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Author: Rudolph
Steiner Introduction: Gunther Hauk Essay on the Art of Joseph Beuys: David Adams 222 pages |
Summary:
In 1923 Rudolf Steiner predicted the dire state of the honeybee today. He said that, within fifty to eighty years, we would see the consequences of mechanizing the forces that had previously operated organically in the beehive. Such practices include breeding queen bees artificially.
The fact that over sixty percent of the American honeybee population has died during the past ten years, and that this trend is continuing around the world, should make us aware of the importance of the issues discussed in these lectures.
Steiner began this series of lectures on bees in response to a question from an audience of workers at the Goetheanum. From physical depictions of the daily activities of bees to the most elevated esoteric insights, these lectures describe the unconscious wisdom of the beehive and its connection to our experience of health, culture, and the cosmos.
Bees is essential reading for anyone interested in understanding the true nature of the honeybee, as well as those who wish to heal the contemporary crisis of the beehive.
Bees includes an essay by David Adams “From Queen Bee to Social Sculpture: The Artistic Alchemy of Joseph Beuys”.
The art and social philosophy of Joseph Beuys (1921–1986) is among the most influential of the twentieth century. He was strongly influenced by Rudolf Steiner’s lectures on bees. The elemental imagery and its relationship to human society played an important role in Beuys’s sculptures, drawings, installations, and performance art. Adams' essay on Beuys adds a whole new dimension to these lectures, generally considered to be directed more specifically to biodynamic methods and beekeeping.
LOOKING BACK at the twentieth century, we can certainly see tremendous progress in all fields of technology. Advancement in this sphere of our human lives, however, has been achieved at the cost of a gradual loss of the instinctual, holistic knowledge that has guided and protected life on Earth for great spans of time. But it would be wrong to nourish a desire for a return to the “good old days.” Fortunately, they cannot be retrieved. New ways of tapping this knowledge must be found while retaining the accomplishments of our scientifically trained intelligence.
In order to focus with our sharpened intellect on the physical, material side of nature, we have had to neglect the dimension that constitutes the underlying cause and support of our physical world: the spiritual world. Whether we acknowledge that world or not, the fact that we are confronted with an avalanche of life-negating and life-destroying events cannot be denied, and the underlying causes must be found if we, the Earth, and all its life are to survive. The dying of honeybees in large areas of the world is only one fragment in this whole picture.
What can we do about a situation of such global dimensions? Times of crises, whether personal, nationwide, or global, are times of chance and opportunity. These “moments” in history wake us and shake us up so that we can abandon the path of (self ) destruction, change our course, and head in a new direction that offers possibilities for life. Without regaining an all-encompassing knowledge—this time not instinctual or traditional—we can gain no real truth. We are floundering on a sea of hypotheses about the origin of life, about our cosmos, evolution, and the goal of evolution. It takes an honest scientist such as Steven Hawkings to acknowledge that our worldview today is based on assumption:
Any physical theory is always provisional, in the sense that it is only a hypothesis: you can never prove it.... Today scientists describe the universe in terms of two basic partial theories.... The major theme of this book ... is the search for a new theory.*
The problem, however, is that the general public takes these assumptions as facts—and lives by them.
Rudolf Steiner (1861–1925) did not discard the intellectual accomplishments of our scientific age but, by utilizing them, researched another dimension, which is needed to complement the admirable achievements of the natural, physical and psychological sciences of our time. His method, called “spiritual science,” or “anthroposophy” (anthropos = “humankind,” sophia = “wisdom”), can be learned by anyone who applies great stamina of will, concentration, and intent. By reaching into the realms of the reality that causes and affects the sense-perceptible, material world, Steiner was able to cut through the jungle of hypotheses and theories that directly or indirectly influence our everyday actions.
Steiner passed on his research results in approximately forty written works and two thousand lectures. The results of his investigations into spiritual realities are not intended to be “believed”; rather, we are to verify them through common sense and wakeful, open, and unbiased minds. Through application to everyday, practical life, the fruits of these insights have become abundant throughout the world—in pedagogy, curative education, medicine, agriculture, religion, the arts, the sciences, and in the social realm.
