“There’s a crack, a crack in everything.
That’s how the light gets in.”
Point Reyes Artist: Unknown.
Lyrics: Leonard Cohen.

“Return to the Mountain”

A Conference

of the North American Section

for the Literary Arts & Humanities

of the School for Spiritual Science

San Francisco: May 9-12

Click Here to Register 

Dear Friends and Members of the Section for the Literary Arts and Humanities of the School for Spiritual Science,

Here is a complete description of our 2025 North American Conference, beginning with the program and followed by Frequently Asked Questions.

Registration will be limited and may close early, as happened last year. Click here to register immediately. 

Conference Schedule**

Day 1: Friday Evening: May 9 / 7:30 pm / Festive Opening

Solo Violin Recital by Emmanuel Vukovich

Location: Swedenborgian Church, 2107 Lyon Street, San Francisco

Theme of the Day: “Every disease is a musical problem; every cure is a musical solution.” — Novalis

Music: Bach (Partita No. 2); Bartok (Solo Violin Sonata); Sheila Silver (Resilient Earth Caprices; composed for Emmanuel Vukovich); Sofia Gubaidulina (Dialogue: Ich und Du, Solo Credenza).

Day 2: Saturday: May 10 / 9:30 am – 9:00 pm

Location: Swedenborgian Church, 2107 Lyon Street, San Francisco

Theme of the Day: “Return to the Mountain”

8:45 – 9:30 Arrivals. Coffee and Snacks will be available.
9:30: Start of Conference / Bruce Donehower: Words of Welcome; Conference Overview
9:45 – 10:30 Presentation by Bruce Donehower / “Return to the Mountain: Tracks to New Mythologies”
10:30 – 10:50 Poem Presentations by Section Poets and Poetry Lovers
10:50 – 11:10 Break
11:10 – 12:00 Presentation by Christiane Haid / “The Crucial Importance of Art and Beauty to the Practice of Anthroposophy”
12:00 – 1:00 Lunch on Site
1:00 – 3:00 Presentation by Andrew Schelling / “Left Coast Modernism: Weaving the East-West Lemniscate” & discussion Q/A
3:00 – 3:15 Break
3:15 – 5:30 Small Groups / Discussion / Workshops / Persons can try two groups; one hour for each group

• Daniel Polikoff / “Orpheus. Eurydice, Rilke: The Path of a Modern Poet”
• John Bloom and Christiane Haid: “The Work of Anthroposophy in our 21st Century; “What is the School for Spiritual Science; What are its Tasks in our 21st Century?”
• Jeff Hipolito: “Where are the Scholars? Owen Barfield & the Word”
• Karen Gierlach / Biography Workshop

3:15 – 4:15 First Group Selection Choice
4:15 – 4:30 Break
4:30 – 5:30 Second Group Selection Choice

5:30 – 6:00 Gathering & Wrap up / Poems by Section Poets & Conference Participants

6:00 – 7:00 Dinner available on site
7:00 – 7:30 “lend a hand” / clean up

7:30 – 9:00 Performance of “Hymns to the Night by Novalis” in a fresh English language translation for our 21st century. Emmanuel Vukovich and Bruce Donehower. Copies of the performance text will be available for purchase at the event.

Day 3: Sunday May 11 / 10:00 am – 3:15 pm

Location: San Francisco Waldorf High School / 470 West Portal Avenue

Theme of the Day: “Who is Rudolf Steiner for Our 21st Century?”

10:00 – 10:30 Presentations on Theme of the Day by SF Waldorf High School Students.
10:30 – 11:30 Discussion with SF Waldorf High School Students; Joan Caldarera, moderator.
11:30 – 12:30 Refreshment Break
12:30 – 3:00 Panel Discussion on Theme of the Day
Keynote Presentation by Christiane Haid. / “Rudolf Steiner: North American”
Panel Members: John Bloom, Robert McDermott, Christiane Haid, Jeff Hipolito, Emmanuel Vukovich, Bruce Donehower, Gayle Davis
3:00 – 3:15 Closing Remarks / Invitation to the next day’s events

Dinner is on your own or as arranged during the day with other friends and members.

