Monthly Archives: October 2016

May you be sealed for a good year in the Book Of Life

October 12, 2016Autumn, Festival, Insight, Poetry, Quote, Remembering, Rudolf Steiner Quote, Soul to Soul, Speaking with the Stars~hag

12 October 2016 – Astro-Weather: Although the Orionid meteor shower doesn’t peak until next week (the morning of the 21st), you should see a few “shooting stars” associated with it before dawn these next few days. The Moon-free observing conditions in the morning sky now offer better viewing prospects than the waning gibbous Moon will at the shower’s peak. These meteors appear to radiate from the northern part of the constellation Orion the Hunter

As evening grows late, below the Moon — about two fists at arm’s length — for Fomalhaut: the “Autumn Star” & the bright mouth of faint Piscis Austrinus, the Southern Fish

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Those who work with the Original indications in the Calendar of the Soul know that Rudolf Steiner lists the birth & death days, as well as other significant occurrences of various individualities, along with the dates in the calendar. He said of this: “What is presented here can be useful to those who wish to follow the path of mankind’s spiritual development” ~Rudolf Steiner

Rudolf Steiner’s Lectures on this day

ON THIS DAY IN HISTORY

Francisco Goya

Fiestas del Pilar -Feast Day of Our Lady of the Pillar – the name given to the Blessed Virgin Mary in connection with an ancient Spanish tradition that she appeared to the Apostle James the Greater as he was praying by the banks of the Ebro at Zaragoza. Mary is often depicted carrying the Child Jesus on her arms resting above a pillar, sometimes carried by angelic cherubs. The Virgin Mary is invoked under this title as the Patroness of Spain

1279 – Nichiren Daishonin, a Japanese Buddhist monk founder of Nichiren Buddhism, is said to have inscribed the Dai-Gohonzon – a venerated calligraphic mandala image inscribed with Sanskrit and Chinese characters on a plank of Japanese camphorwood

Piero della Francesca

1492 – Deathday of Piero della Francesca, Italian mathematician & painter

1582 – Because of the implementation of the Gregorian calendar this day does not exist in this year in Italy, Poland, Portugal & Spain.

1654 – The Delft Thunderclap (a gunpowder store exploded) devastating the Netherlands, killing more than 100 people & wounding over 2000

1692 – The Salem witch trials are ended by a letter from Massachusetts Governor William Phips

1845 – Deathday of Elizabeth Fry, an English prison reformer, social reformer &, as a Quaker, a Christian philanthropist. She has sometimes been referred to as the “angel of prisons”. She was depicted on the Bank of England £5 note

Unicursal Hexagram

1875 – Birthday of Aleister Crowley, an English occultist, ceremonial magician, poet, painter, novelist, & mountaineer. He founded the religion of Thelema, identifying himself as the prophet entrusted with guiding humanity into the Æon of Horus in the early 20th century.

Born to a wealthy Plymouth Brethren family, Crowley rejected this fundamentalist Christian faith to pursue an interest in Western esotericism. He was educated at the University of Cambridge, where he focused his attentions on mountaineering & poetry, resulting in several publications. Some biographers allege that here he was recruited into a British intelligence agency, suggesting that he remained a spy throughout his life. In 1898 he joined the esoteric Hermetic Order of the Golden Dawn, where he was trained in ceremonial magic by Samuel Liddell MacGregor Mathers & Allan Bennett.

Moving to Boleskine House by Loch Ness in Scotland, he went mountaineering in Mexico with Oscar Eckenstein, before studying Hindu & Buddhist practices in India. He married Rose Edith Kelly & in 1904 they honeymooned in Cairo, Egypt, where Crowley claimed to have been contacted by a supernatural entity named Aiwass, who provided him with The Book of the Law, a sacred text that served as the basis for Thelema. Announcing the start of the Æon of Horus, The Book declared that its followers should adhere to the code of “Do what thou wilt” & seek to align themselves with their Will through the practice of magick.

After an unsuccessful attempt to climb Kanchenjunga & a visit to India & China, Crowley returned to Britain, where he attracted attention as a prolific author of poetry, novels, & occult literature. In 1907, he & George Cecil Jones co-founded a Thelemite order, the A∴A∴, through which they propagated the religion.

After spending time in Algeria, in 1912 he was initiated into another esoteric order, the German-based Ordo Templi Orientis (O.T.O.), rising to become the leader of its British branch, which he reformulated in accordance with his Thelemite beliefs. Through the O.T.O., Thelemite groups were established in Britain, Australia, & North America.

Crowley spent the First World War in the United States, where he took up painting & campaigned for the German war effort against Britain, later revealing that he had infiltrated the pro-German movement to assist the British intelligence services. In 1920 he established the Abbey of Thelema, a religious commune in Cefalù, Sicily where he lived with various followers. His libertine lifestyle led to denunciations in the British press, & the Italian government evicted him in 1923. He divided the following two decades between France, Germany, & England, and continued to promote Thelema until his death.

Crowley gained widespread notoriety during his lifetime, being a recreational drug experimenter, bisexual & an individualist social critic. He was denounced in the popular press as “the wickedest man in the world”. Crowley has remained a highly influential figure over Western esotericism & the counter-culture, & continues to be considered a prophet in Thelema. In 2002, a BBC poll ranked him as the seventy-third greatest Briton of all time.

1915 -Deathday of Edith Louisa Cavell a British nurse, celebrated for saving the lives of soldiers from both sides without discrimination & in helping some 200 Allied soldiers escape from German-occupied Belgium during the First World War, for which she was arrested. She was accused of treason, found guilty by a court-martial & sentenced to death. Despite international pressure for mercy, she was shot by a German firing squad. She is well known for her statement that “patriotism is not enough”.

1918 – A massive forest fire kills 453 people in Cloquet, Minnesota

1964 – The Soviet Union launches the Voskhod 1 into Earth orbit as the first spacecraft with a multi-person crew and the first flight without space suits

1992 – A 5.8 earthquake occurred in Cairo, Egypt. At least 1510 died

1994 – The Magellan spacecraft burns up in the atmosphere of Venus

2005 – The second Chinese human spaceflight Shenzhou 6 launched, spent five days in orbit

Freethought Day is October 12, the annual observance by freethinkers & secularists of the anniversary of the effective end of the Salem Witch Trials

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Kurt Plinke

MY POD (Poem Of the Day)

~This morning it was dark when I awoke…

I noticed the West window held a dying flame

As I watched, a swallow darting thru the shadows

Flit, catching moths

Night bristles on her back…

In her mouth melts a berry of god-thought,

Desire folded into her wings…

She swoops, she dives in dark dreams, perfect in the dawning…

~hag

***

During the time of Michaelmas a shift occurs within us, echoing outside of us in nature, & reflected in various cultural expressions & traditions. At the height of ‘The High Holy Days’, or ‘Days of Awe’ is Yom Kippur, the Day of Atonement, which comes ten days after Rosh Hashanah, the ‘Head of the New Year’ & refers to the annual Jewish observance of fasting, prayer & repentance, which started last night at sunset.

