Goetheanum Leadership. From August 26 to 28, the Goetheanum Leadership met for its autumn retreat on the Odilienberg in Alsace. The place is historically closely linked to Arlesheim through St. Odilie (ca. 660-720 AD). On the first evening, Peter Selg reported on these connections and the trips that Rudolf Steiner made annually, from 1906 to 1912, to Barr at the foot of the Odilienberg.
As a way of self-reflection for the Goetheanum and the School of Spiritual Science, those responsible for the Sections prepared a written outline of what their concerns are and what challenges they see. These were then presented orally. From this, we distilled tasks, such as that of the younger generation and the urgency of inner work, in order to grasp spiritual perspectives—not easy in the face of so many administrative obligations. On the last day, we exchanged ideas in small groups and reflected on what each Section is planning. We will look back on these projects at the Goetheanum Leadership’s Christmas and summer retreats, even if many of these projects have a development horizon of several years.
In the coming year, which will be the 100th anniversary of Rudolf Steiner’s death on March 30, 2025, we will commemorate the last major events at the Goetheanum during his lifetime. This will be a moment of transition for anthroposophy and its impact, just as it was 100 years ago. How can we consciously shape this moment?
What picture do the events paint? What impulse can we grasp that will carry the Goetheanum into the next 100 years? With the events on the anniversary of his death, we are trying to honor with gratitude the immense innovative power of Rudolf Steiner that has sustained us inwardly for more than 100 years. With the Whitsun Conference on the School and the Sections, we want to initiate a Whitsun quality for the further development of the School.
It is with particular pleasure that the Section for Inclusive Social Development is being launched as the twelfth section. The ceremony to mark the founding of the section on October 5, 2024 includes a warm welcome from the existing Sections. Just as the founding of the new Section for Agriculture out of the Natural Science Section was a step towards differentiation that led to the expansion of the entire School, we now take a further step in the differentiation of the Sections with the founding of the Section for Inclusive Social Development. Therefore, we also welcomed Jan Göschel (leader of the new Section for Inclusive Social Development) and Eduardo Rincón (co-leader of the Section for Agriculture).
Finally, we took the time to review our procedural operations together and examine how the Goetheanum Executive Council, Leadership and overall management work together. How do we deal with the competencies in each area? Here, the Goetheanum Leadership, in particular, is called upon to further develop collaboration at the Goetheanum.
Translation Charles Cross
Image Back: Eduardo Rincón, Vesna Forštnerič Lesjak, Peter Selg, Philipp Reubke, Christiane Haid, Oliver Conradt, Jan Göschel, Gerald Häfner, Justus Wittich, Marion Debus and Constanza Kaliks. Front: Ueli Hurter, Nathaniel Williams, Karin Michael, Adam Blanning, Matthias Rang and Stefan Hasler, courtesy photo.
