Welcome to issue 11 of the YSA Newsletter. If some of you are wondering why you're suddenly receiving this again after not having paid for it this year, it's because this year (and hopefully from now on) the newsletter is free! Of course, freedom from fees also means freedom from restrictions, so feel free to pass this newsletter on to anyone you think may be interested.
Recently we've had some rather amazing conferences happen both in NZ and Perth. This issue has two articles by John Stubley (who went to both) telling us about them. Thanks to John for these.
I hope everyone is having a happy and productive 2008.
Back to top of page.A spontaneous personal account of the asia/pacific initiative meeting and the titirangi youth gathering.
You may have read about the recent Asia-Pacific Youth Initiative Meeting and the New Zealand Youth Gathering in the recent Youth Section e-news from Dornach - all the info is here. This I offer more as a spontaneous personal picture of the bridge building, the community building, that can take place in events such as this.
It was my first time to New Zealand, my first time at a youth initiative meeting, and my first time at a youth gathering. I thought it was about time to go to events such as these, seeing as we're putting two on here in Perth in a couple of weeks - to be honest, I wasn't really sure what to expect. I didn't know who would be there, I didn't know how the form of the meeting and the gathering would relate to the respective themes of money and relationships, and I didn't know how I'd relate to the themes themselves - it was all new - it was all the future rapidly approaching, and I had to make a space for it to arrive.
I think from the start, the 'tone' of the whole time in new Zealand was clear - Heloise Valdivia (the woman who has been carrying the section in New Zealand for many years) picked me up at the airport at 2am - an amazing deed that I will never forget.
This earnest selflessness and warmth flowed right through the whole initiative meeting that followed - Noel's presentations on 'the spiritualisation of money' and the talks afterwards, Sue's eurythmy and movement in relation to this, Gosia's clay workshops, Glen's talk on economics, Laura's passion and photographs from Aramitan, discussions about existing initiatives and ones that are seeking our help to emerge, the many small side conversations (especially the ones just before bed) the delicious meals, the wonderful architecture and facilities of Michael Park School, the greenness of the grass, the water all around us, the larva flowing beneath the country, the fast-moving clouds, the entire youthful vitality of New Zealand, the feeling of being constantly 'held' in this country, and the strange waddle and cry of the Pukeko bird.
But more than all of this, the human beings who came together from around new Zealand, Australia, Germany, Switzerland and Japan - Heloise, Anna, Tosh, Jay, Raechel, Jossie, Julia, Michael, Katie, Gosia, Lisa, Sue, Elizabeth, Noel, Glen, Laura - the beautiful, warm light of all these people coming together in the beautiful, soft, warm light of New Zealand - in addition to everything else that unfolded, and all the other initiatives (present and future) that we discussed, it felt like the real initiative of our coming together was actually in our coming together - in the 'warmth' we created in the space between us as human beings, as young people (and more experienced people) with a desire and a passion to work out of Anthroposophy in order that we may help one another and 'wake up' in the encounters we share - this for me was the real initiative from New Zealand - the spiritual community we were able to form as a result of our 'meeting', in the deeper sense of the word - and I sincerely thank Heloise Valdivia and Anna Sunseri for creating and organising a space where such an initiative could unfold. I also thank the Ruth Ainsworth bequest for helping me, as well as Katie, Gosia and Jossie with our travel costs.
Something special has come about as a result of this - for me, I no longer experience the New Zealand youth section or the New Zealand Anthropsophical society as just another section or society - just another institution with buildings and related initiatives that puts on a conference or two every year - I now know it as a vibrant, living being consisting of many wonderfully talented, welcoming and strong human beings, with a general secretary (Sue Simpson) of great insight, warmth, understanding and humour.
Likewise with my perception of the Australian youth section and the society - I am now coming to know more of the individuals who make it what it is - together we have strengthened the bridge from the great isolation of Perth across the Nullarbor to the east of Australia, and across the Tasman to New Zealand.
