March/April 2018

CAMPHILL CORRESPONDENCE

"Love is higher than opinion. If people love one another, the most varied opinions can be reconciled. This is one of the most important tasks for humankind today and in the future: that people should learn to live together and understand one another. If this human fellowship is not achieved, all talk of inner development is empty."

Rudolf Steiner, Stuttgart, September 1, 1906

“Easter Bells“ by Ayse Domeniconi

2 3

Celebratory Birthdays

March – April 2018

Becoming 98

Hazel Straker, Stroud……………………..6 April

Becoming 86Ruth Liberatore, Kimberton…………… 29 April

Becoming 81Flo Huntly, Stourbridge…………………3 March

Becoming 76Penny Guy, Ringwood………………….15 MarchAsger Elmquist, Osceola……………… 29 March

Becoming 71Hilde Reigger, Lehenhof……………… 3 MarchSandra Havernaas, Stroud…………….. 11 MarchHeiner Buhler, Vidarasen..................... 21 MarchDavid Street, Botton..............................23 MarchAngela Rawcliffe, Hogganvik ………… 30 MarchBob Woodward, Bristol……………….. 30 March

Contents

News from Cherry Orchard Camphill

Community….…………………………….. 3

Celebration of 70 years of

St. John’s School ……………………….. 4

2018 Camphill International

Youth Conference……….………………….5

Katsushika Hokusai and the Development of a Leading Image……………….………….. 6

Camphill Foundation UK & Ireland……………………………………… 8

Hello from Svetlana……….………….……10

In Memoriam……………………………….11

Book Review………………………………. 14

From the Editor

Greetings everyone from the still chilly regions of North America, where Mother Nature apologized for the lateness of Spring, but Father Time was driving and refused to stop and ask for directions!

Change, transition and rebirth do seem to be themes that are alive this Easter season, and seeking human souls with the capacity to walk this pilgrimage to its destination. As Valerie Sands notes in her article, News from Cherry Orchards, “We still need help, good thoughts, contact from others, encouragement and interest.” For many people unwanted and unsought for events intrude in their lives. But there is an aspect of this, as Anke Weihs described about the fortunes of the first group of Camphillers in Kirkton House, which appears to be a spiritual suction calling and acting from the future, drawing us on toward a destiny, a goal, a task that we can only dimly sense. We may have periods of discouragement, but if we keep connected and correspond and encourage each other, all things can be possible.

In this light, the theme of the Whitsun Conference on Lake Constance, “Community in Transit – Moving Encounters,” is of great interest to us all, and we would like to send our good thoughts to all of you there.

Also, please go on and look at our new website and tell us what you would like to add, subtract, see more of or less of. We are just getting going and hope this can be a vehicle for lively communication in the future.

Yours truly, Adam Hewith, editor-in-chief

The Dove Logo of the Camphill movement is a symbol of the pure, spiritual principle

which underlies the physical human form. Uniting soon after conception with the

hereditary body, it lives on unimpaired in each human individual. It is the aim of the

Camphill movement to stand for this ‘Image of the Human Being’ as expounded in Rudolf

Steiner’s work, so that contemporary knowledge of the human being may be enflamed by

the power of love. Camphill Correspondence tries to facilitate this work through free

exchange within and beyond the Camphill movement. Therefore, the Staff of Mercury, the

sign of communication which binds the parts of the organism into the whole, is combined

with the Dove in the logo of Camphill Correspondence.

www.camphillcorrespondence.net

News from Cherry Orchards Camphill Community

e would like to celebrate the new phase of the Camphill Correspondence with a new update on the developmental ad enture that this little community has been having for the last three ears.

About 18 months ago we wrote about our situation and this is the story of what happened next. irst of all I would like to say we are ali e , we are still a Camphill community and we are self managing. These three elements are worthy of modest celebration, as especially here in the English and elsh region there are not many places that can still claim this.

Since our Business Plan of January 2017 attracted the loan we needed to finance our future, we ha e been working hard to develop and grow in outer circumstances which remain hallenging to say the least. Our three commitments to ourselves: 1) to continue to be a self-managing, Intentional Community in the spirit of Camphill, 2) to work the land we steward Biodynamically and, 3) to hieve greater sustainability through di ersity of income, ha e guided our decision making through this y .

This is what we ha e achieved to date:e ha e earned and spent less than projected

o er the y .e h e a t m w o i n g t h e l n d

Biodynamically, all of whom li e in as part of the intentional community.

e ha e a designated land manager who is restocking the farm along with other tasks, starting with 8 happy hens and in May some sheep and a cow.

The Care Home continues to offer high quality therapeutic care to residents, which is appreciated by families and professionals.

e ha e become members of the Community of Communiti s, n sso i tion of th p utic communities in Britain. They are in many w ys closer to our w ys of working than some big Camphill Life Communities working with adults with learning difficulties. This gi es us access to n w oll u s nd pp op i te p r i w resources.

The Care Home management team has been increased with the addition of a younger member which has allowed a further stepping-down of an older coworker.

Diversification of provision is being developed to include Respite and sessional groups to adapt to current policy trends and funding constraints.

e h e t d a n w b ite nd b o o k P . G o n d l o o k h t t p s : / /

www.facebook.com/CherryOrchardsCommunity.New income is being generated through hiring

out our very good facilities and this has brought us into contact with many like minded organisations, particularly those offering therapeutic trainings.

Our Community M n m nt G oup h s grown from 3 to 5.

The live in community has grown from 7 to 11 but lunch is shared with more than this on most days.

Our Cultural life is modest but active and regular effort is given to Anthroposophical learning together as well as devoting time to celebrate the festivals of the year.

We feel all this is cause to be hopeful about our future and want to share the fruits of a year of extremely hard work from a community that is still small for the big tasks it is trying to achieve.

We cannot say that the news is all good, change is very difficult and provokes uncertainty. Anxiety puts a strain on relationships and however well we plan the unexpected arises and creates diversions which use up energy we need for other things. Human difficulties take our attention away at times but we know that we need to pay attention not just to what we do but to how, if we are to be true to our Camphill values and ethos.

Amidst the si nifi nt h ll n s f ing Anth oposophi l initi ti s in this ount , including Camphill communities, to remain true to th ir o e id ntit , we e holding our own. (Continued on page 15)

2 3

Celebratory Birthdays

March April 2018

Becoming 98

Hazel Straker, Stroud……………………..6 April

Becoming 86Ruth Liberatore, Kimberton…………… 29 April

Becoming 81Flo Huntly, Stourbridge…………………3 March

Becoming 76Penny Guy, Ringwood………………….15 MarchAsger Elmquist, Osceola……………… 29 March

Becoming 71Hilde Reigger, Lehenhof……………… 3 MarchSandra Havernaas, Stroud…………….. 11 MarchHeiner Buhler, Vidarasen..................... 21 MarchDavid Street, Botton..............................23 MarchAngela Rawcliffe, Hogganvik 30 MarchBob Woodward, Bristol……………….. 30 March

Contents

News from Cherry Or hard Camphill

Community….…………………………….. 3

Celebration of 70 years of

St. John’s School ……………………….. 4

2018 Camphill International

outh Conference……….………………….5

Katsushika Hokusai and the Development of a Leading Image……………….………….. 6

Camphill Foundation UK & Ireland 8

Hello from Svetlana……….………….……10

In Memoriam……………………………….11

Book Review………………………………. 14

From the Editor

Greetings everyone from the still chilly regions of North America, where Mother Nature apologized for the lateness of Spring, but Father Time was driving and refused to stop and ask for directions!

Change, transition and rebirth do seem to be themes that are alive this Easter season, and seeking human souls with the capacity to walk this pilgrimage to its destination. As Valerie Sands notes in her article, News from Cherry Orchards, “We still need help, good thoughts, contact from others, encouragement nd int st.” or m ny p ople unw nt d nd

unsought for events intrude in their lives. But there is an aspect of this, as Anke Weihs described about the fortunes of the first group of Camphillers in Kirkton House, which appears to be a spiritual suction calling and acting from the future, drawing us on toward a destiny, a goal, a task that we can only dimly sense. We may have periods of discouragement, but if we keep connected and correspond and encourage each other, all things can be possible.

In this li ht, the th me of the hitsun Conf n e on e Const n , “Community in Transit – Moving Encounters,” is of great interest to us all, and we would like to send our good thoughts to all of you there.

Also, please go on and look at our new website and tell us what you would like to add, subtract, see more of or less of. We are just getting going and hope this can be a vehicle for lively communication in the future.

Yours truly, Adam Hewith, editor-in-chief

The Dove Logo of the Camphill movement is a symbol of the pure, spiritual principle

whi h underlies the physical human form. Uniting soon after conception with the

hereditary bod , it li es on unimpaired in h human individual. It is the aim of the

Camphill movement to stand for this ‘Image of the Human Being’ as expounded in Rudolf

Steiner’s work, so that contempo ary knowledge of the human being m y be enflamed by

the power of love. Camphill Correspondence tries to facilitate this work through free

hange within and be ond the Camphill movement. Therefore, the Staff of Me cur , the

sign of communication whi h binds the parts of the organism into the whole, is combined

with the Dove in the logo of Camphill Correspondence.

www.camphillcorrespondence.net

News from Cherry Orchards Camphill Community

We would like to celebrate the new phase of the Camphill Correspondence with a new update on the developmental adventure that this little community has been having for the last three years.

About 18 months ago we wrote about our situation and this is the story of what happened next. First of all I would like to say we are alive , we are still a Camphill community and we are self managing. These three elements are worthy of modest celebration, as especially here in the English and Welsh region there are not many places that can still claim this.

Since our Business Plan of January 2017 attracted the loan we needed to finance our future, we have been working hard to develop and grow in outer circumstances which remain challenging to say the least. Our three commitments to ourselves: 1) to continue to be a self-managing, Intentional Community in the spirit of Camphill, 2) to work the land we steward Biodynamically and, 3) to achieve greater sustainability through diversity of income, have guided our decision making through this year.

