Daily Archives: June 28, 2018

Look with new eyes

28 June 2018 – Astro-Weather: The Moon in June is called the Honey Moon, the Strawberry Moon, the Strong Sun Moon…This evening Saturn leads Bella Luna up across the sky — glowing to Her upper right at dusk.

Rudolf Steiner’s Lectures on this day 

ON THIS DAY IN HISTORY

Feast of Saint Vitus, a Christian saint from Sicily. He died as a martyr during the persecution of Christians by co-ruling Roman Emperors Diocletian & Maximian in 303. Vitus is counted as one of the Fourteen Holy Helpers of medieval Roman Catholicism. Saint Vitus’ Day is celebrated on 28 June on the Gregorian Calendar.

In the late Middle Ages, people in Germany & countries such as Latvia celebrated the feast of Vitus by dancing before his statue. This dancing became popular & the name “Saint Vitus Dance” was given to the neurological disorder Sydenham’s chorea. It also led to Vitus being considered the patron saint of dancers & of actors, comedians, dancers, of entertainers in general a& epileptics. He is also said to protect against lightning strikes, animal attacks & oversleeping.

Allan Ramsay

1712 – Birthday of Jean-Jacques Rousseau, Swiss philosopher & polymath

1831 – Birthday of Joseph Joachim, Austrian violinist, composer, & conductor; friend of Herman Grimm.

1914 – Archduke Franz Ferdinand of Austria & his wife Sophie are assassinated in Sarajevo; this is the casus belli of World War I.

1919 – The Treaty of Versailles is signed, ending the state of war between Germany & the Allies of World War I.

1950 – Korean War: Suspected sympathizers (between as many as 100,000 to 200,000) are executed in the Bodo League massacre.

1950 – Korean War: Packed with its own refugees fleeing Seoul & leaving their 5th Division stranded, South Korean forces blow up the Hangang Bridge in an attempt to slow North Korea’s offensive. The city falls later that day.

1950 – Korean War: North Korean Army conducts the Seoul National University Hospital massacre. Over 900 doctors, nurses, patients & wounded soldiers, were killed. The Korean People’s Army shot or buried the people alive. The civilian victims alone numbered 1900.

1964 – Malcolm X forms the Organization of Afro-American Unity.

1969 – Stonewall riots begin in New York City, marking the start of the Gay Rights Movement.

1973 – Elections are held for the Northern Ireland Assembly, which will lead to power-sharing between unionists & nationalists in Northern Ireland for the first time.

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POD (Poem Of the Day)

~From our own
Bodies we give
Birth to all time
In its season…
Look now
With new eyes
& see the wise star within…
~hag

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Native American Lore: How Looska Found the Summer

Long ago a mighty race of people lived near the sunrise, & they called themselves Wawaniki—Children of Light. Looska was their mistress. She was kind to her people & did many great deeds for them.

Once in Looska’s day it grew extremely cold. Snow & ice covered everything. Fires would not give enough warmth. The corn would not grow. Her people were perishing from cold & famine. Looska set forth for the far north where all was ice. Here in a wigwam she found the great giant Winter. It was Winter’s icy breath that had frozen the land. Looska entered the wigwam & sat down. Winter gave her a pipe, & as they smoked the giant told tales of olden times when he reigned everywhere & all the land was silent, white, & beautiful. His frost charm fell upon Looska, & as the giant talked on, Looska fell asleep. For six months she slept like a bear, then the charm left her. She was too strong for it & awoke.

Soon now Looska’s talebearer, the Loon, a wild bird who lived on the lakeshores, brought her strange news. He described a country far to the south where it was always warm. There lived the all-powerful Summer who could easily overcome the giant Winter. To save her people from cold & famine & death, Looska decided to find her.

Far off to the southern seashores she went. She sang the magic song which whales obey, & up came an old friend—a whale who served as her carrier when she wished to go out to sea. This whale had a law for travelers. She always said: “You must shut your eyes while I carry you. If you do not, I am sure to go aground on a reef or sand-bar & be unable to get off. You could be drowned.” Looska got on the whale’s back & for many days they traveled together. Each day the water grew warmer & the air softer & sweeter, for it came from spicy shores. The odors were no longer those of salt, but of fruits & flowers.

Soon they found themselves in shallow water. Down in the sand, clams were singing a song of warning: “Keep out to sea, for the water here is shallow.” The whale asked Looska, who understood the language of all creatures: “What do they say?” But Looska, wishing to land at once, only replied: “They tell you to hurry, for a storm is coming.” The whale hurried on accordingly until she was close to land. Now Looska did the forbidden; she opened his left eye, to peep. At once the whale stuck hard on to the beach so that Looska, leaping from her head, was able to walk ashore on dry land. Thinking she could never get away, the whale became angry. But Looska put one end of her strong bow against the whale’s jaw &, taking the other end in her hands, placed her feet against the high bank. With a mighty push, Loopska sent the whale out into the deep water.

