Letters cont<strong>in</strong>ued from p.5too often had this mantle “thrustupon them” no matter how muchthey resisted it.So the “Ste<strong>in</strong>erists” will alwaysbe with us! And I am not surethat this is an entirely bad th<strong>in</strong>g.In our <strong>in</strong>creas<strong>in</strong>gly post-literateage I am grateful that there arestill a few (of my generation atleast) who are will<strong>in</strong>g to do thehard and rarely praised work ofstudy<strong>in</strong>g Ste<strong>in</strong>er’s texts and mak<strong>in</strong>gsure that anyth<strong>in</strong>g claim<strong>in</strong>gto “represent” anthroposophyhas at least has some relationshipto what Ste<strong>in</strong>er may havesaid. I cannot imag<strong>in</strong>e a s<strong>in</strong>gleanthroposophical <strong>in</strong>stitution thatnow thrives <strong>in</strong> North <strong>America</strong>without the selfless “Ste<strong>in</strong>erists”whose blood, sweat, and tearshelped to form and ma<strong>in</strong>ta<strong>in</strong>it. Indeed, as the time drawsnear when a great many of the“Ste<strong>in</strong>erists” will be retir<strong>in</strong>g fromthe <strong>in</strong>stitutions they nurtured,we will see how much there isto replace them. In the Waldorfmovement, at any rate, I havewitnessed a steady decl<strong>in</strong>e <strong>in</strong>teachers’ <strong>in</strong>terest <strong>in</strong> anthroposophy,and a marked growth <strong>in</strong>participation <strong>in</strong> Buddhist pathsor other paths or no paths at all.Whether unalloyed “Ste<strong>in</strong>erism”will weather the turmoiland unpredictability of thetwenty-first century is an openquestion, and I applaud Wendtfor be<strong>in</strong>g one of the first to voicethis question and present somealternatives. I would only emphasizethat “Ste<strong>in</strong>erists” were therelong before Prokofieff jo<strong>in</strong>ed theExecutive Council and they arevery likely be around long afterhe has assumed his tasks <strong>in</strong> thecouncils of Heaven. Sergei Prokofieffis more the effect than thecause. I don’t always agree withhim, but his strong stands andstimulat<strong>in</strong>g research help guardaga<strong>in</strong>st the specter of uniformityof op<strong>in</strong>ion—“Ste<strong>in</strong>erism”?—<strong>in</strong>the anthroposophical movement.I wish him the freedom to cont<strong>in</strong>ueon his <strong>in</strong>defatigable path.Eugene SchwartzKimberton, PA<strong>in</strong>fo@millennialchild.comOpen<strong>in</strong>g up dialogueI wish to commend your editorialskills and courage to openup dialogue among the membersand friends of the <strong>Anthroposophical</strong><strong>Society</strong>. Eugene Schwartz’sletter eloquently addresses theneed to be m<strong>in</strong>dful of our ownbl<strong>in</strong>d side when it comes to assess<strong>in</strong>gthe works of those whostand before us as representativesof Anthroposophia. Weneed not only the discernmentof critical th<strong>in</strong>k<strong>in</strong>g, but also thetactfulness to express our viewsrespectfully. Schwartz’s letter isexemplary <strong>in</strong> this regard.There can be no doubt thatthe times we are liv<strong>in</strong>g <strong>in</strong> demandnew th<strong>in</strong>k<strong>in</strong>g <strong>in</strong> all spheresof life. The present state of affairsof the <strong>Anthroposophical</strong> <strong>Society</strong><strong>in</strong> <strong>America</strong> is no exception. Infact, a case can be made that itis all the more imperative thatmembers and friends of the<strong>Anthroposophical</strong> movement beever more engaged <strong>in</strong> a criticaland compassionate exam<strong>in</strong>ationof what the signs of the times arereveal<strong>in</strong>g to us. By such exam<strong>in</strong>ation,we may f<strong>in</strong>d the tasks<strong>in</strong>cumbent upon us as a