This is what we have achieved to date:• We have earned and spent less than projected over the year.• W e h a v e a t e a m w o r k i n g t h e l a n d Biodynamically, all of whom live in as part of the intentional community.• We have a designated land manager who is restocking the farm along with other tasks, starting with 8 happy hens and in May some sheep and a cow.• The Care Home continues to offer high quality therapeutic care to residents, which is appreciated by families and professionals.• We have become members of the Community of Communities, an association of therapeutic communities in Britain. They are in many ways closer to our ways of working than some big Camphill Life Communities working with adults with learning difficulties. This gives us access to new colleagues and appropriate peer review resources.

• The Care Home management team has been increased with the addition of a younger member which has allowed a further stepping-down of an older coworker. • Diversification of provision is being developed to include Respite and sessional groups to adapt to current policy trends and funding constraints.• We have created a new Web Site and F a c e b o o k P a g e . G o a n d l o o k h t t p s : / /www.facebook.com/CherryOrchardsCommunity.• New income is being generated through hiring out our very good facilities and this has brought us into contact with many like minded organisations, particularly those offering therapeutic trainings.• Our Community Management Group has grown from 3 to 5.• The live in community has grown from 7 to 11 but lunch is shared with more than this on most days. • Our Cultural life is modest but active and regular effort is given to Anthroposophical learning together as well as devoting time to celebrate the festivals of the year.

We feel all this is cause to be hopeful about our future and want to share the fruits of a year of extremely hard work from a community that is still small for the big tasks it is trying to achieve.

We cannot say that the news is all good, change is very difficult and provokes uncertainty. Anxiety puts a strain on relationships and however well we plan the unexpected arises and creates diversions which use up energy we need for other things. Human difficulties take our attention away at times but we know that we need to pay attention not just to what we do but to how, if we are to be true to our Camphill values and ethos.

Amidst the significant challenges facing Anthroposophical initiatives in this country, including Camphill communities, to remain true to their core identity, we are holding our own. (Continued on page 15)

4 5

Celebration of 70 Years of

St. John’s School

 The St John’s school was established in Aberdeen in October 1947 for pupils with special needs and for coworkers’ children. The school was officially opened in 1948. Since that time, this impulse has spread throughout the Camphill Movement, with schools established in England, Ireland, Germany, Switzerland, Finland, America, South Africa, Botswana and Russia, all inspired by the original impulse.

       We would like to invite whoever wishes to come to attend a celebration which will begin at Camphill Estate, Aberdeen during the morning of Friday June 29th. Other events taking place will be a meeting of teachers in the evening of Thursday June 28th and the school ending for our senior pupils beginning in the morning of Saturday June 30th to which guests are warmly invited.

    The picture below is a photograph of the template for a mural which will be created by different groups of people and also individuals who feel a connection to St John’s school. The template was designed by David Newbatt, and we would like to ask for your help to create the mural by decorating the wooden panels. If you would like to contribute, contact us in Aberdeen and we will send you one of the pieces which can be decorated using any medium. (Submitted by Betty Marx for the St John’s School teachers. Betty can be contacted at b.marx@crss.org.uk)

2018 Camphill International Youth Conference

Dear Camphillers!

We invite you all to our International Youth Conference at Camphill Community Clanabogan! From Thursday 26th until Sunday 29th July 2018,

oung C mphill s (lon t m: lif sh in , volunteering & employed) of the age between 20-35 years will unite to explore: bringing Camphill into the future. Those young at heart are invited too!

We are living in a world of constant changes. Every day, we have to adjust. This does not only apply to us as individuals, for the Community we call our home is part of a much wider community: the ever changing world. We, as individuals, need to find our oi s nd ou e to l d our Communities through this ever changing world, into the future. To do so, we need to equip ourselves - which is how the initiative for the youth conference was born: How can I carry the Camphill flame into the future?

ProgrammeTh e will be t l s, wo shops, nd oup discussions around the following thoughts:

How was the Camphill flame lit?What brings us all together and makes us

Camphill?Where is Camphill at now?How can we together carry the light into the

future?And what are my inner qualities to contribute to

that?

Prepare yourself for a weekend full of fun and inspiration! We will send you a full programme as soon as you have applied. Here is a glimpse of what to expect:THURSDAY 26th: am arrival time. Official start is at 1pm, with a welcome snack, followed by warm-up sessions and supper.

DAY & ATU DA e fill d with t l s, workshops and activities. SUNDAY 29th we will finish with a gathering, ending at approximately 1pm

AccommodationAccommodation will be basic!

Those who can please bring a tent along. The trickling of the stream and morning songs of the birds await you!

There is a shared indoor space available. This space is limited, so be quick to request it!

Please bring your camping mat and sleeping bag (for in- & outdoors)

Those loo ing for mo e omfo t s e attachment for local B&Bs, one of them is in walking distance. Special discounts apply if you state that you are a Camphill Clanabogan visitor (this applies to most B&B’s of the area)

CostWe ask for a small registration fee: £30 to cover the basic costs.Food and non-alcoholic drinks will be provided. Nevertheless, contributions are welcome! Share our C mphill p odu ts, su h s hom m de

cheeses and bread. Those with food intolerance or sp ific di t y pl se st te l ly in our application form!

ApplicationAppli tion d dlin : July 6th 2018.

Applications work on a first-come first-served basis. The onf n e will host a m imum of 60 participants.

As soon as we receive your application, we will send you our bank details/PayPal info.

When we receive the registration fee from you, you’re booked in!

If you have any questions, send us an email ( outh. onf n mphill l n bo n. om),or contact us by phone (00 44 7720601305).

We hope to see you soon!Your Youth Conference Team

The Cascadia Society is a Camphill c o m m u n i t y l o c a t e d i n N o r t h

Vancouver British Columbia, an urban

community between the mountains

and the sea. We offer a combination of

lifesharing homes and a day centre,

serving a total of about 35 adults.

Well integrated into the local area over more than 35 years, Cascadia is now looking for people who will help to carry

our community into the next phase of its life. We will need

to fill a variety of positions in the near future, in our

lifesharing homes, in workshops (including garden, pottery

and basketry), and in administration.

Successful applicants for these positions will have experience working with people with special needs and an

interest in supporting them in a Camphill community, and

who are willing to grow into leadership positions.

F o r f u r t h e r i n f o r m a t i o n , p l e a s e c o n t a c t : cascadia04@gmail.com. We look forward to hearing from

you!

4 5

Celebration of 70 Years of

St. John’s School

 The St John’s school was established in Aberdeen in October 1947 for pupils with special needs and for owo s’ hild n. The s hool w s offi i lly

opened in 1948. Since that time, this impulse has spread throughout the Camphill Movement, with schools established in England, Ireland, Germany, wit l nd, inl nd, Am i , outh Af i ,

Botswana and Russia, all inspired by the original impulse.

       We would like to invite whoever wishes to come to attend a celebration which will begin at Camphill Estate, Aberdeen during the morning of Friday June 29th. Other events taking place will be a meeting of teachers in the evening of Thursday June 28th and the school ending for our senior pupils beginning in the morning of Saturday June 30th to which guests are warmly invited.

    The picture below is a photograph of the template for a mural which will be created by different groups of people and also individuals who feel a connection to St John’s school. The template was designed by David Newbatt, and we would like to sk for our h lp to te the mu l by decorating the wooden panels. If you would like to contribute, contact us in Aberdeen and we will send you one of the pieces which can be decorated using any medium. (Submitted by Betty Marx for the St John’s School teachers. Betty can be contacted at b.marx@crss.org.uk)

2018 Camphill International Youth Conference

Dear Camphillers!

We invite you all to our International Youth Conference at Camphill Community Clanabogan! From Thursday 26th until Sunday 29th July 2018, young Camphillers (long-term: life-sharing, volunteering & employed) of the age between 20-35 years will unite to explore: bringing Camphill into the future. Those young at heart are invited too!

We are living in a world of constant changes. Every day, we have to adjust. This does not only apply to us as individuals, for the Community we call our home is part of a much wider community: the ever changing world. We, as individuals, need to find our voices and courage to lead our Communities through this ever changing world, into the future. To do so, we need to equip ourselves - which is how the initiative for the youth conference was born: How can I carry the Camphill flame into the future?

ProgrammeThere will be talks, workshops, and group discussions around the following thoughts: • How was the Camphill flame lit?• What brings us all together and makes us Camphill?• Where is Camphill at now?• How can we together carry the light into the future?• And what are my inner qualities to contribute to that?

Prepare yourself for a weekend full of fun and inspiration! We will send you a full programme as soon as you have applied. Here is a glimpse of what to expect:THURSDAY 26th: am arrival time. Official start is at 1pm, with a welcome snack, followed by warm-up sessions and supper. FRIDAY & SATURDAY are filled with talks, workshops and activities. SUNDAY 29th we will finish with a gathering, ending at approximately 1pm

AccommodationAccommodation will be basic!• Those who can please bring a tent along. The trickling of the stream and morning songs of the birds await you!• There is a shared indoor space available. This space is limited, so be quick to request it! • Please bring your camping mat and sleeping bag (for in- & outdoors)• Those looking for more comfort see attachment for local B&Bs, one of them is in walking distance. Special discounts apply if you state that you are a Camphill Clanabogan visitor (this applies to most B&B’s of the area)

CostWe ask for a small registration fee: £30 to cover the basic costs.Food and non-alcoholic drinks will be provided. Nevertheless, contributions are welcome! Share your Camphill products, such as homemade cheeses and bread. Those with food intolerance or specific dietary please state clearly in your application form!

Application• Application deadline: July 6th 2018. Applications work on a first-come first-served basis. The conference will host a maximum of 60 participants.• As soon as we receive your application, we will send you our bank details/PayPal info.• When we receive the registration fee from you, you’re booked in!

If you have any questions, send us an email (youth.conference@camphillclanabogan.com),or contact us by phone (00 44 7720601305).

We hope to see you soon!Your Youth Conference Team

The Cascadia Society is a Camphill o m m u n i t y l o t d i n N o r h

Vancouver British Columbia, an urban

ommunity b tw n the mount ins

and the sea. We offer a combination of

lifesharing homes and a day centre,

serving a total of about 35 adults.

