RESUME OF EXPERIENTIAL WORKSHOP on Wolfgang Goethe's THE GREEN SNAKE AND THE BEAUTIFUL LILY
On the 18th of March 2014 nine individuals met at Rudolf Steiner House in London and explored the characters and their speeches in this Fairy Tale.
To help with my exploration of this work I offered this occasion to enable individuals experience being the characters in this work. I created fifteen Playlets and collected coloured fabrics, ribbons, a basket and vegetables to support individuals being the different characters.
There was a complete range of knowledge and experience of the Tale from none to using it within professional roles. Everyone chose characters to explore during the day.
Three of the Playlets were used. The first, early in the Tale, was where the green Snake, radiating new found light from eating gold coins, had a conversation in a subterranean vault with a gold King. The Snake also met the Man with the Lamp for the first time. The second, a while later, was where the Man with the Lamp's wife was trying to pay a debt of vegetables owed to a Ferryman by two "Will-o'-wisps." The third, at a turning point two-thirds of the way through the Tale, was where the Youth meets the Lily and upon accidentally touching each other the Youth loses consciousness.
This reflective inquiry was supported by eleven paintings arraigned upon chairs in a semicircle in the room providing beautiful images of scenes of the Tale, collectively providing a "hemisphere" of light and colour.
Particular features of the day included: collective inquiry and discovery, for example, why the Lamp held by The Man with the Lamp only shines in the presence of another light; how the characters metamorphosed as the story unfolded, for example. the green Snake ultimately sacrificing herself to form a bridge; experiencing, for digestion later, what it actually felt like to be a character at a particular point in the story, for example, the Youth Prince losing his earthly consciousness following he and the Lily touching; consideration of speech formation. for example, the Snake speaking the word "Light" in response to the gold King asking her "What is grander than Gold?"
Working in this way gave the occasion a living quality. Those present said the initiative and "safe" conversation through which individuals "felt free to explore, imagine and speak" was a joy and enhanced enthusiasm for the Fairy Tale.
I would appreciate hearing from anyone who has worked with this or other works by Goethe about their experiences.
