The Sense of Taste
The sixth sense: TASTE August 30, 2021 by Amy Huntereece The sense of taste is the second of the middle senses, classified as the threshold between the inward and the outward senses of feeling. Taste is another sense that is usually and widely accepted as a normal sense. The middle senses are all related to feeling. This does not mean specifically, the act of feeling something with your skin. That is the sense of touch which is the very first sense and is categorized as a lower sense. This is because touching is an… Read More
The Sense of Sight
June 17, 2021 by Amy Huntereece The sense of sight is the third of the middle senses, classified as outward and senses of feeling. These senses are helpful with interpreting the external world. Van Gelder says, “Your eyes are your most important sensory organ. They are the only organs located visibly on your body’s surface. ‘Seeing’ is often used synonymously for ‘observing’ or ‘understanding’. Yet in actual fact, your eyes only see colours and light and dark. You can see shapes, motion and proportions because your eyes move and work together with the senses… Read More
The Sense of Smell
So far we have looked at the first four senses, the lower senses that are related to the will. They all pertain specifically to one’s own body. This month we move outward and begin to explore senses that relate to the outside world. These are the middle senses and are all related to feeling. This does not mean specifically, the act of feeling something with your skin, that is the sense of touch which is the very first sense and is categorized as a lower sense. This is because touching is an… Read More
The Sense of Touch
Touch is the fourth sense among the twelve that Rudolf Steiner, founder of Waldorf Education, developed and introduced about 100 years ago. The sense of touch is a lower sense, classified as physical, inner, or a sense of the will. We are affected inwardly by touching outwardly. This begins with birth and continues through our whole lives. We can help our children develop this sense with awareness of what they touch. Providing a variety of experiences including temperature, texture, and location will strengthen this sense. A strong sense of touch as a child will give way to… Read More
The Sense of Balance
Balance is the third sense among the twelve that Rudolf Steiner, founder of Waldorf Education, developed and introduced about 100 years ago. On his website, van Gelder indicated Balance was the fourth sense, but Steiner identified it as the third sense in his book, Spiritual Science as a Foundation for Social Forms. The sense of balance is the third of the lower senses, classified as physical, inner, or a sense of the will. These senses are helpful with perception of one’s own body. This is your proprioceptive system at work! The sense of balance begins… Read More
The Sense of Movement
Movement is the second sense among the twelve that Rudolf Steiner, founder of Waldorf Education, developed and introduced about 100 years ago. The sense of movement is a lower sense, classified as physical, inner, or a sense of the will. These inward senses make the effects of the external world upon us evident and are helpful with perception of one’s own body. This is your proprioceptive system at work! The sense of movement allows you to know where parts of your body are and what position they are in space. This may be extremely subtle… Read More
Collaborative Leadership
Collaborative leadership came into public view in the early 1990s (Chrislip and Larson, 1994). The fundamental premise of collaborative leadership is that any organization is only as strong as each individual’s collective strength within the organization. The strength of the contributors becomes evident through creative problem solving for shared concerns of the organizations. The collaborative leader encourages relationships that are grounded in commitment and prioritizes confidence in collaborators in the group. The resulting trusting relationship is mutually beneficial because as peer problem solvers, contributors encourage each other to achieve group… Read More
The Sense of Life
Amy Huntereece, PhD candidate, M.Ed. January 2021 Life is the first sense among the 12 that Rudolf Steiner, founder of Waldorf Education, developed and introduced about 100 years ago. The sense of life is a lower sense, classified as physical, inner, or a sense of the will. These inward senses make the effects of the external world upon us evident. They are helpful with perception of one’s own body. The sense of life informs you of being full, indigestion, needing to use the toilet, an injury, or a body ache. Usually this… Read More
Rudolf Steiner’s Theory of the Twelve Senses
by Amy Huntereece, PhD candidate, M.Ed., January 2021 Note: Steiner’s schema is an ancient wisdom that models a spirit imbued view of science. Though other cultures exemplified a similar, common philosophy of thinking, Steiner was inspired by Goethian thinking. His 12 senses theory offered an educational perspective that provided a way to nourish developing human beings with a more nuanced experience in the world. If the human being proceeded through the development and any senses went underdeveloped, they could be noticed as missing even if people could not explain it. Their absence… Read More
Polarity Awareness During Transition
By Amy Huntereece, PhD candidate, M. Ed., January 2021 Is your congregation in the midst of transition? Perhaps you are even experiencing transition on multiple levels. Remodeling or building new facilities, ministerial leadership shifting to new energy, updating your religious education program, and careful scrutiny of the operating budget to make ends meet in the upcoming fiscal year all qualify as transitional work. La Sonde Anastos (2017) encourages us to remember that we are “in a time of change, not a time of crisis” (p. 98). You may notice your response to… Read More