Well integrated into the local area over more than 35 years, Cascadia is now looking for people who will help to carry

our community into the next phase of its life. We will need

to fill a variety of positions in the near future, in our

lifesharing homes, in workshops (including garden, pottery

and basketry), and in administration.

u ssful ppli nts for th se positions will h e experience working with people with special needs and an

interest in supporting them in a Camphill community, and

who are willing to grow into leadership positions.

o r f u r h r i n f o r m i o n , p l s e o n : cascadia04@gmail.com. We look forward to hearing from

you!

6 7

Katsushika Hokusai: 1760 – 1849 and the Development of a Leading Image

7

From time to time I have had a fairly intense, inner conversation with Karl König – the kind where you can return again and again to the same subject after intervals. I have even reached the point of writing them down what I have learnt in the course of these – but have stopped short of sending them, as I have no forwarding address and feel that I would have to rely upon his receptivity. This may seem one-sided and yet Karl König had a creative ability to listen, so that he could bring out more than you intended and I have to think that this ability is still present when addressing him.

My primary aim has often been to let him know how the Camphill Movement that he played such a major role in creating is evolving today. I used to do this by writing to him in the early days of our work in America - and then there have been themes that I find I share with him. One of these has been in the creation of leading images – an activity that he promoted during his three Village Conferences in the early sixties. He did not merely advocate creating guiding images, but set a shining example with his animal studies, monographs and of an evolutionary character, which were not only imaginative, but were to be subjected to the scrutiny of the scientific and an Aristotelian approach that had guided his own schooling – in effect, by approaching each study from different sides for a more complete perspective. He tended to approach the animal kingdom as a discoverer might, in order to learn from them something essential about their role within the natural order, as well as unrecognized aspects of human nature.

I had wanted to tell Karl König in particular about the incredible cosmopolitan element that has entered our different centers and to let him know to what extent we have adjusted to living together with people from so many different countries and even more so since the turn of the millennium. I had once heard him lecture on language when he spoke of the difference in the way a man or his wife spoke in Japanese. It was here in America and so he would be more than pleased to hear about Hokusai, who

I had wanted to tell Karl König in particular about the incredible cosmopolitan element that has entered our different centers and to let him know to what extent we have adjusted to living together with people from so many different countries and even more so since the turn of the millennium. I had once heard him lecture on language when he spoke of the difference in the way a man or his wife spoke in Japanese. It was here in America and so he would be more than pleased to hear about Hokusai, who shared similar dates in history with Goethe and the Romantics, who were so close to the heart of Karl König.

It was towards the middle of his life that Hokusai, the great Japanese painter and print maker turned his attention away from portraits of actors and courtesans from the Kabuki Theater towards landscapes. One example of this was a journey along the Tokaido Road, the Eastern Sea Road that stretched between Osaka and Kyoto to Edo, now present day Tokyo and sketching as he went. You might also say, a road from feudal Japan to its modern period that was lined with hotels for travelers. We can also find another comparison, since Hokusai was a Buddhist, namely by portraying the inner aspects of a journey that may relate to an inner path of development.

It was following the publication of views of the Tokaido Road, that Hokusai concentrated almost entirely upon Mount Fuji and created a volume of “Thirty Six Views of Mount Fuji”, which was so popular that, with the second edition he added another ten prints – though the title remained the same. His follower, *Utagawa Hiroshige, also published a volume of “Thirty Six Views of Mount Fuji.” (I was never able to understand whether a meaning was attached to the number 36, but liked to relate to the 360 degrees of a circle – though I could recognize that it could relate to time, as 3 times 12 – the three years during which the prints were made.) However, when I spoke to a Japanese friend he spoke of Mount Fuji – or, the more familiar Fujiyama as being the soul of Japan – meaning, I believe,

containing the inner essence of the country.

The ‘Great e at Kanagawa’ is the first of the thirty-six views and has become a modern icon – belonging in the Hall of ame of contemporary images. It has a hidden magic and et, as with traditional icons, was considered transferring this magic – or luck – to whomever possessed a cop . This was to be true of much of Hokusai’s work and adds another dimension to what Karl König had to say about Leading Images. In the tradition of the Russian and Greek icons, to possess such a print was to be considered as a source of luck or protection – o.k., why beat about the bush, having a magical quality.

I ha e tried approaching Hokusai’s Fujiyama from arious angles – often from different copies of the, by now, forty six prints – before returning to the Great e at wa and its continuing ability to dr w attention to itself – be it through its omposition or the und l ing m sti l nd

m tholo i l sp ts. If I would look for a comparison, my first hoice would be to consider it as an expression for the Hindu Trinity of ahma – the Creator, Vishnu – the Protector and Shi a – the Destro er and Bringer of Changes – and then go to other expressions of the Trinity, for Hokusai was in truth a Buddhist.

The initial image that would lead me in this direction could be the adle created by the e that surrounded the birth of the hild olcano – and expresses those tellurian forces that must ha e created both the e and Mount Fuji.

Another image follows that relates to the Buddhist esti al of the Dead, Obon, that lasts for three days in the middle of August, when boats would be created in some regions that might tr el into the other world in which the dead ha e their dwelling.

The middle God of the Hindu Trinity, Vishnu can be seen in the sequence of images that follows the initial three in which Mount Fuji becomes a presence and observer in eryday life – as the sustainer of human existence.

I separated the first three of the views for, in the second and third view, Mount Fuji is seen as a portrait, first in a friendly environment and then du ing a thund sto m – possibly lso the expression of our human extremes – for ultimately, l ding nd uiding im s lso p o ide n opportunity to acquire a greater understanding of our human existence.

There is et a further aspect to Hokusai’s work – with his ability to reduce Mount Fuji to a size that would find enough room on a print – as w l l s to p l e the mount in on the circumference of life and et, seemingly as a contradiction – within the center. He must ha e tr eled and enormous distance circling this center – to b in with, thi t six pl s on th t circumference. (Written by Andrew Ho , Camphill Village Copake)

The Great Wave at Karagawa. * Hokusai changed his first name as an indication of

change of style.

6 7

Katsushika Hokusai: 1760 – 1849 and the Development of a Leading Image

7

From time to time I have had a fairly intense, inner conversation with Karl König – the kind where you can return again and again to the same subject after intervals. I have even reached the point of writing them down what I have learnt in the course of these – but have stopped short of sending them, as I have no forwarding address and feel that I would have to rely upon his receptivity. This may seem one-sided and yet Karl König had a creative ability to listen, so that he could bring out more than you intended and I have to think that this ability is still present when addressing him.

My primary aim has often been to let him know how the Camphill Movement that he played such a major role in creating is evolving today. I used to do this by writing to him in the early days of our work in America - and then there have been themes that I find I share with him. One of these has been in the creation of leading images – an activity that he promoted during his three Village Conferences in the early sixties. He did not merely advocate creating guiding images, but set a shining example with his animal studies, monographs and of an evolutionary character, which were not only imaginative, but were to be subjected to the scrutiny of the scientific and an A istot li n pp o h th t h d uid d his own schooling – in effect, by approaching each study from different sides for a more complete perspective. He t nd d to pp o h the nim l in dom s a dis o r mi ht, in o d r to l n f om th m something essential about their role within the natural order, as well as unrecognized aspects of human nature.

I had wanted to tell Karl König in particular about the incredible cosmopolitan element that has entered our different centers and to let him know to what extent we have adjusted to living together with people from so many different countries and even more so since the turn of the millennium. I had once heard him lecture on language when he spoke of the difference in the way a man or his wife spoke in Japanese. It was here in America and so he would be more than pleased to hear about Hokusai, who

I had wanted to tell Karl König in particular about the incredible cosmopolitan element that has entered our different centers and to let him know to what extent we ha e adjusted to living together with people from so many different countries and en more so since the turn of the millennium. I had once heard him lecture on language when he spoke of the difference in the w y a man or his wife spoke in Japanese. It was here in America and so he would be more than pleased to hear about Hokusai, who shared similar dates in history with Goethe and the Romantics, who were so close to the heart of Karl König.

It was towards the middle of his life that Hokusai, the great Japanese painter and print maker turned his attention w y from portraits of actors and ou t s ns f om the bu i Th t r tow ds

landscapes. One example of this was a journey along the Tokaido Road, the Eastern Sea Road that stretched between Osaka and oto to Edo, now present day Tok o and sketching as he went. ou might also sa , a road from feudal Japan to its modern period that was lined with hotels for tr elers. e can also find another comparison, since Hokusai was a Buddhist, namely by portr ying the inner aspects of a journey that may relate to an inner path of development.

It was following the publication of views of the Tokaido Road, that Hokusai concentrated almost entirely upon Mount Fuji and created a olume of “Thirty Six Views of Mount Fuji”, which was so popular that, with the second edition he added another ten prints – though the title remained the s m . His follow , *Ut wa Hi oshi , lso published a olume of “Thirty Six Views of Mount Fuji.” (I was never able to understand whether a meaning was attached to the number 36, but liked to relate to the 360 degrees of a circle – though I could recognize that it could relate to time, as 3 times 12 – the three ears during which the prints were made.) Howev , when I spoke to a Japanese friend he spoke of Mount Fuji – or, the more familiar Fujiyama as being the soul of Japan – meaning, I believe,

containing the inner essence of the country.

The ‘Great Wave at Kanagawa’ is the first of the thirty-six views and has become a modern icon – belonging in the Hall of Fame of contemporary images. It has a hidden magic and yet, as with traditional icons, was considered transferring this magic – or luck – to whomever possessed a copy. This was to be true of much of Hokusai’s work and adds another dimension to what Karl König had to say about Leading Images. In the tradition of the Russian and Greek icons, to possess such a print was to be considered as a source of luck or protection – o.k., why beat about the bush, having a magical quality.

I have tried approaching Hokusai’s Fujiyama from various angles – often from different copies of the, by now, forty six prints – before returning to the Great Wave at Karagawa and its continuing ability to draw attention to itself – be it through its composition or the underlying mystical and mythological aspects. If I would look for a comparison, my first choice would be to consider it as an expression for the Hindu Trinity of Brahma – the Creator, Vishnu – the Protector and Shiva – the Destroyer and Bringer of Changes – and then go to other expressions of the Trinity, for Hokusai was in truth a Buddhist.

