Natural Home NursingMay 9, 2013

There has been what feels like a sudden change in the seasons this week, there has been the first frost and there is a smell of fires in the early evenings, it feels like winter is just around the corner.  This weekend we will be welcoming a group of parents to Taruna who will be doing the Natural Home Nursing short course, this will give them the tools to safely nurse and care for their children at home through the winter.   

Welcoming students from ChristchurchMarch 1, 2013

During the first week of March, Taruna will welcome 28 students who are coming to attend their 3^rd seminar for the Art of Health and the Certificate in Holistic Healthcare.  The first two seminars were held in Christchurch in 2012 as part of an initiative to support the community in Christchurch post-earthquake.    The third seminar will be held at Taruna from the 1-8 March to give these Christchurch residents the chance to experience the supportive learning environment that Taruna has established here in the Hawkes Bay.

The two courses that were offered in Christchurch supported individuals post-earthquake providing support given the changes and integration required to re-establish a new normal.   Betty Inglewood who was in the CTV building in the February 2011 quakes said:

‘My experience of the 22 February 2011 has been very traumatic, something of me got lost that day. Working through this experience has been a long process. The opportunity to take part in the Art of Health course has been valuable.  I found that when I was concentrating on my artwork, my emotions got translated in a way that is different from using words and this became very meaningful for me. A big thank you to all at the college’   

Betty is a student on the Certificate in Art of Health that offers a rich contribution to understanding your life and your biography from a health and artistic perspective.  The Art of Health is aimed at giving you a perspective on building, restoring and maintaining the mental, emotional, physical and spiritual well-being of people.  Through creating art and reflecting on this process you will gain a greater understanding of wellbeing.  Helen Clear an Art teacher in Christchurch said:

‘I am very grateful to Taruna for bringing the Art of Health course to Christchurch. It has been an incredible journey so far, providing useful professional development for my role as a teacher, as well as supporting and developing my personal growth. To come together as a diverse community of students and tutors in Christchurch has been an enriching experience for all of us, particularly in light of the recent earthquakes and all of their physical and emotional impacts. The holistic approach of the course has been both nurturing and enlightening, and has provided a safe space for healing and expansion’

The second programme that Taruna took to Christchurch was the Certificate in Holistic Healthcare open to both nurses and other health professionals wanting a creative, holistic understanding of the human being to inform and inspire clinical practice.  Through this course the students in Christchurch had the opportunity to rediscover the essence of care and experience holistic healthcare practices that enlivens the way they can work with their patients and clients around grief and trauma.   Helen Clarke a naturopath on the course said:

“The Certificate in Holistic Healthcare has helped me gain a whole new perspective in treating people. On an emotional and physical level the therapies used have aided my patients and me in our journeys to wellness. Being in Christchurch with the repercussions from the earthquakes for a long time I was dealing with people on an emotional knife edge. This has tapered off somewhat as humans we adjust and adapt but there has been a massive toll on the people of Christchurch. Through this course the seemingly simple treatments learnt have given such a deep healing in some circumstances and have been remarkably well received by patients. I am so grateful to have been able to help my fellow Cantabrians come to a place of solace. Also I thank Taruna for the wonderful opportunity for me to bring this to my people.”

Taruna is currently enrolling a 2013 intake of both the Certificate in Art of Health and Holistic Healthcare that will run from its Havelock North campus, these programmes are part-time seminar based and start in mid-March.

Diploma in Rudolf Steiner Education welcome to our 2013 studentsFebruary 15, 2013

 

We welcomed our class of 2013 this week as they start their year long journey on the Diploma of Rudolf Steiner Education.  It is an all female group this year with students coming from Columbia, Australia, Korea and India as well as the New Zealanders.  We are excited to work with these talented women who all have an education background.  The Diploma not only looks at Steiner Waldorf education but the need for innovative thinking and effective leadership in our contemporary world; our aim is to work with  these students over the coming year to sow seeds for future work in education which can begin to meet this need.   For the first time this year, the students are also in the local Steiner school in Hastings on a Friday allowing them to each week practically apply their learning in a school environment, this is in addition to the placements later in the year.

Celebrating 2012 – Taruna GraduationDecember 27, 2012

We closed our year with a fabulous graduation ceremony with all of our courses coming together to celebrate, we had over 80 students graduating this year.  Our guest speaker was James Millton of Millton vineyards in Gisborne and he shared his experiences as an Organic and Biodynamic winemaker.  Our students shared their learnings and thoughts on their journeys across  the breadth of our courses.  It was a wonderful celebration for both staff and students.

Wishing all of our past and present students a very Merry Christmas and all the best for a peaceful 2013.

 

 

 

 

Diploma in Rudolf Steiner Education – Performing ParcivalDecember 11, 2012

As part of the full-time Diploma in Rudolf Steiner Education course, the students have to rehearse and perform a play, this year it was Parcival adapted and directed by Allysen Caris.  If you are not familiar with the story, here is a brief overview.

There are several Grail legends. The one dramatized here is by the

Bavarian knight, Wolfram Von Eshenbach and it was written down in the twelfth century. At this time life was cheap and easily lost, but the code of chivalry helped to counteract violence. New ideas about women and love
were beginning to emerge, seen in the relationship between Parzival and his wife.  On the surface this is a story dealing with a medley of characters in the tapestry of medieval life, with knights and ladies, Kings and Queens. On a  deeper level however, it shows the search for Self.