The same can be said about the other countries involved (Tosh from Japan, Jay from Germany) and also, importantly, about Dornach and the Goetheanum - the entire global youth section and the worldwide Anthroposophical Society has taken on a new meaning for me, thanks to the supporting, open arms of Elizabeth Wirshing - I now know a human being at the Goetheanum - someone who represents it, as well as the youth section and the society as a whole - all of these things now shine with enhanced life for me - the worldwide society now reaches beyond the newsletters I receive every few months, the youth section beyond our work here in Perth and the news of initiatives, the Goetheanum beyond a building in Switzerland - through this time in New Zealand I now experience more than ever the Goetheanum, the society and the youth section as existing within the spaces between us - and so in making stronger our connections at this meeting, we have not only made the individual links between us stronger, but we have also strengthened the life of the youth section and the society as well.
I am so grateful to all of the wonderful ?bridge builders? who came together to allow this to happen, and to the many others who weren't able to make it this time around, but have been busy building in the past and continue to do so now. I'd also like to acknowledge all of the bridge builders of the future, yet to come - I hope that they find a youth section worthy of their tasks, and that, as I and others get older, we may be able to hold them and the new impulses they bring with great warmth and understanding, as all the experienced anthroposophists at this gathering have done for us.
No doubt, some of these future bridge builders will come from the amazing forty or so people who came together at the Titirangi youth gathering that followed the meeting - seven days devoted entirely to the building of relationships - successfully co-building these 'bridges of warmth' - my congratulations and great thanks to Alex for organising this whole event, and to all those who could make it - this is what we in Perth as well as other youth section and society friends are truly interested in (as evident through the Titirangi gathering, and in the upcoming 'Bee Master' festival, and 'Art of the Future' gathering) - connecting with one another, truly meeting one another, 'waking up' in the encounters with one another (indeed 'waking up' to the Anthroposophy in one another, as Horst Kornberger puts it), to building bridges of warmth so that we may be able to strengthen what lives in the spaces between us - our community - our spiritual community - our society - and our section.
Back to top of page.The art of the future has arrived! From Germany, New Zealand, Victoria, New South Wales, and Western Australia, young and youthful people came together in Perth last March to sculpt the warmth that exists between us as human beings. Together, we not only explored new social and artistic life, we experienced what it actually requires to be an artist of the social sphere ? an artist of the future.
Like fish flexing their fishy muscles - their spaces entwined
in wave-like, flag-like, flappings
waving in, waving out -
Standing tall and proud, open and welcoming
Sitting low, weaving their heartbeat into
the centre of the earth.
(HM, EP, MK, JS)
Because it is difficult to paint a picture of our experiences in a conventional 'report', we have added photographs of our gesture art, clay pieces, and labyrinth work, and have included some of the creative writing we produced together. Hopefully these additions will act like 'doorways' onto the experiences of the gathering.
Folded down the flower rests
behind a wall of love
So very tired
it longs to touch
the deep dark fragrant earth.
When morning comes
it lifts its head towards
the brilliant sky.
And the sky is nodding and bending down
to kiss the brilliant flower.
(JW, LP, LD, DS)
Working consciously with the 'being' of the gathering, with others we share a connection with, with the rose cross meditation (thanks to our wonderfully supportive guide and future-artist extraordinaire, Jennifer Kornberger), as well as with new forums for discussion, the holding of questions without grasping for answers, labyrinth work and existing artistic mediums, we strove to melt the walls that separate us from one another, and attempted to consciously created a 'sculpture' made of warmth - a sculpture that uses as its medium the substance that lives in the spaces between us.
From four round balls,
Four pieces of different shapes arise
Four balls to four forms talking - forming -
shaking hands in the spaces between them
invisibly
Reaching out in search of warmth,
Engulfed in warmth, simultaneously absorbing and radiating warmth
to the rhythm of their flow.
(HM, MK, EP, JS)
During our time together we created some wonderful gesture-art, some powerful clay pieces, and a collection of very fine creative writing. But the highest art of the gathering was what we were able to form through human relationships - through interacting with one another in such a way that the individual can support the community as a whole, and the community can support the individual in all their strivings. Our individuality was not lost during this process, but strengthened - not only through our morning and evening meditative sessions, but through all the activities of the gathering.
The moon calf's ears are listening
The fountain's halves are whispering
And I am waiting
Leaning forward with anticipation
What knowledge will follow?
The clay laughs
The glacier calves
What is this new creation?
