It’s difficult to really Know Thyself. It’s even harder to have the clarity & discerment to find the right words to describe yourself to another. And then there are the impressions others have of us. Impressions which are often colored by past karma, antipathies & sympathies – & what they see reflected in the mirror of themselves.
What is true for me, might not be true for you. And then of course it’s all in how we react to their reaction…
I often ask myself: What is more important, our manners or our intentions? Are we our confessions, or our ideals? What if our deeds haven’t fruited, can we still claim the harvest?
It’s difficult to stand up to the standards of others. Our karma sometimes gives us slack, & sometimes it’s the rope that hangs us.
Let me take a moment to introduce myself & make this disclaimer: I currently working as a synthesizer – I am a collage maker – a collector – a compiler – a connect-the-dots kind of gal. I hunt & gather & make soup. I transform what was, into what is, & practice to manifest what will be. I have the soul & imagination of a mystic, yet I have learned to keep my feet on the ground – thoroughly engaged in my will forces to get things done.
The world-wide-web is my ocean, & I am a sponge. I am often the barometer flapping in the wind, gauging the current weather patterns. Yep even the canary in the mine shaft; or the sibyl picking up the gestalt of the age.
I think about that Steiner quote (which I can’t site, sorry) where he talks about how someone unconsciously sees the headline & talks about it like it was his own thought. Mind you Steiner tells us we must always strive to be conscious. I admit a lot of times I open myself to what the little birdy whispers in my ear, not always paying attention to where the idea came from, & this can get me in trouble, opening me to not so beautiful forces, or running the risk of overstepping boundaries.
On the good days I know it’s the angels, or the beloved dead, leading me here or there, or speaking thru me; & I feel divinely led to make connections where none were seen before. And from that sometimes I am actually graced with innovative ways of thinking.
But yeah sometimes I am just regurgitating what I am striving to understand by putting it out in front of myself.
I am not a scholar. I am woefully inept at siting references, or notating the bibliography. And I have been seeing more & more how hurtful that can be. I certainly don’t like it when someone takes ‘my’ ideas without giving me credit.
I rely heavily on the Rudolf Steiner Archives of which I pay a monthly donation. I scour all the Wiki’s. I am on FB, where I have met amazing artists who generously let me share their work. I also search google images, & use earthsky.org or skyandtelescope.org for the foundation of my Star Speaking.
Besides my own life experiences, the collective human story influences me – I particularly love the archetypes, fairytales, & all ancient myths & legends.
I am very keen to what’s ‘in the air’ – seeds broadcast out from the spiritual world. I have found many times in my life that I ‘come up with an idea’ that 3 other people have also been thinking about. This can feel uncomfortable, but I am learning to see that it really doesn’t matter who actualizes them as long as these seeds become manifest & are able to bear fruit.
I don’t monetize anything I do, but some folks do, & why shouldn’t they get credit for their intellectual property; or paid for what they do? Most days I am fine with offering unpaid community service, but then at other times I resent it, because some folks think that just because I’m not getting paid it means I’m not working, or that my time isn’t valuable. But that will never stop me from wanting to share.
I am a big fan of the public domain & make use of it daily. But there is a fine line between ‘fair use’, ‘open source’, ‘creative commons’ & copyright laws.
My journal is like a jigsaw puzzle where I keep the pieces I have collected along the way. A string of words here, a half remembered story there, an overheard fragment, a piece of coal that I tie together with a lump of sand & the view from my window that day to make my POD…etc.
But then recently thru my often uncomfortable karmic relationships I was admonished for using the definition of a word without crediting the source. This led them to search for other breaches. And then they shared their distrust with another, who told me it was like taking a painting by Rembrandt, adding a few flowers to it & claiming credit. So while it hurts that friends are going out of their way to find fault & gossip; I take to heart the truth of their criticism, knowing they are in my life to help me live up to my highest potential. I often live inside myself so I need the reflection, even if it’s tough love.
I am so grateful when folks dialogue with me on the content; or write to talk about their experience or insights. I am tremendously inspired by feedback & pointers to other sources or lectures. Thank you! This is what I had hoped this space would be – a community – the sacred space of the New Mysteries where the Social Sphere provides a Threshold for growth & change.
I remember when I was asked to write an article for Das Goetheanum about the ‘Great American Eclipse’. They were very demanding about the bibliography, which I found inhibiting. I have a lot to learn, I’m just not sure I want to make that my focus.
So I feel I am at a turning point, where I am called to work differently, not so much collecting & synthesizing out loud, but instead doing that work internally, letting the quotes stand on their own, & then writing more personally from my own experience. I am hoping that by not spending half the day researching –gathering – collating; I will have more time to actually work on that ‘novel’ I keep threatening to write.
I know that the Grail Quest I am on is a Hero’s Journey only I can take. Although I know that by sharing the journey, come hell or high water, I won’t be alone.
~from the throbbing open heart of hag
RUDOLF STEINER’S CALENDAR OF THE SOUL translated (with added titles) by Roy Sadler EASTERTIDE IV The Beltane Gift v4 I feel the essence of my being, speaks senses’ feeling that in the sunlit world unites with shining floods of light; it would enliven clear thought with warmth and marry Man and World.
‘Marry’ as a translation of ‘unite’ in this first full moon verse after Easter is a recognition that in ancient times before our present calendar system Beltane was a marriage festival at the Full Moon when the Sun was in Taurus.
