~Corn & clouds & cattle are gods renewing…
I am the god of myself…
Lift me up imagination into creation
To the Genie of Genesis
Where the gods give us their hands
I feel Her here
At the back of my head…
~hag
Who is this John the Baptist? (continued)
Before JB baptizes Jesus, opening the way for the cosmic Christ, he brings about an opening for many people, preparing them for their roles as disciples of Christ. By baptizing with water, JB brought about an initiatory near death experience, loosening the etheric body, so they could remember their life as a spiritual being. Into this experience of the past, John spoke his mighty admonition: “Change your hearts and minds!”
After the dove descended on Jesus & He became the Christ, & John the Baptist said, “He must increase and I must decrease’” JB was in prison until his beheading. Then his role changed from that of the “voice of one calling in the wilderness“, to a more inward voice, heard in the stillness of the soul.
Herod who had made him prisoner is haunted by this inner voice. Herod’s wife is also affected & wants to silence this uncomfortable voice, so she has John the Baptist beheaded.
The spirit, or angel, of John the Baptist, becomes the guardian of the apostles, appearing especially in the “rich young man”, Lazarus continuing his mighty task thru him. It is Lazarus, who undergoes the first initiation in the ‘New Mysteries’, accomplished thru Christ Jesus, achieving the name John. But Instead of being performed in the secret inner sanctum of the temple, as it was in the past, this new initiation was done as an example, out in plain sight. It is not coincidence that they both take on the name John, because Johannes E-O-Ah is a powerful title sounding a high stage of initiation.
Lazarus John, ‘the disciple whom Jesus loved’, is able to remain mindful thru the events of Passion Week. He is there in full consciousness on Golgotha at the “Turning Point of Time” with Mary the Mother. And, along with Mary Magdalene, he is able to behold the Risen Christ on Easter Sunday.
Lazarus John, who we now call St. John the Divine, becomes the writer of the Gospel of St. John, the most spiritual book in the New Testament. He lives a long life, taking Mother Mary with him to the island of Patmos in Greece, where he is able to receive the prophetic vision of the Book of Revelation, with help from John the Baptist & other heavenly sources, bringing us a vision of the future destiny of humankind.
And the voice of John the Baptist can still be heard today, reminding us to, ‘Make Straight the path’.
~hag
28 June 2022– “Speaking with the Stars”: Comet PanSTARRS is gliding through the rich constellation Ophiuchus. Already well above the southeastern horizon at sunset, this region is on view all evening, so you can afford to wait for true darkness to fall before you go hunting. The comet’s white dust tail should now be pointed northward.
Sunrise: 5:35 A.M. – Sunset: 8:33 P.M. – Moonrise: 6:35 A.M. – Moonset: 10:11 P.M.
Moon Phase: Waxing crescent (2%)
Rudolf Steiner’s Lectures on this day(RSarchives)
ON THIS DAY IN HISTORY (The Present Age, Wikipedia)
1924 – First World Power Conference founded by D.N. Dunlop
The World Power Conference was conceived by the Scotsman Daniel Nicol Dunlop, a entrepreneur & Theosophist who later joined Rudolf Steiner’s Anthroposophical Society. He organized the first meeting which took place in London on 30 June 1924 & attracted 1,700 attendees from 40 nations. It was deemed so successful that the conference was established as a recurring event. In the beginning, the World Power Conference convened on a regular schedule every six years.
D.N. Dunlop was a pioneer of modern community building—in two areas in particular: industry & economics, & the sphere of the free spiritual life. In 1924 he founded the World Power Conference, opened by the Prince of Wales in London that year. This was the first international conference to invite engineers & industrialists from all over the world (including Germany & Russia, two former World War adversaries), with the purpose of establishing a basis for co-operation & co-ordination in the production & technological use of energy resources within a modern world economy.
In 1929 a worldwide assessment of raw materials & energy resources was published in book-form with the title Power Resources of the World. The WPC gave birth to a permanent institution—the World Energy Council—that has its headquarters in London & has since held regular congresses in different capital cities throughout the world. The website of this private international organization records a short history of the institution which focuses on the profiles of five leading figures, beginning with Dunlop: ‘Shortly after World War I, Scotsman Daniel Dunlop, a visionary working in the British electricity industry, decided to bring together leading energy experts for a World Power Conference to discuss current and emerging energy issues. In 1923, he began working with countries around the globe to establish national committees that would stimulate attendance and prepare for technical participation at such a conference. The First World Power Conference was held the next year, 1924, in London and attracted 1,700 delegates from 40 countries. The meeting was so successful that those attending decided to establish a permanent organisation to continue the dialogue begun at the conference.’