The initial image that would lead me in this direction could be the cradle created by the Wave that surrounded the birth of the child volcano – and expresses those tellurian forces that must have created both the Wave and Mount Fuji.

Another image follows that relates to the Buddhist Festival of the Dead, Obon, that lasts for three days in the middle of August, when boats would be created in some regions that might travel into the other world in which the dead have their dwelling.

The middle God of the Hindu Trinity, Vishnu can be seen in the sequence of images that follows the initial three in which Mount Fuji becomes a presence and observer in everyday life – as the sustainer of human existence.

I separated the first three of the views for, in the second and third view, Mount Fuji is seen as a portrait, first in a friendly environment and then during a thunderstorm – possibly also the expression of our human extremes – for ultimately, leading and guiding images also provide an opportunity to acquire a greater understanding of our human existence.

There is yet a further aspect to Hokusai’s work – with his ability to reduce Mount Fuji to a size that would find enough room on a print – as wel l as to p lace the mounta in on the circumference of life and yet, seemingly as a contradiction – within the center. He must have traveled and enormous distance circling this center – to begin with, thirty-six places on that circumference. (Written by Andrew Hoy, Camphill Village Copake)

The Great Wave at Karagawa. * Hokusai changed his first name as an indication of

change of style.

8

CamphillFounda.onUK&Ireland

9

Late last year the Foundation trustees held their autumn meeting at Corbenic Camphill Community, near Dunkeld, Perthshire, Scotland, in one of the most stunningly beautiful locations of any Camphill place in the world, on the edge of the Scottish Highlands. By UK standards, where distances are comparatively small, the place seems remote at first but this is an illusion quickly dispelled. The community has very strong links and constant interaction with the life of the locality, exemplified in recent years by the lively shop and café right in the centre of the busy town of Dunkeld and the on-site Sculpture and Poetry Path which is open to the public and becoming a widely known r e g i o n a l a t t r a c t i o n . S e e www.corbeniccamphill.co.uk for more information about this thriving and innovative community. There is also a very interesting and engaging video of Corbenic (amongst other ventures) on the Foundation website www.camphillfoundation.net.

Camphill Foundation was founded in 1984 as the Thomas Weihs Trust, in honour of one of the much loved and respected founders of Camphill who had died the previous year (the name was changed in 1985). It was his wish to support new and ground-breaking initiatives in Camphill and he and his wife Anke always had a far-reaching vision for what Camphill’s development could encompass. In fact, Corbenic was one of a number of ventures inspired and pioneered by them during what could be called the boom-era of rapid expansion in Camphill during the seventies and eighties.

The World Wide Weave Exhibition project which was created to celebrate 75 years of Camphill in 2015 was conceived the year before during the Foundation’s 30 year jubilee. This was experienced by many to be the most creative and stimulating initiative carried out in the name of Camphill for quite some time. The scope and breath of the exercise was all encompassing which involved many of the villagers, co-workers, staff, friends and parents alike. Not only was it a great spectacle and platform to display the work of their communities to the general public and friends but it was wonderful for everyone within the communities to be united and proud of their work and be able to express what

they stand for. It was very evident that there was a great sense of camaraderie amongst the members of the communities.

The exposure that the exhibition gave Camphill in the different neighbourhoods of the UK and Ireland and also in Switzerland, Canada, USA, Norway and Finland, was tremendous, through the various media channels and social media and the excellent venues. It engaged so many people in a discussion around Camphill. A real sense of achievement was evident with many of the villagers and co-workers and on the other hand astonishment from visitors at the quality of work produced from the communities all over the world.From the beginning and right up until the present day the composition of the Foundation’s board of trustees has consisted almost entirely of a partnership between Camphill parents and long-term Camphill co-workers in roughly 50:50 proportion. This has been a very strong feature and characterisation which shows itself in a particularly warm dedication to the tasks of the Foundation, which is a charity registered in Scotland. This is all the more remarkable in that a number of faithful and long-serving parent trustees have sons or daughters who were resident in Camphill for only a relatively short period, but whose unwavering love and support for Camphill has continued undiminished for years, even decades, after! Worthy of special gratitude in this respect are John and Finella Spens (he a founder trustee, legal advisor and author o f the Foundat ion’s Memorandum, only recently resigned as a trustee) whose daughter was in Camphill a long time ago, and Sandra Armstrong and husband Alan, who have continued to be great friends and supporters of Camphill through William Morris, Templehill, St. Alban’s, ‘Families and Friends’ and Camphill Foundation since their son was in Camphill many years ago.

Rob van Duin, a long-serving trustee, passed away recently at a relatively young age and is sorely missed. Others who have played an important role and had the Foundation close to their hearts are Georg Schad, Michael Luxford, Mike Hailey, John

Durham, Ann Harris and Christof König. David Cloughley, who retired as a trustee in 2015 and whose daughter li es in Mourne Grange, was a tremendous strength for many ears through his professional experience and expertise in banking and finance, and a stalwart champion of Camphill.Rainer Reinardy is the longest serving trustee/di to , sin e the ly s. The u nt hairman is Simon kett and other trustees are

Sandra Armstrong (her son formerly in illiam Morris and Templehill), Sally McCorquodale (her son In Corbenic), Helen Cherry (with two sons in Loch Arthur), Nicola Swaffield (her son formerly in The Mount and illiam Morris) and Gillian and and Peter Bateson, both long-term Camphillers.

Camphill oundation funds an hanging ariety of projects which enhance and enrich the

li es of vulnerable people in need of extra care nd suppo t. This is our p im y obj ti .

Nowadays, independence and freedom of hoice are regarded as the main aim and they are fine ideals, but they can only be hieved with the right level and type of support, both financial and personal. The oundation offers financial support which enables new initiati es to start and helps to create or impro e facilities and vital opportunities for creati e and fulfilling work. It also supports d lopm nts in the so i l, ultu l nd therapeutic life of communities. It often provides that extra bit of help for enhancing the quality of life where regular funding fails to h. True quality of life means combining individual hoice

nd fulfilm nt with so i l b lon ing nd responsibility. That’s what we aim to promote.

Online donations of any amount can easily be m de on the w bsite but most of the oundation’s income is in the form of legacies.

When people donate to a harity they want to know that the money is being well spent. All donations to the oundation, large or small, can help to support more than a single project. Most of the funding provided is in the form of loans and when the money is repaid it becomes ailable to help with another project, then another, and so on. The ound tion wo s with ll the m mb r communities of the Camphill Association UK &

Ireland so is the ideal place for those who wish to lea e something to Camphill in general ather than to a p ti ul r ommunity or oup of beneficiaries.

The numb r nd i ty of p oj ts supported by the oundation during its 33-year lifetime has been enormous, anging from seed funding to help get initiati es started, relati ely small amounts needed for ery specific purposes, and ery substantial loans for major building and other forms of development. The beauty of what the oundation can provide lies particularly in its ery low interest ate (usually 1% abo e Bank of

England base ate), flexibility of repayment options and its ability to provide loans without needing to demand security, which in this day and age is ery are indeed! In addition to loans, Camphill or

Camphill-related projects can apply for ants of up to £20,000.

Some of the projects under discussion at the trustees’ meeting in Corbenic were as follows. Clanabogan in Northern Ireland has a social farming project which is a two-phase capital build with the intention to enable the sustainability of so i l f ming in the ommunit . Th y w e looking for a ant towards phase one – a hay drier and storage barn. Tiphereth in Edinburgh requested a ant to support the completion of the Hoyland Hill House project which is an extension of their current operations developing integrated community living. The Alliance for Camphill has three areas where funding would be helpful to them: resear h, communication and campaigning. Simeon Care for the Elderly in Aberdeen is working towards creating a co-housing project on the site of Caranoc and Whithorn houses and is planning to con ert a neighbouring house to provide accommodation for carers. The newly-formed Esk Valley Camphill Community in North orkshire, England, needed support with both

website design and the pur hase of a new people carrier. Duffcarrig, Ireland, is currently receiving assistance with loan repayment issues. The Mount Community at adhurst, East Sussex, England, h s qu st d h lp with the Pond House reno ation project which will provide co-housing

8

CamphillFounda.onUK&Ireland

9

Late last ear the oundation trustees held th ir utumn m ting t Co b nic C mphill Community, near Dunkeld, Perthshire, Scotland, in one of the most stunningly beautiful locations of any Camphill place in the world, on the edge of the Scottish Highlands. By UK standards, where distances are comparati ely small, the place seems

mote t fi st but this is n illusion qui ly dispelled. The community has ery strong links and constant interaction with the life of the locality, exemplified in recent ears by the li ely shop and café right in the centre of the busy town of Dunkeld and the on-site Sculpture and Poetry Path which is open to the public and becoming a widely known

i o n l t t t i o n . e www.corbeniccamphill.co.uk for more information about this thriving and inno ati e community. There is also a ery interesting and engaging video of Co b nic ( mon st oth r ntu s) on the oundation website www.camphillfoundation.net.

Camphill oundation was founded in 1984 as the Thomas eihs Trust, in honour of one of the much lo ed and respected founders of Camphill who had died the previous ear (the name was hanged in 1985). It was his wish to support new

and ground-breaking initiati es in Camphill and he and his wife Anke alw ys had a far hing vision for what Camphill’s development could encompass. In fact, Corbenic was one of a number of entures inspired and pioneered by them during what could be called the boom-era of apid expansion in Camphill during the seventies and eighties.

The orld ide e Exhibition project which was created to celebrate 75 ears of Camphill in 2015 was concei ed the ear before during the oundation’s 30 ear jubilee. This was experienced

by many to be the most creati e and stimulating initiati e carried out in the name of Camphill for quite some time. The scope and breath of the

ise w s ll n omp ssing whi h in ol d many of the villagers, co-workers, staff, friends and parents alike. Not only was it a great spectacle and platform to display the work of their communities to the general public and friends but it was wonderful for one within the communities to be united and proud of their work and be able to express what

they stand for. It was ery evident that there was a great sense of camaraderie amongst the members of the communities.

