Tag: spiritual development
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Artistic Speech
In this post, we will introduce the benefits of artistic speech in education. First, however, let’s understand what we mean by artistic speech. All day long we talk, talk, talk, but how often do we pay attention to how we are talking? How much effort do we put into the formation of our vowels and…
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Happy Children
In a recent interview, Dr. Leonard Sax, a long-time family physician and psychologist, explained that the biggest predictor of adult well-being in children is their relationship with their parents. Let that sink in for a minute. Happy children are those who have the best relationships with their caregivers. Does that surprise you as it did…
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Winter or Advent Spiral
This week, I wanted to write a post about making winter holidays meaningful, especially for adolescents and teens. I will focus on the Winter or Advent Spiral, commonly done in Waldorf settings. The principles, however, are broadly applicable to other traditions as well, so extrapolate as necessary. The Difference Between Children and Adolescents At puberty,…
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The Formative Power of Gratitude
On Thanksgiving each year, many of us practice giving gratitude. Is this just a nice family tradition, or is there a truly formative power of gratitude? Let’s start with words of wisdom from wise people. Eckhart Tolle once said (paraphrased), “If you practice gratitude, life will give you more things to be grateful for.” In…
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Emotional Intelligence
In this third post of our series on the 6 Basic Exercises, we will discuss “Control of Feeling.” A better title for this exercise would be “cultivating emotional intelligence through mastering the feeling life.” However, the Austrian simplicity of Rudolf Steiner preferred the shorter title, so we’ll go with that. This is probably the hardest…
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Freewill (Control of Will)
In this blog post, we will discuss freewill. However, this will not be a philosophical treatise on whether or not freewill exists. Rather, it will be a practical guide on how to become free of will. This is the followup to a post we wrote a few months ago entitled Control of Thought. The Six…
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Education in a Time of Uncertainty
Our world is becoming increasingly uncertain. Wars progress and threaten to escalate. Markets are volatile. The upcoming U.S. presidential election looks messy. Even Asheville, N.C., long considered to be one of the very safest places in the country, was just devastated by a hurricane. (So safe was Asheville considered that NOAA put their server building…
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Michaelmas Reflections
A pale, yet warm, light glows in our garage this evening. The stars are coming earlier each night, and the air they bring grows crisper. The crop vines are withering from green to yellow to brittle brown. They’ve made their fruits, given them as gifts to the next generation, and now they’re passing from an…
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Spiritual Treasure
Silver and Gold What is life’s greatest treasure? Is it silver and gold, an abundant retirement, or the ownership of a nice house? How about a new car, the ability to travel, and the financial freedom to treat your family to dinner out each week? What about several years’ worth of food and supplies stored…
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Humor as Medicine in the Home
Have you ever found yourself talking with your spouse about something stressful which pressingly needs to be discussed…like, now? Meanwhile, your young child or children are in the room, and they will inevitably be stressed out, too? Your solid parenting instinct recognizes this, so you try going into another room. However, because your children are…