after running he has a regular breath and shows no more signs of exhaustion or redness. When running, he sweats a lot with a strong smell, but during moderate day activities he doesn't sweat much. When he hurts himself, his body is able to heal the wounds quickly. Since I met him in July, he has never been sick and seems to be in a good health condition.  

Movement 

The resident has a big desire to move. When he is forced to sit for a long time, he will ask for permission to leave the table for a short time and walk outside back and forth. He loves running and prefers physical work in the garden rather than stationary work indoors. The resident seems to have two different states.  

When he is calm and concentrated, he will focus your eyes when answering questions. He will sit straight, with his hands on the table or the knees and not much facial expressions. Only if he wants to express certain emotions, like anger, sadness, humor, he will show exaggerated face expressions and gestures. Like stomping on the ground, loud artificial laughter or a sad mouth, but only a minute later his face and body language will be back in a stiff and neutral state. These behaviors come from emotional training for autists in his past. If he enjoys something, like favorite food, he still shows neutral facial and body expressions. When he is relaxed, he breath through evenly through his nose.  

When something bothers him, he feels stressed or remains stationary for too long, his mind and body seem to slip into another world. When sitting, he will squeeze himself or people sitting next to him, press his teeth strong together, pinch his skin, cross his legs and wave with his hand next to his head and in front of his eyes. His eyes won’t focus on a person, but will look up, far into the distance. Sometimes he will come close to the face of the neighbor, hold his arm or hand and look deep into his eyes, while making squealing sounds and repeating lines from tv shows. If you ask him a question, he will first exit this state after you touch him, ask him several times and make intensive eye contact. His whole body is moving and he will jump and run around. It appears like he let out all the stress and emotions, but sometimes the reason lies deeper and is not easy to understand and to fix. His mouth in this state is open, he will breathe much air in and produce sounds. Because of his habit of pressing his teeth strongly together, he has a mouth guard for the night. He likes to play the Trombone, because here he can work with his breath. In the stressed state the span, feet placing and size of steps are also different. He is usually walking straight and fast with many steps. While walking his hands often touch each other in front of him, so he can squeeze them or a little squeeze ball. When he is stressed, his walking seems more like jumping forwards. His body leans forwards, his torso cramped together, his hands flapping and between his jumped steps are big gaps. The arms movements of the residents won't be flowy anymore, but jagged. 

He is aware of his surroundings and can make observations. But when he is focused on a task, for example vacuuming, he tends to bump into people next to or behind him. He doesn't notice if someone wants to quickly pass by him and will continue vacuuming. His primary drives are movement and food. When doing sports, his stiffness seems to vanish, and he can run even 4.6 miles with an average speed of 5.9 mi/h and a max speed of 9.6 mi/h. But he has trouble managing his energy. When he enters the stressed state during a race, he sprints and makes a lot of noise, that will even make people jump out of the way. When he gets in the relaxed state again, he must walk a little bit to get his energy back and to return to a steady running pace. He has no balance issues and can stand on one leg. When in conflict situations, he will neither go into a direct confrontation or leave the room, but will stomp and will probably jump around making sounds. He is right-handed and has fine and gross motor skills. He likes writing and typing on the computer. He can do many things without support, like personal hygiene, cleaning, making sandwiches, clothing and even writing a journal about his runs and his feelings. Even if he could work in the garden independently after so many years, he needs the support of a volunteer around him. This gives him orientation, shows him the next tasks and helps him to stay focused when he is stressed. 

Speech 

The resident seems to have two different states. A calm and concentrated phase, where he is able to have conversations and focus the talking person. He usually doesn't start long conversations but likes to ask questions about upcoming plans or events that affect him personally. He is often worried about future events. If he sits together only with other residents, he is usually quiet. He is generally more focused on householders and coworkers who plan his outings and schedule. He speaks very fast, clearly and definite. The residents seem to talk fast enough so he doesn't need to breathe in between. He likes to play the Trombone, because here he can let out all his breath. He doesn't emphasizes words in his sentences and everything is spoken in the same way.  He talks with a lower pitch and uses the right grammar. The fact that he doesn't start topics and participate in ongoing conversations often leads to him being left out. But when you ask him questions, for example about certain recipes, you see how much he knows, but this comes only out of him if you directly ask him. He then uses a big vocabulary and shows his deep knowledge of different topics like cooking, baking and geography. He communicates his feelings, like “I am mad” or “I am excited to see” and uses overexaggerated mimic and gestic, but immediately comes back fast to a very neutral mimic and tonality. He learned this in a emotional training for autists, so he knows in which situations he has to speak in a sad or happy way, but this is not easy for him. He often doesn't follow the conversation, so you often have to repeat what your question was about. The resident has a hard time finding the right moment to ask a question. He often interrupts other people with something that is off topic. When a question comes into his mind, such as whether we can eat a burger on Sunday, he speaks while chewing. If you point this out to him, he will finish chewing and then take another bite because he is fully focused on his food and eats very quickly. If he's bored because people eat too long or having a long conversation, he'll offer to sing a song or tell a joke. He likes to sing with different pitches, but here too he loses patience and then becomes faster and faster until it becomes incomprehensible. He can speak with different volumes and doesn't have problems with speaking to quietly or loudly.  

