POD (Poem Of the Day)
~Let us lift the clouds that guard the secret –
The miracle is happening
Let aspirations rise & speak:
The Peace of Wisdom is coming back
To give birth to Love
Again & yet again – Sing Life
Stirring below the surface of skin,
Anoint the pain of mortality, the loss & suffering
The misunderstandings that prick
Consciousness & prod us toward truth…
Bless the body
Where Love in Wisdom is gathering…
~hag
During this time of Advent, in the Epistle in the Christian Community we hear – “a Become” – In this hero’s journey to Become we must face trials that make us worthy to receive the sacred birth of the pure Nathan Soul – an opportunity we can receive especially around the time of the Winter Solstice; which then guides us into the precession of the 13 Holy Nights; culminating in the birth of Christ (& Joan of Arc) on Epiphany.
In the 1st week of Advent we meet the mineral kingdom to see our relationship with issues relating to our physical needs. We recognize that death & mineralization in the physical world of nature at this time helps us step into the karmic unfolding of ourselves & of humanity as a whole. Here we face the Fire trial, where we must rise to the challenge of cultivating a sense of justice. Fire meets earth – a spark of Hope that transforms the earth forces of death into a foundation for new life. Our task is to burn away the dross of what does not serve so that we can stand upright in the face of what we are meeting in ourselves & in the world.
Now we enter the 2nd week related to the plant kingdom, where the etheric realm comes into play. Here we encounter the trial by water. The virtue of Love – Discretion & Self-restraint will help us meet these challenges.
Practicing selflessness will help us build truthfulness in the face of the societal temptation to accept & perpetuate the blind lie. In the water trial we encounter our feeling life which is still quite dreamy, so we are called to bring thought into this realm. Then we can judge our feelings objectively, working to understand what inspires them. And we are also challenged to bring Will into our feelings. Then we are able to guide them & practice equanimity.
These trials help us develop new spiritual organs – This week we practice breathing under water! See you in the pool.
~hag
Today is the Feast Day of Old St. Nick, a bishop wearing his red mantle & mitre hat, sporting a long, white beard & carrying his golden shepherds crook. Legend has it that he helped the poor & calmed the seas; & on his feast day gives children who are good sweets or gifts.
But beware if you are bad for black Pete, or Knecht Ruprecht, will put you in his bag & take you away to the black forest until you learn your lesson… So on the night of December 5th set out your boots & leave a carrot for his horse then go to bed & dream of doing good deeds like St. Nichplas once did…
In Waldorf schools St. Nick comes into the classroom of the lower grades & shakes the hand of each child telling them what they have done well, & what they have not done so well & need to improve. This always made quite an impression on the young children to receive this gentle reckoning.
The one we know of as St. Nicholas was born in 271 AD & died around December 6, 342 or 343 AD near the Asia Minor (Turkey) town of Myra, where he was Bishop. He performed many good deeds & was a friend to the poor & helpless. Upon his death, myths soon sprang up about him all around the Mediterranean Sea. He was reputed to be able to calm the raging seas, rescue desperate sailors, & save children. He was soon named as the patron saint of sailors, & when Myra was overthrown, his bones were transported by sailors to Bari, a port in Italy, where a tomb was built over the grave & became the center of honor for St. Nicholas. From here the legend spread on around to the Atlantic Coast of Europe & the North Sea to become a European holiday tradition regardless of religion.
In the Netherlands, legend has it that Sinterklaas (Dutch name for St. Nicholas) arrives in the Netherlands by way of steamboat from Spain 2 weeks before his traditional birthday, December 6th, along with his helper, Zwarte Piet (Black Pete), who will help disperse the gifts & candy to all the good children. Referring to his book that lists all the good & bad children, Sinterklaas will deliver presents to all the good children, but watch out if you’ve been bad! The Low Countries (Belgium & Luxemburg) have basically the same traditions surrounding St. Nicholas, but not to the extent of the Netherlands. Children in Luxemburg call him Kleeschen, & his helper is Hoseker (Black Peter). Belgian children know him as Sint Niklaas.
