The Ita Wegman Curative Education and Social Therapy Course in Hungary
During Advent 2019 Bart Vanmechelen attended the Hungarian Ita Wegman course in curative education and social therapy. It was a special event, not only because of Bart’s contributions in lectures and workshops, but also because the Hungarian Anthroposophical Society provided the space for the meeting, as it was organized together with Péter Takáts, the president of the Anthroposophical Society. Thus, after the visits of Jan Göschel and Sonja Zausch, the third member of the Council’s leadership team had the opportunity to get to know our country and our group.
On this weekend we had guests besides the participants of the training. In the morning of the first day we had a look at how the Council works. Then we familiarized ourselves with the practice of how a higher consciousness can be developed through various anthroposophical meditations, both in theory and in practice. The main focus of the weekend was the Foundation Stone Meditation.
With the help of the common goal we all saw, we warmed the social space around us. After lunch, the invited representatives introduced themselves. Their initiatives and training courses help to make anthroposophical curative education and social therapy a reality in Hungary.
At the beginning of the (open) lecture evening we sang “O Signore, fa di me …” together with our guests and Balázs Thurnay, a music teacher, which further strengthened our community with our friends, with the anthroposophical community and with colleagues.
Then we dealt together with the foundation stone meditation and the topic of human dignity. In addition to the impulse of anthroposophy as a mission for peace, we also recognized the long karmic paths we had travelled. From our anthroposophical knowledge, for example, it is likely that we had all been preparing for this evening together for centuries. We talked about the ability to meditate and the experience of the “I” through which we can experience the work of the Father Spirit.
We all know that meditation should be an integral part of our lives, but the “when” and “how” was difficult for many of us. Bart’s advice has helped us to meditate with joy and success. A simple movement, shifting our weight from one foot to the other, performed with concentration – this can work wonders! We can experience the feeling of lightness, the light in the inspiring forces. During meditation wisdom becomes available to all of us as we are ready to receive it by discovering our own inner wisdom that whispers to us what the next step is. We have to mobilize forces within ourselves to perform these exercises. When? According to Rudolf Steiner we meditate according to need and possibility. We also received a meditation mantra: “Wisdom lives in light”. It is important that we can let go of our experience after meditation, which also requires strength!
The daily application of the seven conditions of inner schooling is essential not only for our individual path, but also for harmonious cooperation in our workplace. These are simple and natural, self-explanatory things that we normally do not consciously practice. In a workshop we examined these conditions and what measures we can take in our daily work to improve the quality of cooperation.
In Point-Circle Meditation we can feel that we are being carried and experience the qualities that carry us. It is extremely uplifting to know that there is always a being that knows me better than I do!
We also received mindfulness exercises recommended by Steiner to strengthen the etheric powers and reconnect with the powers of the soul.
Bart’s support, the professionally designed lectures, well articulated, understandable contents, all framed by singing and music made this Advent weekend an unforgettable experience!
In 2020, we will be inviting teachers to join our training: Annette Pichler, Andrea Seemann, Ruediger Janisch and Richard Steel.
Report: Nikoletta Kovács