When something bothers him, he feels stressed or remains stationary for too long, his mind and body seem to slip into another world.  He starts moving a lot, his eyes won’t focus on a person, but will look up, far into the distance. It appears like he let out all the stress and emotions, but sometimes the reason lies deeper and is not easy to understand and to fix. He speaks, but it's less a dialogue than a monologue. He is quoting scenes from tv shows he saw often as a child, like “Sesame Street”. He is repeating the same lines over and over in a high pitch like “Down to the swimming hole...”. When you ask him what this line is about, he is not answering. You have to touch him and repeat your question over and over, so that he comes back to the moment and answers you. He often makes very loud squaling sounds, especially when something really bothers him. In this state he loses all consciousness of his surroundings and will become very loud, even if he is supposed to quit. In this state he presses his teeth strong together, that's why he has to use a mouth guard in the night. When he presses his teeth together, it's hard to understand him. His lips are usually closed, but then they are open.  

I got the impression that a wealth of knowledge and a large vocabulary are buried under these compulsions. Only by asking specific questions can he stay in the moment and draw on this knowledge. Otherwise, his communication is limited to quoting TV shows, whereby he can no longer follow the conversation and forgets the communication skills and studied emotional reactions he has learned. 

History of Camphill California

In 1997, a group of dedicated Camphill volunteers traveled from the Camphill school Beaver Run on the East Coast to the West Coast in Santa Cruz.  Coleman Lyles, Christine Zecca, Cornelius Pietzner and Lucy Reid founded the non-profit organization Camphill Communities California in San Francisco. Originally they were looking for land near Petaluma, but realized it wasn't the right place. Santa Cruz County was then recommended to them. Although land prices are higher here, the regional office is more flexible and the community is oriented towards organic farms. The Van Camp Foundation even made it possible for Camphill to build a pool on the property. On 12/26/97, the founding document was approved in Sacramento. Years of fundraising preceded the foundation.  In August 1997, Coleman and Katherine Lyles moved to California with their children Mark and Jessika and lived near the university for some time. A short time later, Steve and Suzanne Zipperlen moved in. Steve lives in my house and passes on many of his years of experience to the new generation. Ary King joined the ISHI household, the first house and the house where I live today. The garage was converted into the weaving workshop. In May 1998, the first residents moved into the house. Residents Brian Wrainwright and Claudia Beck were there when it was founded and still live at Camphill today! From one house with five residents, Camphill has grown over time to eight houses on five properties with a total of 21 residents and two weekday residents. With employed staff and housekeepers and coworkers living in the community, we even have 60 people working in the community. The board has grown from the original four members to eleven. 1/3 are from the Camphill community, 1/3 are family members and 1/3 are from the extended community. We even have a resident on the board, Bryan Zecca, who represents the interests of the residents. All of the goals of the original strategic plan were achieved: services were diversified, social therapy training was certified, leadership responsibilities were transferred to a new generation, the development office was professionalized, a successful annual fundraiser was launched, an endowment was established that increased benefits for co-workers, wine was produced, and a community center was built that hosts international as well as local and national events. The second decade was not without its challenges. One article wrote, “ We know that spiritually striving communities are especially susceptible to social discord because they foster individuality that left unchecked by inner training and discipline spawns egoism. Every spiritually striving Community's success depends on recognizing and confronting this reality". The first decade was characterized by an abundance of grace, support and good fortune that filled us with gratitude and wonder. The second decade, with its emphasis on the challenge of reaching critical mass and acquiring the inner and outer resources to maintain harmony in the face of social adversity, taught us humility and compassion. Conscience, with its emphasis on spiritual integrity, combines wonder and compassion and characterizes the beginning of the third decade. 

Ishi was the last survivor of the Yahi, a branch of the Yana Indians. He was born around 1860 in one of the last villages of the Yahi tribe. Large parts of the tribe were killed in raids, a few years after his birth only seven people of the 300-400 Indians remained, all of whom were related to each other except for one person. They retreated to the almost inaccessible Deer Creek Valley, where they hid for 40 years. They were often on the run from trappers, surveyors and settlers who discovered the settlement in 1908 and stole winter supplies and furs. After the other members of the group died or disappeared, Ishi lived alone with his mother, whom he cared for until her death. In 1911 he was discovered in Oroville by Sheriff J.B. Weber and was held captive for a few days. The anthropologist Thomas T. Watermann became aware of him and managed to communicate with him using the Yahi language. He tried to speak to him in various Indian languages ​​until he finally got his attention with the word "siwini" (yellowwood) and he realized that he was the last survivor of a tribe that had been extinct for 40-50 years. Ishi was taken to the Anthropological Museum of the University of Berkeley, where he lived and became famous. He helped the anthropologist Alfred Kroeber study the Yahi language and customs, taught Indian hunting techniques and the construction of hunting bows to Saxton Pope, the pioneer of modern hunting with bow and arrow. Ishi and the professors became good friends over time. He died of tuberculosis in San Francisco in 1916. Ishi's last words were: "I must go, you must stay." During his short time, his favorite question was: "Is everyone happy?" - isn't that wonderful? In the 1990s, it was revealed that the university had removed his brain after his death. In 2000, an association managed to ensure that Ishi was given a dignified burial. In 2000, descendants of the Yana Indians were identified in the Redding Rancheria Reservation.

