The Eightfold Path

The practice path of the Eightfold Path

The Eightfold Path originated with Gautama Buddha in the 6th century BC. It  may be understood as the unfolding of eight forms of love.

1. Thinking
2. Practicing
3. Speaking
4. Mediating
5. Reconciling
6. Connecting
7. Devoting
8. Becoming one

With the exercises of the Eightfold Path, dormant abilities are developed, which create new opportunities for the mind, the soul and everyday consciousness. Life issues may be tackled independently. Answers to and ways through current social questions can be found from within one's own inner being. By meditating, understanding and living with the themes of the Eightfold Path, you work step by step on the formation of your soul and spiritual abilities. 

On the steps of the path you develop and change. You walk through them like through gates. You walk through them. You are developing, together with the whole world.

Connecting the Eightfold Path with eurythmy

Exercises for the Days of the Week, this is what Rudolf Steiner called the exercises of the Eightfold Path. From the naming of the days (Sun-Day, Moon-Day, etc.) one can see a relation to the qualities of the planets and to the centers of consciousness, also called chakras. Since the eurythmy vowel gestures are related to the planetary qualities, it is possible to connect the exercises for the days of the week with the corresponding eurythmy vowel gestures.

Thus, to each step of the Eightfold Path belongs a certain vowel, a certain heart force, which you can experience and strengthen while creating the eurythmy gestures. You will be amazed at how eurythmy can help you experience the themes of the Path from different perspectives and connect them with your body consciousness.

If you add that all vowels are in turn related to certain consonants, it will lead to a special deepening of the steps of the Eightfold Path. Just as you meet yourself in the vowels, you open yourself to the world with the consonants. And in doing so, you touch the mystery to which Rudolf Steiner points when he says that it will take another 2500 years before we really understand the Eightfold Path.

With the vowels we foster the birth from within, in the consonants we experience ourselves attentively in the world. Enlivening these simultaneously, we slowly wake up more and more in the reality of our spiritual world. We feel like we are touching essential things and feel more and more at home. Arriving, letting go, gaining strength.

Structure of the Courses

Each section begins with the text of Gautama Buddha's Eightfold Path exercise as found, for example, on Wikipedia and the text of how Rudolf Steiner put the Eightfold Path into words at the beginning of the 20th century. In addition, we have formulated each exercise in its own words as an offering to help you shape your own approach in a self-determined way. In addition, you will find examples from everyday life of how and on what you could practice.

In the videos we first look at different aspects of the Eightfold Path. Then we show you how you can experience the meditative text of the exercise with the help of the eurythmy vowel and consonant gestures from different sides and perhaps unexpectedly deep and multilayered. You will also find the eurythmic approach to Rudolf Steiner's text as a written instruction, so you are not dependent on the videos.

You can download the written course dossier with all the texts and exercise descriptions in the introduction of the course.

Costs

Anyone, including you, can afford the course. Take a look at the preview and then decide.

Eightfold Path
Individual course

Meditative Passage through the Eightfold Path.

Live with Theodor every Sunday from April 23 to July 2, 2023 at 6 p.m. CET

Everyone watches the eurythmy videos of the upcoming week in advance, so we can walk through the exercises together without much words. First we move the consonants belonging to the step of the path. Then we connect the text of the week by moving it together with the corresponding vowel once in German, once in English and once in Russian. Like an audience, the consonants form the circumference, and continue to accompany us through the week.

This is quite simple, because it's enough if you know approximately what's coming. Then you can join in with Theodor and let yourself be surprised by what you remember. Since no one will see how you do it, you can stay relaxed while doing it. This way of being on the way together will give a lot of strength to our practice through the week.

After the passage there will be a short meeting in small groups, where we will share what we have experienced, go deeper into the exercise text, and motivate ourselves for practicing in the coming week.

The meting takes about 1 hour and 15 minutes. There will be a replay of the session so that you don't lose touch even if you can't be there.

Costs

• The live course with Theodor is available for 175.- Euro or reduced for 145.- Euro.
• If you have already bought the Eightfold Path, you can get the course with Theodor for 55.- Euro.*
• If you can only pay a small amount, choose the option Pay What You Can.

* you must be logged in to see the path owner price..

Registration for the introduction and course

I am looking forward to the whole course and register already now.

Register here

I'll attend the introductory meeting on April 23 and decide then.

Follow-up event at 19:45: Eurythmy for overcoming trauma.

After the end of the joint work on the eightfold Path, there will be a break of about 30 minutes. Afterwards, Theodor will demonstrate exercises for about 45 minutes that he developed from the suggestions of the Eurythmy4you Trauma Conference 2023. The exercises will take up the steps of the path in a free way. 

The participants* support the development of the trauma eurythmy program by sharing what they have been shown and what they have experienced in dealing with it in the trauma forum.

Anyone can participate in this work who

• has purchased the Eightfold Path live course with Theodore
• and participated in the Trauma Conference from January 29 to April 2....
• ...or purchased the Recordings of the Conference. These can be purchased from April 3.