The School of Spiritual Science II

We cannot establish branches of the Goetheanum wherever souls long for anthroposophy. We are a poor society.

We will only be able to enable those individuals who are far away from the Goetheanum to participate in its work by continuing in written correspondence what happens at the Goetheanum itself. We shall have to discuss how to organize this written correspondence. It will enable those who are unable to spend a certain length of time at the Goetheanum to participate in the classes there. In addition, this correspondence will be facilitated by the visits that the leaders of life at the Goetheanum, or those closely associated with them in various places, will make wherever possible.

But if the School of Spiritual Science is to flourish with its esoteric life, all this must be held together by the genuine anthroposophical spirit.

The leadership at the Goetheanum must strive not to isolate itself in any way from the spiritual life of the present day, but to look out with full participation for everything that is revealed in this spiritual life for the true further development of humanity.

Therefore, the management will be organized in such a way that individual personalities will take over the administration of individual sections, which are already possible and which will hopefully flourish in ever more active work.

The central focus will be the General Anthroposophical Section, which will initially incorporate the Pedagogical Section. I myself will be responsible for leading this section. A Medical Section will ensure that anthroposophy can fertilize the art of healing. Dr. Ita Wegman will be in charge of this section. From the very beginning, medicine has been closely connected with the central task of human knowledge. Anthroposophy will prove its vitality by restoring this connection. Dr. Ita Wegman's clinical-therapeutic institute is a model for this endeavor and its practical application.

Anthroposophy must be particularly concerned with artistic life. For a number of years, we have seen a burgeoning artistic life in the cultivation of eurythmy, declamation and recitation. Music is closely connected with this. This life will be cultivated in a separate section. Marie Steiner has devoted herself to this work with the greatest commitment. She has been appointed to lead this section by the General Anthroposophical Society itself.

The visual arts were influenced by the construction of the Goetheanum. The central works that have been developed on this basis have given rise to a style that will undoubtedly still have many opponents by its very nature. Naturally, it can only express itself imperfectly at the moment. But it will be better understood when people become more familiar with anthroposophy in general. Miss E. Maryon helped me in the development of this style in a way that befits the leader of the sculpture section.

There used to be a concept of “beautiful sciences”. They bridged the gap between actual science and works of human creative imagination. The view that a more recent period has developed of “science” has pushed the “beautiful sciences” completely into the background. I will be speaking about “beautiful sciences” at the “Goetheanum” soon. We in the Anthroposophical Society are fortunate to have a wonderful representative of the “beautiful sciences” among us: Albert Steffen. He is called upon not only to lead the Section for “beautiful sciences”, but also to revive this branch of human creativity, which has been pushed aside to the detriment of civilization. Furthermore, the personalities working among us allow us to form a section for mathematical and astronomical views, headed by Dr. L. Vreede, and a natural science section, headed by Dr. Günther Wachsmuth. The astronomical field is particularly important for anthroposophy, and the natural science section is intended to show how genuine knowledge of nature is not in contradiction to, but in full harmony with, anthroposophy. With the book he is about to publish, Dr. G. Wachsmuth has proven himself to be the right leader of this section. (To be continued in the next issue.)