Timeline of Meeting Summaries

Poetry Night / February 10, 2024

"Tools of the Trade" / Photograph taken in Robinson Jeffers "Hawk Tower" / Big Sur / Northern California, North America / Photo: Bruce Donehower   March 10, 2024 Dear Friends, Several times each year, the Section has a Poetry Night in which friends and members of...

2024 North American Section Conference

Artwork by William Keith  The Genius of Language * A Conference for Friends and Members of the Section for the Literary Arts and Humanities of the School for Spiritual Science in North America September, 2024   “To one who understands the sense of speech The...

“The Origin of Fairytales” by Almut Bockemühl

Artwork: "The Three Feathers" by Marion Donehower (Visual Arts Section)     “Is The Fairytale is Mightier Than Philosophy?”   "Once upon a time there was a king who had three sons, two of whom were clever and intelligent, but the third one did not talk...

“The Poet and the Dead” by Albert Steffen

Artwork: "Monolith X" by Marion Donehower (Visual Arts Section)   At the Section meeting on February 24, 2024, we discussed the topic of Literary Modernism in respect to Threshold Experiences and Soul Loss. A variety of twentieth-century modernist poets and...

Our First Meeting in 2024!

“Winter Scene in the Seaside Village Kambara, Japan” / private collection February 3, 2024 Dear Friends: Here is a summary of the recent Section for the Literary Arts & Humanities meeting of the School for Spiritual Science in North America that occurred on...

“Remembering the Beginnings”

  Dear Friends, Happy New Year 2024. May the Phoenix bring you blessings! Here is a video of a presentation arising from our Section work together. This presentation occurred during the Holy Nights at a Zoom meeting organized by  "Anthroposophy in the Bay Area"...

Arvia MacKaye Ege / Pioneer for American Anthroposophy

At our Section meeting on December 2, 2023, I gave a presentation on Arvia MacKaye Ege. This presentation is part of our ongoing Section study of the MacKaye family. For a related video, watch the previously posted Section video introduction to Arvia's father Percy...

“Steps Toward a Poetry of Knowing” / Part Two

Artwork: "Toward Solstice" by unknown artist; private collection     It's Advent, and that’s the time of year when I typically look back over past months and settle a few items on the “To Do” list. One of those items is “Rudolf Steiner’s First Address.” If...

Mark McGivern / “Tolkien’s Hidden Pictures”

  Author McMcGivern from British Columbia joined our Section meeting on November 18, 2023 to present and discuss his book Tolkien’s Hidden Pictures: Anthroposophy and the Enchantment of Middle-earth (SteinerBooks). Here is a recording of Mark's presentation....

Philip Thatcher / “Workshop of the Artist”

  Video recording of the presentation given by poet Philip Thatcher at a meeting of the Section for the Literary Arts & Humanities on November 11, 2023. Philip had prepared this talk for the Festival of Initiative that occurred in Manitoba Canada in August...

The Dark Forest: A Fairytale

  In Search of Ars Poetica. Does the work of our Section really matter? What do we do? Why do we do it?       470. ARS LITTERARIA. The Literary Arts. Everything that a scholar does, says, speaks, suffers, and hears, etc. must be an artistic,...

Sovereigns of the Grail

This is an abridged English-language version of the lecture given in German in Dornach at Pentecost 2023 when Marion and I attended the International Grail Conference. I shortened this lecture and changed a few things for a North American audience in order to fit it...

Poetry Night / December 16, 2023

Our meetings for the year 2023 concluded with a Poetry Night & New Moon Salon.  Several times each year, the Section has a Poetry Night in which friends and members of the Section read original poetry and in which poetry lovers in the Section read favorite poems....

“Chaos & Kosmos!” Manitoba, 2023

  Video of Performance at Fraserwood Hall During the Height of the Festival   Peter Selg Presents a Talk on the Christmas Conference at the Manitoba Festival.   A Brief Report on the Conference "That Good May Become!" by Bruce Donehower In August 2023,...

Section Meeting Schedule / Winter-Spring 2024

Artwork: "The Sun at Midnight" by Marion Donehower    Winter/Spring 2024 Meeting Schedule for the Section for the Literary Arts & Humanities of the School for Spiritual Science in North America   This schedule might change; so, please keep an eye on the...

