{"id":7620,"date":"2021-08-08T12:36:15","date_gmt":"2021-08-08T16:36:15","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/anthroposophy.ca\/?page_id=7620"},"modified":"2025-11-30T13:38:43","modified_gmt":"2025-11-30T18:38:43","slug":"history-of-the-society","status":"publish","type":"page","link":"https:\/\/anthroposophy.ca\/en\/membership\/history-of-the-society\/","title":{"rendered":"History of the Society"},"content":{"rendered":"\t\t
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The Anthroposophical Society in Canada: 1953 to 2003<\/h3>

Prepared by Alexandra Barbara Gunther, Toronto, January 2003<\/span>\u00a0<\/span><\/em><\/p>\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t

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\n\tIntroduction<\/span>\n\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\t\t\n\t\t<\/i>\t<\/span>\n\t\t\t<\/span>\n\t\t\n\t\t\t\t\n\t\t<\/i>\t<\/span>\n\t\t\t<\/span>\n\t<\/span>\n<\/h3>\n
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In the Michaelmas 1994 issue of <\/span>Aurore<\/span>, Bert Chase who had just stepped down from his office as President of the Council, reflects on the history of the Society. He describes an occurrence which took place in 1975, in the 22<\/span>nd<\/span> year of the Society\u2019s life.<\/span><\/h4>

\u00a0<\/span><\/p>

At that time a representative from British Columbia attended the AGM, held in Toronto, as usual. He carried with him enough proxies from the West to drastically control the outcome of the meeting in favour of members in the West. Bert Chase writes:<\/span><\/p>

\u00a0<\/span><\/p>

\u201cInstead of utilizing the proxies to wield the controlling power entrusted in him, this Vancouver member made the decision to act out of a quite different intention. His decision was based on an experience of the essential humanity of one of the members of the Executive. In that seemingly simple private event, the decision was made to place the sanctity of the individual human being before all the structural, organizational questions which had become so seemingly all important. There was in that moment the silent opening of the heart that enabled the recognition of the other to become the direction-giving force for action.\u201d (<\/span>Aurore<\/span> I,1, 1994, p.12-13)<\/span><\/p>

\u00a0<\/span><\/p>

This quiet event more than any other perhaps represents the undercurrent, if not the reality at every moment, of our spiritual growth, struggling to become a more consistent force, as the work of a handful of people in this vastest of countries moves forward.<\/span><\/p>\t<\/div>\n<\/div>\n

\n\tBeing Canadian<\/span>\n\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\t\t\n\t\t<\/i>\t<\/span>\n\t\t\t<\/span>\n\t\t\n\t\t\t\t\n\t\t<\/i>\t<\/span>\n\t\t\t<\/span>\n\t<\/span>\n<\/h3>\n
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Canada occupies the larger northern portion of the North American continent, and from the European perspective is often lumped together with the US under the general name \u201cAmerica\u201d.<\/span><\/h4>

\u00a0<\/p>

It is bordered by three oceans and its 3,845,000 square miles are inhabited by about 30,000,000 people, 90% of whom live along the southernmost edge, right next to the people whose culture and economic and political might we fear and yet cling to and emulate, and who know us even less than we know them. Our differences are both subtle and obvious: in social services; in the handling of a multicultural society and the existence of two dominant languages; in a certain \u201claissez-faire-ism\u201d; in the question of identity; in a certain playfulness in many things; in dealing with our native population; in our international role; our trust in process and engagement, rather than firm positions. The remaining 90% of the landmass, most of which really is a true northern land, is almost uninhabited. Ours is a country of immigrants, though the arrival of many lies several generations in the past. From the beginning till this day they are in an ongoing political though rarely social interaction with the aboriginal population. Over 100 languages are spoken in Toronto which is often called the world\u2019s most multicultural city, and the cultural mosaic in the larger urban centres has changed very quickly in the last 20 years from being largely of European extraction to being over 50% Asian, South Asian or Black, within an Anglo-Saxon framework. There is also the presence of French, the official language of Quebec, and the second official language of the whole country. Politically the country has existed as such only since 1867. Culturally, it is older and has grown out of the people\u2019s relationship to and struggle with the land. As much of one\u2019s life as possible is spent out of doors under the bright light of the sky, and most people have or strive to have a cottage somewhere by one of the thousands of lakes or hidden away in a remote wilderness area. The spiritual background to the forces of the land and sky here have been wonderfully described by Marjorie Spock in an article entitled \u201cNorth America under a light sky\u201d (<\/span>Golden Blade<\/span> 1971, p.111-123)<\/span><\/p>

\u00a0<\/span><\/p>

This country of immigrants who are learning to live with the experience of homelessness and new perspectives on old values nevertheless spends much of its energy on the question of who we are, what constitutes a Canadian, and even though this is not entirely clear, everyone fervently declares that he is indeed Canadian.<\/span><\/p>\t<\/div>\n<\/div>\n

\n\tBeginnings<\/span>\n\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\t\t\n\t\t<\/i>\t<\/span>\n\t\t\t<\/span>\n\t\t\n\t\t\t\t\n\t\t<\/i>\t<\/span>\n\t\t\t<\/span>\n\t<\/span>\n<\/h3>\n
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Within this background the work of the Anthroposophical Society and its approximately 500 members has evolved and taken shape, slowly finding its own voice.<\/span><\/h4>

\u00a0<\/p>

Its very beginnings go back to 1941, when at Easter the Toronto Branch of the Anthroposophical Society in America was officially founded, characteristically on a farm near Bowmanville east of Toronto. The seven members were recent European and American immigrants: Else Weisheit, President, Stewart Easton, Secretary. Mr. and Mrs. Freund, Dr. Percy Ryber, Isabel Grieve and Harry Sprott.<\/span><\/p>

\u00a0<\/span><\/p>

These people worked and studied together and held public lectures until on May 19, 1953 the Anthroposophical Society in Canada was born. 26 of the 34 founding members were in attendance, and the officers were: Isabel Grieve, President, Else Whitehead (formerly Weisheit), Secretary\/Treasurer. Of these founding members three are still with us: Steven Roboz, now in Vancouver, Hans Warner, still on his farm in Muskoka, and George Blumenstock, still in Toronto. These early days were truly pioneering days, and their energy, drive and sense of mission still wafts through our archival documents. In the 1980's and 1990's most of these pioneers and some who joined later passed away, and it is with gratitude and admiration that we connect with them in our hearts and minds, especially during this year of our 50<\/span>th<\/span> anniversary. We now have a large host of 134 departed ones who watch and help us from the other side of the threshold, if only we can learn to remain in touch with them.<\/span><\/p>

\u00a0<\/span><\/p>

The attached chronology documents the steps in the 50 years of our work, and the manifestations of this work in the world are given in the Canadian section of the Directory of Initiatives published by the Anthroposophical Society in America. It lists 29 branches and groups, about 24 Waldorf schools and related associations, 3 adult education institutions, some 14 artistic and art therapy initiatives, several medical offices, and associations, 10 farming associations and larger farms, 8 Camphill and other social organizations, several libraries and book dealers, and 17 other retailers and service providers. There are artists, scientists and researchers, musicians, and speech artists, eurythmists, architects and writers, consultants and, of course, many teachers. Much of the literature and information about all these is gathered at the national head office and library which also provides member services, Council support and continuity in its liaison work with the Goetheanum and the corresponding office in the US. The head office also publishes a newsletter for the members.<\/span><\/p>\t<\/div>\n<\/div>\n

