This quote from Rudolf Steiner is my contemplation for the 12th day of Lenten-Tide: “What anthroposophical knowledge enkindles in us with its pursuit of the supersensible is love of humanity. It teaches us how precious a human being is and imbues us with a feeling for human dignity…spiritual science stimulates the will to a capacity for what I have described in my Philosophy of Freedom as moral intuition….Anthroposophy is in a position to show how this love of duty goes on growing into love of humanity and thus becomes the real quickener of social life. We can gain insight into the huge, burning social problem that confronts us today only if we take the trouble to realize the connection between freedom, love, man’s being, spiritual and natural necessity.”
1 March 2021 – “Speaking with the Stars”
MARCH in like a lion…Out like a lamb – The sun rise was particularly clear & layered with colors this blustery morning – the winds blowing the wispy clouds away to reveal hot pink & orange & a crazy yellow.
March is abundant with ‘Holy Days’, finding voice through many cultural expressions.
The 13th is the New Moon, as well as our time to ‘Spring Forward’ for the dubious ‘Daylight Savings Time’. It also happens to be the Iranian New Year celebration, Norooz, or ‘New Day’.
In 622 AD, Mohammed led his followers from Mecca to Medina to escape assassination. According to the story, when his pursuers reached the cave where Mohammed & his followers had taken shelter for the night, they found a dove nesting in front of it & the entrance covered by a spider’s web. So the pursuers passed on, leaving them in peace. Mohammed continued on to Medina, where he & his followers were able to worship freely. Muslims consider this flight — or Hijrah — to be the beginning of their calendar year. People worship quietly on this day, which begins with the 1st sighting of the crescent moon, & in keeping with the rebirth of nature is also considered the 1st day of Spring.
14 March is Marie Steiner von Sivers Birthday
The 15th is the famous Ides of March; which we all know is the day Julius Caesar was warned by the soothsayers to beware; the day he was assassinated. But did you know that according to the ancient Roman calendar, the Ides of March was considered New Year’s Day, & marked the 1st day of Spring?
March 17, brings us the ‘wearing of the green’ for St. Patrick’s Day. This former pagan used the shamrock to teach folks about the Trinity.
We celebrate Spring or Vernal Equinox, on 20 March this year, also known as: Alban Eilir, Eostar, the Feast of Annunciation of the Blessed Virgin Mary, Lady Day, Festival of Trees, NawRuz, Ostara, & the Rites of Spring – when the Sun, because of the ‘precession of the equinoxes’, enters the sign of Pisces, as opposed to the lunar cycle used by the ancients.
Day & night are equal, poised & balanced, but about to tip over to the side of light. It is sacred to the twilight time of dawn, youth, the morning star & the East. The Saxon goddess, Eostre (from whose name we get the direction East & the name of the Holiday Easter) is a dawn goddess, like Aurora & Eos. Just as the dawn is the time of new light, so the Vernal Equinox is the time of new life.
The Equinox is all about harmony & balance – that brief yet eternal time of equilibrium, when day & night are of equal length.
Two other holidays also get mixed up in this ancient symbolism of Spring’s fertility. March 25th is called the ‘Annunciation of Mary.’ – the day that the Angel Gabriel announced that Mary, the Christian version of The Sophia, was pregnant with the son of god ; who is born 9 months later, on Dec. 25th. How’s that for a nice little spring fertility symbol.
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Passover begins at Sundown on 27 March, the eve of the Full Vernal Moon.
The 28th begins Holy Week with Palm Sunday – look for details below about joining us in marking this time.
Rudolf Steiner’s Deathday comes on Holy Tuesday, 30 March this year. (Stay tuned for details on a Zoom gathering on this day)
It is also fitting that March is International Women’s month, since this is the time of the rebirth of nature. It’s a gentle reminder that we give birth to the future. The future is in our hands, the hands of the midwife, the lap of the mother, & the hands of the Peacemaker.