(GK, KD, SM, JK)
All our activities formed part of a greater process - part of the Goethean wholeness of the entire gathering. Everything we did added to the warmth sculpture we created - the spiritual community we attempted to form.
I did not know I was going to fall
I fell
And you were there to catch me.
You are always there to catch me.
I am ready to catch you,
Laughing
and crying sometimes.
I?m worried about you,
but not in an unhappy way
I'm fine.
I benefit from loving you, you know.
I'm strong,
You're strong,
WE'RE s-t-r-o-n-g.
Got it?
We are both standing upright now
Standing on our own two feet.
(JW, LP, LD, DS)
This event was created, organised and run by youth section members, with the guidance and support of Jennifer Kornberger. The organisers attempted to work consciously with the 'being' of the gathering for over a year, and did so through regular study groups, planning meetings and meditative work. In one sense then, the gathering actually took place over a twelve month period - from planting the initial seed in fertile soil, to tending the growing plant, and then finally to co-harvested and enjoying the fruit with all participants during our days together in March.
As if a flower unfolded from a vessel
originally the secret of what was contained
was kept?
A mirror of an archetypal memory
Reaching towards the outside world.
It sprang with vigor from modeled
surrounds
carefully conjured from disparate
leanings
But truth and beauty have common ground;
Once found in common hard unlearned.
So the linking flowed in togetherness
Untroubled by less emscious beginnings
And a complete form was reached
and now rests, in peace.
A picture of movement between three.
(JB, GB, SM)
The organisers would like to thank Jennifer Kornberger for her unending support, Melchior Mazzone for his website brilliance, Evan Sanders for his financial genius, as well as the Anthroposophical Society in Australia, WA Branch, for their very kind donation which helped make this event possible. Especially we would like to offer our humble thanks and congratulations to all the exceptional artists-of-the-future who were able to attend the event: Lotte Peters, Dominique Schacherer, Emma Parker, Michael Killian, Gotthard Killian, Lisa Devine, John Blackwood, Jesse Williamson, Susan McCaughtrie, Sonia McGillvray, Hiroko Mihay, Jennifer Kornberger, Katie Dobb, Gosia Basinska, and John Stubley (as well as Sue Simpson and Paul Mackay for adding their experienced hands to the sculpture during our final afternoon session).
Listen
Listen, hear the grass growing.
Hear the flower unfolding,
calling for a bumbly bee
Sky is high
Sky is blue
Listen to the sky
Listen to the blue
Listen to the high
unfolding
flower.
Listen to the bumbly bee
Listen to the soft singing
Listen to the flower unfolding for it.
Warm is the nourishment
from the middle of the sky.
(HM, MK, EP, JS)
One participant was overhead saying, following the event, 'it is like we carry around a secret now.' Another participant, while driving to the Bee Master Michael-Easter Festival after the gathering, said, 'to everybody else driving past, we probably just look like five people in a car!' And it is with great joy that the organisers received these two very heartening emails from participants upon their return home:
"There's never a day that I don't think of you all and everything I learned and experienced in Perth, I still feel the warmth and carry it with me always, letting it pass through me to touch others around me. I hope they feel it too!"
"I think the energy we created has already spread!!! I even left some of it in Dubai! And I haven?t even started to unfold it all yet...Anyway I'll never forget this wonderful experience!!"
Of course, it is our great hope that the sculpture we created here in Perth can live as a gift for everyone everywhere. May it follow the currents of human and spiritual warmth throughout all worlds, and may it find you, as this report has, wherever you may be. This final piece was written by all the artists at the gathering - each of us adding our own line and our own warmth to the poem which, in turn, supports each very special, individual line.
Weavings, shapings
I was clay and then you breathed me human
And the hardness melted into the sweetest most golden honey
A mess of the most beautiful kind
Fruitbowl purrs and moohs with breathing warmth and hidden heart pulsing
Community Creatures Clumped Budding
Nothing will stop us meeting!
'The hills are alight with the sound of music'
Spaceship Earth, flying moon calf to the zoo
I like noodles and I like noodling around!!!
Here we are! All a tangle and still ourselves. Balancing.
Everyone has a space in this space for everyone - our warmth melts all obstacles The earth is a masterpiece
Joined together with the grace of life.
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