25 April 2021 – “Speaking with the Stars” : Tonight is the Eve of the Full Sprouting Grass Moon.
POD (Poem Of the Day)
~She is the early light & the purpose of dusk Who Is The song bird of The Logos renewed… She will Rattle the seeds of the sistrum To Awaken A brilliant moment in eternity: Today I will Lift Her veil… ~hag
Living into the Spheres of Cosmic Life and Cosmic Light:Easter, Ascension, Whitsun in the Calendar of the Soul with Luigi Morelli, Hazel Archer and Geoff Norris – Zoom Host Frank Agrama
13 May 2021 Ascension Thursday 5- 6:30pm PT / 6-7:30 pm MT / 7 pm – 8:30 pm CT / 8-9:30 pm ET / 1 am – 2:30 am GMT / 2 am – 3:30 am CET
Ascension: The Secret Teachings, The Elementals, & The Etheric Christ – Hazel Archer
Calendar of the Soul – Luigi Morelli
For those who are familiar with the Calendar of the Soul we could say that during spring and summer we follow the ascent of cosmic life, cosmic light, cosmic warmth and cosmic Word as gifts bestowed upon the human being by the cosmos. By being receptive to them we strengthen our connection to cosmos and Self.
We will briefly explore the dynamics of the year, then look at what qualities of soul we need to develop as we move into spring and summer, most particularly from Easter to Ascension and Whitsun. We will look at the verses of the calendar in conjunction with the artistic renditions of Anne Stockton and Karl König, drawn for each of the verses.
We will ask ourselves: How can we live into and grow from this time of the year? How can we deepen our inner relationship to the event of Ascension? What can we receive and what can we give?
Break-out Groups
Group Speech Work with Geoff Norris
“Angels, in the early morning May be seen the Dews among, Stooping — plucking — smiling — flying — Do the Buds to them belong?” ~Emily Dickenson
Closing Thoughts – Hazel Archer
***
Sangraal: A Pentecost Pilgrimage & Whitsun Festival with the Central Regional Council an experiential ‘Pageant’ written by Hazel Archer, taking us on a Quest from The Cauldron of Ceridwen, to The Holy Grail, & into The Sacred Vessel of the Sophia.
Join us on Whitsunday 23 May2021, at 11 am PT / 12 noon MT / 1 pm – 2:30 pm CT / 2 pm ET / 8 pm CET
After working with Karma & Reincarnation for 3 years the CRC has chosen a new Theme: ‘The Mysteries of the Holy Grail, from Arthur and Parzival to Modern Initiation’
As we stand on this brink, as we dance on this verge, we can’t let the ruling fools of the dying world sustain their curses. We have to rise up & fight their insane logic; defy & resist & prevent their tragic magic; unleash our sacred knowing & let the world revel in it.
But overthrowing the living dead is not enough. Protesting the well-dressed monsters is not enough. We can’t afford to be consumed with anger. We can’t be obsessed & possessed with grievance. Our visceral bodies need to feel rowdy blessings. Our amazing imaginations need to thrive on missions that incite our harmonious unity.
We need – Truths in their natural forms – Insurrectionary Beauty that Excites our Curiosity – Outrageous Goodness that drives us to perform heroic acts of unselfish Compassion – Ingenious Justice that endlessly affirms us – Complex Freedom that is never permanent but must be reinvented & reclaimed every day, & a totally-serious-yet-always-laughing Love that schemes & dreams about how to transform the suffering & increase the Wisdom of every Sentient Being.
So I’m radically curious, my fellow creators – Since we are in charge of making a brand New World, where do we begin?
What truths in their wild state are we planning to plant at the heart of our creation? What stories will be our reminders? What questions will be our fuel?
As we bring Heaven & Earth together, as the dreamtime & daytime merge, as paradise & the underworld overlap, we register the shockingly exhilarating fact that we are in charge – you & I are in charge – of making a brand new world. Not in some distant time or faraway place, but right here & right now.
See you on the front line of your mind’s eye…
24 April 2021 – “Speaking with the Stars“: This evening Arcturus shines about three fists left of Bella Luna. Look below the Moon to find Spica, the brightest star of Virgo.
479 BC – Thutmose III ascends to the throne of Egypt
1184 BC – Traditional date of the fall of Troy
1915 – The arrest of 250 Armenian intellectuals & community leaders in Istanbul marks the beginning of the Armenian Genocide
1904 – Birthday of Willem de Kooning, Dutch-American painter & educator
1942 – Birthday of Barbra Streisand, American singer, actress, & producer
POD (Poem Of the Day)
~Will you Sow the seeds of premonition Into a fruitful action To ignite the weave In radiant expectation…? ~hag
Living into the Spheres of Cosmic Life and Cosmic Light:Easter, Ascension, Whitsun in the Calendar of the Soul with Luigi Morelli, Hazel Archer and Geoff Norris – Zoom Host Frank Agrama
13 May 2021 Ascension Thursday 5- 6:30pm PT / 6-7:30 pm MT / 7 pm – 8:30 pm CT / 8-9:30 pm ET / 1 am – 2:30 am GMT / 2 am – 3:30 am CET
Ascension: The Secret Teachings, The Elementals, & The Etheric Christ – Hazel Archer
Calendar of the Soul – Luigi Morelli
For those who are familiar with the Calendar of the Soul we could say that during spring and summer we follow the ascent of cosmic life, cosmic light, cosmic warmth and cosmic Word as gifts bestowed upon the human being by the cosmos. By being receptive to them we strengthen our connection to cosmos and Self.
We will briefly explore the dynamics of the year, then look at what qualities of soul we need to develop as we move into spring and summer, most particularly from Easter to Ascension and Whitsun. We will look at the verses of the calendar in conjunction with the artistic renditions of Anne Stockton and Karl König, drawn for each of the verses.
