This presentation was given to the future teachers of Waldorf education and is a blending of Anthroposophy and modern nutrition.
In these modern times, it is a challenge to stay healthy throughout the year, especially in a classroom. With new and stronger viruses and bacterial infections it is imperative to protect yourself during the school year. It is my goal with this paper and presentation to give you, the future teachers and parents, some wisdom regarding strengthening of the three bodies to help you, your families, and students stay well to learn all of the valuable information you have to teach. The approaches I am giving you are founded in Steiner’s teachings and are methods I have used with the many families I serve everyday as a nutritionist and healer. I will begin by grasping the magnificence of the human body through a discussion of the three bodies, Physical aka Willing, Etheric aka Feeling, and Astral aka Thinking. As we grow we fully develop all three of these bodies until we have fully expressed their union which happens around the age of 21. Up until that time the Physical, Etheric, and Astral are still forming. The Physical we are born with and hopefully our parents were practicing healthy habits to ensure the most capable physical body for us. The Etheric forms when the physical and astral bodies begin to merge. The etheric body is fully incarnated by the age of 7. The astral body is the merging of the physical with the higher self. This fully incarnates at the age of 21. I am not an expert on Anthroposophical medicine but what I have learned combined with my nutrition background has given me a wide scope of many different forms of treatment. Throughout the years I have witnessed how healing has taken place and the information I am presenting here comes from observation in the field. It is my belief that the physical body requires the two energy bodies to be supported in order for disease prevention. Steiner makes an observation about a compass in relationship to the physical body and how the physical body is effected by outside forces from the Universe. He states,
In these modern times, it is a challenge to stay healthy throughout the year, especially in a classroom. With new and stronger viruses and bacterial infections it is imperative to protect yourself during the school year. It is my goal with this paper and presentation to give you, the future teachers and parents, some wisdom regarding strengthening of the three bodies to help you, your families, and students stay well to learn all of the valuable information you have to teach. The approaches I am giving you are founded in Steiner’s teachings and are methods I have used with the many families I serve everyday as a nutritionist and healer. I will begin by grasping the magnificence of the human body through a discussion of the three bodies, Physical aka Willing, Etheric aka Feeling, and Astral aka Thinking. As we grow we fully develop all three of these bodies until we have fully expressed their union which happens around the age of 21. Up until that time the Physical, Etheric, and Astral are still forming. The Physical we are born with and hopefully our parents were practicing healthy habits to ensure the most capable physical body for us. The Etheric forms when the physical and astral bodies begin to merge. The etheric body is fully incarnated by the age of 7. The astral body is the merging of the physical with the higher self. This fully incarnates at the age of 21. I am not an expert on Anthroposophical medicine but what I have learned combined with my nutrition background has given me a wide scope of many different forms of treatment. Throughout the years I have witnessed how healing has taken place and the information I am presenting here comes from observation in the field. It is my belief that the physical body requires the two energy bodies to be supported in order for disease prevention. Steiner makes an observation about a compass in relationship to the physical body and how the physical body is effected by outside forces from the Universe. He states,
Suppose
a man looks at the needle of a compass, finds it pointing from South to
North, from North to South, and then decides that the forces which set
the needle in this direction lie in the needle itself. He would
certainly not be considered a physicist to-day. A physicist brings the
needle of the compass into connection with what is called terrestrial
magnetism. No matter what theories may be evolved, it is simply
impossible to attribute the direction of the needle to forces lying
within the needle itself. It must be brought into relation with the universe.[1]
The
three bodies are not independent of each other. We can’t even consider
them as individual entities. We only do this in order to understand them
and better grasp how we can help ourselves. When one is out of balance
all are affected. Signs of being out of balance are; inability to
concentrate or sleep, feeling nauseas, having repetitive colds and flu.
Some signs to know you are in balance are, an overall feeling of
well-being, rosy cheeks, good digestion, and a positive attitude.
Fortunately the Waldorf curriculum totally supports the health of children.
I hope you find it helpful on your journey as teachers.
Physical Body
The
Physical body is comprised of the elements of the Earth including
minerals, enzymes, proteins, water, gases etc. The body is
extraordinarily dynamic and is constantly turning over cells to make new
cells and tissues. Every cell is an entire Universe and is penetrated
by outside energetic forces. The elements that make up the physical body
are needed in abundance everyday to replenish and renew the tissues.
