Eurythmy at the 3rd Philosophy of Freedom Meeting on 23 November 2025

At our last meeting, we worked with the second, the second tone of the scale, and with bringing thoughts into being. Today we take a step further to the third tone – the third, which is connected with A, with receiving.

Just as last time we connected the eurythmy figure of Despair with the second, today we will connect the third with the eurythmy figure of Innerness, Intimacy.

Preparation

Light and Weight

Let us begin with the primal polarity of the human being, who stands between heaven and earth – between weight and lightness.

We take time to arrive in ourselves. Through the senses of the body we feel into the chest, noticing how the inner space reacts, expands, overflows and slowly streams out, without losing its fullness. This makes us light and upright.

From this depth we form what we call the triangle of light. It makes us light, mobile, and also a little delicate – like a tree in the wind. “Light streams upward.”
On the other side, streaming down from the head to the left and right, we form a triangle of weight which makes us stable, enduring and grounded: “Weight settles downward.”

As human beings we carry both within us – the triangle of light and the triangle of weight – and we bring both into dynamic balance by perceiving, breathing and releasing:
“Light streams upward – weight settles downward.”

Upstream and Downstream

When we stream upward with the arms and feel ourselves, we sense our feet at the end. When we stream downward, we become wide and large. Upstream – downstream. A grounding in the earth, in the realm of the gods.

Front and Back

As bodily beings in space and time, we also live strongly along the axis of front and back. We move towards things and away from them: Feel downward with the hands, bring a little strength and tension into them, and gently shift your energy body forward so that the legs almost follow. Then release the arms, let them rise upwards, feel behind you and notice how the arms softly draw you back.

Let go, breathe. Forward below, back above. Do it in such a way that you are always being drawn – you never quite catch up. You hold out hay for the donkey, and the donkey walks after it. You hold your sails in the wind, and the wind carries you back.

World Space and Soul Space

Thus we live with our bodily existence in the outer space that surrounds us – a world full of thoughts. But “The Philosophy of Freedom” is concerned with the relationship between the outer world-space, the cosmos, and our inner spiritual-soul space. Where do we find this inner space?

The Third (Mi)

Let us now turn to the third. We sense the shoulder girdle (Do) like the roof of a house. We move from the collarbone into the upper arm (Re). We continue into the forearm (Mi). We call this third tone the “third”. Let us glide once more through the limbs of the arms out into the third: collarbone (Do), upper arms (Re), forearms (Mi – Mi – Mi).

Notice how this travelling through the limbs is really a gentle widening and lifting. This lifting also grounds us – not so much in the outer world as in our soul, in our ‘I’.

The garden of the soul

With the third we enter the garden of the soul:

With Do I am in my house. (Do.)
With Re I step out through the front door. (Re.)
With Mi I walk through my garden – up to the garden fence. (Mi.)
I return and enjoy the roses. (Mi.)
I go out again and admire the pond. (Mi.)
And the flowers in my meadow. (Mi.)

Feel how this weaving in the garden of your soul lifts you gently – allow it: Do, Re, Mi – Mi – Mi.

Vowel A

The vowel A belongs to the third. Bring your fingertips in front of the heart. Use the forces of your heart to gently move the fingers forward. Begin to shine through the arms – towards the trees, the rainbow, the stars. Reach a little further, behind the things, until a fine returning current arises, streaming back through the arms, touching you inwardly, bringing you softly onto your heels, well connected with the earth and strengthened in your spine. Release. Breathe.

I open myself –
streaming outward from the heart,
shining through the arms,
touching the things –
so as to receive:
A – receiving inwardly: A – receiving uprightly: A.

Intimacy

From such inward receiving arises the eurythmy gesture “Intimacy”. If you look at the gesture you will see: the two arms are parallel. The index finger and thumb touch gently. It is as if one were carrying a delicate child on the arms and – in a lifted mood – looking at it with heartfelt tenderness. You feel this right down into the lightening of the feet.

Third – A – Intimacy

Enter the garden with the feeling of the third: Do – Mi.
Open yourselves into a very gentle, receiving A.
Return to the innerness of the third: Intimacy.
Feel how in this receiving – in your loving gaze – a child is born.

Do – Re – Mi – Mi. Feel your heart space.
Open the heart space: A.
And receive in the heart space: Mi.
Intimacy

One last time: Do – Mi – A – Mi.
What am I receiving? What have I received?

Resonance

Please sit down slowly, take with you what the body has felt, and let it resonate – in inward listening. How does what we have just done continue to work in you?