Adam & Eve’s Day

24 December 2018 – “Speaking with the Stars”: This is the time of year when Orion shines in the east-southeast after dinnertime. He’s pretty high now, but his three-star Belt is still nearly vertical. The Belt points up toward Aldebaran &, even higher, the Pleiades. In the other direction, it points down to where bright Sirius will rise twinkling furiously around 8pm CST.

The solar system’s two outer planets both have close encounters with stars this evening. Look for Uranus above the southern horizon around 6:30 pm CST, in southeastern Pisces. Neptune appears high in the southwest at 8 pm

The Moon reaches perigee, the closest point in its orbit around Earth, 224,353 miles away from us.

Christmas Eve = Adam & Eve’s Day – The start of the 13 Holy Nights which are especially fruitful for mystical deepening.

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Feast of the Seven Fishes (Italian Americans)

Juleaften (Denmark)/Julaften (Norway)/Julafton (Sweden)

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Nittel Nacht (certain Orthodox Jewish denominations)

Nochebuena (Spain and Spanish-speaking countries)

Image result for 1818 – The first performance of "Silent Night" takes place in the church of St. Nikolaus in Oberndorf, Austria

1818 – The first performance of “Silent Night” takes place in the church of St. Nikolaus in Oberndorf, Austria

1851 – The Library of Congress in Washington, D.C., burns.

1865 – Jonathan Shank and Barry Ownby form The Ku Klux Klan.

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1905 –Birthday of Howard Hughes, American businessman, engineer, and pilot

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1914 – Deathday of John Muir, Scottish-American geologist, botanist, and author, founded Sierra Club

1914 – the Wedding of Rudolf Steiner to Maria Von Shivers

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Christmas Mood
I feel as from enchantment freed
The spirit-child within the womb of soul,
In clear serenity of heart
The holy Cosmic Word has now begotten
The heavenly Fruit of Hope,
Which grows rejoicing into worlds afar
Out of my being’s Godly ground.
~Rudolf Steiner

***

The 12 days of Christmas or Holy Nights fall between Adam & Eve’s Day & 3 Kings Day, exemplifying 2 paths, one of a god towards manhood & the other, of a man toward godhood.

The Paradise Play, the Shepherds’ Play & the 3 Kings’ Play are known as the Oberufer Christmas Plays, ancient tales 1st collected by Rudolf Steiner’s teacher Karl Julius Schroer, named after the Austrian village of Oberufer, an island in the Upper Danube. This river’s source begins in the Black Forest of Germany & flows through Bavaria & Austria. It was from this magical region that these powerfully symbolic plays came.

The first, called The Paradise Play, tells the story in the book of Genesis of the creation of the world, & of Adam & Eve’s expulsion from the garden of Eden after they succumbed to the temptation to eat the fruit of the Tree of Knowledge too soon, the tree of Good & Evil. It is from this primordial tree that we get the modern tradition of the Christmas tree; in the olden days they called it the Paradise Tree. And Christmas Eve, used to be referred to as the Feast of Adam & Eve. Since the fall from paradise represents that point in human evolution, which precipitated the necessity for the incarnation of Christ. 

The Shepherds’ Play, tells the story of the proclamation of the Birth of Nathan Jesus to the shepherds in the field. This is the nativity story told in the Gospel According to Luke.

The third of the Oberufer Plays is the Kings Play, which tells of the visit of the 3 wise men, the Magi, to the birthplace of the Zarathustra Jesus child, & of the murderous atrocities of Herod in his attempt to destroy the New born King. This is the nativity story told in the Gospel According to St Matthew, usually performed on the 5th or 6th of January, 12th night, the feast of Epiphany, or 3 Kings day.

The knowledge of these 2 Jesus Children given to us to consider by Rudolf Steiner as early as 1909, is also revealed in many examples of Renaissance art. This open secret is supported in many of the apocryphal gospels, in Gnostic texts & especially in the Dead Sea Scrolls discovered in a cave by the Essene enclave near Nazareth, some 40 years after Steiner spoke about these mysteries.

