Applied Eurythmy 

Applied Eurythmy

"The invariable mark of wisdom is to see the miraculous in the common."
-Ralph Waldo Emerson

Applied Eurythmy is the application of the principles and elements of Artistic, Pedagogical, and Therapeutic Eurythmy into an individual’s work and leisure activities. Whether you use a shovel or a ball, jog or sweep, drive or ride, bringing moments of focused attention to everyday habitual movement patterns in the light of Applied Eurythmy, can engender a natural reverence, respect, and playfulness to your connection with the universal in and around you. 

Boredom, drudgery, and disconnection from an activity dissolve, as your abilities to stay relaxed and focused become your new habit. Then the "process" in an activity floats to the surface of your inner awareness, so that the "product", or end result, can sink back down and arise at its natural ending. This is similar to bringing consciousness and value to the experience of the journey while on it and appreciating the destination when arriving at it.


Productivity, deadlines, and profit are strong motivating factors behind much of our culture's working moments, and now seem to also govern how we spend our leisure moments. Maximizing one’s time and filling it up with activity has become the goal. Citizens want to do as much as possible as soon as possible. What is not always realized in this fast paced society is that through the conscious slowing down of one’s activity an opportunity for mindfulness arises that can result in an efficiency that could only come from bringing focus to the activity and appreciating its process. 

The extreme division between work and play has arisen within the soul of humanity, obscuring our view of the universal. This universal aspect is clothed in the garment of wholism. 

"In every part there lives an image of the whole, as above so below.” 

My hand is a part of my body yet written into the lines and forms of my hand is a map of my present and emerging self. This is found in the ancient art and science of Palmistry. The same is true with the iris, Iridology, the foot, Reflexology, and on and on throughout the body until as time and eras have passed, humanity arrived at the most modern discovery of holism, the DNA molecule.  Our entire genetic code is mapped out along the rungs of the double helix. This is food for thought for that part of the self that wonders if the aforementioned ancient arts have some import for our time and at the very least an updated historical perspective in the light of modern science. In this context Rudolf Steiner (1861 - 1925), pre- Crick and Watson's 1953 discovery of DNA, focused on the human speaking and singing organism, the Larynx, as the part, and through his Spiritual Scientific research into Eurythmy, Steiner and his colleagues extensively mapped out how the human body speaks and sings as the whole.  
    He urged those around him to take an interest in the nature of these energies and influences in speaking and singing, which are not just utilized for communication, but have profound formative and regenerative qualities. He also found that through Eurythmy gestures archetypal qualities are revealed as well. These energies, influences, and qualities are at work in the cosmos above and so below in the natural world, our lives, and passing moments.  

In the Art of Eurythmy, you learn to explore cosmic principles and elements by literally dancing your talk and song into a movement performance.

In the Pedagogy of Eurythmy, you learn to lead students into the discovery of the principles and elements of speech and song through movement.

In the Therapy of Eurythmy, you learn to utilize these principles and elements through focused movement for the purpose of healing. 

In the Application of Eurythmy, you learn to perceive these principles and elements in your day-to-day movement life.

Four Fold Eurythmy     

Fire.......Ego.................Artistic Eurythmy.....................self-expression
Air........Astral..............Pedagogical Eurythmy............ self-knowledge
Water...Etheric...........Therapeutic Eurythmy............. self-healing
Earth....Physical.........Applied Eurythmy......................self-care

 
 Applied Eurythmy completes the four-fold nature inherent in Eurythmy, therefore staying consistent to the universal holistic principles of  "In every part there lives an image of the whole, as above so below".
 
Applied Eurythmy is a path for individuals who wish to enhance the qualities of their day-to-day movement life with meaning. This can be explored by uniting movement with meaning and meaning with movement. In that flux of forces and influences the wakeful dream state of mindfulness arises. This is a journey that will take many voyages, discovering and mapping out the waters of our movement body.

 As Applied Eurythmy evolves, this site will reflect those developments with writings, articles, photographs, and video clips.

Please share any constructive feedback, observations, experiences, and questions that may arise.