Insights into Velsum, An Anthroposophical Musical Initiative through Lucien Dante Lazar and Ultra-Violet Archer, shared by Lucien
Velsum first came into being when Hazel Archer Ginsberg asked her daughter, Ultra-Violet Archer and myself to sing a song for the pageant she would be offering at the Annual General Meeting for the Central Region of the Anthroposophical Society of America. The meeting was named ‘Building the Temple Of The Heart’, and she therefore encouraged us to make a song inspired by this theme.
During our first rehearsal for the song that was to be, Ultra-Violet and I sat across from one another. As we began to sing, we saw aspects of our past lives and karmas flow out of each other’s mouths on our breath streams. It was a very surprising experience for both of us, and it was the first vivid indication we noticed that eluded us to our musical biographies, which is essentially founded in the spiritual world.
During our first performance, Ultra-Violet and I experienced a selfless presence with each other through our singing. We were able to effortlessly behold one another as real human beings. This quality has since formed our musical connection, and has allowed for our musical endeavor to be fundamentally rooted in collaborative spiritual scientific inquiry into the nature of the spirituality of Love, friendship, and Wisdom.
At the end of the Annual General Meeting, Farmer John and Haidy Peterson, who were part of the pageant and were moved by what they had witnessed, entered into dialogue with Ultra-Violet and I about their farm, Angelic Organics. We spoke about the architecture of the farm’s buildings, the fertile, cared for land, rich with healthy elemental activity, and the innate potential of artistic creativity that has arisen and could continue to arise from this sacred context. Together, we felt that it would be right for us to come into relationship with one another through our mutual interest in the potential of anthroposophy and the healing arts. Ultra-Violet and I were invited to come to Angelic Organics whenever we were able, and there to embark on a journey of writing music inspired by the architecture of the barns, the sacredness of the land, and the beauty, truth, and goodness of the spiritual relationships that were able to form there.
It was during these weekend visits where the songs of Velsum started to flow through our beings like water in a sunlit creek. These songs felt like our children—little beings of music living in the spiritual world eager to come down through melody and word. We prayed before and after each ritual of incarnating these song beings, took walks in the land, ate vegetables from its crops, and relished in the wisdom of the architecture that held us.
It wasn’t long into this process that many spiritual beings and impulses became known in the initiative of Velsum, which means Victory in wholeness.
Joan of Arc’s wise and triumphant heralding presence appeared on the very first day. The Sufi poet Hafiz, with his enthusiastic jubilation for God, humanity, and the world sparkled into our voices shortly thereafter. Deep and mysterious impulses of Rosicrucianism flooded our songs like Spring rain on fresh, budding grass. And all throughout, the profound gifts of Rudolf Steiner through our Anthroposophia were dappled in our hearts and lungs like rose petals on a pond.
Velsum’s music is the product of listening to the spiritual awakening of the soul through a social witnessing of Christ in the other’s activity. It is a manifestation of being grateful to God for His incarnation of Individuality. It is a deed of worship to Wisdom, and a call of Love to humanity’s Christian striving.
The Songs As Spiritual Scientific Documents (part 1)
Temple of the Heart
‘Thinking, doing, feeling;
Building the temple of the heart.
Loving, opening, thanking;
Building the temple of the heart’.
Temple of the Heart is Velsum’s inaugural song. The lyrics were gifted to Velsum by Reverse Ritual founder Hazel Archer Ginsberg, who was inspired to write them after studying Michael Lipson’s translations of Rudolf Steiner’s six basic exercises. Through spending time with this socially constituted song, one may begin to experience the mutual fructification of these six basic verbs. Thinking, in its proposal to Love, births ideas founded in the unity of head and heart. Doing becomes a ritual for incarnating the conscious will, which opens the human being to the Godhead in nature and the Godhead in oneself. Feeling, as it imbues itself with divine wonder, becomes a song of gratitude spilling from the fount of the hierarchies in the cosmos. In this light, Temple of the Heart as a duet finds its meaning. (more from Lucien tomorrow)
~Lucien & Ultra
‘Velsum’ (Victory in Wholeness) an Anthroposophical Musical Initiative
created by Lucien Dante Lazar & Ultra-Violet Archer
performing New Nightingale, New Rose on Easter Sunday
Live streaming from the Rudolf Steiner Branch Chicago. Join us in-person or online.
PLEASE NOTE: BELOW IS THE NEW ZOOM CODE – AND NEW TIME
(Please disregard the last notices & use the new link to register for this event even if you think you have already registered – sorry for the confusion)
These 2 Christened voices came together for the “Building the Temple of the Heart” 2021 ASA AGM conference & have gone on to co-create a new musical genre that they call: Ancient Futurism. This past year they have been workshopping this initiative at Angelic Organics Farm – graciously hosted by Haidy & Farmer John Peterson, who have put culture back into Agriculture by building a Temple stage to host Anthroposophical events in their glorious Barn building. The Debut of Velsum occurred there on Lazarus Saturday 2022.
New Nightingale, New Rose
Nightingale, have you heard the news!
The rose has come back
And the green and the blue.
And everything is as new as the dew,
New nightingale, new rose.
Nightingale, be my bride
For the birth of the new Sun in this Earth.
Bleed your heart
Into pure petals of fragrance,
New nightingale, new rose.
Nightingale, be my bridegroom.
Fill my cup, I’ll sing Thy truth.
Turn my blood into Thy blue
So my Love may be the light of Thy doing,
New nightingale, new rose.
Nightingale, have you heard the news!
The rose has come back
And the green and the blue.
And everything is as new as the dew,
New nightingale, new rose.
New Nightingale, New Rose is a triumphant revelation of the spiritual mysteries of Rosicrucianism. It imagines the human being as the alchemical wedding of Christ and Sophia. This song which holds the mission of humanity, is the voice of the Nightingale, whose song is a warrior resurrecting Wisdom through Love. Let the Nightingale in freedom sing! ~Lucien & Ultra
Easter Sunday 17 April 2022
Doors open at 12:30 pm CDT 4249 N. Lincoln Ave. Chicago, Il. 60618
NEW TIME: Performance 1-2pm CDT
Potluck Easter Feast 2-3 pm CDT
$10 or more suggested donation goes to the artists –
Chicago Friends – Please Bring Hardy Festive Food & Drink to Share
www.rschicago.org/donate please indicate that it is for EASTER
Topic: Easter: New Nightingale, New Rose
Time: Apr 17, 2022 01:00 PM Central Time (US and Canada)
NEW ZOOM CODE: Join Zoom Meeting
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Meeting ID: 859 6497 5651
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