spiritualmovement <strong>in</strong>tent on contribut<strong>in</strong>gto the renewal of culture.It is my hope that the newslettercan cont<strong>in</strong>ue to offer morethan reports and a calendar ofevents, but provide the readerwith content for discussion andresearch. Whether it be challeng<strong>in</strong>g,controversial or provocative,let it be aired <strong>in</strong> an arena whereearnest seek<strong>in</strong>g can occur. Withall good faith and serious <strong>in</strong>tent Ith<strong>in</strong>k we can f<strong>in</strong>d the Spirit of ourTimes through our will<strong>in</strong>gness toenliven and enrich our dialogue<strong>in</strong> this medium of communication.William Bento, PhDFair Oaks, CAEditor’s comment:Thoughts at their birthWhile review<strong>in</strong>g these lettersthe follow<strong>in</strong>g passage came toattention, from Rudolf Ste<strong>in</strong>er’sThe Riddles of Philosophy, animportant work of what today isbe<strong>in</strong>g called “metaphilosophy”:I believe that miso belongs to the highest class of medic<strong>in</strong>es,those which help prevent disease and strengthenthe body through cont<strong>in</strong>ued usage. . . Some people speak ofmiso as a condiment, but miso br<strong>in</strong>gs out the flavor andnutritional value <strong>in</strong> all foods and helps the body to digestand assimilate whatever we eat. . .—Dr. Sh<strong>in</strong>ichiro Akizuki,Director, St Francis Hospital, Nagasakiwww.southrivermiso.comWOOD-FIRED HAND-CRAFTED MISONourish<strong>in</strong>g Life for the Human Spirit s<strong>in</strong>ce 1979u n p a s t e u r i z e d p r o b i o t i c c e r t i f i e d o r g a n i cSOUTH RIVERMISO COMPANYC o n w a y , M a s s a C h u s e t t s 0 1 3 4 1 • ( 4 1 3 ) 3 6 9 - 4 0 5 7“The age of enlightenment asit appears <strong>in</strong> the eighteenthcentury is still conv<strong>in</strong>ced of f<strong>in</strong>d<strong>in</strong>gits justification <strong>in</strong> thoughtitself. Herder develops beyondthis viewpo<strong>in</strong>t. He searches, notfor the po<strong>in</strong>t of the soul whereit reveals itself as th<strong>in</strong>k<strong>in</strong>g, butfor the liv<strong>in</strong>g source where thethought emerges out of thecreative pr<strong>in</strong>ciple <strong>in</strong>herent <strong>in</strong> thesoul. With this tendency Herdercomes close to what one can callthe mysterious experience of thesoul with thought.“A world conception mustexpress itself <strong>in</strong> thoughts, butthought only then endows thesoul with the power for whichit searches by means of a worldconception <strong>in</strong> the modern age,when it experiences this thought<strong>in</strong> its process of its birth <strong>in</strong> thesoul. When thought is born,when it has turned <strong>in</strong>to a philosophicalsystem, it has alreadylost its magical power over thesoul.“For this reason, the powerof thought and the philosophicalworld picture are so oftenunderestimated. This is doneby all those who know only thethought that is suggested tothem from without, a thoughtthat they are supposed tobelieve, to which they are supposedto pledge allegiance. Thereal power of thought is knownonly to one who experiences it<strong>in</strong> the process of its formation.”Could this observation be aclue to the difference betweenbe<strong>in</strong>g merely a “Ste<strong>in</strong>erist” andsomeone who is partak<strong>in</strong>g fullyof the power of anthroposophy?But how then do we f<strong>in</strong>d ourway to the birth of thoughts thathave already been born <strong>in</strong>tothe culture? Can they be “bornaga<strong>in</strong>”—<strong>in</strong>to our <strong>in</strong>dividual consciousnesses?Apparently!Sign UpforE-NewsSign up for Anthroposophy <strong>in</strong><strong>America</strong> E-News on our websitehome page: anthroposophy.org.Fall-W<strong>in</strong>ter 20097