For families with older children & adults, different twists are added to the gift giving & may include gag gifts or the drawing of gift ideas or names, & most times are accompanied by poems with a “personal touch” that poke fun at the recipient in a gentle way (or not, depending on the families ). Wrapping the presents up in odd packages & planting a trail of clues is also part of the general fun, & can sometimes be pretty tricky to get to, depending on the squeamishness of the recipients.
In Germany, St. Nicholas is also known as Klaasbuur, Sunnercla, Burklaas, Bullerklaas,& Rauklas, & in eastern Germany, he is also known as Shaggy Goat, Ash Man, or Rider & is more reflective of earlier Norse influences that were blended in with the figure of St. Nicholas, when Christianity came to Germany. After the reformation, St. Nicholas’s attire began to change, maybe as a reflection of the change from the Roman church, & he started to wear a red suit with fur. Although he still visits many homes on Dec 5th/6th & leaves candy and gifts in the children’s shoes, more recently St. Nicholas has begun showing up on Christmas Eve in Germany & is called Father Christmas.
In France, he is also called Pere Noel (Father Christmas) & he travels in the company of Pere Fouettard. Pere Noel leaves presents for good children, while Pere Fouettard disciplines bad children.
St. Nicholas day was celebrated formerly in Russia, but under Communism he was changed to Grandfather Frost & wore blue instead of red. In Sicily, he comes on Dec 13th with Santa Lucia.
6 December 2022 – “Speaking with the Stars”: Look for a triangle of Spiritual Beings near Bella Luna – You’ll see the sparkling Pleiades star cluster, the fiery red star Aldebaran (Eye of the Bull in Taurus) & bright red Mars, now just one day away from its December 7-8 opposition. So Earth will fly between Mars and the Sun tomorrow. And tomorrow night – on December 7-8 – the moon will occult, or pass in front of, Mars. Lots going on!
Rudolf Steiner’s Lectures on this day
ON THIS DAY IN HISTORY
During the Feast of Saint Nicolas in 1273, Saint Thomas Aquinas had a mystical vision that made writing seem unimportant to him. At mass, he reportedly heard a voice coming from a crucifix that said, “Thou hast written well of me, Thomas; what reward wilt thou have?” to which Saint Thomas Aquinas replied, “None other than thyself, Lord.”
When Saint Thomas Aquinas’s confessor, Father Reginald of Piperno (an earlier incarnation of Ita Wegman) urged him to keep writing, he replied, “I can do no more. Such secrets have been revealed to me that all I have written now appears to be like straw” Thomas Aquinas never wrote again.
1926 – Deathday of Claude Monet
1959- Deathday of Emil Bock, Priest & co-founder of the Christian Community
Holiday Market at the Rudolf Steiner Branch
4249 N. Lincoln Ave. Chicago
10 December 2022 – from 11 am – 4 pm
Handcrafted gifts, décor & toys
Featuring Live Music, Puppetry & Candle Dipping!!!
If you would like to be a vendor contact Elizabeth Kelly
eilisaineariadne@gmail.com
The ‘Envy of the Gods’ – The ‘Envy of Human Beings’
Presented by Adriana Koulias*
A Winter Solstice offering preparing us for the Centennial commemoration of the burning of the first Goetheanum.
21 December 2022, at 5 pm PT, 6 pm MT, 7 pm CT, 8 pm ET
Here is a link to the World Clock for your time zone
Online & in-person at the Rudolf Steiner Branch Chicago
Dear Friends – This special presentation is supported by your generous donations. $10-$50 or pay what you will www.rschicago.org/donate (credit card or PayPal)
Please type ‘Adriana’ in the memo for your payment
To register & receive the Zoom code email your receipt of payment to the Cultural Events & Festivals Coordinator Hazel Archer-Ginsberg hag@rschicago.org
For those attending in-person doors open at 5:30 pm for our Potluck meal. Please bring food & drink to share.
