Victoria Friedman is the Co-Founder of Vistar Foundation, a non-profit organization dedicated to the power and potential of Collective Consciousness. Her background studies include the Teachings of The Gurdjieff Work, Rudolf Steiner and the Non-dualistic tradition. Graduating with a BA in Fine Arts, she worked as a ceramicist, selling to galleries across the US.  Awakened by a spiritual teacher to her destiny with children, she founded The ClayWay Arts Center for the creative expression of the Source.  At ClayWay she taught for ten years as many as 70 children a week.  Her interest in the creative expression of Collective Consciousness is also expressed in her work with Voicepoint, Vistar’s Theatrical Ensemble.

I could never have imagined!

When I met my first spiritual teacher, Charles Ahart, I was participating in American Craft Council Northeast Craft Fair, the most prestigious craft show in the United States. I was working with the coil technique in clay with one of kind pieces. At that time five thousand artists applied and only 500 were accepted. It was my third year doing this wholesale/retail show and I must confess my will was not up to the event. The Charlie must have heard that I was a professional potter because one day when I called him this conversation unfolded:

Charlie: I heard you do something with clay…make pots?
Victoria : Yes…I work in pottery.
Charlie: Why don’t you do something useful with it? Why not set up some clay classes for the children of the people in my organization. I suggest once a week, for three weeks. And don’t go with the current trend of “open education”. Be the authority and show them how to make a pot. You can show them how to make a pot, can’t you?
Victoria : Yes, Charlie I can.
Charlie: Great sweetheart. Let me know how it goes.

I forget to tell you that Charlie was very direct and that every suggestion he had ever given when followed led to the Miraculous.

Did I want to do what he asked? No! My personality did not like working with children. I had never had children in my studio which was pristine and I liked it that way. Even when neighbors found out there was potter living next door and their children were playing with my children and they would ask if I would give some lessons, the answer was NO!

Also my philosophical ideas about education definitely resonated with the “new trend," so you can see I was challenged.

I set up the three lessons.

There were 5 children ages 5 to 7. The first class was uneventful and I would say had a neutral quality. The children made clay baskets (I showed them how to do it) and they seemed satisfied. The second session was livelier and I could actually say it was sort of fun for me and the children.

The Third lesson was an altogether different experience. I walked into the studio and the children were already there. I don’t remember why or how that happened. When I saw them it was as if I was seeing close wonderful magical companions with whom I had been reunited and with whom I had a destiny and a mission. They also seemed to recognize me in a new way. I was no longer the adult teacher and yet I was an adult but in a role of accepted and loved leader. I had entered the Magic Kingdom of childhood as my self, as an adult and it was a mature real place, full of creation, intense doing, laughter and connectedness.

When it was over there was a sense of satisfaction and a presence of Self that was amazing. I called Charlie immediately and expressed this enthusiasm. He grounded me with the statement:

“Oh don’t be so surprised. I opened a door and you were willing to walk through it. It’s your destiny. You are channel for children. Now read some Rudolf Steiner and tell me what you think.”

Then followed 8 years of working, with Charlie’s guidance, with children. I was able to receive original stories based on metaphysical principles; I was able to inuit what kind of event/project would make their hearts leap. I learned how NOT to discipline but to be present. All the time Charlie would say:

“You are not to teach children how to make pots!!! If that is your intent you will fail.
You are to see their True Nature and what stands in the way and through your sacrifice bring That out.”

I asked him years later how he knew to ask me to work with the children. His answer was an analogy. He said:

“You know the packages with seeds inside them for planting. The children are like those seeds. If you see the seed on its own you might not know what kind of a flower it will become. But the package has the picture on the front and the directions on where and how to plant and care for the seed on the back. When I look at you I see the flower and the directions for its growth and blooming. That’s what you will be able to do with children.”

That turned out to be true and I founded ClayWay and worked with as many as 70 children a week for 10 years. Many of them kept coming to classes for five years in a row. Now as I am busy with Vistar Foundation but recently a group of mothers approached me with having a Spirit Club for religious education. The Magic never leaves!

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