William Stafford dedicated a poem to the Indian:

The Concealment: Ishi, the Last Wild Indian

A rock, a leaf, mud, even the grass

Ishi the shadow man had to put back where it was.

In order to live he had to hide that he did.

His deep canyon he kept unmarked for the world,

and only his face became lined, because no one saw it

and it therefore didn’t make any difference.

If he appeared, he died; and he was the last. Erased

footprints, berries that purify the breath, rituals

before dawn with water—even the dogs roamed a land

unspoiled by Ishi who used to own it, with his aunt

and uncle, whose old limbs bound in willow bark finally

stopped and were hidden under the rocks, in sweet leaves.

We ought to help change that kind of premature suicide,

the existence gradually mottle away till the heartbeat

blends and the messages all go one way from the world

and disappear inward: Ishi lived. It was all right

for him to make a track. In California now where his opposites

unmistakably dwell we wander their streets

And sometime whisper his name—

“Ishi.”

I learned that as early as 1957 there was correspondence between Karl König and a resident of nearby Aptos about the idea of ​​founding a community in California. Originally, the founders had in mind a large, connected area, like those found in Beaver Run, Copake and Triform. The Regional Center, the authority responsible for caring for the disabled, did not like this idea. They wanted the houses to be spread out across the community so that people would not just stay in the community but be integrated into the surrounding society. Therefore, houses in the neighborhood were gradually bought up, so that the eight houses are somewhat scattered on five different properties.

"Exploring Purpose and Community at Camphill California" - An article about my first two months at Camphill Academy

History, Pillars and Ideals of Camphill – Reflective Essay 

I have been attending the “History, Pillars and Ideals of Camphill” course during my first three weeks at the Camphill Academy in September. In the seminar, we read parts of the book “The Spirit of Camphill - Birth of a Movement” from Karl König. We learned about the history of Camphill through reading the book and teaching by Katherine Lyles. Our class intensively examined Camphill’s three Stars, three Pillars and three Essentials and discussed them in the seminar. I already learned some basics of Camphill history during my orientation course in the Camphill Community Triform. In this seminar, we went deeper into the theory, and I dealt with the Pillars, Stars and Essentials for the first time. Even though I could not name them before, I had already come into contact with the practical implementation of these principles at Camphill during my year in New York. In this essay, I reflect on essential aspects I have learned in this course. I will connect my thoughts with my practical experience of community life and work with individuals with intellectual and developmental disabilities. I would particularly like to address the question of how these elements are implemented in everyday life and where we may have moved away from the ideal. 

The first pillar is the Universal College, which Comenius conceived 300 years ago. Like Steiner, Comenius was a teacher who brought forth a new approach to educating children, including disabled children. Both had a similar vision, which emphasized a holistic approach and the development of the individual. Comenius pointed to the holistic development of the human being - intellectually, morally and emotionally. In Waldorf education, this idea is taken up and education is understood as the harmonious development of all aspects of the human being. Comenius emphasized the need for child-oriented teaching, which is geared towards the needs and abilities of the children. Steiner implemented this demand and geared lessons to the children's developmental stages. Comenius called for universal education that should be accessible to all. Steiner also saw a need to educate all people regardless of their background. According to Comenius, art and creativity were of central importance in the educational process. Steiner therefore integrated art, music and drama into the curriculum in order to encourage pupils' creativity. The exchange of knowledge between colleagues is important in order to achieve common goals.  

Karl König therefore emphasized the importance of college meetings. Every week, the staff of a house meet to discuss one of the children. Together, a picture of the child, his or her habits, achievements, mistakes and failures emerges. Recognizing the individual nature of the child then leads to an awareness of the necessary curative and educational treatment. It is not about exchanging scientific concepts, but about recreating the true nature of a personality in our minds. There are also regular meetings between the teachers, doctors and farm workers. The meetings do not necessarily have to focus on an individual; another topic such as the garden, farm, an aspect of work or challenges of the present can also be the subject of a college meeting. By working together, challenging situations can be dealt with in a timely manner.  

In Triform we had a house meeting every week, where we talked about every resident. What positive and challenging situations did we experience with the resident? The Triform Camphill Community supports young adults between 18 and 30 through a transitional youth guidance program that integrates home and community life with work skills development, classroom activities and therapies. Therefore, the meetings were very much focused on the question of how we can support our residents in their individual development.  

Here in Camphill California we work with much older adults, some who are living and working since decades in Camphill Communities. Here we do not have a Youth Guidance Program with a structured path, but the residents have individual goals that they have agreed upon together with their householders, workleaders and state officials. What I miss is the holistic view of the residents. The house meetings are mainly about life in the house, independence in hygiene, better handling of food, taking on household duties. The residents' progress in the workshops and afternoon art programs is not included here. To do this, it would be necessary to include input from these workshops and programs in the meetings. This probably happens in the quarterly and yearly meetings, but we as coworkers are not included in them. I would like to see a more holistic discussion about the residents so that we are involved in the design and implementation of the goals. Of course, the long-term coworkers are responsible for pursuing the goals in the long term. However, short-term coworkers could also bring good points into these meetings and processes. 