The Theme for this year’s Holy Nights here at the Rudolf Steiner branch in Chicago was specifically inspired by the so called ‘Gospel of the Egyptians’ which tells us that the Kingdom of the New Jerusalem will be able to come into the world when “The Two Become One, & the Outer Becomes as the Inner’. This quote expresses the occult reality of the coming together of the 2 Jesus children to create the perfect human vessel for the Christ.  And so it came to be that the prophesy was fulfilled in Jesus of Nazareth.

& Now my friends, the rest is up to us.

Blessings in this sacred Time Out of Time

& Peace ~hag

***

HOLY NIGHTS at the Rudolf Steiner Branch Chicago 2018-19

The Mystery of Christmas & Epiphany

“…When the Two Become One…”

 * Christmas Eve 24 December 2018, 7 pm – 9 pm

 Ave Maria on Classical Guitar – Philip Armetta

 “The Greatest Story Ever Told”- 

Renaissance Art, & Storytelling with Hazel Archer Ginsberg,

Group Art project: ‘Turning the inside out, & the outside in’ 

Form Drawing & Movement

Carols with Ultra-Violet Archer   & CG on Didgeridoo

 Love Donation

For more info. contact Festivals Coordinator Hazel Archer Ginsberg

 ***

 * Thursday 27 Dec. 7 pm – 9 pm – 

The Dream Song of Olaf Asteson 

with Debra Barford & Mary Tom

 $10 or pay what you can

 ***

 * Friday 28 & Sunday 30 Dec. 7 pm – 9 pm – Group Study

According to Luke’ by Rudolf Steiner

Hosted by Deborah Rogers. 

Copies available to members in the library or online

***

 * Monday 31 Dec. Our Annual NYE Gathering 

7:30 pm – 1 am 

In Elderberries 4251 N. Lincoln Ave.

 Please bring food & drink to Share.

$20 or pay what you can (½ goes to the band ½ to the artists)

 8 pm – 9:30 pm – Jutta & the Hi-Dukes Folk Dancing

 9:30 pm – ‘Biography Work’ with Paulette Arnold

 10:30 pm – Spacial Dynamics with Alex Boshell

 11:15 pm – ‘Out with the Old’ Ceremony, with ~hag, 

Lead Casting to meet the Future

 MIDNIGHT: Labyrinth Walk, Singing

 For more info. contact Festivals Coordinator Hazel Archer Ginsberg

 ***

 * Tuesday 1, Wednesday 2, Thursday 3 January 2019, 7 pm – 9 pm

Group Study: ‘According to Luke’ by Rudolf Steiner

Hosted by Deborah Rogers. 

Copies available to members in the library or online

 ***

 * Friday4 January 2019, 7 pm – 9 pm

 “…When the Two Become One…” 

 Holy Night Social Discourse – 

Renaissance Art, & Storytelling with Hazel Archer Ginsberg,

 Beeswax Candle Dipping! with Nancy Melvin

 Eurythmy with Mary Ruud

 $15 for supplies & Snacks to Share Encouraged

 For more info. contact Festivals Coordinator Hazel Archer Ginsberg

 ***

 * Sunday 6 Jan. Epiphany DAY 2 pm – 4 pm

 The Baptism / 3 Kings Day / 12th Night

 Leading Thoughts with Hazel Archer-Ginsberg

 Storytelling with Ann Burfiend

 Social Art with Nancy Melvin

 Eurythmy with Mary Ruud

 $10 & Snacks to Share Encouraged

 For more info. contact Festivals Coordinator Hazel Archer Ginsberg

 ***

 Rudolf Steiner Branch of The Anthroposophical Society, 4249 North Lincoln Avenue. Chicago, IL 60618 (map)

Check out our Web site!  (Anthroposophical Society in America)

The Elderberries 3-Fold Space & the Flex Space are available for rental on PEER SPACE for classes, events, meetings, retreats, art exhibits, family parties, etc..

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