The Incarnating Child

The mystery of conception, pregnancy and birth evoke wonder, even in today's fast paced technical world.�The Incarnating Child�respects that, 'Our birth is but a sleep and a forgetting.' Joan Salter picks up Wordsworth's theme and follows the soul life of tiny babies into childhood and adolescence.

It all began when James Peterson was a camp counselor and two children, watching him meditate, described the colors they saw around his form: “…we saw colors coming out of his stomach. And the outside was purple, then it was blue, then it was yellow, then reddish and light yellow in the middle.” Studies indicate that almost seven percent of young children have such psychic experiences. For the most part, they don’t tell anybody about them for fear of being ridiculed. But the author believes it would be psychologically healthy for them to relate such occurrences to adults if they feel the need. In this book Peterson has put together a charming collection of case-histories about such psychic episodes. He believes they should be accepted as factual: that frequently they emanate from the “wisdom of innocence” present in youngsters. The question of the secret life of kids is examined by Peterson from the point of view of philosophy, occultism, and child psychology. He suggests why and how such experiences manifest, and their potential value to the child’s growth pattern.

The primary contention of this book is that, as a spiritual being, each of us lives beyond death, and eventually returns to earth in a new human body. With this knowledge in mind, the authors give much sound practical advice as to how parents, and others who spend time with children, can welcome a soul to the world and help it grow into a healthy and responsible human being. Mainstream educational policies and practises can result in children being pushed prematurely towards adulthood, before having had a chance truly to experience childhood. As the authors demonstrate, an understanding of the nature of the human being as comprising body, soul and spirit leads to the conclusion that every child should be allowed to grow slowly into the world. 'One of the main purposes of this book', write the authors, 'is to demonstrate that human beings are primarily of spiritual nature, and only secondarily of bodily nature'. They explain how these two natures complement each other in the processes of maturation and development from the period before birth, or incarnation, to maturity.As well as a firm philosophical grounding, Your Reincarnating Child discusses critical questions surrounding the pre- and antenatal periods, including issues connected to clothing, food, play, work, technology, discipline, and much more.

18 lectures in Dornach, January 9 - February 22, 1920 (CW 196) In the vast range of Rudolf Steiner's lectures, jewels of all kinds lie hidden in plain sight, awaiting only our discovery of them. Such lectures contain a kind of wisdom not found anywhere else. And sometimes, as in What Is Necessary in These Urgent Times, they also have a translucency and conviction that makes them transformational. In early 1920, political, economic, social, and spiritual chaos was everywhere. The old world had fallen apart and would need to be rebuilt. Anthroposophy, too, had to be remade. Recognizing this, Rudolf Steiner tirelessly working for the "threefold social order," establishing the first Waldorf school, helping to create businesses, and addressing the talented, educated, and idealistic young people who were beginning to turn toward Anthroposophy for answers. In these lectures, Steiner speaks in the new, direct "Michaelic" way, seeking the path to a new way of doing Anthroposophy. Throughout the critical situation of the time, he never lost his sense of humor or his compassion and equilibrium. His tone is warm, relaxed, and intimate. Rather than following a strictly predetermined path, he speaks directly from the heart about what concerned him. He stresses that the task of spiritual science is to awaken us to reality and to a true understanding of life that sees through illusions and understands the ever-present potential of evil. Speaking both esoterically and exoterically, he returns repeatedly to the importance of community, of meeting one another face-to-face, heart-to-heart, as individuals. Thus, rather than seeking power and control, we are called to cultivate trust and receptivity. This takes a spiritual transformation. We must learn to live this present life in the context of our greater spiritual life, which extends from before birth through earthly life and into the life after death that precedes our next birth. At the same time, we must come to know the Christ, who is to be met only in community. Selfishness, egotism, has no part in the new way: "When someone is alone Christ is not there. You cannot find Christ without first feeling a connection to humanity as a whole. You must seek Christ on the path that connects you with all humankind.... To be connected only with your own inner experiences leads you away from Christ." Steiner deals with many other important themes, as well, including "imperialism," the initiate behind Shakespeare, Bacon, and James I--makers of our modern age--and well as fascinating, initiatory remarks on reincarnation, esoteric physiology, and psychology. Running throughout the talks is the earnest admonition to be true to the spirit and the call to come to our senses and not fall prey to self-pity. Now, as it was then, the world needs us to be awake spiritually, and we need the world to be awake spiritually. There is nowhere to hide. What Is Necessary in These Urgent Times is a translation from German of Geisitige und soziale Wandlungen in der Menschheitsentwikelung (GA 196).

