Monthly Archives: May 2017

The Christ-will encircling us holds sway…

Celestial Event, Festival, Insight, Poetry, Remembering, Rudolf Steiner Quote, Speaking with the Stars, Spring

25 May 2017 – Astro-Weather: New Moon exact  at 2:44 p.m. CDT. At its New phase, Bella Luna crosses the sky with the Sun,  & so remains hidden by our day star. Because the Moon reaches perigee, the closest point in its orbit around Earth, only six hours later (at 8:21 p.m. CDT), residents in coastal areas can expect higher than normal tides for the next few days. At perigee, the center of the Moon lies 221,958 miles from Earth’s center.

Rudolf Steiner’s Lectures on this day 

ON THIS DAY IN HISTORY

“To be ignorant of what occurred before you were born is to remain always a child. For what is the worth of human life, unless it is woven into the life of our ancestors by the records of history?” Cicero, Orator (46 BCE)

*Ascension – 40 days after Easter

Komet Halley 1910: Das Betreten der Milchstraße ist bei Strafe verboten!

240 BC – First recorded perihelion passage of Halley’s Comet.

1085 – Death-day of Pope Gregory VII – One of the great reforming popes, best known for the ‘Investiture Controversy’, attacking the practice of simony (trafficking for money in “spiritual things”- named after Simon Magus, who is described in Acts 8:9–24 as offering Peter & John, payment in exchange for their empowering him to impart the Holy Spirit to anyone he laid hands on) & his dispute with Henry IV. In Rudolf Steiner’s Karma Lectures Vol. I/12 he was revealed as Haeckel in a previous life.

“…We will take another very well-known personality, Ernst Haeckel. Ernst Haeckel is famous as an enthusiastic adherent of a certain materialistic Monism — enthusiastic, one may say, to the point of fanaticism. He is well enough known to you; I need not give you any description of Haeckel. Now when we are led back from this personality to a former incarnation, we come to Pope Gregory VII, the monk Hildebrand, who afterwards became Pope Gregory VII.

I have chosen this instance so that you may see how differently the same individuality may express himself externally, in accordance with the cultural “climate” of the period. One would certainly not expect to look for the reincarnation of Pope Gregory VII in the 19th century representative of materialistic Monism.

The things that a man brings to manifestation on the physical plane, with the means afforded by external civilisation, are far less important to the spiritual world than one is inclined to suppose. Behind the personalities of the monk Hildebrand and Haeckel lies something wherein they are alike and this is of much greater account than the differences between them. One of them fights to the utmost to enhance the power of Roman Catholicism, and the other fights to the utmost against Roman Catholicism, but for the spiritual world it makes little difference. These things, fundamentally speaking, are important for the physical world only; they are quite different from the underlying elements in human nature which count in the spiritual world…”

Ralph_Waldo_Emerson_Quote

1803 – Birthday of Ralph Waldo Emerson an American essayist, lecturer, & poet who led the Transcendentalist movement of the mid-19th century. He was seen as a champion of individualism.

1803- Birthday of  Edward Bulwer Lytton an English novelist, poet, playwright, & politician. Theosophists Annie Besant & especially Helena Blavatsky incorporated his thoughts & ideas, from: ‘The Last Days of Pompeii’, ‘Vril’, ‘The Power of the Coming Race’ & my fav. ‘Zanoni’, in her own books. He coined the phrases “the great unwashed”,”pursuit of the almighty dollar”, “the pen is mightier than the sword”, “dweller on the threshold”, as well as the well-known opening line “It was a dark and stormy night”.

1904 – Birthday of Wilhelm Jordan a German writer & politician, seen as “a precursor of Nietzsche and pioneer of Darwin in Germany”; Known for his books ‘Mysterium Demiurgos’ & his translation of the Edda.

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POD (Poem Of the Day)

Under the clouds
The Robins nod & bow & walk & fly…
All birds
Of the ethers spin
In countless exhaled breaths…
We are growing, remembering, forgetting, Becoming…
We are the many…
One face changing expression..

~hag

***

*Ascension

William Blake

“…The Christ-will encircling us holds sway, In world rhythms, bestowing Grace upon souls…”

However closely heaven & earth are aligned, their relationship is not always the same. In this we see the miracle of the seasons –the breathing-in & breathing-out of the earth soul.

