Starting from “The Karma Round” last July, continuing with autumn’s “Flame to Flame,” through Christmas’ “Midnight Sun” to Easter’s “The Tree of Life” – meetings in Dornach celebrating the cycle of the year.

Easter seemed to have a quality of an individualised character, struggling with oneself, needing space but also straightness and light; getting to the point.

We followed the happenings of the Easter week described in the gospels. Those steps are full of inner and outer dramatic processes. Some people held workshops, nature observations and long nature walks.

For me the main thing in these meetings has been the open space “Plenum,” which we had twice every day. These Plenums create space for listening to each other, sharing, reflecting that which is living among us. In such a space we can try to hear what the hearts want to say. When there is created enough trust and warmth and love in between the people it gets possible to share things you don’t normally say out loud: doubts, inner struggles, painful issues, spiritual experiences, group processes. For me that’s a precious thing.

I have had to learn to give up some inner pictures I had created for myself about someone and ask again: “Who are you? Who am I?” Sometimes I’d just like to turn my back and run away. Every now and then I don’t like some people, but there’s some stronger will which gets me through the 'crossroads' of the meeting. I get to know myself better and new horizons open up and a new layer of meeting each other is possible.

My impression:

                   The Tree of Knowledge              &           the Tree of Life want to unite!
The individualised consciousness of oneself – in freedom – with the life of the heart that   
                                                           connects us all!

creates a nourishing togetherness
 – for human beings and also for heavenly creatures!

– By Natalia Haarahiltunen

Last autumn, when there was Michael’s celebration time and a meeting in Dornach, we had also our first meeting here in Finland with nine people from the Helsinki area (most of us were around 30 years of age). Having a time to talk about what lives in us, and the next day celebrating freely and artistically a Michael festival, we felt the need to continue.

So we met over the year once a month in somebody’s home (which influenced the mood of every meeting), and had around five hours talk in a lively way about different themes and questions which bothered us, like: issues living in time, old anthroposophical culture of doing things, needs for finding our ways of coming together, sharing, encouraging each other, etc.

Many of us (eight) took part also in the Christmas “Midnight Sun” meeting in Dornach, and then again during Easter’s “The Tree of Life” meeting. We transported something from the North with us and got something to take back home from the bigger meeting.

After Christmas we also felt a new step needed to be taken in our group and decided that we would also include in our meetings a theme that is very dear to someone, and that she or he can freely share it for the others. So, first we had Jouni, who had put his flame out and was able to resurrect for us the Philosophy of Freedom!

Because of these meetings, I feel we have come closer to each other’s real essence, we see more the possibilities that live in each of us, we get more courage to show ourselves and we try to encourage each other on our individual paths and see what kind of a path we are creating together.

– By Natalia Haarahiltunen

Kaspar started from an idea of having a band that sings about Kaspar Hauser. That was the simple idea at the beginning.

We soon realised we had something that goes way deeper. It became a project where two musicians try to create a space where something could land. Forgetting I, me, mine and focusing on something new. This something being Kaspar Hauser. Or, maybe it could be anything. Anyway, we started with Kaspar Hauser and this is where we got. And what we have now is pretty much all we could have hoped for.

We wished for a special first concert and got that at the Goetheanum in July 2008. Next, we wanted to make a recording of this music. And for that we got exactly the person we wanted to work with: Malcolm Burn. Malcolm has worked with the likes of Dylan (Bob) and Gabriel (yes, Peter) but that’s not the reason we wanted him. One of the reasons was the documentary he’s working on, called Touched, which comes pretty close to our Kaspar Hauser theme. Another reason was his aesthetics. We knew he’d be on the same wavelength with us and he truly was.

The next step for us is to release this recording, which will happen in August 2009. We are lucky once again to get to celebrate this event with a special concert, this time with one of the most interesting American bands at the moment – Wilco.

Seems our luck is never ending. Or is it really luck? Or is it the space we created? An open invitation for things to come. With a little help from our friend, Kaspar.

– By Mikael Hakkarainen (jaanmikael(at)gmail.com)

To listen to Kaspar: www.myspace.com/kasparband
For Malcolm Burn and a preview on his documentary, Touched: www.malcolmburn.com
Something about Kaspar Hauser himself: www.steinerbooks.org/detail.html