Best Goetheanum Podcasts (2024)

1
Episode #58: Megan Durney, Kim Vaughan - Threefold Community Farm, Chestnut Ridge, NY 1:01:49

21d ago1:01:49

1:01:49

This week on the podcast I speak with Kim Vaughan and Megan Durney of the Threefold Community Farm in Chestnut Ridge, NY, just outside of New York City. Threefold Community Farm is one of the key centers for the practice of biodynamic agriculture, as well as the training of biodynamic farmers through the Pfeiffer Center. Biodynamic agriculture is a…

1
Episode #57: Dr. Dan McKanan: Camphills, Intentional Communities, and the Spiritual Roots of Radical Change 1:06:56

1M ago1:06:56

1:06:56

This week's guest on the Microcollege podcast is Dr. Dan McKanan, a professor at the Harvard Divinity School who is one of the foremost American scholars of biodynamic agriculture and the Camphill communities, two influential movements applying the ideas of Rudolf Steiner in practical fields. In our conversation, we learn about Dan's own formative …

1
Episode #56: Dr. Richard Kyte - Finding Your Third Place 1:06:02

2M ago1:06:02

1:06:02

On today's episode we discuss the concept of "third places" with Dr. Richard Kyte, author of the forthcoming book Finding Your Third Place: Building Happier Communities (and Making Great Friends Along the Way). What is a "third place"? According to Dr. Kyte: "Your first place is home, your second place is work, and your third place is where you go …

1
Episode #55: Eric Schwarz - College for Social Innovation, Boston, MA 1:02:18

2M ago1:02:18

1:02:18

In this episode of the Microcollege podcast, join me for a fascinating conversation with Eric Schwarz, Co-Founder and CEO of the College for Social Innovation (CFSI), which offers semester-long immersive service learning internships in partnership with community organizations in the Boston area, as well as on college campuses throughout the northea…

1
Episode #54: Andrea de la Cruz, Nathaniel Williams - The Goetheanum, Dornach, Switzerland 1:02:27

3M ago1:02:27

1:02:27

Today's guests are Andrea de la Cruz and Nathaniel Williams, leaders in the area of educational courses and the youth movement at the Goetheanum, located in Dornach, Switzerland. The Goetheanum is a remarkable building, a masterpiece of modern architecture nestled in the green foothills near Basel. It is also an organization that lies at the heart …

1
Episode #53: Blake Boles - Unschool Adventures 57:52

4M ago57:52

57:52

Blake Boles is one of the leading voices in the world of unschooling and a passionate advocate for alternative approaches to education of all kinds. He is the founder and director of Unschool Adventures, a travel program for self-directed learners, and is the author of Why Are You Still Sending Your Kids to School?, The Art of Self-Directed Learnin…

1
Episode #52: Christine Deck - Deck Family Farm, Willamette Valley, Oregon 45:00

4M ago45:00

45:00

This week on the Microcollege podcast we explore the deeply important and little discussed question of who the farmers of the future will be and how they will be educated. Our guest is Christine Deck, co-owner of the Deck Family Farm in Oregon's Willamette Valley. Together with her husband John and their 5 kids, Christine runs a diversified organic…

1
Episode #51: Philip Francis - Seguinland Institute, The Good Life Gap Year, Maine 1:10:31

5M ago1:10:31

1:10:31

Philip Francis is the Director and Co-Founder of the Seguinland Institute, an innovative gap year program provider located in beautiful Georgetown, Maine. Philip is a native son of the region, where his parents settled to become homesteaders under the influence of Scott and Helen Nearing, authors of the early 20th century back-to-the-land classic L…

1
Kunzru’s Red Pill: An Image of the Human Being 22:32

7M ago22:32

22:32

In this episode Nathaniel Williams turns toward Hari Kunzru’s novel Red Pill, published in 2020, as an image of what contemporary human experience. It depicts a journey of a writer who is driven to confront unsettling questions about life, the place of violence and human dignity while society around him is seething. To join with the world, we are g…

1
Variations of Stillness and Movement – Digital Technology, Art and Spirituality 21:55

8M ago21:55

21:55

Thousands of satellites are being launched each year as part of efforts to build out the infrastructure for our digital technologies and networks. The night sky is now crisscrossed by traveling techno-stars visible to the naked eye. The celestial order of the constellations host more and more movement, and light pollution, which has led many astron…

