Monthly Archives: February 2018

“I am for Going Forward” Ita Wegman’s Birthday

Celestial Event, Chicago Event, Insight, Poetry, Quote

22 February 2018 – Astro-Weather: This evening Bella Luna shines with Aldebaran & the Pleiades.

Under the feet of Orion, & to the right of Sirius, hides Lepus the Hare. As with Canis Major, you can connect Lepus’s dots to make it look like what it’s supposed to be – a crouching bunny, with his nose pointing lower right, his faint ears extending up toward Rigel, & his body bunched to the left. His brightest two stars, Beta & Alpha Leporis, form the front & back of his neck.

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Rudolf Steiner’s Lectures on this day

ON THIS DAY IN HISTORY

1632 – Galileo’s Dialogue Concerning the Two Chief World Systems is published.

1651 – St. Peter’s Flood: A storm surge floods the Frisian coast, drowning 15,000 people

1732 – Birthday of George Washington, American general & politician, 1st President of the United States

1788 – Birthday of Arthur Schopenhauer, German philosopher & author

1876 – Birthday of Ita Wegman, founder of Anthroposophical medicine & close collaborator of Rudolf Steiner. She also developed a special form of massage therapy, called rhythmical massage, & other therapeutic treatments.

Ita Wegman, as she was known throughout her life, was born as Maria Ita Wegman in Indonesia, the first child of a Dutch colonial family. Around the turn of the century, she returned to Europe (she had visited before) & studied therapeutic gymnastics & massage. In 1902, when she was 26, she met Rudolf Steiner for the first time. Five years later she began medical school at the University of Zurich, where women were not discriminated to study medicine. She was granted a diploma as a medical doctor in 1911 with a specialization in women’s medicine & joined an existing medical practice.

In 1917, having opened an independent practice, she developed a cancer treatment using an extract of mistletoe following indications from Steiner. This first remedy, which she called Iscar, was later developed into Iscador & has become an approved cancer treatment in Germany & a number of other countries.

By 1919 she had a joint practice together with two other doctors, also women. In 1920 she purchased land in Arlesheim, where she opened her own clinic, the Klinisch-Therapeutisches Institut, the first center for anthroposophical medicine. In 1922 she founded a therapeutic home for mentally handicapped children, Haus Sonnenhof, also in Arlesheim, & co-founded a pharmaceutical laboratory, Weleda, that has since grown into a significant producer of medicines & health-care products.

In the following year, Rudolf Steiner asked Wegman to join the Executive Council of the newly reformed Anthroposophical Society at the Goetheanum in Dornach, Switzerland. She also directed the Medical Section of the research center at the Goetheanum. Together, Wegman & Steiner wrote what was to be Steiner’s last book, Extending Practical Medicine, which gave a theoretical basis to the new medicine they were developing. The book was partly written while Wegman cared for Steiner, who was already terminally ill. Wegman founded a new medical journal, Natura, the following year.

In 1936, the clinic opened a second home in Ascona, Switzerland. Shortly thereafter, difficulties between Wegman & the rest of the Executive Council flared up, & Wegman was asked to leave the Council; in addition, she & a number of supporters had their membership in the Anthroposophical Society itself withdrawn. The medical work flourished, however, & Wegman travelled extensively in support of the rapidly growing movement to extend medicine’s limits; she was especially active in the Netherlands & England during this time. Wegman died in Arlesheim in 1943, at the age of 67.

Ita Wegman is a close collaborator of Rudolf Steiner thruout many incarnations including: Alexander the Great to Steiner’s Aristotle; Gilgamesh & Ebani… On the Work of the Archangel Michael by Ita Wegman

1943 – Deathday of 1943 – Hans & Sophie Scholl, German activists. Sophie a German student along with her brother Hans were anti-Nazi political activists, active within the White Rose non-violent resistance group in Nazi Germany. They were convicted of high treason after distributing anti-war leaflets at the University of Munich (LMU).

In the early summer of 1942, Scholl, his sister Sophie, Willi Graf, Kurt Huber, Christoph Probst, & Alexander Schmorell, co-authored 6 anti-Nazi Third Reich political resistance leaflets. Calling themselves the White Rose, they instructed Germans to practice nonviolent resistance against the Nazis. The group had been horrified by the behavior of some German soldiers on the Eastern Front, where they had witnessed cruelty towards Jews in Poland & Russia.

Hans & Sophie Scholl & Christopher Probst were beheaded by Johann Reichhart in Munich’s Stadelheim Prison. The execution was supervised by Dr. Walter Roemer, the enforcement chief of the Munich district court. Scholl’s last words were “Es lebe die Freiheit!” (“Long live freedom!”). Shortly thereafter, most of the other students involved were arrested & executed as well.