\n\tConnections<\/span>\n\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\t\t\n\t\t<\/i>\t<\/span>\n\t\t\t<\/span>\n\t\t\n\t\t\t\t\n\t\t<\/i>\t<\/span>\n\t\t\t<\/span>\n\t<\/span>\n<\/h3>\n
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It is an important historical fact in Canada that from the very beginning to this day, many of the members have a strong connection to the Christian Community, and its first services were held in Toronto in the same year (1953) as the founding of the Society. There are now two churches, one in Toronto and one in Vancouver.<\/span><\/h4>

\u00a0<\/span><\/p>

As one reads about or remembers the coming about of all these initiatives and recalls questions people raised, issues they discussed, and articles they wrote, one can detect three phases emerging with their own characteristics. It is, however, also important to acknowledge that not everything that happened was documented and that many a step was taken or supported and many a seed quietly planted in the world or in someone else\u2019s heart unbeknownst to anyone. All these others also contributed to the fabric of what we have achieved so far and what we might yet become.<\/span><\/p>

\u00a0<\/span><\/p>

The first phase in our history then was carried and led by strong individuals from Europe and the US who were fired up by the ideas of anthroposophy. They were purposefully and energetically offering these to the public through regular well attended lectures, while also leading study groups for members. Since these individuals had met each other in Toronto, where also the School of Spiritual Science began its work quite early, this centralizing impulse with these strong individuals as recognized leaders developed quite naturally and membership grew fairly rapidly. AGMs were generally held here. Very soon, and in a similar way, Vancouver became another focal point, with a smaller group working in Winnipeg in the early 50's.\u00a0\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\t<\/div>\n<\/div>\n

\n\tA Home at Hill House<\/span>\n\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\t\t\n\t\t<\/i>\t<\/span>\n\t\t\t<\/span>\n\t\t\n\t\t\t\t\n\t\t<\/i>\t<\/span>\n\t\t\t<\/span>\n\t<\/span>\n<\/h3>\n
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In hindsight one can marvel that this Toronto Michael Group was not the one who financed or led the financing of the Society\u2019s first home in Toronto - Hill House at 81 Lawton Blvd. The money for it came from the estate of Dr. Bruce Hill in Winnipeg, far in the West!<\/span><\/h4>

\u00a0<\/span><\/p>

During these first 15 to 20 years the outreach work relied heavily on speakers from the US and England, and the Goetheanum was truly viewed and experienced as the centre of the work and was visited regularly by council members. Monthly public lectures drew 100 to 120 people, and the thirst for spiritual knowledge was great. A member of the council also travelled across Canada regularly to establish contact and foster a sense of unity. Alan Howard, after his lecture tour across Canada and the US in 1972 noted that many people spoke out of a strong feeling of nostalgia of how things used to be in Europe and at the Goetheanum.<\/span><\/p>

\u00a0<\/span><\/p>

During the middle part of this phase the initiatives began to be formed, first among them the Waldorf schools in Toronto and Vancouver. As the work across the country unfolded, regional differences and distance from each other across this vast land led to a greater wish to decentralize the Council, particularly in the West and in Quebec. The Council had already begun to include representatives from the different regions, and in 1976, after some difficult times, the next step followed and healed the rift to some degree: for the first time the AGM moved away from Toronto and was held in Vancouver.<\/span><\/p>\t<\/div>\n<\/div>\n

\n\tSecond Phase<\/span>\n\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\t\t\n\t\t<\/i>\t<\/span>\n\t\t\t<\/span>\n\t\t\n\t\t\t\t\n\t\t<\/i>\t<\/span>\n\t\t\t<\/span>\n\t<\/span>\n<\/h3>\n
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As the membership became increasingly English-Canadian of older stock and, in the case of Quebec, Francophone with the appearance of French as our other language, the second phase gradually showed its profile. <\/span><\/h4>

\u00a0<\/p>

The energy of the membership was given over more to the initiatives which became strong, especially in the schools and in adult education work. Also, centres in other places were developed and grew till they had their own homes, notably in Vancouver and in Montreal. As this \u2018will\u2019 phase became stronger, the question of why one should or might be a member and support something so far away as Switzerland came more frequently. People looked for and found enrichment for their lives in numerous courses offered and looked for and did not always find the transformative results in those professing to be anthroposophists. Membership levelled off at about 500, while the circle of \u201cfriends\u201d around the schools and the adult education initiatives, notably the Rudolf Steiner Centre in Toronto, expanded greatly. The perception deepened among many members that this work at the periphery was essential at this stage.<\/span><\/p>

\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0<\/span><\/p>

A second motif during this phase was a greater awareness of and turning to the land itself, not only through farming and Camphill villages based on the European models, but also by holding conferences in the country, by describing its topography and geography in our literature, turning to the question of our identity and looking at aspects of our culture and history. In 1989 a concerted effort was made to place the overall contribution of Anthroposophy squarely in our culture, as in their own fields the initiatives were already doing, by staging an extensive exhibit with surrounding conferences and workshops over ten weeks in Canada\u2019s most prestigious public library in Toronto. During this phase also, the voice of the French-speaking Quebec members brought a fresh breath and an impulse to work more artistically and joyfully, and 1989 also saw the founding of the French Branche Jean-le-Baptiste in Montreal.<\/span><\/p>

\u00a0<\/span><\/p>

The strong work of the initiatives on the periphery and the new de-centralizing force of this second phase appeared to create a vacuum in the Society itself, particularly in Toronto. Yet this but set the stage for a chance to examine in our hearts and minds our individual relationship to Rudolf Steiner, to the Society in Canada and worldwide, and to the movement.<\/span><\/p>

\u00a0<\/span><\/p>

Perhaps the most significant event for our development in this second phase, also in the year 1989, was the first all-Canadian members\u2019 summer conference at the Stoney Indian Reservation at Nakoda in Alberta. Its heart-warming effect on the whole country, even on those who were not there, still pulsates and sings in our hearts, seeking for a new opportunity to continue its song.<\/span><\/p>\t<\/div>\n<\/div>\n

\n\tThird Phase<\/span>\n\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\t\t\n\t\t<\/i>\t<\/span>\n\t\t\t<\/span>\n\t\t\n\t\t\t\t\n\t\t<\/i>\t<\/span>\n\t\t\t<\/span>\n\t<\/span>\n<\/h3>\n
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With this event, the third and most inward and perhaps difficult phase was prepared.<\/span><\/h4>

\u00a0<\/p>

Our individual differences, karmic knots and different streams were and are slowly needing to be recognized and dealt with. They cannot be left any longer, hidden in the web of immediate will activities. More and more one senses a wish to work with these constructively. Workshops and courses along these lines have sprung up more recently and are being offered to the world but need also to be taken up with each other. This inner work with one another is initially perhaps more painful than the founding of a school but cannot be ignored. We do long for it, and we know that no further deepening of our work can occur without it. Many small steps have been taken or have come about seemingly on their own. Denis Schneider\u2019s work comes to mind and can stand for that of many others. On the occasion of our 43<\/span>rd<\/span> anniversary he writes in one of our newsletters that our \u201cofficial\u201d aspect is not so pronounced as our wish to meet and celebrate together, learning to form living images of each other, being in each other\u2019s presence-hearing the other\u2019s voice, seeing his gestures. (<\/span>Aurore<\/span>, III,1,1996, p.8-13)<\/span><\/p>

