11.11.19 – “Speaking with the Stars”: ‘There’s a little black spot on the Sun today’ ~Sting
Today is the 7th & last installment of: 11.11.19 – ‘Mercury Dances across the Face of the Sun’ – Read the 1st, 2nd , 3rd , 4th 5th , 6th chapters.
Greetings friends on this 11.11.19 – Here in Atlanta the transit commences at 7:36 am EST when the tiny disc of Mercury begins to cross the Sun’s blazing disc. It will take just under two minutes for the planet’s disc to fully ingress onto Old Sol, & Mercury will slowly move across the Sun for the next several hours. Mid-transit will occur at 11:20 am, & egress from the solar disc will occur between 1:02 pm & 1:04 pm, when the transit ends.
I am holding you in my thoughts this morning at Sunrise as Mercury the fleet messenger in his retro-parade dances around between the Earth & our Day Star Sun, at ‘inferior Conjunction’; where he reaches the same ecliptic longitude as the Sun, passing the torch to humanity. Will we take it up & hold it high?
The other ingredient necessary for a transit is that it has to occur at one of the two points in Mercury’s orbit where his orbital plane crosses the ecliptic.
These two events coincide every few years near May 8 or November 10. Transits of Mercury occur 13 or 14 times per century and can occur at regular set intervals ranging from 3.5 to 13 years between events. Jonathan Hilton of the Astrology Center gives us indications from Willi Sucher about Mercury specific to the ‘Three Years of Christ’s activity on the Earth in relation to the so-called “7 Signs” as archetypes for how humanity might ultimately work with these conjunctions of Mercury’.
The work of the “winged messenger of the gods” is that of the communication of cosmic intelligence to earthly intelligence, & today in our time it is also about assisting Michael to help humanity redeem our earthly intelligence, raising it again to cosmic intelligence, co-creating heart-thinking as a true spiritual cognition.
In the original Calendar of the Soul, Rudolf Steiner says that on November 9th ‘Faust makes his descent to the ‘Mothers’. Even though we celebrate Halloween & All Souls earlier as a fixed date, these festivals are determined by a cosmic alignment: The actual Cross-Quarter is anywhere between November 7-9th )
The opposite date, in general in May/June, is the time of Whitsun, bringing us the power of the Holy Spirit, of which I spoke about in an early installment. In November’s descent we contemplate the All Souls journey where we meet death & are born into the spiritual world; in May we celebrate the transformative power of the Holy Spirit calling in our future self, a rebirth of the Divine Isis-Sophia within.
~With thanks & praise to Everyone who has been part of this amazing journey. Special thanks to USNO, Jonathan Hilton whose insights are always enlightening, & Steve Hale a true human being willing to generously share his powerful heart-thinking! xox
“We understand only the very smallest part of human history and of our own life if we consider it in its external aspect, I mean in that aspect which we see from the limited view-point of our earthly life between birth and death. It is impossible to comprehend the inner motives of history and life unless we turn our gaze to that spiritual background which underlies the outer, physical happenings”. Karmic Relationships, Volume IV: Lecture III
Rudolf Steiner’s Lectures on this day
ON THIS DAY IN HISTORY
Feast Day of Martin of Tours. Each 11/11 the younger children have a Lantern Walk to celebrate Martinmas, a festival of inner light in the outer darkness of the approaching winter. St Martin was a soldier in Rome in the 4th century. Legend says that one wintry night he met a poor beggar, half-naked & freezing. Martin removed the heavy military cloak from his shoulders &, drawing his sword, cut it in two, giving half to the beggar. That night, Christ appeared to Martin in a dream, wrapped in the same piece of cloak Martin had given the beggar, & said: “Martin has covered me with this garment.”
Martin became the patron saint of beggars, drunks & outcasts, dedicating his life to assisting pariahs. As we journey into the darkest time of the year, it is increasingly important for each of us to kindle warmth & light within our hearts, which becomes a beacon of light to the world. Martin’s cloak can remind us to share with those in need.
The gently glowing lanterns of Martinmas will give way to the candles of the advent spiral as we draw nearer to the Solstice, showing how our inner light must shine ever brighter against the cold. As nature sleeps, we must be wakeful!