1932 – Birthday of Ted Kennedy, an American politician who served as a United States Senator from Massachusetts for over forty years from 1962 until his death in 2009. A member of the Democratic Party, he was the second most senior member of the Senate when he died & is the fourth-longest-continuously-serving senator in United States history, having served there for almost 47 years.

For many years, Ted Kennedy was the most prominent living member of the Kennedy family, & he was also the last surviving, longest-living, & youngest son of Joseph P. Kennedy, Sr. & Rose Kennedy. He was the youngest brother of John F. Kennedy—the 35th President of the United States—& Senator Robert F. Kennedy, both victims of assassination, & the father of Congressman Patrick J. Kennedy.

1997 – In Roslin, Midlothian, British scientists announce that an adult sheep named Dolly was successfully cloned.

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POD (Poem Of the Day)

Susan Balyar

~TODAY I AM –
An old gnarled tree near the shore,
Roots swallowing the sand & rock
Pecked by the high-tide & the wild wind…
A 1000 fledglings have nested in my boughs
& beneath, I give shelter to all…
How do you see me?
As firewood or freedom…?
~hag

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Prayer to our Angel by Rudolf Steiner

‘You my heavenly friend, my angel who has led me to the earth and who will lead me through the gate of death, into the spirit-home of the human soul; You who knows the paths since millennia, do not cease to enlighten me, to strengthen me, to advise me so that I will emerge from the weaving fire of destiny as a stronger destiny vessel and will learn to fill myself ever more with the meaning of divine world goals.’

Rudolf Steiner goes on to say:

‘This prayer is a direct invocation of the human soul to their angel. Every human being has an angel, an individual guiding being, who constantly accompanies the individual, and who gives this earthly human being, out of immediate perception of the total web of destiny, the right impulses and indications – IF this soul wishes to take them up. The angel accompanies this human soul intimately, its strivings, tasks, needs and fears. The angel grabs this soul with its entire being, at the same time grasping the spiritual world with its laws and possibilities. The angel helps and guides the human soul on its assigned paths.’

Sulamith Wulfing

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Denise Yocco

Friday February 23rd 2018 -Open Community Conversation 7 pm – 9 pm

This is a call to All: Especially those working out of the various Steiner initiatives – Folks from The Chicago Waldorf School, City Garden & The Urban Prairie Waldorf School, The Christian Community, Arcturus, the Rudolf Steiner Branch, Elderberries, Angelic Organics, Zinniker’s Bio-Dynamic Farm…

Come be part of our ongoing conversation about the future of anthroposophy & its cultivation here in Chicago.

We will set the tone of the evening with The Calendar of the Soul Verse #47 Performed in Eurythmy by the Monday Eurythmy Group led by Mary Ruud

We will also continue to explore the biography of famous Chicagoans. At this meeting, Mary Ruud will share her research on Harold Washington.

And as always, the floor will be open for conversation.

All are welcome

“We come here
To embrace what is common in each one of us –
Our love for a higher knowledge
Which unites us in understanding.
Let this Light of Knowledge unite
Each and All of us
Making rise in each
The raising of the Other”.
~Rudolf Steiner

Rudolf Steiner Branch of The Anthroposophical Society, 4249 North Lincoln Avenue. Chicago, IL 60618 (map) Check out our Web site! Chicago, IL (Anthroposophical Society in America)

The newly renovated (& lazured) Elderberries 3-Fold Space is currently available for rental on PEER SPACE for classes, events, meetings, retreats, art exhibits, family parties, etc…

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Spinning Destiny with the Fates – An Art Presentation & Experiential Discourse with Hazel Archer Ginsberg

Friday March 9th 2018 at the Rudolf Steiner Branch 7 pm – 9 pm

Come face the Fates & meet the Sibyls in the Light of Anthroposophy, as we trace the evolution of human consciousness & ask: Does Fortune smile? Is Justice blind? How can I Co-Create with Destiny, to spin the thread of my life with integrity, to heal and clear the collective karma, & achieve my True Becoming?

Through the insights of Rudolf Steiner, the power of Myth-Telling, & Ritual-Tasks, such as Socratic questioning; we will journey into our soul-depths to stand before the “Daughters of Necessity” that we will transform into “Freedom Fighters” to meet our true calling; asking: ‘What is my Highest Purpose?’