At the time of the Ascension of Christ, nature celebrates the ascension of the soul of the earth. It is not by chance that the 40 days between Easter & Ascension coincide with the spring season when the earth soul begins its out-breath. Every year, when the earth breathes out in springtime, the mystery of the Ascension of Christ, Who is the Spirit of the Earth, is renewed.

Ascension is a festival of the hierarchies. Remember, that when Christ descended thru the heavens, & came into human form, the hierarchies lost His presence. They could only find Him by looking into the depths  – bearing witness to  the God Who entered physical existence, to remind earthly humanity of its cosmic citizenship.

At the Ascension, the mystery of the resurrection was brought for the 1st time to the company of heaven – Signaling the return of the lost world of earth into the community of the stars. Since that time, the life of this planet is renewed with the cosmic forces that stream earthward. 

The sacrifice of Christ initiated on earth, was the antidote to the consequences of death brought on by the Fall – the redemptive deed that turns death into life.

The Concentrated seed of Christ’s deed, continues to grow in the earth thru the connection to the stars. When the Risen Christ returned ‘to sit at the right hand of the Father’, at the Ascension, He became the bridge between the above & below.

As the Christ has ascended, so too, in the fullness of time will humanity be transfigured. The company of the hierarchies wait, for us, their younger siblings to ascend in our thinking to meet them in fellowship, as they work all the while at our sides.

The Christ-Revelation ‘coming in the clouds’ is here- Showing us the bridge that brings a harmonizing spring-dialogue between the worlds. At the Ascension Christ becomes “Lord of the heavenly forces upon earth”. 

The fulfillment of the secret promise of the Ascension is the Second Coming. It was said to the apostles, “He will come again, in like manner, as you have seen Him go up into the clouds of heaven.”  The Ascension is the seed of this Second Coming, & the Second Coming is the fulfillment of the Ascension.

There is more to think & share –  Tomorrow

~Blessings and Peace ~Hazel Archer Ginsberg

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Current Festival & Program Events

‘Free your mind & the rest will follow’

Celestial Event, Spring

Greetings Friends –

Sarah Goodall

We are in the time of the Dark of the Moon…& tomorrow is Ascension. It is also the New Moon, in Gemini, which is ruled by Mercury, the messenger of the gods, guiding & directing our thought processes. This is time to reclaim & expand our mental space; to set limits on what gets our attention, & to carefully examine how our current diet of information is affecting our lives.

Jennifer Powell

As you may have noticed, our world is suffering from a bad case of close-mindedness fueled by fear. Concurrently, we are also suffering from information overload. Our lives have become a roller coaster of bad news & a constant need to deal with the ensuing manic reactions that follow. On this New Moon we can work toward opening the mind to a diverse range of ideas, while maintaining a self rooted in calm heart-fullness.

Salvador Dali

The symbol of Gemini is the twins, but they are not identical; they represent the broad spectrum of experience. But, since they arise from the same source, at their core, they are identical. That which appears different on the surface, is sourced in a fundamental oneness.

Gemini, with its love of communication, makes this New Moon the right time to question & transform old beliefs about & relationality. We can talk about it. We can find the right words. We can be inspired to open up to others without fear of reprisal. We can relax & let our words be a force for healing.

Jennifer O’Neil

Gemini is best symbolized by flexibility, changeability, & adaptation, & this is the New Moon to cultivate these qualities & incorporate them into our daily lives. When strong winds & hard rains come, the supple trees bend & sway with the each gust. It is only the hardened, stiff trees that break & fall. Fear makes us stiffen up & go rigid. When we harden our hearts & minds, plant our feet & become immovable, we set ourselves up for failure. To survive the gusts of hatred & fear, we must open our minds & create useful dialogue.

Jeff Sweben

As you know, all New Moons are a time to initiate new goals, ideas, & desires.

What do you want to see grow into fullness like the Moon?

This is the right New Moon to communicate your wishes, dreams & desires to those who can aid your progress. The truth is, no one does it completely alone & learning to ask for help at the right time is one of life’s hardest lessons.

Shiloh

Over the next two weeks as the Moon waxes to fullness, try to really hear what those around you have to say about your wishes, & take their advice to heart. Honest & clear communication is a two-way street & the best way to achieve a successful outcome for all.

