This is one of three Web sites that I maintain, all dealing with
• Waldorf schools, also known as Steiner schools;
• Rudolf Steiner, the mystic who established the first of these schools; and
• Anthroposophy, the bizarre religion concocted by Steiner.
My name is Roger Rawlings. My other Web sites are waldorf-problems.com and steiner-predicts.com.
Here is a list of the essays on this site.
At the end of the list, you’ll find some general explanatory notes.
TABLE OF CONTENTS
UNENLIGHTENED: The Inside Story of an Occult Education:
an overview of Waldorf schooling, including accounts of a
Waldorf school scandal and my student experiences at that Waldorf.
The essay is divided into the following sections:
• The Waldorf Scandal
• Waldorf’s Purpose
• Waldorf: Light and Dark
• Waldorf’s Impact
• “Spiritual Science”
• Clairvoyant Vision
• Compassion and Its Absence
>To see the essay, click on “unenlightened”
at the top of this page.
I WENT TO WALDORF: A pared-down version of UNENLIGHTENED:
in essence, a memoir of my student days and reflections on them.
>Click on “ex-waldorfer” at the top of this page.
SELECTED QUOTATIONS: Steiner unintentionally giving
the game away.
>Click on “quotations” at the top of this page.
WALDORF NOW: Bringing the inquiry up to date:
What goes on inside Waldorfs today?
>Click on “waldorf now” at the top of this page.
THINKING CAP: On the irrational modes of "thought" fostered
at Waldorfs. Adapted from UNENLIGHTENED.
>Click on “thinking” at the top of this page.
RUDOLF STEINER’S RACISM: On racism in Anthroposophy and at Waldorfs.
>Click on “racism” at the top of this page.
SLAPS: Steiner’s views on classroom discipline.
>Click on “slaps, or...” at the top of this page.
WHO GETS HURT: An inquiry into the “success” of
Waldorf schooling.
>Click on “who’s hurt” at the top of this page.
IS ANTHROPOSOPHY A RELIGION? Is there any doubt?
>Click on “religion?” at the top of this page.
ACADEMICS AT WALDORF: On low academic standards at Waldorfs.
Adapted from UNENLIGHTENED. Afterword by Margaret Sachs.
>Click on “academics” at the top of this page.
MAGICAL ARTS: On the arts as practiced/taught at Waldorfs.
>Click on “arts” at the top of this page.
OH MY WORD: The Waldorf curriculum: English and literature.
>Click on “English” at the top of this page.
OH MY STARS: The Waldorf curriculum: Astronomy.
>Click on “stars” at the top of this page.
LESSON BOOKS: A brief account of lesson books I created
for "science" classes.
>Click on “lessons” at the top of this page.
NEUTERED NATURE: Nature as presented
in Waldorf education.
>Click on “nature” at the top of this page.
THE GOOD PARTS: A halfhearted attempt to say what
is good about Waldorf education.
>Click on “good?” at the top of this page.
STEINER'S "SCIENCE": On the antiscientific nature of
Waldorf education.
>Click on “‘science’” at the top of this page.
EVOLUTION, ANYONE? Steinerian evolution.
Afterword by Peter Staudenmaier.
>Click on “up or down?” at the top of this page.
WAS HE CHRISTIAN? A comparison of Steiner's
teachings with Christ's.
>Click on “biblical” at the top of this page.
LEGENDS: An essay on Atlantis and the Aryan race.
Afterword by Peter Staudenmaier.
>Click on “legends” at the top of this page.
HUMOURESQUE and NOT SO HUMOURESQUE: Two short essays
on the "temperaments" as conceived and acted upon in
Waldorf schools.
>Click on “humours” at the top of this page.
WHAT WE'RE MADE OF: An essay on Steiner's conception of
the human constitution, human nature — i.e., us.
>Click on “what we are” at the top of this page.
STEINER'S QUACKERY: An essay on Anthroposophical medicine.
>Click on “quackery” at the top of this page.
BEAT: Waldorfs’ rejection of the modern world, and
Waldorfs’ attempt to turn students into “disciples.”
>Click on “beat” at the top of this page.
THE GOOD WARS: Patriotism,
fatherlands, and Waldorf education.
>Click on “war” at the top of this page.
FANTASY FLIGHTS: Leaving reality behind.
>Click on “flights” at the top of this page.
MY SAD, SAD STORY:
How I deprogrammed myself after Waldorf.
>Click on “my sad story” at the top of this page.
TOP TEN JOKES TOLD BY R. STEINER:
Unintentional absurdities that poured from Steiner's mouth.
Afterword by Diana Winters, Addendum by Margaret Sachs.
>Click on “top ten” at the top of this page.
WHAT A GUY: Anthroposophists’ praise for Steiner.