Work on building the First Goetheanum, which was designed and supervised by Rudolf Steiner, began after the laying of the double dodecahedron foundation stone on the 20th of September 1913. Construction proceeded for a decade under enormous difficulties in the political, economic and cultural realms, brought on by the advent of the First World War. After the war when the building was near completion, the First Goetheanum was destroyed by an arsonist on New Year’s Eve 1922/1923.
This NYE 2022-23 will be the 100th anniversary of this event and the world is again facing many difficulties, political, economic and social. Adriana’s lecture will explore what Rudolf Steiner meant by the ‘Envy of the Gods and the Envy of Human beings’ and how a consciousness of this during the coming 12 Holy Nights can provide the necessary strengthening for the coming twelve months.
During this presentation Adriana will speak about the three gifts given by Rudolf Steiner in 1913: The naming of Anthroposophy, The Fifth Gospel, and The Laying of the Foundation Stone of the First Goetheanum. She will explore with us how we can link our hearts to the old Goetheanum during the coming 12 Holy Nights to prepare ourselves for the coming 12 months in 2023, so we can work towards a Cosmic New Year.
In this way we will celebrate the Jubilee of the Christmas Conference and the resurrection of the living impulse of the First Goetheanum in the most auspicious way.
For Rudolf Steiner tells us: ‘My dear friends, may this link our hearts to the old Goetheanum which we had to consign to the elements. May it link our hearts also to the Spirit, to the Soul of this Goetheanum. With this vow before whatever is best within our being we want to live on not only into the new year. In strength of deed, bearing the spirit, leading the soul we want to live on into the new cosmic year.’ ~Rudolf Steiner, ‘The Envy of the Gods and the Envy of Human Beings.’
Adriana Koulias was born in 1960 in Brazil. Adriana moved to Australia when she was 9 years old where she lives today. She has studied art, operatic singing and nursing. She has been studying Anthroposophy (awareness of our humanity) as given by Rudolf Steiner for 33 years and has since 2002-3 integrated this knowledge into several novels and a number of books, international lectures and articles online and in magazines.
Hazel, you have acknowledged one of the most important riddles in the annals of spiritual-scientific history. It is the Beatification of Thomas Aquinas in 1273. I was not sure about the date being December 6th, but you know about this event, and I remember telling a friend about it back in 1987. Being very much an advocate of Thomism because he was a Catholic, he vehemently denied that Thomas could have ever characterized his writing as “so much straw”. I could only say that it was recorded and had to do with an experience that Thomas had that day.
You wrote:
“During the Feast of Saint Nicolas in 1273, Saint Thomas Aquinas had a mystical vision that made writing seem unimportant to him. At mass, he reportedly heard a voice coming from a crucifix that said, “Thou hast written well of me, Thomas; what reward wilt thou have?” to which Saint Thomas Aquinas replied, “None other than thyself, Lord.” When Saint Thomas Aquinas’s confessor, Father Reginald of Piperno urged him to keep writing, he replied, “I can do no more. Such secrets have been revealed to me that all I have written now appears to be like straw” Thomas Aquinas never wrote again.”
Now, the deep secret and mystery surrounding this occurrence involves Thomas Aquinas being the 12th member of the College of Twelve, who were involved in the birth of Christian Rosenkreutz in the 13th century. Rudolf Steiner spoke about it here for the first time when he was initiating the Christian Rosenkreutz Branch in Neuchatel, Switzerland on September 27, 1911.
https://rsarchive.org/Lectures/GA130/English/RSP1984/19110927p01.html
This is the truly distinguishing feature of Thomas Aquinas and his life in fulfillment of his destiny as the 12th member of the College of Twelve. This lecture describes how a “Thirteenth” arose in the midst of the Twelve, and was nurtured back to health in a short life of maybe 21 years. This is thanks to the Twelve, who nursed him with their wisdom, and he recovered in order to give his own thanks by giving them beatification. Thomas Aquinas proves his participation here as the 12th member of the College.