Bishop Nicolaus Zinzendorf was convinced that there is no Christianity without community. König's view was that there is no community without Christianity. Christianity is an essential part of Camphill life. All participants are free to be members of any religion. The central event in Christian life is the Bible evening. It corresponds to the college meeting in the area of the pansophical ideal. Every Saturday evening, everyone meets in the house to prepare for the bible evening. First we meet in the house library (“Blue room”) and sit together in silence. After some time, someone lights a candle on the already burning candle, then the person goes to the dining room, where another candle is lit. The person comes back, extinguishes the candle where the residents are sitting and invites everyone to come into the dining room. We stand behind our chairs, say a verse and then eat our meal. It is always a simple meal, we eat a bowl of soup and two halves of a bread roll. We are all well dressed and talk about a common question over the meal, such as what situation someone helped us with last week for which we are grateful. After the meal, a passage from the Bible is read out and everyone can contribute something. What experiences did we have while reflecting on the Gospel passage? Formulating one’s own thoughts on the weekly passages is an exercise in concentration and courage.  

Once a month on Sunday, everyone meets in the assembly hall. Formally dressed householders light candles at the front under a picture of Jesus, read out a bible passage and sing songs together. According to König, the souls of the children thirst for the true religious experience and “drink it every Sunday” with the greatest devotion. Regardless of his/her disability, each one can follow the content of the service with one’s heart. Prayer has a firm place in everyday life, for example in the regular morning and evening prayers, prayers spoken at the table and the hymns on Sunday mornings.  

I barely had any contact with the Bible or Christianity before my time at Camphill. Many of the stories we read are the first time I have heard them. Some of the residents have lived at Camphills for decades and are therefore very familiar with the traditions. The residents dress formally and know that the Bible supper has a different atmosphere than a normal dinner. They are much quiet and more patient than usual. I often have difficulty following the stories, because I lack the context of where we are, who the people are and what they are talking about. The residents in my house also have difficulties understanding and repeating the essence of the story. Therefore, my householder often summarizes the central question of the story in her own words, for example “Who makes you feel loved?” or “When did a friend help you in a difficult situation?”. At this point, the residents can also contribute something and share their own experiences. It is really nice to see how certain problems and questions raised in the Bible can also be discussed by the residents in this way. Nevertheless, I have the feeling that there could be an accessible way to engage with the texts. I can remember a children's Bible that my grandmother read with me. What was done here is similar to the approach of the householder. The language is simplified, the story and the characters are reduced to the core content. Accessibility is very important in Camphill, every activity should allow residents to participate and bring in their strengths and ideas. Discussed topics should be relatable and not too abstract. But I have the feeling, that this is often thrown overboard at events and speeches about the Bible, anthroposophy or festivals. If I find it difficult to follow the story, how are many of the residents supposed to follow long readings and speeches about spiritual and anthroposophical content? Discussions at such events show that householders and long-term coworkers dominate the discussion here. As a teacher, I am used to always adapting my material to the target group. Why this often does not happen here is a question that I have been asking myself for a long time. I hope that the academy courses will help me find answers to this. 

The third pillar is Robert Owen's economic order. He wanted to redesign human society by transforming its economic conditions. He believed that people are influenced by their environment and that a corresponding way of life produces good people. Rudolf Steiner explained that industrial or other institutions can only be kept in a functioning and vibrant state if those who work in them are internally connected to the work. However, this is a question of responsibility. If people only use one lever during the production process, they will soon lose interest in their work. One’s main concern will be the number of hours worked and the pay at the end of the week. He believed that once people are given responsibility for the work they do, they have the opportunity to identify with their work. They will then be satisfied with their achievements, even proud and happy. To do this, everyone needs to be fully informed about the area at which one is working. Only then can one develop a sense of responsibility.  

At Camphill, every employee is helped to take collective responsibility for the whole. I am often asked how much money I earn at Camphill. The truth is, no coworker gets a salary at the end of the month. We manage the income and expenses of our unit where we work together. When profits are made, the independently managed units are meant to support each other, and the money is allowed to flow back into the community. When family members of my householders in Triform died, they received more money to travel to their family with the children, and others who did not currently need it shared their budget. We do our work without expecting payment, but we expect to live in conditions that meet our personal needs. We work for the sake of the work. We do not expect anything in return. Because we gradually come to understand that what we receive in return is an act of goodwill that others do for us. We give and receive through it. Rudolf Steiner formulated the Fundamental Social Law which Camphill attempts to adhere to. In a community of people working together, the well-being of the community will be greater the less the individual claims the fruits of his own work for himself. Bible evenings and college meetings permeate our lives with a higher goal, so that we work to fulfill our ideals of brother- and sisterhood without making a profit.  