We will ask ourselves: How can we live into and grow from this time of the year? How can we deepen our inner relationship to the event of Ascension? What can we receive and what can we give?
Break-out Groups
Group Speech Work with Geoff Norris
“Angels, in the early morning May be seen the Dews among, Stooping — plucking — smiling — flying — Do the Buds to them belong?” ~Emily Dickenson
Closing Thoughts – Hazel Archer
***
Sangraal: A Pentecost Pilgrimage & Whitsun Festival with the Central Regional Council an experiential ‘Pageant’ written by Hazel Archer, taking us on a Quest from The Cauldron of Ceridwen, to The Holy Grail, & into The Sacred Vessel of the Sophia.
Join us on Whitsunday 23 May2021, at 11 am PT / 12 noon MT / 1 pm – 2:30 pm CT / 2 pm ET / 8 pm CET
After working with Karma & Reincarnation for 3 years the CRC has chosen a new Theme: ‘The Mysteries of the Holy Grail, from Arthur and Parzival to Modern Initiation’
Even day & night dance Making sunset & dawn between them A rhythmic state of grace… Even now The earth envelops the seed Pushing it into the darkness Before it arises into fruit… ~hag
23 April 2021 – Speaking with the Stars”: Venus and Mercury are beginning their twilight emergence just above the west-northwest horizon, but they’re still very shy about it. S
Comet ATLAS is now crossing Corona Borealis and Bootes in fine, high view in the east by late evening.
303 – Death day & feast of Saint George, Roman soldier & martyr. One of the ‘14 Holy Helpers’ immortalized in the myth of Saint George & the Dragon. In the legend a dragon or crocodile makes its nest at the spring that provides water for the city of Lydda in the Holy Land. Consequently, the citizens have to dislodge the dragon from its nest to collect water. So, each day they offer the dragon at first a sheep, then a maiden. The victim is chosen by drawing lots. One day, this happens to be the princess. The monarch begs for her life to be spared, but to no avail. She is offered to the dragon, but then Saint George appears on his travels. He faces the dragon, protects himself with the sign of the Cross, slays the dragon, & rescues the princess. The citizens abandon their ancestral paganism & convert to Christianity
23 April 1564 – Birthday of William Shakespeare 23 April 1616 – Deathday of William Shakespeare
“…A legend has arisen about Shakespeare and whole libraries have been written about each of his works. Academics have given many interpretations of his plays, and finally a number of writers have decided that an uneducated actor could not have produced all the thoughts which they discovered in Shakespeare’s works, and they became addicted to the hypothesis that not William Shakespeare, the actor of the Globe Theatre, could have written the plays which bear his name, but some other highly learned man, for example Lord Francis Bacon of Verulam, who in view of the low estimation of literary activity at that time, borrowed the actor’s name. These suppositions are based on the fact that no manuscripts written by Shakespeare’s hand have ever been found; they are also based upon a notebook discovered in a London library with single passages in it which are supposed to correspond with certain passages in Shakespeare’s plays.
But Shakespeare’s own works bear witness that he is their author. His plays reveal that they were written by a man who had a thorough knowledge of the theatre and the deepest understanding for theatrical effects.
That Shakespeare himself did not publish his plays was simply in keeping with the general custom at his time. Not one of his plays was printed during his lifetime. They were carefully kept under wraps; people were to come to the theatre and see the plays there, not read them at home. Prints which appeared at that time were pirated editions, based on notes taken during the performances, so that the texts did not completely correspond to the original versions, but were full of errors and mutilations.
These partial omissions and mistakes led certain researchers to claim that Shakespeare’s plays, as they were then available, were not works of art of any special value and that originally they must have existed in quite a different form.
One of these researchers is Eugen Reichel, who thinks that the author of Shakespeare’s plays was a man with a certain definite worldview. But such opinions are contradicted by the fact that the plays, in the form in which they now exist, exercise such an extraordinary influence. We see this great effect in plays that have undoubtedly been mutilated, for example in Macbeth. The hold of Shakespeare’s plays on his audience was proved by a performance of Henry V under the direction of Neuman-Hofer at the inauguration of the Lessing Theatre. It did not fail to produce a powerful impression in spite of an extremely bad translation and poor acting.
Shakespeare’s plays are above all character dramas. The great interest which they arouse does not so much lie in the action, as in the wonderful development of the individual characters. The poet conjures up before us a human character and unfolds his thoughts and feelings in the presentation of an individual personality.
This artistic development, which culminated in Shakespeare, was made possible by the preceding phase of cultural development: the Renaissance. Shakespeare’s character-dramas could only arise as a result of the higher estimation of the individual during the Renaissance. During the early middle ages we find, even in Dante and in spite of his strong personality, the basic expression of the Christian ideas of that time. The Christian type of his time, not the individual human personality, appeared in the foreground. This was the general conception. The Christian principle had no interest in the individual personality. But little by little a new worldview aroused interest in the Individual human being. Only gradually did a new interest in the individual arise by means of the different viewpoint.
The fact that Shakespeare’s fame spread so quickly proves that he found an audience keenly interested in the theatre, that is to say, with a certain understanding for the representation of the personality as offered by Shakespeare. Shakespeare’s chief aim was to describe individual characters, and he was far from presenting to his audience an ethical or moral idea. For example, the idea of tragic guilt, as found in Schiller’s dramas, who thought that he had to encumber his hero with it in order to justify his downfall, does not exist in Shakespeare’s plays. He simply allows the events to take their course consistently, uninfluenced by the idea of guilt and atonement. It would be difficult to find a concept of guilt in this sense in any of his plays.
