Waldorf schools today often conceal their real agenda, to one degree or another.* Steiner himself was cagey when speaking in public about the new form of education he was creating. But if we look at his words with clear eyes, we can see that he often made the concealed Waldorf agenda reasonably plain. Waldorf teachers typically view ordinary thinking and knowledge with deep skepticism. They acknowledge that such thinking and knowledge are applicable in the physical universe, so we need to master them, more or less. But they tend to believe that the true goal is to push beyond, to develop clairvoyant powers that produce a very different sort of knowledge. Some Waldorf teachers, considering themselves to be occult initiates, believe that they possess clairvoyant abilities. Others candidly admit that they are not clairvoyant — not yet, anyway — but they generally believe that clairvoyance is possible and that some people, such as Rudolf Steiner and certain members of Waldorf faculties, have indeed attained it.  Most of the quotations on this page come from THE SPIRIT OF THE WALDORF SCHOOL (Anthroposophic Press, 1995). The book consists of lectures in which Rudolf Steiner laid out his vision for an alternative form of education, Waldorf education. ◊
Steiner’s implicit description of himself, in these words, is fairly breathtaking. He had the courage, the boldness, and the capacity to know “the highest spiritual facts.” The "higher spiritual powers" he developed constitute an exact form of clairvoyance. [See "Exactly".] If the rest of us will just take his word for it, he will lead us to Truth.  Waldorf teachers should, at a minimum, understand that Steiner's occult doctrines are true, Steiner said. (In the following quotation, we run into some of Steiner’s typically fuzzy language. The first time he refers to “science,” he means ordinary science such as physics or chemistry; thereafter, by “science,” he means “spiritual science,” or in other words his own doctrines, Anthroposophy. By the term “supersensible,” he means things that cannot be observed through our ordinary senses — things that can be seen only through clairvoyance. And by “human nature,” he means the complex spiritualistic description of human nature he propounded: We have twelve senses, we have four bodies, we have both a soul and a spirit, and so on. Steiner rejected the view of human nature provided by ordinary science and ordinary human experience.)
The basis of Waldorf education is “supersensible knowledge.” Since Steiner and his followers are virtually alone in possessing this “knowledge,” the rest of us should sit down and shut up. Waldorf students, certainly, should take their teachers’ word for things without question. Waldorf teachers should exercise unchallenged authority. This is especially true in the lower grades, but the effects on the students may last for the rest of their lives:
The business about "the change of teeth" may seem odd. Steiner said that children grow up through three stages: The first stage ends at about age 7, when the baby teeth fall out; the second stage runs from the “change of teeth” to age 14, when puberty occurs; the final stage extends from age 14 to 21, when adulthood begins. Identifying three childhood stages may seem sensible [see "Most Significant"], but for Steiner occult numerological concepts undergird this model. It is significant that there are three stages, in Anthroposophical belief, because Steiner said that three is the occult number reflecting divine revelation. And it is significant that each stage lasts seven years, in Anthroposophical belief, because Steiner said that seven is the number of perfection. [See "Magic Numbers".] Finding (or imposing) such patterns on reality does not result from rational thought or scientific knowledge, both of which Steiner de-emphasized. Here is Steiner’s view of intellect, in a nutshell:
So much for the work done in universities and scientific facilities — the intellects of so-called educated people are "removed from reality." Reality, Steiner said, is truly perceived in just one way: through clairvoyance. He called the use of clairvoyance “living awareness,” as opposed to dull, dead intellect and cold, heartless science. True knowledge is not something we gain in this life, but something we carry inside us from our life before birth. Steiner taught that we reincarnate many, many times. Our present lives are occurring in a particularly hard, dense form of physical existence, one that hides spiritual realities behind a veil of illusion. Reality is the spiritual realm, which exists around, above, and within physical reality (although only clairvoyants can really see it). We came from the spirit realm and we will return to it. Many people would agree that physical reality is harsh and cold, and our true home is elsewhere. The question for parents considering Waldorf schools is whether the Waldorf conception of spirituality comports with your religion or philosophy of life. For the vast majority, Anthroposophy is quite alien and bizarre (we might even say, it is "foreign and removed from reality"). Think carefully before committing your children to an education based on the authority of Anthroposophists.
Steiner spoke of “the will” as a basic human force. Willpower must be educated and trained, he said, just as thinking and feeling must be trained.