The "Money and Finances" course was a real eye-opener for me. As coworkers, we are hardly involved in the processes behind the scenes. We know that we get reimbursed for expenses or receive a stipend, but hardly where the money comes from and how it is managed. The advantage is that the management and the office have our backs so that we can put as much time as possible into supporting the residents. The more people are involved in these decision-making processes, the more difficult and tough it will be to organize the finances. Nevertheless, I see a lot of potential here to create a greater sense of responsibility among the coworkers if they better understand where the money comes from and how it is spent. Involvement in decisions would also lead to the coworkers feeling better informed, taking on responsibility and identifying with their work. In the garden, I once asked if there is an overview of the plants already growing in our garden and what the plan for the coming months was. There is no such plan. As coworkers, we find out in the morning what tasks have to be done, but we have no part in designing the plan or its long-term implementation. I heard, that people are afraid that short-term coworkers make plans, but after one year no one is left to continue the work. I still see potential here to involve coworkers like myself more and thus achieve a higher level of identification with the work we and I can do. 

The college meeting, the Bible evening and the attempt to implement the basic social law in the economic field as formulated by Rudolf Steiner are the three pillars of the Camphill Movement. König says that no rigid dogmas can be applied, but each institution must be considered separately. It is a dynamic principle which must be adapted to changing social conditions over time. I was able to recognize all of these principles in the Triform Camphill Community and the Camphill Communities California. Nevertheless, I see a lot of potential here for how the community could move closer to its goals in its everyday life. Of course, there are practical reasons why things are done this way. For example, to preserve traditions, to keep committees and meetings manageable, to relieve short-term coworkers and give them more time to work directly with residents, and to give long-term residents more responsibility for planning and strategies. Therefore, my thoughts are not a complaint or a condemnation of routines that have developed this way over the last few decades for a good reason. However, these questions and cognitive dissonances help me to develop a relationship to the application of Camphill principles in daily life and impulses for further development of the community. Also these questions help me to relate to my academy studies in a conscious way.  

Nonviolent Communication

Theosophy Essay - Body, Soul, Spirit; Physical Body, Etheric Body & Astral Body

I have been attending the “Theosophy” course at the Camphill Academy. In this course, we read the first chapter of the book “Theosophy”, written in 1904 by Rudolf Steiner. In this essay, I will explain central concepts and terms from this chapter. I will also reflect on my experience and thought process while reading this book. To connect this theory with my practical work in Camphill, I try to link the concepts with observations of Camphill life.  

The Anthroposophical Study Courses explore central anthroposophical texts for two main reasons: First, the study of primary sources provides orientation in Rudolf Steiner's spiritual research—both historically and conceptually. Second, core texts and supplementary materials offer resources for one's own contemplative practice in the field of inclusive social development. Thus, the Anthroposophical Study Courses support us in understanding the anthroposophical landscape from its beginnings and in navigating it today on our own paths. The course provides orientation in anthroposophical anthropology (i.e., the "image of man") and related concepts of individual human existence. It forms a fundamental framework upon which contemplative, pedagogical, therapeutic, and diagnostic concepts of curative education and social therapy are built. This course is accompanied by a one-year introduction to human biographies, inclusive social development, including aspects of curative education, social therapy, and human beings, which delves deeper into the basic themes presented. The topics covered include the physical, mental and spiritual nature of man, the philosophy of human destiny, the philosophical foundations of human reincarnation and other topics arising from anthroposophical anthropology.

Theosophy means Divine Wisdom and comes from the Greek words “Theos” (God) and “Sophia” (Wisdom). Steiner talks about the “Body”, “Soul” and “Spirit”. I studied Teaching in Germany, and we never used these words, they seemed very abstract and intangible. After reading the book, I realized that it was just an abstract term for different levels of experience that I was already familiar with. 

Body, soul and spirit are the three essentials of the human being. The body is divided into physical body, etheric body (or life body) and astral body. The physical body is the visible form that follows the law of nature. But the physical body cannot sustain itself alone. The etheric body is the force that maintains life, that allows growth and life-sustaining processes. Not only humans and animals, but also plants have an etheric body, as they also have regenerating processes. Without the etheric body, the physical body is lifeless. The astral body connects the body to the soul, here we can find our sensations, desires and emotions. Without the astral body, the etheric body would be unconscious. Animals and humans have an astral body. We can transform the astral body through discipline, effort and spiritual development. Plants have no astral body and the inner experience and reflection of our sensations and feelings that we have. 

Between the etheric body and the soul, Rudolf Steiner locates the sentient body. It is the vehicle of sensations and drive. In animals, the sentient body works instinctively. A horse knows when it smells fire and smoke, that this is dangerous, and it needs to move away from the threat. Maybe the horse never experienced a fire and possible consequences for its body, but this perception and reaction is part of the instinct. The emotions and behaviors are tied to survival. Humans evolve their sentient body functions through self-awareness and spiritual striving. 