Shakespeare also did not intend to present a certain idea, not jealousy in Othello or ambition in Macbeth, no, simply the definite characters of Othello, Macbeth, or Hamlet. Just because he did not burden his characters with theories was he able to create such great ones. He was thoroughly acquainted with the stage, and this practical knowledge enabled him to develop his action in such a way as to thrill an audience. In the whole literature of the world there are no plays which are so completely conceived from the standpoint of the actor. This is a clear proof that Shakespeare, the actor, has the merit of having written these plays.
Shakespeare was born in Stratford in 1564. His father was in fairly good circumstances, so that his son was able to attend the Latin grammar school in his hometown. There are many legends about Shakespeare’s youth. Some say that he was a poacher and led an adventurous life. These things have been adduced against his authorship, yet these very experiences could only enrich his dramatic creation. Even the fact that in spite of his good education he was not encumbered with higher academic study, gave him the possibility to face things more freely and in a far more unprejudiced way. The poet’s adventurous nature explains to some extent some of the greatest qualities in his plays: the bold flight of his fantasy, his sudden transformations in the action, his passion and daring, all bear witness to a life full of movement and color.
In 1585, when Shakespeare’s financial conditions were no longer in a flourishing state, he went to London. There he began his theatrical career in the most menial way, by holding the horses of the visitors while they were enjoying the performance. He then became supervisor of a number of such boys who had to hold the horses’ reins, and was at last admitted to the stage. In 1592 he played his first important role.
His fame soon began to spread — both as an actor and as a dramatist — and his conditions improved, so that in 1597 he was able to buy a house in Stratford. After he became part-owner of the Globe Theatre he was a wealthy man.
The plays written during Shakespeare’s first period: Love’s Labour Lost, As You Like It, etc., do not differ so greatly from the plays of his contemporaries, of Marlowe and others; their expressive power, their purity and naturalness were moreover impaired by a certain artificial note which was the fashion in those days. The great character-plays, which were to establish his fame for all time, followed: Othello, Hamlet, Macbeth, King Lear, Julius Caesar.
Some of Shakespeare’s biographers and commentators wish to deduce from certain of his later plays troubled experiences which embittered him. But in Shakespeare’s case this is difficult to establish, because his identity withdraws behind his characters. They do not voice his thoughts, but they all think and act in accordance with their own disposition and character.
It is consequently useless to ask what Shakespeare’s own standpoint may have been on certain difficult questions. For it is not Shakespeare, but Hamlet who broods over the problem of “to be, or not to be”, who recoils from his father’s ghost, just as Macbeth recoils from the witches. Whether Shakespeare believed in ghosts and witches, whether he was a churchgoer or a freethinker, is not the point at all: He simply asked himself: how should a ghost or a witch appear on the stage so as to produce a strong effect upon the audience? The fact that this effect is undiminished today proves that Shakespeare was able to answer this question.
We should not forget that the modern stage is not favourable to the effect which Shakespeare’s plays can produce. The importance which is now attributed to props, costumes, the frequent changes of scenery, etc. diminish the effect which is to be produced by the characters in the plays — for this remains the chief thing. In Shakespeare’s time when a change of scenery was simply indicated by a notice-board, when a table and a chair sufficed for the furniture of a royal palace, the effect produced by the characters must have been much greater than today.
Whereas in the modern theater so much depends on scenery, props, etc., when the playwright usually gives a detailed description of the scenery so that the effect of his plays may be handicapped by bad staging, Shakespeare’s plays leave a strong impression, even when performed badly.
And when a times comes in which we again see the essential more than is the case today, will the effect of Shakespeare’s art be ever greater: through the power of characterization which remains alive and unequaled through the centuries.”
William Shakespeare ~Notes of a Lecture given by Dr. Rudolf Steiner, Berlin, May 6, 1902, GA 51, Schmidt Number: S-0338, Lecture eleven of thirty-eight lectures in the lecture series entitled, Philosophy, History, and Literature, published in German as, Über Philosophie, Geschichte und Literatur. Based on an essay, Bn 29.1.28, entitled, Another Secret of Shakespeare’s Works.
Note from Marie Steiner: Friends who heard that notes existed of a lecture on Shakespeare given by Dr. Steiner in 1902 at the Workmen’s School in Berlin expressed the wish to read these notes. They were taken down by Johanna Mücke, who did not know shorthand, so they do not claim to be complete. The 7 pages of typescript may correspond to about 25 pages of the original text of the lecture. But important points emerge even from these incomplete notes.
1775 – Birthday of Joseph Mallord William Turner – J. M. W. Turner – Artist. As Turner grew older, he became more eccentric. He had few close friends except for his father, who lived with him for 30 years and worked as his studio assistant. His father’s death in 1829 had a profound effect on him, and thereafter he was subject to bouts of depression. He never married but had a relationship with an older widow, Sarah Danby. He is believed to have been the father of her two daughters Evelina Dupois and Georgiana Thompson. Turner formed a relationship with Sophia Caroline Booth after her second husband died, and he lived for about 18 years as “Mr Booth” in her house in Chelsea. Turner left a small fortune which he hoped would be used to support what he called “decayed artists”.
