The early history of Europe is to a great extent vague and veiled in obscurity. That is especially true about Europe´s Northern parts. Put against the bright cultural activity of the South, the North appears to be simple, unformed and barbaric in many historical descriptions. Mythical sources and the example of the Goths show on the other hand what high spiriuality is connected with the people of Northern Europe and in what a fantastic way they have contributed to the birth of a European culture. The timeless beauty of Theoderic´s mosaics in Ravenna and especially the Goths´mysterios relation to christianity can make the high spirituality of this cultural impulse visible. (The timeless beauty of Theoderic´s mosaics in Ravenna overradiates the misuse of nordic motives (pictures, signs) at the time of the National Socialism.)

HARTWIG was born on May, 28, in 1947 in Hamburg, Germany. He studied in Hamburg, Frankfurt am Main and Luneburg. He has, among other things, done social work with youth in Frankfurt. From 1973 he worked as a teacher at the Waldorfschool in Hamburg-Wandsbek. Since 1978 he has been active in the Waldorfteachertraining, and since 1989 at the Freie Hochschule (the Free University) in Stuttgart. He has founded, as well as assisted in founding,  several Waldorfschools. From 1987 til 2007 he was a member of the board of the Association of free Waldorfschools in Germany. Hartwig has also been very active as a lecturer. For many years, he has been a member of the Pedagogical Section in Dornach, and the leader of the Initiativegroup of the Pedagogical Section in Germany. He is the general secretary of the Anthroposophical Society in Germany, and member of the board in Dornach since 2002.

Hannes Weigert - (workshop)

THE ACT OF SEEING  

On Rudolf Steiners Paintings and the Space within a Picture

A workshop about a way of looking at Steiners paintings that can lead to the discovery of a dynamic space within the picture.

Hannes Weigert: born in Germany (1964). Studies and teaches at the Malschule am Goetheanum, Switzerland (1985-95). Painting workshops in Europe and North America (since 1989). Kores Haus, painting spaces in collaboration with Patrick Müllerschön, Switzerland and Norway (1996-2003). Teaches at the Hurum Videregående Steinerskole, Norway (1997-2001). Antroposofisk selskap i Norge (2000-09). The School of Nature (2002-09). Works in Vidaråsen landsby, a Camphill community, Norway (since 2007). Lichtgold, paintings, Austria (2009).

This workshop will take place every morning from 10:30-13:00 but participants will have free time in the afternoons from 15-17:00 to explore nature and rest.

Contact: hannesw(at)frisurf.no

Oscar Borman Hansen - (lecture)

The meaning of the lectures on

"The Mission of the Folk Souls" for us who live today

When Rudolf Steiner gave his lecture series in Oslo 1910, he pronounced it as his goal to bring a help for individuals in finding their contribution to the mission of mankind through a sort of self knowledge of the nationality. Perhaps that could have an even greater importance today than it had in 1910.

Was born in 1924 in Denmark. Graduated with Mag. art. of philosophy in 1951. He  was head of the department of Philosophy at the Aarhus University from 1967. He is the author of  e.g. the books “Spinoza” (1965) and “Hegel”. For decades was the general secretary of the Anthroposophical Society in Denmark and a contributor on numerous courses, conferences, seminars and schools.

Oskar will give his lecture on the essential issues in the Mission of the Folk Souls.

Nick Thomas - (lecture)

STANDING UPRIGHT

- Human beings are evolving spiritually, and so are the beings of the hierarchies.  The angels are our most intimate bridge to the higher beings, and we in turn between them and the Earth.  The cosmos has become like clockwork and the universe is dying, but the Earth is the seedbed of a future universe.  Without our cooperation, however, no new universe can arise.  We stand upright as a sign that we are both earthly and cosmic beings, and through the Archangel Michael we can find the right relation to our cosmic past and future.  These talks will explore this theme, with special reference both to the Mission of Folk-Souls lectures and to The Michael Letters.