The soul is divided in sentient Soul, intellectual soul and consciousness soul. The sentient soul is responsible for emotions, desires and sensory experiences. How are you driven by desires, impulses and reactions to the external world. Animals have this level of consciousness, but for humans it is the foundation for higher levels. The intellectual soul is responsible for reason, thought and judgement beyond sensation and instincts. A person reflects on his experiences and forms thoughts and opinions. Here the sense of “I” begins to develop. The sonsciousness Soul is searching for higher truth and self-awareness. In this stage, you are seeing the world objectively beyond your subjective opinion. It connects the soul and the spirit. Rudolf Steiner describes the “I” as the eternal, spiritual core of the human being. The physical, etheric and astral bodies are shaped by nature and external forces, but the “I” can develop itself through effort and experience in a self-directed evolution independent from external influences. 

The spirit is divided into spirit-self, life-spirit and spirit-man. The spirit itself is an eternal, divine essence within the human. It evolves through spiritual development. The spirit-self is the higher consciousness. The human is transcending beyond personal desires. The conscious soul transforms into the spirit self, when the person is looking for truth beyond subjective experience. Through self-awareness and moral striving, the astral body transforms to the spirit-self. The more advances life-spirit seeks for wisdom and universal love beyond personal gain. Through the combination of instincts and higher wisdom, the etheric body transforms to the life-spirit, which radiates spiritual life. The spirit man is uniting the individual with the divine. When fully integrated with the cosmic spiritual forces, the physical body transforms to the spirit man. 

This is the point, where I struggle to follow Steiner. How does a person become fully in harmony with the cosmos? How does the body become a vehicle for pure spiritual expression? How do you unite with your divine origin? He describes that the human spirit can transcend the cycle of birth and death. It will live in full awareness with its eternal nature? I understand how we continue to grow in our perception and ability to reflect. Instinct tells animals to flee from fire and smoke, because fire pose a danger. We can reflect and think about how the risk of fire can be reduced. Or even how fire can be created and used to our advantage. At some point, we no longer only think about how fire can be used to our personal advantage, for example to cook our meat. We learn to use fire for meditation (trataka) to improve our concentration and focus. It helps against insomnia and improves sleep. Or we burn votive candles as a votive offering in an act of Christian prayer. Many cultures use fire in seasonal celebrations to mark spiritual renewal, e.g. St. John’s Fire, Diwali and Beltane. For Beltane people use fire to symbolize the beginning of summer, fertility and good fortune. A process has to take place in people in order to perceive something like fire from a danger to an instrument, to a spiritual object. Here I completely agree with Rudolf Steiner. This development must take place within the human being and the sequence of steps is explained by Steiner in an understandable way. I can also understand that people are looking for access to the spiritual world at some point. Steiner sees all major religions as part of universal spiritual wisdom, they awaken the human soul to the existence of higher beings and deeper purpose of life. As an atheist and future ethics teacher, I see spirituality in a positive light, as it brings people together, gives them courage in times of challenge and crisis and motivates them to stand up for others, even without personal gain. On a spiritual level, I think of a nun who dedicates every minute of her life to helping others without any personal gain. Her happiness consists of maximizing the happiness of other people. A name, that came to my mind, is Mother Theresa, who won the nobel prize for her extraordinary work. She founded the Missionaries of Charity, a congregation that grew to operate schools, soup kitchens, clinics and orphanages in over 133 countries with 4500 Nuns. The English journalist Christopher Hitchens criticized her in a 2003 article. He said that her intention was not to help people, but to expand the number of Catholics: “I'm not a social worker. I don't do it for this reason. I do it for Christ. I do it for the church”, he quotes Mother Theresa.1 Is this the level where you detach yourself from the worldly level and only see spirituality? This is a thought that came into my mind while reading the first chapter. I am excited to see if this becames more clear when I read the next chapters.  

I also thought about where I see this in my everyday life in Camphill. Every Saturday evening, everyone meets in the house to prepare for the bible evening. Some of the residents have lived at Camphill communities for decades and are therefore very familiar with the traditions. The residents dress formally and know that the Bible supper has a different atmosphere than a normal dinner. They are more patient and quite than usual. First, we meet in the house library, where we sit together in silence. After some time, someone lights a candle on the already burning candle, then the person goes to the dining room, where the candle standing there is lit. The person comes back, extinguishes the candle where the residents are sitting and invites everyone to come into the dining room. We stand behind our chairs, say a verse and then eat our meal. It is always a simple meal, in Triform and California we always ate a bowl of soup and two halves of a bread roll. We are all well dressed and talk about a common question over the meal, such as what situation someone helped us with last week for which we are grateful. After the meal, a passage from the Bible is read out and everyone can contribute something. What experiences did we have while reflecting on the Gospel passage? At the Bible supper, volunteers, residents and householders meet as brothers and sisters. Everyone at the table has the same goal and shares a devotion to Christ (in case of Christians) and their fellow human beings. No matter what difficulties exist between the housemates, here they sit together and turn their souls towards a common goal and meet each other anew in the true light of the Spirit. Turning to the gospel together creates strength and a sense of purpose, a common task for all residents. It creates a structure in the week of the residents and a more formal space with room for reflection. Formulating their own thoughts on the weekly passages is an exercise in concentration and courage. According to König, the souls of the children thirst for the true religious drink and "drink it every Sunday" with the greatest devotion. Regardless of his/her disability, each one can follow the content with their hearts. I often have difficulty following the stories, because as an Atheist I lack the context of where we are, who the people are and what they are talking about. The residents in my house also have difficulties understanding and repeating the essence of the story. Therefore, my householder often summarizes the central question of the story in her own words, for example “Who makes you feel loved?” or “When did a friend help you in a difficult situation?”. At this point, the residents can also contribute something and share their own experiences. It is really nice to see how certain problems and questions raised in the Bible can also be discussed by the residents in this way. The questions raised by these stories are questions that all residents and volunteers will face in the course of their lives. In the weeks before holidays, they listen to appropriate stories, legends and fairy tales, do handicrafts, paint and sculpt corresponding works of art, take part in theater performances and thus experience the meaning of the holiday in their minds and hearts. This spiritual level therefore reaches all residents, regardless of whether they read the Bible in their free time and are able to discuss it with volunteers, can only follow simple stories due to their disability or are non-verbal. Just because they cannot express themselves does not mean that this spiritual content does not lead them to reflection and contemplation. The development on the spiritual level is something I am still thinking about at the moment, and which motivates me to look further into the book and Steiner's explanations after the first chapter. 