1
Episode #50: Lene Rachel Andersen - The Nordic Secret for Cultivating Beauty, Freedom, Democracy, and Prosperity 1:12:49

8M ago1:12:49

1:12:49

For the 50th Episode of the Microcollege Podcast, we checked back in with one of our favorite guests from the first few months of the show. Lene Rachel Andersen is one of the stimulating and ambitious thinkers we have met during this remarkable journey. A native of Denmark, Lene is an economist, futurist, Bildung activist, and author of many books …

1
Economics and Peace 21:21

9M ago21:21

21:21

Recently we have seen how much courage is required to advocate for peace, which is understood as a simple cessation of war and terror. Beyond this we are faced with the grand challenge of peace, of how to imagine a resilient peace, how to become articulate and effective peace workers. One area that people all over the world share as a possible fiel…

1
Social Thinking and Monetary Design 18:00

9M ago18:00

18:00

Social thinking is not simply a nice way of looking at life, an optimistic or positive orientation. Characteristically it involves thinking in an inclusive way, somehow considering the varied interests of everyone in society. Many people cling to the stubborn ideas of naked capitalism, that self-interest leads to social wealth, even while we see th…

1
Excerpts from the Journey of the Peacemaker 30:31

10M ago30:31

30:31

In this episode excerpts from the Journey of the Peacemaker are described, a journey that led to the founding of the Haudenosaunee, or Iroquois, Confederacy. It is a story of how, within the time span of one life, one biography, a region of war, violence, evil and cannibalism became the first constitutional, and democratically oriented, confederacy…

1
Episode #49: Jill Nephew - Inquiry, Education, Artificial Vs. Natural Intelligence 1:12:57

10M ago1:12:57

1:12:57

Jill Nephew, technologist and founder of Inqwire, joins the podcast for a thorough discussion on different forms of intelligence, questions of meta-crisis in the modern world, and solutions. Inqwire: https://www.inqwire.io/ Some books mentioned in this episode: The Art of Memory by Frances Yates The Book of Why by Judea Pearl Western Estoericism: A…

1
Episode #48: Liz Rog, Amy Arnold - Community Singing 56:31

10M ago56:31

56:31

Liz Rog believes in singing together as an ancient technology for belonging, a simple and powerful tool for restoring our connection in community. She sings with all ages, teaching simple songs that can be woven into the seasons of the year and the changes and challenges of our lives in play, at bedsides, at rallies and in rituals. Liz delights in …

1
Mary Caroline Richards on Art and the Perpetuation of the Spiritual Awareness of Humankind 31:55

10M ago31:55

31:55

This episode explores current interest in spiritual dimensions in art, and how this appears on the backdrop of social/political critiques of modern art and economic opportunism. Through passages from Mary Caroline Richard’s Centering a spiritual significance is highlighted connected to the decline of conventional art and the challenge of developing…

1
Episode #47: Philippe Mesly, Julia Henderson - Great Lakes Institute, Canada 1:05:23

10M ago1:05:23

1:05:23

Philippe Mesly is a writer and translator whose work examines intersections of political economy, religion, and environmental issues. He is also a trained horticulturalist and craftsperson. Julia Henderson is a writer whose work examines the intersections of religion and philosophy, with particular emphasis on Christian mysticism. She currently liv…

1
Music, Boycott, and Peace 25:16

10M ago25:16

25:16

In this episode, Nathaniel Williams shares from a recent forum that took place at the Goetheanum World Conference on Peacebuilding. Reflecting on forum presentations from Friedrich Glasl on the Logic of War and Logic of Peace and comments from forum members he asks: how can we understand the place of boycotts and non-violent action in a comprehensi…

1
Episode #46: Chris Barlow - High Mountain Institute, Leadville, Colorado 54:27

11M ago54:27

54:27

Chris Barlow joins the podcast to talk about the High Mountain Institute in Leadville, Colorado and wax poetic on the importance of gap year experiences and alternative educational opportunities for young people in our time. Chris hails from Tennessee and has held myriad roles at HMI dating back to 2005 when he worked as a Spanish apprentice and En…