It is the moment in time to dedicate mind, body, & soul to reconciliation –
with God, our fellow human beings, & ourselves. A time to turn to those who we have wronged, acknowledging the pain we might have caused. At the same time, being willing to forgive & to let go of the offenses & the feelings of resentment they provoked in us.

This journey for both seekers & givers of pardon mirrors the journey a soul takes after death.

According to Jewish tradition, God inscribes each person’s fate for the coming year into the ‘Book of Life’ on Rosh Hashanah, & waits until Yom Kippur to “seal” the verdict.

Yom Kippur is a day of hope & optimism, in addition to a solemn day of soul-searching. The Day of Atonement provides a unique awareness of one’s own character & track record, as well as the opportunity to upgrade relationships with relatives, friends, associates & the community at-large.

Yom Kippur’s focus on forgiveness, highlights humility, fallibility, soul-searching faith, compassion, thoughtfulness, being considerate, accepting responsibility & magnanimity.

The ‘birthday’ of the World & of the 1st human beings, Adam & Eve, are celebrated on Rosh Hashanah, on this Day of Atonement, Human-beings are given an opportunity to recreate themselves spiritually, each year, on Yom Kippur, which is an Acadian word for Forgiveness & Genesis.

Yom Kippur is observed on the 10th day of the Jewish month of Tishrei, whose astrological sign is Libra. Libra symbolizes key themes of Yom Kippur: scales, justice, balance, truth, symmetry, & sensitivity. Libra is ruled by the planet Venus (Noga, נגה, in Hebrew), which reflects divine light & love of other people.

The Hebrew word Kippur, כיפור (atonement/repentance), is a derivative of the Biblical word Kaporet כפורת (the cover of the Holy Ark in the Sanctuary), & Kopher, כופר (the cover of Noah’s Ark & the Holy Altar in the Temple). Yom Kippur resembles a spiritual cover (dome), which separates the holy from the mundane, or materialism. The Kippah, כיפה (skullcap), which covers one’s head during prayers, reflects a spiritual dome.

Yom Kippur calls for repentance — Teshuvah (תשובה in Hebrew). The root of Teshuvah is similar to the root of the Hebrew word for return, שובה, & שביתה, the cessation of mundane thoughts, actions & eating. It is also similar to the root of Shabbat, שבת. Yom Kippur is also called Shabbat Shabbaton — the supreme Sabbath.

The Hebrew spelling of “fast” (צם/צום) reflects the substance of Yom Kippur. It is also the root of the Hebrew word for “reduction” & “shrinking” (צמצום) of one’s wrong-doing, & the root of the Hebrew words for “eternity” (צמיתות).

“May you be sealed for a good year in the Book Of Life” – is the traditional greeting on Yom Kippur.

~Hazel Archer Ginsberg

Fellowship of Doing

October 11, 2016Insight, Poetry, Quote, Remembering, Rudolf Steiner Quote, Soul to Soul~hag

11 October 2016 – Astro-Weather: Vega is the brightest star very high in the west at nightfall. Arcturus, equally bright, is getting low in the west-northwest. The brightest star in the vast expanse between them is Alphecca — the crown jewel of Corona Borealis

Mercury & Jupiter appear side by side in this morning’s twilight sky. Jupiter, which shines slightly brighter, lies to Mercury’s right.

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“What is to be the starting force & impulse for events in social & ethical life must come out of the spiritual world.” ~Rudolf Steiner, New Spiritual Impulses in History” Dornach 16 December, 1917

Rudolf Steiner’s Lectures on this day

ON THIS DAY IN HISTORY

1138 – A massive earthquake strikes Aleppo, Syria. The third deadliest earthquake in history with over 230,000 killed

1582 – Because of the adoption of the Gregorian calendar, this day does not exist in this year in Italy, Poland, Portugal and Spain

1634 – The Burchardi flood: killed around 15,000 in North Friesland, Denmark & Germany

1809 – Along the Natchez Trace in Tennessee, explorer Meriwether Lewis dies under mysterious circumstances at an inn called Grinder’s Stand

1890 – The Daughters of the American Revolution is founded

1906 – San Francisco public school board sparks a diplomatic crisis between the United States & Japan by ordering Japanese students to be taught in racially segregated schools

1918 – The Puerto Rico earthquake shakes the island with a maximum Mercalli intensity of IX (Violent), killing 1116 people

1958 –NASA launches the lunar probe Pioneer 1 which falls back to Earth & burns up

1962 – Second Vatican Council: Pope John XXIII convenes the first ecumenical council of the Roman Catholic Church in 92 years

1968 –NASA launches Apollo 7, the first successful manned Apollo mission, with astronauts Wally Schirra, Donn F. Eisele & Walter Cunningham aboard

1972 – A race riot occurs on the United States Navy aircraft carrier Kitty Hawk off the coast of Vietnam during Operation Linebacker

1984 – Aboard the Space Shuttle Challenger, astronaut Kathryn D. Sullivan becomes the first American woman to perform a spacewalk

2000 – NASA launches STS-92, the 100th Space Shuttle mission, using Space Shuttle Discovery

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My POD (Poem Of The Day)

~Before the hawk sailed

In the space between the mountain & the moon

Before magic made the Word

Before Isis was veiled

I flourished in the mirrored sea

Waiting for this life

With you

~hag

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Representing Anthroposophy: Transforming the World. An overview of our Fall Conference & AGM, 7-9 Oct. 2016 in Spring Valley, NY.

Opening every session, Eurythmy Spring Valley brought the 250 folks who gathered for the event, The Michael Imagination from Rudolf Steiner’s Last Address, inviting us as “disciples of Spirit-Knowledge”, to Take Michael’s Wisdom into our soul’s aspiring, actively!”

In the pre-conference assembly for the School of Spiritual Science, Virgina Sease pondered with us the responsibility to build the body that holds the stream of the Being of Anthroposophy; to bring to bear the human Gemut in a ‘Festival of Knowledge’.

On Oct. 7^th, after remembering those who have crossed the Threshold, we heard how things stand now with a balanced budget, and the success of the ever growing Michael Support Circle, as we asked ourselves: How do we meet the World?

Hearing a bit of the biographies of those in the General Council, it’s always interesting to see the influence of the various daughter-initiatives which brings people to Anthroposophy. Before delving into the selection process for the new General Secretary, we heard the history of Henry Monges, the 1^st General Secretary for the US, and we followed the stream of continuity, that strives to be a transparent, breathable form, allowing change, initiating interaction & connection.

