February Days 2025 - Reflection
Full of curiosity and anticipation, I arrived on Thursday afternoon at the Schreinerei, the place where this year's “February Days,” organized by the Youth Section at the Goetheanum, would take place. I was particularly curious about this conference, as it focused on exploring the ideas of the “Philosophy of Freedom” in a practical and artistic way. After singing together, we started with a practical exercise: painting a picture based on a sentence from the book. So many different, colorful pictures were created by all the participants that I was amazed at what a sentence can do for people!
Later that evening in the light play, a composition of movement, speech, eurythmy, and a projected play of light and color offered by the team of the Youth Section at the Goetheanum, we were able to immerse ourselves in a kind of dream world and repeatedly sense and feel the reference to ‘freedom’.
On Friday morning, Andreas Schmitt introduced us to the cards from the annual training on the “Philosophy of Freedom.” Throughout the entire conference, the cards accompanied us as we spoke in pairs about a thought from the book. Each conversation gave an insight into the world of the other person!
After all the talking, we soon moved on to the creative working groups: I opted for the painting course with Laura Summer, who flew in from New York especially for the conference! Brushes and paper were already waiting in the South Atelier of the Goetheanum when we walked in, which made me want to get started straight away! When I look back on the workshop now, I remember the many exercises that Laura guided so clearly, some of which she developed briefly over lunch.
In one exercise she held a cup in her hand and asked us what it was. “A cup!” shouted someone from the group. Then Laura filled the cup with water and asked us again: ‘And now?’ ‘A full cup!’. Then Laura showed us the cup again without any water in it.
“And what do you call it now?”, she asked. “An empty cup!”
We had to laugh and so we got talking about what makes a cup, glass etc. and started to draw different shapes. At the end of our workshop, we created a very individual collage work. We explored the question of what blocks us on the path to freedom and what prevents us from moving on. There were two more working groups: Improtheatre and Clowning with Salome Seeberger (DE) and Sculpting with Rik ten Cate (NL).
A sense of creativity was present not only in the workshops, but also on Saturday evening when an ‘Open Stage’ invited all participants to showcase one of their talents, creating very magical moments. Someone played the piano, to which someone danced, then someone joined in some and soon we were all singing, creating a very lively and touching atmosphere in the room.
Our collective community was present even until our festive finale performance on Sunday, in which a communal picture was ‘scattered’ with the sand of the sculpture group and a large sound sculpture was created from the sounds we made together. Yes, I could list many more moments here that touched me... because this conference was full of life. And I am convinced that Rudolf Steiner's “Philosophy of Freedom” has now been brought a little more to life through this conference!