One last thing, Gemini rules change. This is the best night to work on managing your fear of change. Everything changes. When we ride the changes & make surfing the waves of change a vehicle for success, we actualize the highest expression of Gemini. This is the New Moon to celebrate the power knowledge holds to broaden our perspective & open our minds!

Salvador Dali

Tomorrow we will explore the expansion of Ascension

Brian Gray

Until then, May we all practice the 6 basic exercises, especially Open-Mindedness – For we are what we think. All that we are, arises with our thoughts. With our thoughts we make the world.

In Peace

xox ~ ~Hazel Archer Ginsberg

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An invitation from Petra Zinniker (from the oldest Biodynamic farm in the USA) ‘We will have the 2017 spring prep day this Saturday, May 27th. This includes taking out the preps from last fall and stuffing the deer bladders with yarrow.

We will start at 1:30pm and end with a potluck supper. Bring clothes and shoes so you can “dig in” and a dish to pass. Hope to see you there’.

Zinniker Family Farm  – N 7399 Bowers Rd. Elkhorn, WI 53121 – 262-642-5775 zinnikers@zinnikerfarm.com www.zinnikerfarm.com

There will be some folks from the branch who will be taking the short road trip (about an hour) to attend. If you would like to join us contact Hazel@ReverseRitual.com

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Sunday May 28th 2017 – 3 pm – 6 pm “I” See Heaven”The Closing Event for the New Art Exhibition by astrologer Victoria Martin

The heavens and stars are symbols of spirit and magic! Here in “I“ See Heaven” are large-scale illustrated paintings of mystic verses. Many stellar traditions are represented via Zoroastrian, Hebrew, Jain, Vedic, Arabian, Islamic and Mesopotamian sacred texts. Some paintings are interactive or provide pose-inside photo ops! Participate in an artistic exercise: “Aura Drawing”, Healing drinks & more…

at the Rudolf Steiner Branch of the Anthroposophical Society 4249 N. Lincoln Ave, Chicago IL. 60618. MAP

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PDF Exploring the Mysteries of St John’s-Tide

Friday June 23rd 2017  – Zinniker Family Farm N 7399 Bowers Rd. Elkhorn, WI 53121

Pot Luck 6:30 pm – Bee & Stag Bon-fire & Drum Circle 8 pm

We begin with the setting Sun, in the dark of the New Moon.  Thru the drumming of our collective heart-beat, circle dancing, singing to the stars, & blessing the earth, we will celebrate the bright reflection of the Divine within ourselves & each other.

$10 – All Donations go to the Zinniker farm – Bring a folding-chair & your drum, shaker or music maker (or borrow one of ours)

For more info.  Hazel (at) ReverseRitual.com

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St. John’s Festival: Cosmic Rapture Grounded in Jubilant Hearts

Sunday June 25th 2017, 2 pm – 4 pm – at the Rudolf Steiner Branch of the Anthroposophical Society 4249 N. Lincoln Ave, Chicago IL. 60618. MAP

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:

  • How do we stand wakefully within the sublime mysteries of the Summer-Tide, to consciously embody ‘the spiritual wisdom of the gods’?
  • Who is the mysterious Archangel of Summer?
  • Who is John the Baptist? What do his sayings “Repent, for the kingdom of heaven has come near.” And “He must increase, but I must decrease.” really mean?
  • What is the secret to healing the ‘soul-fever’ so prevalent in society today?
  • What is the mystery of the Dragon-fly, & other elemental beings?
  • How can we understand the ‘Cycle of the Year as Breathing Process of the Earth’?

 Together we will work to strengthen our true “I”, enlivening our will forces with various social-artistic exercises, Including: ‘Seeing into the Etheric World’ thru the ‘After-Image’, Eurythmy, & an exploration of Karmic investigations.

$10– (or pay what you can, no one will be turned away for lack of funds, contact Hazel if you’d like to do work exchange) All materials included

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.   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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The  Center of Anthroposhopyis holding a PDF foundation year training at Urban Prairie this summer

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The Central Regional Council is hosting a Bridging to the ‘Great American Eclipse’ in St. Louis – August 19-22, 2017 stay tuned for details

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Current Festival & Program Events

 

 

 

3 Secrets-100 years after Fatima

Celestial Event, Chicago Event, Poetry, Quote, Remembering, Soul to Soul, Speaking with the Stars

13 May 201 – Astro-Weather:  3 main stars shine after dark in May: Arcturus high in the southeast, Vega much lower in the northeast, & Capella in the northwest.