The posu e th t the hibition e Camphill in the different neighbourhoods of the UK and Ireland and also in Switzerland, Canada, USA, Norw y and inland, was tremendous, through the arious media hannels and social media and the

excellent enues. It engaged so many people in a dis ussion ound C mphill. A l s nse of

hievement was evident with many of the villagers nd o wo s nd on the oth r h nd

astonishment from visitors at the quality of work produced from the communities all o er the world.rom the beginning and right up until the present

day the composition of the oundation’s board of t ust s h s onsist d lmost nti ly of a partnership between Camphill parents and long-t m C mphill o wo s in ou hly 50:50 proportion. This has been a ery strong feature and haracterisation which shows itself in a particularly

warm dedication to the tasks of the oundation, which is a harity registered in Scotland. This is all the more remarkable in that a number of faithful and long-serving parent trustees ha e sons or daughters who were resident in Camphill for only a relati ely short period, but whose unw ering lo e

nd suppo t for C mphill h s ontinu d undiminish d for s, n d d s, ft !

orthy of special atitude in this respect are John and inella Spens (he a founder trustee, legal

d isor nd uthor o f the ound t ion’s Memorandum, only recently resigned as a trustee) whose daughter was in Camphill a long time ago, and Sandra Armstrong and husband Alan, who ha e continued to be great friends and supporters of Camphill through illiam Morris, Templehill, St. Alb n’s, ‘ mili s nd i nds’ nd C mphill oundation since their son was in Camphill many ears ago.

Rob an Duin, a long-serving trustee, passed w y recently at a relati ely oung age and is sorely

missed. Others who ha e pla ed an important role and had the oundation close to their hearts are Georg had, Michael Luxford, Mike Hailey, John

Durham, Ann Harris and Christof König. David Cloughley, who retired as a trustee in 2015 and whose daughter lives in Mourne Grange, was a tremendous strength for many years through his professional experience and expertise in banking and finance, and a stalwart champion of Camphill.Rainer Reinardy is the longest serving trustee/director, since the early years. The current chairman is Simon Beckett and other trustees are Sandra Armstrong (her son formerly in William Morris and Templehill), Sally McCorquodale (her son In Corbenic), Helen Cherry (with two sons in Loch Arthur), Nicola Swaffield (her son formerly in The Mount and William Morris) and Gillian Brand and Peter Bateson, both long-term Camphillers.

Camphill Foundation funds an ever-changing variety of projects which enhance and enrich the lives of vulnerable people in need of extra care and support. This is our primary objective. Nowadays, independence and freedom of choice are regarded as the main aim and they are fine ideals, but they can only be achieved with the right level and type of support, both financial and personal. The Foundation offers financial support which enables new initiatives to start and helps to create or improve facilities and vital opportunities for creative and fulfilling work. It also supports developments in the social, cultural and therapeutic life of communities. It often provides that extra bit of help for enhancing the quality of life where regular funding fails to reach. True quality of life means combining individual choice and fulfilment with social belonging and responsibility. That’s what we aim to promote.

Online donations of any amount can easily be made on the website but most of the Foundation’s income is in the form of legacies. When people donate to a charity they want to know that the money is being well spent. All donations to the Foundation, large or small, can help to support more than a single project. Most of the funding provided is in the form of loans and when the money is repaid it becomes available to help with another project, then another, and so on. The Foundation works with all the member communities of the Camphill Association UK &

Ireland so is the ideal place for those who wish to leave something to Camphill in general rather than to a part icular community or group of beneficiaries.

The number and variety of projects supported by the Foundation during its 33-year lifetime has been enormous, ranging from seed funding to help get initiatives started, relatively small amounts needed for very specific purposes, and very substantial loans for major building and other forms of development. The beauty of what the Foundation can provide lies particularly in its very low interest rate (usually 1% above Bank of England base rate), flexibility of repayment options and its ability to provide loans without needing to demand security, which in this day and age is very rare indeed! In addition to loans, Camphill or Camphill-related projects can apply for grants of up to £20,000.

Some of the projects under discussion at the trustees’ meeting in Corbenic were as follows. Clanabogan in Northern Ireland has a social farming project which is a two-phase capital build with the intention to enable the sustainability of social farming in the community. They were looking for a grant towards phase one – a hay drier and storage barn. Tiphereth in Edinburgh requested a grant to support the completion of the Hoyland Hill House project which is an extension of their current operations developing integrated community living. The Alliance for Camphill has three areas where funding would be helpful to them: research, communication and campaigning. Simeon Care for the Elderly in Aberdeen is working towards creating a co-housing project on the site of Caranoc and Whithorn houses and is planning to convert a neighbouring house to provide accommodation for carers. The newly-formed Esk Valley Camphill Community in North Yorkshire, England, needed support with both website design and the purchase of a new people carrier. Duffcarrig, Ireland, is currently receiving assistance with loan repayment issues. The Mount Community at Wadhurst, East Sussex, England, has requested help with the Pond House renovation project which will provide co-housing

10 11

for six residents. This project is a completely new direction for a long-established and very successful residential community college which is branching out into provision for adults living and working together and integrated with the wider community. It has the strong support of The Mount trustees and East Sussex council.

Although the Foundation deals primarily with financial issues and support, in practice the whole ethos of the charity goes much deeper and encompasses an all-embracing respect and love for

In the end of last summer two goats appeared in our village: Belka and Strelka. They are calm and cute animals, and Dima and I take care of them. Our work together started not so long ago. In the beginning I tried to work with another girl from our village, but then she chose the bakery instead of work with animals. For a short time I worked alone: I got used to the new animals, and they got used to me. But then it became obvious who will be my work companion.

Dima already for a long time has worked on the farm: he helps muck out the cowshed. But he loves animals so much, he also comes along with

Hello from Svetlanaith All d e Hobbs, whose p of ssion l

photographer’s name is eith Allardyce, was born in the coal-mining town of Ashington, Northumberland. He studied at Harrow hool of Photography and began his photographic career at London’s Ro al ree Hospital and mo ed on to Imperial College and Hadrian’s

all Museum in Northumberland. On moving to Orkney in 1974, he pursued his photographic interests as well as being an RSPB summer warden. He later became a lightkeeper with the No th n i hthouse o d, fi st s a li f keeper co ering all the manned lighthouses in Orkney and then later as a Local Assistant

eeper station at Suleskerry. In 1986 he was ommission d by the otl nd’s i hthouse

Museum to recreate his survey of the lights and the people who operated them, culminating with his first book, At Scotland’s Edge, and later Scotland’s Edge Revisited in 1998.

At the beginning of the 1980s eith was also introduced to Botton Village and its community for people with special needs on the North ork Moors. Here was a new w y of living and working and he took to the life there with a generous and warm hearted spirit, becoming an apprentice in the skilful work of glass engr ving with Marta rey whose house coordinator he became in 1981. The photographic opportunities at Botton in its unique dale setting e him the possibilities of portraits of the social, cultural and working life of the village. In this he was

n ou d by ol l u s nd i th's photo phs will lw s be m mb d s leaving the subject free and independent, a soul was never 'captured'.

His fascination with Orkney never diminished. In 1989 he was commissioned by the Stromness Community Coun il to p odu e a body of photographic hi e documenting a ear in the life of Stromness with Orkney’s Museums Officer, Bryce ilson. This project culminated with a book ‘Sea Ha en: Stromness in the Orkney Islands’ in 1991. rom 2012 to 2017 he devoted his energy to producing books about the li es, culture and history of the Orkney Islands. As a result he published four books: ‘Found I’ and ‘Found II’ - portraits and stories of contemporary beachcombers with their found objects, and ‘ il nt I’ nd ‘ il nt II’ plo ing nd do um nting the b ndon d buildin s with accompanying stories by Orcadian historian and storyteller, Tom Muir.

Alongside his photographic endea ours in the Orkney Islands, he was able to enjoy his life in Northumberland where he has provided holidays for residents of the Newton Dee Community, near Aberdeen, and Botton Village in North o shi e wh e he m t his p tn , I u o

Tsuchiya. Throughout his life he li ed in a arious places such as London, Edinburgh, the

Orkney Islands, North orkshire, and then back to Northumberland where he is going to rest.

eith Allardyce HobbsSeptember 13, 1947 – Mar h 29, 2018

our farmers when they are milking, he likes to look at the pigs and chickens and then to tell a lot of stories about them. So I asked him to work with me and he gladly agreed.

Every day we feed the chickens together and work in the goat shed. I am very inspired by the good understanding between us – we are really partners! And I decided to write this article after Dima came back from holiday, as I had missed him very much and I felt how boring and different it is to work alone. So I am glad that he is back and we can continue to work together! (Written by Elizaveta Artamoshina)

the ideals and essentials of the Camphill Movement. One aspect of keeping this alive is the fact that meetings of the board constantly move round from community to community, throughout the UK and Ireland, and we always make a real effort to see the place and to meet the people wherever we are being hosted. After the meeting in Corbenic, the next two venues are Esk Valley Camphill Community and Tiphereth Camphill Edinburgh. (Written by Peter Bateson, In Camphill since 1975, Foundation Trustee since 2008 and Development Coordinator 2011-17.)

10 11

for six residents. This project is a completely new direction for a long-established and ery successful residential community college which is branching out into provision for adults living and working together and integrated with the wider community. It has the strong support of The Mount trustees and East Sussex council.

Although the oundation deals primarily with financial issues and support, in practice the whole thos of the h ity o s mu h d p r nd

encompasses an all-embracing respect and lo e for

In the end of last summer two goats appeared in our village: Belka and Strelka. They are calm and cute animals, and Dima and I take care of them. Our work together started not so long ago. In the beginning I tried to work with another girl from our village, but then she hose the bakery instead of work with animals. or a short time I worked alone: I got used to the new animals, and they got used to me. But then it became obvious who will be my work companion.

