Verses for and about Children (Waldorf Perspective.)

Introduction: I'm hoping that this small selection of verses from my teaching in Waldorf Schools will grow into a separate blog  that will offer verses and plays from the grades one through eight as taught by a class teacher.

(Second Grade and Fables) Stubborness Two goats met at a chasm Each on the different side, And each began to cross over on the tree trunk That bridged that chasm wide. Alas the trunk was narrow And no passing could there be, So stubbornly they butted each other until Both fell to die most miserably. (Second Grade and Fables) The Very Observant Fox Hungry was the Old King Lion For the taste of our friend fox. “Come dear fox and pay a visit,” Called he from his cave in the rocks. But friend fox he never rushed in To any place without great care; He now saw footprints that went into But none that came out from the lion’s lair. “Thank you for your most kind offer but I’ll not visit you today.” This the fox said then safely went home - What he’d observed saved his life that day. (Third Grade and Old Testament Studies.) The Paradise Song (Sung to “O’ Tannenbaum”)  There was a tree in Paradise  And on it grew an apple. The Lord commanded Adam be Obedient to his firm decree That he should not the apple taste Or out of Paradise must go. The serpent came and tempted Eve Who of that apple tasted; She then to Adam offered it And Adam of that apple bit And straitway out of Paradise Our God in Heaven sent them But not alone, for from his heart  There streamed forth great compassion  He sent the angel Michael To help mankind on Earth to dwell  Until the day He'd send his Son  Whose love would fulfil everyone. The Teacher: Child and Man I must now strive with right good will To do all that I can With the child that is before me And help him bring forth the man. And nearer perfection this will unfold If this striving teacher I am Can experience the child I once was myself Before conceptual life began. 10/26/05

(Fourth Grade includes helping the child experience at a deep level the theme of the following verse): The Importance of Parts A pack of cards that's missing one (Though fifty-one remain) Means all of those are not enough For playing every game. A jigsaw that is not whole, That has a missing part, Can't be completed, though hard you try Right from the very start. A minute is small part of a day But it in what you do Can make you feel so very sad Or happy the whole day through. And though I am myself a part And sometimes feel so small, My family, school, indeed the world Needs me to make it whole. (Fifth Grade and anticipating the move from imaginative life to conceptual life.) Imagine I swam in the water And O the fun! I shouted and splashed  Everyone! Then I had to leave And O the fright! Of leaving the water So warm and bright. I grieved on the bank But O the thrill! To see what I saw In the water now still. I saw the creation  Of God’s fifth day Silently move In their watery way. And then on the water O the surprise! Reflected am I To my wide-open eyes. I’m glad to be out now And able to see What while in the water Just couldn’t be. One day I’ll go back And O what fun When I share my adventures  With everyone! (Fourth Grade, the teaching of "Man and Animal,"  and the uniqueness of the human hands.) Hands Dear God I thank Thee for my home Of earthly flesh and upright bone And for its form which is divine Because its form is just like Thine. And thank you for the way my home Is striving just for me alone,  Except for hands that you made free,  That I might give as you gave me.

Verses for Rudolf Steiner and his Book "The Philosophy of Freedom."

Introduction: This is one of the four basic books of Anthroposophy. Among the many references Rudolf Steiner made to it was this one from 1906: "To catch hold of thinking in thinking, to finish rounding out the serpent of eternity -- this is the task of the fifth sub-race. To stimulate this in man -- that is the purpose of the book, "The Philosophy of Freedom."
Another blog connected to this book will be set up later.

The Author Straight he went to Eden’s door And he was welcomed in, A mighty yet humble traveler Now defeating the wages of sin. And past the old tree now withering To the Tree of Life he went, And gladly the branches bearing its fruit Down to the traveler bent. He plucked the fruit, and angel voices Sang the hymn of creation’s story And the traveler who was, on the Tree of Man Purest fruit of its own flowering glory, Who ate now the fruit, then bearing the core Straight out he went from Eden And planted the seeds in a book he wrote  Called “The Philosophy of Freedom.” 3/11/04 The Choir of the Few A large choir sang that  freedom’s illusion, But the  author knew they were wrong, And he took all the notes of the song they sang To create a better song. He played those notes with his thinking, And O the sweet harmony, That was created in singing his very new song In the choir of becoming free! 3/2/04  The Book Confirms The faithful thinker has the task Of ending duality By bringing the world that is without Within his own reality; To feel the world’s great waking To itself within his mind, Then sending forth a song of love And joy for all mankind. No fantasy is given here, But a truth confirmed by way Of the life of he who wrote the book We’re studying here today. 3/22/03

