The Festival of St. John’s Tide starts on the fixed date of June 24, the birthday of John the Baptizer
The name John is really a title, it represents a certain level of initiatation – the best of humanity, devoted to what is beyond the little self, alive to the revelation of the spirit. At the center of history, the summons of JB was to turn inward, & confront the lower self. St. John’s Day is a perfect time to re-assess & re-balance ourselves in this metanoia.
In the prologue of the Gospel of St. John the Evangelist right after we hear the ‘Word’ in the beginning, John, the 1st Adam is proclaimed. This Gospel emphasizes the divine spark in humanity, & connects us to its supreme form as the Logos Himself. The ‘disciple whom Jesus Loved’ received the forces of the beheaded John the Baptist, at the rising of Lazarus, earning him the title John as well.
Just as the Son of God who was buried in matter is born again in Jesus of Nazareth – So it is for every individual human being – there is a mighty experience, which may be called the birth of the higher self – The divine Ego is born of the striving human being. Awakening to Initiation is possible, & when it is taken up, life as we know it, opens to new dimensions.
When the human principle in Jesus of Nazareth had reached its highest development, & his body had become an expression of the spirit within him, he was ripe to receive the Christ in the Baptism by John. His body had unfolded its full power, like the radiant Sun at Midsummer.
This had been prophesied. The spirit was to be born out of the darkness, like the Sun which increases in power towards solstice, waxing strong until St. John’s day, & then begins to move inward.
JB was able to behold the approach of Jesus of Nazareth, as the increase of the Sun, & say ‘I must decrease, as the Sun decreases after midsummer day.’ But The Christ as the spiritual Sun will increase, & ‘his Light will shine forth from out of the darkness.’
It was the Baptist’s mission to proclaim this: ‘He who was announced by the prophets of old, the Son of the spiritual realms, born of the spirit, behold, He hath appeared.’
John the Baptist is ever active since this turning point of time. He has lived many a life of renunciation, then, he came to prepare the way, thru baptism. And when we ‘make straight the path’, the inner spirit-light can shine forth ever more brightly, reflecting the Christ light.
This is how the universal Ego of humanity is reborn in freedom, & the condition fulfilled for the rebirth of the individual higher self in every human being.
This is the most vital event in the evolution of each individual human: the rebirth of the immortal being which can issue forth from the ordinary Ego. This is inseparable from the greatest of all events, the deed of Christ on Golgotha ‘As the meaning of the Earth‘.
Dear friends, Be awakened! There are forces trying to distract us from this truth – working to prevent us from becoming divinely human. May we be alert to the signs, & vigilant in our striving to practice Spiritual Science.
Blessings and Peace ~Hazel Archer Ginsberg
Rudolf Steiner’s Lectures on this day
ON THIS DAY IN HISTORY
24 June 2022 – “Speaking with the Stars”: A power packed Planetary line-up for this Feast Day of John the Baptizer
Sunrise: 5:32 A.M. – Moonrise: 2:35 A.M. – Moon Phase: Waning crescent (19%)
Feast Day of John the Baptist. Rudolf Steiner revealed his other lives as Elijah, Raphael, Novalis in GA 120 & in the Mystery Dramas. Steiner also gave indications that he was the 1st Adam, & that he is an inspirer of John the Evangelist/Christian Rosenkrantz.
1314 – First War of Scottish Independence: The Battle of Bannockburn
1374 – A sudden outbreak of ‘St. John’s Dance’ causes people in the streets of Aachen, Germany, to experience hallucinations & begin to jump & twitch uncontrollably until they collapse from exhaustion
1717 – The first Freemasonic Grand Lodge is founded in London. Benjamin Franklin was a member.
1812 –Napoleon invades Russia
1916 – Mary Pickford becomes the first female film star to sign a million-dollar contract
1922 – Assassination of Walther Rathenau, a German statesman who served as Foreign Minister during the Weimar Republic.
1938 – A 450 metric ton meteor hits Chicora, Pennsylvania
1976 – Deathday of Rudolf Kreutzer entrepreneur, anthropsopher
2004 – In New York, capital punishment is declared unconstitutional
2012 – Lonesome George, the last subspecies of the Galápagos tortoise, dies
St. John’s Poem:
Hot horns of light
Frame the dreaded Forerunner…
Wild Pan the Baptist
With wort & rue in his pouch
Carob & raw honey on his breath,
Anoints the mistletoe
In the oak-grove.
The God has gone into the grain
The Sun is on the water
The edge of the rioting rose
Begins to melt
Its scent is heavy on the heat
Stealing the breath
From the hot mouth of God
Her infer-red ruby steams
The magnetic stains of light
To guide the Summer-Tide Soul
Into the labyrinth
Where the Oak King crests
And gives way
To the Dark Holly Twin
~hag
Friday 24 June 2021 – St. Johns-Tide Bon-Fire & Prep-Stir Social Gathering
7 pm CT Pot-Luck Dinner at the Home of Hazel Archer & Chuck Ginsberg
Join Rev. Jeana Lee in a St. John’s contemplation by the fire
Please Bring Food & Drink to Share in Community
This is an offical ‘Merry Prepstir‘ synchronized application,
linking us to Biodynamic workers around the world,
so that ‘The Earth May Be Healed’.
We will be working with BD 500 Horn Manure & 501 silica
RSVP for address & directions
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 |