The Impulse and Power of Artistic Eurythmy

by Nachshon Andrew Dzedulionis

I have been reflecting about what’s going on in the world and here in America. How are we dealing and coping with the epidemic, war, political, racial extremes, hate, judgement, discrimination of all forms, division? And how it all affects us, children and adults we work with in eurythmy? How the art of eurythmy can be and is a healing force in these times, in particular right now?

As artists we have the skills, craft, and freedom of expressing ourselves through art forms—dance, expressive movement, a musical piece, poem, song, painting, photograph, flower arrangement, makeup, origami, delicious cooked meal, tailored garment, etc. These are manifestations of art each in its own way. Educators are artists of their crafts as well.

All arts are powerful entities of healing, as long as they come from the heart and spiritual inspiration. The epidemic and its worldwide impact on the arts is monumental damage, destruction to humanity, and to the spiritual world. With the war we see arts as a powerful tool for giving hope, strength to live for to the victims and the survivors. Suddenly out of nowhere I felt I was one with millions of others going through it all. I felt and lived their pain so strongly. It is hard to put that feeling, emotional condition into words.

This is our opportunity as eurythmists to heal the world, heal ourselves with eurythmy.

In my adult eurythmy class after welcoming and greeting the participants, I start with Haleluiah. I ask everyone to think about the current destructive events in the world and take into each gesture of Haleluiah the victims of the tragedy, the suffering ones, as well as the ones who causing it. They are also victims of authority, of power over them. We look into both polarities, the Luciferic and Ahrimanic forces. Afterward I read this meditation given by Dr. Rudolf Steiner in Summer of 1924:

I want to share how I apply this meditation in my teaching.

» “I seek within me ”

This strongly speaks to me as I A O exercise, and this is the I part, where I have to find and connect within myself with myself, to have the will forces to experience I through my physical body and reach into the Higher I, into the Cosmos.

» “The Strength of Creative Working, The Power of Creative Life.”

Here I feel and experience the A part, where I reach into the Cosmos, the spiritual world with I, now I tap into the gifts I bear in me given me by the spiritual world and Creator.

This next part resonates in me with threefold of Willing, Thinking, Feeling forces:

» “The heavy weight of Earth Through the Word of my Feet.”

This part resonates with the will forces in us. In order to do the first I, I need the will forces to lift up and straighten up my body into the I Gestalt. I have to have the spiritual impulse where it all begins, and then I need my will powers to complete the task with my physical body.

» “The forming power of the Air Through the Singing of my hands.”

Dr. Steiner said, “every gesture begins from the heart (chest region) and ends in the heart (chest region)”. Once again, I have to look back into the very first I and through A into will forces and now in to the feeling realm of my being.

» “The strength of Heaven`s Light Through the Thinking of my Head.”

Thinking has to do so much with the past. I reflect all that I have stored in me and resonate through the process of thinking in the present time. All the qualities, entities I bear in me, are resonating through me and the process of active thinking in present time events.

» “So, the World in Man Speaks, sings, thinks.”

The meditation concludes in O. I take it all in, from the very first impulse and inspiration thought, to the transitional “It tells me” and on to a renewed quality and experience of IAO and Willing, Feeling, Thinking.

Me standing in the middle of the lemniscate before I make one step forwards: I look where I am going to (1 Future) back to (2 Present) me, then to where I came from (3 Past), and then I do the actual step forwards. 1 = 3. Physical, Etheric, Astral and the actual step forwards manifesting through the higher I. This leads me further, into the ninefold nature from The Inner Nature of Music and the Experience of Tone by Rudolf Steiner.

If today’s music were not a part of the materialistic age, if all that man experiences today did not contaminate the musical element, then, based on what man possesses today in the musical element—which in itself. has attained world-historical heights—he could not but be an anthroposophist. If you wish to experience the musical element consciously, you cannot but experience it anthroposophically. If you take these things as they are, you can ponder, for example, over the following point: everywhere in ancient traditions concerning spiritual life, mention is made of man’s sevenfold nature.

The Theosophical movement also adopted this view of the sevenfold nature of the human being. When I wrote my Theosophy, I had to speak of a ninefold nature, further dividing the three individual members. I arrived at the sevenfold from a ninefold organization.

Since three and four overlap, as do six and seven, I, too, arrive at the sevenfold human being in [my book] Theosophy.

These are the Etheric forces that flow and work in me before each gesture I create and do in speech, tone eurythmy and project into the world, spiritual world and to all students I work with during eurythmy class. As well as in my artistic eurythmy performances.

Connecting through nature, the pure sound and time, translating into eurythmy. Working with these forces in me consciously I am not only working on my Karma and future but as well I heal and work on the present of humanity and the world, I manifest today as an eurythmist and as an individual. My faith is always one of the driving forces and inspiration to all I do, in my life and eurythmy.

One of many wonderful aspects of eurythmy I value so much is that what we create as eurythmist resonates and reflects in a Spiritual World as well as on each human being on the earth. This powerful gift of eurythmy comes with a greater responsibility for the world we live in and human evolution in general. To be able to create the art of eurythmy, live in a present moment with the knowledge and foundation of the past. Create and let it go without selfish egoistic attaching ourselves to what we created on the stage. Let it go and start creating again and again something new, a never ending spiral circle of life as an artist.

In eurythmy we are able, apart from the conventional thought element that must be present in everyday speech, to eliminate thought entirely and to derive movement directly from the whole human being, from the human will. We have, therefore, an immediate experience for which the artistic medium is man himself, and in which the impression is of man himself. Although dance-like in physical form, eurythmy did not grow out of the modern dance movement, but rather from the spiritually inclined artistic impulses. ( An Introduction to Eurythmy, 1913-1924 )

Eurythmy is art of the future with the roots of creation in expressive movement art that comes from love. I’m exploring new horizons as an artist, as a person, as me with art of eurythmy as my creative force and tool in today’s materialistic world! Eurythmy enables us to reach the unreachable, to tap into the Spiritual World through our own growth as individuals, as artists, as eurythmist.

This is a glimpse into my thoughts, experience and process through eurythmy during 2020/22 teaching online and in person, being able to perform once again after almost two years pause.

Nachshon Andrew Dzedulionis

Nachshon Andrew Dzedulionis learned about the art of eurythmy in January 1999 and received his Bachelor’s Degree in Music Education and Performing Arts in Vienna. Currently he lives and works in Los Angeles, where he gets to appreciate both the beauty of the ocean as well as the mountains, and offers classes and workshops for all age groups. Website: adzedu.wixsite.com/lartiste and YouTube channel: www.youtube.com/@resonanceofspace8639