At a Waldorf school, these “forces” are trained in a manner intended to steer students away from ordinary thinking and knowledge. Steiner had particular disdain for science, but he extended his criticism to all spheres of ordinary human endeavor and research. Since the 15th Century, he said, we have needed ordinary science, philosophy, and art. These have been good for us, during this brief period. But now we must push beyond them. Such things — and especially science — are now obsolete, he said. (Again, Steiner uses the term “science" somewhat confusingly in the following quotation. By “one-sided science,” he means ordinary science. He claimed that his own clairvoyance-based thinking is the new, true science: spiritual science. We might also note, in passing, that Steiner sometimes said that there is no fundamental disconnection between ordinary science and spiritual science, but often — as here — he indicated the opposite.)
Many people would agree that science seems cold. Certainly many of the findings of science are damaging to humanity's self-esteem — we live on a tiny planet orbiting an ordinary star, off to one side of an ordinary galaxy; we don’t seem to be the center of anything; in fact, we seem to be mere primates, descended from apes. You may recoil from such scientific findings. But if you are considering a Waldorf school, you should ask yourself whether Steiner offered a realistic alternative to the natural sciences. Steiner claimed that his “spiritual science” is indeed practical and realistic. He said that people on Earth now, during our unfortunate stage of existence, need to lead practical lives; but all the while, they should be selflessly oriented to the supersensible or supernatural:
“Spiritual science” is actually a religion, not a science. Steiner provided meditations for his followers to use, just as he provided prayers for Waldorf students to recite. [See "Prayers".] Here is a meditation Steiner offered immediately after the quotation we have just seen: "Spirit brought by us to matter, Matter wrought by us to its revelation Driving the Spirit out; Matter receiving from us Spirit revealed, Spirit forged by us back into matter— These create that Living Being, Bringing humanity to true progress, Progress only longed-for By the best desires in the depths of human souls." — THE SPIRIT OF THE WALDORF SCHOOL, p. 98. The “progress” Steiner aimed for is our evolution to a new stage of existence, which he said will occur on or during Jupiter. All of Anthroposophy is built on Steiner’s clairvoyant descriptions of mankind’s past evolution (Old Saturn, Old Sun, Old Moon) and our future evolution (Future Jupiter, Future Venus, Future Vulcan). We are constantly evolving, Steiner said. Good humans are evolving upwards; bad humans are evolving downwards. People of different periods, nations, and races are quite different from one another, Steiner said: Some are more highly evolved than others. Because we evolve so fast, the kind of schooling that is appropriate for kids today is different from anything in the past or anything in the future.
The main goal for humans now is to attain clairvoyance, Steiner indicated. There are three stages of what Steiner called “higher powers of cognition”: They are imagination, inspiration, and intuition. Basically, all three are forms of psychic power, supposedly enabling us to find the Truth that is deep within ourselves (remember, we brought it with us from our former life in the spirit realm).
When visiting a Waldorf school, you may be told that Waldorf education emphasizes imagination. Now you know why. Human beings, as described by Steiner, are very different from what ordinary science or, generally, any mainstream religion describes. Steiner insisted that in order to evolve, we must come to a new understanding of human nature. By this, he meant we have to accept his doctrines, which he outlined in the books he mentioned, above.
Many parents are dissatisfied with the schools their children now attend. But if you are looking for an alternative, think hard before choosing a Waldorf school. You should send your child to a Waldorf school only if you accept Steiner’s views on the occult; only if you want your child to be nudged toward the impossible goal of developing clairvoyance; and only if you want your child to receive preparation for the Future Jupiter stage of human evolution. [See "Future Stages".] — Compilation and commentary by Roger Rawlings * On this page, by “Waldorf schools” I mean schools that are deeply faithful to Rudolf Steiner’s teachings — schools that have the spirit Steiner prescribed.  [R. R., 2010 — based on a work by Barbara Richey.]  This is the guidebook Steiner created for his followers, instructing them how to develop clairvoyant powers: HOW TO KNOW HIGHER WORLDS (Anthroposophic Press, 1994). Old editions generally bore the title KNOWLEDGE OF THE HIGHER WORLDS AND ITS ATTAINMENT. [See "Knowing the Worlds".] The cover art of HOW TO KNOW HIGHER WORLDS is by Barbara Richey. To visit other pages in this section of Waldorf Watch, use the underlined links, below. ◊◊◊ 14. PULLING IT ALL TOGETHER ◊◊◊
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