$10 Love Donation

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Matthaus Merian

The Chymical Wedding of Christian Rosenkreuz

Our PDF Holy Week Study & Easter Festival

Palm Sunday, 2 pm – 4 pm,

Holy Monday – Good Friday, 7 pm – 9 pm

Holy Saturday & Easter Sunday, 2 pm – 4 pm

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Sacred Time

Celestial Event

15 February 2018 – Astro-Weather: New Moon (exact at 3:04 p.m. CST). The Moon partially eclipses the Sun for southern South America & much of Antarctica. (*See more below)

 

Under the feet of Orion & to the right of Sirius –  Lepus the Hare is hiding. Like Canis Major, this is a constellation with a connect-the-dots which looks like what it’s supposed to be – a crouching bunny, with his nose pointing lower right, his faint ears extending up toward Rigel (Orion’s western foot), & his body bunched to the left. His brightest two stars,  Beta & Alpha Leporis, form the front & back of his neck.

 

Rudolf Steiner’s Lectures on this day

ON THIS DAY IN HISTORY

TODAY in 1924 Rudolf Steiner gave the 1st ‘First Class’ Lesson, restoring the ‘School of Spiritual Science’ as an esoteric institution in Dornach.

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Gyen Boery

POD (Poem Of the Day)

~Thought finds form
All that is forgotten returns
Transformed in the doing
This moment marks a time
Like a black obsidian
Reflecting sunlight
Into my mind’s eye
~hag

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*TODAY is the New Moon / Solar Eclipse in Aquarius occurring 3:06pm CST – visible in South America, including places in Argentina, Chile, Paraguay, & Uruguay. The eclipse will also be visible from some areas of the Atlantic & Pacific Oceans.

Some folks are calling this a ‘Black Moon’ – What does that mean? It occurs every 19 years when the month of February has NO Full Moon, only a New moon. (Remember how January had a Blue Moon ie. 2 Full Moons in 1 month, well January stole February’s Full Moon!)

The Black Moon is defined by a materialistic, man-made calendar time, but it is on a 19-year cycle, the same length as an eclipse cycle. That imbues the 19-year Black Moon with the same energy as an eclipse, creating a double eclipse effect today.

The length of the cycle – 19 years – reveals a connection with the timeline of human destiny. (the moon’s nodes)

The last time we had a 19-year Black Moon was in 1999. The next time will be in 2037.

Because this eclipse is in the sign of Aquarius – the sign of revolution, & radical change, perhaps it plants a seed for society to break free of linear time.

Everyone alive today in the Western world were born into the Gregorian Calendar. We know our birthdates & have lived our lives according to Gregorian time. This 365-day calendar was decreed by Pope Gregory the 13th, on February 24, 1582. It has its roots in the Julian calendar, put into place by Julius Caesar in 45 AD.

So it makes sense to think that this Gregorian calendar carries the energy of the Roman Empire & The Roman Catholic Church.

Maybe this Black Moon Eclipse in Aquarius can be seen as an opportunity to perceive Time as a Spiritual Reality in preparation for the next cycle when it appears again in 2037.

~hag

Here is another excellent article by Johnathan Hilton of the Astrosophy Center 

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Dear Friends –

Please contribute to our Vegetation Pot-Luck meal after the AGM to welcome new members Daniel Evaeus & Frank Agrama from Elderberries LA; & Angela & Patrick Foster, & their 2 children Penelope & Sophie, from Atlanta.

Frank, Daniel, Patrick, Chuck… will be doing some construction work in the Elderberries space Sunday Feb. 18th before & after the AGM; & all day on Monday Feb. 19th. Feel free to drop by & lend a hand – Or come by with a vegetarian meal for the workers!

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The Rudolf Steiner Branch in Chicago needs the support of members and friends to carry out its work. Membership is not dependent on your financial situation. Contributions are based on a sliding scale. The Suggested rate is $50 annually. Please choose whatever amount that is right for you.

Annual General Meeting (AGM) of the Rudolf Steiner Branch of Chicago – Sunday February 18th 2018 – 2 PM – 5 PM

Agenda:

* Calendar of the Soul Verse #47 Performed in Eurythmy by the Monday     

   Eurythmy Group led by Mary Ruud

* Group Eurythmy – Hallelujah

* Welcome: New members & those that have crossed the Threshold (Mihai) 

* Reading & approval of the minutes from the 2017 AGM (Kurt)

* Acting Presidents Report (Andrei)

* Treasurer’s Report (Chuck)

* Peer Space & Elderberries Update  (Daniel, Frank, Hazel)

* Introduction of Current Branch Council (Andrei Onegin, Kurt Estep,

   Hazel Archer- Ginsberg, Mihai Rosu, Chuck Ginsberg)

* Nominations of New Candidates for the Council (If you wish to nominate

   someone, please let that person know ahead of time)

* Discussion

* Election of the Branch Council

* Reports: Festivals; Programs Committee; Study Groups

* Discussion: Share your ideas for Festivals & Programs?

What will you contribute? Tasks at hand – Who will step up?

