The vision for the project involves a broad economy which includes a range of practical activities. The activities are designed to support the full-time courses, short courses and conferences organized by Emerson College and Conference Centre and the work of Emerson Research Centre. In particular, it currently involves working closely with a bio-dynamic centre devoted to agriculture, horticulture and gardening and developing the following projects:
- The transformation of Emerson College into Emerson College and Conference Centre
- The development of Emerson Research Centre
- Providing a Village community around the College which is a home for (a) a number of businesses including Emerson Kitchen (Restaurant/cafeteria), a shop, rental business, and other local businesses connected with the principles of the Centre and (b) an Eco Housing Community (which includes the people currently living on the campus, and those wishing to live there).
- Building a Health Centre which will include an outpatients’ anthroposophic clinic, a ‘Spa hotel’ and providing care for the elderly
- Providing for a kindergarten and special needs
- Developing other initiatives suggested by the broader community
As humanity experiences increasing social problems the concept of the initiative as a whole based on the notion of a learning community. It is concerned with developing ways of living together harmoniously in the face of the stresses of modern life.
The Vision for the future
The vision for the future envisages the development of an educational and learning community which is supported by a range of practical activities which will, in turn, be underpinned by an understanding of anthroposophy, founded by Rudolf Steiner, and its potential for contributing to solving current world problems. The vision views anthroposophy not just as a body of knowledge, which is a materialistic concept, but as a being which can help us to unfold our activity in a way which is sensitive to the living spirit as it manifests in the world as a whole and the work and activity of human beings in particular. The vision is thereby based on a dynamic and living structure which will evolve over time and which is concerned with transformational learning, healing and social art. A possible future structure of the project is outlined in the diagram below.
1. The anthroposophical aspect builds on the relationship between the spiritual and the earthly.
The activities taking place in the Village, which are co-ordinated by the Emerson Village
Management and the Trustees, are underpinned by the School of Spiritual Science which
provides a focus for anthroposophical inner and outer activity. As such the project is concerned
with applying the effects of our inner spiritual research in a practical way in the field of education,
medicine, social science, mathematics and astronomy, natural science, the arts, agriculture,
eurythmy, speech, drama and music, and literature and the humanities. It also includes research
into more general principles and acknowledges the particular contribution made by young
people. It is thus envisaged that, as the project develops, all aspects of the work of the School of
Spiritual Science will come into sharper focus on the campus.
2. Its dynamic and living nature arises out of the fact that the elements which make up the structure
are in a process of constant interaction with each other. All parts are connected with the whole
and with each other.
3. The element of transformational learning, healing and social art is inherent in all of the activities
and the results of this aspect of the work will manifest as the project develops over time.
Process
The structure is based on the principles of anthroposophical/Goethean research: an approach to research which works with living processes based on polarities in order to generate life and movement and overcome the deadening tendencies of ‘scientific materialism’. This can take many
forms but, in this instance, it involves:
- Groundedness in the local community and the land (the village principle) which breathes in and out of the world (a centrifugal and centripetal gesture).
- An integrated but differentiated structure in which the management devolves responsibility for the various activities to ‘stakeholders’ and engages in a partnership and dialogue with them.
- Experiential adult learning, research and the generation of knowledge between all aspects of this project (domestic, educational and professional) in which static concepts are transformed into living knowledge as a result of working with the principles of interconnectedness and metamorphosis.
The process of developing the vision could be described as a living action research project which will evolve and change as a result of the activity of all those people involved as the vision unfolds
In anthroposophical terms it is an attempt to raise our consciousness beyond the physical world of disconnectedness to the etheric world of connectedness. Words provide a limited description of this. Artistic imagination is necessary to develop the concept in a more accurate way.