Torin Finser spoke of the idea of a ‘Recognition Society’, where we really meet each other, soul to soul, in a ‘School of Unselfishness’, in a ‘Fellowship of Doing’. We heard several times throughout the weekend, of the old practice of ‘sponsorship’, as a way of reaching out to, and acknowledging those who are seeking to do good work. Could this be revived in our time?

We had presentations from Groups, speaking to how they work to represent Anthroposophy in the world. The 1^st to share was the NYC Branch. Their storefront bookstore brings in a lot of folks from off the street. Instead of trying to push anthroposophy, their method is to ask: What brought them in? What questions are living in them? They also co-sponsor many events with other spiritual groups, providing space to seekers from various traditions.

Dottie Zold and the young folks from the Elderberries Café in LA brought their contrasting way of working, primarily with youth and social issues.

We heard from John Beck, director of communications, whose inspired initiative is to bring Spiritual Science into the universities as part of a ‘Foundation for the Humanities’, a kind of moral science, so needed in our educational system. A good way to apply our “Identity Initiative.”

Elizabeth Roosevelt spoke to the changes within the Eastern Region, as they work to perhaps sub-divide the geographical areas to better serve.

The hard working Judith Kiely, from the Rudolf Steiner Library, gave a report. And we heard about the work of the Prison Outreach Program. After each session, our facilitated conversations were enlivening.

Fred Dennehy shared insights into ‘The Art of the Mysteries: Esoteric Meaning in Sophocles and Shakespeare’, to prep us for the artistic presentations in the Development of Consciousness through Drama -scenes from Odeipus Rex, and A Mid-Summer Night’s Dream in eurythmy. Stunning!

The next morning, Virginia Sease spoke to, ‘Why Anthroposophy needs America’. She referenced a lecture Rudolf Steiner gave to the workers that said: ‘Americans would develop a materialistic caricature of anthroposophy instinctive to a spiritual comprehension of the outer world’. We heard of the ‘shining time of America’, in the Age of Aquarius, 4400 AD. We were reminded of the contributions of individualities like Ralph Waldo Emerson, who didn’t call themselves anthroposophists, but who worked none the less in the school of Michael. We looked at the polarity to this school that wants to literally freeze the body (cryogenics) and cultivate the geographic double that seeks to harden the intellect and will, but can’t take hold of the heart or feeling realm. The Native Americans knew this.

Virginia reminded us that 10 years after the laying of the Foundation Stone in 1913, Steiner spoke for the 1^st time about the need to experience anthroposophy with the heart, with a ‘living beingness’ that connects us to the essence of Anthroposophia, who came in with Michael to share a universal task, from 2 different perspectives, knocking on our hearts door, that we may live the call from the Foundation Stone Meditation to: Practice SPIRIT-RECALLING, Practice SPIRIT-MINDFULNESS, Practice SPIRIT-BEHOLDING – That we may develop our relationship to the Christ Being. That we may truly embody: ‘Life, Liberty and the pursuit of Happiness’.

As the sharing from groups continued, we heard from the Berkshire-Taconic Branch, and the Threefold Branch in Spring Valley, about their insights and challenges in representing anthroposophy in their communities. What came through most clearly is the fact that these successful branches consciously work to be inclusive with all the Steiner initiatives, going so far as to have ‘wandering conversations’ that visit the various sites in their area. Also strong – cultivating the desire to connect with the suggested themes of the year from the Goetheanum.

Herbert Hagens brought his wisdom and humor to our understanding of the adversarial powers in ‘Through Light and darkness’ setting the stage for scenes from Steiner’s 2^nd Mystery Drama, presented by Barbara Renold’s troupe.

On Sunday we learned about the Collegium of the School of Spiritual Science formed in 1986, working with the section leaders as well as holding the General Section, now referred to as the Universal Human Section.

The Council of Anthroposophical Organizations shared their very important work of connecting the various initiatives, a glorious list of cooperation.

We thanked Marion Leon for her amazing contributions, and heard the remarkable history of Virginia Sease’s years with the Society, as we then welcomed Joan Sleigh.

Torin Finser as the ‘Ferryman’ literally passed the oar to John Bloom, our new General Secretary, who asked: “Can we be an invitation? He spoke of the need to tap, beyond the members, an ‘inverse endowment’, a spiritual endowment, that fosters a radical interest in the other, a regenerative social 3-folding where we are all endowment managers to this legacy. We must take the risk to transform ourselves and the world, awakening to our task as Americans, adding to the evolution of human consciousness. A dance between the “I” and the world. John emphasized that whenever we have a crisis it is an opportunity to be more fully human, to build community, to be more active. He stressed that sustainability calls for us to ask the Percival question, and to be of service. He noted how working for the RSF enabled him to free up his time so that he can serve – one of the goals of social 3-folding.

Joan Sleigh, the 1^st mother to be a representative on the Vorstand, envisions English, as well as other international languages having more of a presence in Dornach. She will labor to network, bringing collaboration, inclusiveness, and the acceptance of others, into what she sees as her role of ‘servant leadership’. She shared a picture given to her by Torin Finser, of the horizontal & the vertical – a cross – that brings into balance our individuality from the cosmos, with the cosmopolitan consciousness of the ‘One World’ or ‘as Wendell Berry says: ‘Only World’- the penetration of the genius of the land, extending beyond ourselves to ‘Guard the solitude of the other’ and yet to recognize the need to see, hear and tend to the other, bringing the cosmos, the environment & the earth into play, so that we can influence and challenge the world with anthroposophical ideas.

There were various breakout groups & night-time camp fires. Throughout the conference we were graced with the presence of two Native American Elders. And the enlivening power of the youth, who are looking to be more visible in the society. They seek more intergenerational conversations. They want to ask – what they call ‘uncomfortable questions’, like: Where is the moral-social responsibility in our society? Can we be more inclusive of race and more conscious of elitism? Are we truly an open society? Can there be a representative from the youth section on the General Council?

The weekend ended with an offering of The Foundation Stone Mediation by Eurythmy Spring Valley that was profound, and left us with an afterimage of courage, hope and beauty, in our collective striving.

~Hazel Archer Ginsberg

Festivals Coordinator & Council Member of The Rudolf Steiner Branch, Chicago, and the Central Regional Council of The Anthroposophical Society

Reverse Ritual – Understanding Anthroposophy Through the Rhythms of the Year

Purpose & Direction

October 5, 2016Autumn, Insight, Lecture, Poetry, Remembering, Rudolf Steiner Quote, Soul to Soul, Speaking with the Stars~hag

5 October 2016 – Astro-Weather: The waxing crescent Moon appears to the right of Saturn this evening; & lower look for Antares. The two stand high in the southwest an hour after sunset & remain on view past 8 pm CDT

Ruddy Mars continues to put on a nice show in October’s evening sky. The Red Planet shines brightly & appears high in the south-southwest once twilight fades to darkness.