* Calendar of the Soul Verse #47 Performed in Eurythmy by the Monday      

    Eurythmy Group led by Mary Ruud

* Pot-Luck Meal & Social Time in the Elderberries Space

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Rudolf Steiner Branch of The Anthroposophical Society, 4249 North Lincoln Avenue. Chicago, IL 60618 (map) Check out our Web site! Chicago, IL (Anthroposophical Society in America)

The newly renovated (& lazured) Elderberries 3-Fold Space is currently available for rental on PEER SPACE for classes, events, meetings, retreats, art exhibits, family parties, etc…

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

in Shambalha with Richard Dancey

Remembering, Soul to Soul

14 February 2018 –Richard Dancey Crossed the Threshold into the Spiritual World on this day a year ago today – Valentine’s Day – And on this 1 year anniversary of his death, it is also Ash Wednesday –  & the Eve of the New Moon Solar Eclipse, before the Sun enters Aquarius & brings in The Chinese New Year of the Dog!

This morning when I woke, this picture of “The Path of Shambhala” by Nicholas Roerich was in my mind’s eye.

Shambhala =”the golden place of peace/tranquility/happiness/just-so”.

In Tibetan Buddhist & Hindu traditions, Shambhala is a mythical kingdom hidden in the Hollow Earth.

Hindu texts such as the Vishnu Purana mention Shambhala as the birthplace of Kalki, the final incarnation of Vishnu who will usher in a new Golden Age (Satya Yuga)

The Kalachakra, a Buddhist text, prophesies that when the world declines into war & greed, & all is seems lost, the 25th Kalki king, Lord Maitreya, will emerge from Shambhala with a huge army to vanquish “Dark Forces” & usher in a worldwide Golden Age. Using calculations from the Kalachakra Tantra, scholars put this date at 2424 AD.

The legends, teachings & restorative practices associated with Shambhala are older than any of these organized religions. Shambhala may very well have been an indigenous belief system, of ‘sun worshipers’ yet to come, with amazing healing abilities, wisdom & long life.

The idea of Shambhala is said to have “outer”, “inner”, &”alternative” meanings. As the 14th Dalai Lama noted during his 1985 Kalachakra initiation, Shambhala is not an ordinary country:

“Although those with special affiliation may actually be able to go there through their karmic connection, nevertheless it is not a physical place that we can actually find. We can only say that it is a pure land, a pure land in the human realm. And unless one has the merit & the actual karmic association, one cannot actually arrive there”.

During the late-19th century, Theosophical Society co-founder HP Blavatsky alluded to the Shambhala myth, giving it currency for Western occult enthusiasts. Madame Blavatsky, who claimed to be in contact with a Great White Lodge of Himalayan Adepts, mentions Shambhala in several places.

Later esoteric writers further emphasized & elaborated on the concept of a secret land inhabited by a hidden mystic brotherhood whose members labor for the good of humanity.

Alice A. Bailey claims Shamballa is an extra-dimensional or spiritual reality on the etheric plane, a spiritual centre where the governing deity of Earth, Sanat Kumara, dwells as the highest Avatar of the Planetary Logos of Earth, & is said to be an expression of the Will of God.

Nicholas and Helena Roerich led a 1924-1928 expedition aimed at Shambhala.

French Buddhist Alexandra David-Néel associated Shambhala with Balkh in present day Afghanistan, also offering the Persian Sham-i-Bala, “elevated candle” as an etymology of its name.

In a similar vein, the Gurdjieffian J. G. Bennett published speculation that Shambalha was Shams-i-Balkh, a Bactrian sun temple.

And of course our beloved Dr. Steiner spoke about Shamballa many times, especially in regards “The Reappearance of the Christ in the Etheric”

But none of all that really mattered when Richard Dancey stood in the Upper room at the Rudolf Steiner Branch & told us the legend of Shambhala on Easter 3 years ago .

And now Today on this Ash Wednesday, today on this Valentine’s Day, Today in the dark of the New Moon, exactly a year after Richard became once more a spiritual being – try as I might, I can’t really remember the details of the tale he told us that bright Easter afternoon, yet the feeling it invoked in me resonates still – fuel for the journey into this mythic place that lives within each of us – A spiritual reality illuminated by his enthusiasm & magical ability to carry us all along in the telling. I will continue to follow this journey with you Richard, knowing you are living into this future reality in the spiritual world today, paving the way for us all.

Blessings dear friend

~hag

As Fate Would Have It

Poetry

10 February 2018, Astro-Weather: Mars passes due north of Antares this morning. This is a perfect opportunity to compare the colors of these two red objects, & come to understand why ancient observers named the star Antares, which literally means “rival of Mars.”