\u00a0<\/span><\/p>

This kind of work comes from an awakening of the heart forces, and it is by nature of slow growth. It has the quality of listening and waiting and comes from an inner attitude which is perhaps the same as that which has led Canada to assume the role it has taken in the outer world - that of peacemaker. Here it is a question of knowing when \u201cthe time is at hand\u201d so that all players can take up their part in the conversation. One aspect of this conversation is also that of getting in touch with your neighbour on this earth, as Olaf Lampson has done with colleagues in countries around the Pacific; as Monica Gold has done with friends in Russia through the outreach work of ISIS; and as many others have done with colleagues in the United States in the context of the School of Spiritual Science and council work.\u00a0 It is also a question of not only gathering for oneself the fruit of someone else\u2019s work who has the courage, or the audacity to offer it from that \u201cthird space\u201d, but to inwardly go with such a one and not only hear what he says but also perhaps why he needs to say it out of his deeper biography, or why he says it haltingly or even poorly.<\/span><\/p>

\u00a0<\/span><\/p>

The question of our identity and task in anthroposophy here in this place needs to be more fully developed and this cannot be done without an understanding of the place within the spiritual community of all places; and also, in the context of the extraordinary confluence of people who came here in great waves: an ancient wave coming from the north west to the south and then to the north east, where, centuries later, the Europeans Christians came in from the east and began to re-shape the entire continent.\u00a0 Two questions of our geography need our deepened understanding: as a largely northern country we have yet to hear and respond to the call of the North. And secondly, how do we work with what Steven Roboz pointed out again and again: namely that according to an indication of Walter Johannes Stein the West Coast of North America plays an important part in our work in this century, as it is there that East and West meet. Finding the next step in our task in the Pacific area is one of our challenges and will entail there and everywhere in the country finding a way to explore our questions with people from other spiritual streams. A small beginning had been made in Nova Scotia through a close contact with a strong Buddhist community in Halifax, and it was an astonishing experience for me to go there, where Anna Keefe had died, and attend three kinds of services for her: one by the Catholic Church of her family, one by the anthroposophical community\u2014perhaps her most recent home, and one in the centre of the Buddhist community, where she had made many friends.<\/span><\/p>\t<\/div>\n<\/div>\n

\n\tIdentity and Purpose<\/span>\n\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\t\t\n\t\t<\/i>\t<\/span>\n\t\t\t<\/span>\n\t\t\n\t\t\t\t\n\t\t<\/i>\t<\/span>\n\t\t\t<\/span>\n\t<\/span>\n<\/h3>\n
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Here in Canada, as everywhere now, questions abound as to the purpose, structure and role of the Society within the work as a whole and in connection with each member, each initiative and all those \u201cfriends\u201d out there. <\/span><\/h4>

\u00a0<\/p>

In our midst in Canada, I recall two images or models that have been put forth and that can attract people into two seemingly opposing camps. Bert Chase in a conversation once likened the Society and the initiatives to a solar system, with the Society in the place of the Sun, and the initiatives revolving around it and receiving light and sustenance from it, while evolving their own stories. The other was offered by Shirley Routledge and sees the Society as an open space in the centre, with all the separate organs (initiatives) weaving through all the activities \u201cout there\u201d (<\/span>Newsletter<\/span>, Anthroposophical Society in Canada, Summer 1983, p.1).<\/span><\/p>

\u00a0<\/span><\/p>

It seems to me that much would be gained by more work on these two images, one with a full radiating centre, the other with an empty one, like a vessel. Perhaps they can come together in a third image- that of the heart. The heart is both full and open, it radiates and receives, and the activities of the limbs are all \u2018impulsated\u2019 by that which flows rhythmically in and out of the heart.<\/span><\/p>

\u00a0<\/span><\/p>

It is perhaps fitting to end this story with a reminder of one of our elders. It is both a task and a help, namely this: that we each become increasingly aware of our individual relationship to the eternal being of Rudolf Steiner. This is pointed out again and again by Steven Roboz, and in an interview, he quotes from a lecture: \u201c... I must bear company with everyone who has received the spirit light from me on earth, if he with knowledge, or unconsciously, has come to me as a student of the spirit, and I must guide him further on his path, on which he has set out through me.\u201d <\/span>Aurore,<\/span> Easter 2002, pg12<\/span><\/p>\t<\/div>\n<\/div>\n

\n\tBibliography<\/span>\n\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\t\t\n\t\t<\/i>\t<\/span>\n\t\t\t<\/span>\n\t\t\n\t\t\t\t\n\t\t<\/i>\t<\/span>\n\t\t\t<\/span>\n\t<\/span>\n<\/h3>\n
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Articles in various newsletters and journals. Also consulted were personal notes by Barbara Doerr (d.1997), and Hans Warner.<\/span><\/i><\/h4>

\u00a0<\/span><\/p>

Barnes, Henry. \u201cWho is truly a Westerner?\u201d\u00a0 IN: <\/span>Newsletter for the Anthroposophical Society in Canada,<\/span> #83, Summer 1990, p.2<\/span><\/p>

\u00a0<\/span><\/p>

Chase, Bert. \u201cFashioning the Vessel of the Anthroposophical Society in Canada\u201d. IN: <\/span>Aurore,<\/span> I, 1, Michaelmas 1994, p.10<\/span><\/p>

\u00a0<\/span><\/p>

Easton, Stewart. \u201cEarly anthroposophical work in Toronto\u201d.\u00a0 IN:<\/span> Newsletter for the <\/span>\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0<\/span> Anthroposophical Society in Canada<\/span>, #55, Autumn 1982, p. 2<\/span><\/p>

\u00a0<\/span><\/p>

Gunther, Alexandra. B. \u201c Between northern oceans: a view of Anthroposophy in Canada\u201d. IN: <\/span>Anthroposophy Worldwide<\/span>, #8, October 2000, p. 8<\/span><\/p>

\u00a0<\/span><\/p>

Roboz, Steven \u201cThe early days of the Anthroposophical Society in Canada\u201d. IN: <\/span>Aurore,<\/span> I, 1, Michaelmas 1994, p.15<\/span><\/p>

\u00a0<\/span><\/p>

---------\u201cHistory of the Anthroposophical Society in Vancouver\u201d. IN: <\/span>Aurore<\/span>, I,3, Winter 1995, p.17<\/span><\/p>

\u00a0<\/span><\/p>

---------\u201cInterview with a founder\u201d. Interview by Robert Adams. IN: <\/span>Aurore<\/span>, Easter 2002, p.10<\/span><\/p>

\u00a0<\/span><\/p>

Routledge, Shirley. \u201cAnthroposophical initiatives, an exploration paper\u201d. IN:<\/span> Newsletter for the Anthroposophical Society in Canada<\/span>, #83, Summer 1990, p.1<\/span><\/p>

\u00a0<\/span><\/p>

Schneider, Denis.\u00a0 \u201cIn the protecting light of Stella Maris: Farewell letter to Anna Keefe\u201d . IN: <\/span>Aurore<\/span>, #1, St. John\u2019s 2000, p. 28<\/span><\/p>

\u00a0<\/span><\/p>

Spock, Marjorie. \u201cNorth America under a light sky\u201d. IN: <\/span>The Golden Blade<\/span>, 1971, p.111<\/span><\/p>

\u00a0<\/span><\/p>

Thatcher, Philip. \u201cNorth of the border\u201d, Pt.1 and 2. IN: Newsletter for the <\/span>Anthroposophical Society in Canada<\/span>, # 73, Epiphany 1989, p. 4 and # 78, Easter 1989, p. 10<\/span><\/p>\t<\/div>\n<\/div>\n

\n\tFull text<\/span>\n\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\t\t\n\t\t<\/i>\t<\/span>\n\t\t\t<\/span>\n\t\t\n\t\t\t\t\n\t\t<\/i>\t<\/span>\n\t\t\t<\/span>\n\t<\/span>\n<\/h3>\n
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The Anthroposophical Society in Canada: 1953 to 2003<\/h3>

