“Anthroposophy is a path of knowledge which leads the spiritual in the human being to the spiritual in the Universe”

A SERIES OF MONTHLY LECTURES

Dear folks,
I’m attaching the programme for a cycle of lectures and workshops entitled “ Spirit in Matter”, which will be taking place here in Ballytobin during the course of 2009. These are public lectures and it is the hope that they will attract participants from a wide variety of backgrounds, the talks themselves will cover a wide spectrum of areas of interest.
I would like to warmly invite you to attend and I would also be very grateful if you could bring them to the attention of any group or person who you think might have an interest in any of the content. Also please feel free to forward this message to anyone else.
Thank you
Martin Henry, Camphill Community, Ballytobin, Callan, County Wicklow

Rudolf Steiner (1861- 1925) is probably best known today as the inaugurator of Waldorf or Steiner education, and as a forerunner in the organic agriculture movement.
What is perhaps less known is that these initiatives of his, have their genesis in his philosophy of the human being and the world, which he called
“Anthroposophy.”

According to Steiner, there are two worlds; the earthly and the spiritual. The human being originated in the spiritual world but in the course of development became separated from it. Steiner was insistent that without this estrangement no development of human independence, thinking and creativity could have come about. He also asserted that in our time it is not only possible, but also necessary for our relationship to the spiritual world to be restored, if human progress is to continue.

Steiner’s work covers a broad spectrum and presents us with a paradigm that challenges the reductionist approach which threatens to permeate every facet of our lives. No idle dreamer, Steiner foresaw that a spiritual understanding of the human being and the world could lead to a renewal and transformation of all aspects of human activity. His work has borne fruit in spiritual research and inner work, and in a host of practical applications such as education, social renewal, the Arts, the Camphill movement and many others.

This lecture series aims to introduce some basic aspects of Steiner’s philosophy and their application in life.

Timetable of events

Friday 6 March 2009 8 p.m.
“Who was Rudolf Steiner, what is Anthroposophy?”
An illustrated introduction.
Martin Henry

Friday 3 April 2009 8 p.m.
“Agriculture for the “Futures.” Banking futures or our futures?
Michael Miklis

Friday 1 May 2009 8 p.m.
“Contemporary Spirituality – Does the Irish High Cross have a message?”
A personal odyssey.
Mark Dwan

Friday 29 May 8 p.m.
"Bringing Light into Human Encounter" Finding sources of healing for personal and interpersonal crises.
John O'Connor, Gladys Lydon and others

Thursday 18 June 8 p.m.
"Meditation, the Path to Pure Thinking."
Sean Byrne

Friday 28 August 8 p.m.
"What Happens when we Die?" Exploring life, death and destiny,
Martin Henry

Friday 25 September 8 p.m.
"From Natural Science to Spiritual Science."
Dr Nick Blitz, M.B.

Friday 16 October 8 p.m.
"Making the Invisible Visible" Practical techniques in the Art and Architecture of Rudolf Steiner.
Andre van Schaijk and John S. Clarke

Saturday 24 October (10 a.m. to 5 p.m.)
"From Crystal Caverns to Computer Screens." A workshop with experiments. Limited to 15 participants. Places must be booked (Refreshments provided).
Dr Malin Starrett

Friday 20 November 8 p.m.
"The Discipline of Speech Formation." Revival of the Bardic tradition.
Danijel Grcevic

Friday 11 December 8 p.m.
"The Christmas story in the Gospels of Matthew and Luke." The wisdom of contradiction.
An illustrated talk.
Martin Henry