As Only You Can Just as the sun when rising at dawn Dispels all the darkness of night, Giving creation a new day of hope With its power, its love and its light, So from this scabbard book you hold, You can by your powerful will, From it draw forth thinking's sun-sword of light And the yearning of creation fulfill. 4/27/04 The Way to the Source His books and cycles shed true light On the myths and legends of old, On the bible, science and so very much more That enlighten as we strive to take hold. And the single lectures and articles Add to the gleaming stream That ever come bearing with his hope that we Will wake from our age-old dream, And make the world transformations Enthusiastically and following true In farming, education, religion and drama All these and more renew. And the sphere of this creative wholeness Like a gyroscope faithfully spins On the point of this book, which will lead you to The source where it all begins. 6/21/05 The Book In this new “bible” you will find A path to the heart with knowing mind, To an altar moment beyond recall, Reborn as One, revealed in All. 12/24/03 Follow the Angel The Angel to John on Patmos said, “Take you this book and eat.” Do you the same now with this book And Death in Life defeat. 2003

Update for Second Thousand

Dear Readers, 
      We have now reached the stage of having received 2,000 "hits" on the blog.  Here you will find a graphic and the sources for some of those "hits" over the last month. (This is part of the quite extensive information provided to the blogger by Google.) Our basic intent is to try to find persons who are working with Rudolf Steiner's great gifts or others who would be interested in him and those gifts if they knew about them. 
     While it was anticipated that the US would be where it is on the list , the great surprise has been to find Germany and the Netherlands so prominent on it, countries that are not English-speaking, and to see how few there are in other English-speaking countries where some attempts have been make to make known the site. 
     To mark this occasion of two thousand "hits," a special posting on Rudolf Steiner and his book "The Philosophy of Freedom" has been made.

"Follow Me."

“Follow Me”  “Follow me,”says the cold, brilliant Great Being, “To the stars and to my New World Day And you’ll live there immortal in bodies that are Made of earth matter that will never decay. “And you’ll be there and serve me with powers divine That were to be yours but I’ve made into mine.” “Follow me,” Christ on Earth to His Disciples said “And leave Earth for just a while behind, And come to the stars and to the Great Beings Who inside of the Stars you will find Ready to lead you to where immortal you’ll be A Being among Beings  Who has made himself free.” 8/10/14 The One to Be Found My higher self, the heavenly one,  Has sent me on a mission To the Earth, where I am there to wake up And become the great Truth of the Earth condition. So to Earth I came to experience illness and pain And lies and deceit and betrayal, And loss of others I loved very much  And experience despair and the great urge for withdrawal, But I stayed and became here where it could only be That I’ve now become One with the One who sent me. 8/7/14 Knowing the Sheaths The world of the senses arouses In the soul the world of sensations, And they like a sheath surround the “I” In feeling and thought permutations. But very different it is with the “I,” For it when awaking can become Itself a sheath for the eternal Truth, A spirit revelation inpouring with the Light of the Sun. The sheaths of the ego will in time pass away, But what the ego ensheaths will grow and stay. 7/30/14

From Soul to Free Spirit Truth and Goodness are Spirit Mother and Father Of the ego in the consciousness soul, Where it at the right time yields itself up to The Spirit that flows in as into a sheath with the goal Of forming and living the I with such spirit wealth That from out of soul life comes the free Spirit-Self. 7/29/14 The Power Is Love Freedom is the Ego’s true nature, But it begins by being enslaved  To so much that it loves but which makes it unfree And so from itself must be saved. But how then is this brought to be? What Power turns the Ego around? Turns it from sense- addictive dependence Through withdrawal and pain until true freedom is found? It’s only on Earth we can here wake and find That that Power is Christ’s Love now in the hearts of mankind. 7/8/14 And the Son to the Father Prayed... (John 17:5) "Let me be revealed in that Light That shone brightly around me when In your presence I stood, Holy Father, Before the world was created for evolving free men. And I will reveal You to all who come From You to me so it’s heartfelt and true In them who believe and who now can be In me as I Am now as One in you. But not for all mankind is this yet to be, Only individuals who are now striving to make themselves free." 6/24/14

