Within the aura of the Solar Eclipse energy on this Walpurgisnacht – what is being revealed to me more & more as the distillation process continues from the Sophia Rising Convergence is that: The unveiling of the New Isis-Sophia is not an abstract concept – it is not some convenient pet phrase to be bantered about without doing the work. We have to live it.
We have to be willing to pull back the curtain – to reveal the Wizard of Oz – who is, after all, a human being just like us. We don’t have to pretend we are all powerful & have all the answers, or think that we are unworthy to lift the veil. It is enough to be like Johannes in the Mystery Dramas, or like Faust – ever stumbling & striving to live in freedom & in Love.
Naming the forces that seek to divide us, that work to keep us in the dark, breaks the spell of concealment in which the adversarial powers lurk. If we use the courage of Michael to lift our own veil, allowing the vulnerability we seek to hide to become transparent, we are more able to do the practical work of revealing our karma & destiny, opening the way to healing & growth for ourselves & in the Social Sphere.
Sharing provides a valuable teaching moment. Putting our process into words helps us see what is working behind our own biographies & also provides an example to others that says yes, we are all in the same boat, the life boat of humanity & we can work together to keep it a-float when we have honest constructive communication. And of course I realize that this meeting of the other has to be done with consent & met in freedom when the time is ripe, it cannot be imposed or one-sided, & that takes patience on my part, which I am still learning to practice.
Naming the helpers, the times when our higher self is shining, as well as the hindrances that appear as obstacles on our path, makes conscious what is often kept behind the veil. When we employ the courage of Michael, to pierce thru that veil of shame, that veil hiding our true Self, that veil of protection, we can access the wisdom of the Sophia, & thru the Being of Love we can become the Parzival on a quest for the Holy Grail which is the unveiling of our true destiny.
I am feeling the need to take the digesting deeper, but 1st I want to acknowledge the initiator of the spark that set many hearts ablaze for the Sophia – How the impulse that was living in so many of us was ignited by one person’s initiative. Laura Scappaticci had the idea to invite folks to announce a conversation theme for each of the lunch tables, during the AGM in 2019. She then casually put out the word that anyone who was interested could come to a Lunch table with the intention to talk about The Sophia – and before we knew it we had to add another table then more chairs & then more, for the 40 folks who answered the call. That impulse became The Sophia Circle, where a group of us met on zoom all thru the corona-crisis, taking turns sharing our Sophia Biographies; which then morphed into the Sophia Community Circle monthly webinar sharing, which went on for a year – all leading up to our Sophia Rising Convergence. I am so grateful for Laura’s initiative which lives on in each of us. This feels like only the beginning of this work which will continue to be unveiled & blossom forth in the world.
Before I leave off, I wanted to mention how powerful it was to have such a presence of the arts there in Santa Fe. Besides the ArtActs that we wove into everyday, there was a collage and card-making room filled with delightful scraps to work with. We were left free to decorate the notebooks which every participant was given, or make cards for the Prison Outreach Program. In that room there was also an Art Dispersal hosted by Free Columbia, organized by Patricia Homan Lynch; & an Altar made by Applied Anthroposophy coordinators Jordan Walker & Angela Foster, featuring a ‘Honey Clock’.
The podium became our Nature Altar which folks added to all weekend. And the Hotel Library was our official ‘Sanctuary Room’, a quiet space perfect for meditation, & contemplation. I also spent a lot of time in the exhibitor’s room, where John-Scott Legg had the SteinerBooks set up. The evocative cover art by Eyahnna DalBo was part of the silent auction & went home with many Art Dispersal paintings to loving homes.
It was an honor to be part of the ASA team working with our new Programs Director Tess Parker who seamlessly took up the mantel of Laura’s work & has made it uniquely her own – these kinds of meaningful events are serving the members in a deep impactful way – as well as opening the Anthroposophical Society to a whole new generation of Michaelites. What a delight to be with so many young people whose insights always enlighten me. I look forward to future Convergences with the Sophia & with all of you…
Thanks to everyone who have been participating in this debriefing conversation, the research & unveiling continues…
~hag
30 April 2022 “Speaking with the Stars”: From Human Questions Cosmic Answers by Rudolf Steiner: “An eclipse of the sun is due to the fact that the moon comes between the sun and the earth, cutting off the rays of the sun.
At the time of a solar eclipse, for instance, something totally different takes place in the part of the earth affected from what is happening when there is no eclipse. When we know that on the one hand the rays of the sun penetrate down to the earth and on the other hand the forces or rays of will stream out to meet the sun. At an eclipse, these forces radiate into the darkness, and there ensues a period of time, short though it may be, in which all that is of the nature of will upon the earth flows out into universal space in an abnormal way. It is different altogether from what takes place when there is no eclipse. Ordinarily, the physical sunlight unites with the radiations of will streaming towards it. When there is an eclipse, the forces of will flow unhindered into cosmic space.
The old initiates knew these things. They saw that at such a moment all the unbridled impulses and instincts of humanity surge out into the cosmos. And they gave their pupils the following explanation. They said: Under normal conditions the evil impulses of will which are sent out into the cosmos by human beings are, as it were, burned up and consumed by the rays of the sun, so that they can injure only man himself, but can do no universal harm. When, however, there is an eclipse of the sun, opportunity is given for the evil which is willed on earth to spread over the cosmos. An eclipse is a physical event behind which there lies a significant spiritual reality.”