Also after dark, look just above the northeast horizon, far below high Cassiopeia for bright Capella on the rise.

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ON THIS DAY IN HISTORY

Rudolf Steiner’s Lectures on this day

International World Teachers’ Day

610 – Coronation of Byzantine Emperor Heraclius, responsible for introducing Greek as the Eastern Empire’s official language. The year Heraclius came to power, the empire was threatened on multiple frontiers. Heraclius drove the Persians out of Asia Minor and pushed deep into their territory, defeating them decisively in 627 at the Battle of Nineveh. Then peaceful relations were restored to the two deeply strained empires.

Heraclius soon experienced a new event, the Muslim conquests. Within a short period of time, the Arabs conquered Mesopotamia, Armenia & Egypt.

Heraclius entered diplomatic relations with the Croats & Serbs in the Balkans. He tried to repair the schism in the Christian church by promoting a compromise doctrine called Monothelitism. Eventually, however, this project of unity was rejected by all sides of the dispute.

Heraclius was long remembered in the Western church for his reputed feat in recovering the True Cross, which had been captured by the Persians.

After a tour of the Empire Heraclius returned the cross on March 21, 630. For Christians of the Western Medieval Europe, Heraclius was the “first crusader”. The iconography of the emperor appeared in the sanctuary at Mont Saint-Michel. The story was included in the Golden Legend, the famous 13th century compendium of hagiography, and he is sometimes shown in art showing scenes of Heraclius & Constantine I’s mother Saint Helena, traditionally responsible for the excavation of the cross.

The scene usually shown is Heraclius carrying the cross; according to the Golden Legend he insisted on doing this as he entered Jerusalem, against the advice of the Patriarch. At first, when he was on horseback (shown above), the burden was too heavy, but after he dismounted & removed his crown it became miraculously light, & the barred city gate opened of its own accord

6^th Century – Feast day of Saint Placidus & Saint Maurus, disciples of Saint Benedict. Legend has it that Saint Maurus was sent a dream – an order from Saint Benedict’s to rescue Placidus from drowning. Maurus ran across the surface of the lake below the monastery, & drew Placidus safely to shore.

1789 – French Revolution: Women of Paris march to Versailles to confront Louis XVI of France about his refusal to promulgate the decrees on the abolition of feudalism, demand bread, & have the King & his court moved to Paris.

1793 – French Revolution: Christianity is disestablished in France

1864 – The Indian city of Calcutta is almost totally destroyed by a cyclone; 60,000 die

1948 – The 1948 Ashgabat earthquake kills 110,000, equivalent to almost 10% of the USSR’s Turkmen population. Due to censorship by the national (Soviet Turkmen) government, the event was not widely reported in the USSR’s media. Historians tend to agree that the ban on reporting the extent of the casualties & damage did not allow the central Soviet government to allocate enough financial resources to adequately respond

1966 – Near Detroit, Michigan, there is a partial core meltdown at the Enrico Fermi demonstration nuclear breeder reactor

1970 – The Public Broadcasting Service (PBS) is founded

1982 – Chicago Tylenol murders: Johnson & Johnson initiates a nationwide product recall in the United States for all products in its Tylenol brand after several bottles in Chicago are found to have been laced with cyanide, resulting in seven deaths

1986 – Israeli secret nuclear weapons are revealed. The British newspaper The Sunday Times runs Mordechai Vanunu’s story on its front page under the headline: “Revealed — the secrets of Israel’s nuclear arsenal”

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My POD (Poem Of the Day)

~Simply finding

The driving force present in my soul depths…

When I look within, I find a strong yearning

A powerful force living as a seed

Gestating future development

As we press on into the Autumn…

~hag

***

Part 5, From the Michaelmas 30 September 2016 Lecture: Heart-Thinking: Michael Beckoning by ~Hazel Archer Ginsberg

Remember that picture of the 9 Angelic Realms? Spiritual Science says we have a cosmic aim within world evolution linked with the further development of the elemental beings. These spirits behind nature, dwelling in the mineral, plant, & animal kingdoms, seek to rise to a higher existence in the evolutionary process, just as we do, BUT for them, this can only be accomplished by passing through conscious human beings!

When we enter into a right relationship with them, (that’s what the true meaning of morality is: right relationship) when we use heart-thinking to awaken consciously to our experience of nature, enlivening our sense perceptions with wonder, awe & reverence, the elemental beings can attain to this higher stage of evolution.

Rudolf Steiner tells us that we can develop a Gemüt content to our thinking, which shows us how every blossom bears testimony to the existence of an enchanted elemental being within it; & that thru our Heart-Thinking we can learn to feel the longing in this elemental being hoping to be released by us, instead of being delivered up to the Dragon.

So my dear friends, when the flowers fade in the autumn, we can choose not to turn away in antipathy from the decay, instead we can enter into right relationship by warming our mind with a loving heart, & with a sense of wonder, stimulate our soul’s imaginative power; knowing that we are succeeding, thru our Heart-Thinking, in contributing to the progress of spirit in the world. We can enable, thru our awakened consciousness, the elemental beings to slip out of their blossoms when they wither & become seed. We can lead the elemental being up into the spirit for which it yearns, when we can permeate ourselves with the powerful strength of Michael.

To do this we must really live into & experience the cycles of the seasons. Some folks, (who may be overly fond of their intellects) may think that ‘the festivals are just for kids & old ladies’, but what a shame for them – since they will miss the opportunity to tread the initiatory path of the New Mysteries, laid out by Rudolf Steiner thru the working of the festivals.

Today we can stand, after the time of balance provided by the Fall Equinox, & look across the circle to the Spring Equinox, the time of sprouting, the time when the Resurrection forces of Easter-Tide grow in us. We can re-member what we took in then, & re-experience Spring as the birth of elemental beings longing for the spirit, & then in Autumn, we can call up in ourselves these Resurrection forces – because now, during the fall, is when we really need them, to activate the liberation of the elemental beings from the dying plants; & this in turn fortifies us for the dark of the year.

Does anyone else find it an open secret that we call Autumn, the fall? Doesn’t it remind you of the fall from paradise? No mere coincidence I think.

Spiritual Science tells us that the transformation of nature is part of our own destiny – Just as the blood circulation inside us is essential for our existence, the circulation of the elemental beings between earth & the heavens is indispensable for us as well. This is how we can be Michaelic warriors in the battle with the Dragon.

