Painting the Calendar of the Soul

by Sophie Bourguignon-Takada

Isn’t it interesting that the word “art” is embedded in “earth”, “heart”, “hearth”? It is a place of life, activity, creativity, where we are truly human and not merely animal or robot. This is a place from which we truly connect with others, and it is also where we can really meet ourselves, in all our light and shadow. Art is beauty, but not especially in its outward form. When coming from the heart, it is truth longing to be met. It is also love in its ability to take the world in and transform it. (Decaying cities keep being redeemed by artists.)

Art is a sacred path, and anthroposophy gives us means to walk it in a more conscious way. The rich wisdom and knowledge offered by anthroposophy opens up new spaces: the more objective the quality of the lines, colors, shapes, the better we can grasp highly spiritual ideas and make them visible. The artist becomes a bridge between the spiritual world and the earthly existence as much he lives in the selflessness to be found in the heart (not to be confused with egoless intellectualism).

This exhibition is the telling of a journey through the yearly cycle of the earth in the cosmos. It is an attempt to understand oneself in relation to the world, and the world’s happenings inside oneself; then to translate the feelings arising in colors and dynamics. During the year, we pass through many moods that we take for granted: it rains and everything seems gray and sad, the sky is blue and we feel exhilarated, and so on. Being aware of the influence on our souls of our place in time and space helps us be more responsible and helps us be more free human beings. We live in a precarious balance between light and dark, warmth and cold, lightness and gravity; the Calendar of the Soul illumines our hearts for our humanity to blossom in an ever more spiritual direction.

Rudolf Steiner brought these pictures of cosmic activities in German words and poetic form. They are not easy to understand, in German or in any of the many English translations available. The best we can do at first is to notice certain words which appear at certain times and that others are related across the year at cardinal points. In our study group, led by Michael Brewer, we read, discuss, comment on them. Michael has put a lot of effort into bringing a translation as close as possible to not only the meaning, but also the rhythm, the musicality of the vowels and the consonants in the German. This body of work owes a lot to Michael Brewer and the study group: reading, studying, living these mighty verses together and yet each of us bringing our own personal experience, has been a deep nourishment for my soul.

An exhibit of the author’s paintings was held in February 2012 at Rudolf Steiner House in Ann Arbor, Michigan, with speech and eurythmy and weekly talks by Michael Brewer.