We can be immensely grateful that we also have these lectures on bees from a spiritual scientific view. Steiner gave these lectures to the workers at the Goetheanum in Dornach, Switzerland. Among the workers was a professional beekeeper, Mr. Müller, who contributed to these lectures in the form of insights and questions.
Mr. Müller rebelled vehemently and showed no understanding, however, when Steiner explained the intricacies of the queen bee, mentioning that the modern method of breeding queens (using the larvae of worker bees, a practice that had already been in use for about fifteen years) would have long-term detrimental effects—so grave that “a century later all breeding of bees would cease, if only artificially produced bees were used” (appendix, extract, Nov. 10, p. 177–178). The answer came in another lecture:
It is quite correct that we can’t determine this today; it will have to be delayed until a later time. Let’s talk to each other again in one hundred years, Mr. Müller, then we’ll see what kind of opinion you’ll have at that point. (Dec. 5, p. 75)
Seventy-five years have passed, and the kind of queen breeding Steiner spoke of has not only continued, but has become the standard, and is now supplemented with artificial insemination. Now that over 60 percent of the American honeybee populations have died during the past ten years, we should certainly become more alert and open to such statements.
Of course, this would force us to take a pause from looking at what appears to be the cause of this crisis—the varroa mite—and pose more difficult questions. These are questions about the general health of the animal and questions that probe basic issues, such as our attitude toward the bee and our depth of understanding for this being.
These two factors, which are certainly interrelated, essentially determine the myriad aspects of beekeeping: the form and material of the hive, wax production, artificial foundations, modern queen breeding (including artificial insemination), swarming or its prevention, manipulation of the drone population, sugar feeding, pollen substitutes, moving the hives from location to location, and the yearly exchange of queens. Certainly other “external,” physically detrimental factors play a role in beekeeping, but they are also related to our lack of a true understanding of intricate interrelationships and life processes in nature: the effects of mineral fertilizers on the quality of nectar and pollen, insecticides, air and water pollution, and the constantly dwindling variety and quantity of wild flowers.
In order to do justice to an animal—and as human beings this is, or should be, a moral obligation—we must have a deep understanding of its nature. We cannot simply consider our own comfort and calculate our economic situation. If we do, we will face dire consequences.
Rudolf Steiner never intended to turn the clock back to old ways, and as we study these lectures we can glimpse deeply into the nature of the bee. We will then, out of freedom and insight, be able to keep bees in ways that are appropriate to them; we will be able to help them regain life forces and, thereby, heal some of the wounds we have inflicted through shortsightedness, ignorance, and greed. Such study can help us to realize the immensely important role not only of the bee and her honey, but also of the wasp and the ant in nature and human evolution. Can we ignore doing everything possible in attempting to help these creatures? They certainly deserve our active gratitude.
Steiner wanted to look at the situation again with Mr. Müller in a hundred years. Three fourths of that time has passed, and, in all probability, the next few years will be decisive; we will either reverse the trend or see the results Steiner foresaw. Such a development will have an inconceivable impact on the whole ecosystem and on all of nature’s intricate interrelationships. The last two of these lectures to the workers should make this clear.
This new translation will help the reader of today understand what Steiner intended to say; in my opinion, it has come just in time, and we are very grateful for it. May these ideas reach the minds and hearts of many!Gunther Hauk
January 1998Gunther Hauk is director of the Pfeiffer Center, a biodynamic research center sponsored by Threefold Educational Foundation and Sunbridge College, Spring Valley, N.Y. He started a training program in biodynamic gardening there in 1996. He has worked with bees since 1975 and has been a beekeeper since 1980. He gives workshops throughout the United States on the plight of the honey-bee.
DAVID ADAMS holds a Ph.D in art history education and has taught art history at state universities and art schools for eight years. He has written numerous published articles, essays, and art exhibition booklets. He is currently an adjunct faculty in art history at Sierra College, director of the Center for Architecture & Design Research, and a freelance writer and editor.
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