Dima already for a long time has worked on the farm: he helps muck out the cowshed. But he lo es animals so much, he also comes along with

Hello from SvetlanaKeith Allardyce Hobbs, whose professional photographer’s name is Keith Allardyce, was born in the coal-mining town of Ashington, Northumberland. He studied at Harrow School of Photography and began his photographic career at London’s Royal Free Hospital and moved on to Imperial College and Hadrian’s Wall Museum in Northumberland. On moving to Orkney in 1974, he pursued his photographic interests as well as being an RSPB summer warden. He later became a lightkeeper with the Northern Lighthouse Board, first as a relief keeper covering all the manned lighthouses in Orkney and then later as a Local Assistant Keeper station at Suleskerry. In 1986 he was commissioned by the Scotland’s Lighthouse Museum to recreate his survey of the lights and the people who operated them, culminating with his first book, At Scotland’s Edge, and later Scotland’s Edge Revisited in 1998.

At the beginning of the 1980s Keith was also introduced to Botton Village and its community for people with special needs on the North York Moors. Here was a new way of living and working and he took to the life there with a generous and warm hearted spirit, becoming an apprentice in the skilful work of glass engraving with Marta Frey whose house coordinator he became in 1981. The photographic opportunities at Botton in its unique dale setting gave him the possibilities of portraits of the social, cultural and working life of the village. In this he was

encouraged by col leagues and Kei th's photographs will always be remembered as leaving the subject free and independent, a soul was never 'captured'.

His fascination with Orkney never diminished. In 1989 he was commissioned by the Stromness Community Council to produce a body of photographic archive documenting a year in the life of Stromness with Orkney’s Museums Officer, Bryce Wilson. This project culminated with a book ‘Sea Haven: Stromness in the Orkney Islands’ in 1991. From 2012 to 2017 he devoted his energy to producing books about the lives, culture and history of the Orkney Islands. As a result he published four books: ‘Found I’ and ‘Found II’ - portraits and stories of contemporary beachcombers with their found objects, and ‘Silent I’ and ‘Silent II’ exploring and documenting the abandoned buildings with accompanying stories by Orcadian historian and storyteller, Tom Muir.

Alongside his photographic endeavours in the Orkney Islands, he was able to enjoy his life in Northumberland where he has provided holidays for residents of the Newton Dee Community, near Aberdeen, and Botton Village in North Yorkshire where he met his partner, Ikuko Tsuchiya. Throughout his life he lived in a various places such as London, Edinburgh, the Orkney Islands, North Yorkshire, and then back to Northumberland where he is going to rest.

Keith Allardyce HobbsSeptember 13, 1947 – March 29, 2018

our farmers when they are milking, he likes to look at the pigs and hickens and then to tell a lot of stories about them. So I asked him to work with me and he gladly agreed.

ery day we feed the hickens together and work in the goat shed. I am ery inspired by the good understanding between us – we are really partners! And I decided to write this article after Dima came back from holida , as I had missed him ery much and I felt how boring and different it is to work alone. So I am glad that he is back and we can continue to work together! (Written by Elizaveta Artamoshina)

the ideals and essentials of the Camphill Mo ement. One aspect of keeping this ali e is the fact that meetings of the board constantly mo e round from community to community, throughout the UK and Ireland, and we alw ys make a real effort to see the place and to meet the people wherever we are being hosted. After the meeting in Corbenic, the next two enues are Esk Valley Camphill Community and

Tiphereth Camphill Edinburgh. (Written by eter Bateson, In Camphill since 1975, Foundation Trustee since 2008 and Development Coordinator 2011-17.)

1213

Memories of Brigitte Kӧber

December 1925 – 11 November 2017

Brigitte was born in the university town of Jena (Thuringia) – a town sometimes called ‘The Athens of the North’. Her brother Hans-Joachim was born five years earlier and myself, Erika, five years later. Brigitte describes her childhood as a happy one with many walks along the river Saale, in a beautiful area called ‘Paradise’. She considered two facts about her surroundings as being important signposts in her life: It was in a hut by the river Saale that Goethe received the inspiration for his fairytale ‘The Green Snake and the Beautiful Lily’ –where he met two debat ing, discussing, intellectualising students, who became his “will-o’-the-wisps”; and on the gable of a house on the market square where Brigitte grew up there stood the figure of St. George fighting the dragon.

Thinking about the timing of Brigitte’s incarnation, one cannot overlook the fact that her conception happened in the same month as Dr Steiner’s re-entering the spiritual world! Another remarkable event took place when, a few days after Brigitte’s birth, her mother asked the nurse in the maternity ward for something to read, and she was given Dr Steiner’s ‘Theosophy’. This led her to join the anthroposophical society.

A further milestone in Brigitte’s early childhood was the fact that the Lauenstein – the very first home for children in need of special understanding – had recently been founded in Jena and she could participate there in eurythmy lessons there.

A major incision into our happy family life came when – with the coming of the National Socialist regime – the private bank where our father was a director was expropriated without compensation. In 1933 the family moved to a suburb of Berlin where our father had to accept a complete change in his profession, and was unable to afford Waldorf school fees for us. At primary school, Brigitte’s strong choleric temperament was much in evidence.

In 1939 there came a major challenge to Brigitte’s soul and spirit : her confirmation in the Christian Community. She did not want it to happen and would often hide somewhere in order to avoid going to preparatory classes. Yet her confirmation took place. However an inner revolt resulted in her having to be rushed to hospital with suspected acute appendicitis, though no operation took place.

Brigitte did not want to adopt her parents’ anthroposophical approach to life. She went on her own search and became interested in writers like Sartre, Ortega y Gasset, in nihilism, etc.

She became a companion to young people in three aristocratic families living in country mansions. The first of these families—von Rochow—lived on the estate called ‘Strauch’ in Saxony, near Dresden. Here she formed a heartfelt connection to a son, Rudolf. Sadly he died in the war, on St. Stephen’s Day 1943. During her stay with the third family (von Schroeder), she was able to complete her abitur in 1944.

Sharing the life style of these three families who, by the nature of their social standing, were among the ‘upper’ classes, left its mark on her impressionable young soul. The trend to make friends most easily among people who held important positions and the habit of seeing these people as representatives of the spiritual/cultural/community life (somewhat to the exclusion of more ‘ordinary’ people) accompanied Brigitte throughout her life. However, increasingly so in later years, she found it easier to meet many different people more spontaneously. (This could be experienced especially on holidays, during outings, or—as in our case—when late in the evening, gathering around the Aga, we would suddenly break out with laughter when speaking with that somewhat slovenly Saxsonian accent which we had each picked up during our stays in those baronial mansions—although NOT, of course, from the owners!)

Towards end of the war, Brigitte had to join the airforce, which entailed spotting foreign aircraft from a forest in Mecklenburg. At Easter 1945, Brigitte was given leave to come to Eisenach to attend my confirmation. However, the Confirmation was cancelled because the American Army was about to invade the town, and Brigitte could not

tu n no th b use the ussi n my w s approaching. My father, who had been put in charge of taking 2,000 prisoners of war to the east, took Brigitte into his regiment so that she would not be considered a deserter. The subsequent four-week trek would take too long to describe, but father and daughter arrived back in Eisenach in May 1945.

There was no hope of entering a university course. Brigitte escaped in a goods wagon across the border between East and West Germany to take up a training in weaving, which she completed to journeyman’s level in early 1950 in a place north of Hamburg. I had meanwhile also escaped from East Germany and had joined the Camphill Rudolf Steiner Schools in Aberdeenshire in January 1950. Here a new property, Cairnlee, had recently been bought and a weaver was needed to train a group of old r i ls. I h d w itt n m ny l tt s full of enthusiasm about life and work in Camphill House, and in September 1950 Brigitte came to establish the w ing wo shop in C i nl . he only intended to stay for two years as she had not yet established any connection to anthroposophy. Dr König made no effort to stop her departure at the end of this time – so she stayed!

A major car accident – necessitating three months in hospital with a suspected fracture of the skull and a traumatic experience at the dentist still did not make her sufficiently aware of the need to begin to embrace anthroposophy as her guiding star. After attending the Seminar in Curative Education, during which she became ever more familiar with and accepting of anthroposophy, and after running the weavery for ten years, she moved to Newton Dee Village where she became housemother of the Bungalow, (with 14 people) whilst still being fully involved with the Craft College.

In 1965, Hans and Johanna Spalinger asked for help from Scotland, as they wanted to change Perceval, (in Switzerland), from being a privately un nt p ise to b oming a C mphill pl .

Although Brigitte had felt settled in Scotland, at the

age of 40, she began her 52 year long sojourn in Switzerland, where she did weaving, and helped to found the first Camphill Curative Seminar in the French language. After 12 years in Perceval she became unwell, and was advised that she should work with adults, so she moved to the recently established Village of Aigues Vertes. Here Brigitte

ran the weavery, produced many of Dr. ӧnig’s plays, gave courses in the seminar, and was a service holder and a Class reader. She was always

d y t o s h e h r i h t s u s o f Anthroposophical knowledge and the significance of historic events throughout the ages.

ntu ll , t in fo s pt into the Coun il of Ai u s V t s. Anth oposophy w s increasingly shunned, the chapel of the Christian Community which had been built with voluntary don tions w s t n w y f om the Ch isti n Community, the Hall and its stage were destroyed. The three ladies who had been founder members of Aigues Vertes were given money and asked to leave, including Brigitte, who was by then 77.

As a blessing, Brigitte found a new home in the nth oposophi lly o i nt t d old p opl ’s home Rüttihubelbad near Berne. For nearly 15 years she could enjoy an active and fulfilling life there.

This included work for the Karl ӧnig Archive for which she could still come over to Scotland for a sho t isit ( i wing 39,000 l tt s ). he lso enjoyed some lovely holidays with myself and her niece in different parts of Switzerland.

Brigitte was still able to be present when the World Wide Weave Exhibition came to St. Prex. During the last twelve months of her life she had to accept that she could no longer keep all her worldwide connections so fully alive with her many friends. During the last weeks of her life, her physical strength began to fade and also her star-clear thinking began to cloud over. This was not easy for Brigitte to accept as she thought it was something imposed on her from outside. Some visitors were still accepted – others not. In the end she gave in peacefully and crossed the threshold in her sleep on St. Martin’s Day.