1
Episode #45: Keri McWilliams - Gap Year Association 59:37

11M ago59:37

59:37

Keri McWilliams joins the podcast for Gap Year Exploration Month, October 2023, to talk about the breadth and variety of Gap Year experiences a young person can find! Keri McWilliams joined the Gap Year Association as the organization’s Executive Director in January 2022. Born and raised in Montana, Keri currently resides in Missoula, MT where she …

1
Episode #44: Dev Carey - High Desert Center, Paonia, Colorado 1:02:37

11M ago1:02:37

1:02:37

The High Desert Center runs gap year programs for adventurous spirits from their home base in Paonia, Colorado, and extending out into Mexico, India, and other environs around the world. High Desert students learn to grow and prepare their own food, explore mindfulness practices practical folk arts, crafts and skills, all while living communally an…

1
Associative Economics: What Money Can’t Buy 39:05

11M ago39:05

39:05

There is a deep feeling among many young people that economics and financial institutions need to be aligned with human values, justice, and solidarity. Is this possible? In this episode Michael Sandel’s book What Money Can’t Buy sets the context for an exploration of associative economics, a perspective on economics first formulated by Rudolf Stei…

1
Episode #43: Ben Samuels, Max Feigelson - Deep Springs College Student Reflections, League of Nunnian Schools 55:36

11M ago55:36

55:36

Ben Samuels & Max Feigelson are current Deep Springs College students who have joined the podcast this week to discuss their experiences at the infamous Deep Springs College cattle ranch campus for cowboy philosophers and future world leaders. Both Ben & Sam attended Bard High School in New York City. In the podcast, they remark on the drastic diff…

1
Episode #42: Jennifer Jensen, Gordon Jones - Mt. Liberty College, Murray, Utah, Liberty Through Virtue 58:05

12M ago58:05

58:05

Gordon S. Jones, NAS, Provost, Trustee, and Professor. M.Phil, Political Science, George Washington University; MA, Education, Stanford University; BA, U.S. History, Columbia University; adjunct faculty at Utah Valley University and Salt Lake Community College; co-founder of United Families of America (now United Families International). Served as …

1
Consumerism and Spirituality 22:32

12M ago22:32

22:32

Exploring the intersection of consumerism and spirituality, Nathaniel characterizes the new and widespread orientation of encounter and how this orientation can lead to confusion and destruction when we don’t recognize where it is justified. This new sensitivity for the human being brings with it a destructive potential when comes to consumerism. H…

1
Episode #41: Dawn Breeze - PlaceCorps and the Kingston Fellowship, Kingston, NY 48:51

12M ago48:51

48:51

Dawn Breeze is a creativity advocate, change agent, and internationally awarded artist, living and working in Germantown, NY. She consults on creativity and leadership with global organizations and progressive institutions, as well as with individual entrepreneurs and leaders. Breeze is committed to building community through creativity.Her social …

1
Episode #40: Dr. Jenny Finn - Sourced Design at Springhouse Community School, Floyd, Virginia 53:49

12M ago53:49

53:49

Jenny Finn has designed structures that foster vitality in people, communities, and organizations for nearly 30 years. She holds a Ph.D. in Sustainability Education and is a co-founder of Springhouse Community School in Pilot, Virginia. Jenny's research, mentoring, and teaching invites people to strengthen the relationship they have with themselves…

1
Episode #39: Dr. Evan Edwards - Food, Philosophy, and Myth 1:09:04

1y ago1:09:04

1:09:04

Evan Edwards pioneered the Thoreau College Residency from August-December 2020, when he served as the “Captain of Nourishment” – drawing on deep experience as a professional chef to plan, cook, and serve meals for Thoreau College Semester Program students and staff, while also processing produce from Thoreau College gardens and helping students pla…

1
Episode #38: Ethan Kobayashi-Hsieh - Theater Arts & Wisdom Cultivation 1:14:23

1y ago1:14:23

1:14:23

Ethan Kobayashi-Hsieh is a practice researcher, theatre practitioner and transformational facilitator working in the intersection between actor training and 4E cognitive science. He is the co-founder of The Integrative Approach and Methodology of Active Transformation (TIAMAT), as well as the Artistic Director of 5tomidnight, an arts organization s…

