Over the years, as part of an organic growth process, ‘Hotam’ school has become a developing and learning community.
Once the global epidemic of Covid-19 started spreading and affecting all aspects of our lives, among which the ability to meet face to face, Hotam initiated an online community group study entitled: ”My Personal Corona”, that was soon followed by numerous other online community studies in Israel and abroad. The positive response to our offering reflected the profound need of many people to listen to the quiet sound of internal spiritual truth. A sound that is often drowned in the loud clatter and chatter of the bustling external world. The school’s team recognized this calling and provided a welcoming space for those who sought refuge in daily work of strengthening the ‘I’ (the spiritual component of the human being) in order to stand firm in face of the challenges of the period and the counter forces that are currently on the rise.
The Home of the ‘Homeless’ people
Steiner calls people who are not satisfied with the mundane, everyday reality: ‘homeless people’. These are people with deep heart-felt longing for hidden, sublime and profound knowledge. Often this longing is not conscious, but is felt in the heart as a kind of ‘itch’, or an unexplained lack of satisfaction. Being a ‘son without a home’ in today’s material reality often means feeling lonely, and strange. In our school, over the years, a community of people has developed for whom the spiritual longing for the hidden truth is like bread and water. This is the place where ‘Homeless people’ may find a home.
The fall of egoism and the budding of the spiritual community of the future
Steiner describes egoism (or in the language of Kabbalah: “the desire to receive in order to receive”) as a necessary stage in the developmental process of the development of the individual. In order to develop his earthly tools, the individual must go through a phase of complete egoism, so that in the future he may use the tools he has acquired in order to positively influence other people without self-will. Humanity at large goes through a similar process. As can be seen today, egoism has reached unprecedented peaks. One expression of this is the falling apart of social and family structures. Another expression is the relentless pursuit of honor, pleasure or property, underlying social relationships today. Spiritual paths are also seen today as an expression of self-fulfillment, when referring to a spiritual path may be just another possibility to fulfill a personal desire or ambition.
However, in parallel to the peaking displays of egoism in our time, one may observe the budding of new spiritual community connections. The era of the sanctified individual is coming to an end Individual progress or sanctification has no meaning today. In order to walk on a spiritual path in our time, a person needs companions along the way, who will remind him without fear, without being idle, what the truth is, who he really is, even when he himself forgets, even when he sinks into despair, or simply in his day-to-day activities. The main task of a spiritual community is learning and development within a community of individuals. To take upon ourselves an honest self-conscious work of recognizing evil, not only outside, but first of all within ourselves. This is a precondition for turning people into better, more generous and compassionate beings. Only then can we slowly advance the change that all of humanity longs for.
Life overwhelms the modern person with its intensity. Hence, the spiritual world is not revealed to our normal consciousness in our day-to-day life. In order to make a consciousness leap and be cognizant to the hidden layer of life one needs to acquire knowledge of the occult teachings in an accessible and clear way. Moreover, one must be constantly connected to this knowledge, for as soon as a person neglects his spiritual organ, his consciousness sinks into the mundane experience and seeks nothing else.
The learning community of ‘Hotam’ allows those walking the path to be constantly connected to a source of knowledge – and not less importantly – to mutual support.
Every person who has within him a longing for the spirit is invited to be part of the learning and developing community of ‘Hotam’, to support and be supported on the spiritual path. Every small step, every thought, emotion or insight, of every person in each encounter is priceless, offering to the spirit world.
In recent years, communities have arisen around the world, seeking to learn from the unique contents of the anthroposophy-based -biographical approach of ‘Hotam’ school. The communities learn the content as part of long Zoom community lessons held once a month throughout the year, or in weekend workshops, delivered by the school team in English and, if necessary, with simultaneous translation to the local language.
In the academic year 2022-2023, such meetings are held in the international community attended by biographical counselors from around the world, and in the Hungarian, Spanish, Brazilian, and Korean local communities. Details may be found here, on the school website in English.
We warm heartedly invite you to join our learning community.
With love, the ‘Hotam’ team.