Prepared by Alexandra Barbara Gunther, Toronto, January 2003<\/em>\u00a0<\/p>

\u00a0<\/p>

Introduction<\/strong><\/p>

\u00a0<\/p>

In the Michaelmas 1994 issue of Aurore, Bert Chase who had just stepped down from his office as President of the Council, reflects on the history of the Society. He describes an occurrence which took place in 1975, in the 22nd year of the Society\u2019s life.\u00a0<\/p>


At that time a representative from British Columbia attended the AGM, held in Toronto, as usual. He carried with him enough proxies from the West to drastically control the outcome of the meeting in favour of members in the West. Bert Chase writes:\u00a0<\/p>

\u00a0<\/p>

\u201cInstead of utilizing the proxies to wield the controlling power entrusted in him, this Vancouver member made the decision to act out of a quite different intention. His decision was based on an experience of the essential humanity of one of the members of the Executive. In that seemingly simple private event, the decision was made to place the sanctity of the individual human being before all the structural, organizational questions which had become so seemingly all important. There was in that moment the silent opening of the heart that enabled the recognition of the other to become the direction-giving force for action.\u201d (Aurore I,1, 1994, p.12-13)\u00a0<\/p>

\u00a0<\/p>

This quiet event more than any other perhaps represents the undercurrent, if not the reality at every moment, of our spiritual growth, struggling to become a more consistent force, as the work of a handful of people in this vastest of countries moves forward.\u00a0<\/p>

\u00a0<\/p>

Being Canadian<\/strong><\/p>

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Canada occupies the larger northern portion of the North American continent, and from the European perspective is often lumped together with the US under the general name \u201cAmerica\u201d. It is bordered by three oceans and its 3,845,000 square miles are inhabited by about 30,000,000 people, 90% of whom live along the southernmost edge, right next to the people whose culture and economic and political might we fear and yet cling to and emulate, and who know us even less than we know them. Our differences are both subtle and obvious: in social services; in the handling of a multicultural society and the existence of two dominant languages; in a certain \u201claissez-faire-ism\u201d; in the question of identity; in a certain playfulness in many things; in dealing with our native population; in our international role; our trust in process and engagement, rather than firm positions. The remaining 90% of the landmass, most of which really is a true northern land, is almost uninhabited. Ours is a country of immigrants, though the arrival of many lies several generations in the past. From the beginning till this day they are in an ongoing political though rarely social interaction with the aboriginal population. Over 100 languages are spoken in Toronto which is often called the world\u2019s most multicultural city, and the cultural mosaic in the larger urban centres has changed very quickly in the last 20 years from being largely of European extraction to being over 50% Asian, South Asian or Black, within an Anglo-Saxon framework. There is also the presence of French, the official language of Quebec, and the second official language of the whole country. Politically the country has existed as such only since 1867. Culturally, it is older and has grown out of the people\u2019s relationship to and struggle with the land. As much of one\u2019s life as possible is spent out of doors under the bright light of the sky, and most people have or strive to have a cottage somewhere by one of the thousands of lakes or hidden away in a remote wilderness area. The spiritual background to the forces of the land and sky here have been wonderfully described by Marjorie Spock in an article entitled \u201cNorth America under a light sky\u201d (Golden Blade 1971, p.111-123)\u00a0<\/p>

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This country of immigrants who are learning to live with the experience of homelessness and new perspectives on old values nevertheless spends much of its energy on the question of who we are, what constitutes a Canadian, and even though this is not entirely clear, everyone fervently declares that he is indeed Canadian.\u00a0<\/p>

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Within this background the work of the Anthroposophical Society and its approximately 500 members has evolved and taken shape, slowly finding its own voice. Its very beginnings go back to 1941, when at Easter the Toronto Branch of the Anthroposophical Society in America was officially founded, characteristically on a farm near Bowmanville east of Toronto. The seven members were recent European and American immigrants: Else Weisheit, President, Stewart Easton, Secretary. Mr. and Mrs. Freund, Dr. Percy Ryber, Isabel Grieve and Harry Sprott.\u00a0<\/p>

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These people worked and studied together and held public lectures until on May 19, 1953 the Anthroposophical Society in Canada was born. 26 of the 34 founding members were in attendance, and the officers were: Isabel Grieve, President, Else Whitehead (formerly Weisheit), Secretary\/Treasurer. Of these founding members three are still with us: Steven Roboz, now in Vancouver, Hans Warner, still on his farm in Muskoka, and George Blumenstock, still in Toronto. These early days were truly pioneering days, and their energy, drive and sense of mission still wafts through our archival documents. In the 1980's and 1990's most of these pioneers and some who joined later passed away, and it is with gratitude and admiration that we connect with them in our hearts and minds, especially during this year of our 50th anniversary. We now have a large host of 134 departed ones who watch and help us from the other side of the threshold, if only we can learn to remain in touch with them.\u00a0<\/p>

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The attached chronology documents the steps in the 50 years of our work, and the manifestations of this work in the world are given in the Canadian section of the Directory of Initiatives published by the Anthroposophical Society in America. It lists 29 branches and groups, about 24 Waldorf schools and related associations, 3 adult education institutions, some 14 artistic and art therapy initiatives, several medical offices, and associations, 10 farming associations and larger farms, 8 Camphill and other social organizations, several libraries and book dealers, and 17 other retailers and service providers. There are artists, scientists and researchers, musicians, and speech artists, eurythmists, architects and writers, consultants and, of course, many teachers. Much of the literature and information about all these is gathered at the national head office and library which also provides member services, Council support and continuity in its liaison work with the Goetheanum and the corresponding office in the US. The head office also publishes a newsletter for the members.\u00a0<\/p>

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It is an important historical fact in Canada that from the very beginning to this day, many of the members have a strong connection to the Christian Community, and its first services were held in Toronto in the same year (1953) as the founding of the Society. There are now two churches, one in Toronto and one in Vancouver.\u00a0<\/p>

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As one reads about or remembers the coming about of all these initiatives and recalls questions people raised, issues they discussed, and articles they wrote, one can detect three phases emerging with their own characteristics. It is, however, also important to acknowledge that not everything that happened was documented and that many a step was taken or supported and many a seed quietly planted in the world or in someone else\u2019s heart unbeknownst to anyone. All these others also contributed to the fabric of what we have achieved so far and what we might yet become.\u00a0<\/p>

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The first phase in our history then was carried and led by strong individuals from Europe and the US who were fired up by the ideas of anthroposophy. They were purposefully and energetically offering these to the public through regular well attended lectures, while also leading study groups for members. Since these individuals had met each other in Toronto, where also the School of Spiritual Science began its work quite early, this centralizing impulse with these strong individuals as recognized leaders developed quite naturally and membership grew fairly rapidly. AGMs were generally held here. Very soon, and in a similar way, Vancouver became another focal point, with a smaller group working in Winnipeg in the early 50's.\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0<\/p>

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In hindsight one can marvel that this Toronto Michael Group was not the one who financed or led the financing of the Society\u2019s first home in Toronto - Hill House at 81 Lawton Blvd. The money for it came from the estate of Dr. Bruce Hill in Winnipeg, far in the West!\u00a0<\/p>

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During these first 15 to 20 years the outreach work relied heavily on speakers from the US and England, and the Goetheanum was truly viewed and experienced as the centre of the work and was visited regularly by council members. Monthly public lectures drew 100 to 120 people, and the thirst for spiritual knowledge was great. A member of the council also travelled across Canada regularly to establish contact and foster a sense of unity. Alan Howard, after his lecture tour across Canada and the US in 1972 noted that many people spoke out of a strong feeling of nostalgia of how things used to be in Europe and at the Goetheanum.\u00a0<\/p>

