Beholding the Heart of Nature
A Course of inner development based on a year of encounters with Nature
Our Inspiration “The Natural gifts, naturally inherited knowledge, traditional medicines and so on that have been passed down from ancient times are all losing their value . We need to acquire new knowledge in order to be able to enter into all the inter-relationships of these things. Humanity has only two choices : either to start once again, in every field of endeavour, to learn from the whole of nature, from the relationships within the whole cosmos, or to allow both nature and human life to degenerate and die off. There is no other choice. Today no less than in ancient times, we are in need of knowledge that can really enter into the inner workings of nature”. “Spiritual Foundations for the Renewal of Agriculture, lecture 2” Rudolf Steiner
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Cover Picture :- Prof. Brian Goodwin “Beholding the Heart of a Rose” in Pishwanton Wood Brian Goodwin (1931—2009) was an ardent advocate of exploring new knowledge from nature.
What is the course? The course 'Beholding the Heart of Nature’ is a schooling path based on Goethe’s work, developed by Rudolf Steiner, and carried forward in Dornach, Switzerland (in the Natural Science Section) and all over the world While conventional scientific methods of objective observations and clear-thinking are an important part of the Goethean scientific methodology, the Goethean schooling in this course aims to develop in addition an enhanced attitude and orientation of soul which deepens conventional knowledge and can lead to a deeper understanding of nature and our relationship to it. This understanding has positive effects on both personal and professional development. The course follows the year at Pishwanton through the cycle of the zodiac, through plant observation, landscape study, animal observation, art, movement, music and physical activity appropriate to the time of year. In this way we learn to listen to what the year of the earth as a great living being has to tell us, leading to a deeper understanding of nature and, through this, of the self.
A one year intensive experience. Why one year? To experience the full zodiac, beginning with Aries To complete a personal research project interwoven with monthly exercises As a commitment to change yourself - to learn and use Goethean Science as a participative experience
There will be a weekly colloquium for students to share their experiences and their research projects.
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The story behind this course In the 1990s Axel Ewald and Margaret Colquhoun ran a sequence of courses called the Life Science Seminar. These courses were inspired by Goethe's scientific search for the archetypal source of his artistic inspiration. Of special relevance to us in the British Isles is the relationship between art and science in the Hibernian Mysteries. The participants in the Life Science Seminars visited the places where these Mysteries had been practiced. In 1997 a group including several Seminar participants met to devise a longer training. The outcome was "The New Hibernian Way": a sequence of courses making their way through the seasons, the Celtic and the Christian festivals and mystery sites of the British Isles. Meanwhile, in 1992, the Life Science Trust had been founded in order to purchase Pishwanton Wood in S.E. Scotland and to establish a centre for the teaching and practice of Goethean Science. Many courses were held here outside in the “landscape classroom”. In 2001 work began on a Goethean Science building at Pishwanton which is now complete.
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So the “New Hibernian Way” has found at Pishwanton a 'New Hibernian Place'. The next step now is a "College for Goetheanism" offering an artistic, scientific and practical education based on the Goethean Scientific method. This is concentrated in the Whicher-Wilson-Wilkes building for Goethean Science.
Who is the course for? This course benefits many people at different levels of participation! The full years course provides a good foundation year for students in any anthroposophical training. It offers a practical introduction to Anthroposophy and thus is an excellent complement for students of anthroposophical medicine, Waldorf teacher training, biodynamic agriculture, herbalism and social studies. It offers already qualified scientists and teachers a career enhancement or continuing professional (or personal) development and also provides an accessible route towards an understanding of anthroposophy for any interested person. This course has a role to play in the upper school of Rudolf Steiner Schools - for example for specialist teachers who have no Waldorf training. In summary—"Beholding the Heart of Nature" is a foundation year for people at a turning point in their lives or who want to bring something new into their life's work or deepen their profession.
