Zweiter Rundbrief - Gerard Wagner - gerardwagner.de

us. Her parents are the founding and directing doctors for the Rudolf Steiner Health Center in
Ann Arbor, Michigan. Both doctors worked in Arlesheim at the Ita Wegman Klinik and the Lukas
Klinik. Their center is founded on an interesting concept – CSM, Community Supported Medicine.
It was great to make this connection and sow seeds regarding the therapeutic aspects of the Wagner
Painting Impulse.
Unfortunately for us here in Texas, there is not a single anthroposophically trained doctor. We
hear that over 60 new American doctors will be graduating soon and hope that one will show up
in Texas as there is a great deal of interest among the students for an art therapy training.
Thanks to our Methodist Church in Merecedes, I have a little class of 7 year old girls that come
twice a week to paint. I am not sure who has more fun with this class, but we have a great time.
This opportunity has helped me with the application of the book that I am writing, PAINTING IN
LIVING COLOR, and helped me to organize all that I have learned from Elisabeth Wagner and
Sonja Vandroogenbroeck into little block courses. We are in the midst of a 3 week course “Michael
and the Dragon”. At the end of the last course, “St. Francis Preaches to the Wolf”, two more
neighborhood girls appeared at the door wanting to paint and pushing a baby carriage containing
a 9 month old baby and a bunny rabbit (live-not the stuffed kind!). After taking the baby and bunny
home, the girls came back to join us. Yes, teaching children can be quite interesting.
The new Waldorf Teacher’s Training seminar, Las Estrellas, will begin its training next year. There
were not quite enough students for this year. Kathryn King is the founder and director and participates
in almost all of our painting courses. It is truly wonderful to have cooperation between all
the various initiatives that are active in Austin. We coordinate the planning of our weekend events
so as not to double book.
The Polish Friends mistakenly expected my return this Fall. I have promised a long visit in the
Spring. It is painful not to be able to be there and continue a regular course of instruction, but in
the future I will spend my summers there. After this past summer in Texas, this was an easy decision!
Regarding the plant colors initiative here, all goes very well. We are very fortunate to have a Doctor
of Chemistry, Lee Don Biensky as a research partner. On the Friday evening before my last
course (September- Light and Darkness Motif) he gave two lectures relating the development of
the Nuclear Industry and Biodynamic Farming. (See attachment). We are seeking an alternative to
using the sulfuric acid for red and blue colors. We can only find dried root of the rose madder that
have the outer brown layer still intact. It is clear that we must grow these plants ourselves. After
some searching, have finally found an organic farm near Austin that has a deep well as water
source. Debra Ware owns the farm and has attended one painting class. She is very interested in
the plant colors. In the past there were indigo plantations in Louisiana-famous for their smell! It
seems so far that all of the plants will grow in central Texas. Lee Don will be focusing on the blue
this Fall, and I am working on an outline for the planned handbook for making the colors.
We are grateful for the cooperation with Iain Hunter and will be sharing all of our results with
him. It is only in the truly selfless work with anthroposophical ideals that any lasting results are
won. Any person imagining that these impulses, freely given to the world by Rudolf Steiner for
cultural renewal, can be held as personal property and/or projects has failed the mission of Anthroposophy.
Currently in the US there is an emphasis in the Anthroposophical World on research.
Just received a copy of the current magazine, BEING HUMAN, Summer 2011, and it is a
Research Issue. The editor reminds us all “that from the start the beginning of spiritual-scientific
investigation begins with the activity of clear and selfless thinking.”
So with these thoughts in mind I wish to announce the formation of THE RAPHAEL CULTURAL
AND ARTISTIC RESEARCH ASSOCIATION. It is being formally incorporated this week, the
week of the Festival of Michael, as a non-profit. A small group has banded together to give life to
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