In her will she asked for her ashes to be interred in the memorial Rose Garden on Camphill Estate,

Aberdeen. (Written by Erika Nauck (nee ӧber), Newton Dee Village)

1213

Memories of Brigitte Kӧber

December 1925 – 11 November 2017

Brigitte was born in the university town of Jena (Thuringia) – a town sometimes called ‘The Athens of the North’. Her brother Hans-Joachim was born five years earlier and myself, Erika, five years later. Brigitte describes her childhood as a happy one with many walks along the river Saale, in a beautiful area called ‘Paradise’. She considered two facts about her surroundings as being important signposts in her life: It was in a hut by the river Saale that Goethe received the inspiration for his fairytale ‘The Green Snake and the Beautiful Lily’ wh e he m t two d b t in , dis uss in , intellectualising students, who became his “will-o’-the-wisps”; and on the gable of a house on the market square where Brigitte grew up there stood the figure of St. George fighting the dragon.

Thin ing bout the timing of i itt ’s incarnation, one cannot overlook the fact that her conception happened in the same month as Dr Steiner’s re-entering the spiritual world! Another remarkable event took place when, a few days after Brigitte’s birth, her mother asked the nurse in the maternity ward for something to read, and she was given Dr Steiner’s ‘Theosophy’. This led her to join the anthroposophical society.

A fu th r mil stone in i itt ’s ly childhood was the fact that the Lauenstein – the very first home for children in need of special understanding – had recently been founded in Jena and she could participate there in eurythmy lessons there.

A major incision into our happy family life came when – with the coming of the National Socialist regime – the private bank where our father w s a di tor w s p op i t d without compensation. In 1933 the family moved to a suburb of Berlin where our father had to accept a complete change in his profession, and was unable to afford Waldorf school fees for us. At primary school, Brigitte’s strong choleric temperament was much in evidence.

In 1939 there came a major challenge to Brigitte’s soul and spirit : her confirmation in the Christian Community. She did not want it to happen and would often hide somewhere in order to avoid going to preparatory classes. Yet her confirmation took place. However an inner revolt resulted in her having to be rushed to hospital with suspected acute appendicitis, though no operation took place.

Brigitte did not want to adopt her parents’ anthroposophical approach to life. She went on her own search and became interested in writers like Sartre, Ortega y Gasset, in nihilism, etc.

She became a companion to young people in th e isto tic f mili s li ing in ount y mansions. The first of these families—von Rochow—lived on the estate called ‘Strauch’ in Saxony, n r D sd n. H e she fo m d a h tf lt connection to a son, Rudolf. Sadly he died in the war, on St. Stephen’s Day 1943. During her stay with the third family (von Schroeder), she was able to complete her abitur in 1944.

Sharing the life style of these three families who, by the nature of their social standing, were among the ‘upper’ classes, left its mark on her impressionable young soul. The trend to make f i nds most sily mong p ople who h ld important positions and the habit of seeing these people as representatives of the spiritual/cultural/community life (somewhat to the exclusion of more ‘ordinary’ people) accompanied Brigitte throughout her life. However, increasingly so in later years, she found it easier to meet many different people more spont n ousl . (This ould be p i n d especially on holidays, during outings, or—as in our case—when late in the evening, gathering around the Aga, we would suddenly break out with laughter wh n sp ing with th t som wh t slo nly Saxsonian accent which we had each picked up during our stays in those baronial mansions—although NOT, of course, from the owners!)

Towards end of the war, Brigitte had to join the airforce, which entailed spotting foreign aircraft from a forest in Mecklenburg. At Easter 1945, Brigitte was given leave to come to Eisenach to attend my confirmation. However, the Confirmation was cancelled because the American Army was about to invade the town, and Brigitte could not return north because the Russian army was approaching. My father, who had been put in charge of taking 2,000 prisoners of war to the east, took Brigitte into his regiment so that she would not be considered a deserter. The subsequent four-week trek would take too long to describe, but father and daughter arrived back in Eisenach in May 1945.

There was no hope of entering a university course. Brigitte escaped in a goods wagon across the border between East and West Germany to take up a training in weaving, which she completed to journeyman’s level in early 1950 in a place north of Hamburg. I had meanwhile also escaped from East Germany and had joined the Camphill Rudolf Steiner Schools in Aberdeenshire in January 1950. Here a new property, Cairnlee, had recently been bought and a weaver was needed to train a group of older girls. I had written many letters full of enthusiasm about life and work in Camphill House, and in September 1950 Brigitte came to establish the weaving workshop in Cairnlee. She only intended to stay for two years as she had not yet established any connection to anthroposophy. Dr König made no effort to stop her departure at the end of this time – so she stayed!

A major car accident – necessitating three months in hospital with a suspected fracture of the skull and a traumatic experience at the dentist still did not make her sufficiently aware of the need to begin to embrace anthroposophy as her guiding star. After attending the Seminar in Curative Education, during which she became ever more familiar with and accepting of anthroposophy, and after running the weavery for ten years, she moved to Newton Dee Village where she became housemother of the Bungalow, (with 14 people) whilst still being fully involved with the Craft College.

In 1965, Hans and Johanna Spalinger asked for help from Scotland, as they wanted to change Perceval, (in Switzerland), from being a privately run enterprise to becoming a Camphill place. Although Brigitte had felt settled in Scotland, at the

age of 40, she began her 52 year long sojourn in Switzerland, where she did weaving, and helped to found the first Camphill Curative Seminar in the French language. After 12 years in Perceval she became unwell, and was advised that she should work with adults, so she moved to the recently established Village of Aigues Vertes. Here Brigitte

ran the weavery, produced many of Dr. Kӧnig’s plays, gave courses in the seminar, and was a service holder and a Class reader. She was always r e a d y t o s h a r e h e r r i c h t r e a s u r e s o f Anthroposophical knowledge and the significance of historic events throughout the ages.

Eventually, certain forces crept into the Council of Aigues Vertes. Anthroposophy was increasingly shunned, the chapel of the Christian Community which had been built with voluntary donations was taken away from the Christian Community, the Hall and its stage were destroyed. The three ladies who had been founder members of Aigues Vertes were given money and asked to leave, including Brigitte, who was by then 77.

As a blessing, Brigitte found a new home in the anthroposophically orientated old people’s home Rüttihubelbad near Berne. For nearly 15 years she could enjoy an active and fulfilling life there.

This included work for the Karl Kӧnig Archive for which she could still come over to Scotland for a short visit (viewing 39,000 letters!). She also enjoyed some lovely holidays with myself and her niece in different parts of Switzerland.

Brigitte was still able to be present when the World Wide Weave Exhibition came to St. Prex. During the last twelve months of her life she had to accept that she could no longer keep all her worldwide connections so fully alive with her many friends. During the last weeks of her life, her physical strength began to fade and also her star-clear thinking began to cloud over. This was not easy for Brigitte to accept as she thought it was something imposed on her from outside. Some visitors were still accepted – others not. In the end she gave in peacefully and crossed the threshold in her sleep on St. Martin’s Day.

In her will she asked for her ashes to be interred in the memorial Rose Garden on Camphill Estate,

Aberdeen. (Written by Erika Nauck (nee Kӧber), Newton Dee Village)

14 15

Book ReviewChristianity and the Anciet Mysteries

Christianity and the Ancient MysteriesReflections on Rudolf Steiner’sChristianity as Mystical FactBy Charles KovacsFloris Books 2017£12.99

As the title indicates, Charles Kovacs, in his book CHRISTIANITY and the ANCIENT MYSTERIES, shares with the reader his reflections on Rudolf Steiner’s Christianity as Mystical Fact, published in 1902. It is clear that the explanations and insights put forward follow Steiner’s thoughts, as his name is mentioned on many pages.

Kovacs, who passed away in 2001, was an avid painter and spent a large part of his life teaching at the Waldorf School in Edinburgh where his creative side flourished. He amassed a huge amount of knowledge and understanding concerning the myths of Antiquity. Since he knows these stories inside out, not only in their rich imagery but also in their hidden meaning, Steiner’s work becomes enriched and deepened by Kovacs’ reflections.

The book accompanies Christianity as Mystical Fact from chapter to chapter. It seems to me however, that the reader does not need to be familiar with the original in order to gain insight and pleasure from Kovacs’s book. His language is very clear and to the point, his train of thought as easy to follow as Ariadne’s thread and his patient working through the material step by step allows you to stay with the entire development of humanity in picture form without getting lost.

The basic premise is that everything given to humanity in the form of stories, or myths, from the fall and the separation from God onwards has been an aid to help humanity connect back to the presence of God; or to the spiritual world if you prefer. This process of reconnecting is called initiation. CHRISTIANITY and the ANCIENT MYSTERIES guides us in chronological order to the places and times which were home to various initiation traditions, first in the so called Mystery Centres, later in Christianity. And in doing so it is explained to us why it is necessary to maintain the link to the spiritual world through initiation.

It is fascinating and inspiring to read of the whole journey towards becoming a perfect human being, who is like God. Kovacs has a wonderful way of penetrating obscure and mystical writings, events and symbols. You sense that he is eager to know and understand and that he loves to share his discoveries. For example the fig tree as the symbol of mystery initiation was used to indicate if someone was initiated: the person would ‘sit under the fig tree’. Odysseus hangs onto a fig tree in order to escape death, his moment of initiation. Christ curses the fig tree in the New Testament to show that the old initiation had become obsolete since His coming. The reason why the fig leaf was the symbol for initiation becomes apparent when Kovacs traces its use back to depictions of the fall of man. The fig leaf was used to cover the genitals of Adam and Eve, indicating both the separation from God and the means to return to God at the same time.

Ancient myths, timeless as they are, are specifically related to the stage of initiation humanity was experiencing at any given time. So we learn that in ancient Greece the characters of the Minos, Ariadne, Theseus and Dionysus represent the stage of clear thinking freeing itself from group consciousness to become individualised in intellectual thinking. This kind of thinking found its pinnacle with the Greek philosophers, whose work is also examined.