Singularities: Technological and Michael-Christ

The Technological Singularity This Singularity is of that moment  When A sudden change of state takes place, And what’s experienced can’t be known in advance By those pioneering this new human race. But imagine if you will a wild monkey Having a singularity change of state By receiving an ego and the capacity to think -- So of us Singularity might Dark Angels make. Then on the Earth and from Earth with technological powers, We could expand through the Universe and rule it as ours! 5/24/11 Earthless and Expanded in Freedom Michael is the opposite of the cellphone That amazing tool of contraction, For Michael expands us into freedom of spirit Just the opposite of the cell phone’s Earth-perfected abstraction. And it’s the earth part of the cell phone which is keeping us unfree, Which is why matter and Michael never together will be. 7/13/14 Foundations of the True Singularity The Nine-fold Hierarchies of Heaven Are really of Kindoms Three, And together they brought forth the lovely Earth As a glorious Duality. The Third Hierarchy works in every Soul; The Second, into the great world of Nature, And the First Hierarchy rules over that union Of Soul and Nature together. And into this union Christ died so that we Could arise the New World Singularity. 5/28/14 Hurt to the Bone As son and daughter have left home And have found themselves and their freedom gained, And then have returned to the mother with love To help her in the time that for her now remained, So, too, the free spirits of the present time Come back to Mother Earth with love, Bearing gifts of the spirit that they have gained And brought down from the heavens above. But think now of the Earth Mother as hurt to the bone By those who abuse her - the ones who stayed home. 11/13/13

Singularities There’s a Singularity seed in Present Technology And others based on the unfree Spirit-Past, But all are illusions, for Christ is not with them And without His Presence our true freedom is lost. But Christ Singularity is very hard to attain Until found is the Way bearing Lord Michael’s Name. 5/28/14 We’re in the Lifeboat The Great Ship of Being at last sailed away And lifeboated in his body was man, But abandoned he was not for he now had the means To steer himself to his true I am, Then to board the Great Ship of Being once more And be there the free being he wasn’t before. 10/17/11 Cold Blood Only in the Cosmos The Earth can now be conceived, In this our Technological Age, As a brain that’s much interconnected And at a quite special stage. For we must imagine there is a brain user (And please note there is really but one), Who is birthing for itself a great body With activities that have just lately begun, With the sending of spaceships that go ever farther Out into the greatness of space, Tracing nerve pathways for his great new body Soon to be travelled by the unfree human race. But it’s a conscious cold body the brain wants to win And no blood that is warm will he ever let in. 8/4/14 The Forgetful Prodigal Son In the land of the glittering pigstye The Prodigal Son now wants to stay And make a pigstye of all the earth In his own greatly-assisted way. So clothed in false-freedom ideals “Be like me” goes his word far and wide And the innocent and the experienced Are swept up in the pigstye tide. And the Prodigal Son, forgetful indeed,   Thinks in origin he was matter unfree, But now he has freedom and his pigstye self-image Realized to the full must be. And to this he’ll accept no barriers or bars As his earth pigstye prison he expands to the stars. 3/2/10

He Creates the Path

He Creates the Path We Alone can Trod    He came to Earth the Son of God But much more did He here become, For later He came on the Clouds of Life As the Son of Man who had won A Path for all sons of man to trod And make of themselves free Sons of God. 12/2/13 Share with Care    You’re making a little real progress in life, Now be careful with whom you share. Remember the Lord said give nothing holy to dogs For on you they will then turn and tear. For the one thing they hate most is the reality Of a soul that’s progressed to where they’ve yet to be. 7/29/13  Beyond Heaven and Earth    I stood once again in the Garden, The Garden of the Advent Time, And I saw the Great Fall in it’s unredeemed Future And the Babe in the Present and what still could be mine, Which was to be with the ever-sounding Word, Which with Heaven and Earth gone, would still be heard. 12/11/13

The Michael Change    It really is a very long way From having in mind the notion That I’m only a drop in the vastness of all The world-wide starry ocean, To that of the ocean surrounding me Into which I can expand self-consciously. 6/1/14 Saying ‘Yes” on the Road (John 21:15-17)    He has loved us since the beginning And made sure that we were prepared When at last we were able to make ourselves free We’d have the strength not to be ensnared By the opposing powers who kept hidden from us The new question that had come to be, For He who loved all, and would always love all Now asks of us, “Do you love Me?” And we can say “yes” whether shepherd or king If on the long freedom road we are now travelling. 12/7/13 The “I” as Seed    The beautiful dung-heap that is our Earth, Last stage of Great Beings Divine, On it I shall grow red roses For a future that’s free and mine, For as I from the dung-heap strive to be freed I become in the rose blossom its new Divinity Seed. 12/9/13