The Lawrence Anthroposophical Study Group, Lawrence, Kansas.

By Rick Mitchell

In the summer of 1997 , I incorporated the Waldorf Association of Lawrence with the goal of establishing a Waldorf school and Biodynamic farm in Lawrence, Kansas. It took a few years to gather enough community support to make a school viable but by October of 2001, we reincorporated as The Waldorf Association of Lawrence (2.0) establishing a new school that was later named Prairie Moon Waldorf School. At the same time The Lawrence Anthroposophical Study Group was formed. Now in its 24th year, the school is well established, as is the study group, which has met monthly without interruption since October, 2001.

The study group has varied in size and composition over the years, reaching a maximum membership of fifteen at any given time and having a total of forty-four members since inception.

The group is organized around book study. We read slowly in order to maximize depth of discussions which link Rudolf Steiner’s work to other historical events and spirituality-related movements. Currently, we are reading Nature’s Open Secret , a collection of chapters in Steiner’s early book about Johann Wolfgang von Goethe.

We invite new members to join at the beginning of a new book and ask that they commit to regular attendance for at least the period of that study. At the start of a new book, as a welcoming and orientation of new members, we read together Marjorie Spock’s “The Art of Goethean Conversation,” in order to set the tone for the kind of conversations we wish to have for the duration of the study. Though we do make time for socializing at the beginning and ending of each gathering, we preserve time for an “over the threshhold” (as described by Spock) conversation, and mark it with the lighting and extinguishing of a candle.

2001 - 2025

• Mark Aaron Bev Harris

• Ralph Bauer

• Bob Brawley

• Erik Buchholtz

• Sophia Compton

• Mike DeJongh

• Mary Dixon

• Vicki Douglas

• Jill Draper

• Carrie Easley

• David Eichler

• Kathy Farwell

• Robin Goff

• Lana Maree Haas

• Dick Halford

• Marty Haught

• Juliana Haught

• Becky Kasenberg

• Jeff Kennedy

• Shaffia Laue

• Annie Lenz

• Juda Lewis

• Beth Anne Mansur

• Lisa Meisinger

• Rick Mitchell

• John Regier

• Shawna Saubers-Ristic

• Susanne Schadde

• Bret Schacht

• Gwyn Schmidtberger

• Andrea Simberg

• Sandra (Mutrux) Stoner

• Steve Sullivan

• Barbara Thompson

• Laurie Ward

• Maureen Waters

• Melissa Watson

• Lori Werdin-Kennicott

• Teresa Woods

• Mary Veerkamp

• Beth Cooper

• Bekah Zachritz

• Erin Zamrzla

For more information about The Lawrence Anthroposophical Study Group, contact Rick Mitchell through Prairie Moon Waldorf School https://www.prairiemoon.org/.

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