Parzival journeys towards greater compassion and understanding, passing through the three clearly defined stages of foolishness, doubt, then finally blessedness; when he
becomes Lord of the Grail. The Grail is often portrayed as a cup but this is a
symbol of something within us all. To search for it is to search for our humanity
in the fullest sense of the word, whereby our consciousness extends beyond
our little-self enclosed identities to an awareness of all creatures, the earth
and our place in the divine scheme. To find this requires that we transform
ourselves and experience all that we can be, for it is always to do with
enhanced and heightened life energies.

 

We may have to step outside conventional ways of looking at the world, we may have to reject society’s mores and traditional spiritual wisdom until we can find a new relationship to the spiritual world and a community of
like- minded people who strive for the same goals. Parzival rejects the church and suffers great doubt and loneliness until he understands what he is seeking for. It is very much a picture of today, when we have to re-evaluate traditional beliefs in the search for truth.
One of the interesting themes in this story is the relationship between
West and Middle East, for Parzival’s father fights for a Muslim potentate and
Parzival takes his Muslim half brother to the Grail Castle. This is a wonderful
picture of the fact that the Grail is for ALL people and transcends the bounds
of religion or race. Could there be a more potent message then this in a world
where there is an impasse between the Muslim and the Western world?
It is no wonder that the Grail stories exert such a powerful pull on our
imaginations! Do we not all seek the ultimate source and meaning of life,
which encompasses not only our own well-being but the well-being of the
earth and all sentient creatures?

Heading South for SpringJuly 10, 2012

 

As we hunker down for the Winter by our log burner here at Taruna, we have taken some time to be still, reflect and to see what stirs.  Out of the relative darkness of winter, we have considered those things that want new life and can expand and grow in the Spring, our seeds are already starting to grow and unfurl into an exciting journey for Taruna.

In addition to our regular courses here in the Hawkes Bay, we are venturing off campus to the South Island.  We are delighted to be taking three of our courses to two new locations.

The first seed to sprout will be our Certificate in Applied Organics and Biodynamics that we will be delivering in Central Otago.  Following on from a successful venture from our home turf in Hawke’s Bay to Marlborough last year, Taruna is on the move again with their popular and award winning ‘Certificate in Applied Organics and Biodynamics’ training programme. Due to the high degree of interest shown in the
programme at the recent Biodynamic Association Conference in Central Otago, Taruna have agreed to bring the programme to meet the demand in Central Otago, commencing in August this year. For more information about this course, please follow this link

The other two seeds have been planted are in Christchurch. We will be offering two simulataneous courses, the Certificate Art of Health and Certificate in Holisitc Healthcare that we hope will gives a new perspective to the residents of Christchurch affected by the Earthquakes.   Both of these courses provide a framework for envisaging the self and the world around us and provide a path for humanity to be effective.  They will provide a unique set of tools to help facilitate change at an individual level.  For information about the Certificate in Holistic Healthcare, please click here and for the Certificate in Art of Health, please click here

 

 

 

Welcoming Matariki and John BurnettJune 27, 2012

At morning tea on Friday 22nd June, we welcomed John Burnett our new Programme Director for the Diploma in Rudolf Steiner Education who has joined us from the University of Plymouth in the UK, it seemed pertinent that he joined us at Matariki, the Maori New Year, read more about John here  We were fortunate enough to have Rachel Pomeroy join us for morning tea too and she describe the morning sky having seen the Matariki constellation for the first time that morning.

Matariki is the Maori name for a group of seven stars known as the Pleiades star cluster. Some people think of Matariki as a mother star with six daughters, and it is often referred to as the Seven Sisters.

Matariki appears in the eastern sky sometime around the shortest day of the year, and is thought to determine how successful the harvest crop will be in the coming season. The brighter the stars, the more productive the crop will be.

A Variety of CoursesApril 30, 2012

We have multiple courses running at Taruna this week with both the Certificate in Applied Organics and Biodynamics and The Practice of Teaching Young Children.

The Applied Organics and Biodynamics has just started it’s Winter intake and the students are already busy studying the soil, compost making and have done three farm visits, Hohepa, Weleda and Te Koha.

The Practice of Teaching Young Children is part of our year long Diploma in Rudolf Steiner teaching but is also open students who want to join to do this week as a short course that is particularly appropriate for those involved in early childhood education or considering such involvement. We are pleased to welcome Marjorie Theyer,  who has been advisor to kindergarten and playgroup initiatives on behalf of the Federation of Rudolf Steiner schools for many years now.

Happy Easter from TarunaApril 12, 2012

Happy Easter from all at Taruna.

Art As A Basis for EducationMarch 27, 2012

‘Art is the lifeblood of education’ says visiting American Waldolf art teacher Van James.  Van is spending two weeks at Taruna immersing students in the world of visual art and it’s place in both Rudolf Steiner Schools and other primary school settings.   This course will highlight the importance of art in the overall education of the child and the teacher.

Van will lead students to experience the joy of confidence in colour through painting, reveal the magic of mandalas, braids and metamorphic patterns in form drawing and enable them to discover drawing as a means of articulating the outer world and the inner life of imagination.

Van James is visiting the Hawkes Bay from Hawaii where he has been teaching art at the Honolulu Waldolf School for over 20 years.

Van will also be giving a talk this Friday evening at 7.30 titled “Hawai’i Its Sacred Sites and Place in the Pacific”