We can discuss it some more because it was a complete surprise to see it as a highlight of history today. Steiner would clarify it all again some thirteen years later when he reveals the mystery lodge that could not be named back then. It was the School of Chartres. Thus, a comparison can be made between the lecture from 1911 and this one, which is from the Karmic Relationships, volume III.
https://rsarchive.org/Lectures/GA237/English/RSP1977/19240713p01.html
Herein, Thomas Aquinas is named quite specifically as the protege of Alain de Lille of the School of Chartres. As such, Alain would meditate in his lonely cloister and be visited by the spirit of Aristotle. Then, he became a Cistercian monk and left the school.
Thomas Aquinas was born in 1225 with his task at hand.
Rudolf Steiner had indicated that Thomas Aquinas possessed an astral copy of Jesus in order to fulfill his mission in life, which was to be the catalyst for the birth of Christian Rosenkreutz. Steiner would first indicate this in his course, “Principle of Spiritual Economy” in 1909, GA 109. Then, the course on Christian Rosenkreutz from 1911-1912, GA 130, in which the College of Twelve is described, with particular reference to the 12th member, who is Aquinas. Then, the lecture from GA 137, on the School of Chartres. There can be no mistaking that Alain de Lille, who was one of the original seven of this school, and the reincarnation of a Holy Rishi, prepared the incarnation of Thomas Aquinas to be the Twelfth. Steiner would not have taken pains to describe it if it were not so. These pains pass down as an evolutionary imperative.
The picture of CRC & RS standing as the 2 pillars is very strong for me, even more so than the 12 & the 1…
And isn’t the Master Jesus on the other side of Steiner? Only in the Gospel of Luke, lecture 7, is it explained how the Master Jesus formed, and who he is, and what his mission has been since Christ walked the Earth.
“At the Baptism by John the Zarathustra-Ego left the body of the Nathan Jesus into which the Christ then entered. Soon after the Zarathustra-Ego had passed into the body of the Nathan Jesus, the Solomon Jesus-boy died; his etheric body was taken by the mother of the Nathan Jesus with her into the spiritual world when she too died — at approximately the same time as the Solomon Jesus. Having left the body of the Nathan Jesus at the Baptism by John, the Zarathustra-Individuality united with the etheric body that had originally been his in the body of the Solomon Jesus. This led to the existence of the Being known as the “Master Jesus” who in quickly recurring incarnations has become the Inspirer of the great spiritual figures in Christianity”.
https://rsarchive.org/Lectures/GA114/English/RSP1964/GosLuk_index.html
That is not a picture I hold, but I can see how these imaginations can be expanded to include many beings…
Do you think there is a connection between Master Jesus & Jeshu ben Pandira?
Zarathustra became the Master Jesus. When Christ entered the sheaths of the Nathan Jesus at the Baptism, which coincided with the departure of Zarathustra from Jesus after 18 years, Christ immediately perceived that “someone had been there before”, and was preparing Jesus for His entry. Thus, Zarathustra was also effectively baptized at that time. Yet, it took time for the wholly unique body that was returned by the Mother to form. This required that Zarathustra incorporate into a disciple in order to be an eyewitness to Ahura Mazdao from the Sun now walking in the flesh. The disciple was the one who was eventually identified as Lazarus.
The chief feature of Mary Magdalene’s experience at the empty tomb, as described in the first part of chapter 20 of the Gospel of John, is that she interacts with both the Master Jesus and the Etheric Nathan Jesus. Perceiving the former to be “the gardener”, she calls him, “Sir”. Then, in hearing a familiar voice say, “Mary”, she turns and exclaims, “Rabboni”! Her beloved Jesus had escaped the crucifixion by the decree of God, and was seen running away naked just after Christ was taken into custody.