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During the middle part of this phase the initiatives began to be formed, first among them the Waldorf schools in Toronto and Vancouver. As the work across the country unfolded, regional differences and distance from each other across this vast land led to a greater wish to de-centralize the Council, particularly in the West and in Quebec. The Council had already begun to include representatives from the different regions, and in 1976, after some difficult times, the next step followed and healed the rift to some degree: for the first time the AGM moved away from Toronto and was held in Vancouver.\u00a0<\/p>

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As the membership became increasingly English-Canadian of older stock and, in the case of Quebec, Francophone with the appearance of French as our other language, the second phase gradually showed its profile. The energy of the membership was given over more to the initiatives which became strong, especially in the schools and in adult education work. Also, centres in other places were developed and grew till they had their own homes, notably in Vancouver and in Montreal. As this \u2018will\u2019 phase became stronger, the question of why one should or might be a member and support something so far away as Switzerland came more frequently. People looked for and found enrichment for their lives in numerous courses offered and looked for and did not always find the transformative results in those professing to be anthroposophists. Membership levelled off at about 500, while the circle of \u201cfriends\u201d around the schools and the adult education initiatives, notably the Rudolf Steiner Centre in Toronto, expanded greatly. The perception deepened among many members that this work at the periphery was essential at this stage.\u00a0<\/p>

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A second motif during this phase was a greater awareness of and turning to the land itself, not only through farming and Camphill villages based on the European models, but also by holding conferences in the country, by describing its topography and geography in our literature, turning to the question of our identity and looking at aspects of our culture and history. In 1989 a concerted effort was made to place the overall contribution of Anthroposophy squarely in our culture, as in their own fields the initiatives were already doing, by staging an extensive exhibit with surrounding conferences and workshops over ten weeks in Canada\u2019s most prestigious public library in Toronto. During this phase also, the voice of the French-speaking Quebec members brought a fresh breath and an impulse to work more artistically and joyfully, and 1989 also saw the founding of the French Branche Jean-le-Baptiste in Montreal.\u00a0<\/p>

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The strong work of the initiatives on the periphery and the new de-centralizing force of this second phase appeared to create a vacuum in the Society itself, particularly in Toronto. Yet this but set the stage for a chance to examine in our hearts and minds our individual relationship to Rudolf Steiner, to the Society in Canada and worldwide, and to the movement.\u00a0<\/p>

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Perhaps the most significant event for our development in this second phase, also in the year 1989, was the first all-Canadian members\u2019 summer conference at the Stoney Indian Reservation at Nakoda in Alberta. Its heart-warming effect on the whole country, even on those who were not there, still pulsates and sings in our hearts, seeking for a new opportunity to continue its song.\u00a0<\/p>

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With this event, the third and most inward and perhaps difficult phase was prepared. Our individual differences, karmic knots and different streams were and are slowly needing to be recognized and dealt with. They cannot be left any longer, hidden in the web of immediate will activities. More and more one senses a wish to work with these constructively. Workshops and courses along these lines have sprung up more recently and are being offered to the world but need also to be taken up with each other. This inner work with one another is initially perhaps more painful than the founding of a school but cannot be ignored. We do long for it, and we know that no further deepening of our work can occur without it. Many small steps have been taken or have come about seemingly on their own. Denis Schneider\u2019s work comes to mind and can stand for that of many others. On the occasion of our 43rd anniversary he writes in one of our newsletters that our \u201cofficial\u201d aspect is not so pronounced as our wish to meet and celebrate together, learning to form living images of each other, being in each other\u2019s presence-hearing the other\u2019s voice, seeing his gestures. (Aurore, III,1,1996, p.8-13)\u00a0<\/p>

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This kind of work comes form an awakening of the heart forces, and it is by nature of slow growth. It has the quality of listening and waiting and comes from an inner attitude which is perhaps the same as that which has led Canada to assume the role it has taken in the outer world - that of peacemaker. Here it is a question of knowing when \u201cthe time is at hand\u201d so that all players can take up their part in the conversation. One aspect of this conversation is also that of getting in touch with your neighbour on this earth, as Olaf Lampson has done with colleagues in countries around the Pacific; as Monica Gold has done with friends in Russia through the outreach work of ISIS; and as many others have done with colleagues in the United States in the context of the School of Spiritual Science and council work.\u00a0 It is also a question of not only gathering for oneself the fruit of someone else\u2019s work who has the courage, or the audacity to offer it from that \u201cthird space\u201d, but to inwardly go with such a one and not only hear what he says but also perhaps why he needs to say it out of his deeper biography, or why he says it haltingly or even poorly.\u00a0<\/p>

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The question of our identity and task in anthroposophy here in this place needs to be more fully developed and this cannot be done without an understanding of the place within the spiritual community of all places; and also, in the context of the extraordinary confluence of people who came here in great waves: an ancient wave coming from the north west to the south and then to the north east, where, centuries later, the Europeans Christians came in from the east and began to re-shape the entire continent.\u00a0 Two questions of our geography need our deepened understanding: as a largely northern country we have yet to hear and respond to the call of the North. And secondly, how do we work with what Steven Roboz pointed out again and again: namely that according to an indication of Walter Johannes Stein the West Coast of North America plays an important part in our work in this century, as it is there that East and West meet. Finding the next step in our task in the Pacific area is one of our challenges and will entail there and everywhere in the country finding a way to explore our questions with people from other spiritual streams. A small beginning had been made in Nova Scotia through a close contact with a strong Buddhist community in Halifax, and it was an astonishing experience for me to go there, where Anna Keefe had died, and attend three kinds of services for her: one by the Catholic Church of her family, one by the anthroposophical community\u2014perhaps her most recent home, and one in the centre of the Buddhist community, where she had made many friends.\u00a0<\/p>

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Here in Canada, as everywhere now, questions abound as to the purpose, structure and role of the Society within the work as a whole and in connection with each member, each initiative and all those \u201cfriends\u201d out there. In our midst in Canada, I recall two images or models that have been put forth and that can attract people into two seemingly opposing camps. Bert Chase in a conversation once likened the Society and the initiatives to a solar system, with the Society in the place of the Sun, and the initiatives revolving around it and receiving light and sustenance from it, while evolving their own stories. The other was offered by Shirley Routledge and sees the Society as an open space in the centre, with all the separate organs (initiatives) weaving through all the activities \u201cout there\u201d (Newsletter, Anthroposophical Society in Canada, Summer 1983, p.1).\u00a0<\/p>

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It seems to me that much would be gained by more work on these two images, one with a full radiating centre, the other with an empty one, like a vessel. Perhaps they can come together in a third image- that of the heart. The heart is both full and open, it radiates and receives, and the activities of the limbs are all \u2018impulsated\u2019 by that which flows rhythmically in and out of the heart.\u00a0<\/p>

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It is perhaps fitting to end this story with a reminder of one of our elders. It is both a task and a help, namely this: that we each become increasingly aware of our individual relationship to the eternal being of Rudolf Steiner. This is pointed out again and again by Steven Roboz, and in an interview, he quotes from a lecture: \u201c... I must bear company with everyone who has received the spirit light from me on earth, if he with knowledge, or unconsciously, has come to me as a student of the spirit, and I must guide him further on his path, on which he has set out through me.\u201d Aurore, Easter 2002, pg12\u00a0<\/p>

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Bibliography<\/strong><\/p>

Articles in various newsletters and journals. Also consulted were personal notes by Barbara Doerr (d.1997), and Hans Warner.\u00a0<\/p>