The first book in America to popularize the insights of Rudolf Steiner, founder of the Waldorf schools, regarding the developmental needs of young children, this revised and updated edition offers new ways for parents and educators to enrich the lives of children from birth to age six. Today’s society often pressures us into overstimulating young children with flashcards, workbooks, videos, and electronic gadgets in a well-meaning attempt to give them a head start. But children are not little adults—they learn and grow in radically different ways at different ages, and what we do to help could actually hurt instead. Some of the most important learning years happen before your child reaches school. In You Are Your Child’s First Teacher, respected Waldorf educator Rahima Baldwin Dancy explains the different stages of learning that children go through from birth to age six, giving you the wisdom and understanding to enrich your child’s natural development in the right way at the right time. A trusted classic for over twenty years, this newly revised edition contains updated resources and additional information on discipline, early childhood programs, toilet training, using home life as curriculum, and more. From language and cognitive development to appropriate toys and nourishing your child’s artistic abilities, Dancy speaks up for a rational approach to child-rearing, one that helps children be children while we fulfill our important role as parents and first teachers.

Nowadays parents are bombarded by any number of approaches about how to be with their children. YOU ARE YOUR CHILD'S FIRST TEACHER introduces a new way of understanding the human being so that parents can be best equipped to serve as their own children's best teachers. Chapters include: Caring for the Newborn, Helping Your Toddler's Development, The Development of Fantasy and Creative Play, Nourishing Your Child's Imagination, Rhythm and Discipline in Home Life, Readiness for School, and more. From the Trade Paperback edition.

The Author sheds important new light on addiction, so that both individuals and professionals can make more informed choices. Drawing on extensive research with drug users and his rehabilitation work as a psychologist, Ron Dunselman offers remarkable insights into: why drugs are so attractive to users; the origin and history of drugs; detailed descriptions of the physical and psychological effects of each drug; how drugs undermine personal identity.

"Julian is, without doubt, one of the most wonderful of all Christian voices. She gets greater and greater in my eyes as I grow older." -- Thomas Merton Other than what is contained in her singular work, Showings of Divine Love, we know almost nothing of the personal life of Julian. We do, however, know something about her background, as a recluse, or anchoress, and the social, cultural, and political life of late-fourteenth-century England. Although nothing of it is mentioned in her Showings, the times in which Julian lived were fraught with political, social, and economic upheavals in both Church and state. There are, indeed, many parallels to the present age. This, in part, helps to explain why Julian speaks so loudly to today after six hundred years of silence. On the thirteenth of May, 1373, Julian received a series of sixteen visions centered on the person and sufferings of Jesus and on the Trinity. A short time later, she wrote an account of them in twenty-five chapters (known as the "Short Text"). Twenty years later, after much prayer and reflection, she wrote another account consisting of eighty-six chapters (called the "Long Text"). During this important interim, Julian the visionary became Julian the theologian. Julian's visions correspond to the classic understanding of such phenomena. Some visions were spiritual locutions. In this experience, God spoke directly to her heart in such a way as to communicate with absolute, unquestioned clarity the desired message. Actual words were probably not used but the visionary was left with no doubt as to the authenticity or the meaning of the message. Other visions were visual or experienced as coming through the corporeal senses. These resulted from the direct action of God on the imagination. Still others were spiritual visions, not easily expressed and usually concerned with the deeper mysteries of God, such as the Trinity. Many of Julian's visions were combinations of all three types. This book is not a translation or paraphrase of Julian's Showings of Divine Love. Rather, it is a commentary--in 86 brief, meditative chapters--intended to provide information, reflections, and further theological understanding that will enhance the modern Christian's reading of Julian's book. It can be read independently, prior to reading Julian's book, or along with it, chapter by chapter.

Have you ever wondered what the Steiner approach is all about, where it comes from and how it can be used to benefit the young children in your setting? Bringing the Steiner Waldorf Approach to your Early Years Setting is an excellent introduction to this philosophy. Janni Nicol clearly explains the history of Steiner Waldorf education, the role of play in learning and the key themes of rhythm, repetition and reverence with ideas for activities and resources. Practical examples throughout the book involving children of different ages in a wide variety of settings allow readers to see the connection between theory and practice. This new edition has been fully updated to include: Clear comparisons between Steiner practice and the revised Early Years Foundations Stage (EYFS) requirements A section on the growth of international Steiner settings Information on celebrating festivals and outdoor environments This convenient guide will help Early Years practitioners, students and parents to really understand what the Steiner Waldorf approach can bring to their practice and children.

We can decide what we teach but we cannot decide what children will learn. Only the children themselves will decide what to learn. These three manuscripts whilst each being an individual study, are linked in their endeavour to assist children with challenges and diverse learning styles. ‘Seeing what is’ examines three topics , looking through the lenses of Steiner pedagogy comparing findings with current research, historical knowledge, current practises, and close observation of today’s children . How do children learn? What influences their learning? How, can we assess children’s learning ? And how do we decide what is important for children to learn.