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Rudolf Steiner’s Lectures on this day

ON THIS DAY IN HISTORY

547 – Death day of St. Scholastica, foundress of the women’s branch of Benedictine Monasticism. The patron saint of nuns, & convulsive children. She is invoked against storms & rain. The most commonly told story about her is that she would go & visit her twin brother Benedict of Nursia near his abbey once a year, They would spend the day praying & discussing sacred texts. Sensing the time of her death was drawing near, Scholastica asked him to stay with her for the evening so they could continue their discussions. Not wishing to break his Rule, Benedict refused, insisting that he needed to return to his cell. At that point, Scholastica closed her hands in prayer, & after a moment, a wild storm started outside. Benedict asked, “What have you done?”, to which she replied, “I asked you & you would not listen; so I asked my God & he did listen. So now go off, if you can, leave me & return to your monastery.” Benedict was unable to return to his monastery, & they spent the night in discussion. Three days later, from his cell, her twin saw her soul leaving the earth & ascending to heaven in the form of a shining white dove

630 – Feast Day of St. Austrebertha. A popular legend states that one day, while looking for the donkey whose task it was to carry the laundry of the monks to the convent, she came across a wolf. The wolf admitted to killing the donkey & begged for forgiveness. Austrebertha forgave the wolf but commanded him to carry the laundry himself, a task that the wolf performed for the rest of its life

1258 – Baghdad falls to the Mongols, & the Abbasid Caliphate is destroyed

1306 – In front of the high altar of Greyfriar’s Church in Dumfries, Robert the Bruce murders John Comyn sparking revolution in the Wars of Scottish Independence

1355 – The St Scholastica Day riot breaks out in Oxford, England, leaving 63 scholars & 130 locals dead

1567 – Lord Darnley, second husband of Mary, Queen of Scots, is found strangled following an explosion at the Kirk o’ Field house in Edinburgh, Scotland, a suspected assassination

1763 – French & Indian War: The Treaty of Paris ends the war & France cedes Quebec to Great Britain

1814 – Napoleonic Wars: The Battle of Champaubert ends in French victory over the Russians & the Prussians

1920 – Józef Haller de Hallenburg performs a symbolic wedding of Poland to the sea, celebrating restitution of Polish access to open sea

1940 – The Soviet Union begins mass deportations of Polish citizens from occupied eastern Poland to Siberia

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POD (Poem Of the Day)

~Just before Leaping into the deep drift
Heaving my wings to give form
To the angel
In waist high snow
Crystals
This prayer/poem/haiku came to me:
Cities of snow swirl
In holographic slow mo
Fresh & light & clean
Sparkle the hot pink sunrise
~hag

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Penny Lane

My story from “Spinning Destiny with the Fates”: (We all speak together the words ‘As Fate Would Have It)

Once upon a time, in the time when Homer described the ocean as “The Wine Dark Sea”, because humanity was not yet able to perceive the color blue…at that time, on a small Greek isle, a queen gave birth to a baby boy. And as Fate would Have it, & custom required, 3 days after, The 3 Fates gathered around the child to bless him: Clotho, the spinner, Lachesis the apportioner, & Atropos the inevitable; but the last one, shook her head…”I fear it is the prince’s destiny to die by crocodile or serpent or dog, & we can do nothing.” The king & queen were heartbroken & decided not to tempt fate. They built a castle high atop a mountain & hired men to guard it day & night; & there the young prince lived, protected/ One day the boy noticed a dog playing outside his window. At once he wished to have a dog, & since the king & queen never denied him a wish, they decided to grant this as well. But not just any dog, they found him a sweet-tempered puppy, & trained him to protect the prince. Then one day when the price was a fine young man, he told his father he longed to see the world. “I know about the prophecy,” he said, “but my dog will protect me.” Again, the king could not refuse. He took all sorts of precautions to allow the prince & his dog to sail by a mighty ship to the other side of the great water. There a beautiful horse awaited him, & with his fateful dog by his side, the prince rode everywhere, delighted by all he saw.

One day, as Fate would Have it, while visiting a foreign land, he fell in love with a kind & thoughtful princess; & she fell in love with him. “I wish to marry you,” the prince told her, “but my fate is to die at the hands of a crocodile, a serpent or a dog; so I must leave, to save you from having to witness my fate.” But the princess loved him dearly. “We shall create our own destiny,” she said. “True love can conquer anything so long as we believe it can.” And so as Fate would Have it, they were married.  A few years passed, & the prince learned that his father was ill; So he & his loving wife traveled back home.

One night, while they were fast asleep in the palace, the princess heard a sound that woke her. She stared into the darkness & spied a serpent coiled in the corner. She tried to recall all she had heard about the warning from the Fates. Suddenly, it came to her that serpents couldn’t resist milk. So she slipped out of bed & filled a bowl with cool fresh milk. When the creature saw the bowl, it sidled over & greedily sipped up the milk until it was fat & sassy & as Fate would Have it, the snake fell fast asleep. And so the princess summoned the guards to capture it & make it into a pair of fine snake skin boots for the prince. And so, as Fate would Have it, she had saved her husband from the 1st deadly fate. Sadly, the king died the next day. And the prince began his rule.

