For someone fluent in Russian and with access to the state archives, this would be an interesting area for further research. A myriad of occult and new age movements derive from Madame Blavatsky's "Theosophy" movement, most notably Rudolf Steiner's Anthroposophy with its Waldarf schools, its adherants effors to equate biodynamics with the non occult evidence based permacult
Forum: "Cults," Sects, and "New Religious Movements"

Montessori education is not the same as Waldorf education -- unlike Montessori, Waldorf is tied to a religious belief system -- Rudolf Steiner's own interpretation of modern Theosophy. Likewise organic farming or permaculture are often mentioned alongside biodynamic gardening or farming as though similar, but unlike the first two, biodynamic method is based on Rudolf Steiner's reli
Forum: "Cults," Sects, and "New Religious Movements"

Waldorf Critics website has new links and articles. If you are looking for a school for your child, or invited to join some gardening project and its instructor teaches 'biodynamic gardening' and is associated with a Steiner or Waldorf project, they may seem to be teaching gardening, but if they are fully indoctrinated Steinerists they are privately of the belief that what they a
Forum: "Cults," Sects, and "New Religious Movements"

Anything that has biodynamicly farmed food or wine is also tied to a secretive cult--Rudolf Steiner's Anthroposophy Too often Biodynamics and Permaculture are presented as the same. They are not the same. I typed biodynamics vs permaculture into the basic google slot. Look down at the citations and you will see some saying "biodynamics and permaculture" This can easil
Forum: "Cults," Sects, and "New Religious Movements"

Green, Sustainable, Permaculture Organic Farming --Do Your Background Research Before You Pack Your Bags And best of all those other programs for organic farming will, if you ask specific questions, be clear about workplace safety, former workers will speak well of them, even years later. Remember, donated labor is a valuable commodity--more valuable than many people can imagine. Very, ve
Forum: "Cults," Sects, and "New Religious Movements"

To Persons Interested in Sustainability--Run Background Checks And..a clarification. I had said in an earlier post--if a group is about sustainability ask whether this could be a cover for other agendas? I expressed that question awkwardly. There is nothing inherantly wrong with working for sustainablity, in and of itself. The topic is a worthy one. However, persons who want
Forum: "Cults," Sects, and "New Religious Movements"

In this URL some information and links are given to underlie that Permaculture is not the same thing as Bidoynamics and that if anyone wishes to read about Permaculture in and of itself they must take care to run computer searches in such a way as to exclude biodynamic, steiner and anthroposophy. It has grown so very commonplace for permaculture to be discussed alongside biodynamics that a per
Forum: "Cults," Sects, and "New Religious Movements"

Finally, this:
Forum: "Cults," Sects, and "New Religious Movements"

"I'm still chewinbg on your mention of biodynamics as a metaphysics -- most of the sources I've tapped on this subject don't discuss it quite that way but I totally get what you mean and think it bears a lot of thought and investigation. " QuoteI really intended to make in all this stuff, which was that there are common principles to all three systems which a lay garde
Forum: "Cults," Sects, and "New Religious Movements"

Repeat Permaculture did not in any way have its actual origins with or any original tie to or inspiration from Anthroposophy/Rudolf Steiner or with Biodynamics. If interested persons want to get a feel for permaculture writing that is not entangled with Biodynamics or Anthoroposophy, go here or google the writings of David Holmgren and Bill Mollison and obtain those writings from non Bi
Forum: "Cults," Sects, and "New Religious Movements"

Biodynamics is based on Rudolf Steiners Gnositic Anthroposophy. Permaculture was originally based on secular ethics and use of science as understood by mainstream, non Anthroposophical society. This is worth paying attention to. Right now many persons are being persuaded to take an interest in permaculture as a means of sustainable agriculture. Originally, Permaculture was NOT based o
Forum: "Cults," Sects, and "New Religious Movements"

First of all, many, many thanks to those of you who have commented over on , I feel a lot less alone and out on a limb as a result. Thank you all. Maple, I entirely agree that Biodynamics is attempting to take over Permaculture by claiming that the two systems are somehow equivalent or, indeed, are attempting to make Permaculture a sub-set of Biodynamics. A similar move has been in operati
Forum: "Cults," Sects, and "New Religious Movements"