Nourishment for the body is taken in the form of mineral and enzyme rich
foods which also contain the vitamins, carbohydrates and proteins
necessary for cellular production. When
Steiner talks about the cells he says that we can look at the cells for
a brief moment and not truly know the story of their journey through
the body. We think a liver cell is only a liver cell and a brain cell
only a brain cell, yet we only see the snapshot that a microscope can
take. We still, with all of our technology today do not fully understand
the physical body and its depth of complexity. Because the body is
constantly at work in breaking down and building up, we can support
these processes with detoxification and enzymes. The role enzymes have
in the body is to carry proteins and minerals to the cells which are
needed to breakdown dead and dying cells or to create new cells. This
process is a balance and proper minerals are necessary for it to work. I
like to use Monmorlinite Clay tablets as a means of detoxification and
providing minerals to the body in a highly efficient way. I also like a
product called Earth by HealthForce Nutritionals. This product contains
lots of roots and acts as a very grounding and detoxifying drink. Some
other things to keep in mind are eating for the seasons. This means that
we eat foods that grow during that time of year, focusing on squash
during the Fall, root vegetables during the Winter, greens and sprouts
during the Spring, and lots of salads and fruits during the Summer. Digestion
plays a huge role in well we can metabolize and absorb nutrients. We
can gauge how well we feel by how well we digest. If food is allowed to
linger too long in the digestive tract it can create toxic by-products
which affect the immune system. One of the best ways to help facilitate
digestion and absorption of nutrients is with probiotics. I like to have
a drink of Kefir every day. Kefir is a yogurt drink that originates
from Bulgaria which contains many live cultures of probiotic. These
microorganisms are the foundation for health because they prevent the
overgrowth of harmful bacteria and promote the absorption of vitamins
and minerals.
Etheric Body /Also known as The Feeling Body
The
Etheric body is the energetic field which holds together the physical
and Astral bodies. You can think of it as the glue that keeps the 3
bodies together. This body is fed by the Earth, and needs constant
nourishment from the plants. Steiner talks about the plants of the Earth
as being fed by the souls of those who have passed on. Certain plants
have healing properties which we can learn to recognize by their
physical expressions. The highest expression of a plant is seen in its
blossom. The flower is the plants reproductive system and is meant to be
highly attractive in order to help the plant reproduce. The colors and
the fragrances that the plants produce have measurable energetic
frequencies. There is a method of understanding these frequencies called
Kirlian Photography. This method of photography can measure the energy
that comes off of anything. It shows how alive something is. It can also
measure the energy that comes from fingertips, which coincidentally is
also known as the Etheric field. As teachers and parents we know that
little ones are still developing their etheric bodies and have not fully
incarnated until their teeth have hardened and begun to come in usually
around the age of 6. So while their etheric’s are developing they need
ours to help them stabilize. We can feel very drained and tired from
being around our children and when this happens we get weak, and sick.
When the etheric body is weak we tend to break down emotionally more
than we usually do. This is a sign to notice that we are becoming
unprotected. When this happens we need to fortify our etheric’s with the
following methods.
To
help the Etheric/Feeling Body to return to balance I like to use the
Flower Essences. There are many wonderful brands but my favorite is the
FES (Flower Essence Services) brand. There are many blends that can be
used for various purposes, or a person can use one individual remedy for
up to a month at a time. These remedies work on the 3 bodies but mainly
work to bring balance back to the Etheric Body. I have learned to use
these often because they are strengthening in my everyday life.
Another
way I have learned to strengthen the Etheric body is with salt baths.
These can be taken often and one can use any form of sea salt, Celtic
salt, Dead Sea salt, Himalayan Salt, or even Seaweed. When I take baths
with seaweeds I like to let the big pieces of kelp lay over my chest and
belly. This is very healing and grounding.
Baths
with salt, Yarrow, and Comfrey are also wonderful. When Steiner talks
about the use of Yarrow he says, “In no other plant do the
Nature-spirits attain such perfection in the use of sulphur as they do
in yarrow. And if you also know of the working of yarrow in the animal
or human organism —if you know how well it can make good all that is due
to weaknesses of the astral body. [2] “Yarrow is a wonderfully protective herb for the energy bodies.