In early dawn Sunday morning, look for Saturn lower right of the Moon. Much farther to the lower right of this pair is fiery Antares.

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The 100 year anniversary of The Feast Day of Our Lady of Fatima: Between May 13 & October 13, 1917, three Portuguese children received apparitions of Our Lady at Cova da Iria, near Fatima, in Portugal.

Mary asked the children to pray the rosary for world peace, for the end of World War I, for sinners & for the conversion of Russia. The third visionary, Lucia dos Santos, became a Carmelite nun & died in 2005 at the age of 97.

Mary gave the children three secrets. Since Francisco died in 1919 & Jacinta the following year, both of the Spanish flu, Lucia revealed the first secret in 1927, concerning devotion to the Immaculate Heart of Mary. The second secret was a vision of hell.

Pope John Paul II was supposed to reveal the third secret in 2000; but we only received a part which spoke of a “bishop in white” who was shot by a group of soldiers who fired bullets & arrows into him. Many people linked this to the assassination attempt against Saint John Paul II in St. Peter’s Square on May 13, 1981.

Yesterday, Pope Francis headed to the Shrine of Our Lady of Fatima in northern Portugal to celebrate the centenary of the first appearances of the Virgin Mary as described by three shepherd children on May 13, 1917.

Fatima is a small city in central Portugal where the landscape is dry & rocky. For centuries, people made their living raising sheep & other animals Some people wonder about a connection to Islam because the village has the same name as the Prophet Muhammad’s favorite daughter.

In May 1917, three shepherd children — two girls & a boy — claimed they saw an apparition of the Virgin Mary. The children described Mary as “a lady dressed all in white, more brilliant than the sun.” Mary told the children that praying the rosary would end what was then called The Great War — World War I— which left 17 million dead.

According to the children, Mary appeared to them six times that year. In one appearance, Mary said a miracle would occur on Oct. 13, 1917. Initially the children were scolded & even threatened with death for spreading what were considered baseless stories. But pilgrims from all over the world gathered in Fatima on that date & awaited Mary’s appearance. In what came to be called the “Miracle of the Sun,” many reported seeing visions in the sky while others reported miracles of healing. A newspaper of the day reported, “Before their dazzled eyes the sun trembled, the sun made unusual & brusque movements, defying all the laws of the cosmos, & according to the typical expression of the peasants, ‘the sun danced.’”

In 1930, the Catholic Church declared the events at Fatima “worthy of belief,” & chapels, sanctuaries, shrines & other memorials to the events popped up.

Fatima attracts between 5 – 6 million pilgrims a year, making it one of the most popular shrines in the world. The largest numbers come on May 13 — the anniversary of the first apparitions.

Pope Francis will be the fourth pontiff to visit Fatima; Pope Paul VI marked the 50th anniversary in 1967, John Paul II went three times & Benedict XVI visited once.

While there, Pope Francis will canonize the shepherd children — Jacinta & Francisco, & Lucia dos Santos.

Lucia dos Santos became a Carmelite nun &, in 1941, wrote her memoirs. In them, she said Mary gave the children three secrets, or prophecies, two of which she revealed at that time. The first secret was a vision of hell that Mary showed to the children, full of lakes of fire with screaming souls in torment. The second was that World War I would end — it did, a little more than a year after the children saw their first apparition — & that another great war would come if the people of Russia were not converted to Catholicism. They weren’t, & World War II began in 1939. There was also a prediction that Russia would “spread her errors throughout the world,” which many believe is a reference to Soviet communism.

Sister Lucia wasn’t eager to share the third prophecy, but was compelled to write it down in the case of her untimely death. She told Rome the secret could be revealed in 1960, but the Vatican decided to keep it sealed to avoid inflaming the wild speculation that was already connected with the so-called Third Secret of Fatima. Sister Lucia died in 2005 at age 97.