is a foundation for young adults who are seeking their life's task
is a sabbatical for people in mid career
is a reorientation for those seeking a new task / way of being in later life
is a component of a biodynamic apprenticeship training
is for anyone wanting to reconnect to nature in a deeply spiritual way
is for people who want to enhance another training
is a gap year for adults
For those who cannot manage a whole year of intensive learning, the components lend themselves to be taken as separate modules—as a three month block on a particular topic—or as individual weekend workshops. 4
What will this course do for you? The breathing in and out of Nature and the interplay between science, art and practical, meditative work on the land during the course gives rise to a harmonisation of head, hands and heart. This, in turn, results in an understanding and trust of one's own intuition and the confidence to act responsibly in the world. Beholding the Heart of Nature is a path of self-development intimately embedded in practical life in the natural environment. It allows the growth of a sense of who one is as a human being in relationship to Nature and rejuvenates love and a feeling of responsibility for the natural world. Thinking becomes enhanced after the experience of this programme and the capacity to make well thought through decisions. In addition, this work strengthens one's inner will and harmonises the feeling life. Community building Participants learn how to meet the four kingdoms of nature. Practiced in a group, this can free-up one's own habit life and allow the acceptance of the opinion of others, thereby moving towards the foundation of new community. In a diverse group of people, each with their own project, the discussion widens everyone’s horizons and intercommunication becomes an essential part of understanding one’s own work from other points of view. Likewise practising the same scientific method throughout the 12 months of the year on different aspects of nature, generates an appreciation of the wholeness of the life of the earth as well as a reflected balancing of every human being. By working together as a group as well as on individual projects participants can express their own individuality while contributing to the group/community building effort. Living, cooking and eating together enhances the community building experience. 5
What is the Structure of the year? The course is divided into twelve self-contained modules each of which can be taken as one weekend workshop or three week-end blocks within a learning epoch. However, full immersion for each zodiac sign at monthly intervals over one year is highly beneficial and recommended for more serious students of Goetheanism or biodynamics. There are four epochs of learning - Aries to Gemini - Cancer to Virg - Libra to Sagittarius - Capricorn to Pisces
- Plant studies - Landscape - Animals - Human Being
Each epoch is broken down into three sessions on a given topic. The course can be taken as a full-time residential course for students with their own projects or students may attend individual monthly week-ends only, or a block of three on a particular topic. Each long weekend will involve a meditative observation in Nature, followed by a group artistic exercise. There will be an introduction to Goethe’s work and to the topic being studied, individual research, artistic activities and some practical work on the land. All courses begin on Friday afternoon and finish at the end of Sunday afternoon
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Spring - April - July - "The Plant as Teacher" An introduction to Goethean Science - through learning about the plant kingdom. This practical hands on experiential learning is accompanied by text study to show the development of Goethean Science into the Spiritual Science of Rudolf Steiner. The intense study and appreciation of nature in its unfolding in the spring of the year, growth and culmination into flowering and the understanding and processing of medicinal plants take place together with practical work appropriate to the season and artistic activities, which complement , enhance and spring from the above.
Summer - July - September - Components of the Landscape What plants grow where? How does the underlying geology shape the environment? How can we see the landscape as a mirror of human activity and thought? Three months of exploration of nearer and wider landscapes deepen Goethe's method and enhance our experience of ourselves in relation to nature. Design of new landscapes out of an appreciation of the old will be a major component of this epoch. Development of new spaces obviates any need to "hanker after" the past. Drama in the landscape will complement the science and lead to a promenade performance of a mystery drama in Pishwanton. 7
Autumn - September - December - Animals in the Landscape and Evolution The animal kingdom is approached first by observing live animals as they move through and inhabit Pishwanton's landscape. Then by trying to understand them as an outer picture of certain aspects of the human being. Studying the animals in situ we learn to "slip into their skin". This is followed by the study of animal skeletons, which leads to an appreciation of the different groups of animals and our inner relation to them. Clay modelling and eurhythmy complement this epoch. Winter - December - March - The Human Being, Embryology and Colour Theory Having started with ourselves and gone out into the kingdoms of Nature, we now turn back towards the human being and try to get to know the outer and inner nature of ourselves more deeply . We will study the human skeleton and its metamorphoses, work with music and speech and finish with Goethe's colour theory.
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Who is teaching this Course? Beholding the Heart of Nature is conceived and run by Dr Margaret Colquhoun together with a number of colleagues including Axel Ewald, Eta Ingham Lawrie, Charles Lawrie, Paul Matthews, Richard Ramsbotham, and Margaret Shillan, Margaret Colquhoun studied Evolutionary Biology at Edinburgh University, where she also worked as a Research Scientist. In the 1980’s she moved to Germany to train as a Goethean Scientist in the Carl Gustav Carus Institute under Thomas Göbel and at the Natural Science Research Laboratory in Dornach Switzerland with Jochen Bochemühl and Georg Maier. Since 1989 she has been teaching throughout Britain and Europe and in 1996 was co-founder of the Pishwanton Project of the Life Science Trust, where she currently runs and teaches within the College for Goetheanism and is responsible for the Scottish arm of the Goethean Science Training for professionals (www.anthrobotanik.eu). Her main areas of interest are medicinal plants, landscape and animal evolution. She lives in Berwickshire. 9
Monthly Contribution to the “Beholding the Heart of Nature” Course at the Life Science Trust Centre from April 2014 to march 2015 by Charlie Lawrie of Duns Goethe and Steiner, some questions and results of re search: 1. The Thought—being of the world? - Aries 2. The exercise of reason? - Taurus 3. Underlying Mathesis? - Gemini 4. The Ground of Materialism? - Cancer 5. The sense of Sensationalism?- Leo 6. Phenomenalism, Phenomenology, Phenomenosophy? - Virgo 7. Realising Realism? - Libra
8. Dynamology? - Scorpio
9. Monadology? - Capricorn
10. Ontology? - Sagittarius
11. The Poetic Spirit? - Aquarius
12. Psychology, Psychosophy? - Pisces
Going round the circle of world—view—points as foreseen by Goethe in 1811, and demonstrated by Dr. Rudolf Steiner in 1914, in his lecture series concerning “The Human and Cosmic Thought”. Motto., from his 1904 “Introduction to super-sensible world-knowing and human destiny” : “For the human being is a thought being.” Charles Lawrie is an Edinburgh born, life long research student of Goethe and Rudolf Steiner. He lives in Duns. 10
What does the course cost? Course Costs As w/e course taken individually For three w/e in a three month block For the year
£230 per w/e (Concessions £205) Tuition, all materials, lunch and snack £630(Conc. £595) (if paid one month in advance) £2550 (Conc. £2535) (if paid in advance)
Work, supervision and accommodation between the courses will be worked out individually for each student. Where will you stay?
