From “Patter-Paws the Fox” and “Sharp-Claws the Lobster” to “Lusty-Lion and Trusty Mouse,” young children will find the animated animal characters in these stories enjoyable and inspiring. Along with lively, detailed, and expressive illustrations by Brian Gold, the narrative will stimulate the imagination of young children and encourage them to read. Created especially for early readers, the author has taken great care in crafting the structure and style of the stories. The language, letter patterns, progressions of word structures, and sound sequences have all been shaped to build children’s confidence, gradually leading to more disciplined work later in the book. In addition to grading the stories according to these principles, the stories involve repetition, rhyming devices, and the use of common words that form the foundation of “sight vocabulary.” The visual element has also been considered in the layout, with large typeface and small paragraphs, which become more condensed as reading ability becomes stronger. (Ages 6–9)

Patter-Paws the Fox : And Other Stories

Children's Books

Masters, Brien

Animals

Temple Lodge Publishing

Following on from his popular first reader, Patter-Paws the Fox, Masters presents us with twelve more stories for school-age readers. This time his exuberant tales are related more closely to the modern, urban experience of city dwellers. We are introduced to many new and delightful characters, both animal and human, such as Rory the guide dog and his master Scotty, Trevor the puzzled postman, Wriggly-Caterpillar, and Fudge-fed Bee. Once again, the narratives are complemented by the inspiring illustrations of Brian Gold. As with his earlier book, the author has taken great care in crafting structure and style, with the intention of building self-confidence for children when they read. The stories are ranked according to certain principles, and the visual elements of the text has been carefully considered.

Trumpets of Happiness: And Other Stories

Literature & Fiction

An internationally acknowledged authority in Steiner education, Brien Masters has worked for decades as a teacher in both public and Waldorf schools, and has served as a teacher trainer, consultant, writer and lecturer. In Adventures in Steiner Education, he draws on his rich and varied experience to paint a vivid picture of Waldorf education in practice. Spicing the text with many personal stories and anecdotes, he brings to life the theory behind this increasingly popular educational approach, from the early years through to the Lower and Upper Schools. This lively book serves not only as an informative and entertaining introduction, but also as a helpful refresher course for those seeking to become fully acquainted with the basic principles of Steiner Education.

Adventures in Steiner Education: An Introduction to the Waldorf Approach (Bringing Spirit to Life)

Education & Teaching

Schools & Teaching

Rudolf Steiner Press

Is the philosophy we use to educate our children responsible, at least partially, for the attitudes and general tone of our societies? A recent UNICEF report on wealthy countries saw the United States and the United Kingdom ranked lowest in the quality of life for young people across a wide range of categories―including poverty, health, drugs, friendships, and happiness. According to experts, those nations that performed best in the survey have created “child-friendly” societies in which, for example, young people are not pressured to achieve academically until their teens. In contrast, educators in the US and UK generally press toward economic success, using education as a means of generating―through “No Child Left Behind” and increasing use of tests―the high achievers needed, it is thought, to produce material wealth. Brien Masters―an educator for more than fifty years―asserts that education has a central role to play “in bringing into human lives those qualities that can take us forward to a progressive future.” He proposes that Rudolf Steiner’s educational approach, which is practiced primarily in the Waldorf schools around the world, is well equipped to enable this. In Steiner Education and Social Issues―via a series of short, engaging chapters and based on his broad personal experience of teaching and teacher-training―Masters tackles a wide range of modern social issues, from drugs and nutrition to boredom to the influence of television and multicultural societies. This is a wise and informative guide for parents, teachers, and anyone interested in the future development of our children and our culture.

Steiner Educational and Social Issues: How Waldorf Schooling Addresses the Problems of Society

When he was first introduced to the idea that human consciousness has been evolving over the centuries and millennia, Brien Masters discovered the possibility of gaining insight into this phenomenon by examining the musical styles of various classical composers. Following years of musical study and practice, in Mozart’s music he detected a reflection of humanity’s emerging consciousness of selfhood and individuality.  Two hundred and fifty years after his birth, Mozart continues to be acknowledged universally as a musical genius. Recognition of his work, however, goes beyond the pleasure we derive from listening to his music. In the 1990s, psychologists discovered the so-called Mozart Effect, the notion that listening to Mozart enhances mental capacities and even health. In this study, the author considers Mozart in relation to the evolution of human consciousness.  Could Mozart’s music affect changes in human makeup? Masters studies Mozart’s musical style and considers the nature of the human “I.” By analyzing Mozart’s compositions, the author shows how the principles of the “I” are particularly evident his music. Masters tells us that his book may be read as his attempt to “describe the self’s journey toward the richness of Mozart’s musical style [and] to shed Mozartean light onto the self as the central element in the human constitution. The former perspective is a comment on the significance of his genius appearing in the second half of the eighteenth century. The latter has relevance, among other things, for the debate on and understanding of the so-called Mozart Effect today.”  Relevant musical scores are included for those who wish to study the relevant pieces in greater detail.

Mozart: His Musical Style and His Role in the Development of Human Consciousness

Biographies & Memoirs

Arts & Literature

From the moment that Marie von Sivers met Rudolf Steiner in 1902, their relationship became key to the development of Anthroposophy. Marie Steiner's immense contribution is well known in the fields of eurythmy, speech, and the arts, as well as in her management and publication of Steiner’s literary estate―indeed, she assisted in almost every aspect of Rudolf Steiner's work. So why has she been so neglected by the anthroposophic movement?Driven by this central question, the authors of this penetrating study concluded that the karma and mission of Marie Steiner-von Sivers is vitally important to the present and future spiritual and cultural development of the West. They evaluate not only Marie's twenty-three-year partnership with Rudolf Steiner, but also her three previous incarnations―in the ancient Orphic Mysteries, as the Neoplatonist Hypatia, and as Albertus Magnus. The lives, acts, cultural legacies, and thought of these various personalities are addressed through a series of lucid essays, interspersed with studies on the missions of both Rudolf and Marie Steiner. These are supplemented with short extracts from literature that reverberate with the word, helping to reveal the intimately intertwined karmic missions of Marie Steiner-von Sivers and Rudolf Steiner, her work companion and soul partner.

Kindling the Word: The Karmic Background of Marie Steiner-von Sivers

Religion & Spirituality

Kern, Rahel

Occult & Paranormal

"Books carry on conversations across the thresholds of time and space," writes Josie Alwyn in her introduction. This book is the fruit of her "conversation" with Brien Masters―a collaboration that began more than twenty years ago, when she was learning to be a Waldorf teacher. They open their discussions with the broader theme of the role and mission of drama in human development, before focusing on the central topic, the potential for metamorphosis inherent in Shakespeare’s plays. This creative, birth-giving, transformative essence of Shakespeare―the esoteric core of his work―is vitally important to our time, they suggest, and contributes to the ongoing cultural education of the human soul.Published to commemorate the 400th anniversary of Shakespeare’s death, Educating the Soul offers an overview of Shakespeare’s journey as a playwright in the context of evolving human consciousness. The heart of the book features nine essays on Shakespeare’s most performed plays. Just as the middle act of a Shakespearian drama gives a point of transformation, so these essays represent the central, unfolding dialogue that took place between the writers as the book developed. This section is followed by an in-depth study of Hamlet,which sees the story as a learning process, deeply strengthened by the primary character’s own education and changing consciousness. Finally, the book explores the theme of transformation through The Tempest and in relation to the archetypal tree of life.

Educating the Soul: On the Esoteric in Shakespeare

Alwyn, Josie

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