Parzival’s Quest

  A video made to celebrate the May 2023 Grail Conference at the Goetheanum in Dornach, Switzerland. The video includes photos of the Arlesheim grottoes  and poems by Section Poets and poet-friends of the Section. The poems were taken to the Grail Conference...

La Loba

Artwork: "Self Portrait" Paula Modersohn-Becker Summer 2023 Report from the Section Fairytale Group The Bare Bones This summer the Section Fairytale Group decided to go global. Up until now we have read mostly the Brothers Grimm and some tales from Northern European...

2023 Grail Conference

Photo of Goetheanum in May    A Summary of the Section Meeting held on June 17, 2023.   “When indecision's in the heart The soul is bound to grieve and smart! Scorned but also well adored Is he whose soul and heart are torn `Twixt light and dark, and neither...

“Buddhism and the Literary Imagination”

  “Listen natives of a dry place from the harpist’s fingers rain” — W.S. Merwin, “The Boast” from Writings to An Unfinished Accompaniment   At Our Meeting on May 6: Robert McDermott and I facilitated a dialogue and discussion on the topic “Buddhism and the...

Keeping Silent / Earth Day, 2023

At our Section meeting on Saturday April 22, 2023 we shared news about events in the Section and the Class. I did not make a recording of this evening. We started off with a verse by Novalis, and then we enjoyed a selection from a poem by Pablo Neruda, "Keeping...

Introduction to Novalis

  A Brief Introduction (20 min) Toward the Festival of Initiative Manitoba, Canada / August 2023    

Poetry Reading by Peter Rennick

Poet Peter Rennick read his "Valentine" poems at a Section meeting on February 11, 2023 in celebration of Valentine's Day. Here is an MP3 recording of the reading.           Artwork by Suri Oru   3.5.23

Poetry Reading by Philip Thatcher

North American poet Philip Thatcher reads poems from his collections "Fine Matter" and "Good Time" that were inspired by Samuel Hearne (1745 - 1792).  

“Mystery of the Two Jesus Children”

This Interpretive Commentary on a lecture by Rudolf Steiner on September 5, 1910 in Bern, Switzerland was given at a Holy Night Celebration of the Faust Branch as an offering from the Section for the Literary Arts and Humanities and from the work arising from the...

Winter Solstice Poetry Night / December 17, 2022

“Poetry arises from the natural action of the human spirit. Does not every human being strive and compose at every moment?” -- Novalis, Heinrich von Ofterdingen   Poetry Night / Winter Solstice Celebration On December 17, 2022, the Section for the Literary Arts...

“The Winged Lion” / Lecture by Robert McDermott

Robert McDermott joined our Section meeting on December 10, 2022 to give a presentation on "The Background to the Gospel of St. Mark," a cycle of lectures given by Rudolf Steiner in various locations during the years 1910-1911. This 30-minute lecture was followed by a...

Going for Water

At our Section Meeting on December 3, 2022 Jennifer Greene from the Natural Science Section spoke to us about water and her lifetime experience as a scientist who researches the physical and spiritual mysteries of water. Jennifer spoke about poetry -- how poetry...

Shakespeare / A View from the Stage & Glimpse from the Gallery

Fred Dennehy and I brought Shakespeare back into our Section conversations at the meeting on October 29, 2022,. Fred surveyed the authorship question and then moved to the play Hamlet. Fred has acted in several plays by Shakespeare, and he enlivened the evening with a...

Philip Thatcher / A Poetry Reading

Poet Philip Thatcher joined our meeting to read from his books of poetry Fine Matter and Good Time. Philip's books are available: Purchase in Canada Les Éditions Perceval Percevalbooks2001@gmail.com USA Customers: US $30.00 (postage included in the price) Purchase in...

Poetry Night / June 25, 2022

“Poetry arises from the natural action of the human spirit. Does not every human being strive and compose at every moment?” -- Novalis, Heinrich von Ofterdingen   Poetry Night / St. John's Celebration On June 25, 2022, the Section for the Literary Arts and...