Via Egypt we eventually reach the point of the Mystery of Golgotha, the incarnation of the Sun-Being, Christ, into the human being Jesus. From that point onwards everything changes. Initiation is no longer a matter of the select few entering the temple to be initiated by qualified priests through a near death experience. Through Christ’s incarnation in a human body, his death and resurrection, every human body can become the temple, and initiation can take place, if we so wish, directly through the Christ in every one of us.

Chapter 15 stands at the turning point where mythology ends and we ourselves become the focus. None of the above is relevant unless we stand at the centre and our lives become the central story, as important as the greatest myth.

The final chapters are devoted to Buddha and his initiation through life, to initiation wisdom as i n us by John in the Apo l ps , to the

Community of the ss n s s a s mbol of communities in the future and to Christian initiation illustrated by the myth of Parsifal.

However Christianity doesn’t just gently flow on from Mystery tradition. A real war and struggle took place as the old found it hard to let go and the new was misunderstood and fragile. Steiner in fact wrote Christianity as Mystical Fact before 1902 in order to stay focussed while he was severely tested and struggling in his own inner life. Christianity as a religion is not at all the same as Christianity as modern initiation path. The latter part of the book is devoted to the Gnostics who ‘drew wisdom from the ancient mysteries in order to understand the Ch ist nt’ nd w e subs qu ntly s ly persecuted by the church. Their thought is so complex that I am impressed with how concisely and comprehensively Kovacs can (understandably) sum it up in a f w p s. He lso lin s it (fundamentally) to Anthroposophy. Gnostic thought was so important to Steiner that the very name Anthroposophy was taken from their concepts to mean: ‘Mankind’s knowledge of itself’.

Half way through CHRISTIANITY and the ANCI NT M T I S we e t t d to reproductions of Kovacs’ own paintings related to the stories and figures mentioned which makes a w l ome isu l ddition nd suppl m nts the

writing beautifully.

Kovacs and Steiner have given us a feast of myths, philosophy and initiation wisdom which lights up our path towards initiation and can be an id of n ou m nt for our own m dit ti e

practise. In his own words: ‘’...it is the spiritual world which speaks in such images. This is the reason why there is more in each myth than any particular interpretation in the form of thought. There is a spiritual life in the ancient myths which makes them meaningful beyond the time and place where they were first told. One could say that the G o d s e p o t s , n d m t h i s t h i r poetry.’’ (Reviewed by Anna Phillips)

News from Cherry Or hards, from page 3

e still need help, good thoughts, contact from others, encouragement and interest. e ha e spaces in the community for others to join. The care home needs li e in co-workers who are interested in developing the mental health work that has been developed here o er time and is cutting edge and

itin . Th e is s ope for som one with entrepreneurial skills to develop a business selling our excellent produce; from hutney to candles and beetroot to bread, or creating facilities for camping holidays for families with extra hallenges on our beautiful site.

e still b li e th t li ing to th r h s something ery special to offer the individual and the world and are committed to resear hing the conditions in which this can be expressed in a w y that suits the 21st century.

e are not through with our ad enture and still face some risks, but we are ery much open for the busin ss of building a i ble sust in ble community using the significant experience of the C mphill mo m nt nd the inspi tion l nd multi-dimensional help to be found in the teachings of Rudolf Steiner.

All questions are welcome, as an article can only say so much. Talk to us by email or through the Correspondence [ an apt name!]

e are visitor friendly and serve an excellent lunch, come and meet us,or ha e our meeting here and see for ourself. Come and join us on our ad enture. Contact us at info@cherryorchards.co.uk Greetings on behalf of the whole community, Valerie Sands.

14 15

Book ReviewChristianity and the Anciet Mysteries

Christianity and the Ancient MysteriesReflections on Rudolf Steiner’sChristianity as Mystical FactBy Charles KovacsFloris Books 2017£12.99

As the title indicates, Charles Kovacs, in his book CHRISTIANITY and the ANCIENT MYSTERIES, shares with the reader his reflections on Rudolf Steiner’s Christianity as Mystical Fact, published in 1902. It is clear that the explanations and insights put forward follow Steiner’s thoughts, as his name is mentioned on many pages.

Kovacs, who passed away in 2001, was an avid painter and spent a large part of his life teaching at the Waldorf School in Edinburgh where his creative side flourished. He amassed a huge

mount of nowl d e nd und st nding concerning the myths of Antiquity. Since he knows these stories inside out, not only in their rich imagery but also in their hidden meaning, Steiner’s work becomes enriched and deepened by Kovacs’ reflections.

The book omp ni s Ch isti nity s Mystical Fact from chapter to chapter. It seems to me however, that the reader does not need to be familiar with the original in order to gain insight and pleasure from Kovacs’s book. His language is very clear and to the point, his train of thought as easy to follow as Ariadne’s thread and his patient working through the material step by step allows you to stay with the entire development of humanity in picture form without getting lost.

The basic premise is that everything given to humanity in the form of stories, or myths, from the fall and the separation from God onwards has been an aid to help humanity connect back to the presence of God; or to the spiritual world if you p f . This p o ss of onn ting is ll d initi tion. CH I TIANITY nd the ANCI NT MYSTERIES guides us in chronological order to the places and times which were home to various initiation traditions, first in the so called Mystery Centres, later in Christianity. And in doing so it is explained to us why it is necessary to maintain the link to the spiritual world through initiation.

It is fascinating and inspiring to read of the whole journey towards becoming a perfect human being, who is like God. Kovacs has a wonderful way of penetrating obscure and mystical writings, events and symbols. You sense that he is eager to know and understand and that he loves to share his discoveries. For example the fig tree as the symbol of m st y initi tion w s us d to indi te if someone was initiated: the person would ‘sit under the fig tree’. Odysseus hangs onto a fig tree in order to escape death, his moment of initiation. Christ curses the fig tree in the New Testament to show that the old initiation had become obsolete since His coming. The reason why the fig leaf was the s mbol for initi tion b om s pp nt wh n Kovacs traces its use back to depictions of the fall of man. The fig leaf was used to cover the genitals of Adam and Eve, indicating both the separation from God and the means to return to God at the same time.

An i nt m ths, tim l ss s th y , e sp ifi lly l t d to the st e of initi tion humanity was experiencing at any given time. So we learn that in ancient Greece the characters of the Minos, A i dn , Th s us nd Dion sus represent the stage of clear thinking freeing itself from group consciousness to become individualised in intellectual thinking. This kind of thinking found its pinnacle with the Greek philosophers, whose work is also examined.

Via Egypt we eventually reach the point of the Mystery of Golgotha, the incarnation of the Sun-Being, Christ, into the human being Jesus. From that point onwards everything changes. Initiation is no longer a matter of the select few entering the temple to be initiated by qualified priests through a near death experience. Through Christ’s incarnation in a human body, his death and resurrection, every human body can become the temple, and initiation can take place, if we so wish, directly through the Christ in every one of us.

Chapter 15 stands at the turning point where mythology ends and we ourselves become the focus. None of the above is relevant unless we stand at the centre and our lives become the central story, as important as the greatest myth.

The final chapters are devoted to Buddha and his initiation through life, to initiation wisdom as given us by John in the Apocalypse, to the Community of the Essenes as a symbol of communities in the future and to Christian initiation illustrated by the myth of Parsifal.

However Christianity doesn’t just gently flow on from Mystery tradition. A real war and struggle took place as the old found it hard to let go and the new was misunderstood and fragile. Steiner in fact wrote Christianity as Mystical Fact before 1902 in order to stay focussed while he was severely tested and struggling in his own inner life. Christianity as a religion is not at all the same as Christianity as modern initiation path. The latter part of the book is devoted to the Gnostics who ‘drew wisdom from the ancient mysteries in order to understand the Christ event’ and were subsequently severely persecuted by the church. Their thought is so complex that I am impressed with how concisely and comprehensively Kovacs can (understandably) sum it up in a few pages. He also links it (fundamentally) to Anthroposophy. Gnostic thought was so important to Steiner that the very name Anthroposophy was taken from their concepts to mean: ‘Mankind’s knowledge of itself’.

Half way through CHRISTIANITY and the ANCIENT MYSTERIES we are t rea ted to reproductions of Kovacs’ own paintings related to the stories and figures mentioned which makes a welcome visual addition and supplements the

writing beautifully.

Kovacs and Steiner have given us a feast of myths, philosophy and initiation wisdom which lights up our path towards initiation and can be an aid of encouragement for our own meditative practise. In his own words: ‘’...it is the spiritual world which speaks in such images. This is the reason why there is more in each myth than any particular interpretation in the form of thought. There is a spiritual life in the ancient myths which makes them meaningful beyond the time and place where they were first told. One could say that the G o d s a r e p o e t s , a n d m y t h i s t h e i r poetry.’’ (Reviewed by Anna Phillips)

News from Cherry Orchards, from page 3

We still need help, good thoughts, contact from others, encouragement and interest. We have spaces in the community for others to join. The care home needs live in co-workers who are interested in developing the mental health work that has been developed here over time and is cutting edge and exciting. There is scope for someone with entrepreneurial skills to develop a business selling our excellent produce; from chutney to candles and beetroot to bread, or creating facilities for camping holidays for families with extra challenges on our beautiful site.

We still believe that living together has something very special to offer the individual and the world and are committed to researching the conditions in which this can be expressed in a way that suits the 21st century.

We are not through with our adventure and still face some risks, but we are very much open for the business of building a viable sustainable community using the significant experience of the Camphill movement and the inspirational and multi-dimensional help to be found in the teachings of Rudolf Steiner.

All questions are welcome, as an article can only say so much. Talk to us by email or through the Correspondence [ an apt name!]

We are visitor friendly and serve an excellent lunch, come and meet us,or have your meeting here and see for yourself. Come and join us on our adventure. Contact us at info@cherryorchards.co.uk Greetings on behalf of the whole community, Valerie Sands.

“Transition” by Szabo Sipos Barnabas, Budapest

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