By Chrystal Hayn
Thoughts that have inspired me that arise through reading the Foundations of Human Experience: Lectures on Education by Rudolf Steiner. Thoughts like these are timeless and allow strength and persistence for teaching the special needs young people with whom I work at the Mount Camphill Community.
In the spiritual world before birth we are helped by spirit beings in manifold ways to prepare for our birth. We arrive here on earth and meet the age of the Consciousness Soul which is also an age of deep egoism. Do we have pre-birthly intentions? How can we remember them? How can education help us to know what we are really about and what we truly intend for our lives?
We are born and clothed with physical and life forces. As educators we continue the work of spiritual beings: ‘ We will be conscious that physical existence is a continuation of the spiritual. In educating we carry on the work of higher beings. The right mood will be engendered when we fill ourselves with the consciousness that I continue the work of higher beings that was done before the birth of the one I am educating.’
Chrystal Hayn studied Waldorf Education in Stuttgart in the 80’s and after class teaching for 7 years trained in Eurythmy at the Ringwood Botton Eurythmy School with Chas Bamford, Monica Dorrington and Evamaria Rascher. She went on to be part of many national and international performing projects with the Botton Stage Group, Eskdale Eurythmy, Peredur Stage Group and London Eurythmy over 22 years, working mainly with Hajo Deker. She taught courses at the London College Of Eurythmy and workshops at Steiner House for several years and is part of the Foundation Stone Meditation performing work with London Eurythmy. She lives and works at The Mount Camphill Community, where she also teaches young people with special needs at the Mount Independent Specialist Residential College and is co-founder of Eurythmy India.