Within the spiritual-cultural sphere, Dunlop was a pioneer of the ‘summer school’—an idea which he actively pursued and brought to practical realization during his theosophical phase. Dunlop maintained that the ‘summer school’ was not in conflict with pure individual striving, but could potentize it— offer it fulfillment. For true individualism, if developed far enough, is exactly what socially conscious communities need if they are to progress.
To a large extent these summer schools were gatherings of ‘communities of free spirits’. Following his encounter with Rudolf Steiner in 1922, Dunlop organized the great summer schools of Penmaenmawr &Torquay. According to Rudolf Steiner, these were ‘recorded in the Golden Book of the Anthroposophical Movement’. Steiner himself characterized Dunlop as a ‘far-seeing’ anthroposophist with visionary goals, endowed with clear and delicate perception, and remarkable human sensitivity & tact’. Despite Steiner’s very high public regard for him—Dunlop chose to remain in the background of events.
Daniel Nicol Dunlop met Rudolf Steiner in person in 1922. It was the Dutch manager Joseph van Leer who brought them together. They sat at the table together – Rudolf Steiner who spoke no English & Daniel N. Dunlop who spoke no German. Joseph van Leer stepped in as translator but what he didn’t see was that Rudolf Steiner took the hand of Daniel Dunlop & held it, under the table, during the whole of the conversation. In 1934, during one of his famous summer schools, Dunlop shared the memory of this with his friend Walter Johannes Stein. He made an even more interesting statement, that Rudolf Steiner on this occasion said to him, ‘We are brothers.’
Eleanor Merry, also an active member of the early British Anthroposophical Society, worked intensively with Dunlop for the last 14 years of his life during which time he told her that Rudolf Steiner gave him an insight into a former life of his where he, Dunlop, had been a member of the innermost circle of the Order of the Knights Templar ‘connected to all the ancient mysteries’ and had also worked within a secret society among the Templars’. Dunlop’s most deeply rooted intention was to serve the supra-personal goals of humanity, thereby sacrificing all personal & trivial motives & deeds.
May his deeds take fruit in us.
~hag
The Holy Grail Study Group with the CRC The Mysteries of the Holy Grail: From Arthur and Parzival to Modern Initiation July 6, 2022 – 7:15 pm Central (8:15 pm Eastern) “We may describe the astral body as an egotist. This means that every path of development that aims to liberate the astral body must recognize the interests of humanity by expanding and becoming progressively wider in scope. Indeed…it must become interested in the whole earth and all humanity.”~ from Chapter 17 Focus of the July 6 meeting: Rudolf Steiner,The Mysteries of the Holy Grail, Chapter 16 “The Word in Chains,” excerpts from Steiner’s lecture given at Dornach on 11 March 1923 (GA 222, lecture I) AND Chapter 17 “Balancing the Soul,” excerpts from Steiner’s lecture given at The Hague on 26 March 1913 (GA 145, lecture VII).A transcript of the entire lecture for chapter 16 can be found on the RS Archive by clicking this link.A transcript of the entire lecture for chapter 17 can be found on the RS Archive by clicking this link. * Please consider giving to the development and maintenance of the digital library of Rudolf Steiner’s work. Scroll to the bottom of this message to read more about the RSArchive.org and SteinerLibrary.org |
The Central Regional Council of the Anthroposophical Society in America invites you to join our ongoing study conversation. The study has been divided among two volunteers who will summarize their section to rebuild it as a foundation for our conversation. Please familiarize yourself with the lecture if possible so you will feel comfortable sharing your reflections and thoughts with the group. This collection of lectures has been republished by Rudolf Steiner Press under the title: “The Mysteries of the Holy Grail: From Arthur and Parzival to Modern Initiation.” The book was compiled and edited by Matthew Barton, published by Rudolf Steiner Press in 2010. This will be a Zoom conference call allowing us an opportunity to see one another while conversing (or audio only if you prefer). To connect to the audio/video-conference: Video Conference Details:Join Zoom Meeting https://us02web.zoom.us/j/88210505106 Meeting ID: 882 1050 5106 If you have questions, please contact Mary Mertz mary.mcginnis@juno.com Agenda for this meeting (Central Time) 7:15 Welcome and Introductions 7:18 Verse 7:25 Study led by volunteers Note: CRC team will ID volunteers Stefano – chapter 16 Camille – chapter 17 7:50 Conversation 8:25 ID volunteers for next meeting 8:28 Close with verse |
Deepening the Grail: Our Parzival Quest and Question
Workshop & Annual Meeting with The Central Regional Council of the Anthroposophical Society in America
Saturday 16 July 2022
In-person at the Rudolf Steiner House in
Ann Arbor & on Zoom
Join anytime between 2 pm ET – 5 pm
& then for the AGm from 6:30 pm – 7:30 pm ET
NO COST for attendees
The Parzival Quest, is calling to humanity at this time of the Consciousness Soul. Explore aspects of this Quest through art, and movement, via embodiment processes and sensing gestures in the tangible and intangible sheaths of being human. Inspired by devout anthroposophist, artist Michael Chekhov, and guided by CRC member, Chekhov master teacher Lisa Dalton.