One day, as he was out hunting with his pack of dogs, he suddenly tripped over a log on the riverbank. To his astonishment, he heard a voice, which came from one of the dogs in the pack, who was, in truth, a crocodile, & it said, “You cannot escape fate. Wherever you go, I will find you…Unless you can dig a hole in the sand & fill it with water so that is never seeps out. Which of course is impossible” just then, as Fate would Have it, his loyal dog rushed over with his teeth bared followed by the rest of the pack, & the crocodile was obliged to slink away. Terrified, the prince shared the news with his beloved wife. “I’m doomed,” he said. But she was determined to save him & never give in to despair. “There is nothing we cannot overcome,” she said; all of a sudden remembering a plant her mother had told her about when she was a young girl. The 3-leafed herb grew in the desert & could keep water in a pit for one whole year. So as Fate would Have it, the princess set out to find it. She left in the middle of the night, guided by starlight. She rode her snow-white donkey west, toward the desert, encouraging the poor, exhausted animal with kind words. “I love you my dear old friend. I am so proud of your courage”. And so the donkey traveled on, & they both together endured heat & storms & thirst. At last they came to a mountain that cast a cool shadow. And as Fate would Have it the very plant she sought grew at the very top of that mountain; but it was surrounded by a deep chasm.

The cleaver princess, however, had brought along a rope. She made a noose with one end & tossed it across the chasm with all her strength, until it caught on a branch. Trusting this to hold her weight, she began to climb across the chasm. A fierce wind assailed her, & still she climbed. Blinded by sand, she felt her way up the mountain to the very top. She climbed on until she felt the soft plants beneath her feet, & plucking one she counted the leaves – 1,2,3– Her heart pounding, she held fast to the plant, slid down the rock; leaped over the chasm, & mounted her donkey. “Let’s go!” she cried, & they rode back across the desert enriched.

Then as Fate would Have it Coming close to her kingdom, the princess spied her beloved standing at the river bank next to a hole he had dug in the sand. Beside the pit was a pot of water, & only a short distance away stood the crocodile – its mouth watering. The princess ran to him. “Pour in the water,” she cried, & as the prince did, she tossed in the plant. Sure enough, the water did not seep through the sand, but remained. As soon as the angry crocodile saw this POOF, he disappeared in a puff of smoke & was never seen again.

The prince stared at his wife with awe, gratitude & love, for he knew that because of her strength & commitment, he had overcome the 2nd test the 3 Fates had predicted so long ago. They kissed & at that moment a wild duck flew past. The prince’s faithful dog began to chase the duck with zest, running by accident into his master’s legs. And as Fate would Have it

The prince & his dog both lost their balance & fell into the river, where mud & rushes caught them. It seemed they might drown, & the 3rd test prove fatal; but as Fate would Have it, the princess ran over quickly with the rope in her hand. She cast the rope to her beloved & pulled him & his loyal dog ashore.

Again the prince gazed into his wife’s eyes. “Your love is stronger than fate,” he said. “This is true,” she said with a smile. “We have made Love our destiny”.  And as Fate would Have it, they lived happily ever after. Snip, snap snout, this tale is all told out.

~hag

 

Rosa Mundi

Insight

3 February 2018 – Astro-Weather: Comet PanStarrs is currently moving thru Taurus – Spending this 1st week of February just east of the stunning Pleiades star cluster.

Comet by Cliff Smith.

From an article by Astrosopher Dr Elizabeth Vreede: ” Comets represent an element that does not wholly enter the usual sphere of cosmic law, although they still contain a trace of the direct working of spiritual powers, indeed, of the very highest — the Seraphim and Cherubim. Before ordinary law may be broken through, the very highest power and insight is required. The various comets, indeed, are agents of a very special nature in our planetary system, their polar antithesis being in the moons. Just as the moons are a kind of corpse which the planetary system trails along with it, so, on the other side, the comets may be spoken of as constant purifiers of the spiritual atmosphere within the solar system. In earlier times men thought of them as the “scavengers of God,” and many superstitions have gathered around them. To the eye of Spirit, too, the mission of the comets is perpetually to expel impure astral forces from the Cosmos or to introduce new impulses.”

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Rudolf Steiner’s Lectures on this day

ON THIS DAY IN HISTORY

1690 – The colony of Massachusetts issues the first paper money in the Americas

1870 – The Fifteenth Amendment to the United States Constitution is ratified, guaranteeing voting rights to male citizens regardless of race.

