Another Year, Another Goal

52 Weeks of Steiner has officially concluded, and it was such a wonderful experience. As I close this goal and start a new one, I wanted to take a moment to discuss my relationship to Steiner and his words, as I see it clearly now after all these weeks.

One of the many things that drew me to Steiner was how he often challenged his audiences to not just take his word as truth, but to try it out and see what conclusions they came to themselves. While I do think he totally believed in his ideas, I also believe he never expected us to believe what he shared was truth. When you read his lectures, you’ll see that he wanted his ideas to live, and to live they must be lived into, individualized and tested by everyone. He encouraged exploration and approached sharing his thoughts in the same vein that he encouraged teachers to exist. Never with an aim to create followers in the image of himself, but to encourage introspection and individualization of his concepts in freedom and with responsibility.

I really see his words as a form of mentorship on my journey, a guide to help me work on the riddle of life. I do not see his words as THE WORD, but rather as hints that lead towards a better understanding. Steiner wanted us to develop our capacities for clear thinking, feeling and willing so that we could take on the challenge of our times. As Karin Wietrzykowski so eloquently and succinctly states in her September 28, 2024 post on rsarchive.org (this post is currently on the home page of rsarchive.org, and when it moves over to the blog I will update the link):

Steiner’s message is clear. Human Beings are called upon to develop themselves through serious study and practice to take up the Michaelic Impulse which is the impulse of the Christ Himself. Dr. Steiner offered many practices, exercises and meditations to help us do so. While today’s society may tempt us with more “modern” streams that offer more accessible paths, they are often rebranded impulses of the material world which give us comfort in avoidance of the hard work required.”

In a world where there is much dogma, coming out of this year has been so refreshing and has enlivened my desire to continue sharing the endless possibilities for creative individualization of his indications through the power of our own development and ability to see what is needed.

Which brings me to my next goal!

This year, I will actually have three goals.

The first will be to read and journal A Verse For Our Time each morning as a reminder of our striving each day.

The second will be to work more deeply with the Calendar of the Soul through the exploration of different translations and others’ thoughts.

And the third is to read through the stack of anthroposophical books that I’ve either yet to fully read through or are marked for a re-read. These reads will be shared here as both book reviews and journals of my thoughts on the different topics.

I’m excited to share these self challenges with you all and hope you will come on this new journey with me. I’m not yet sure I’ll be creating a new blog category, as I already have one for both Calendar of the Soul and book reviews. I will decide as I see my frequency in posting.

And away we go!

Until next time,
Marina