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Barnes, Henry. \u201cWho is truly a Westerner?\u201d\u00a0 IN: Newsletter for the Anthroposophical Society in Canada, #83, Summer 1990, p.2\u00a0<\/p>

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Chase, Bert. \u201cFashioning the Vessel of the Anthroposophical Society in Canada\u201d. IN: Aurore, I, 1, Michaelmas 1994, p.10\u00a0<\/p>

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Easton, Stewart. \u201cEarly anthroposophical work in Toronto\u201d.\u00a0 IN: Newsletter for the Anthroposophical Society in Canada, #55, Autumn 1982, p. 2\u00a0<\/p>

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Gunther, Alexandra. B. \u201c Between northern oceans: a view of Anthroposophy in Canada\u201d. IN: Anthroposophy Worldwide, #8, October 2000, p. 8\u00a0<\/p>

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Roboz, Steven \u201cThe early days of the Anthroposophical Society in Canada\u201d. IN: Aurore, I, 1, Michaelmas 1994, p.15\u00a0<\/p>

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---------\u201cHistory of the Anthroposophical Society in Vancouver\u201d. IN: Aurore, I,3, Winter 1995, p.17\u00a0<\/p>

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---------\u201cInterview with a founder\u201d. Interview by Robert Adams. IN: Aurore, Easter 2002, p.10\u00a0<\/p>

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Routledge, Shirley. \u201cAnthroposophical initiatives, an exploration paper\u201d. IN: Newsletter for the Anthroposophical Society in Canada, #83, Summer 1990, p.1\u00a0<\/p>

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Schneider, Denis.\u00a0 \u201cIn the protecting light of Stella Maris: Farewell letter to Anna Keefe\u201d . IN: Aurore, #1, St. John\u2019s 2000, p. 28\u00a0<\/p>

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Spock, Marjorie. \u201cNorth America under a light sky\u201d. IN: The Golden Blade, 1971, p.111\u00a0<\/p>

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Thatcher, Philip. \u201cNorth of the border\u201d, Pt.1 and 2. IN: Newsletter for the Anthroposophical Society in Canada, # 73, Epiphany 1989, p. 4 and # 78, Easter 1989, p. 10\u00a0<\/p>

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CHRONOLOGY FROM 1941 TO 2003\u00a0<\/h3>\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t
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\n\t\tEaster: near Bowmanville the Toronto Branch of the Anthroposophical Society in America was founded by: Else Weisheit, President; Stewart Easton, Secretary; Isabel Grieve, Dr. Rybers and Harry Sprott\t<\/p>\n\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t<\/div>\n<\/div>\n

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\n\t\t1953 \t\t<\/h3>\n\t\t\t\t\t

\n\t\tMay 19: Toronto, the Anthroposophical Society in Canada founded. 26 of the 34 founding members attended: President: Isabel Grieve. Secretary\/Treasurer: Else Whitehead (formerly Weisheit). \t<\/p>\n\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t<\/div>\n<\/div>\n

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\n\t\t1953\t\t<\/h3>\n\t\t\t\t\t

\n\t\tThe Christian Community established in Toronto by Rudolf K\u00f6hler\t<\/p>\n\t\t\t\t\t

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\n\t\t1954\t\t<\/h3>\n\t\t\t\t\t

\n\t\tFirst Biodynamic farm began working in Ontario: with Hans and Magdalena Warner in Parry Sound\t<\/p>\n\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t<\/div>\n<\/div>\n

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\n\t\t1956\t\t<\/h3>\n\t\t\t\t\t

\n\t\tJune: first newsletter is published. (early editors: Pat Kettle, Isabel Grieve, Tibor Kalmar and others; then for many years Don Cruse) Later became Aurore\t<\/p>\n\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t<\/div>\n<\/div>\n\t<\/div>\n<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t

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Anthroposophical Society in Canada<\/strong><\/p>

CHRONOLOGY FROM 1941 TO 2003\u00a0<\/h3>

1941\u00a0 Easter: near Bowmanville the Toronto Branch of the Anthroposophical Society in America was founded by: Else Weisheit, President; Stewart Easton, Secretary;\u00a0 Isabel Grieve, Dr. Rybers and Harry Sprott<\/p>

1953\u00a0 May 19: Toronto, the Anthroposophical Society in Canada founded. 26 of the 34 founding members attended: President: Isabel Grieve. Secretary\/Treasurer: Else Whitehead (formerly Weisheit).\u00a0<\/p>

1953\u00a0 The Christian Community established in Toronto by Rudolf K\u00f6hler<\/p>

1954\u00a0 First Biodynamic farm began working in Ontario: with Hans and Magdalena Warner in Parry Sound<\/p>

1954\u00a0 Wednesday Night Study group started in Vancouver, first led by Mrs. K. Mayne, from 1972 by Steven Roboz. Group now called North Vancouver Vidar Group<\/p>

1955\u00a0 Oberufer Christmas plays first performed in Toronto by a group of young people<\/p>

1956\u00a0 June: first newsletter is published. (early editors: Pat Kettle, Isabel Grieve, Tibor Kalmar and others; then for many years Don Cruse) Later became Aurore<\/p>

1957\u00a0 Hill House at 81 Lawton Blvd in Toronto bought as national head office from money from the estate of Dr. Bruce Hill, Winnipeg. Opening Sept 30, 1957.<\/p>

Branches existed in Toronto, Vancouver, and Winnipeg. Study groups in Ottawa, Oakville, and Montreal<\/p>

1964\u00a0 Waldorf School Association of Ontario (WSAO) chartered; incorporates in 1965<\/p>

1967\u00a0 Nov.\/Dec.: lecture tour by Georg and Mrs. Unger, and A. C, Harwood and Marguerite Lundgren<\/p>

1968\u00a0 Toronto Waldorf School born on 1087 Lillian St. (21 children in Gr\u2019s. 1 and 2)<\/p>

1969\u00a0 Steiner Book Centre founded, first selling, later also publishing books (34 titles): Doug Andress, Steven Roboz<\/p>

1970\u00a0 Weleda products first became available in Canada through Gabi Zimmermann and Gerald Lawrence<\/p>

1970\u00a0 Rudolf Steiner Centre, Vancouver, opened<\/p>

1971\u00a0 Waldorf School in Vancouver opened in the Fall, at 4650 Rutland Road<\/p>

1971\u00a0 Michael Books and Crafts Health Centre (later Living Seed) opened in Toronto: Bruce McCausland<\/p>

1971\u00a0 First conference at Petite Rivi\u00e8re St. Fran\u00e7ois in Quebec:12 people attended. Organizer:\u00a0 Huguette Chaurette<\/p>

1971\u00a0 Anthroposophical Foundation of Canada established with money given by Douglas Andress<\/p>

1971\u00a0 Official groups now in Edmonton, Victoria, Montreal. Study groups formed in Halifax, Quebec, Guelph, Barrie<\/p>

1972\u00a0 Biodynamic farm starts work near Winnipeg: Dr. Grussendorf<\/p>

1972\u00a0 Alan Howard lecture tour across Canada and US: Halifax to Vancouver, Florida to San Francisco: 30 stops in all. Co-sponsored by the Anthroposophical Society in America<\/p>

1972\u00a0 Large members\u2019 conference with Carlo Pietzner in Toronto<\/p>

1972\u00a0 Oct. 14: Toronto Waldorf School celebrates foundation stone laying on their new property at 9100 Bathurst St (opening Oct. 13, 1973)<\/p>

1974\u00a0 Bio-dynamic conference at the Toronto Waldorf School to celebrate the 50th anniversary of BD:100 participants<\/p>

