Encountering the Self

Encountering the Self: Transformation and Destiny in the Ninth Year

It is between the ages of nine and ten that children begin to experience themselves as “I” for the first time—as separate individuals, different from their parents and peers and essentially alone. This inner experience is sometimes precipitated by the child’s first encounter with death and the first notion that earthly life is fragile and temporary.

In this insightful book, Koepke offers the reader a lucid, accessible description of the outer signs and symptoms of this significant turning point in every child’s life.

C O N T E N T S:

Preface to the English Edition, by Virginia Sease
Foreword
Introduction

PART ONE: THE CHILD IN THE NINTH YEAR

Conversation with Peter’s Parents
Conversation with Monica’s Parents
Dear Parents
The Ninth Year in Biography

PART TWO: UNDERSTANDING THE HUMAN BEING ON THE BASIS OF THE NINTH YEAR EXPERIENCE

The Second Seven Years
Children at Seven and Twelve: A Comparison
The Child in the Ninth Year Transition
The Incarnation of the Ego
A Word from the School Doctor, by Dr. Walter Holtzapfel, MD

PART THREE: APPENDICES

The Sturdy Sapling
The Half Moon Nodes
The Reversal in the Change of Teeth
Rudolf Steiner’s Indication for Form Drawing

Notes

About the Author

Hermann Koepke, a Swiss Waldorf teacher with many years of experience, is well known in Europe.