With all the genocide being perpetuated by those in power in Israel, I would like to tell the story of Ruth & Naomi, a Jewish woman & an Arab woman who shared a deep karmic connection, giving us a message of unity we need so much today. Their story is mixed in with the Holiday called Shavuot, the Feast of Weeks, Feast of The First Fruits, or Feast of the Giving of the Law; a spring festival that celebrates the grain harvest, & the ripening of the first fruits, as well as the anniversary of the giving of the Torah. Remember that this is the time that Moses meets the ‘I AM” of Christ in the burning bush!

According to tradition folks overslept the day that Moses came down from fiery Mount Sinai. So to atone, many folks hold an all-night vigil on the eve of Shavuot. They light candles, decorate with flowers, eat dairy food, study Torah, & read the Book of Ruth- an integral part of the Jewish & Christian liturgical year. Sections of Ruth are also used in the Protestant Wedding ceremony

A number of biblical scholars have speculated that the Book of Ruth may have been written by a woman – its story is not only expressed entirely from a woman’s point of view, the name “Ruth” literally means, “woman friend.” And the grammar of the original Hebrew shows an unusual content of gender equality. There is also a hidden teaching in Ruth, a kind of women’s mystery that we can contemplate, & also an allegory for a karmic, or spiritual union.

Here’s a synopsis: The widow Naomi & her 2 sons left Israel, because of a famine, traveling thru foreign lands. They settled in Moab which today is an Arab country on the East Bank of the Jordan River, bordered by Saudi Arabia, Iraq, Syria & Palestine. The sons married Ruth & Orpah, 2 non-Jewish women from that place. During this time in exile, the 2 sons died, & the 3 woman became very close.

The tender friendship was especially strong between Ruth & Naomi, so unusual with a mother-in-law; which has been celebrated in poetry, prose & in art, the world round. After a time, Naomi gets word that Jerusalem is fertile again, & with her 2 sons gone, she desires to go back to her homeland, telling her 2 daughters-in-law that they should go back to their families, since life with her would be one of poverty, in a strange land, & she didn’t want them to have to sacrifice all the pleasures of their young lives for her. Already sad & lonely with the loss of their husbands, the thought of parting with Naomi really intensified their grief. United in common sorrow, the 3 women stand at a crossroads. Naomi’s words made a deep impression on Orpah; & at last she decides to take her advice; –

But not Ruth, who felt a special destiny with Naomi; so they journeyed on together & made a home in Bethlehem, where Naomi’s family owned a small house, with a spring on the outskirts of town, but little else.

Ruth wanting to earn her keep, heard that laborers were needed in the fields. And Naomi remembered that she had a kinsman, Boaz, whose name means strength -a man of great wealth, as well as wisdom. And so it was that Ruth became employed in the fields of Boaz; where she worked hard & proved a blessing to her mother. Boaz took note of the integrity of the woman  from Moab. At harvest time he needed many extra hands, & he often went among the reapers to see how the work was going forward. He heard such good accounts of Ruth’s industry, dignity & discretion that he ordered his men to leave plenty for her to glean & to carry home in the evening. This she often sold on the way, in order to buy something that Naomi needed.

The 2 woman enjoyed their evenings together. Naomi had her spinning-wheel & loom; she also worked in the garden, raising vegetables, herbs & chickens. They often talked over their day’s labor as they enjoyed their simple supper of herb tea, bread & watercress.

One night Naomi was told by the spirit of prophecy, that from Ruth would descend 6 of the most righteous men of the age, notably, the prophet Daniel, King David, & what we would call ‘the Luke Jesus’. Boaz prized Ruth for her virtues, & her great moral qualities of head & heart.

In due time they were married; & Ruth bore a son whose name was Obed, which means: ‘One who Serves’. Obed became the father of Jesse, the root from which sprung the Virgin Mary. And Obed, Ruth’s son, was also the father of King David. And so that is how this ‘Old Testament’ story ends, but we know this is just the beginning…

~hag

a video which includes this story & other tradtions around this Hoilday which is also connected to Whitsun can be found HERE or listen on the ‘I Think Speech’ podcast

16 May 2021 – “Speaking with the Stars”: Now’s the time to catch the elusive messenger of the gods Mercury, the innermost planet of the solar system as it swings into its greatest elongation east of the setting sun tonight. Look for this world in the western sky, where it’s popping out shortly after sunset above the planet Venus. As evening dusk ebbs into night, Venus blazes near the western horizon, & fainter Mercury is above it. And the lighted face of Bella Luna points toward Mars.

POD (Poem Of the Day)

~Now I seize
Darkness by its arms & shake it…
The souls of ancient swallowed women fall out
Of the belly of obscurity…
The old She, the few & the forgotten
Walk back into being
With me…
~hag

Find a collection of the many RECORDINGS of Presentations, Programs & Festivals HERE

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.

with Special Guests: Mary Mertz, Camille Vettraino. Eurythmy with Elizabeth Carlson, & Music with Ultra-Violet Archer

Join us on Whitsunday 23 May 2021, at 11 am PT / 12 noon MT / 1 pm – 2:30 pm CT / 2 pm ET / 8 pm CET

Join Zoom Meeting https://us02web.zoom.us/j/81181550712 Meeting ID: 811 8155 0712

Dial by your location  
Meeting ID: 811 8155 0712
Find your local number: https://us02web.zoom.us/u/kBw1EgrIR

Bio – Elizabeth Carlson – I was born and grew up in upstate [Woodstock] New York. I completed the eurythmy training at Eurythmy School Zuccoli in Dornach, age 24, and studied again later at Eurythmeum Stuttgart for two years. I have worked in Waldorf education since, in eurythmy, (in USA, SA and UK) for 16 yrs, in Early Years for five years, and intermittently in care for the elderly and learning disabled. I completed an MA in eurythmy (education) with Alanus University (Germany, but in the UK)  in 2016. I have lived in the UK, presently in Cardiff, Wales, since 1992. My son is 26.

Music by Ultra-Violet Archer – Here’s her solo stuff https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCkdsh6zXYxE74LLlDiBE3uQ

https://ultravioletarcher.bandcamp.com/track/when-my-wings-dry

The discography https://soundcloud.com/ultra-violet-archer

Bandcamp has all the lyrics & you can ‘buy’ the album to show support for ‘In Case of Emergence’ by ‘Circles Edge’ her new band with Morgan Vallet

https://circlesedge.bandcamp.com/album/in-case-of-emergence

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’

You are also invited to get the Book & Join us for study sessions through out the year as well. contact Alberto Loya aloyavaca@utexas.edu for more info.

We are She – She are We – Embodying Love in Wisdom with Hazel & Ultra-Violet Archer

9:30 am PT / 10:30 am MT / 11:30 am CT / 12:30 pm ET / 5:30 pm GMT / 6:30 pm CET