1869 – Birthday of Ludwig Polzer-Hoditz – was born in Prague (then in the Austro-Hungarian Empire) to an aristocratic family with royal connections. Polzer-Hoditz was one of Rudolf Steiner’s most valued, independently-minded colleagues. Leaving behind his background traditions, he would become a key player in Steiner’s regenerative threefold social impulses, working tirelessly for a genuinely unified, free Europe. He also fought to protect Rudolf Steiner’s esoteric legacy & the integrity of the Anthroposophical Society.
Following Steiner’s untimely death, Polzer-Hoditz fostered a broad range of friendships & alliances with key figures such as D.N. Dunlop, Walter Johannes Stein, & Ita Wegman. In a bid to avoid further division & conflict, he made significant interventions to alter the tragic course of events that consumed the Anthroposophical Society, although he was unable to stop the major split within the membership that followed. In the final decade of his life, he concentrated his energies on world issues & on influencing events, especially in Europe, while lecturing widely & writing books. In contrast to the destructive special interests of the national & religious groups that craved dominion & power, Polzer-Hoditz sought to build a true understanding between Central & Eastern Europe & to cultivate a spiritual connection with the West.
According to anthroposopher T.H. Meyer, Ludwig Polzer-Hoditz had an experience that brought to the surface one of his past incarnations as Hadrian, 76 AD – 10 July, 138 AD, who was Roman emperor from 117 to 138. He is known for building Hadrian’s Wall, which marked the northern limit of Britannia. He also rebuilt the Pantheon & constructed the Temple of Venus & Roma. He is considered to have been a humanist, & he is regarded as one of the ‘Five Good Emperors’.
Hadrian was born into a Hispano-Roman family. During his reign, he traveled to nearly every province of the Empire. An ardent admirer of Greece, he sought to make Athens the cultural capital of the Empire and ordered the construction of many opulent temples in the city. He used his relationship with his Greek lover Antinous to underline his love of Greek culture leading to the creation of one of the most popular cults of ancient times. He spent extensive amounts of time with the military; he usually wore military attire & even dined & slept amongst the soldiers. Late in his reign he suppressed the Bar Kokhba revolt in Judaea, renaming the province Syria Palaestina
1891 – Birthday of Russian composer, & conductor Sergei Prokofiev, egarded as one of the major composers of the 20th century. A graduate of the St Petersburg Conservatory, Prokofiev initially made his name as an iconoclastic composer-pianist, achieving notoriety with a series of ferociously dissonant & virtuosic works for his instrument. Prokofiev’s greatest interest, however, was opera.
After the Revolution, Prokofiev left Russia & resided in the United States, then Germany, then Paris, making his living as a composer, pianist & conductor. During that time he married a Spanish singer, Carolina Codina, with whom he had two sons. In the early 1930s, the Great Depression diminished opportunities for Prokofiev’s ballets & operas to be staged in America & western Europe. Prokofiev, who regarded himself as composer foremost, resented the time taken by touring as a pianist, & increasingly turned to Soviet Russia for commissions of new music; in 1936 he finally returned to his homeland with his family. He enjoyed some success there – notably with Lieutenant Kijé, Peter & the Wolf, Romeo & Juliet, & above all with Alexander Nevsky.
The Nazi invasion of the USSR spurred him to compose his most ambitious work, an operatic version of Leo Tolstoy’s War and Peace. In 1948 Prokofiev was attacked for producing “anti-democratic formalism”, so with his standing compromised & his income severely curtailed, he was forced to compose Stalinist Soviet music, such as the cantata On Guard for Peace.
Prokofiev died at the age of 61 on 5 March 1953, the same day as Joseph Stalin. He had lived near Red Square, & for 3 days the throngs gathered to mourn Stalin, making it impossible to carry Prokofiev’s body out for the funeral service at the headquarters of the Soviet Composers’ Union. He is buried in the Novodevichy Cemetery in Moscow. He was an atheist
1919 – Opening of the 1st Waldorf School, Stuttgart Germany. Waldorf education, is based on the educational philosophy of Rudolf Steiner, the founder of anthroposophy. Its pedagogy emphasizes the role of imagination in learning, striving to integrate holistically the intellectual, practical, & artistic development of pupils.
Steiner’s division of child development into three major stages is reflected in the schools’ approach to early childhood education, which focuses on practical, hands-on activities & creative play; to elementary education, which focuses on developing artistic expression & social capacities; & to secondary education, which focuses on developing critical reasoning & empathic understanding.
The overarching goal is to develop free, morally responsible, & integrated individuals equipped with a high degree of social competence.
Qualitative assessments of student work are integrated into the daily life of the classroom, with quantitative testing playing a minimal role in primary education & standardized testing usually limited to that required for college entry. Individual teachers & schools have a great deal of autonomy in determining curriculum content, teaching methodology, & governance
1945 – Deathday of Albrecht Georg Haushofer (a German geographer, diplomat, author & member of the German Resistance to Nazism. Haushofer was born in Munich, the son of the retired World War I general.
Obtaining an insight in Nazi politics, Haushofer approached to German resistance circles. Following the outbreak of World War II.
High-ranking members of the Nazi Party looked disapprovingly upon his half-Jewish mother. Incarcerated in Berlin Moabit Prison, he wrote his Moabit Sonnets, posthumously published in 1946. In the night of 22/23 April 1945, as Red Army troops already entered Berlin, Albrecht Haushofer & other inmates were shot in the neck by SS troopers. His body was discovered by his brother Heinz on 12 May 1945.
