Summer 2021:
Fostering Community Through Agriculture
Issue 10: July 2021
Summer’s in Swing…
Dear friends,
We are delighted to bring you this summer issue on “Fostering Community through Agriculture.” We at FHC strongly believe in the power of nature and farming to teach us how to build community. Access to nourishing food is a prerequisite for health and should be a right and a responsibility shared equally by all. There is no time of year that better demonstrates nature’s diversity and abundance than summer- the markets are spilling over with juicy stone fruits, giant cucumbers and fresh leafy greens, while my garden tomatoes slowly soften and turn orange in the midday sun, showing the promise of more to come! When we cooperate with nature’s rhythms and uncover its wisdom, its rewards are bountiful. It provides us not only with nourishment, but with a sense of meaning, connection and interdependence, where every piece is felt as being vital to the whole. Indeed, nature itself provides us with an experience of healthy community. In this issue we bring you news and inspiration in a variety of formats- video, film, written articles and online advocacy campaigns. We also offer special contributions from younger voices- an emerging generation finding hope and meaning for themselves and for the world. We hope there is something here for everyone and encourage you to pass it on to friends!
From the CALENDAR OF THE SOUL, by Rudolf Steiner
Translation by Ruth & Hans Pusch
Week 16 (July 21-27, 2021)
To bear in inward keeping spirit bounty
Is stern command of my prophetic feeling,
That ripened gifts divine
Maturing in the depths of soul
To selfhood bring their fruits.
Features of Interest
Biodynamics, Social Justice and Rudolf Steiner’s Agriculture Course
by Cory Eichman
One of the first thoughts Rudolf Steiner brings in the Agriculture Course, his 1924 series of lectures to farmers that form the basis of biodynamics, is that “Agriculture touches every aspect of human life.” So the question isn’t “Does biodynamics have anything to do with social justice?” but “In what ways does biodynamics intersect with social justice?”
The world changed dramatically in Steiner’s lifetime (1861-1925), with advances in communication and transportation technology making the world smaller, accompanied by tremendous social unrest in Europe. Many countries were experiencing the crumble of the old empire and monarchy social structures as part of the chaos around WWI. Steiner responded to the unrest with ideas and projects to encourage social health. Steiner’s concept of social threefolding was founded on three ideals expressing three social spheres: equality in our human to human relationships, community empowerment, and government policy; freedom in our individual and cultural expression, spirituality, and initiative; and cooperation in our economic activities, allowing everyone’s needs to be met…
Read the full article…
Youth and Nature
Dr. Steven Johnson, DO, sat down for a conversation with young people about their personal journeys that have led them back to nature which sustains, heals and inspires them.
Watch the 35-minute film here…
We are grateful to our friends at Churchtown Dairy and the M.C. Richards Program at Free Columbia, for being a part of this conversation and we hope you will share this with the young people you know.
Disclaimer: The views and opinions expressed in this newsletter are those of the authors and do not necessarily reflect the official policy or position of FHC
Upcoming Events
“How We Will” Forum
August 20-29, 2021
Detroit, Michigan
Creating Health in a Time of Transformation
July 23, 2022
9:00am – 5:00pm EDT
Kimberton, Pennsylvania
More details coming soon!
Health in Action
Support our friends from Elderberries Biodynamic Outpost and 3fold Cultural Hub finish a community cultural center in Chicago that hosts art classes, singing circles, and art installations. Their future plan is to bring in the youth from Thresholds – a local live-in high school for youth who came from the foster care system.
Their March to March campaign has seen the successful completion of it’s first steps, but there remains much to be done.
Track their progress and support their efforts here.
Be a part of the “How We Will” Forum in Detroit, Aug 20-29, 2021
Inspirations and Initiatives
by Alison Gopnik
for the Wall Street Journal
Read the full article here
Reflections on the COVID-19 Pandemic
Jon McAlice and Craig Holdrege
Sars-CoV-2
A statement from the leaders of the Goetheanum’s Medical Section
Read the full statement here
“A healthy social life is found when in the mirror of each soul the whole community finds its reflection and when in the whole community the virtue of each one is living.”
-Rudolf Steiner