Nick Thomas was born in 1941 at Peterborough in England.  He was educated at a grammar school and then was trained as an electrical engineer in the Royal Air Force, subsequently serving as an engineering officer for 16 years.  Then he did research in conjunction with Lawrence Edwards and John Wilkes on the practical application of projective geometry. This was followed by three years as a Program Manager with Nortel after which in 1985 he became full time General Secretary of the Anthroposophical Society in Great Britain for 21 years.  He discovered Rudolf Steiner's work while at school and has been a student of it ever since.  His major research interest is the development and application of Steiner's discovery of negative space to bridging natural and spiritual science.
He lectures widely on this and on purely anthroposophical subjects.

FRODE BARKVED - (lecture)

THE ACTUALITY OF THE BALDER MYTH IN OUR TIME

Balder was known as the Sun-God, the God od the Light. In the Edda is described how he is killed and has to descend to the underworld. This presentation will look at this motive and try to understand it in relation to the inner development of man and mankind.

Frode was born in Norway 1961. He studied eurythmy in Järna, Sweden, and in den Haag, the Netherlands. He then worked as a classteacher at the Waldorfschool in Stavanger, where he also taught history, drama and eurythmy. At the moment he is working at the Waldorfteachertraining in Oslo. Norway. Since 2004 he is the general secretary of the Anthroposophical Society in Norway.

Marianne Tvedt - (workshop)

LIVING POWER OF THE OLD EDDA

Through working with eurythmy and language we will try to make the living power of the old Edda actual and possible to experience.

Marianne Tvedt was educated at the Academie Helicon in Den Hagg, the Netherlands. She worked for many years as a eurythmy teacher at the Steiner school in Stavanger, Norway. Today she is teaching at the Norwegian Academy of Eurythmy.

Martin Aeschliman - (workshop)

THE HORSE

The horse has been an important part of human development for thousands of years. Without the horse the world would probably not have been the same today. The horse has taken part in bringing forth new cultures and helped letting others disappear. Alexander the Great would most likely not have reached India without the help from the horse. It is doubtful whether Djingis Khan would have been able to make his conquests without his horses. In war and peace we have trusted the horse as safe means of transport for people and goods and as traction force. Today, horses are mainly kept for recreation. Tractors, trucks and cars have overtaken the working tasks of the horse. Do we still need it? What, in that case, will become its new tasks?
In this workshop we will go riding together and get better acquainted with this living being which stands us so close, but nevertheless is a riddle to us.

Martin was born in 1962 and grew up close to Basel, Switzerland. He studied in Zürich and graduated as civil agronomist. After some years of various jobs and travelling, he moved to Norway in 1990. He taught at the Sogn School of Agriculture and Gardening in Aurland for 11 years and worked with reintroducing the working horse in farmwork and in the education.
In 2001 his family moved to the farm Söre Skogen aon the south-west coast of Norway. They keep sheep and horses. The farm is run only with working horses, there are no tractors. The family is building up a course activity on the farm where the horse will play a central role.

Lennart Lundström (workshop) cancelled

We are sorry to inform you that due to illness Lennart Lundström will not participate in the conference. Henk-Jan Meyer will step in Lennarts and Gudjons workshop along with other people.

More details about the workshop will be provided at arrival in Iceland.

Gudjon Arnason - (workshop)

He will give summaries of Icelandic Sagas and old Icelandic manuscripts, and he will send materials to people in advance, as well as telling parts of the stories while we are travelling through the country. He will also give a lecture on the mystery-stream: Loki, Odd-Svipdrag, Freyja, Michael, the Fenriswolfe, Frigg, Gabriel and Odinn. Together with Henk-Jan Meyer and others he will run  a workshop about volcanic forces and geographical medicine.

Guðjón Was born in Reykavik, Iceland in 1958. He has been working at the Waldorfschool in Laekjarbotnum for twenty years, and he was one of the founders of the school. He studied biodynamic agriculture in Järna, Sweden. Some of his main interests and working fields in life have been plants, old Icelandic literature and free, spiritual education options for children.