One of the sonnets, titled Schuld or “Guilt”, was on his person at the time of his execution. It reads as follows:
Guilt I am guilty, But not in the way you think. I should have earlier recognized my duty; I should have more sharply called evil evil; I reined in my judgment too long. I did warn, But not enough, and not clearly enough; And today I know what I was guilty of. ~ Albrecht Haushofer
Living into the Spheres of Cosmic Life and Cosmic Light:Easter, Ascension, Whitsun in the Calendar of the Soul with Luigi Morelli, Hazel Archer and Geoff Norris – Zoom Host Frank Agrama
13 May 2021 Ascension Thursday 5- 6:30pm PT / 6-7:30 pm MT / 7 pm – 8:30 pm CT / 8-9:30 pm ET / 1 am – 2:30 am GMT / 2 am – 3:30 am CET
Ascension: The Secret Teachings, The Elementals, & The Etheric Christ – Hazel Archer
Calendar of the Soul – Luigi Morelli
For those who are familiar with the Calendar of the Soul we could say that during spring and summer we follow the ascent of cosmic life, cosmic light, cosmic warmth and cosmic Word as gifts bestowed upon the human being by the cosmos. By being receptive to them we strengthen our connection to cosmos and Self.
We will briefly explore the dynamics of the year, then look at what qualities of soul we need to develop as we move into spring and summer, most particularly from Easter to Ascension and Whitsun. We will look at the verses of the calendar in conjunction with the artistic renditions of Anne Stockton and Karl König, drawn for each of the verses.
We will ask ourselves: How can we live into and grow from this time of the year? How can we deepen our inner relationship to the event of Ascension? What can we receive and what can we give?
Break-out Groups
Group Speech Work with Geoff Norris
“Angels, in the early morning May be seen the Dews among, Stooping — plucking — smiling — flying — Do the Buds to them belong?” ~Emily Dickenson
Closing Thoughts – Hazel Archer
***
Sangraal: A Pentecost Pilgrimage & Whitsun Festival with the Central Regional Council an experiential ‘Pageant’ written by Hazel Archer, taking us on a Quest from The Cauldron of Ceridwen, to The Holy Grail, & into The Sacred Vessel of the Sophia.
Join us on Whitsunday 23 May2021, at 11 am PT / 12 noon MT / 1 pm – 2:30 pm CT / 2 pm ET / 8 pm CET
After working with Karma & Reincarnation for 3 years the CRC has chosen a new Theme: ‘The Mysteries of the Holy Grail, from Arthur and Parzival to Modern Initiation’
Living into the Spheres of Cosmic Life and Cosmic Light:Easter, Ascension, Whitsun in the Calendar of the Soul with Luigi Morelli, Hazel Archer and Geoff Norris – Zoom Host Frank Agrama
13 May 2021 Ascension Thursday 5- 6:30pm PT / 6-7:30 pm MT / 7 pm – 8:30 pm CT / 8-9:30 pm ET / 1 am – 2:30 am GMT / 2 am – 3:30 am CET
Ascension: The Secret Teachings, The Elementals, & The Etheric Christ – Hazel Archer
Calendar of the Soul – Luigi Morelli
For those who are familiar with the Calendar of the Soul we could say that during spring and summer we follow the ascent of cosmic life, cosmic light, cosmic warmth and cosmic Word as gifts bestowed upon the human being by the cosmos. By being receptive to them we strengthen our connection to cosmos and Self.
We will briefly explore the dynamics of the year, then look at what qualities of soul we need to develop as we move into spring and summer, most particularly from Easter to Ascension and Whitsun. We will look at the verses of the calendar in conjunction with the artistic renditions of Anne Stockton and Karl König, drawn for each of the verses.
We will ask ourselves: How can we live into and grow from this time of the year? How can we deepen our inner relationship to the event of Ascension? What can we receive and what can we give?
Break-out Groups
Group Speech Work with Geoff Norris
“Angels, in the early morning May be seen the Dews among, Stooping — plucking — smiling — flying — Do the Buds to them belong?” ~Emily Dickenson
Closing Thoughts – Hazel Archer
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Sangraal: A Pentecost Pilgrimage & Whitsun Festival with the Central Regional Council an experiential ‘Pageant’ written by Hazel Archer, taking us on a Quest from The Cauldron of Ceridwen, to The Holy Grail, & into The Sacred Vessel of the Sophia.
Join us on Whitsunday 23 May2021, at 11 am PT / 12 noon MT / 1 pm – 2:30 pm CT / 2 pm ET / 8 pm CET
After working with Karma & Reincarnation for 3 years the CRC has chosen a new Theme: ‘The Mysteries of the Holy Grail, from Arthur and Parzival to Modern Initiation’
“For once, therefore, a man woke up and saw that what mattered was not to proclaim democracy but to see the full reality, not to follow slogans, but to see things as they are. This would be particularly important today, for people would then realize that the events which reign with such blood and terror over the whole of humanity are guided and directed from just a few centres. People will never realize this if they persist in the delusion that nation is fighting nation, and allow the European and American Press to lull them to sleep over the kinds of relations that are said to exist between nations. Everything said about antagonism and opposition between nations only exists to cast a veil over the true reasons. For we shall never arrive at the real truth if we feed on words in order to explain these events, but only if we point to actual people. The problem is that this tends to be unpalatable today. And the man who woke up and wrote these statements in 1910 also presented some highly unwelcome accounts in his book. He produced a list of fifty-five individuals who are the real rulers and exploiters of France. The list can be found in Francis Delaisi’s La Democratie et les Financiers, written in 1910; the same man has also written La Guerre qui vient, a book which has become famous. In his La Democratie et les Financiers you will find statements of fundamental significance. There you have someone who has woken up to reality. The book contains impulses which allow one to see through much of what we should see through today, and also to cut through much of the fog which is made to wash over human brains today. Here again, we must resolve to look to reality.