So can you see? That what leads to true a Michaelmas Festival must be a deed of human heart-thinking, a Gemüt event, that can experience the cycle of the seasons as a living reality.

Rudolf Steiner reminds us: “A person who looks out into space & sees the shooting stars should say to himself, with reverence for the gods: ‘What is happening in the great expanse of space has its minute counterpart continuously in myself. Out there are the shooting stars, while in every one of my blood corpuscles iron is taking form. My life is full of shooting stars, miniature shooting stars.”

This process is continuous, but it is especially important at the end of summer, because the sulphur process of the dragon is at its peak. When human beings are ‘shining like glow-worms saturated with sulphur’, then when autumn approaches, the counter-force of iron comes in from the cosmos to bring a balance. This is a good example of the connection between the inner human & the cosmos.

While the sulphur rises in bluish-yellow clouds from the lower part of the human being towards the head, the iron-forming process rays out from our head, & pours like a stream of meteors into the life of our blood.

This is a picture of the human being at Michaelmas. We must learn to make conscious use of this meteoric force in our blood. The ability to experience in our blood circulation the pulse-beat of the outer existence of the stars is the preparation needed for the Michael Festival.

In the sun circles of the Mithras & ancient Druid Mysteries, the great language of the heavens was deciphered, & then applied to earthly things. The disciple was taught to perceive the course of the seasons within, by means of the heart organization; they knew that the human heart was really a subconscious sense organ. What they studied when they looked at themselves thru their heart, was the spirit of the sun’s annual passage through the zodiac. In this way the disciples experienced themselves as a higher being, riding on their lower nature; (the Bull) & so it was fitting that the cosmos would be arranged in a circle around them; in this manner cosmic spirituality was experienced.

As modern spiritual scientists we can foster a spirit of reverence for the ancient cultures & work to rediscover how to apply the heart-science that is appropriate now.

And so, my dear friends, this is what I wanted to bring to you today: The idea that Heart-Thinking, is the modern antidote to the dragon – Heart-Thinking which empowers our will to consciously receive sense impressions, to let in the spiritual sun; the source of the Resurrection-forces; which enable the human intelligence to unite again with the cosmic intelligence.

In the spirit-realms, Michael’s battle with the dragon has been concluded victoriously. It is here on earth that humanity still has to complete it, in alliance with Michael-Whose gesture is no longer only that of battle. He raises his hand beckoning. The hand that was stretched out aggressively, in a threatening manner against the adversarial forces, has changed in our time, & is now beckoning. We don’t kill the dragon folks, we tame it.

Our work today is to begin to feel this transformation reflected in Michael’s gesture. As giver of Cosmic Intelligence, Michael counts on us to become free human beings, that we may return this gesture in kind.

I leave you now with a question, Could this someday lead to a true healing of the adversarial forces? And finally: Who is like god?

In service to love

~Hazel Archer Ginsberg

I leave for the AGM early Tomorrow, 6 October, 2016. I will not have internet, so my posts will resume on Monday 10 October.

Xox

The Interior Castle

October 4, 2016Autumn, Lecture, Poetry, Quote, Remembering, Rudolf Steiner Quote, Soul to Soul, Speaking with the Stars~hag

4 October 2016 – Astro-Weather: As twilight fades, the Moon is poised between Venus to its lower right & the Saturn-Antares pair to its left. Antares twinkles below Saturn.

Vega is the brightest star very high in the west at nightfall. Arcturus, equally bright, is getting low in the west-northwest. The brightest star in the vast expanse between them, about a third of the way from Arcturus back up toward Vega, is Alphecca, the crown jewel of Corona Borealis. Alphecca is a 17-day eclipsing binary, but its brightness dips are too slight for the eye to see reliably

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ON THIS DAY IN HISTORY

“To truly know the world, look deeply within your own being; to truly know yourself, take real interest in the world.” Rudolf Steiner

Rudolf Steiner’s Lectures on this day

Feast Day of Crispus & Gaius, Martyrs baptized by St. Paul at Corinth, Greece. Crispin headed the local Jewish synagogue. Gaius served as St. Paul’s host & was praised by St. John. Before being martyred, Crispin served as the bishop of the Aegean Islands, & Gaius served as bishop of Thessalonica, Greece.

1 Corinthians 1:14 – I thank God that I did not baptize any of you except Crispus and Gaius

Acts 10:48 – So he ordered that Crispus and Gaius be baptized in the name of Jesus Christ. Then they asked him to stay for a few days.

Acts 18:8 – Crispus, the synagogue leader, and his whole household believed in the Lord. And many of the Corinthians who heard the message believed and were baptized.

Romans 16:23 – Gaius, who has hosted me and all the church, sends you greetings. Erastus, the city treasurer, sends you greetings, as does our brother Quartus.

3 John 1:1 – The elder, To the beloved Gaius, whom I love in the truth

Lucas Cranach the Younger

1515 Birthday of Lucas Cranach the Younger, He is known for portraits & mythical scenes

The ecstasy of St. Teresa by Bernini

1582 – Deathday of Saint Teresa of Ávila, a prominent Spanish mystic, saint, Carmelite nun, theologian of contemplative life through mental prayer & author during the Counter Reformation.

Her books, which include her autobiography (The Life of Teresa of Jesus) & her seminal work El Castillo Interior (The Interior Castle), are an integral part of Spanish Renaissance literature as well as Christian mysticism & Christian meditation practices. She also wrote Camino de Perfección (The Way of Perfection).

Teresa of Avila was born in 1515. Her paternal grandfather, was a marrano (Jewish convert to Christianity) & was condemned by the Spanish Inquisition for allegedly returning to the Jewish faith. Her father, bought a knighthood & successfully assimilated into Christian society. Teresa’s mother, was especially keen to raise her daughter as a pious Christian. Teresa was fascinated by accounts of the lives of the saints, & ran away from home at age seven with her brother Rodrigo to find martyrdom among the Moors.

When Teresa was 14 her mother died; this resulted in Teresa becoming grief-stricken. This prompted her to embrace a deeper devotion to the Virgin Mary as her spiritual mother. Along with this good resolution, however, she also developed immoderate interests in reading popular fiction (consisting, at that time, mostly of medieval tales of knighthood) & caring for her own appearance. Teresa was sent for her education to the Augustinian nuns at Ávila.

In the monastery she suffered greatly from illness. Early in her sickness, she experienced periods of religious ecstasy through the use of the devotional book the Third Spiritual Alphabet. This work, consisted of directions for examinations of conscience & for spiritual self-concentration (known in mystical nomenclature as oratio recollectionis). She also employed other mystical ascetic works.

She claimed that during her illness she rose from the lowest stage, “recollection”, to the “devotions of silence” or even to the “devotions of ecstasy”, which was one of perfect union with God. During this final stage, she said she frequently experienced a rich “blessing of tears.”