Frits Burger - (lecture)

In the ‘Mission of the Folksouls’ Rudolf Steiner speaks about the god Ođin as ‘Language-Spirit of the North’. In following the steps of Ođin we may therefore sense something of the vicissitudes of language through the ages.
In six images we will trace the development of language: from its Atlantean origin as pictured by the Myth of Kvasir, to the future potentialities imaged by the Myth of Váli en Viđar. We will have a look at the intermediate stages: the Myth of Ođin and Suttung in which Óđin succeeds in connecting language with the larynx; and the Myth of the Fenriswolf in which the forces are depicted that suck the life out of language and lead to the ‘death’ of language (the Myth of Baldur and the Ragnarök), beautifully picturing the state of affairs of our times.

With Viđar we will eventually learn to become silent so that a new language will spring forth from our hearts which will unite all people in Christ.

Fritz has studied Old Germanic Languages and Culture at the University of Utrecht in Holland. He has worked in some Camphill Homes in Holland and is still working with handicapped young adults. He is also a psychosocial worker and gives lectures and courses on the spiritual dimension of language and on the great epics of the world as tools to understand our own biography. He is the author of ‘Biografie en Verhaal: verhalen die licht werpen op de levensloop’ (‘Biography and Story: stories which shed light on our course of life’).

Dawn Nilo (Stratton) - (workshop and the conference fool)

WAKING TO THE DREAM: PLAYING AND THE ART OF THE FOOL

“WITH HUMOR, WE MOVE ONTO THE PATH TOWARD DREAMING. ALTHOUGH WE REMAIN COMPLETELY CONSCIOUS, MOVING TOWARD HUMOR IS THE BEGINNING OF THE PATH TO DREAMING.” ( Rudolf Steiner)

Awakening to and exploring the dream world of the soul allows the fool to become “childlike without being childish”. This work involves the objective observation of the self at play. By consciously observing and working playfully with others within the dream consciousness, we free ourselves from preconceived concepts of reality. This allows us, through the help of each other, to begin to develop imagination, inspiration and intuition with discernment. This playful study is the mercurial change agent that condenses the sulfur of laughter and rarifies the salt of tears.

During the workshop we will practice theater exercises that have been developed to encourage inner transformation through the four elements. Some participants may also choose to work with the material in their meditative practice. There is also the option of a small performance near the end of the conference.  Please bring your free and playful good will and love for the laughter and tears.

Dawn Nilo (Stratton) BSW, M.Ed., is The Simple Fool (www.thesimplefool.com). She has been a social worker and Waldorf class teacher and currently performs and teaches through the art of the fool (jester, mime, philosopher and friend). She gratefully lives at the foot of the Goetheanum and greatly misses the land and ocean of her home on the Pacific Northwest coast of America.

Harald Haakstad - (lecture)

THE HAMMER OF THE «I» – THE MISSION OF THOR

Thor was felt to be the giver of the «I». He was the strongest of all Nordic Gods – «one of the mightiest angels that ever was worshipped» (Rudolf Steiner). This lecture will reflect on the development of the ego forces in the ancient Nordic culture, and attempt to trace their way into the future – beyond Ragnarok.

Harald Haakstad has been teaching at the Hedemarken Waldorf School since 1987. He is also engaged as a translator and publishing co-worker for Antropos Forlag. He is a board member of the Anthroposophical Society in Norway and the editor of the society’s newsletter and website.

Magne Skrede

« DRAUMKVÆDET»

Born in 1947. Teacher since early 1974 at the Bergen Waldorfschool, Norway.  Pianist and trained singer, often used as a solo singer. He has written different music, mostly for musical plays on stage. Together with school pupils and professionals he has staged operas and musicals in Norway and other countries. For some years he has been working in South Africa, also doing an exchange program with youth’s between Norway and S. Africa.

«Draumkvædet» – Olav Åsteson is the most famous song/poem from the Norwegian folk tradition. Rudolf Steiner showed a deep interest in this mediaeval «pearl», which he also himself translated into German. The song(s) tell about the dreams of Olav Åsteson’s experiences in another world.