In 2000, then-Pope John Paul II — now St. John Paul — ordered the secret published. The prophecy is said to be an apocalyptic vision of a terrible persecution. The publication hardly dampened the fervor over the Third Secret since the assassination attempt against John Paul took place on May 13, 1981 — the Feast of Our Lady of Fatima — as he rode around St. Peter’s Square wearing his white cassock, the traditional vestment of the Bishop of Rome. It seemed like a near-fulfillment of the prophecy & John Paul said that he believed the Virgin Mary saved his life by guiding the bullet past a major artery. He later sent the bullet to Fatima where it was placed in the crown of the original image of Our Lady of Fatima, fitting perfectly into the only empty space left available when the crown was made 40 years earlier.

But all of the Third Secret has not been published in full. And it is thought that people like Cardinal Joseph Ratzinger — later Pope Benedict XVI — have worked to actively suppress it.

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POD (Poem Of the Day)

Sali Duren

~In the dream
A multitude of lights
Fluttered, becoming birds:
Hawks, herons, ibis, geese, flamingo, quail, vultures, lapwings & owls –
They stormed my head
Calling to each other
Then settled in the branches of my arms…
~hag

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TONIGHT: Saturday May 13th 2017, 7:30 pm – 9 pm

‘Proffered Words and the Landscape of Gratitude’ A poetic journey into the heart of a life written and performed by Joen Dealande (Barbara Danner)

$10 Love Donation

After the show Join us for an open conversation about the Elderberries Initiative

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 Harry Clark

Sunday, May 14, 2017- a Mother’s Day Treat

***12:30 pm at the Christian Community 2135 W. Wilson Ave, Chicago

Beat the Devil!  Performed by Glen Williamson

Based on Goethe’s play (Parts I and II) (Ninety minutes including an intermission. Yes, the whole story!)

$15

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Current Festival & Program Events

 

 

 

 

Clarion Call

Celestial Event, Chicago Event, Festival, Insight, Poetry, Remembering, Speaking with the Stars

This is the Eve of the Full BUDDHA Moon – Sun in Taurus, Moon in Scorpio

The Buddha (whose name means: *The Awakened One* or *One who Knows*) is regarded as the ninth incarnation of Lord Vishnu. He was born in 563 BC.

Traditionally, Buddha’s Birthday is known as Wesak or Visakah Puja (Buddhas Day).

Wesak, the major Buddhist festival of the year, celebrates the birth, enlightenment & death of the Buddha on one and the same day, when the Sun is in Taurus, & the Moon is in Scorpio.

This ‘Buddha Moon’ is a mystically auspicious time – it is considered to be the greatest moment of spiritual contact for the entire year. Great polarities are said to be synthesized & consequently united at this festival. Hope is revived in the world, & great seeds of beauty, truth, & goodness are planted within us — qualities needed for the unity of humankind.

Ancient Wisdom asserts that there will be a new coming of the World Avatar & those beings who assist them. But the reality set forth & embedded within this festival, is that WE, as a living unit called humanity, are to be that World Avatar, when we can live as “Christ in me”…

The Wesak Festival provides us each year with a reception of the tools of love & wisdom, to fulfill this ancient prophecy. What all the higher beings have done, we can do also, taking up our responsibility as the 10th hierarchy to radiate the Christ Impulse out to all the kingdoms of Earth -becoming like little suns – emanating rays from the very core of our “I”, through the vehicle of our bodies, from our purified hearts, & specifically from our forehead, where our third eye is located. This is the Bulls Eye of Taurus – the Sun of May – & the mystery of the transformative Scorpio Moon.

The Full Buddha Moon will be exact at 4:42 pm Wednesday May 10th 2017. We will see it rise over the Great Inland Sea of Chicago at 6: 50 pm tonight. & it will rise tomorrow at 7:41 pm

Haiku’s, ants & worms
Buddha-like the Moon sitting
All have the same face

On Buddha’s birthday
Spring rain beneath a full moon,
On Buddha’s deathday
Enlightenment in the Lake
Another sunset
~hag

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The Elderberries Three-Fold Café has been on Sunset Blvd. in the heart of Hollywood for over 9 years. They provide not only good healthy food, but nutrition for the soul – Rudolf Steiner’s Weekday Exercises are even on the back of the menu! The café is a hub for youth, hosting anthroposophical study groups, music, alternative film screenings etc – providing support for inner practices, meaningful work to those in need, & platforms for individual creative expression -imbuing all they do with a love for the future of our world.

