Planetary Gestures in Eurythmy

Werner Barfod was born in Kiel, Germany in 1936. He studied eurythmy at the Goetheanum in Switzerland with Lea von der Pals, and from 1969 to 2000 was the Director of the Eurythmy Academy in the Hague, and of the Netherlands Eurythmy Ensemble, after which he was the leader of the Performing Arts section of the Goetheanum for seven years. He is the author of The Zodiac Gestures in Eurythmy and The Planetary Gestures in Eurythmy. Sally Lake-Edwards is a eurythmist who has taught in various Steiner-Waldorf schools and centres for adults with special needs in England.

'An essential workbook for any eurythmist... and also a great introduction to anyone who wants to learn about the art of Eurythmy. A truly effective and inspiring book!'-- Perspectives

• ContentsPreface 9PART I1. Forming the Eurythmy Gestures for the Planets 13An overview of the seven gestures 13The seven gestures individually 14The human being: both centre and sphere in the gestures 192. The Characteristics of the Planetary Gestures 213. The Seven Attitudes of the I in the Soul 23The dual form of the human members 23The seven faculties of the I in the soul 244. The I as a Being of Breath 26The I manifested in twelvefold, sevenfold and threefold form 26The rhythm of the I reflected in the members 26The archetypal gesture of contraction and expansion 275. Planetary Influences in Prenatal and Earthly Existence 28Human abilities as a reflection of prenatal lunar forces 28The seven life processes of the natural and ‘cultural’ etheric 29The planetary forces in Rudolf Steiner’s Ephesus verse 31The seven life processes as the working of the etheric body 32Seven steps for practising eurythmy 326. The Planetary Processes in Varying Sequences 34The sequence working in the etheric body 34The path to earth in the Moon sphere 34The planetary sequence in Rudolf Steiner’s Twelve Moods 35The planetary sequence in evolution 377. The Seven Vowel Responses of the Etheric Body 388. The Seven Levels of Manifestation of the Vowels 41A in seven stages 42E in seven stages 43I in seven stages 44O in seven stages 46U in seven stages 479. The Five Vowels as an Image of Their Nature 49The vowels as a process of metamorphosis 49The vowels as an image of the metamorphosis of the I 5010. The Seven Aspects of the I and Their Soul Moods 5211. The Whole Human Being in Eurythmy 55Eurythmy gestures in anthroposophical terms 55Everyday movement and eurythmy movement 56The dual nature in different parts of the human being 56The whole human being revealed 57Seven steps from sound to speech form 5812. The Seven Modes of the I as Artistic Expression 60Seven Calendar of the Soul verses as examples 60Five twentieth-century poems as examples 64PART II 13. Zodiac Gestures as Aspects of the Astral Body 71From feeling to thinking and from feeling to action 72The inner and outer threshold of the soul 73Three stages of attaining harmony within the soul forces 7414. The Twelve Soul Forms as Artistic Expression 76The sources of movement of the three soul forces 76The dynamic sources of other soul forms 7615. The Soul Forms in Walk and Gesture 7916. The Soul Forms in Artistic Composition 81The Calendar of the Soul verses 81Five twentieth-century poems as examples 85A scene from Rudolf Steiner’s mystery drama 8817. Rhythmic Alternation Between the Self and the World 90The soul’s breathing between centre and periphery 90The soul’s breathing between symmetry and asymmetry 9018. Seven Modes of the I and Twelve Soul Forms 9319. The Whole Human Being and its Counterimages 96PART III20. Planetary Influences and Life Processes 10121. The Planets Reflected in Human Life 105The effects of the planets in the seven-year life phases 105Planetary effects and typical attitudes 106Strengths and weaknesses of each planetary type 107The art of living with planetary forces 109PART IV22. Motifs in Eurythmy Training 113The first exercises given by Rudolf Steiner 11323. Creative, Formative Processes in Eurythmy 120The anthroposophical basis for the breathing of the I 120The soul forces as an artistic resource 121The breathing of the I 121Creating forms shaped by the I in the periphery 122Preparing the I for creative activity 122Exercises that reveal the I in the soul 123Exercises that reveal the I in the etheric body 12324. Exercises and Meditations as a Bridge Between the Ego and the I 125Notes 133Bibliography 137Index 139