9th Holy Night: The Flaming Sword

Vortex Painting by Lance Amici
lance Amici

Here’s the ‘I Think Speech’ Podcast version for your Listening Pleasure.

Ella Manor Lapointe

Greetings Friends – As you know I get a lot out of exploring the various feast days & birth & death days inspired by Rudolf Steiner’s “Calendar of the Soul,”: with its weekly verses that express how the changing seasons in the natural , & in our own inner lives are helping our consciousness evolve.

Phillip Medhurst presents 003/788 James Tissot Bible c 1899 God creates  Adam Genesis 1:27 Morgan Museum New York | Genesis creation, Adam and eve,  Artist
Philip Medhurst

According to this original ‘Calendar of the Soul’, Today January 2nd is the Feast Day of Abel, a keeper of sheep. A shepherd accepts life as the Creator provides it.

Cain and Abel - Wikiwand
James Tissot

And of course we all know that according to the Bible, he was the first person to die; slain by his brother Cain. Cain was fundamentally opposed to the life of a simple shepherd. His destiny was to offer up the work of his will, cultivating & changing what was given in nature. A lot to contemplate here.

Seth: An Heir for Adam and Eve ‹ First Presbyterian Winter Haven

And it’s interesting that today is also the Feast Day of Seth, whose name means ‘placed’ or ‘appointed’, in Judaism, Christianity, & Islam, Seth is recognized as the third son of Adam & Eve, appointed as a replacement for Abel, holding the qualities of both older brothers in a balance.

Flaming Sword Archives · Mini Manna Moments

Rudolf Steiner shares a story called “The Golden Legend” which was imparted to the pupils of occultism in the form of an image. The legend tells that Seth, was called by Michael to approach the Cherubim with the flaming sword guarding the gate of Paradise. He was found worthy & was allowed to enter. There he found the Tree of Knowledge and the Tree of Life with their branches intertwined into one tree. From this tree Seth took three seeds, following the command of the Angel who guided him. He kept the three seeds and when Adam died, he placed them into Adam’s mouth. And a tree grew out of Adam’s grave; this tree revealed a writing in flaming letters — the words: “Ejeh Asher Ejeh. I am who was- Who is- & Who shall be.”

Moses' First Miracles – TravisAgnew.org

Seth took some wood from this tree and many things were made out of it: among them the branch which became the magic rod of Moses.

El Greco Christ on the Cross with the Two Maries and St John painting |  framed paintings for sale
El Greco

And this tree multiplied; from its wood the portal of Solomon’s temple was made. And later on, when it had passed through many other destinies, it became the Cross upon which the Savior hung. And so the legend connects the wood of the Cross of Golgotha with the tree which grew out of Adam’ s grave from the seeds of the Tree of Paradise.”

Cherubim" Sticker by TheMightyPython | Redbubble

And in a minute you will see why I am interweaving these seemingly diverse images together when we will explore the obvious connections with the 9th Holy Night.

Melchior | Here Be Dragons Wiki | Fandom
Reubens

But 1st the foundation is laid to show that today is also the Birthday of Melchior, the oldest member of the Magi. The King of Persia who brought the gift of gold to Jesus.

It is also the deathday  of Theodorus of Cyrene an ancient Libyan Greek who lived during the 5th century BC. The only first-hand accounts of him that survive are in 3 of Plato’s dialogues, but he is famous for the mathematical theorem now known as the Spiral of Theodorus, which is the perfect lead in for the 9th Holy Night which is represented by the symbol of a Vortex – a representation of the Constellation of Cancer, The Crab (ruling the ribcage) This is the Sphere of the Cherubim – Remember, that was the being guarding the gates of paradise who allowed Seth to enter. The Cherubim are the Spirits of Harmony.

The Circle of the 12 Zodiac can be traced back to the dance of the Cherubim working from the world-periphery down into our primal beginnings in the ethers of Old Sun, to create a kind of cosmic thorax, a protective rib cage around the Sun/heart.

The sign of the Crab stands at the highest point of the circle of the zodiac, embracing the whole circle in its protective shell. The Crab is a modification of the vortex, an ancient occult symbol, which out-pictures the harmonious transition between cycles.

Jane Hudson

Steiner tells us: “In the higher worlds, there is a process which appears also in the physical world: the rotation of a vortex. You can observe this phenomenon if you watch a starry nebula. There you see a spiral. That is on the physical plane. But you can observe it on all planes. You find that one spiral swirls into the next

 

New Fibonacci Spiral by Lazy-Photon on deviantART | Spiral drawing,  Fibonacci spiral nature, Spirals in nature

All transitions: including World Evolution, in its various transformations thru out time; the shift from great & small;  the precession of the equinox’s; & even the seasonal round, are directed by the Cherubim– the spirits of harmony. They take-up the designs of the Seraphim, the ‘architects of the gods’ above them, & move it toward expression by handing it down to the Thrones. Here we see the harmonious interaction that occurs between the hierarchies.

The spirals of the vortex provide the revolving movement, while the space in-between the arms of the vortex relates to a rest, or pralaya, a pause before the spiral transitions into a new phase.

Great Flood legends of the world | Ancient civilizations, John martin,  Landscape
John Martin

Some ‘revolutions’ from 1 condition to another can take a more dynamic character, something more drastic like the  flood; or the ultimate example of the ‘Turning Point of Time’- Christ’s entry into world evolution (Matt: 21-25 describes this kind of forceful expression shown in particular scenes from the life of Jesus)

Interesting to note, that John the Baptist, was Born under the sign of the Crab, who in previous lives had been Elijah & before that Adam, the first earthly man, who then became after his death, a kind of group soul for the apostles, fortifying them like a protective shell, around their human zodiac circle; a rib-cage around Christ-Jesus, the Sun-heart of the 12.

