The working group on esoteric schooling within the context of anthroposophical care for people with special needs focuses on the spiritual and inner development of caregivers and educators and on deepening the understanding of human development.

Drawing on Rudolf Steiner’s anthroposophy, the group explores inner schooling practices, such as the exercises Rudolf Steiner gave in his course on education for special needs, meditation and self-reflection, to support caregivers, educators, and therapists in cultivating awareness, empathy, and a deeper connection to people with special needs.

The aim is to deepen the understanding of the human being and human development, integrating spiritual insights into practical caregiving, considering the spiritual, emotional, and physical aspects of each person.

The working group provides a space for collaboration and reflection, where colleagues can discuss challenges, share experiences and describe good practices. Further development of exercises and their integration into training and education is also an important theme of this working group.
The results of this collaboration will be presented as exercises and contributions at conferences.

The results of this collaboration will be presented as exercises and contributions at conferences.

For our collaboration we will have Zoom meetings and we will use the Sutra (*) learning and collaboration platform of our section. On this platform we can share information about the meetings, reference documents, descriptions of exercises, etc. Here you can also reach out to other members to ask questions, start a conversation, give feedback or share good practices.

If you would like to join this working group, you can register here or send an e-mail to bart.vanmechelen@goetheanum.ch.

Zoom-Link

* Link to the Sutra learning platform

The next online meetings of the working group "Esoteric Aspects of Professionalism" will take place on:
(Please check the corresponding time in your time zone.)

• Friday, 28 November 2025, at 14:00 CET and 20:00 CET
• Friday, 12 December 2025, at 14:00 CET and 20:00 CET
• Friday, 16 January 2026, at 14:00 CET and 20:00 CET
• Friday, 13 February 2026, at 14:00 CET and 20:00 CET
• Friday, 13 March 2026, at 14:00 CET and 20:00 CET
• Friday, 10 April 2026 at 14:00 CEST and 20:00 CEST
• Friday, 22 May 2026, at 14:00 CEST and 20:00 CEST
• Friday, 19 June 2026, at 14:00 CEST and 20:00 CEST

For feedback and questions in advance please email to bart.vanmechelen@goetheanum.ch.

Online course with Bart Vanmechelen

Three modules, 5 sessions each
Course language: English

Module 1: Anthroposophical basic exercises for enlivening our soul forces
Dates: Mondays, November 17 and 24; December 1, 8 and 15, 2025, from 20:00 to 21:30 CET (please check what time this is in your local time zone)

Module 2: Inner quiet and basic attitudes
2026 – more information will follow

Module 3: Anthroposophical meditation and research
2026 – more information will follow

The course will be in English with a participation fee.

No prior knowledge required.

The three modules can be taken separately, but they build on each other.

Registration for the first module is now open on our Sutra platform!

The fee for the module is, according to your possibilities:
$200 if you also want to support participants who cannot pay the full fee
$150 as a regular fee
$100 if you can only afford a reduced fee
and there’s also a "pay what you can" option, for participants who have little to no financial resources.