Holy Week

Stained glass by Edward Burne-Jones in the
Birmingham Cathederal

The Steiner Easter Conference is a long established tradition where Steiner teachers and other interested parties come from across the UK to share best practise and exchange ideas. They make contacts, learn new skills and they also reinvigorate each other. Perhaps because we are a breed who believe in what we do and by and large have no illusions about how difficult it is to swim against the prevailing current, the mood of the week was one of positivity, reinforcement and support.

I suppose most people become Steiner teachers because they believe - or rather they know - that the current education system is actually not healthy for not just children, but parents and society. They believe that there is a better way and that Steiner education, having a tradition of almost a hundred years which has been built upon and adapted to suit contemporary society, can provide what is needed to the human spirit and soul.

I was really completely impressed with the level of expertise, talent and how grounded the entire practise was. It was practical, it placed anthroposophy at the heart of the practise and it did not shy away from difficult questions. In Steiner education there is a meeting of all the things which i believe are important for the way we are going to take society forward today. The environment, ethics, and spirituality - this in turn informs economic and social/political structures which in turn asks us what do we need from human endeavours such as science and art.

There are no exams in school as such because the biggest test and exam we have in life is whether we have conducted and acquitted ourselves well upon this Earth. Do our actions bear out our intentions and how closely have we observed what our abilities and the consequences of those abilities are upon the realities of Earth bound existence? At the present moment i would say we as a collective species are failing this ultimate test SPECTACULARLY. We ALL desperately MUST DO BETTER - whether we like it or not, because really, we don't have any choice. The conference focussed on crafts as a way to teach everything from creating a balanced character to chemistry and history.

Those doing and observation we discover the world and ourselves. And the truth is that there is very little value in doing well in exams and being a complete asshole when it comes to how we live with the planet and each other. Of course we are human and we will annoy each other and carry out terrible hurtful actions knowing and unknowingly, however, surely it would be good to minimise the horrid things we do and maximise our good deeds. To speak to the best part of ourselves and each other.

There were personal struggles for me. I always find being in a new environment difficult. It shows me parts of myself which i did not know existed. Or perhaps i had forgotten about, or which i can conviniently ignore as i go about the day to day in the familiar. In a new environment the antipathy and sympathy goes into overdrive and i am deeply aware of this now. The trick is to hold the balance at all times, which means riding that 'wind horse', or 'lungta' as the Tibetians call it, with some strength and skill. Sometimes it works and sometimes it does not. But what it has shown me is that of course with more practise i will get better at it.

Actually physically doing horseriding has also been really good. It has helped me realise how difficult balance is in a non-judgemental way. I still have a loooong way to go.

Birmingham was fabulous. When i arrived in Birmingham i realised that i knew nothing of it. I got off the train and looked at the map and then remembered that it had a really famous art gallery and museum. Edward Burne-Jones was a son of the city and the gallery had amassed quite a collection of pre-Raphaelite art. I also visited his stained glass windows in the churches. Several times i was brought to tears with how beautiful everything was. I felt nourished and cared for... there was plenty of opportunity to think about nature as the sun was out and i was reading Steiner's lectures on the Gospel of St John. The revelation of the individual in the cosmos and how Easter fitted into this was perfect for this time of year.

I suppose if i had to define the general mood of the moment for me, I would say that I am in complete awe with the beauty, dignity and resilience of the human spirit. I think that is what has come for this trip to the Easter conference. Of course there are terrible things that we are capable of doing, but as Hamlet says, "Use each man to his just desserts, and who will 'scape whipping?" Words are easily said of course, actions are what stands us true in the end and these are not easy to carry out at all if we are struggling with our limed souls. The great task before me is to look past the annoyances - MY annoyances - and to constantly see that beauty.

Well there is plenty to think about, plenty to be done. So the Forest School and horseriding and now i am going to add flowers and sacred geometry to my list of things i am going to look at this year. I have always been interested in flowers - i think it is time to delve deeper into them.

It is becoming clear that there is a sacredness inherent in everything around us. How do we move forward with this is my question. The entire universe is a divine creation, and even if you believed it was not, it would be useful to regard it as such, only to recognise that it is living and needs to be cared for.

Quietly but deeply inspired is probably how i'd describe how i feel, and it feels really, really good.