The book has, of course, been ignored. It does, however, raise issues which should be raised all over the world today, for they would teach people much about the reality which others intend to bury under all their declamations on democracy and autocracy and whatever the slogans may be. The book also gives an excellent exposition on the extremely difficult position in which members of parliament find themselves. People think they can vote according to their convictions. But you would have to know all the different threads which tie them to reality if you wanted to know why they vote for one thing and against another. Certain issues really must be raised. Delaisi does so. Thus, for example, he considers a member of parliament and asks the question: Which side should the poor man support? The people pay him three thousand francs a year and the shareholders pay him thirty thousand francs!’ To pose the question is to answer it. So the poor dear man gets his three-thousand-franc allowance from the people, and thirty thousand francs from the shareholders! I think you will agree it is a good piece of proof, a sign of real acumen, to say: How nice that a socialist, a man of the people like Millerand has gained a seat in parliament! Delaisi’s question goes in another direction. He asks: How far can someone like Millerand, who was earning thirty thousands francs a year for representing insurance companies, be independent?
So for once someone did wake up. He is well aware of the threads which run from the actions of such an individual to the different insurance companies. But such things, reported by someone who is awake and sees the truth, are ignored. It is, of course, only too easy to talk about democracy in the Western world. Yet if you wanted to tell people the truth you would have to say: ‘The man called so and so is doing this, and the one called so and so is doing that.’ Delaisi has found fifty-five men — not a democracy but fifty-five specific individuals — who, he says, govern and exploit France. There, someone has discovered the real facts, for in ordinary life, too, a feeling must awaken for the real facts..
It is not a bad thing to know these things, which are ingredients of reality. They must be seriously considered. And one is guided to develop something of a nose for reality when one takes up anthroposophy, whilst the materialistic education people have today, with innumerable channels opening into it from the Press, is designed to point not to the realities but to something which is cloaked in all kinds of slogans. And if someone does wake up, as Delaisi did, and writes about how things really are, how many people get to know about it? How many people will listen? They cannot listen, for it is buried by — well, by a life that again is ruled by the Press. Delaisi shows himself to be a bright person, someone who has gone to a lot of trouble to gain real insight. He is no blind follower of parliamentarianism, nor of democracy. He predicts that the things people think are so clever today will come to an end. He says so expressly, also with reference to the ‘voting machine’ — which is approximately how he puts it. He is entirely scientific and serious in his discourse on this parliamentary voting machine, for he understands the whole system which leads to these ‘voting machines’, where people are made to believe that a convinced majority is voting against a mentally unhinged minority. He knows that something else will have to take the place of this if there is to be healthy development.
This is not yet possible, for people would be deeply shocked if you were to tell them what will take its place. Only people initiated into spiritual science can really know this today. Forms which belong to the past will definitely not take its place. You need not be afraid that someone speaking out of anthroposophy will promote some kind of reactionary or conservative ideas; no, these will not be things of the past, but they will be so different from the ‘voting machine’ which exists today that people will be shocked and consider this madness. Nevertheless it will enter into the impulses of evolution in time. Delaisi, too, says: In organic development certain parts lose their original function and become useless but still persist for some time; in the same way, these parliaments will continue to vote for quite some time, but all real life will have departed from them.” ~Rudolf Steiner, ‘Fall of the Spirits of Darkness’ Lecture 14 Dornach, 28 October 1917 http://wn.rsarchive.org/Lectures/GA177/English/RSP1993/19171028p01.html
22 August 2021 – “Speaking with the Stars”: The constellation Hercules the Kneeling Giant can be seen ascending in the east-northeast. You can find Hercules between two brilliant stars: Arcturus and Vega. Arcturus is in the constellation Boötes, and Vega is in the constellation Lyra. A line between Arcturus and Vega passes through what is known as the Keystone – an asterism, or noticeable star pattern – in Hercules. You might still see a few Meteors coming from the radiant of Lyra…
Music is the expression of the will of nature while all other arts are expressions of the idea of nature. ~Rudolf Steiner
ON THIS DAY IN HISTORY
254 – Deathday of Origen (which means *child of Horus* -his nickname was Adamantios which means *unconquerable*, *diamond*) – Church father considered a heretic because of his belief in reincarnation.
1145 – the 19th recorded perihelion passage of Halley’s Comet
1451 – Birthday of Isabella I, of Castile, Queen of Spain
1724 – Birthday of philosopher Immanuel Kant
1840 – Birthday of painter Odilon Redon
1904 – Birthday of physicist J.R. Oppenheimer
1954 – Red Scare: Witnesses begin testifying and live television coverage of the Army–McCarthy hearings begins
1970- 1stEarth Day “There are no passengers on Spaceship Earth. We are all crew.” ~Marshall McLuhan
“We can speak of Karma not only in the case of individual persons, for man should not consider himself as a single being. If the individual were to rise even a few miles above the earth, the result would be the same as if the finger severed itself from the body.
If we penetrate into spiritual science we are literally forced to admit through this knowledge that we should not delude ourselves to the extent of insisting that we are single beings. This applies to the physical world and even more to the spiritual world. Man belongs to the whole world and his destiny is involved with that of the entire world. Karma touches not only the individual, but also the life of whole nations.”
Are you ready to be a connoisseur of potent mysteries that purify the mind & nurture the soul…? What would it be like to live as a madcap, in quest of seemingly impossible imaginings – Or a fierce adept of uncertainty, in love with the unpredictable wisdom of righteous teachings…?