1874 – Birthday of Gertrude Stein, American novelist, poet, playwright

Freedom of Speech.

1894 – Birthday of Norman Rockwell, American painter & illustrator

1909 – Birthday of Simone Weil, French mystic & philosopher

1913 – The Sixteenth Amendment to the United States Constitution is ratified, authorizing the Federal government to impose and collect an income tax.

1913 – The 1st AGM of the Anthroposophical Society in Berlin, where Rudolf Steiner gave the lecture series “The Mysteries of the Orient and of Christianity”

1922 – Deathday of John Butler Yeats, Irish painter & illustrator

1924 – Deathday of Woodrow Wilson. Rudolf Steiner has a lot to say about what was behind this individuality & in his former incarnation as Muawiyah.

1959 – Rock & roll musicians Buddy Holly, Ritchie Valens, & J. P. “The Big Bopper” Richardson are killed in a plane crash near Clear Lake, Iowa.

1961 – The United States Air Forces begins Operation Looking Glass, & over the next 30 years, a “Doomsday Plane” is always in the air, with the capability of taking direct control of the United States’ bombers & missiles in the event of the destruction of the SAC’s command post.

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POD (Poem Of the Day)

~Walk willingly between fire & ice…
Where the shadows of forever
& the light of Now
Clutch & release the world…
The empty filling & the full emptying…
So live with the certainty
That your Yin loves your Yang
Over & over, in to the out…
& dance the joy of movement ever changing…
~hag

***

 

In early Celtic times, the light of the growing sun was seen as Brigid’s Fire of Purification, burning away the dross of winter & shining forth Hope & Love for the coming Spring tide.

Here is a meditation that leads you into her Mysteries of the Fire & the Rose:

Rosa Mundi

You are walking through a quiet, dim wood in a dusky February twilight. The trees open out into a clearing where a blazing fire burns, fed by an old peasant woman who is heaping rose petals into the flames that make the sparks dance. The flares of red & gold emit an intoxicating fragrance.

This Fire of Roses cleanses the heart & mind, igniting a Purifying flame through which you must pass. As you draw nearer, the woman looks at you with wise loving eyes & bids you step into her Fire. With no trepidation you step into the leaping flames. The roaring inferno completely surrounds you & there is nothing you can do but surrender in trust to this Cosmic Fire.  You feel two hands firmly clasping your own, & looking down, you see the old woman’s cool, surprisingly smooth hands leading you out of the flames to the other side. The n you notice the Crone has become a tall & beautiful Lady, Brigid herself, who leads you into a sunlit garden of roses. You feel cleansed & made anew.

At the heart of the garden is a clear well filled with water glistening pure in the sunlight, & as you gaze into it, a Rose slowly floats up from its depths, silently illuminating everything around, glowing out of the heart of light. You are aware that you are not alone, many others are with you around the pool of light. There may be some here you recognize….

As the Rose emerges, you see that each person around the pool has become one of its many petals, as you yourself now have…Together all have become the Rosa Mundi, the Rose of the World. Some petals are wider open than others……all are slowly opening, so that in time the heart of the Rose will be revealed to all beings in the world.  Feel yourself as one of the myriad petals…& gaze upon the golden heart within its center, suffusing you with its luminous radiance. As you breathe in the scent of the Rose, you are filled with its healing essence & you feel a sense of renewal & deep peace…

You can stay here in the garden as long as you like……when you are ready to return, allow the images to fade & become aware of yourself once more in your human body in present time, ready to share the radiance of the Rose of the World with all.

`hag

***

Greetings Friends – On this cold sunny Brigid’s Day, the Cross-Quarter between the Winter Solstice & the Spring Equinox!

The Karma Project – A Western Approach to Reincarnation & Karma – Zoom Call open to All – February 7, 2018 – 7:15 pm CST

“…The body is subject to the laws of heredity; the soul is subject to self-created destiny or, to use an ancient term, to its karma; and the spirit is subject to the laws of reincarnation or repeated Earth lives.” ~Rudolf Steiner, A Western Approach to Reincarnation and Karma, Chapter 8, “Reincarnation of the Spirit and Destiny” (from Theosophy, Chapter 2) … This chapter is the focus of the February 7 meeting.

The Central Regional Council of the Anthroposophical Society in America invites you to join our ongoing study conversation. The study has been divided amongst five volunteers who will summarize their section to rebuild it as a foundation for our conversation. Please familiarize yourself with the lecture if possible so you will feel comfortable sharing your reflections and thoughts with the group.

