JOURNALS

When students are given finalized abstractions from the beginning, they do not have to use their own inner forces to overcome the resistance of the world in order to arrive at truth or to create beauty. The result is that their inner pictures are devoid of life. In order to arrive at a truth or create beauty which reflects the order and harmony of the Creator, one must always begin humbly in ignorance and ugliness. By striving out of ignorance and ugliness toward the true and beautiful, both the scientist and the artist can bring new, creative forces into the world. Neither memorizing data nor copying a beautiful drawing engages the whole imagination of the student in the way that it is engaged by drawing a flower from life.

"It is precisely this lack of an active, striving inner creativity which can result in the often overwhelming feeling of anxiety and alienation experienced by so many modern people. As a counterbalance, education must, throughout all realms of knowledge, become ever more focused on the personal creation of that which through its beauty speaks truth and through its truth radiates beauty. It is hoped that Drawing from the Book of Nature will be a resource through which teachers, students and others can find their own way to the reunion of beauty and truth." from the Introduction

Available from Steiner Books