The Story

 

 

Phenomenology, also known as Goethean Science, is a practice of study established by Johann Wolfgang Von Goethe in the  early 19th century and later developed by Rudolf Steiner.

 

As a leading scientist and botanist, Goethe felt that the approach proposed by conventional Science in order to collect information and knowledge of Nature was insufficient.

Goethe believed that after the first stages of neutral, factual observation, further steps of connection were needed in order to truly understand Nature.

 

He would say that if a butterfly were caught and pinned inside a book, one would indeed be able to weigh it, measure the span of its wings,  and analyse all its colours acurately. But one would remain totally ignorant about the butterfly : for what made it itself, unique as a live being, was the life force that inhabited it when it was alive.

 

Goethe believed that in order to understand Nature, true Science must apply itself to understanding that very life force which inhabits each creature in a unique way, and to connect with it.

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Goethe developed a step by step approach based on 4 Modes of study – Earth, Water, Air and Fire, leading from grounded observation, through meditation and connection, to intuitive communication.

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Goethe himself applied his method to everything he studied. Today, still, his findings in botany are used as a reference in the field.

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Later, Rudolf Steiner, a fervent advocate of Goethe's work, studied Phenomenology in depth and applied it as a way to understand many varied life processes and dynamics – from the study of plants and animals, to astronomy, health, agriculture, and education.

Steiner was considered a visionary and his approach in all those fields is still applied today.

 

However, he himself insisted that he was only a dedicated student in Goethean Science, and that anyone may achieve the same depth of understanding and "visions" if they applied themselves to this work.

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When I discovered Phenomenology as part of my Biodynamic Agriculture course at Emerson College in 2008, I instantly fell in love with it. By that time, I had studied Ethology with horses and was already a Natural Horsemanship Instructor. I was also a student in Animal Communication and just about to qualify as a Reiki practitioner.

I delved into Phenomenology with studious delight, as it seemed to bring mortar to bind all of my life practices and marry them in a wholesome way.

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I found that this was the complementary piece of a bigger puzzle: it gave grounding and structure to the more etherial and spiritual realms of Animal Communication and Healing, which were a perfect continuation of its path, and it was echoed in Ethology and Natural Horsemanship as if in a mirror. It bridged the gap between the worlds.

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After a few years of intensive study, I developed the Touching their Hearts course as an essence of heart connection between one student and an animal or plant partner. A wholesome and enriching path, it is grounded in Goethean Science, incorporates Ethology, reaches into the depth needed to become a Healer and Communicator – and leads to Intuitive Communication as a natural path of connection. It provides the roots for all these disciplines and is a beautiful way to begin one's journey.