The kernel of Teresa’s mystical thought throughout all her writings is the ascent of the soul in four stages (The Autobiography Chs. 10-22):

The 1st Devotion of Heart, is mental prayer of devout concentration or contemplation. It is the withdrawal of the soul from without & especially the devout observance of the passion of Christ & penitence

The 2nd Devotion of Peace, is where human will is surrendered to God. This is by virtue of a charismatic, supernatural state given by God, while the other faculties, such as memory, reason, & imagination, are not yet secure from worldly distraction. While a partial distraction is due to outer performances such as repetition of prayers & writing down spiritual things, yet the prevailing state is one of quietude

The 3rd Devotion of Union, is absorption in God. It is not only a supernatural but an essentially ecstatic state. Here there is also an absorption of the reason in God, & only the memory & imagination are left to roam. This state is characterized by a blissful peace, a sweet slumber of at least the higher soul faculties, or a conscious rapture in the love of God

The 4th Devotion of Ecstasy, is where the consciousness of being in the body disappears. Sense activity ceases; memory & imagination are also absorbed in God or intoxicated. Body & spirit are in the throes of a sweet, happy pain, alternating between a fearful fiery glow, a complete impotence & unconsciousness, & a spell of strangulation, sometimes by such an ecstatic flight that the body is literally lifted into space. This after half an hour is followed by a reactionary relaxation of a few hours in a swoon-like weakness, attended by a negation of all the faculties in the union with God. The subject awakens from this in tears; it is the climax of mystical experience, producing a trance. Indeed, she was said to have been observed levitating during Mass on more than one occasion.

Teresa is one of the foremost writers on mental prayer, & her position among writers on mystical theology is unique. In all her writings on this subject she deals with her personal experiences. Her deep insight & analytical gifts helped her to explain them clearly. Her definition was used in the Catechism of the Catholic Church: “Contemplative prayer in my opinion is nothing else than a close sharing between friends; it means taking time frequently to be alone with him who we know loves us.” She used a metaphor of mystic prayer as watering a garden throughout her writings.

Around 1556, various friends suggested that her newfound knowledge was diabolical, not divine. She began to inflict various tortures & mortifications of the flesh upon herself. But her confessor, the Jesuit Saint Francis Borgia, reassured her of the divine inspiration of her thoughts. On St. Peter’s Day in 1559, Teresa became firmly convinced that Jesus Christ presented himself to her in bodily form, though invisible. These visions lasted almost uninterrupted for more than two years. In another vision, a seraph drove the fiery point of a golden lance repeatedly through her heart, causing an ineffable spiritual-bodily pain.

I saw in his hand a long spear of gold, and at the point there seemed to be a little fire. He appeared to me to be thrusting it at times into my heart, and to pierce my very entrails; when he drew it out, he seemed to draw them out also, and to leave me all on fire with a great love of God. The pain was so great, that it made me moan; and yet so surpassing was the sweetness of this excessive pain, that I could not wish to be rid of it…

This vision was the inspiration for one of Bernini’s most famous works, the Ecstasy of Saint Teresa at Santa Maria della Vittoria in Rome.

The memory of this episode served as an inspiration throughout the rest of her life, & motivated her lifelong imitation of the life & suffering of Jesus, epitomized in the motto usually associated with her: Lord, either let me suffer or let me die.

Christ has no body but yours,

No hands, no feet on earth but yours,

Yours are the eyes with which he looks

Compassion on this world,

Yours are the feet with which he walks to do good,

Yours are the hands, with which he blesses all the world.

Yours are the hands, yours are the feet,

Yours are the eyes, you are his body.

Christ has no body now but yours,

No hands, no feet on earth but yours,

Yours are the eyes with which he looks

compassion on this world.

Christ has no body now on earth but yours.

~Teresa of Ávila

1582 – Pope Gregory XIII implements the Gregorian calendar. In Italy, Poland, Portugal, & Spain, October 4 of this year is followed directly by October 15

1669 – Deathday of Rembrandt

1927 – Gutzon Borglum begins sculpting Mount Rushmore

1957 – Space Race: Launch of Sputnik 1, the first artificial satellite to orbit the Earth

1960 – Eastern Air Lines Flight 375, a Lockheed L-188 Electra, crashes after a bird strike on takeoff from Boston’s Logan International Airport, killing 62 people (out of 72 onboard).

1963 – Hurricane Flora kills 6,000 in Cuba & Haiti

1970 – Deathday of Janis Joplin

1992 – El Al Flight 1862: An El Al Boeing 747-258F crashes into two apartment buildings in Amsterdam, killing 43 including 39 on the ground

2001 – Siberia Airlines Flight 1812: A Sibir Airlines Tupolev Tu-154 crashes into the Black Sea after being struck by an errant Ukrainian S-200 missile. Seventy-eight people are killed

2004 – SpaceShipOne wins Ansari X Prize for private spaceflight, by being the first private craft to fly into space

2006 – Wikileaks is launched by Julian Assange

2010 – The Ajka plant accident in western Hungary releases 35 million cubic feet of liquid alumina sludge. Nine people are killed & 122 injured, & the Marcal & Danube rivers are severely contaminated

***

My POD (Poem Of the Day)

~Now i call myself my own

Irradiating the night of Time & Space with an inborn gleam

While nature dreams, my soul is called, to stay awake

Suffusing Sun fire into the inundating dark

Do you recognize me…?

~hag

***

Part 4, From the Michaelmas 30 September 2016 Lecture: Heart-Thinking: Michael Beckoning by ~Hazel Archer Ginsberg

Spiritual Science tells us, that basically humanity takes in nature in three ways:

1) Via nutrition (that’s why paying attention to things like GMO’s & supporting bio-dynamics is so important)

2) air/light (the yogi’s knew the importance of breath-control, & Steiner talks about how in the future we will take in light as we do air)

& 3) Thru our senses (of course Spiritual Science gives us 12 senses, but without going into that here, I hope you get the gist)

The dragon can enter into our existence through what we take into ourselves in these 3 ways; in other words, our unconscious sense impressions can become food for the dragon. He is super-sensibly in us as a constant developer of his own selfish purposes. So that now, as human beings we are in constant battle within ourselves. Do you ever feel like you are your own worst enemy?

The dragon in us requires our sense experiences to nourish him. He avidly eats up what enters us, unless, we can develop heart-thinking to consciously use our sense perceptions differently.

What do I mean by that? Let me give a couple crude examples:

On the one hand we have a normal materialistic dude who grumbles out of bed when the alarm goes off, wolfs down a pop-tart, road rages his way to the office, sits all day in a cubicle staring at a computer screen, comes home & watches TV. This guy is the dragon’s best friend; they cozy up on the couch eating junk food & fighting over the remote. You get the picture.