Their motto: KINDNESS, CARE & CONSIDERATION

Our 3-fold friends, Dottie Zold, Daniel Evaeus & Frank Agrama, came in from Los Angeles to speak with the Branch Council & have an open conversation with members & friends, about the possibility of opening a second Elderberries 3-fold Café in the unrented space at the branch. It has long been the vision of Elderberries to create a “Michael Grail-Road” establishing 3-fold Café’s around the world where youth could come to find themselves thru anthroposophy.

Here are a few words about the Initiative from Dottie,  Hazel   Daniel & Frank

“We would like to be meeting the needs of the Chicago community, we ask for any council members, branch members, parents, students, etc. to write up their thoughts or wants for Elderberries Chicago, so we can incorporate the needs of Chicago in our request to John Bloom & RSF Social Finance ”. ~Dottie Zold

Here are a few ‘testimonies’ so far. We hope if the spirit moves you, that you will add your voice to this Clarion call, no matter where you live in the world.

If this initiative resonates, &/or if you’d like to help make it happen – Please  let us know  

Join your good will with ours that these fruits will ripen – casting ever more seeds – to flourish & feed the 3-fold social organism of humanity & the Being of Anthroposophia.

We will keep you posted as things unfold.

~Hazel Archer Ginsberg

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St. John’s Festival: Cosmic Rapture Grounded in Jubilant Hearts

Saturday June 24th 2017, 1 pm – 4 pm at Michael Fields Agricultural Institute  

Sunday June 25th 2017, 2 pm – 4 pm – at the Rudolf Steiner Branch of the Anthroposophical Society 4249 N. Lincoln Ave, Chicago IL. 60618. MAP

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:

  • How do we stand wakefully within the sublime mysteries of the Summer-Tide, to consciously embody ‘the spiritual wisdom of the gods’?
  • Who is the mysterious Archangel of Summer?
  • Who is John the Baptist? What do his sayings “Repent, for the kingdom of heaven has come near.” And “He must increase, but I must decrease.” really mean?
  • What is the secret to healing the ‘soul-fever’ so prevalent in society today?
  • What is the mystery of the Dragon-fly, & other elemental beings?
  • How can we understand the ‘Cycle of the Year as Breathing Process of the Earth’?

 Together we will work to strengthen our true “I”, enlivening our will forces with various social-artistic exercises, Including: ‘Seeing into the Etheric World’ thru the ‘After-Image’, Eurythmy, & an exploration of Karmic investigations.

$30– (or pay what you can, no one will be turned away for lack of funds, contact Hazel if you’d like to do work exchange) All materials included

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.   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

Current Festival & Program Events

In Moral Steps of Time

Celestial Event, Central Regional Council, Chicago Event, Festival, Insight, Poetry, Quote, Rudolf Steiner Quote, Soul to Soul, Speaking with the Stars, Spring

2 May 2017 – Astro-Weather: The First Quarter Moon hangs high in the southwest as darkness falls, then sinks steadily toward the western horizon throughout the evening hours. Our satellite officially reaches First Quarter phase at 9:47 pm CDT among the background stars of Cancer the Crab. It will remain on view until it dips below the horizon after 2 am.

María León

The annual eta Aquarid meteor shower is underway. These meteors are pieces of Halley’s Comet, hitting Earth’s atmosphere above Earth’s surface. In the days ahead our planet will cross a network of debris streams from the comet, producing a drizzle of eta Aquarids numbering 10 to 30 meteors per hour in the northern hemisphere & perhaps twice that number in the southern hemisphere.

Activity could increase on May 4th when Earth grazes a dust trail released by Comet Halley in the year 616. The strongest activity is seen around May 6th.

The best time to look, no matter where you live, is during the dark hours just before dawn when the constellation Aquarius is rising in the east.

Tomorrow Mercury comes out of retrograde.

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Rudolf Steiner’s Lectures on this day 

ON THIS DAY IN HISTORY

1519 – Death Day of Leonardo da Vinci, Italian painter, sculptor, & architect.