Celebrating Martinmas serves as a reminder that each of us has a divine spark that we must ferry out into the world & share with others. The children hear the story of St. Martin, sing songs &, as darkness falls, venture out into the night with their lanterns walking along a path lit with glowing luminaries, carefully carrying their lanterns in a mood of quiet reverence. This symbolic act brings home the deeper truth, in the words of Siddhartha Gautama, the founder of Buddhism (563-483 B.C.): “There isn’t enough darkness in all the world to snuff out the light of one little candle.”
1788 – Birthday of Baron Joseph von Spaun, an Austrian nobleman, & honorary citizen of Vienna; best known for his friendship with the composer Franz Schubert.
1918 – Armistice of 11/11 ending the fighting in the First World War between the Allies & Germany – also known as the Armistice of Compiègne after the location in which it was signed – &the agreement that ended the fighting on the Western Front. It went into effect at 11 a.m. Paris time on 11 November 1918 (“the eleventh hour of the eleventh day of the eleventh month”), & marked a victory for the Allies & a complete defeat for Germany, although not formally a surrender. The Germans were responding to the policies proposed by U.S. President Woodrow Wilson in his Fourteen Points of January 1918. Although the armistice ended the actual fighting, it took six months of negotiations at the Paris Peace Conference to conclude the peace treaty, the Treaty of Versailles.
1821 – Birthday of Fyodor Dostoyevsky, Russian philosopher & author
1855 – Deathday of Soren A. Kierkegaard, Danish philosopher, theologian, & cultural critic who was a major influence on existentialism & Protestant theology in the 20th century. He attacked the literary, philosophical, & ecclesiastical establishments of his day for misrepresenting the highest task of human existence—namely, becoming a free human being in an ethical & religious sense.
1887 – August Spies, Albert Parsons, Adolph Fischer & George Engel are executed as a result of the Haymarket affair. It began Tuesday May 4, 1886, as a peaceful rally in support of workers striking for an eight-hour day & in reaction to the killing of several workers the previous day by the police. An unknown person threw a dynamite bomb at police as they acted to disperse the public meeting. The bomb blast & ensuing gunfire resulted in the deaths of seven police officers & at least four civilians; scores of others were wounded.
The Haymarket affair is generally considered significant as the origin of international May Day observances for workers. The site of the incident was designated a Chicago Landmark in 1992, & a public sculpture was dedicated there in 2004.
1904 – Birthday of Alger Hiss, American lawyer & spy
1922 – birthday of Kurt Vonnegut
1966 – Deathday of Hilde Boos-Hamburger, painter & co-worker with Rudolf Steiner EXPERIENCES IN PAINTING THE CUPOLAS OF THE FIRST GOETHEANUM by Hilde Boos-Hamburger
“Every artistically striving person making closer acquaintance with Rudolf Steiner and his anthroposophy is likely to have experienced in a quite individual manner the agreeable shock: here lie all the possibilities for the further development of art. In one way or another it may have gone with him as with the writer of these recollections when she first read through (not yet actually studied!) the book Theosophy, without understanding the essential, yet riveted by the crystal-bright formation of this work, and having to say to herself: Even if I cannot survey it, it is nonetheless evident: Here lies a comprehensive work of art! This first impression did not deceive, for with every subsequent work taken up, every book, every lecture, not to mention the Mystery Dramas, there opened up new experiences and vistas previously undreamed of. – These will surely be found most felicitously expressed in the poem by Christian Morgenstern (1871–1914) dedicated to Rudolf Steiner:
To beauty does your work lead:
For beauty in the end
Streams in through every revelation
That surrounds us.
Out of human-sufferings
Upward to ever higher harmonies
You release the dizzying feeling,
Till, united
In accord with the
Inestimable proclaimer of GOD
And HIS never-to-be-grasped splendor
It vibrates in the love-light
Of blessedness….
From beauty does your work come, to beauty does it lead.”
