Rudolph Steiner
In a previous posting the topic of synchronicity was mentioned, and yesterday one of these cosmic wrinkles demonstrated itself again in a subtle linking of thoughts and activities.
I have previously urged visitors to this peripatetic blog to have a look at the blog produced by my remarkable daughter Sasha which – when she is not ranting at current demons in her life (such as bureaucracy) – explores aspects of her academic studies (MA at Exeter University) in Western esotericism. By osmosis (and by reading Sasha’s blog postings) I have acquired a modest understanding of this topic, so yesterday, when meeting with colleagues in the New Medicine Group (Note: this is a temporary website, new one is in development) for a regular Monday late-afternoon continuing professional development session, my antennae tingled (a sure sign of a synchronistic event for me), when a particular topic was discussed.
One of the group Amanda Berlyn (Holistic practitioner, Dr Hauschka skincare expert)
was explaining the principled way in which the Hauschka products she uses in her work are created. Grown on the Biodynamic agricultural principles laid down by Rudolph Steiner (photograph) plants are harvested by hand and are then processed using extraordinarily complex, yet elegantly simple methods, which immediately made me think of some of the alchemical ideas that are being evaluated as part of Sasha’s course material.
What fascinated me, in particular, were the processes involved in the Hauschka production process, when plant essences are extracted and preserved, without alcohol or any other chemicals, using a sequence of rhythmic exposure over a period of a week or more (as I recall) to various external features such as light and dark, heat and cold etc. The resulting tincture remains stable, and is then used in the various medicinal and beauty products.
Later in the evening I called Sasha (I’m in London, she’s in Athens) and we discussed variously the snow that is disrupting normal activities in that city, and the damage it has done to the mini-garden on her balcony in the suburb of Neo Faliro.
I then launched into my description of the flower extract methods, Steiner’s influence etc etc, all the time aware that modest chuckles were emerging as she too relaised that I had identified a link to her current studies – and then synchronicity revealed its part in all this.
Because of the snow Sasha’s teaching had been suspended (as had all other teaching in Athens for the day), and so she’d been reading up on her present module material, and the topics included – Steiner’s work and all that flowed from it, and his links with esoteric concepts and thinking.
As I say, when these irregular but not uncommon synchronistic moments occur, it is very very hard indeed to maintain a rational perspective.
There is no reason on earth that I should be exposed to Steiner’s work (reminding me of topics I had come across many (40+) years back, but have not thought of since) on the same day that Sasha was reading about his work in depth for the first time.
Of course it is coincidence….. but that’s part of the definition of synchronicity isn’t it.
What fun!