“…We know how Leonardo worked at the “Last Supper”. He often went and sat on the scaffolding and brooded for hours in front of the wall, then he would take a brush and make a few strokes and go away again. Sometimes he only went and stared at the picture and went away again. When he was painting the Christ Figure, his hand trembled. Indeed, if we put together all that we can find concerning this subject we must say that neither outwardly nor inwardly was Leonardo happy when painting this world-renowned picture. Now there were people at that time in Milan who were displeased with the slow progress of the picture, for instance a Prior of the monastery, who could not see why an artist could not paint such a picture quickly, and complained to the Duke. He too thought the affair had lasted too long. Leonardo answered: “The picture is to represent Jesus Christ and Judas, the two greatest contrasts; one cannot paint them in one year; there are no models for them in the world, neither for Judas nor for Christ”. After he had been working at the picture for years, he said he did not know whether he could finish it after all! Then he said that if finally he found no model for Judas he could always use the Prior himself! It was thus extraordinarily difficult to bring the picture to a conclusion but within himself Leonardo did not feel happy. For this picture showed the contrast between what lived in his soul and what he was able to represent on the canvas. Here it is necessary to bring forward a hypothesis of Spiritual Science, which may be reached by anyone who studies what can by degrees be learned about this picture.” ~Rudolf Steiner, Leonardo da Vinci, His Spiritual and Intellectual Greatness, At the Turning Point of the New Age

1611 – The King James Version of the Bible is published for the first time in London, England, by printer Robert Barker

1729 – Birthday of Catherine the Great of Russia, the longest-ruling female leader of Russia. The Catherinian Era, is often considered the Golden Age of the Russian Empire & the Russian nobility. She enthusiastically supported the ideals of The Enlightenment, thus earning the status of an enlightened despot. As a patron of the arts she presided over the age of the Russian Enlightenment, a period when the Smolny Institute, the first state-financed higher education institution for women in Europe, was established.

1772 – Birthday of Novalis, the pseudonym & pen name of Georg Philipp Friedrich Freiherr von Hardenberg, poet, author, mystic, & philosopher of Early German Romanticism. His study of mineralogy & management of salt mines in Saxony, was often ignored by his contemporary readers Novalis concerned himself with the scientific doctrine of Johann Gottlieb Fichte, which greatly influenced his world view, transforming Fichte’s Nicht-Ich (German “not I”) to a Du (“you”), an equal subject to the Ich (“I”). This was the starting point for Novalis’ Liebesreligion (“religion of love”) dedicated to his beloved Sophie who died of tuberculosis.

“…When we consider the life of Novalis, what an echo we find there of the Raphael life for which Hermann Grimm had so fine an understanding! His beloved dies in her youth. He is himself still young. What is he going to do with his life now that she has died? He tells us himself. He says that his life on Earth will be henceforth to “die after her”, to follow her on the way of death. He wants to pass over already now into the super-sensible, to lead again the Raphael life, not touching the Earth, but living out in poetry his magic idealism. He would fain not let himself be touched by Earth life.

When we read the “Fragments” of Novalis, and give ourselves up to the life that flows so abundantly in them, we can discover the secret of the deep impression they make on us. Whatever we have before us in immediate sense-reality, whatever the eye can see and recognise as beautiful — all this, through the magic idealism that lives in the soul of Novalis, appears in his poetry with a well-nigh heavenly splendour. The meanest and simplest material thing — with the magic idealism of his poetry he can make it live again in all its spiritual light and glory.

And so we see in Novalis a radiant and splendid forerunner of that Michael stream which is now to lead you all, my dear friends, while you live; and then, after you have gone through the gate of death, you will find in the spiritual super-sensible worlds all those others — among them also the being of whom I have been speaking to you today — all those with whom you are to prepare the work that shall be accomplished at the end of the century, and that shall lead mankind past the great crisis in which it is involved.” ~Rudolf Steiner, The Individuality of Elias, John, Raphael, Novalis – The Last Address – Dornach, Michaelmas Eve, 1924

1933 – Gleichschaltung: Adolf Hitler bans trade unions

1945 –Fall of Berlin: The Soviet Union announces the capture of Berlin & Soviet soldiers hoist their red flag over the Reichstag building

1952 – The world’s first ever jet airliner, the De Havilland Comet 1 makes its maiden flight, from London to Johannesburg

1972 – In the early morning hours a fire breaks out at the Sunshine Mine located between Kellogg and Wallace, Idaho, killing 91 workers.