Far inland she traveled & found it warmer at every step. In the forest she came upon a beautiful woman, dancing in the center of a group of young girls. Her long brown hair was crowned with flowers & her arms filled with blossoms. She was Summer. Looska knew that here at last was the one who by her charms could melt old Winter’s heart. She leaped up to dance with Summer & together they journeyed the long way back to the lodge of old Winter. Winter welcomed Looska but he planned to freeze her to sleep again. This time, however, Looska did the talking. Her charm proved the stronger one & soon sweat began to run down Winters face. He knew that his power was gone & the charm of Frost broken. His icy tent melted away.

Summer now used her own special power & everything awoke. The grass grew green & the  waters ran down the rivers, carrying away the dead leaves. Old Winter wept to see his power taken away. But Summer said, “Now that I have proved I am more powerful than you, I give you all the country to the far north for your own, & there I shall never disturb you.

Six months of every year you may return to Looska’s country & reign as before, but you are to be less severe with your power. During the other six months, I will come back from the South & rule the land.”

Old Winter could do nothing but accept this. So it is that he appears in Looska ‘s country each year to reign for six months, but with a softer rule. When he comes, Summer runs home to her warm south land. At the end of six months she returns to drive old Winter away, awakening the north, giving the Earth the abundant joys that only she can bestow.

xox

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Friday 29 June 2018, 7-9pm & Saturday 30 June 2018, 10am-12:30pm

Social Renewal with Robert Karp,  Founder and director of New Spirit Farmland, facilitating partnerships with social impact investors; also serving as executive director of the Biodynamic Association and Practical Farmers of Iowa.

Embedded in the Christmas Conference event for the renewal of the Anthroposophical Society in 1923/24 lay profound social mysteries and impulses. Realizing and embodying this potential, requires us to call forth new capacities for working with the spiritual world and with our fellow human beings in groups and in community life.

The Friday talk will seek to shed light on these mysteries, and at the Saturday morning session we will practice a host of social-artistic exercises designed to help awaken and strengthen in us the capacity for spiritually conscious work in groups and in larger social organisms.

 $15 more or less per session, For more info. contact Hazel

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From Summer Solstice to St. John’s Festival: Cosmic Rapture Grounded in Jubilant Hearts

Tuesday 3 July 2018 – At the Nashville Branch – 4804  Sewanne Road Nashville TN, Pot Luck Dinner: 6 pm, Festival: 7pm-9pm, Please RSVP. Barbara Bittles

July 2018 in Maryville, TN, Potluck at 5 pm, Festival at 6:30pm Contact Charlotte Brakebill  865- 567-1812

 Come join our Initiatory Workshop/Ritual, to discover the New Mysteries of St. Johns-Tide. To pass the test of Summer we will explore many questions. Together we will work to strengthen our true “I”, enlivening our will forces with various social-artistic exercises.

Hazel Archer-Ginsberg –Spiritual Midwife, Trans-denominational Minister, Essayist, Lecturer– Anthroposopher, working as the Festivals Coordinator & Council Member of the Chicago Rudolf Steiner Branch, and the Central Regional Council of the Anthroposophical Society. Founder of Reverse Ritual –Understanding Anthroposophy Through the Rhythms of the Year

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20 August 2018 ~MORAL MONDAY~ CHICAGO 7 pm – 9 pm 

“When The Trees Melt Away In A Sun Soaked Cotton Dream”

 Art Exhibit  with  Musical Performances from the Youth at Elderberries Chicago 4251 N. Lincoln Ave.

Illustrations by Grace Kahn, & Sophia Karris.

Work by Shanti Rogers, Art booth by Liz Rosu-Rosenberg

Songs from “Beyond Blue and Red” by  Ultra-Violet Archer 

Chance Schneider DJ Grapefruit Effect

$10 Donation –MORE or less (Youth under 21 FREE)

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Join us this fall to deepen your spiritual practices, connect with others on the same path, and be inspired to transform yourself and our world.

What: Here and Now Transforming Ourselves, Transforming Our World – The Annual Conference and General Meeting of the Anthroposophical Society in America

When: October 5, 6, 7 2018 (Click here for the full schedule, including pre and post conferences!)

Where: First Grace United Methodist Church, New Orleans, Louisiana

Who: Keynote discussions with Joan Sleigh and Orland Bishop. Workshops with Patrick Kennedy, Lisa Romero, Bart Eddy, Janey Newton, Hazel Archer-Ginsburg, Thea Lavin and more

Why: Now is the time to come together, grow together, and affect change

Sign up to share your research and initiatives during our participant research sessions. Join us for a Friday night interactive ritual and Saturday night pageant.  

Attend Living in the Branches, our national group and branch gathering
and our national youth conference both on October 4–details coming soon!

Check out the full schedule and register here.

Can’t wait to see you in beautiful NOLA!

Warmly,
Laura Scappaticci

PS- It’s the 300th year of this great multicultural city. A wonderful time to connect with its spirit and each other.