>Click on “himself” at the top of this page.
NON-WALDORF WALDORFS: Can a Waldorf school
cleanse itself?
>Click on “non-waldorfs” at the top of this page.
FILL THOSE COW HORNS: An essay on biodynamic
(i.e., Anthroposophical) agriculture.
>Click on “organics” at the top of this page.
BIOGRAPHICAL NOTE: A brief biographical statement.
>Click on “bio” at the top of this page.
SO?: Can you trust me?
>Click on “so” at the top of this page.
SITES: Other Web sites you may want to visit.
>Click on “sites” at the top of this page.
ADVICE FOR PARENTS: For parents considering sending kids to
Waldorfs. Includes “A Parent’s Guide to Waldorf Dangers.”
>Click on “for parents” at the top of this page.
◊◊◊
• Taken as a whole, my essays deal with the bulk of Steiner’s esoteric and educational doctrines.
I take Steiner seriously, but I often laugh at his doctrines. Much of what he taught is preposterous.
But be forewarned: Some of his doctrines are quite hateful, and thus not at all laughable.
• My primary focus is on Waldorf schools. Many people find these schools attractive, at least initially.
Waldorfs are generally small, cozy, attractive, and free of problems such as physical bullying.
However, any schools that abide by Steiner’s teachings are necessarily devoted to the occult,
specifically Anthroposophy — although they often disguise this.
Understanding what goes on in such schools requires peering beneath the surface. I’ve peered.
• In my work, I intentionally hop back and forth between past and present tense.
Using only the past tense would diminish the continuing threat Steiner poses to Waldorf students.
Steiner is dead, but his influence lives on: The danger is very much alive.
• Especially important passages crop up in more than one essay.
If you come upon something you’ve read before, please just skip ahead.
◊◊◊
ON THE ART OF QUOTATION
When quoting Steiner, I often omit extraneous and repetitive phrases, which I replace with ellipsis marks. I take care, however, not to alter Steiner’s meaning. The best way to check up on me is to consult the texts from which I quote. I always provide citations.
Here is an example. In my long essay, “Unenlightened” I use the following quotation to show that Steiner differentiated between the soul and the spirit: “The soul must not be impelled, through the body, to lusts and passions ... The spirit, however, must not stand as a slave-driver over the soul, dominating it with laws and commandments....” [Rudolf Steiner, KNOWLEDGE OF THE HIGHER WORLDS AND ITS ATTAINMENT (Anthroposophic Press, 1944), p. 96.]
The following a more complete version of the same passage, in which I include all words I previously omitted, and for context I include the sentences that appear immediately before and after the passage:
“The body must be so ennobled and purified that its organs are impelled to nothing that is not in the service of the soul and spirit. The soul must not be impelled, through the body, to lusts and passions which are antagonistic to pure and noble thought. The spirit, however, must not stand as a slave-driver over the soul, dominating it with laws and commandments; the soul must rather learn to follow these laws and duties out of its own free inclination. The student must not feel duty to be an oppressive power to which he unwillingly submits, but rather something which he performs out of love.”
Remember that my purpose was to establish that Steiner differentiates between the soul and the spirit. Including the additional sentences and phrases does not alter that differentiation; it merely makes the quotation longer while raising extraneous issues. That Steiner speaks of love, for instance, may be to his credit, but it does not change the distinction between spirit and soul. Thus, the original form of the quotation is accurate and more to the point.
The issue of context is complex. The passage I’ve quoted comes from within a long paragraph. The only way to absolutely avoid taking such passages out of context would be to reprint entire paragraphs or perhaps entire chapters. But clearly that would be impractical and — in some cases — illegal, due to copyright laws. The test you should apply is whether a quotation would have a fundamentally different meaning if taken within a larger context. In this instance, neither the omission of some words nor the absence of the larger context alters the point at issue, which is that Steiner distinguished between spirit and soul.
A final note. In omitting phrases and sentences, I may seem to be ducking some issues. You can check me on this, as well. I can’t deal with every issue simultaneously, but I do not intentionally ignore any subjects that are important for an understanding of Waldorf education or Anthroposophy. Thus, I deal with Steinerian “love” in the such essays as “Underpinnings” and “Was He Christian?” Similarly, I deal with Steiner’s conception of thought (a subject introduced by the phrase “pure and noble thought”) in various essays including “Thinking Cap” and “Steiner’s ‘Science.’” For a discussion of Steiner’s doctrines about the human constitution (“the body must be so ennobled and purified that its organs...”), see “Steiner’s Quackery” and “What We’re Made Of.” Some of these essays appear on this Web site; others are at my other two sites.
◊◊◊
Please excuse any typos at this site.
I hope they are few and insignificant.
I’ll correct them all when I find them.