1986 –The City of Chernobyl is evacuated six days after the disaster

1998 – The European Central Bank is founded in Brussels in order to define & execute the European Union’s monetary policy

2000 – President Bill Clinton announces that accurate GPS access would no longer be restricted to the United States military

2008 – Cyclone Nargis makes landfall in Burma killing over 138,000 people & leaving millions of people homeless

2008 – Chaitén Volcano begins erupting in Chile, forcing the evacuation of more than 4,500 people.

2011 – Osama bin Laden, is killed by the United States special forces in

2014 – Two mudslides in Badakhshan, Afghanistan, leave over 2,500 people dead

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POD (Poem Of the Day)

Valerie Sjodin

~The portals of perception
Raw & cluttered await
The revealing –
It is my Self I see –
A 1000 colors swirling in liquid light
A star covered in rising clouds
Hung by a thread from its ocean Moon
Hail Self
Traversing eternity
In moral steps of time
Where the Guardian beckons
~hag

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Linda Yelson

Dear Friends – As we move deeper into the glories of Spring, under the cosmic fortitude gracing us from the annual eta Aquarid meteor showers, & the guidance of the Archangel Raphael – I will be more sporadic in my blog offerings, as I prepare for some upcoming lecture events & workshops, which I hope you will attend…

Until soon

Xox ~!Hazel Archer Ginsberg

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Exploring the Mysteries of Mid-Summer: Then & Now

Bee & Stag Bon-fire / Drum Circle (at the Michael Fields Agricultural Institute)

8 pm – 10 pm Friday June 23rd  2017

We begin with the setting Sun, in the dark of the New Moon, by enlivening the ecstatic elements practiced by our ancient ancestors, at the time of the Summer Solstice. Thru the drumming of our collective heart-beat, circle dancing, singing to the stars, blessing the earth, & celebrating the bright reflection of the Divine within ourselves & each other, we shall pour our dream-consciousness out into the cosmos.

$20? – Bring your drum, shaker or music maker (or for $5 borrow one of ours)

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Cosmic Rapture Grounded in Jubilant Hearts

10 am – 12 noon Saturday June 24th 2017 (at the Michael Fields Agricultural Institute)

Then in the clear light of day, Come Join our Initiatory Workshop/Ritual, as we expand our Celebration into the 21st Century, to discover the New Mysteries of St. Johns-Tide.

To pass the test of Summer we will explore many questions:

  • How do we stand wakefully within the sublime mysteries of the Summer-Tide,

to consciously embody ‘the spiritual wisdom of the gods’?

  • Who is the mysterious Archangel of Summer?
  • Who is John the Baptist? What do his sayings “Repent, for the kingdom of heaven has come near.” And “He must increase, but I must decrease.” really mean?
  • What is the secret to healing the ‘soul-fever’ so prevalent in society today?
  • What is the mystery of the Dragon-fly, & other elemental beings?
  • How can we understand the ‘Cycle of the Year as Breathing Process of the Earth’?

Together we will work to strengthen our true “I”, enlivening our will forces with various social-artistic exercises, Including: ‘Seeing into the Etheric World’ thru the ‘After-Image’, Eurythmy, & an exploration of Karmic investigations.

$20? – All materials included

Hazel Archer-Ginsberg – 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– Presenter, Poet, & Trans-denominational Minister

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The Central Regional Council is hosting a Bridging to the ‘Great American Eclipse’ in St. Louis – August 19-22, 2017 stay tuned for details

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John Stolfo

Michaelmas & the Horn of Plenty – Fall Festivals Ancient and New –

Saturday, September 23rd 2017, 1 pm – 5 pm (at the Michael Fields Agricultural Institute)

Saturday September 30th 10:30 am – 4:30pm ( at the Theosophical Society)

Come join our Experiential Workshop/Ritual celebrating the Autumnal Equinox. We will look back to the fruits of the past, and prepare for what is coming toward us from the future. Our ancestors called this Sabbath Harvest Home or Mabon. The Hebrew folk count this as part of the High Holy Days. In Greece and Rome it is dedicated to Dionysus, or Persephone & Demeter.  Today, we are invited to stand with the powerful Archangel Micha-el, in balance, between the light and the dark, as we create the ‘festival of the future’, which we call ‘Michaelmas’.

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.  Festivals Coordinator of the Rudolf Steiner Branch of the Anthroposophical Society. Lecturer, Promoter, Blogger, Poet & Performance Artist www.ReverseRitual.com

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