Percy MacKaye / Our American Drama

At the Section meeting on June 11, I gave a lecture presentation on American poet, playwright, biographer, and impresario Percy MacKaye, along with a look at the extended MacKaye family: Steele MacKaye, Arvia MacKaye, Christy MacKaye, Robin MacKaye, Marion MacKaye....

“Hyacinth & Rosebud” by Novalis

A Fresh Translation for the 21st Century! This edition contains an Afterword "The Healing Art of Fairytale" that explains why our Section friends and members turned to Novalis at the beginning of the Covid era. Preview or Purchase the Book What is anthroposophy then?...

Steps Toward a Community of Poets

  “It is really quite unfortunate,” said Klingsohr, “that poetry has a high brow reputation and that poets are set apart as special types. There is nothing so very mysterious about it. Poetry happens as a natural function of the human mind. Does not every human...

Steps Toward a Temple of the Human

˛ Our April 30, 2022 meeting of the Section for the Literary Arts and Humanities of the School for Spiritual Science in North America featured Arie van Amerigen from Montreal, Canada. Arie spoke to us about his 2021 publication: The Foundation Stone Meditation and the...

Steps Toward A Poetry of Knowing / Part One

Mont Ventoux? At our meeting on April 16 we walked a bit farther up the mountain called Art and Theory of Art: Foundations of a New Aesthetic, lectures by Rudolf Steiner published by SteinerBooks. We surveyed and discussed the Table of Contents and refreshed our...

“An Actor’s Search for Grace” / Lisa Dalton

Meeting Summary / St. Joseph of Arimathea Day At our meeting on March 19, 2022, Lisa Dalton gave a presentation. Lisa, as many of us know, is an actress, theater professional, and Chekhov Acting Method master teacher. She spoke on the topic: “An Actor’s Search for...

The Gospel of St. John / Presentation by Robert McDermott

Here is a summary of our meeting of the Section for the Literary Arts and Humanities of the School for Spiritual Science in North America that occurred on Saturday February 5, 2022 on Zoom. Next meeting: February 19, 2022 at 7 pm Pacific. Friend, colleague, and...

“Rock Crystal” by Adalbert Stifter

A New Year's Eve Salon Performance Offered by the Section for the Literary Arts and Humanities; Sponsored by the Faust Branch in Fair Oaks “. . . Adalbert Stifter, a significant writer . . .” -- Rudolf Steiner On New Year Eve 2020, the Section presented to the Faust...

A Carole of Poets: Advent 2021

“The Birds Can Do Nothing But Sing” / A SECTION POETRY READING On December 18, 2021, the Section for the Literary Arts and Humanities of the School for Spiritual Science in North America met by Zoom for a Poetry Night. This was our fourth Poetry Night of the year. We...

“The Actor’s Process” by Fred Dennehy

"The Actor’s Process” by Fred Dennehy https://vimeo.com/653898711 Fred Dennehy is a class reader and longtime member of the Section for the Literary Arts and Humanities of the School for Spiritual Science in North America. He is a member of the Section collegium. Fred...

Poetics of Place / A Ritual Circumambulation

Henry David Thoreau “At a Glance . . .” "I have met but one or two persons in the course of my life who understood the art of Walking, that is, of taking walks—who had a genius, so to speak, for sauntering: which word is beautifully derived from “idle people who...

Philip Thatcher, North American Poet

“Reading the River” photo by Bruce Donehower "At a Glance . . .” On Saturday October 30 poet Philip Thatcher gave a reading of his poetry. Philip also discussed “The Poet’s Process.” Philip is the former General Secretary of the Anthroposophical Society in Canada....

The Genius of Language

“Mary Wollstonecraft in 1790 - 1791” by John Opie "At a Glance . . .” As mentioned in the meeting summary for October 2, this autumn we have returned to themes that were under discussion at our last in-person meeting on March 2020, just prior to Covid isolation. We...

The Art of Memory

“Listen to the Bear” photo by Bruce Donehower "At a Glance . . .” At our recent Section meeting on October 2, 2021, we returned to themes that were under discussion at our last in-person meeting on March 2020, just prior to Covid isolation. We discussed the North...

