The Planetary Gestures in Eurythmy

Contents Preface 9 PART I 1. Forming the Eurythmy Gestures for the Planets 13 An overview of the seven gestures 13 The seven gestures individually 14 The human being: both centre and sphere in the gestures 19 2. The Characteristics of the Planetary Gestures 21 3. The Seven Attitudes of the I in the Soul 23 The dual form of the human members 23 The seven faculties of the I in the soul 24 4. The I as a Being of Breath 26 The I manifested in twelvefold, sevenfold and threefold form 26 The rhythm of the I reflected in the members 26 The archetypal gesture of contraction and expansion 27 5. Planetary Influences in Prenatal and Earthly Existence 28 Human abilities as a reflection of prenatal lunar forces 28 The seven life processes of the natural and ‘cultural’ etheric 29 The planetary forces in Rudolf Steiner’s Ephesus verse 31 The seven life processes as the working of the etheric body 32 Seven steps for practising eurythmy 32 6. The Planetary Processes in Varying Sequences 34 The sequence working in the etheric body 34 The path to earth in the Moon sphere 34 The planetary sequence in Rudolf Steiner’s Twelve Moods 35 The planetary sequence in evolution 37 7. The Seven Vowel Responses of the Etheric Body 38 8. The Seven Levels of Manifestation of the Vowels 41 A in seven stages 42 E in seven stages 43 I in seven stages 44 O in seven stages 46 U in seven stages 47 9. The Five Vowels as an Image of Their Nature 49 The vowels as a process of metamorphosis 49 The vowels as an image of the metamorphosis of the I 50 10. The Seven Aspects of the I and Their Soul Moods 52 11. The Whole Human Being in Eurythmy 55 Eurythmy gestures in anthroposophical terms 55 Everyday movement and eurythmy movement 56 The dual nature in different parts of the human being 56 The whole human being revealed 57 Seven steps from sound to speech form 58 12. The Seven Modes of the I as Artistic Expression 60 Seven Calendar of the Soul verses as examples 60 Five twentieth-century poems as examples 64 PART II 13. Zodiac Gestures as Aspects of the Astral Body 71 From feeling to thinking and from feeling to action 72 The inner and outer threshold of the soul 73 Three stages of attaining harmony within the soul forces 74 14. The Twelve Soul Forms as Artistic Expression 76 The sources of movement of the three soul forces 76 The dynamic sources of other soul forms 76 15. The Soul Forms in Walk and Gesture 79 16. The Soul Forms in Artistic Composition 81 The Calendar of the Soul verses 81 Five twentieth-century poems as examples 85 A scene from Rudolf Steiner’s mystery drama 88 17. Rhythmic Alternation Between the Self and the World 90 The soul’s breathing between centre and periphery 90 The soul’s breathing between symmetry and asymmetry 90 18. Seven Modes of the I and Twelve Soul Forms 93 19. The Whole Human Being and its Counterimages 96 PART III 20. Planetary Influences and Life Processes 101 21. The Planets Reflected in Human Life 105 The effects of the planets in the seven-year life phases 105 Planetary effects and typical attitudes 106 Strengths and weaknesses of each planetary type 107 The art of living with planetary forces 109 PART IV 22. Motifs in Eurythmy Training 113 The first exercises given by Rudolf Steiner 113 23. Creative, Formative Processes in Eurythmy 120 The anthroposophical basis for the breathing of the I 120 The soul forces as an artistic resource 121 The breathing of the I 121 Creating forms shaped by the I in the periphery 122 Preparing the I for creative activity 122 Exercises that reveal the I in the soul 123 Exercises that reveal the I in the etheric body 123 24. Exercises and Meditations as a Bridge Between the Ego and the I 125 Notes 133 Bibliography 137 Index 139