1975\u00a0 May 2-4: first AGM with members\u2019 conference at the Toronto Waldorf School, with Hagen Biesantz. Theme: \u201cThe World as Mystery Centre\u201d<\/p>

1975\u00a0 The directory (in the newsletter) now lists two biodynamic farming and gardening associations: one in Ontario and one in British Columbia<\/p>

1976\u00a0 May 7-9: the first AGM\/Members\u2019 conference outside Toronto: in Vancouver. Theme: \u201cPowers of Evil in our time\u201d. AGM\u2019s start rotation: Montreal, Toronto, Vancouver<\/p>

1976\u00a0 Ita Wegman Association formed in Ontario<\/p>

1976\u00a0 Nov. 22: performance at the University of Toronto of the London Eurythmy Group, with Marguerite Lundgren (organized by the Rudolf Steiner Institute of the Great Lakes Area)<\/p>

1977\u00a0 Victoria forms an official group<\/p>

1977\u00a0 Camphill work begins in Ontario: Michaelhaven (Gabi Zimmermann) and two small private ventures; then Raphael House (George Wilson)<\/p>

1977\u00a0 7 Canadians take part in a youth conference in New York state<\/p>

1977\u00a0 Kelowna starts study group<\/p>

1978\u00a0 Montreal plans a French kindergarten and an association as a basis for a school<\/p>

1978\u00a0 Stuttgart Eurythmeum and Romanian State Orchestra tour: Toronto, Calgary, Vancouver, Ottawa<\/p>

1979\u00a0 Preparation of a Waldorf initiative in Ottawa through a summer camp at Neil and Linda Anderson\u2019s farm, guided by Mel Belenson\u00a0<\/p>

1980\u2019s\u00a0<\/p>

1981\u00a0 Anthroposophical Society in Ontario seeks name change to Rudolf Steiner Foundation<\/p>

1981\u00a0 Jan. 24: inaugural lecture by Ernst Katz (Ann Arbor) of the Rudolf Steiner Centre on Prince Arthur St., Toronto:<\/p>

1981\u00a0 Christopher Group founded at Raphael House<\/p>

1981\u00a0 Waldorf School Association of Kelowna founded<\/p>

1981\u00a0 Vidar Loan Community founded in Toronto: Helmut Krause<\/p>

1981\u00a0 Vancouver Waldorf High School started<\/p>

1982\u00a0 Foundation Course\/ General Studies in Anthroposophy Programme began in Vancouver, ran till the mid-1990’s.<\/p>

1982\u00a0 Maison Emmanuel in Quebec incorporated<\/p>

1983\u00a0 Teacher training initiative begins at the Toronto Waldorf School<\/p>

1983\u00a0 Rudi Lissau\u2019s lecture tour across Canada<\/p>

1980’s French articles begin to appear in the newsletter<\/p>

1984\u00a0 May: Opening of L\u2019Atelier d\u2019Art Social de Montreal: Denis Schneider and Michel Bourassa<\/p>

1984\u00a0 First Western Canada summer course held under the auspices of the Western Canadian Rudolf Steiner Institute of Anthroposophy and Waldorf Education. 86 attended<\/p>

1985\/6 \u00a0 Vancouver: Rudolf Steiner Centre premise sold, another building bought: 275 East Keith Road in N. Vancouver<\/p>

1985\u00a0 Ita Wegman Association of British Columbia incorporated<\/p>

1986\u00a0 Tour by 5 eurythmists from Dornach in Toronto, London, Ottawa, Montreal<\/p>

1986\/7 \u00a0 Alan Howard Waldorf School in downtown Toronto opens<\/p>

1987\u00a0 Council begins to travel across the country for its 4 meetings annually\u00a0 \u00a0 \u00a0 \u00a0 \u00a0 \u00a0 \u00a0 \u00a0 \u00a0 \u00a0 \u00a0 \u00a0 \u00a0 \u00a0 \u00a0 \u00a0 \u00a0 \u00a0 \u00a0 \u00a0 \u00a0 \u00a0 \u00a0 \u00a0 \u00a0 \u00a0<\/p>

1987\u00a0 Hesperus Fellowship Community opens at 9100 Bathurst St., Thornhill, Ontario<\/p>

1988\u00a0 By-Laws re-written to eliminate the use of proxies<\/p>

1989\u00a0 July 30 to Aug. 5: all-Canada conference at Nakoda Lodge in Alberta: organized by Philip Thatcher<\/p>

1989\u00a0 Toronto: extensive public Rudolf Steiner exhibit with 10 weeks of conference (with Ernst Katz) and workshops in the Toronto Reference Library. Exhibit created by Peter von Zezschwitz. Co-ordinated by A. B. Gunther<\/p>

1989\u00a0 Montreal: inauguration of the Branche Jean-le-Baptiste<\/p>

1989\u00a0 Forming of the Canadian Association of Anthroposophical Medicine: Ken McAlister, Werner Fabian<\/p>

1989\u00a0 ISIS begins to incorporate in Vancouver: Monica Gold\u00a0<\/p>

1990\u2019s\u00a0<\/p>

1992\u00a0 London: R.O.S.E., a community land trust, purchases a farm (Sunnivue) nearby<\/p>

1992\u00a0 Waldorf teacher training established: at the Rudolf Steiner Centre, Toronto and at Kelowna, B. C.<\/p>

1993\u00a0 Search for General Secretary begins through Council and involving the School of Spiritual Science, the Vorstand and all members: Olaf Lampson acclaimed<\/p>

1994\u00a0 Lecture tour by Sergej Prokofieff: Toronto\u00a0 (part of North American tour)<\/p>

1994\u00a0 Stella Maris Group founded in Halifax, Nova Scotia<\/p>

1994\u00a0 Newsletter ceases and is reborn with new editors as Aurore: Robert Adams, Philip Thatcher, Herbert Walsh<\/p>

1995\u00a0 Sept. 1-4: last Council meeting at Hill House.\u00a0 \u00a0 Hill House sold Nov.15<\/p>

1995\u00a0 Nov. 1: Head Office and Library move to new location: rented space at 232 Merton St., Toronto. Official opening Jan. 6, 1996<\/p>

1995\u00a0 Conference at Maison Emmanuel on \u201cExploring the Canadian Identity: with Denis Schneider and Klaus Sproll<\/p>

1995\u00a0 \u201cThe Soul\u2019s Awakening\u201d performed by Portal Productions (England) in Toronto and Vancouver<\/p>

1995\u00a0 First Council meeting in Atlantic Canada: Halifax<\/p>

1996\u00a0 West Coast Institute for Studies in Anthroposophy starts a two-year Early Childhood Education training<\/p>

1996\u00a0 First AGM in Duncan, Vancouver Island<\/p>

1996\u00a0 Tobias Association for Healing Education formed in Ottawa: Mel Belenson<\/p>

1996\u00a0 First issue of Members\u2019 Bulletin: between northern oceans. Editor: A.B. Gnther<\/p>

1996\u00a0 Taurven Community in Vancouver found own location after 5 years in private homes<\/p>

1996\u00a0 Sept.14: South Shore Waldorf School opened near Lunenburg, Nova Scotia<\/p>

1997\u00a0 Manitoba Waldorf Initiative is founded<\/p>

1997\u00a0 Inauguration of the new premises of the Rudolf Steiner Centre Association on 3743 Delbrook, N. Vancouver<\/p>

1997\u00a0 Rudolf Steiner Centre, Toronto, and Arscura open a studio in downtown Toronto: 232 Merton St.<\/p>

1998\u00a0 Anthroposophical artists hold a group show in a public library in Toronto<\/p>

1999\u00a0 Council invites members to form regional support groups as a link to the membership: in Duncan, Vancouver, Toronto and Montreal. Begin work in 2000<\/p>