Human Biography Essay - 7 year cycles, pre-birth-intentions & after-death-reflections

I have been attending the “Human Biography” course at the Camphill Academy. In this course, we learned about the 7-year-cycles of life. Everyone studied the biography of an individual of choice. I presented the biography of Henry Kissinger, former US Secretary of State and Security Advisor. His life was divided into 7-year-cycles with fitting mottos, leading motives, pre-birth intentions and a possible retrospective reflection after his death. In this essay, I will give a short overview of the 7-year-cycles and explain how the ideas we discussed about pre-birth intentions and post-death reflections changed my attitude towards developmental disability and my work in Social Therapy. 

Rudolf Steiner described human development in 7-year-cycles. Each cycle has its own psychological, emotional, and spiritual themes. There are three larger phases. From 0-21 the physical development is focused. From 21-42 the focus is on our soul development. We spend much time on self-development and self-education, we learn to live with strong feelings and bring them under control of the ego. From 42-63 our spiritual development is focused. We can make the effort to develop soul-spiritually. From 63-72 we free ourselves from the web of destiny/karma, which is a kind of rebirth. Each 7-year period is divided into three 7-year periods. I could fill an entire essay with this alone, but I will limit myself to giving a brief outline. 

In the first seven years our physical body grows, and our senses develop. As an infant, there is no separation from the world around. We show complete openness and trust. We explore the environment and learn through movement. Our play shows that we imitate other people, with time we learn to talk, walk and memorize things. With the change of teeth around 7 our etheric body is free for other things, and we are ready to go to school. From 7 to 14 our astral body develops, the imagination, social and soul development. In the age of 9 we can experience separation, loneliness and moodiness. With 12 our rational thought begins, boys often turn outwards (conquering the world), girls turn inwards and are more interested in their own and others inner life.  From 14-21 years we develop critical thinking and self-identity. Personal opinions and passions arise. The astral body is free, the inner soul forces of thinking, feelings and willing can slowly be directed by the ego. Adolescence is a fragile time, our body changes and our emotions are volatile, which can lead to risky behavior. We are experimenting to find out who we are and worry what others think about us. From 21-28 years we go out into the world to work, study and travel. We don't want parental help, instead we strive for an independent life. We are inspired by other people and learn how to navigate close relationships. From 28-35 we take fewer risks and tend to become more conservative. We settle down, establish stability in work and family, take over long-term responsibilities, question our life’s purpose and reflect on our life, which can lead to a crisis. We question the meaning of things and make plans for “success”. It is the zenith of capacity for work, intellectual powers and peak fitness. From 35 to 42 our relationships deepen; we have the sense of being able to fulfill pre-birth intentions and putting ourselves in service to the world. There can be an urge to make a new start, a crisis around 37 (“mid-life-crisis").  Who am I? What are my limits? What are my capacities and opportunities for action? Have I neglected anything? What is left of my life? What are my values? From 42-49 our physical forces weaken, but also new opportunities open. We have the desire to start over, new hair, clothes, cars and possible changes in the career. We can have spirituel experiences and the feeling of emptiness.  The soul can be in a time of doubt and disorientation, which can lead to false solutions like increased work, alcohol and drugs.  In the age from 49 to 56 we deepen our inner wisdom and self-reflection. Many start to act as mentors for others to share the learnings from own experiences and gained wisdom. We have the power to awaken love in commitment in other people. Those who overcome the crisis can expand their horizons and develop new abilities. From 56 to 63 we can awaken love and commitment in other people through transformed personal will. We are working as a unifying, healing force in communities. Retirement is coming closer, so we will ask ourselves what we should do with the time left and if we wasted time. From 63 and beyond we can develop a new surge of creativity. Retirement can be both a wonderful and challenging experience. We can also have the feeling of being forgotten, because we are no longer participating. With time, we are looking for new ways to contribute to the world, for example, volunteering or caring for grandchildren. We do not make new friends so easily, but we have a deep relationship with the few people we call friends. We pursue new hobbies and pick up old interests. From 63 to 70 gratitude and benevolence arise. In the age from 70-77 we have a new experience of the beauty of the world. From 77 to 84 we let bad habits and old conflicts die, face ourselves in truth and justice and make, facing the approaching death, peace with others and ourselves.  