Here is another reference I found on a TTN site. This one ties David Holmgren and Permaculture to Steiner's influence. Waldorf’s founder, Rudolf Steiner, experimented with agriculture as well as education. Steiner’s ideas influenced Alan Chadwick, John Jeavons, David Holmgren and the Permaculture movement. In our home garden, I continue the learning process begun in that long ago Wa
Forum: "Cults," Sects, and "New Religious Movements"

QuoteMaple So now my question is what is the connection between permaculture (which I tend to like) and biodynamics (which I tend not to like) if Holmgren (he is one of the two founders of permaculture) has a brother who is associated with the Steiner stuff, etc. Just to clarify, I'm not aware of a connection between the late Gerald Holmgren and "Steiner stuff". I just know him a
Forum: "Cults," Sects, and "New Religious Movements"

Maple: "So now my question is what is the connection between permaculture (which I tend to like) and biodynamics (which I tend not to like) if Holmgren (he is one of the two founders of permaculture) has a brother who is associated with the Steiner stuff, etc." I think you are confusing Holmgren's brothers views on the 9-11 conspiracy, mentioned earlier- which many in the PO mo
Forum: "Cults," Sects, and "New Religious Movements"

Ok, I'm finding some other links, but I'm not sure if my previous post disappeared. I'm still looking at the EF Schumacher Society in the Berkshires and that they are held up as a model for the TTN in the TTN training I attended and in the local TTN presentations of "slow money." I've been looking at the E.F. Schumacher website and here is a posting from their
Forum: "Cults," Sects, and "New Religious Movements"

Vegans Deserve to Know the Full Details of What Biodynamic Farming --and Biodynamic Winemaking entail. If a project is to do outreach to the general public, the actual differences between organic farming, permaculture and biodynamic farming should be spelled out clearly out the outset so that persons of conscience can make an informed decision to participate or choose a different project.
Forum: "Cults," Sects, and "New Religious Movements"

Biodynamics and Permaculture have different premises and different goals. If you want to do permaculture, as part of TT or something else, take care to run Google searches in which biodynamics is excluded. To get citations concerning JUST permaculture, I had to run a google advanced search in which I put biodynamics into the exclude slot. If biodynamics is not excluded from a google s
Forum: "Cults," Sects, and "New Religious Movements"

I’ve attended a weekend TT workshop led by some national leaders. I’ve attended subsequent meetings with local groups 6-7, I’d say. I was looking for information on your site about TT’s and found this thread. I’m an ex-member of two groups (ex for quite some time) and have spent a lot of time educating myself about cults. I generally check any group with which I’m considering involvement. I’
Forum: "Cults," Sects, and "New Religious Movements"

" or that people who warn of potential "die-off" scenarios due to overshoot and resource constraints are actually hoping for such a thing to happen; and that all this is somehow backed by the oil and coal industries themselves- does seem to me to have a lot in common with David Icke-style paranoia, with little evidence to support it." -ASPO was funded by Schlumberger and Ha
Forum: "Cults," Sects, and "New Religious Movements"

Hi Graham here, permaculture teacher in Ireland. I am quoted on page 3 of this forum by Corboy, having debated anthroposophists on my blog www.zone5.org. What is most notable for me from this forum is that conspiracy theories cut both ways: Shakti seems just as cultish and pseudoscientific as Transition is claimed to be. The idea that all peak oilers are part of a grand conspiracy, somehow link
Forum: "Cults," Sects, and "New Religious Movements"

The rational Greens urgently need to separate themselves from the ’spiritual’ ones.” One of the co-founders of Transition Town, Rob Hopkins, is listed as having taught a discipline called Permaculture at Kinsale College in Ireland. Looking more closely at Permaculture via Google, there turn out to be many, many cited links between Permaculture and projects and persons affiliated with Ru
Forum: "Cults," Sects, and "New Religious Movements"