Meetings, Poetry, & Publications

“For California is a Poem!” Words by Ina Coolbrith. Photo by Bruce Donehower Here is a summary of recent events and a look ahead to autumn, the “season of mists and mellow fruitfulness." A Section for the Literary Arts and Humanities meeting of the local group in Fair...

History of the Literary Arts Section

“A Poem Found Written on a Rock at the American River” / Photo by Bruce Donehower A North American Zoom Meeting for the Section of the Literary Arts and Humanities! On Sunday September 19, 2021, at 1 pm Pacific Time, the collegium of the Section for the Literary Arts...

Report from the Secret Garden

The 2021 Fair Oaks Summer Fairy Tale Group By Marion Donehower “When did it happen? Where did it happen? Did it happen at all? Is it happening now?”   “All fairy tales are dreams from a distant homeland everywhere and nowhere.” -- Novalis _____________ I already...

A Letter Home from Summer Camp, August 2021

“Bolinas Diary,” photo by Bruce Donehower Dear Friends: This mid-summer “letter home from summer camp” Section report will tell you about: Wilhelm Meister Italian Journey Faust / A New Issue of Stil “Why Can’t Henry Sit Still? / The Moral Challenge of Faust” / an...

“Umstülpung!”

“Offering” photo by Bruce Donehower Summer Break! Last night — in a hybrid meeting on the porch — we celebrated the completion of sixteen months of weekly Zoom meetings for friends and members of the Section for the Literary Arts & Humanities. A Milestone! Our...

James Joyce, Modernism, & the Unborn

At our recent Section meeting, I introduced the topic of Literary Modernism and took a look at the novel Ulysses by James Joyce.  Art, Spirit, Epiphany A Waldorf Perspective   “James Joyce, the twentieth century literary giant, had a vision of the arts. He saw...

Spirit Remembering

"Bisonte Magdaleniense polícromo” Cave of Altamira Here is a summary of the recent Section for Literary Arts & Humanities meeting of the local group in Fair Oaks, CA. This meeting occurred on June 19, 2021 via Zoom. "Time past and time future What might have been...

Liberation

“Liberation” by Marc Chagall, 1932 Here is a summary of the recent Section for Literary Arts & Humanities meeting of the local group in Fair Oaks, CA. This meeting occurred on June 12, 2021 via Zoom. "At a Glance . . .” “Poetry Night" We held our second poet’s...

Owen Barfield / Presentation by Fred Dennehy, Ph.D.

“Owen Barfield: The Soul of a Word” In this 30-minute video recording from a Section for Literary Arts and Humanities meeting held on June 5, 2021, Fred Dennehy provides an introduction to the world and mind of Owen Barfield. https://vimeo.com/560277889    ...

Poetry Night / June 12, 2021

Illuminated poem by William Blake A Celebration of Poetry and Poets On June 12, 2021, the friends and members of the local group of the Section for Literary Arts and Humanities hosted the second Poets Salon of original poetry for 2021. We are fortunate that our local...

Novalis & The Healing Art of Fairy Tale

  This 20-minute lecture video is from a Section meeting held in Fair Oaks on November 20, 2020.   https://vimeo.com/583886003   Lecture by Bruce Donehower (20 min)   Novalis thought very highly of fairy tales. Much of what Novalis says about the...

Owen Barfield

“Sehnsucht” Photo by Bruce Donehower Here is a summary of the recent Section for Literary Arts & Humanities meeting of the local group in Fair Oaks, CA. This meeting occurred on June 5, 2021 via Zoom. "At a Glance . . .” “Owen Barfield: The Soul of a Word” Fred...

“Sumer is icumen in”

Here is a summary of the recent Section for Literary Arts & Humanities meeting of the local group in Fair Oaks, CA. This meeting occurred on May 22, 2021 via Zoom. "At a Glance . . .” "Sumer is icumen in . . ." We began the meeting with a quick “calendar set” for...

The Enigma of Beauty

Here is a summary of the recent Section for Literary Arts & Humanities meeting of the local group in Fair Oaks, CA. This meeting occurred on May 15, 2021 via Zoom. "At a Glance . . .” The Enigma of Beauty We turned once more to Friedrich Schiller’s Letters on the...

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