The truth of the spirit tells us that we are all connected to each other thru the collective unconscious – Your soul & my soul have taproots that sink deep into the memories & capacities of the entire human race…
So as we move deeper into the Easter-Tide towards Ascension – A time when the trees begin to flower & clouds call out our secret name – our taproots are ever communing in juicy delight…
O goody right…?!? Can you feel how we are in more intimate contact than ever with the primal pool of possibilities…? And that means we have the power to draw on mojo that transcends our individual personal abilities…We have access to the storehouse of eternal blessings waiting to be received…
Sweet, Ok, great, so…then ask yourself: What are you going to do with this luscious lightning; these ambrosial visions, the O-so-gooey timeless healing balm, streaming in from the beginning of time…?
Friends, if we are to make use of these gifts, then we must break taboos, buck tradition, & overthrow conventional understanding – exercising blithe grace, hug worthy gratitude & jaunty charm…
And there are a couple more caveats: The beautiful truth won’t be simple & bright; No sorry, that’s boring – it will be dense, convoluted, & kaleidoscopic…& yet, the simple things in life, the stuff we may be taking for granted, will be beaming with life-force – every floral scent floating in on the breeze, the fragrance of earth after rain, of hyacinth & lilac, the nesting song birds at dawn – the thunder at noon – may even begin to sound like an orchestra in the park, inviting you to join in…So why not tune yourself up & begin to sing the song of freedom won…
~see you there
~hag
21 April 2021 – “Speaking with the Stars”: Bella Luna passes between Regulus & Algieba (the orange star above Regulus)
In the early-morning hours of Thursday the Lyrid meteor shower, is at its maximum activity. The light of the waxing gibbous Moon will interfere until the Moon sets about an hour before the first glimmer of dawn. That dark hour is the best window to plan for. Listen to the podcast about the Lyrids on ‘I Think Speech’
According to Rudolf Steiner’s Original Calendar of the Soul. today is the Birthday of Simeon, who recognized the Buddha in the Luke Jesus as he was the reincarnation of Asita see GA 114/16.9.09
Also according to Steiner today is the Birthday in 570 of Mohammed, the Prophet of Islam.
753 BC – Romulus founds Rome
1109 – Feast day of Saint Anselm of Canterbury, Benedictine monk, abbot, Doctor of the Church, philosopher & theologian who held the office of archbishop of Canterbury from 1093 to 1109. Anselm composed dialogues & treatises causing him to be credited as one of the founders of Scholasticism. He was famed as the originator of the ontological argument for the existence of God & of the satisfaction theory of atonement.
1142 – Peter Abelard, a medieval French scholastic philosopher, theologian, & preeminent logician. His love affair with, Héloïse d’Argenteuil has become legendary. The Chambers Biographical Dictionary describes him as “the keenest thinker and boldest theologian of the 12th Century”.
1910 – Deathday of Mark Twain, American novelist, humorist, & critic
1989 – Tiananmen Square protests. In Beijing, around 100,000 students gather in Tiananmen Square to commemorate Chinese reform leader Hu Yaobang
2014 – The city of Flint, Michigan switches its water source to the Flint River, beginning the ongoing Flint water crisis which has caused lead poisoning in up to 12,000 people, & at least 15 deaths from Legionnaires disease, ultimately leading to criminal indictments against 15 people, five of whom have been charged with involuntary manslaughter.
Living into the Spheres of Cosmic Life and Cosmic Light:Easter, Ascension, Whitsun in the Calendar of the Soul with Luigi Morelli, Hazel Archer and Geoff Norris – Zoom Host Frank Agrama
13 May 2021 Ascension Thursday 5- 6:30pm PT / 6-7:30 pm MT / 7 pm – 8:30 pm CT / 8-9:30 pm ET / 1 am – 2:30 am GMT / 2 am – 3:30 am CET
Ascension: The Secret Teachings, The Elementals, & The Etheric Christ – Hazel Archer
Calendar of the Soul – Luigi Morelli
For those who are familiar with the Calendar of the Soul we could say that during spring and summer we follow the ascent of cosmic life, cosmic light, cosmic warmth and cosmic Word as gifts bestowed upon the human being by the cosmos. By being receptive to them we strengthen our connection to cosmos and Self.
We will briefly explore the dynamics of the year, then look at what qualities of soul we need to develop as we move into spring and summer, most particularly from Easter to Ascension and Whitsun. We will look at the verses of the calendar in conjunction with the artistic renditions of Anne Stockton and Karl König, drawn for each of the verses.
We will ask ourselves: How can we live into and grow from this time of the year? How can we deepen our inner relationship to the event of Ascension? What can we receive and what can we give?
Break-out Groups
Group Speech Work with Geoff Norris
“Angels, in the early morning May be seen the Dews among, Stooping — plucking — smiling — flying — Do the Buds to them belong?” ~Emily Dickenson
Closing Thoughts – Hazel Archer
Sangraal: A Pentecost Pilgrimage & Whitsun Festival with the Central Regional Council an experiential ‘Pageant’ written by Hazel Archer, taking us on a Quest from The Cauldron of Ceridwen, to The Holy Grail, & into The Sacred Vessel of the Sophia.
Join us on Whitsunday 23 May2021, at 11 am PT / 12 noon MT / 1 pm – 2:30 pm CT / 2 pm ET / 8 pm CET
After working with Karma & Reincarnation for 3 years the CRC has chosen a new Theme: ‘The Mysteries of the Holy Grail, from Arthur and Parzival to Modern Initiation’