Day 4: Monday May 12

Location: Mt. Tamalpais in Marin County, California

Theme of the Day: “Spirit Explorations on Mt. Tam”

Daytime / Two Options:

1) Circumambulation of Mt. Tamalpais (Bruce will lead; early morning to dusk)

     Or, for those who do want to hike 12 miles with steep elevations

2) Artistic Explorations at Rock Spring, Amphitheater, & Mt. Tam Summit facilitated by Emmanuel Vukovich and Section Artists and Poets

Dinner is on your own or as arranged during the day with other friends and members.

Evening / 7:00 to ??

Meetup, Party, Music, and Poetry Jam at Rachael Staudt’s Gallery in Sausalito.

** Conference Schedule is subject to revision, so please keep an eye on it. Things change. “There’s a crack in everything. That’s how the light gets in.”

Click Here to Register

Frequently Asked Questions

What is the Conference Theme?

Our conference this year has the over-arching title theme “Return to the Mountain.” This title refers to the 2024 Section Conference and in particular to that portion of the Section Conference that was celebrated in San Francisco within sight of Mt. Tamalpais. The title “Return to the Mountain” was chosen because we are deepening the themes of last year’s conference. These themes and topics are threefold:

1) Bio-regional poetics of the Pacific Rim in North America;

2) Novalis and the Significance of Novalis for the Section for the Literary Arts & Humanities and for the School for Spiritual Science;

3) “Who is Rudolf Steiner for Our 21st Century?”

This year at the conference we have strengthened our already ongoing intersectional collaboration with the Section for Visual Arts and the Section for the Performing Arts of the School for Spiritual Science.

Who are the Presenters?

All the conference presenters and musicians and poets are persons who are closely associated with the work of the Section and the themes of this conference. In order of mention on the Conference Schedule, they include:

Bruce Donehower: Bruce is the North American representative to the Goetheanum for the Section for the Literary Arts & Humanities of the School for Spiritual Science. Click here for more information.

Section Poets & Poetry Lovers: These are friends and members of the Section who regularly contribute and participate actively in the ongoing Section meetings that have originated from Northern California since XXX. Click this sentence for more information on Section Poetry Nights.

Christiane Haid: Christiane is the leader of the Section for the Literary Arts & Humanities of the School for Spiritual Science at the Goetheanum (German name). She is the publisher of Stil magazine. Click this sentence for more information on Christiane.

Andrew Schelling: Andrew is a scholar, poet, and translator currently teaching at Naropa University in Boulder, CO. Click here for more information. Andrew will highlight his book “Tracks Along the Left Coast” during his talk at the conference. He will join us for a CircumTam on Monday.

Daniel Polikoff: Daniel is a poet, translator, and internationally known Rilke scholar. He teaches at the Pacifica Graduate Institute. Click this sentence for more information on Daniel.

John Bloom: John is the former General Secretary of the Anthroposophical Society in America. He is active with the North American Collegium and frequently contributes to those meetings and initiatives.

Jeffrey Hipolito: Jeff is member of the leadership group of the Section and a member of the conference planning group. He is a teacher and independent scholar living in Seattle, and he recently published two books on Owen Barfield. Click this sentence for more information.

Karen Gierlach: Karen received her Waldorf teacher training at Emerson College in England. She has taken the social art of biography to diverse communities in several countries.

Emmanuel Vukovich: Click this sentence for information on Canadian violinist Emmanuel Vukovich.

San Francisco Waldorf High School Students

Joan Caldarera: Joan is the founder of San Francisco Waldorf High School and a master teacher of the humanities at the high school. She is a member of the Section leadership group and member of the conference planning group.

Robert McDermott: Robert is a member of the Section leadership group and the former president of California Institute for Integral Studies. Click this sentence for more information on Robert.

Gayle Davis: Gayle is a member of the Section leadership group and a member of the conference planning group. She is the former president of Rudolf Steiner College in Fair Oaks, CA.

Rachael Staudt: Rachael is an artist and member of the Section leadership group and planning group for this conference. She works as an archivist at the Robinson Jeffers Tor House in Carmel, CA. Rachael was instrumental to the planning and success of the 2024 conference in San Francisco.

Where does the Conference happen?