Revisiting the Visitation of the Blessed Virgin Mary

John the Baptist was able to recognize the pure nature of the Nathan Soul living in Jesus of Nazareth, that part of himself that was separated out before the fall, held back in the Sun sphere, so that it could unite with Christ in His descent to earth. ( The meeting of Mary with her cousin Elizabeth shows this)

Franz Van Stuck

We see a connection with the Cherubim & Adam (JtB) & Eve (the Matthew Mary) at the fall, when the human being was cut off from the Trinity-the realm beyond the Zodiac, & the way was barred by the Cherub with the flaming sword.

This is a pre-figuring of John’s ‘Voice of Conscience’, which proceeds from the realm of the Cherubim. Our impulses of will, sprung from Conscience, was/& is, a necessary requirement for an understanding of the Christ impulse. 

Scott Tusa — Monk(ey) Business Part 10: Knowing Dukkha
Scott Tusa

And It was the Buddha who prepared the way for Conscience to arise during the time of Ancient India, which stood under the sign of the Cancer/Crab at that time in history. Many of John the Baptist’s sermons were a reflection of the Sermon at Benares, because the angel of Buddha was inspiring him.

Aby Zaenal (abyzaenal) di Pinterest

The Age of the Consciousness Soul is a further preparation for this morality of conscience, because ego consciousness requires a lighting up of thought in the will. This is an ability to understand the intentions behind actions – Moral Cognition – which is the seat of the will. Ever asking: Are we willing to heed the voice of conscience, & foster the imaginative inspiration from the realm of the Cherubim in our heart-thinking?

Dark Waves Curve Toward Light Center in Space - Abstract Painting "Vortex"
Racheal Harbert

Perhaps we need to practice the Virtue: Unselfishness becomes catharsis.  Aristotle coined the term catharsis-which comes from the Greek meaning “to cleanse or purge” so that the way may be opened; then we can transition gracefully in our journey back to the Godhead.

See you in the spiraling vortex.

& May our transitions be grace full   ~Hag

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Cassiopeia constellation commands spotlight in fall, winter - The Boston  Globe

2 January 2021 – “Speaking with the Stars”: Just as the stars are coming out of the twilight, face north & look up. Cassiopeia is now a flattened M shape canted at an angle. Only an hour or so later, the M is horizontal! Why? Constellations passing near the zenith appear to rotate rapidly with respect to your direction “up.”

Viewing the Quadrantid Meteor Shower in 2021 - American Meteor Society

The Quadrantid meteor shower is predicted to peak in the hours before dawn January 3rd, The light of the waning gibbous Moon will dilute your view of the fainter meteors, but the occasional bright one should shine through.

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colorized Dan Kennedy

Rudolf Steiner’s Lectures on this day

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Nancy Poer

Wednesday 6 January 2021, 2 pm – 4 pm CST

Joan’s Epiphany ‘What Joan of Arc Calls for Today’

In-Person at Elderberries Bio-dynamic Outpost & The Rudolf Steiner Branch Chicago & online Join Zoom Meeting https://zoom.us/j/7052931041 Meeting ID: 705 293 1041

Today on the Birthday of Joan of Arc we welcome special Guest Nancy Poer

We will also explore ‘The Destinies of Individuals and of Nations’, Lecture 5, ‘The Nature of the Christ Impulse and the Michaelic Sprit Serving It’ by Rudolf Steiner with Leading Thoughts by Hazel Archer-Ginsberg

Social Sculpture: “The Passage” with Lucien Dante Lazar,

+ An Artistic exploration, Singing & Eurythmy

http://donate.rschicago.org/

For more info. contact Hazel Archer hag@rschicago.org

Blessings of the Season
~Hazel Archer-Ginsberg
Events & Festival Coordinator
for the Rudolf Steiner Branch
of The Anthroposophical Society

One thought on “9th Holy Night: The Flaming Sword

  1. Dear Hazel,

    I find this day very remarkable for the fact that you have drawn out a little known fact from the original CoS that January 2nd is the Feast Day of Abel. This gives an opportunity of untold significance to express here for the first time. The story of Cain and Abel, told here in the fourth chapter of Genesis, is actually the interlude between the very first evolutionary cycle from Pisces through Aries, as described in the first three chapters of Genesis, and the beginning of the second evolutionary cycle, which denotes the generations of Adam and Eve, which starts in chapter five.

    Now, in chapter four, which describes the first two sons, Cain, who is made with the help of the Lord, and then Abel, who is the giver of flocks to the Lord, which pleases Him more than Cain’s offerings, which are of the ground, and harken back to chapter three of Genesis. So, Cain slays his brother and is cast out because he feels that his offerings from the ground are just as worthy as his brother. Where is he sent? We should look at the text given because it describes what is no less than the first pre-earthly deed of Christ.

    https://www.biblegateway.com/passage/?search=genesis+4&version=N

    It was to be the destiny of Cain, a manchild made with the help of the Lord, which means a specially prepared condition, to slay his brother in order to be cast out into the Land of Nod on the East of Eden. And what did he find there? He found a race of prehistoric human beings existing that were far below the standard that would give rise to the generations of Adam and Eve described in chapter five. Yet, look at the parallels between the lineage of Cain described in chapter four, and the generations described in chapter five.

    https://www.biblegateway.com/passage/?search=genesis+5&version=NASB1995

    It can be shown that it is Cain’s task to evolve these people of Nod, who can be likened to the Neolithic link in human evolution, toward the Adamic stream, by bringing to them the organized twelve-sense system, which represents the first pre-earthly deed of Christ.
    Even Jahve, who cast out Cain, saw his ultimate worth in bringing humanity into alignment.

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