1992 – The General Synod of the Church of England votes to allow women to become priests
2000 – Kaprun disaster: One hundred fifty-five skiers & snowboarders die when a cable car catches fire in an alpine tunnel in Kaprun, Austria
2012 – A strong earthquake with the magnitude 6.8 hits northern Burma, killing at least 2226 people
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My POD (Poem Of the Day)
~The outstretched wings of a bird, like wind in the fire,
Gives me guidance as the journey continues deeper into the dark
Together we carry the unending rhythm of the light…
~hag
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Thought for Martinmas 11/11/19
Every one of us is a mix of good and evil. And it’s prime time for everyone to become hyper-alert about how the two play out in us. Once we acknowledge our own part in feeding the darkness, then we will have a lot more credibility as a fighter for beauty, truth, peace, love, goodness, & justice.
~hag
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How about a Road-Trip?
THE ALL SOUL’S SOUTHERN TOUR!
Take the Journey of the Soul
in the Life Between Death & Rebirth
in the warm hospitality of our Branch Buddies in the South:
Quick overview of the week:
Nov 10, 1st Class Lesson at the ARC in Atlanta GA
11.11.19 – Martinmas / Mercury Transit Gathering 4:11 pm – 6:11 pm at the Martin Clinic
Nov 12, Hazel and Deb Abrahams-Dematte will be in Atlanta, send any thoughts for must-see spots before we head out on the road trip
Nov 13, Gathering at Helene Burkarts’ ALL SOULS’ FESTIVAL 10 am-2 pm (see below)
Nov 14, Tuscumbia site visit, Helen Keller’s birth place
Nov 15, Memphis, death place of MLK, home of Elvis Presley
Nov 16, Nashville program ALL SOULS’ FESTIVAL 10 am – 2 pm
Nov 17 Knoxville program ALL SOULS’ FESTIVAL 1 pm – 5 pm
Nov 18 return to ATL
11/11/19, at the Martin Clinic – Humanizing Medicine – in Atlanta GA, 4:11 pm – 6:11 pm with a community potluck to follow
On this auspicious day we will gather to look at the mystery of 11:11, & the connections between, Martinmas, MLK, The Journey of the Soul, Armistice Day, The laying of the Foundation Stone, & a Rare Cosmic Alignment – The Transit of Mercury across the Sun.
‘Speaking with the Stars’ with Hazel Archer-Ginsberg
Storytelling with Enid Hancock
Leading thoughts with Mark Hancock, Angela Foster
Votive Art with Angela Foster
Biography work with Jolie Luba
Together we will sprinkle the BD preps around the Clinic
$10-$20 or pay what you will
For more info. contact Angela Foster
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ALL SOULS JOURNEY – Exploring the Life between Death & Rebirth
10 am – 2 pm, Wednesday 13 November 2019, Auburn, Alabama, Community Potluck lunch – Please Bring a dish to Share – Suggested Donation $20-$50 or pay what you will – for more info. contact Helena Burkhart
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10 am – 2 pm, Saturday 16 November 2019 in Nashville TN
Community Potluck lunch – Please Bring a dish to Share –
Suggested Donation $20-$50 or pay what you will –
For more info. contact Cathy Green Or Barbara Bittles
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1 pm – 5 pm, Sunday 17 November 2019 Knoxville TN
Community Potluck Dinner – Please Bring a dish to Share –
Suggested Donation $20-$50 or pay what you will –
For more info. contact Bill Rogers
Hazel Archer-Ginsberg is a spiritual midwife and trans-denominational minister working in an eclectic style that inspires connections, initiating us into the magic waiting to be revealed in the cycle of the seasons. She is also the festivals coordinator of the Rudolf Steiner Branch of the Anthroposophical Society, a lecturer, promoter, blogger, poet and performance artist. Learn more at www.ReverseRitual.com
Dear Hazel,
It has been a long time since I received an accolade such as you write here:
“With thanks & praise to Everyone who has been part of this amazing journey. Special thanks to USNO, Jonathan Hilton whose insights are always enlightening, & Steve Hale a true human being willing to generously share his powerful heart-thinking! xox”
Wow … but that is what I wanted to share here. Thank you, Hazel for acknowledging it.
Regards,
Steve
Your gifts are such a blessing, I am honored that you take the time to engage with these impulses, adding your wisdom so rich with insights. Thank you dear friend, words can not express my gratitude! May we continue to commune for many moons to come. xox