1
A Basic Dilemma at the Intersection of Psychedelics and Spirituality 25:36

1y ago25:36

25:36

In this episode a challenge is introduced concerning the intersection of spirituality and psychedelics, namely integrating experiences that emerge while under the influence of psychedelic substances into normal consciousness and understanding. By comparing a gradual and incremental approach to the spirit with an immediate encounter facilitated thro…

1
Episode #37: Ahmed Yehia, Muhammad Bassyouny - Bedouin Immersion at Nour Holistic Education, St. Catherine, Egypt 1:12:37

1y ago1:12:37

1:12:37

Muhammad Bassyouny and Ahmed Yehia are two of the founders (along with Alaa Ahmed) of Nour Holistic Education, which immerses students in the tradition, nature, and the ancient lifeways and wisdom of the Bedouin people living in the sacred region around St Catherine's monastery, on the slopes of Mt Sinai in Egypt. Drawing upon influences as diverse…

1
Episode #36: Ana Keilson, Justin Reynolds - Gull Island Institute, Buzzards Bay, Massachusetts 1:04:53

1y ago1:04:53

1:04:53

Ana and Justin from Gull Island Institute talk the importance of place-making in the landscape of higher education, including at their new initiative Gull Island Institute located in the Vineyard Sound, off the coast of Massachusetts. Raised in Maine, Ana Isabel Keilson has taught previously at the Committee on Degrees in Social Studies at Harvard …

1
Spirituality Today and the Dramatic Backdrop of the Rising Generation 30:00

1y ago30:00

30:00

In this episode two powerful gestures are explored in their connection to spiritual development. The first gesture is present in the urgency and pressure that we feel in connection to everything having to do with our shared lives on the earth; the ecological crisis, economic and social challenges and climate change. The other gesture moves in the o…

1
Episode #35: Brandon Ipiña, Maurielle McGarvey - Thoreau College Alumni Reflections 1:02:36

1y ago1:02:36

1:02:36

Brandon and Maurielle reflect on their experiences at Thoreau College versus other more traditional institutions of higher education. Brandon also compares his experiences at Deep Springs College. Maurielle McGarvey is a theater artist and filmmaker from Houston, Texas. She is passionate about facilitating site specific creative opportunities for l…

1
Approaching Meditation as Inquiry 29:51

1y ago29:51

29:51

This episode explores crucial questions that emerge when we think of meditation as a knowledge practice. How is it different from understanding meditation simply from a psychological perspective? What happens when we take a spiritual worldview and contemplative practices such as we find in Buddhism out of context, and interpret them within the West…

1
Two Masks 28:15

1y ago28:15

28:15

In this episode of Questions of Courage, Nathaniel discusses the effects of digital technology on young people today, and particularly how the youth's experience contrasts and compares with generations of the recent past. This discussion touches on digital avatars, behavioral psychology, and a picture-based consciousness that began in the 1960’s, w…

1
Imminent Experiences of Spirituality 21:36

1y ago21:36

21:36

In this episode Nathaniel discusses anthropological efforts of the 1960’s and 1970’s often were reductivist and condescending towards the groups of people who were being described. Through the context of Marshall Sahlins’ book “The New Science of the Enchanted Universe,” Nathaniel points us towards the spiritual experiences of the world that non-Eu…

1
Breathing With the Climate Crisis with Lin Bautze 27:42

1y ago27:42

27:42

Lin Bautze of the Goetheanum's Agricultural Section joins to talk about climate change skepticism within Anthroposophy, the spiritual challenge of climate change, and what Anthroposophy and Biodynamics has to offer to the environmental movement. You can find the Section's new book, ‹Breathing With the Climate Crisis› at www.livingfarm.net soon.…

1
A History Behind "Questions of Courage" 35:31

1+ y ago35:31

35:31

In this first Episode of Questions of Courage Nathaniel Williams maps the historical path of youth movements and revolutionary moments from the 1950’s to today, with a particular awareness to the quality of spiritual seeking that has underscored this series of events in both Europe and The United States. He lays out the intention behind Questions o…