So let’s honor ourselves & thank the powers of love & light, knowing, March may come in like a lion, but it goes out like a lamb – As we re-conceive of ourselves in alignment with the powers of Spring…
Peace & Blessed Bee…
~hag
Someone asked what I could possibly mean by the title of my Yip 13 Initiative Forum presentation ‘Weaving a non-gendered Feminist Reality’ – Here are my thoughts: In bringing the Being of Anthroposophia to these young people, I feel it is important to emphasize that the Divine Feminine is in all human beings no matter what sex they present on earth. I know young people think about these things & I am hoping to bring an awareness that The Being of Anthroposophia, like all spiritual beings are universal. And once we get going, what will emerge is the fact that what we are tuning into are attributes of the universal human being – The Wisdom of the Human Being which is non-gendered – But Yes, it’s important to put an emphasis on the Divine Feminine qualities because they are often overlooked or degraded. We must unveil & re-member them to achieve wholeness -to truly become Anthroposophia -To focus especially on those qualities that have been forgotten or coopted -So that we have the full spectrum of colors, & qualities to manifest our highest human destiny. We must strive to bring the Wisdom of the Divine Feminine into our humanness.
Greetings from YIP13, We are happy to present the 2021 Initiative Forum program
ARE YOU LISTENING 3 -7 March Check out the Program
The schedule is packed full of workshops, lectures and open spaces – we’ve made sure that there are opportunities to participate no matter what time zone you’re in. We are excited to welcome over 15 different contributors to the forum including Orland Bishop, Hazel Archer-Ginsberg, Nora Rahimian, Diane Longboat, and Helmy Abouleish. Check out the full list on our website’s contributor page!
And of course, there will also be time in the mornings for movement workshops, and time in the evening
for open mics, pajama parties, and radioshow hangouts.
We are so excited to connect with you under the theme “Are you listening” and to co-create this worldwide community with you!
Our sliding scale tickets are available on our website.
See you on March 3rd for day one of “Are You Listening” Initiative Forum 2021.
Until then enjoy our pre-forum specials on our social media.
Follow us on Facebook and Instagram @initiative_forum_2021_. -YIP13
For more info. contact Initiative Forum
Weaving a non-gendered Feminist Reality with Hazel Archer-Ginsberg*Friday 5 March 2021 – 6:30 am – 8 am Central Time as part of the The International Youth Initiative Program Initiative Forum
What are the qualities of the Divine Feminine? How can we use them to empower an innovative way of thinking, feeling & willing, to create a new world, where the human being is free?
Have paper & colored pencils at the ready for this hands-on workshop.
Here is a link to the full programand the list of contributors
*Hazel Archer-Ginsberg – Founder of Reverse Ritual: Understanding Anthroposophy through the Rhythms of the Year & the ‘I Think Speech’ Podcast. Trans-denominational Minister, Essayist, Lecturer, Poet, Anthroposopher – working as the Festivals Coordinator of the Chicago Rudolf Steiner Branch, & the Central Regional Council of the Anthroposophical Society. Past Video Recordings
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WAYS TO ENGAGE:
The ARC (Anthroposophical Resorce Center in Atlanta) is inviting you to a Six Basic Exercise Practice Group. Time: weekdays 9 am PT / 11am CT / 12:00 PM ET
Each weekday you are invited to join in a 15 minute practice group focusing on Rudolf Steiner’s foundational exercises. We begin the time each day with a 5 minute leading thought focusing one aspect of the practice. We will follow that with a 5 minute period in which we turn off our cameras and practice on our own. After the five minute bell, we take 1-2 minutes to journal about our experience and the end the call with a 3 minute closing thought. Come when you can, and leave when you must.