This collection of lectures has been republished by Anthroposophic Press under the title: “A Western Approach to Reincarnation and Karma” The following is the link to Chapter 2 of Theosophy (from e.Lib):
http://wn.rsarchive.org/…/G…/English/AP1971/GA009_index.html

This will be a “Zoom” conference call allowing us an opportunity to see one another while conversing (or audio only if you prefer). To connect to the audio/video-conference:
Option 1. Click link below if you wish to connect through your computer (a headset is recommended) https://zoom.us/j/831956619
Option 2. Call in using your telephone.
United States: +1 669 900 6833 or +1 646 558 8656

Access Code: 831-956-619

Option 3. You can use a combination of Options 1 and 2 (computer and phone). If you use the phone, please turn off the audio on your computer to avoid audio feedback.

Agenda for our Study Call
7:15 Verse
7:18 Welcome and Introductions
7:25 Study led by six volunteers
Marianne – page 117 to 120
David – page 121 to page 124
Lisa – page 125 to page 128
Hazel – page 129 to 132
Alberto – page 133 to end
8:05 Conversation
8:20 Identify volunteers for the next study call, April 4
8:25 Share plans re: Speaker for March 7th 2018 – Fred Amrine!
8:28 Close with verse

***

Have you ever been curious about the Theosophical Society? The National Headquarters is in Wheaton, IL. about 2 hours from Chicago.

Want to take a road-trip to check it out & promote the Rudolf Steiner Branch?

I could use some help with set-up & break-down –  In exchange you can attend the workshop for FREE – We have room for 3. We leave at 8 am Sat. Feb. 10th

contact Hazel@ReverseRitual.com

Spinning Destiny with the Fates – An Experiential Workshop with Hazel Archer Ginsberg

Saturday, 10 February 2018 – 10:30 AM – 4:30 PM – At the Theosophical Society 1926 N Main St, Wheaton, IL 60187

Come face the Fates & meet the Sibyls in the Light of Anthroposophy & ask: Does Fortune smile? Is Justice blind? How can I Co-Create with Destiny, to spin the thread of my life with integrity, to heal and clear the collective karma, & achieve my True Becoming?

Through the insights of Rudolf Steiner,  the power of Myth-Telling, & Ritual-Tasks, such as interactive drumming, & Socratic questioning; we will journey into our soul-depths to stand before the “Daughters of Necessity” that we will transform to meet our true calling; asking: ‘What is my Highest Purpose?’

Please bring your own vegetarian lunch

$50 or pay what you will – Register here

Hazel Archer-Ginsberg  – Founder of  www.reverseritual.com

***

The Rudolf Steiner Branch in Chicago needs the support of members and friends to carry out its work. Membership is not dependent on your financial situation. Contributions are based on a sliding scale. The Suggested rate is $50 annually. Please choose whatever amount that is right for you.

Annual General Meeting (AGM) – 

Sunday February 18th 2018 – 2 PM – 5 PM

Agenda:

*Calendar of the Soul Verse #47 Performed in Eurythmy 

by the Monday Eurythmy Group led by Mary Ruud

*Welcome: New members & those that have crossed the Threshold (Mihai) 

*Reading & approval of the minutes from the 2017 AGM (Kurt)

*Acting Presidents Report (Andrei)

*Treasurer’s Report (Chuck)

*Building Report: Elderberries Update, Peer Space (Daniel, Hazel)

*Introduction of Current Branch Council 

(Andrei Onegin, Hazel Archer-Ginsberg, Kurt Estep, Chuck Ginsberg, Mihai Rosu)

*Nominations of New Candidates for the Council

(If you wish to nominate someone, please let that person know ahead of time)

*Discussion

*Election of the Branch Council

 *Reports: Programs Committee, Festivals Committee, Study Groups

*Discussion:

Share your ideas for Programs & festivals?

What will you contribute?

*Calendar of the Soul Verse #47 Performed in Eurythmy

by the Monday Eurythmy Group led by Mary Ruud

*Social Time in the Elderberries Space

***

Friday February 23rd 2018 – Open Community Conversation 7 pm – 9 pm

This is a call to All:  Come be part of our ongoing conversation about the future of Anthroposophy & its cultivation here in Chicago.

We will set the tone of the evening with The Calendar of the Soul Verse #47 Performed in Eurythmy by the Monday Eurythmy Group led by Mary Ruud

We will also continue with the initiative to do biography work & explore important Chicagoan’s. At this meeting, Mary Ruud will share her research on Harold Washington.

And as always, the floor will be open for conversation.

***

Rudolf Steiner Branch of The Anthroposophical Society, 4249 North Lincoln Avenue. Chicago, IL 60618 (map) Check out our Web site! Chicago, IL (Anthroposophical Society in America)

The newly renovated (& lazured) Elderberries 3-Fold Space is currently available for rental on PEER SPACE for classes, events, meetings, retreats, art exhibits, family parties, etc…