Issue 55
Spring, 2010
Editorial
Dear Reader,
Welcome to the Easter issue of New View magazine. I remember when I first became the editor of this magazine that I pondered somewhat as to whether its name could be improved upon. Over twelve years have passed and it is still New View. Perhaps, deep down, I rather liked being associated with the concept of newness. If I think of Christ’s words “Behold I make all things new” (Rev. 21.5) it is a challenge to really understand them, but also, for me, a certain joy, a quickening somewhere in my heart to enter into contemplation of the realm of newness, if I can put it like that. Newness is like a ‘forever Easter Sunday’; new life springing forth. And so I now find myself about to explain a little why there is a flower on the front cover of this issue.
I was visiting the Natural History Museum in London with a friend and came across the image of this flower, being one of the 2009 winners of a wildlife photographic competition. It just immediately struck me that this might well be the Easter front cover image. Then something new happened; I realised that I could not overbear such a delicate plant with the New View heading, so, for the first time the New View banner gracefully descended and now rests beneath the sparkling bloom of this little flower. And at the same time I had received an article about the etheric. So it became clear that I should take up the challenge of conveying to the readers more directly something about this world of the etheric. And so that is all that could really go with this flower, these words on the front cover: The Etheric World…
The concept of the Etheric is very difficult to understand once one really starts to think about it; and yet we all experience it, even if not with a full consciousness. We are, after all, alive! It is about life, movement and, dare I say, newness. So I invite you to spend some time considering, with the contributions to this issue of New View, what this etheric world is about and the importance for humanity of the time we live in, for, as you may see in this issue, there is a battle going on for this etheric world.
So we begin with Patrick Dixon and An Overview of the Etheric, where he weaves a thought-provoking, contextual piece to give us some necessary orientation to this theme. Richard Bunzl follows with an examination of what this word means to us in Seeking the Etheric: From Mozart to Microwaves.
Then there follows a pictorial interlude with images from the Veolia Environnement Wildlife Photographer of the Year 2009. These pictures from the natural world can convey a little of the variety and plenitude of the etheric forces.
Suitably refreshed, the reader then meets Andrew Linnell where Technology Confronts the Etheric Realm: Constructing a New World Using the Fallen Etheric Forces. Raising, as did Patrick Dixon, deep questions about choices to be made.
Johannes Kühl, a scientist from Germany, continues the theme by exploring What is Light? and illuminating its spiritual qualities.
Some pictures by the artist Greg Tricker not only remind us that it is Easter, but touch upon the mystery of what Steiner referred to as being the art of the future where artists would strive to apprehend artistically the Christ Impulse. New View hopes to explore this further in future issues.
The Carrifran Wildwood Story: Ecological Restoration from the Grass Roots by Mouna Hayes is a heartening story of how we can reacquaint ourselves with the land we live in and are sustained by. Many seem to have lost what Albert Schweitzer, Steiner and others have called ‘reverence for nature’. The Elemental world needs this interest from human beings, as we need theirs.
Staying north of the border with Paul Carline, his article enlists the poetic help of Robbie Burns as he looks at the calumny in our world in Truth in our Times.
The apposite film review of Avatar by Jeremy Naydler raises important issues about what worlds we truly live in and what comes towards us in the guise of entertainment. This finds an echo in The Black Rain and the Avatar: From individual to Community by Terry Boardman, where he explores what community can mean for us going into the future.
NNA News by Christian von Arnim gives us a window out on some events happening around the planet that are informed by anthroposophy in some way. We then return from the outer world and contemplate for a moment Who am I? The Question of Identity by Arthur Edwards; again, important issues are raised that will otherwise perhaps go un-noticed.
In the last issue of New View Terry Goodfellow left us with some questions to which he now brings some answers in The Question of Afghanistan; these things are in the mainstream media but Terry offers different perspectives for us to think about.
So many natural disasters are occurring in the world; how to better understand them? Earthquakes and the Emerging Paradigm: The End of Dogma by Terence Davies is a fine, philosophic and literary journey to that understanding. Difficult in places, perhaps, but worth the effort. It builds up like a dramatic story, which it is!
From Philadelphia in the USA, Benjamin Bingham shares a way to understand finance in An Awakening where he applies what he learned as a farmer to aspects of his present career in financial management.
Colin Brown, in Theory U – Leading from the Future as it Emerges: From Theory to Practice shares his experiences in meeting and working with Otto Scharmer’s groundbreaking ideas on problem solving and decision making.
And finally: New View is presenting its first conference – Technology and the Human Spirit. Full details on page 74. It is at Rudolf Steiner House in London on April 24th with speakers form the USA and Britain. I hope I might see you there!
Wishing you well, wherever you may be,
Tom Raines – Editor.