News - November 2008

 

Anthroposophical Society in Canada 

In This Issue
Letter From Philip Thatcher
Mot du Secretaire Generale
Letter From Cornelius Pietzner
Anthroposophy Worldwide #9
Hans Warner: 1924-2008
Youth Meeting In Portland OR
Northern Conference Update
Lumiere Boreale, Silence de l'Attente
Tips For Readers
Youth Initiative
CONTACT US
Mark McAlister
Administrator
Anthroposophical Society in Canada 
416-892-3656
877-892-3656
 
COUNCIL
Philip Thatcher
(General Secretary)
(President)
(Treasurer)
(Secretary)
 
 
SOCIAL MEDIA
Plato

Several people are interested in joining an online discussion group for academics... New members are still welcome!
 
Blogger Richard Chomko is channeling the growing public interest in issues relating to raw milk at The Bovine.  This blog is a good example of the creative use of social media.
NEWS
Don Shaffer, CEO of RSF Social Finance, writes about the relationship between events on Wall St. need for increased social investment.  Visit RSF Social Finance and go to Page 2 of the Newsletter.

Greetings! 

Hugh Whistler bas been telling me about the Anthro-Tech initiative.  He has just returned from a conference on the Isle of Mull (Scotland), and the theme was the Internet and the emergence of the eighth sphere.  The organizers have done extensive research and put the Internet into a historical context.  Ironically, I can't write about it here because they frown upon people actually using the Internet, so I'll have to wait for another opportunity!
 
There certainly are many dangers relating to Internet use.  One member told me (in an email!) that she prefers to receive her anthroposophical communications in print, because she feels that the electronic medium is "numbing".  Of course, the print medium is also numbing, albeit in a different way. (For a detailed discussion of this topic, see "Understanding Media" by Marshall McLuhan.)
 
In any event, I appreciate your agreement to join me on this journey, and I hope you enjoy it.  There is a "help" section at the bottom, and I will happily include any further suggestions you may have for new readers.
 
Sincerely,
 
Mark
EVENTS
Goetheanum Christmas "Art and Initiation"
 
Council meeting and Class Holder conference, Montreal, January 23/25, 2009. Contact Monique Walsh
 
Youth Meeting, Portland Oregon, January 16/19, 2009.  See article.
 
Parzival and "The Philosophy of Freedom" with Philip Thatcher, Thornhill, Jan 30 - Feb 1, 2009.  Contact Regine Kurek
 
Annual Meeting and Conference, Toronto, May 15/17, 2009.  Contact Monique Walsh
 
Sergei Prokovieff in Montreal, July 29/30, 2009.  Contact Arie von Ameringen
 
Encircling Light, Expectant Silence, Whitehorse, August 1/8, 2009
 
 
Letter from Philip Thatcher
Dear Friends,

Philip ThatcherTo stand at the site of Thingvellir, where the Icelandic parliament came to birth, is to stand where Iceland pulls in two directions. The North American plate pulls westward and the European plate pulls to the east. Between the two escarpments that mark the meeting of the plates, I walked the rising pathway with my companion, Einar Gunnar. We passed the L�gberg or Law Rock where in the year 1000, Thorgeir, the pagan Law Speaker, decided that Iceland as a whole would embark on the Christian path, even though individuals could stay with their pagan practices. That step prevented Icelanders from tearing one another apart over the question of their religion.Read more...
 
Mot du Secretaire Generale
Chers amis,

Se tenir debout sur le sol de Thingvellir, l� o� le parlement islandais a vu le jour, c'est se tenir � l'endroit m�me o� l'Islande est tir�e en deux directions oppos�es. La plaque tectonique de l'Am�rique du Nord tire vers l'ouest, celle de l'Europe tire vers l'est. Entre les deux pentes qui marquent la rencontre de ces plaques se trouve un sentier escarp�, que j'ai parcouru � pied avec mon compagnon Einar Gunnar. Nous avons pass� devant le L�gberg, le Rocher de la Loi, o� en l'an 1000 le pa�en Thorgeir, Celui qui Prononce la Loi, a �mis un d�cret � l'effet que l'Islande dans son ensemble emprunterait la voie chr�tienne mais permettrait toutefois aux individus qui le d�siraient de continuer � pratiquer les rites pa�ens. Cette d�cision a emp�ch� que les Islandais s'entre-d�chirent pour des questions de religion. Lisez plus...
 

Letter from Cornelius Pietzner
BrendaDear Friends: One of the important re-occurring events at the Goetheanum in November is the series of meetings that begins with the Class Holders Gathering of the School of Spiritual Science, followed by four days with the General Secretaries and concluded by the conference of Branch and Group Leaders. Read more...
 
 
Anthroposophy Worldwide # 9

Goetheanum

Click here for the link.  For a complete archive of previous issues, go to the Goetheanum site, click "English" (top right) and then click "login" (bottom right) (user name: awmail, password: future08)
 
Hans Warner - 1924 - 2008
Last Supper
 
 

 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
The Warners' old farmhouse at the end of a private lane is nestled in 200 acres at the northern edge of Muskoka, Ontario's scenic cottage region. On entering the wooden house I am embraced by its ambience of simplicity, warmth, orderliness and comfort. From the hall, where Magdalene greets me, I glimpse, to the right, a library and study. I follow her to the large country kitchen on the left, where she prepares a tray with tea things. With it we proceed to the living/dining room and sit down for our conversation. On entering here, on my left, my eyes had been caught by a small reproduction of Leonardo da Vinci's Last Supper.  Read more...
 
Youth Meeting in Portland Oregon
Youth Initiative
 
 
An invitation to the Anthroposophical Community to learn about and support a meeting of young people: At the moment a meeting is being prepared which will take place in Portland, Oregon over the Martin Luther King, Jr. Memorial weekend (January 16-19, 2009). The announcement of the meeting demands a brief preface. Imagine a tree. There is one root shooting over to Dornach...Read more...
Yeshayahu ben Aharon In Canada
From September 19th to 21st, 2008, thirty North Americans gathered with Yeshayahu at a retreat centre on Lake Ontario in Canada. This was YBA's third annual conference in Canada and the first formal engagement of his Elementary School for Spiritual Science in Canada.  In September 2006, when YBA spoke to us of the spiritual course of the twentieth century and the intentions of Michael for the twenty-first century, we could feel how the spiritual world drew close to participate in our active listening. Such stirring and powerful words!  Read more...

Northern Conference Update
Encirlcling LightI
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
As of now, 62 participants have registered for the conference, including some from the United States and Europe. As I indicated in my letter, we are looking forward to the presence of two friends from Iceland. Fund raising efforts in Alaska and here in Canada will enable three participants to come from Russia.  Read more
 
Lumiere Boreale,Silence de l'Attente
Lors de la r�daction de cette mise � jour, 62 participants se sont d�j� inscrits au congr�s, dont plusieurs des USA et d'Europe. Comme vous pouvez le lire dans ma lettre qui para�t dans ce num�ro, nous nous attendons � accueillir aussi deux amis d'Islande. En plus, des lev�es de fonds en Alaska et ici au Canada permettront � 3 participants de la Russie d'�tre des n�tres. Lisez plus...
 

HELP
Tips For Readers
- "Read more..."  This takes you to a separate website where the full text of the article is posted.  When you are ready to continue reading the "News", return to your email program.
- NAVIGATION:  If you get lost, return to the "Contents" section at the top.
- EMAILS: Check your program settings, and authorize emails from [email protected].
- IMAGES: if you don't see the images, click on the message at the top of the email. 
- QUESTIONS/SUGGESTIONS: Contact: Mark McAlister.