The Planetary Gestures in Eurythmy

Eurythmy is an art form that makes sounds visible through movement. As well as gestures for speech and music, eurythmy also incorporates gestures that relate to the stars and the planets, as indicated by Rudolf Steiner.

In this fascinating book, a companion volume to The Zodiac Gestures in Eurythmy, Werner Barfod describes the seven planetary gestures and how each one expresses a different relationship of the human being to the world. He explains how the planetary forces work in different people, and the meditative development and ways of working that eurythmists need to cultivate to bring creativity into their art.

This book will appeal to eurythmy teachers and practitioners who want to deepen their art and spiritual work.

Contents
Preface 9

PART I
1. Forming the Eurythmy Gestures for the Planets 13
An overview of the seven gestures 13
The seven gestures individually 14
The human being: both centre and sphere in the gestures 19
2. The Characteristics of the Planetary Gestures 21
3. The Seven Attitudes of the I in the Soul 23
The dual form of the human members 23
The seven faculties of the I in the soul 24
4. The I as a Being of Breath 26
The I manifested in twelvefold, sevenfold and threefold form 26
The rhythm of the I reflected in the members 26
The archetypal gesture of contraction and expansion 27
5. Planetary Influences in Prenatal and Earthly Existence 28
Human abilities as a reflection of prenatal lunar forces 28
The seven life processes of the natural and ‘cultural’ etheric 29
The planetary forces in Rudolf Steiner’s Ephesus verse 31
The seven life processes as the working of the etheric body 32
Seven steps for practising eurythmy 32
6. The Planetary Processes in Varying Sequences 34
The sequence working in the etheric body 34
The path to earth in the Moon sphere 34
The planetary sequence in Rudolf Steiner’s Twelve Moods 35
The planetary sequence in evolution 37
7. The Seven Vowel Responses of the Etheric Body 38
8. The Seven Levels of Manifestation of the Vowels 41
A in seven stages 42
E in seven stages 43
I in seven stages 44
O in seven stages 46
U in seven stages 47
9. The Five Vowels as an Image of Their Nature 49
The vowels as a process of metamorphosis 49
The vowels as an image of the metamorphosis of the I 50
10. The Seven Aspects of the I and Their Soul Moods 52
11. The Whole Human Being in Eurythmy 55
Eurythmy gestures in anthroposophical terms 55
Everyday movement and eurythmy movement 56
The dual nature in different parts of the human being 56
The whole human being revealed 57
Seven steps from sound to speech form 58
12. The Seven Modes of the I as Artistic Expression 60
Seven Calendar of the Soul verses as examples 60
Five twentieth-century poems as examples 64

PART II
13. Zodiac Gestures as Aspects of the Astral Body 71
From feeling to thinking and from feeling to action 72
The inner and outer threshold of the soul 73
Three stages of attaining harmony within the soul forces 74
14. The Twelve Soul Forms as Artistic Expression 76
The sources of movement of the three soul forces 76
The dynamic sources of other soul forms 76
15. The Soul Forms in Walk and Gesture 79
16. The Soul Forms in Artistic Composition 81
The Calendar of the Soul verses 81
Five twentieth-century poems as examples 85
A scene from Rudolf Steiner’s mystery drama 88
17. Rhythmic Alternation Between the Self and the World 90
The soul’s breathing between centre and periphery 90
The soul’s breathing between symmetry and asymmetry 90
18. Seven Modes of the I and Twelve Soul Forms 93
19. The Whole Human Being and its Counterimages 96

PART III
20. Planetary Influences and Life Processes 101
21. The Planets Reflected in Human Life 105
The effects of the planets in the seven-year life phases 105
Planetary effects and typical attitudes 106
Strengths and weaknesses of each planetary type 107
The art of living with planetary forces 109

PART IV
22. Motifs in Eurythmy Training 113
The first exercises given by Rudolf Steiner 113
23. Creative, Formative Processes in Eurythmy 120
The anthroposophical basis for the breathing of the I 120
The soul forces as an artistic resource 121
The breathing of the I 121
Creating forms shaped by the I in the periphery 122
Preparing the I for creative activity 122
Exercises that reveal the I in the soul 123
Exercises that reveal the I in the etheric body 123
24. Exercises and Meditations as a Bridge Between the Ego and the I 125

Notes 133
Bibliography 137
Index 139