Also
consider the use of Reiki as a means to support the Etheric body. Reiki
is a form of Energy work that facilitates the unblocking of energy that
is creating disease in the physical body. When you lay your hands on a
place on the body that is in pain, you are essentially doing Reiki.
Bringing awareness to the act and doing it intentionally is extremely
powerful and balancing. A good way to help children calm down before bed
is to place a hand behind their head on the back of the neck where the
skull and neck join and invision that you are creating balance between
the hemispheres of the brain. This brings instant relaxation and then
sleep. I also use crystals like Rose Quartz, Amethyst, Smokey Quartz,
and Selenite placed around the body or worn as necklaces throughout the
day to protect the Etheric body and keep it balanced.
Astral Body/Thinking Body
Sleep
is important for the astral body to be able to heal the physical body.
When we sleep, our astral body leaves the physical body and enters the
realm of pure spirit, where it absorbs the healing energies of the
Universe. The Physical body requires this energy as a source of renewal.
Without proper sleep the body cannot fully heal itself. Steiner
discusses this in Esoteric Science when he talks about the actual
formation and evolution of the physical body. He says that the astral
body actually holds together the physical body and brings to the
physical body its Spiritual mission on Earth as the body is sleeping.
When we sleep we can explore and penetrate deeper worlds. We can break
through our fears and release Karma. We can also learn new information
to bring back to the world. It is important to be able to sleep in order
for this to occur. Insomnia is too common an issue these days and I
believe it is happening so frequently because of our stressful lives.
When we burn out our glandular system because of stress the body lacks
the ability to release hormones necessary to sleep like Melatonin and
Seratonin. These two hormones put us asleep and keep us asleep.
Adaptogenic herbs like Holy Basil and Eleuthero
support the glandular system so these hormones can be regulated and
released when needed. I also believe that low-blood sugar is one of the
main reasons for insomnia. When a person goes for a long time without
eating, then goes to sleep, they’ll wake up a few hours later because
there isn’t any energy stored in the body. It is a survival mechanism to
keep the blood sugar steady. Therefore it is necessary to eat some
protein and healthy fiber-rich snacks before bed. Babies can’t sleep on
an empty stomach we should learn from them. A routine is also critical
to sleep. Having a schedule that allows for plenty of time to rest is
crucial. Make sleep a priority, without enough sleep the body ages
prematurally, can not heal from disease, and is weaker then it should
be.
I
have listed some of the best herbs and nutritional remedies I know that
support a healthy immune system and healthy stress levels.
Herbal Preventative Care
Colds and Flu
- Take Gaia Herbs Elderberry Syrup and Echinacea Supreme everyday.
- http://www.gaiaherbs.com/products/detail/95/Black-Elderberry-Syrup-
- Take 2,000iu D3 everyday
- If you do get a cold take hot baths, and use Oregano Oil Capsules 2caps 3 times a day.
- Boiron Chestal Cough Syrup
- Boiron Osccillococcinum at the first sign of flu.
Stress Reduction
- New Chapter Holy Basil 2 caps a day
- Gaia Herbs Stress Response 2 caps a day
- Protein
- Calcium and Magnesium from Algae
- Udo’s Oil Capsules or Liquid
Sleep Aid
- Valerian root and Hops tincture
- Coffea Cruda 30c if your mind can’t stop chattering
- Chamomile tea
- Exercise
In
closing, we as teachers are not Doctors and can not give medical
advice, but we can definitely take care of ourselves and suggest
information and articles to parents to support the health of their
children. The best thing you can do is to stay healthy. This means do
what you love, eat nourishing food, get plenty of rest and exercise, and
take your herbs. The true source of health is through happiness and
love. When we can maintain healthy routines with time enough to take
care of ourselves we can enjoy our lives. Remember that you are the most
important thing. If you are burnt out or tired you can’t help anyone
else. Just like the analogy of being on the airplane when its going
down. When the gas mask drops down you put it on yourself first, then
you can help those around you. When I first heard this I thought it was
incredibly selfish, but now I know it is the most important method of
survival in this world. Peace, love and , blessings on your road to
eternal health and abundance. Sat Nam, Nicole Plaisted.