1
Episode #34: Pavel Cenkl - Dartington Trust and Schumacher College in Devon, UK 50:20

1+ y ago50:20

50:20

Pavel Cenkl is the Director of Learning and Land, and Head of Schumacher College in Totnes, United Kingdom and previously served as the Dean of Sterling College Vermont. Pavel has worked for more than two decades in higher education in America and has always been drawn to colleges and universities whose curriculum fully integrates learning with pra…

1
On Hilma af Klint with Anne Weise 41:22

1+ y ago41:22

41:22

Anne Weise of the Rudolf Steiner Archive joins the podcast to speak about her research on Hilma af Klint, perhaps the most famous Anthroposophist in the world today behind Steiner. Her relationship with Steiner is often the source of ungrounded criticism, and her long, expansive relationship with Anthroposophy under-appreciated. In this podcast, we…

1
Episode #33: Dawn Murphy on Folk Education in North America 57:53

1+ y ago57:53

57:53

Dawn is a fellow with Fielding Graduate University's Marie Fielder Center for Democracy, Leadership and Education and is currently in the final stages of her Ph.D. journey. Dawn's area of focus combines her work as the facilitator of the Folk School Alliance and her study of transformational learning for social justice.The Folk School Alliance bega…

1
Warmth and the Wim Hof Method 27:29

1+ y ago27:29

27:29

Wim Hof has lit the health world on fire, teaching people about their ‘Inner Fire’ and its ability to conquer the cold challenges of modern life. Anthroposophical Medicine has been focused on the therapeutic potential of Warmth for a century - how can these worlds speak to each other? Incoming head of the Medical Section, Dr. Adam Blanning joins th…

1
Episode #32: Linda Conroy - Education for Herbalists 59:07

1+ y ago59:07

59:07

Linda Conroy is a bioregional herbalist, herbal and traditional food educator and a community organizer. She dedicates her life to connecting with the green world as well as sharing the wisdom of the earth. Her primary mentors are the plants who never cease to instill a sense of awe in her daily life. Linda has a certificate in permaculture design,…

1
Episode #31: Zak Stein - Education In a Time Between Worlds 57:08

1+ y ago57:08

57:08

Zak Stein studied philosophy and religion at Hampshire College, and then educational neuroscience, human development, and the philosophy of education at Harvard University. While a student at Harvard, he co-founded what would become Lectica, Inc., a non-profit dedicated to the research-based, justice-oriented reform of large-scale standardized test…

1
Episode #30: Miles Iton - Lo-Fi Language Learning Microcollege 48:14

1+ y ago48:14

48:14

Miles Iton tells the story of the founding of the Lo-Fi Language Learning microcollege and the influences that shaped him and the program's pedagogy. The mission of the Lo-Fi Language Learning microcollege is "to modernize men's educational experiences and career prospects in the Humanities by designing a liberal arts experience around a pedagogy b…

1
Episode #29: Rick Thomas - Sterling College, Wendell Berry Farming Program 58:26

1+ y ago58:26

58:26

Rickey Glen Thomas "RT" preaches the gospel of draft animal power and agrarian education, describing a pedagogy borne from the musings of Wendell Berry. Rick Thomas is a horseman, farmer, author and educator who heads the Sterling College Wendell Berry Farming Program, located in Henry County, Kentucky. Sterling College: https://www.sterlingcollege…

1
Episode #28: Kotaro Aoki - Expanded Liberal Arts At Kotowari School, Aizu, Japan 1:04:23

1+ y ago1:04:23

1:04:23

Kotaro Aoki describes his journey to merge the western liberal arts tradition with eastern contemplative and philosophical practices at his school Kotowari in Aizu Prefecture, Japan. 般社団法人 'KOTOWARI' "that which remains unchanging underneath the surface of change" Kotaro Aoki is the founder and director of KOTOWARI, an educational organization base…

1
Episode #27: Mike Haasl - SKIP: Skills to Inherit Property 55:56

1+ y ago55:56

55:56

Mike Haasl of Rhinelander, WI joins Jacob for a discussion on the importance of responsible land stewardship, and the development of skills and capacities that might help a person acquire land without breaking the bank. Mike Haasl is a homesteader, engineer, and author living in northern Wisconsin. He studied and partied at the University of Wiscon…

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