At the Medical Section’s annual conference this September, a ceremony was held on September 16 to celebrate the handover of the leadership from Matthias Girke and Georg Soldner to Marion Debus, Karin Michael, and Adam Blanning.
Dagmar Breuer praised Matthias Girke’s work over the last seven years responding to the increased “demand from the media” in relation to anthroposophic medicine while continuing to offer a deepening of meditative anthroposophical experiences. David Martin shared a childhood picture of Georg Soldner (to great cheers in the packed hall) in order to demonstrate the doctor’s power of will and thought. Martin concluded his speech by saying that Dr. Soldner had refined his own perception of the heart.
The thousands in the packed hall thanked the two outgoing section leaders with a long standing ovation. Online messages were shared from around the world: From the Philippines, a seven-part thank-you and wishes of inspiration for the new team; from Russia, thank-yous were underscored with the sounds of lyres. From Brazil, the message was “Thank you for looking to the good in each one of us.” From Australia, Vivien Anderson recalled Matthias Girke’s invitation to visit the Havelhöhe Clinic in Berlin. From Taiwan came a thank-you to those stepping down and a greeting to those stepping up: “I believe with Dr. Debus, Dr. Michael, and Dr. Blanning our Section will step into a new horizon!” The next offering of gratitude came from India with photos of Georg Soldner traveling through the desert sands in India and on a crowded intercity bus. From the United States, thanks were expressed for all the guidance through the coronavirus crisis, given with wisdom and care for diplomacy, judgment, and collegiality. From Argentina, there were further gracious words and the wish “to begin a great collaboration with Karin, Marion, and Adam.” From Egypt, art therapy students wrote: “Thanks for enlightening our souls, widening our perspectives, and thanks for the joyful memories!” Dr. Porn Panosot from Thailand spoke from the tropical jungle, which made his welcome to the new team actually quite hard to understand over the many animal noises in the background! At the end, the stage of the Goetheanum was filled with our “medical family,” all the coordinators of the association IKAM (International Coordination of Anthroposophic Medicine).
Look for our upcoming December 8th issue, dedicated to the annual medical conference in Dornach.
Translation Joshua Kelberman
Image From left to right: Karin Michael, Marion Debus, and Adam Blanning at the handover of the section leadership during the 2023 annual conference. (Photo by Ariane Totzke)