San Francisco and Marin. On Friday night and Saturday all day and evening we will use the Swedenborgian Church. The Swedenborgian Church, a National Historic Monument, is located in Pacific Heights, near the Presidio at XXXX. On weekends, street parking is not regulated in Pacific Heights and is much more available than during the week; however, the hills are quite steep. You might want to consider übering to the Church, back and forth. (Or if you are signed up for Waymo in SF, you can use the app to have a self-driving car pick you up.) On Sunday we are using the San Francisco Waldorf High School at XXX. On Monday during the day we will be outside on the slopes of Mt. Tamalpais and during the evening we will be at Rachael Staudt’s gallery in Sausalito at XXX.

How do I make arrangements for overnight stay in San Francisco?

Rachael Staudt, a member of our conference planning committee, has recommended the Holiday Inn Express in MIll Valley. The Hotel Drisco is within walking distance to the Swedenborgian Church. San Francisco and the outer surrounding areas have many overnight options. Check online.

Is it possible to buy a ticket to only a single day or to individual lectures or single performances? 

No.

Who do I email if I have questions?

Email the conference planners: SectionConference2025@gmail.com

Help! I changed my mind! Can I get a refund?

No refunds are possible after March 31 for any reason. We are running this conference on a very tight budget. Prior to March 31, contact SectionConference2025@gmail.com. Your refund, prior to March 31, will be paid after registration has closed on March 31.

“Are there scholarships for the conference? Can I apply for travel assistance?”

Some limited funds may be available, but this depends on registrations and donations. Last year the generous donations of a few anonymous supportive donors allowed us to provide assistance to several persons. This year, we’re not sure. Persons must register to be considered for assistance. Assistance, if available, will be allocated according to order of requests. Contact SectionConterence2025@gmail.com

“Are meals included in the conference fee for San Francisco?”

Snacks and coffee will be available throughout the day on Saturday. There will be a mostly vegetarian lunch and dinner offering on Saturday and a light refreshment at noon on Sunday.

How do I become a “member” of the Section?

The Section is part of the School for Spiritual Science. Therefore, you first become a member of the School. To do that, you need to contact your local class reader. For information on the First Class of the School for Spiritual Science, click this sentence. The class reader will explain how things work and what you need to do. Once you are a member of the First Class of the School for Spiritual Science, you become a member of the Section by introducing yourself to someone on the Section Leadership Team (me, for example, or anyone else on the team). Introduce yourself and let us know that you feel a destiny connection to the Section and the School and its work. You can introduce yourself in a friendly, collegial way by phone, email, letter, or personal contact, or arrange a Zoom. We like to assume that as a member of the Section you will contribute to the Section’s work by sharing news of what you are doing, by joining in-person events or Zoom events, and by donating to the Section as a free deed of collegial support. Currently, we do not have “dues.” The Section is not monolithic. Persons who self-identify with the Section and its tasks do not necessarily announce themselves or talk about their activities. But to participate in the community and to share in work of the Section, it is important to introduce yourself and share news with others about what you are doing in so far as that is possible. Rudolf Steiner put a great deal of emphasis on the warmth arising from the spiritual friendships between persons who feel inspired by Anthroposophia, and he hoped that they would collaborate and learn to get along.

But can I affiliate with the Section and participate if I am not a “member” of the Class? I like what the Section is doing, but I am not ready to become an “official” member. I don’t like to formally join groups or organizations. 

We welcome your interest and enthusiasm and participation. You do not need to be an official member of the Section. This is a Conference for friends and members of the Section. And in fact, all Section meetings to date that have originated in Northern California have been for friends and members of the Section.

Suppose I have other questions about the Section or the School for Spiritual Science or Anthroposophy?

This conference is an excellent place to investigate and to have such questions. Join the discussion group with John Bloom and Christiane Haid, for example. Or talk to anyone on the North American Section Leadership Team. Or talk to Christiane Haid or persons at the Conference during one of the many breaks. Christiane is the leader of the Section at the Gotheanum.

Why are you using the Swedenborgian Church?

Because it is an outstanding and premiere example of the arts and crafts architectural movement in America at the end of the 19th century. The people who freely assembled to build this Church were American artists and visionaries. The Church is a surviving link to an older spirit-visioning of America.

In case you are not familiar with the Church, here is an introductory video by storyteller-poet John Gaul, who was a member of the Church for many years until his death recently.

Click Here to Register 

2.20.25