Then stay for supper and for the Central Region’s ‘Annual Meeting’—we haven’t had one since 2019, so it’s about time to fill you in on what’s happening!
Alberto Loya is stepping down from the CRC. He’s been with the Council since 2009—thank you for your many contributions, Alberto! We look forward to sharing memories and tributes during the meeting.
And Mary Mertz who has been working with the CRC for the last year will be offically inducted onto the Council.
2:00 pm ET– Welcome, singing, Chekhov movement, biography work
3:30 – 3:45 pm ET– Break
3:45 – 5:00 pm ET – Our Parzival Quest and Question
5:00 pm ET – Be our guest for dinner
6:30 – 7:30 pm ET – AGM – We will be bidding farewell to Alberto Loya & welcoming Mary Mertz, as well as giving reports on 2020 and 2021.
The CRC: Hazel Archer-Ginsberg, Lisa Dalton, Alberto Loya,
working with Mary Mertz
Please RSVP to Mary Mertz mary.mcginnis@juno.com
If you can’t attend the workshop, we hope you can join in the
Annual Meeting.
Let us know whether you’ll be attending in person or via Zoom.
To inquire about accommodations at the Rudolf Steiner House,
contact Cynthia Chelius cynthia@anthroposophy.org
Zoom meeting info (please note — passcode required)
Jul 16, 2022
The zoom can be accessed from 2 pm. You are welcome to attend all or part of the workshop. The main event will be the Parzival Quest from 3:45 pm – 5 pm Eastern Time & the AGM 6:30 pm – 7:30 pm ET
Join Zoom Meeting
https://us02web.zoom.us/j/86449905249
Meeting ID: 864 4990 5249
Passcode: 923117
Renewing the Mysteries:The Founding of The Christian Community & the Burning of the First Goetheanum Spring Valley, NY – August 8-13, 2022 REGISTER NOW!* lectures * artistic workshops * conversation * evening performances I will be offering a program on Tuesday 9 August for the Free Initiative 2:30 -3:30 pm ET |
Many anthroposophists have understood the 1923/24 Christmas Foundation Conference as constituting a renewal of the Mysteries. Nine months after the Christmas Conference, speaking to the priests of the Christian Community, Rudolf Steiner pointed to a sequence from the founding of the Christian Community in September 1922 to the burning of the Goetheanum at the end of that year to the Christmas Conference.In this 100th anniversary year of both the founding of the Christian Community and the burning of the Goetheanum, can an exploration of these events help us to understand the nature of the New Mysteries? The keynote speaker is Daniel Hafner, priest of the Christian Community. He will address this theme with a particular focus on the colored windows of the First Goetheanum. The Act of Consecration of Man will be celebrated during the week and there will also be a Class Lesson for members of the School of Spiritual Science. Venue: SPRING VALLEY, NY, Threefold Community, and The Christian Community *REGISTRATION IS REQUIRED TO ATTEND THIS EVENT: A conference on the scale currently planned requires that a minimum number of participants register by July 20th. INFO OR QUERIES: Rev. Paul Newton paulknewton@msn.com (845) 517-4101 Sponsored by The Christian Community Spring Valley Area and the Threefold Branch of the Anthroposophical Society |