Alliances for our Earth

We want to shape the future together

Following the emergence of a new impulse during the conference of 2011 and its subsequent deepening in 2012, we are now ready to take a third step and have chosen the following as the theme for the year leading up to the conference of 2013: To actively encourage each other to take responsibility for bringing our unique biodynamic impulse into the world using our personal connections, regional partnerships and global networks. What is my/our mission in relation to planet Earth? What responsibilities do I/we carry in the coming years? What do the times demand of me/us? We find that not only are these questions coming to meet us from outside, they also live as burning issues within us. We see them not as alien to the biodynamic impulse, but on the contrary as belonging to its very core. We are also aware of the inspirational pictures, new horizons and deep insights we have received from Rudolf Steiner and that we cannot view them as being reserved for the biodynamic movement alone but need to share them with others. May we then engage actively with the diversity of today's civil society. 

How can we help shape the future?

How can such cooperation be realised? We can take up an issue that deeply concerns us and then in sharing it with others, find that they too are existentially affected by it. This is a first step on the road towards forming alliances. Forming partnerships and alliances towards a specific goal is a skill that needs to be learned. It is naive to think that everything can be shared and agreed among the partners. It is equally naive to believe that anything can be achieved without forming alliances. What matters is to define a common goal, develop a common position and agree on a common plan of action with the alliance partners. It is then necessary to learn the art of working and cooperating with one another. Each person's individual qualities are welcome and can bring a unique contribution towards achieving the goals of the alliance. Each one may feel themselves special with their own outlandish ideas – others certainly think this way about us biodynamic farmers – but rather than being a hindrance it should spur us on to find common cause in partnership. We need to show interest in and learn the art of working together in partnership.

What themes can we contribute to?

We do not want to remain on a general level and learn solely about social techniques. We want to work concretely on subjects which are suited to an alliance. The following subjects and themes have emerged so far:

• Bees: what are bees telling us?
• Landsharing or Landgrabbing, future land ownership structures
• Regional currencies: how and where can money be realigned to the real economy?
• Regional culture and regional marketing;
• Urban farming: are there biodynamic street farmers and roof gardens?
• Seeds and plant breeding: who should own the seeds? Sowing the future;
• Economic communities, CSA
• Research groups concerned with life: Universities of life
• Biodynamic apprenticeships, training, Biodynamic Ambassadors project;
• Agricultural policies: business as usual is not an option, World Agriculture report

Good experiences have been made and there are successful examples of alliances in many countries in different fields of work. It is a matter of strengthening embryonic alliances and making good use of the existing potential on an inter personal, regional and global level. 

Suggestions for working with the theme of the year

• Everyone can ask himself: What issue affects me personally and existentially and impels me to join forces with others in the public sphere to help shape the future?
• Every person and every group can ask itself where it has already made experiences of working together cooperatively
• Groups and organisations of different regions and countries can ask themselves: Are we isolated or sufficiently connected? Who are our partners in civil society? Are we working in partnership towards specific objectives?
• Where can we find interesting examples, in history, in literature, of personalities within functioning alliances, who have developed the skill of reconciling the independence of individual actors with the commitment required to achieve a goal.
• The suggestions made by Rudolf Steiner about working together cooperatively can be followed up and studied. How do I engage with the cause as a responsible citizen of our time while remaining a free and sovereign individual? There are many indications given by Rudolf Steiner that address this, from the individual schooling path, to collegial cooperation – for example the founding of the experimental circle at Koberwitz – through to the threefolding of the social organism.
• To the theme of the year also belongs the next Michael letter of 15^th February, “Gnosis and Anthroposophy”, with the leading thoughts 159 to 161, GA 26.