Rudolf Steiner’s Lectures on this day
ON THIS DAY IN HISTORY
Walpurgis Night, In Germanic folklore Walpurgisnacht, also called Hexennacht, literally “Witches’ Night” – the eve of the feast day of Saint Walpurga, an 8th-century abbess in Francia. In Goethe’s Faust we see 2 scenes: ‘Romantic Walpurgis Night’ the night of a witches’ meeting on the Brocken, the highest peak in the Harz Mountains, a range of wooded hills in central Germany; and later in Part 2 a ‘Classical Walpurgis Night’ is featured.
65 – Seneca, teacher of Nero, murdered
1789 – On the balcony of Federal Hall on Wall Street in New York City, George Washington takes the oath of office to become the first elected President of the United States.
1812 – Birthday of the enigmatic Kaspar Hauser
1877 – Birthday of Alice B. Toklas, an American-born member of the Parisian avant-garde of the early 20th century. Life partner of American writer Gertrude Stein
1885 – The Niagara Reservation becomes New York’s first state park, ensuring that Niagara Falls will not be devoted solely to industrial & commercial use
1939 – The 1939-40 New York World’s Fair opens
1945 – Adolf Hitler commits suicide
1963 – The Bristol Bus Boycott is held to protest the Company’s refusal to employ Black or Asian bus crews, drawing national attention to racial discrimination in the United Kingdom
This is the Eve of Beltane or May Day. Beltane, the old Celtic name for May Day, means bright fire or fire of Bel, the name of the Solar force, whose feast marks the beginning of the 2nd half of the year.
Wood from 9 sacred trees is gathered, & the great Bel-fire is built & ritualistically ignited by the High priestess or Arch-Druid. People would jump these ‘need-fires’ for fertility, healing & protection.
Torches lit from it were carried home to re-light the hearth fires. The folk would walk their animals in-between them to ensure a productive season – this is the mating season after all for man & beast.
There were other May Day customs, like walking the circuit of one’s property, repairing fences & boundary markers, processions of all kinds, archery tournaments, Morris dances, sword play, & of course making merry with music & drinking.
May morning is a time when the veil between the worlds can easily be pushed aside; but instead of the spirits coming into our realm from the other side, which is the case with Halloween, the polar opposite of Mayday on the wheel of the year -the fairies can enchant us over into their mystical realms.
This is a magical time, perfect for gathering ‘wild’ water, especially the May morning dew, or water from hidden wells & springs. These wild waters were collected & used to bath in for beauty, or to drink for health.
May Day is considered the start of summer – the time of milk & honey. This sensuous fertile energy is totally universal, & can be applied on many different levels. When we acknowledge these creative forces in the dance of our lives, it takes us to our own personal, modern-day version of dancing around the maypole, where we weave & combine the opposing energies within ourselves, blending them into one balanced source.
So yes, whether you know it or not, there will be at least one song that plays in your sub-conscious head on this eve of the 1st day of May, when you become perhaps, the Queen of the May, or Jack-in the Green. Our body like the body of the earth instinctively knows its Beltane, the time of vitality & passion & new growth. And the wisdom of our spirit seeks the natural union of polarities that occur at this time, giving us the opportunity for integration, in the alchemical dance of our souls…
Because under all the sexual innuendo & frivolity, it’s really all about the inner mystic marriage, the union of fire & water -opposites complimenting each other, to become one, bringing all the elements into balance.
You’ll just have to go dancing naked in the forest preserve on your own time…
For now, let’s work to unify the polarities of our being, by sparking the new fire of creative fertility & passion, & marrying it with the beautiful, healing waters of compassion & pure love. So we can truly celebrate the marriage feast of our lives, with a grounded, mindful joy.
So if it is your will – light your Bel-fire, marry it to the water, by floating it in the chalice of your choice. Take the time you need there…To do or not, what you will…Whisper your marriage vows into the water…or dance the 1st dance…or smash the glass…whatever your ceremony calls for…short simple or silent…it doesn’t matter…a 3 day bacchanal, with dancing puppets…it’s all good…cause it’s all about what’s inside…
~hag
Wednesday May 4th 7 pm PDT on ZOOM for the Sacramento Faust Branch
From Necessity to Freedom – The Evolution of Human Consciousness
From the vaporous cleft of Mount Parnassus, and the birth place of Greek Philosophy, to Michelangelo’s Sistine Chapel, and the Holy Grail – From Prophesy to Warning, from Fate to Karma, From Destiny to Free Will.
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 Cultural Events & Festivals Coordinator of the Chicago Rudolf Steiner Branch, & as the Central Regional Council representative on the General Council of the Anthroposophical Society in America. Past Video Recordings
We appreciate your support of the ongoing work of The Faust Branch in making these offerings available. Admission for lectures: Faust Branch members $5, non-members $10. No one excluded for lack of funds. Admission fees may be made via PayPal
Join Zoom Meeting – Conversation 6:45 pm PDT, Presentation 7 pm PDT
https://us02web.zoom.us/j/81856833235?pwd=Z29CQ1hVUWFEUjE1alkyb2RMSVIwZz09
Meeting ID: 818 5683 3235
Passcode: 576668
‘Let Freedom Ring – Reclaiming the Wisdom of Columbia – Folk Soul of America’.
A zoom presentation with Hazel Archer-Ginsberg For the Greater Washington Branch of the Anthroposophical Society
1 pm ET – 2:30 pm ET Saturday 14 May 2022
Join Zoom Meeting: https://us02web.zoom.us/j/86119386116
Meeting ID: 861 1938 6116
Email asgwb.dc@gmail.com with any questions
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 Cultural Events & Festivals Coordinator of the Chicago Rudolf Steiner Branch, & as the Central Regional Council representative on the General Council of the Anthroposophical Society in America. Past Video Recordings
