Awakening Nature Perception- A Phenomenological Approach
| Place: | Rudolf Steiner College, Fair Oaks, California |
| Start date: | Saturday 03, December 2011 |
| End date: | Saturday 03, December 2011 |
| Times: | 9:30am - 3:30pm |
| Price: | Individual Sessions: $65 General, $35 Students/Seniors; Entire Series (7 sessions): $365 General, $235 Students/Seniors |
With Laura Liska. A course of study intended for those interested in a deeper understanding of nature. Sessions may be taken individually or as a series.
Participants enrolled in the entire series will be given exercises and recommended readings for practice between sessions.
From the Greek phainom (that which shows itself) and logos (the creative word), phenomenology is the study of appearances—how the world speaks to us and how we find meaning in the world. As a practice, it leads to an inner experience of the forces that form the natural world. Over time, this experience awakens and strengthens new organs of perception within us which are attuned to Nature’s dynamic living processes.
This practice forms the foundation of our work in Biodynamics. It begins by approaching natural phenomena with a sense of wonder—of questioning—and a willingness to withstand “not knowing.” Then, combining the rigorous observation of science and the intuitive awareness of art with disciplined inner picturing, an inner readiness is prepared so the essence of the phenomenon can reveal itself in our thinking.
Each of these sessions explores a different phenomenon—tree, rock, feather—with exercises that help develop the capacity to perceive formative forces in Nature. Sessions include a combination of observation exercises, scientific considerations, artistic exploration, meditative practice, and plenty of discussion.
Sess ion 1: Trees October 8, 2011
The tree will be our guide as we learn how to observe plants from root to leaf tip, leading into an exploration of the archetypal formative elements of straight lines and curves through the artistic medium of form drawing.
Sess ion 2: Leaf Color November 5, 2011
Taking Autumn as our cue, we will investigate the physiology of leaves throughout the year. We’ll use finger paints (yes!) to explore the archetypal relationships of yellow, blue, and red revealed in the change of leaf color.
Sess ion 3: Water December 3, 2011
Beginning with observations of structure and fluid motion, we’ll consider water’s role in mythology and culture, cross-referenced with scientific findings, and look at the development of the Flowform as an
exploration of the cosmic nature of water. with Guest Instructor Patrick Garretson
Sess ion 4: Rocks February 4, 2012
Earth’s most ancient creations—simple rocks—will be our guides as we work with archetypal geometries of crystal and geological formation, and experience them through the art of paper folding.
Sess ion 5: Birds March 3, 2012
Working both scientifically and artistically with the delicate beauty of plumage, we will explore patterns, colors and structures that help reveal the inner nature of the bird and its relationship to air.
Sess ion 6: Grasses April 14, 2012
Guided by the elegance and simplicity of grasses and the formative principles from projective geometry, we will explore the archetypal relationship of Earth and Cosmos which manifests in the plant.
Sess ion 7: Flowers May 5, 2012
If ever there was a creation that could teach us to read the language of nature, it would be the flowering plant. Working with plants used in Biodynamic preparations and the art of form drawing, we will explore the nature of the plant kingdom through the flower.
“When we surrender ourselves to nature, we do not encounter the ether-waves, atoms, and so on of which modern physics and physiology dream; rather, it is spiritual forces that are at work, forces that fashion us between birth and death into what we are as human beings… It is of all things phenomenology that enables us to perceive how spirit works within the external world. It is through phenomenology, and not abstract metaphysics, that we attain knowledge of the spirit by consciously observing, by raising to consciousness, what otherwise we would do unconsciously, by observing how, through the sense world, spiritual forcesenter our being and work formatively upon it.”
—Rudolf Steiner, Boundaries of Natural Science
Individual Sessions: $65 General, $35 Students/Seniors
Entire Series (7 sessions): $365 General, $235 Students/Seniors
There is also a half-day introductory event available 'A Phenomenological Approach - An Introduction to Phenomenology' on September 10, 2011. Details here.