1998\u00a0 Fundraising initiative for the Goetheanum\u2019s Great Hall project at Julyan Mulock\u2019s home \u201cFalconfield\u201d: Ingrid Belenson<\/p>

1998\u00a0 Sophia Creek Centre opens on 105 Toronto Street, Barrie ON. Doctor: Werner Fabian Artist-in Residence: Annemarie Heintz. Later Writer-in Residence: Treasa O\u2019Driscoll\u00a0<\/p>

2000\u2019s\u00a0<\/p>

2000\u00a0 Anthroposophical Society in America\u2019s Directory of Initiatives new edition appears, for the first time carrying a Canadian section. Continued in 2002 issue<\/p>

2000 \u00a0 Youth work active in Montreal and Ottawa<\/p>

2001\u00a0 Michael Branch, Toronto revived (dormant for more than10 years), now meeting in Richmond Hill<\/p>

2001\u00a0 Vidar Foundation incorporated as a non-profit financial organization: Ingrid Belenson and others<\/p>

2001\u00a0 Chiron begins work (a home-schooling initiative with the Rudolf Steiner Centre, Toronto): Gene Campbell<\/p>

2001\u00a0 Institut Rudolf Steiner au Qu\u00e9bec opens: Ir\u00e8ne Fran\u00e7ois<\/p>

2001\/2 \u00a0 South Shore Waldorf School moves to new premises near Mahone Bay, Nova Scotia<\/p>

2002\u00a0 Rudolf Steiner Centre, Toronto starts a programme of Foundation Studies<\/p>

2002\u00a0 Palm Sunday: consecration of The Christian Community\u2019s new chapel in Maple, north of Toronto<\/p>\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t<\/section>\n\t\t\t\t

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Why Do You Become A Member?<\/h2>\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t
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  • \"I met Anthroposophy 42 years ago in Kelowna, B.C. It was as though a door opened and brilliant light flooded around me. I soon recognized that Rudolf Steiner was my teacher and that Anthroposophy would be my guide and path through life.\"<\/p>

    Edna Cox, Port Alberni, BC<\/p><\/div><\/div><\/div><\/li>

  • \"I felt starved at university, and the Society activities provided much-needed nourishment.\"<\/p>

    Mark McAlister Thornhill, ON<\/p><\/div><\/div><\/div><\/li>

  • \"It\u2019s right for me to help keep anthroposophy alive!\"<\/p>

    Suzanne Routhier, PQ<\/p><\/div><\/div><\/div><\/li>

  • \"I became a member as a free gesture to uphold and support the spiritual work of Anthroposophy. I was an eurythmy student in England, and felt inspired by the older generation, John Davy, who had just passed away and Eileen Hutchins and others and wanted to be part of this community too!\"<\/p>

    Margaret Osmond, NS<\/p><\/div><\/div><\/div><\/li>

  • \"I joined the Anthroposophical Society, first in the UK , when I was a student at Emerson College. It seemed to me then in 1967, and has done ever since, that this deed is both a modest gesture of support for the significant work at the Goetheanum and the least one can do to honour the karmic privilege of having anthroposophy in one's life.\"<\/p>

    Diana Hughes Richmond Hill, ON<\/p><\/div><\/div><\/div><\/li>

  • \"I wished to express my gratitude to those who brought this wonderful gift to my attention.\"<\/p>

    David Charles Adams Cowichan Bay, BC<\/p><\/div><\/div><\/div><\/li>

  • \"I became a member to support the work of Rudolf Steiner and anthroposophy in the world.\"<\/p>

    Barbarah Nicoll, Glade, BC<\/p><\/div><\/div><\/div><\/li>

  • \"I always had an inner feeling that there was another world we have come from.\"<\/p>

    Hans-J.Rosch Lucan, ON<\/p><\/div><\/div><\/div><\/li>

  • \"I was already committed to anthroposophy. I wanted to support work being done.\"<\/p>

    Judy King, Baddeck, NS<\/p><\/div><\/div><\/div><\/li>

  • \"While a student at Emerson College, Foundation Year in the 1970s. I decided to apply for membership in the Society. Adam Bittleston was my study group leader and he encouraged me to do so. I have valued being a Canadian member of the society since then.\"<\/p>

    Henriette van Hees from Edmonton, AB<\/p><\/div><\/div><\/div><\/li>

  • \"When I joined I was living in an anthroposophically remote area of Canada and was looking to keep my anthroposophical connection alive. I was also ready to make a commitment to the Society and anthroposophy.\"<\/p>

    Kate Reynolds, Gabriola Island, BC<\/p><\/div><\/div><\/div><\/li>

  • \"I was encouraged by Paul D\u00e9carie after a year of participation in the study group.\"<\/p>

    Roger Laplante, Montreal, PQ<\/p><\/div><\/div><\/div><\/li>

  • \"I was inspired by Rudolf Steiner's philosophy and the various initiatives that have a foundation in anthroposophy (TWS, Arscura School for Living Art, Hesperus Village, etc).\"<\/p>

    Vibeke Ball, Richmond Hill, ON<\/p><\/div><\/div><\/div><\/li>

  • \"I wanted to be part of, and support, an organization that is spreading the spiritual truths so desperately needed in our society.\"<\/p>

    Gregory W Moore Edmonton, Alberta, AB<\/p><\/div><\/div><\/div><\/li>

  • \"I wanted to find a home for my belief in reincarnation.\"<\/p>

    Reinhard Rosch, Ottawa, ON<\/p><\/div><\/div><\/div><\/li>

  • \"To contribute to anthroposophic impulses.\"<\/p>

    CoCo Verspoor, Richmond Hill, ON<\/p><\/div><\/div><\/div><\/li>

  • \"To follow and be cued in, as to what\u2019s happening within the Canadian anthroposophical movement. To support (financially) the Canadian scene and also worldwide.\"<\/p>

    John Vanden Heuvel, Victoria, BC<\/p><\/div><\/div><\/div><\/li>

  • \"I began studying Steiner a few years ago. I did the first part of the Anthroposophy course with Hamo, and I made a trip to the Goetheanum. It then came to me that I wanted\/needed to make a more formal commitment to the organization.\"<\/p>

    Alexandra MacKinnon, Ottawa, ON<\/p><\/div><\/div><\/div><\/li>

  • \"For the moral support of being identified and included in the anthroposophical community.\"<\/p>

    MaryAnne Causyn, Ottawa, ON<\/p><\/div><\/div><\/div><\/li><\/ul><\/div><\/div>\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t<\/section>\n\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

    The Anthroposophical Society in Canada: 1953 to 2003 Prepared by Alexandra Barbara Gunther, Toronto, January 2003\u00a0 Introduction In the Michaelmas 1994 issue of Aurore, Bert Chase who had just stepped down from his office as President of the Council, reflects on the history of the…<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":6,"featured_media":0,"parent":52,"menu_order":0,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","template":"elementor_header_footer","meta":{"inline_featured_image":false,"footnotes":""},"class_list":["post-7620","page","type-page","status-publish","hentry"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/anthroposophy.ca\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/pages\/7620","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/anthroposophy.ca\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/pages"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/anthroposophy.ca\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/page"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/anthroposophy.ca\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/6"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/anthroposophy.ca\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=7620"}],"version-history":[{"count":5,"href":"https:\/\/anthroposophy.ca\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/pages\/7620\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":15318,"href":"https:\/\/anthroposophy.ca\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/pages\/7620\/revisions\/15318"}],"up":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/anthroposophy.ca\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/pages\/52"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/anthroposophy.ca\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=7620"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}