On the other hand say there’s a woman who wakes up to the sound of the birds every morning & lingers to contemplate what may have come from the night. She lovingly cooks a bio-dynamic breakfast, says a prayer & eats it with reverence. On her way to work, she always takes a moment to commune with the catalpa tree on the corner. At work she is helpful & has moral integrity. When she comes home maybe she putters around in the garden.

Now we can take that example even further- What if a person’s karma has led them to anthroposophy? Perhaps then, when she works in the garden, she tries consciously to connect with the spirit behind nature. To acknowledge the elemental beings: the Gnomes & Trolls of the earth-realm, while digging in the soil, asking: What are the worms telling me today? – Tuning into the Sylphs, the fairies of air – Listening to the wind? – Taking in the power of the Salamanders thru the fiery rays of the Sun, seeking to integrate its warmth into her blood, into her will? – Working with the spirits of water, the Undines, perhaps stirring the bio-dynamic preps, asking: Can I learn to be adaptable, like water, flowing, freezing, rising as steam…As teachers you are helping the children learn Imaginative cognition thru your stories of these realms.

Since the dragon is a super-sensible being in the sense world – it attracts the super-sensible elemental forces that live in nature, which are constantly streaming toward humanity in the form of sense perceptions. If we remain unconscious to what enters us thru our sense perceptions, we are constantly uniting them with the Dragon – allowing them, because of our unconsciousness, to perish with the Dragon in our lower nature, instead of releasing the elementals from their spell, through our heart-thinking.

Tomorrow I will have to give all the rest of this lecture in one bite, as I am leaving for the AGM early Thursday 6 Oct. in Spring Valley. I will not have internet, so my posts will resume on Monday 10 October.

Xox

~Hazel Archer Ginsberg

The Shepherds must become Kings & the Kings-Shepherds

October 3, 2016Autumn, Lecture, Poetry, Quote, Remembering, Rudolf Steiner Quote, Soul to Soul, Speaking with the Stars~hag

3 October 2016 – Astro-Weather: A slender crescent Moon appears above Venus in this evening’s sky. The pairing of the night sky’s two brightest objects set against the vivid colors of twilight will make a stunning scene

MOON TRINE NEPTUNE: This is a good time for collaboration and transcendent events. Best possible outcome is to enrich the soul.

MOON CONJUNCT VENUS: Take advantage of this beautiful moment, favorable circumstances, and good moods to advance your agenda.

MARS SQUARE JUPITER: Be ready to toot your own horn and get things going in order to pass the test! Attention to production, outreach, or installation processes is worthwhile.

~Astrological Forecast by Victoria Martin viccimartin@gmail.com

***

Rudolf Steiner’s Lectures on this day

ON THIS DAY IN HISTORY

La Shanah Tovah

Rosh Hashanah, the Jewish new year, (רֹאשׁ הַשָּׁנָה‎, literally “head of the year”) is the first of the High Holy Days or Yamim Noraim (Days of Awe), a two-day celebration that started last night & is believed to be the anniversary of the creation of Adam & Eve, & their first actions toward the realization of humanity’s role in the world. It weds seriousness with celebration & begins the 10 days of repentance that culminate in Yom Kippur.

The New Year focuses our attention on themes of judgment, repentance, memory & the divine presence in the world. At the same time, Rosh Hashanah invites us to celebrate birth & creation on many levels. The liturgy suggests that Rosh Hashanah commemorates the creation of the world. Family-oriented services often include a birthday cake for the world.

Customs include sounding the shofar (a hollowed-out ram’s horn) & eating symbolic foods such as apples dipped in honey to emphasize the sweetness of starting the cycle of seasons once again, & round challah to remind us of the cycles of life.

Lucas Cranach the Elder

508 BC – Deathday of Lucretia an ancient Roman woman whose fate played a vital role in the transition of Roman government from the Roman Kingdom to the Roman Republic. She committed suicide after being raped by an Etruscan king’s son was the immediate cause of the anti-monarchist rebellion that overthrew the monarchy. As a result of its sheer impact, the rape itself became a major theme in European art & literature

Deathay of Jarius. The record of the daughter of Jairus is a combination of miracles of Jesus in the Gospels (Mark 5:21–43, Matthew 9:18–26, Luke 8:40–56) The story immediately follows the exorcism at Gerasa. Jairus, a patron or ruler of a Galilee synagogue, had asked Jesus to heal his 12-year-old daughter. As they were traveling to Jairus’ house, a sick woman in the crowd touched Jesus’ cloak & was healed of her sickness. Jesus turned round to the woman & says: “Take heart, daughter,” your faith has healed you. Go in peace.” Moments later, a messenger arrived with the news that Jairus’ daughter had died, & he was advised not to trouble Jesus any further. However, Jesus responded: Be not afraid, only believe. (Mark 5:36) Jesus continued to the house, where he informed all those present that the girl was not dead but asleep. He then went upstairs & restored the little girl to life. In Mark’s account, the Aramaic phrase “Talitha Koum” (transliterated into Greek as ταλιθα κουμ meaning, “Little girl, I say to you, get up!”) is attributed to Jesus

Deathday of Pseudo-Dionysius the Areopagite, a Syrian Christian theologian & philosopher of the late 5th to early 6th century, the author of the set of works commonly referred to as the Corpus Areopagiticum or Corpus Dionysiacum, portraying himself as the Athenian convert of Paul of Tarsus mentioned in Acts 17:34 (Some of the people became followers of Paul and believed. Among them was Dionysius, a member of the Areopagus) This attribution to the earliest decades of Christianity resulted in the work being given great authority in subsequent theological writing in both East & West. His works are mystical & show strong Neoplatonic influence. For example he uses Plotinus’ well-known analogy of a sculptor cutting away that which does not enhance the desired image.

In a letter addressed to Polycarp, pseudo-Dionysius asks “What have you to say about the solar eclipse which occurred when the Savior was put on the Cross? At the time the two of us were in Heliopolis and we both witnessed the extraordinary phenomenon of the moon hiding the sun at the time that was out of season for their coming together…. We saw the moon begin to hide the sun from the east, travel across to the other side of the sun, and return on its path so that the hiding and the restoration of the light did not take place in the same direction but rather in diametrically opposite directions.…” This is illustrated in an astronomical fresco in the main gallery of the Escorial Library, near Madrid, Spain, which shows Dionysius the Areopagite observing an eclipse at the time of Christ’s crucifixion.

Luke, 23-45 (It was now about the sixth hour, and darkness came over all the land until the ninth hour. 45The sun was darkened, and the veil of the temple was torn down the middle) We can notice a quadrant & an astrolabe in the hands of the amazed men!