After presenting Henry Kissinger's life in these 7-year-steps, I have summarized his pre-birth intentions and post death reflection. Steiner believed that the soul makes intentional choices about the upcoming life. Our family life, illnesses, turning points and challenges can be based on past karmic influences.  

 After death, we don't reincarnate immediately. Instead, our soul enters a spiritual realm where it reviews its past life and tries to find out, which needs to be experienced in the next life to evolve spiritually. These after-death reflections are a spiritual journey where we prepare for the next reincarnation. We see our life, our actions and the impact on other people. The soul reflects its spiritual purpose. What did we learn in our life and where do we need further development? What talents and challenges do we need for this development? The soul consciously selects the family relationships, the environment where we grow up, obstacles we encounter to develop our soul's potential and talents from previous lives. Karma is therefore a self-directed path for growth, not everything is predetermined, and we can still navigate our destiny to evolve toward wisdom. Dreams, Deja Vus, sudden inspirations, and Intuition can reflect the pre-birth-intentions, but otherwise our soul does not remember the past lives so that life feels fresh and allow new discoveries.  

 Some days ago, I experienced a very challenging situation. One small detail I didn't pay much attention led to a small delay, which led in combination with other coincidences to a change of plans and a missed meeting, which in the end led to a big conflict. I could not stop asking myself: why did I not pay attention to this small detail? So much stress and anger could be avoided. But it already happened and no matter how much time I spend thinking about it, it wouldn't change it. How do I find peace with it? I thought about the pre-birth intentions and found it helpful to find peace. So many coincidences happened, which all seemed just to happen to keep me from the meeting. Maybe it wasn’t meant to have this meeting today, maybe it was predetermined and the soul had other plans for my relationship to the person. Now I don't look back with negative emotions but am more focused on the future and the alternative day when we will meet. 

This reflects my learning experience. Before Camphill I had no contact to Anthroposophy. Many things are new, some are hard to understand or even difficult to accept. But I try to study Anthroposophy with an open mindset and to understand and absorb the knowledge first, before I reflect on it critically. There is no solid proof for pre-birth-intentions and after-death-reflections. So, I ask myself the question: can we still take something from these theories? I would answer this question with yes. Because this view on events helps us to not waste so much time worrying about the past, but rather finding a constructive, positive and future-oriented way to deal with events that happened in the past. Maybe it was predetermined, to lead us on a different path, that brings us new experiences, skills or relationships to other people – all this brings us closer to wisdom. Why not focus on these things in the future instead of the past, which you cannot change anyway? I would compare this with the superstition of “Do not walk under a ladder”, which my parents often told me. They said it brings misfortune. I do not believe in this, but following this and other superstitions can help to avoid danger. A hammer could fall out of the hand of the craftsman on top of the ladder and fall directly on our head when we walk under the ladder. I cannot say, if there is something like pre-birth-intentions and after-death-reflections. But keeping these theories in mind can help to overcome challenges and to find a constructive way to deal with hardships. In this way it helps with my self-development and my work in Camphill.  

When I think about the friends in our community, I also can find some help in these theories. Disabilities are often viewed as a burden, restriction and disadvantage. Maybe the people have a disability on purpose. Maybe they get something in Camphill, that they did not experience in their previous life – like community life, warmth, meaningful work, creative hobbies or other elements of Camphill. This life is only a part of their journey, where they learn new skills, interests and perspectives, to use them in their next life. The theories help to find a more positive und supporting thinking about disabled people. Especially because we work here not with children, but with adults. We do not accompany them on their way to adulthood. They are already adults and have already learned many basic skills. Now the focus is on developing their personality and talents, building on the skills they have already acquired in their lives. This reflects the image of people developing along winding paths that Rudolf Steiner's theory creates in me. 

It's also easier to think about death. One resident, who is older, often talks about reincarnation. He doesn't seem to fear the end of his life and is more excited about how he will be reborn and where his next life is leading him on the path to wisdom. He also talks about past reincarnations and what lives he lived before. Even if he can't know this, because the soul does not remember the previous life, it helps him to find peace and a positive attitude in face of physical decline.  

We cannot change that we will experience challenges and conflicts in our life. Moments where we spend afterwards much time fretting about it. But this doesn't bring us forward. The concept of pre-birth-intentions and after-death-reflections can be one way to find a more constructive and positive way to process on these things. It also helps us to see the disabled residents in a new way, as travelers who are here with us for a reason, who want to learn new skills and pursue meaningful hobbies on their way to wisdom. We coworkers have the privilege and responsibility to accompany and support them on this path. This will also help us to develop ourselves further, because we are here for a reason. 

7-year-cycles of Henry Kissinger

Speech / Drama

Clay Modeling

Human Being through the Arts

Retreat: Inner Work, Six Exercises, & Meditation 

Kaspar Hauser

Puppetry

Music Theory

Goethean Nature Observation

Social Therapy Project Reflection