Life Science Trust Accommodation Greenbank Cottage £40 per night (D B & B) (Mostly shared rooms)
Quince Cottage Craigie Lodge
£40 “ £40 “
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£10 Single room supplement Goblin Ha' Hotel, Main St. Gifford Tel+44 (0)1620 810244 Fax+44 (0)1620 810708 Email: stay@goblinha.com
Seven en-suite rooms which all have TVs, tea/coffee making facilities and hair dryers. B & B £59-79 per room Single occupancy £53.10—£69.12
Duncastle B. & B. Eaglescairnie Mains Gifford Double / twin en-suite rooms £42.50 per person per night Tel/Fax: 01620 810491 £60 single occupancy. Email: williams.eagles@btinternet.com Discounts are available for stays of 4 nights or longer Tweeddale Arms Hotel High St. Gifford Tel +44 (0)1620 810240 Email: tweeddalearms@hotmail.co.uk www.thetweeddalearms.co.uk 11
B.& B. £60-£90 per room per night
Mrs Gill Tait B & B Redshill Farm Gifford EH41 4JN.
£60 - £85 per room Discounts for more than two and four nights
Summary of Courses for 2014 - 2015 offered by the Life Science Trust at Pishwanton Wood Beholding the Heart of Nature week-end courses Week-end Dates Aries 25 - 27 April 2014 Taurus
23 - 25 May
Gemini
27 - 29 June
Cancer
25 - 27 July
Leo
22 - 24 August
Virgo
26 - 28 September
Libra
31 - 1 October/November
Scorpio
28 - 30 November
Sagittarius
26 - 28 December
Capricorn
30 - 1 January/February 2015
Aquarius
20 - 22 February 2015
Pisces
27 - 29 March 2015
Please apply to the office of the Life Science Trust (address on back page) for details, prices and course leaders or check www.pishwanton.org
In between are the following courses :Compost Making & the biodynamic preparation plants Medicinal Plants and their Meaning Medicinal and Culinary Herbs Growing Harvesting, Processing & Preserving Plants for Home Use Kitchen Pharmacy & Cooking Plants in the Landscape Evolution Cookery Courses Plant families and Healing Processes Study of Stars and Zodiac Sacred Architecture
And alongside these we are running practical training activities throughout the year on :Green Building (See www.pishwanton.org) Exploring & Painting the Scottish Landscape Dyeing with Plants Weaving with Natural Colours Spinning and Felting Wool Various Green Woodwork Courses
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A6137 to the Sea
A1 to Tranent and Edinburgh
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Bus services X6/X8 run east from Edinburgh to Haddington and west from Dunbar to Haddington. Bus service no. 123 runs from Haddington to Gifford.
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B6355 Gifford
By Car: From the Southeast: - take the A1 towards Edinburgh and exit at Haddington. All other Routes: From Edinburgh, take the A720 City Bypass toward Berwick-onTweed (A1), and turn off at Haddington. From Haddington: - Follow the High Street through the town centre, turn right at the sign to Gifford. At the edge of town, turn left onto the B6369 to Gifford and follow signs to the Gifford town centre. By Air: To Edinburgh airport. Take an airport bus to central Edinburgh and then bus no.s X6/X8 to Haddington and 123 as above).
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Haddington and A1
By Rail: The nearest Railway Station is in either Dunbar or Edinburgh.
Haddington
B6369 to
How to Get to Pishwanton and Gifford? (www.travelinescotland.com)
B6 35 Pe to E 5 nc as ai t S tla a nd lto an un d Tr a
A1 to Berwick on Tweed and Dunbar
To Haddington and the
To Duns & Longformacus
Baxtersyke To B6368
To Humbie and
A68
Pishwanton
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