287 AD – Deathday of Saint Candidus. The Golden Legend states that he was a commander of the Theban Legion, which was composed of Christians from Upper Egypt. He opposed Maximian, who had ordered them to harass the local Christians in his name, stating that “we are your soldiers, but we are also servants of the true God. We cannot renounce Him who is our Creator and Master, and also yours even though you reject Him.” Candidus, along with St. Maurice, the other staff officers & 6,600 soldiers, were martyred at the Swiss town of Saint Maurice-en-Valais

1226 – Deathday of Francis of Assisi, Italian friar & saint. Based on a study of the life of Francis of Assisi, Rudolf Steiner shows how the development of morality is based on the belief in the Divine at the bottom of every human soul, on the boundless love that springs from this belief, and on the hope for each human soul that it can find its way back to the Divine. The Spiritual Foundation of Morality: Francis of Assisi and the Mission of Love see also Esoteric Christianity and the Mission of Christian Rosenkreutz, Man in the Light of Occultism, Theosophy and Philosophy, Steiner says: Francis of Assisi was wholly the sentient soul of Jesus of Nazareth in Christianity in the Evolution of Mankind, Leading Individualities and Avatar-Beings. There are many other lectures where this great personality is mentioned.

1250 – Deathday of Gilbertus Anglicus. His major work, the Compendium Medicinae, written in Latin, running to seven books, is an attempt to provide a comprehensive encyclopedia of medical & surgical knowledge as it existed in his day. He quotes extensively from Roger of Palma, & acknowledges that his work is indebted to Greek physicians including Galen, Hippocrates & Theophilus Protospatharius, & Arab physicians such as Averroes & Avicenna.

1942 – Spaceflight: The first successful launch of a V-2 /A4-rocket from Test Stand VII at Peenemünde, Germany. It is the first man-made object to reach space.

1952 – The United Kingdom successfully tests a nuclear weapon to become the world’s third nuclear power.

1962 – Project Mercury: Sigma 7 is launched from Cape Canaveral, with astronaut Wally Schirra aboard, for a six-orbit, nine-hour flight.

1963 – A violent coup in Honduras pre-empts the October 13 election, ends a period of reform, & begins two decades of military rule.

1981 – The hunger strike by Provisional Irish Republican Army & Irish National Liberation Army prisoners at the Maze Prison in Northern Ireland ends after 7months & 10 deaths.

1985 – The Space Shuttle Atlantis makes its maiden flight. (Mission STS-51-J)

1986 – TASCC, a superconducting cyclotron at the Chalk River Laboratories, is officially opened

1990 – German reunification: The German Democratic Republic ceases to exist & its territory becomes part of the Federal Republic of Germany. East German citizens became part of the European Community, which later became the European Union. Now celebrated as German Unity Day

1995 – O. J. Simpson is acquitted of the murders of Nicole Brown Simpson & Ronald Goldman

2008 – The Emergency Economic Stabilization Act is signed by President George W. Bush – commonly referred to as a bailout of the U.S. financial system, is a law enacted in response to the subprime mortgage crisis authorizing the United States Secretary of the Treasury to spend up to $700 billion to purchase distressed assets, especially mortgage-backed securities, & supply cash directly to banks

***

My POD (Poem Of the Day)

~I looked within

& saw the dragon writhing

In rags of mortality

Spitting the cold fire of fear

Binding & Hardening…

& yet my blood was hot

Pulsing with scintillating sparks

Forged From the sword of the Archai…

Now my tongue flicks flames

Licking the fingers of gods

Knowing I am

Free

~hag

***

Part 3, From the Michaelmas 30 September 2016 Lecture: Heart-Thinking: Michael Beckoning by ~Hazel Archer Ginsberg

And so in striving to understand what Heart-Thinking is, I’d like to invite you to practice a little experiment. I will relate a picture Steiner gave, & you can work to use your ‘soul’s imaginative power’ to try & ‘see’ it.

Steiner gives an imagination of the dragon writhing around the animalistic part of humanity. Perhaps you can feel it there in the lower chakras, even coiling around the heart in some folks. But then – also, behind us, at the back of the head, – picture the cosmic figure of Michael, towering, radiant, retaining his cosmic nature but reflecting it in our higher human nature, so that our etheric body, that part of us that holds our formative, life forces, reflects etherically the cosmic figure of Michael. Can you feel it there in your back space? Then, Steiner says, there becomes visible in the human head, a kind of protective helmet, whose power pours down the spine, into the heart, causing blood to flow down from the heart to the limbs – moving the power of Michael in a leminscate, from head to heart to limbs, so we can put our will into action.

This is important because a big part in how we conquer the dragon is being able to recognize it. So with our Heart-thinking we can wake up to this & say: Ok, yes, the power of the Dragon is working within me, I might not see it – but I can feel it as a force that wants to drag me down below my true self. But in the spirit I also ‘see’ the luminous Angel whose cosmic task has always been the vanquishing of the Dragon.

I concentrate my Gemüt upon this glowing figure, I let its light stream into my heart-thinking so that my illumined & warmed soul forces can bear within it the strength of Michael. And out of a free resolution I will be able, through my alliance with Michael, to conquer the Dragon’s might in my own lower nature.

So…How did you do with our little experiment?

Some folks find it easy to work with imaginative pictures & some folks are more comfortable working with the intellect. We all, thru our individual temperaments & karma, tend to relate either to the head or the heart. (The 2 streams: Platonic & Aristotelian ) Of course our work is to bring them into balance, (The Shepherds must become Kings & the Kings-Shepherds) but since we began with the imagination, let’s work from the other side of the coin to formulate a more intellectual approach to understanding Heart-Thinking.

Tomorrow we begin there

~Hazel Archer Ginsberg

***

Saturday 15 October 2016 Opening (Closing event 12 November 2016)

Calaj.com Artists Matthew Schaefer and Janet Trierweiler Schaefer present:

“Silent Lecture” Art Exhibit & Discussion

1pm – 4pm Paintings on view (in the un-rented space next to the Branch)

2:30 Artist Discussion – topics may include:

Setting limits to hold the limitless.

Human systems at work.

The fallible element, how it works in art.

The steps or ritual.

The visible/invisible origin.

Finding the spiritual in art through a primitive gesture.

A cognitive transformation, instinct to intuition.

Snacks to Share Encouraged

For more info. Contact Hazel Archer Ginsberg

Cognitive Ritual

~Confessions of a Modern Rosicrucian

Monthly Archives: October 2016

May you be sealed for a good year in the Book Of Life

Fellowship of Doing

Purpose & Direction

The Interior Castle

The Shepherds must become Kings & the Kings-Shepherds

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