Join Zoom Meeting https://us02web.zoom.us/j/266986103?pwd=bXU4a0EvMmJkMDZTR0Rqcm0xZ0pUZz09 Meeting ID: 266 986 103 Passcode: 345338
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Wednesdays 9:30-11:00am CT – True and False Paths in Spiritual Investigation, by Rudolf Steiner. We incorporate ‘The Calendar of the Soul’, eurythmy, focused discussion and seasonal artistic explorations in our study. All are Welcome. Contact Hazel Archer-Ginsberg. Hazel@ReverseRitual.com We meet in person in the Branch Library or join via Zoom Meetinghttps://zoom.us/j/98689103462’Meeting ID: 986 8910 3462
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Fridays 12noon – 1:30pm CT. The Esoteric Path Through the Nineteen Class Lessons by Sergei O. Prokofieff. A serious study for Members of the School of Spiritual Science. Contact Hazel Archer-Ginsberg. Hazel@ReverseRitual.com
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Sundays 7-9pm CT. Our international group is studying The 5th Gospel by Rudolf Steiner. We meet weekly EXCEPT ON THE 4TH SUNDAY Contact Hazel Archer-Ginsberg. Hazel@ReverseRitual.com, Join Zoom Meeting https://zoom.us/j/98201185799?pwd=NUliUWw3UVAxZzI0Y2NKSnI5eHhzdz09 Meeting ID: 982 0118 5799 Passcode: peace
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3 March – 7 March 2021 The International Youth Initiative Program (YIP) invites you to the ‘Initiative Forum: Are you Listening’ The week is packed full of workshops, lectures and open spaces – we’ve made sure that there are opportunities to participate no matter what time zone you’re in. We are excited to welcome over 15 different contributors to the forum including Orland Bishop, Nora Rahimian, Hazel Archer-Ginsberg, Diane Longboat, and Helmy Abouleish. Check out the full list on our website’s contributor page!
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March 3, 2021 – 7:15 pm – 8:30 pm CT. The Karma Project – The Central Regional Council of the Anthroposophical Society in America invites you to join our ongoing monthly study conversation, Manifestations of Karma. If you have questions, please contact Alberto Loya aloyavaca@utexas.edu Join Zoom Meeting https://us02web.zoom.us/j/81681631480 Meeting ID: 816 8163 1480
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Tuesday 23 March 6:30-8:30pm Appreciating Our Differences Through Looking at Temperaments – The Center for Biography and Social Art warmly invites members of your community to attend this workshop in person or online. “How do we solve the riddle which each individual presents to us? We solve it by approaching each person in such a way that harmony results between them and us.” – Rudolf Steiner. Register in advance for this meeting: https://us02web.zoom.us/meeting/register/tZUrdeyvrzgqE9AnBYQ3hIc5KuxMvZa0rmW_ Warmly, Kathleen, center4biography@gmail.com Center for Biography & Social Art biographysocialart.org
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28 March 28 – 4 April, 10:10 am CT – Holy Week & Easter Festival 2021 The 8-Fold Path to the Easter Elementals. Starting on Palm Sunday then thru-out Holy Week, including Easter Morning, we will meet every day on Zoom at 10:10 am CT to create together a Thought-Seed based on a Herbert Hahn Verse “When I think light, my soul shines, When my soul shines, the earth is a star, When the earth is a star, then I am, a true human being. We will then work with indications for that day from Rudolf Steiner’s/The Buddha’s 8 –fold Path, known as the ‘Weekday Exercises’ (5 min) Holy Week chart. $10 Suggested Donation.Contact Hazel Archer-Ginsberg. Hazel@ReverseRitual.com Join Zoom Meeting https://zoom.us/j/95633444828?pwd=Wk56K08vK2dNQUhhK0Q2S09zQWJrQT09 Meeting ID: 956 3344 4828 – Passcode: bee
4 April, 2–4 pm CT. Easter Festival for the Elementals– Eurythmy-Mary Ruud, Hazel Archer–The New Sun, Keynote withInes Katharina (Founder of the Biodynamic Emerald Honeybee Sanctuary) Ines will connect the Easter Thought with the Elemental Beings & the flight of the Queen Bee. $10 Suggested Donation. Contact Hazel Archer-Ginsberg. Hazel@ReverseRitual.com Join Zoom Meeting https://zoom.us/j/95633444828?pwd=Wk56K08vK2dNQUhhK0Q2S09zQWJrQT09 Meeting ID: 956 3344 4828 – Passcode: bee