It was at the empty tomb that the Master Jesus is identified for the first time as the gardener that Mary finally meets.
https://www.biblegateway.com/passage/?search=john+20&version=NASB1995
It’s interesting how you combine things.
But this rendering does not ring true for me.
I know it’s complicated & that all these characters are working for the Christ, so I guess that’s what really matters
We know that Zarathustra becomes the Master Jesus. That is a *given* from the Luke lecture, as well as the Fifth Gospel. As well, close analysis of John, chapter 20, clearly indicates that Mary meets the two Jesus’ because she calls the one, “Sir”, and the other, “Rabboni”. This proves that the Nathan Jesus, the Son of Man, did not die on the Cross. Christ acknowledges to Peter, just before being apprehended, these words: “Put the sword in the sheath; the Cup that the Father has given Me, shall I not drink it”? John 18:11.
Yes. These are important matters that still need unraveling. Thanks for giving the opportunity to try to do so. Miracles abounded when the hour was at hand.
Yes, Zarathustra becomes Master Jesus in later incarnations.
Mary doesn’t recognize Christ at the tomb because his etheric body has not yet become stable, that’s why he tells her not to touch him. She sees him as the Gardener until he speaks her name, then she knows he is the Christ her teacher “Rabboni!”
The image of the Gardener gives us a picture of the future when the Earth will be cultivated into the New Jerusalem.
It is interesting to contemplate that the two angels in white, that Mary sees sitting where the body of Jesus had lain – one at the head and one at the feet – may be the Nathan & Zarathustra souls…Thanks for that image, I will take that in…
The Gospel of John Chapter 20:11-18 Jesus Appears to Mary Magdalene
11 But Mary stood weeping outside the tomb, and as she wept she stooped to look into the tomb. 12 And she saw two angels in white, sitting where the body of Jesus had lain, one at the head and one at the feet. 13 They said to her, “Woman, why are you weeping?” She said to them, “They have taken away my Lord, and I do not know where they have laid him.” 14 Having said this, she turned around and saw Jesus standing, but she did not know that it was Jesus. 15 Jesus said to her, “Woman, why are you weeping? Whom are you seeking?” Supposing him to be the gardener, she said to him, “Sir, if you have carried him away, tell me where you have laid him, and I will take him away.” 16 Jesus said to her, “Mary.” She turned and said to him in Aramaic,[b] “Rabboni!” (which means Teacher). 17 Jesus said to her, “Do not cling to me, for I have not yet ascended to the Father; but go to my brothers and say to them, ‘I am ascending to my Father and your Father, to my God and your God.’” 18 Mary Magdalene went and announced to the disciples, “I have seen the Lord”—and that he had said these things to her.
Actually, Mary has two specific occurrences when she turns; the first occurs when after the appearance of the two angels at the head and foot of the tomb, who ask together “woman why do you weep”? And then, rather immediately, she turns and sees Jesus. This is the Jesus that she does not known until now. She perceives him to be the gardener. He asks her why does she weep, and she explains that they have taken away her master. Then, another voice says: “Mary”. She turns again and says, “Rabboni”.
So, you figure out how many turns it takes for Mary to experience all that she does in this brief moment. The key moment is when Jesus says, “Stop clinging to me for I have not ascended to my father”. What Jesus could this be? The one she knows or the one she doesn’t know?
Hi Hazel,
I am excited that you have seen fit to recite this whole paragraph from chapter 20 of the Gospel of John. This shows that your interest has been piqued, and it often takes a controversial remark in order to get this kind of response. Of course, most of your response is the typical kind that we can expect from the theological scholars who have analyzed what it means for Mary to experience Christ with unopened eyes. Then, when the two behind her acknowledge their presence, she is made more aware of what is occurring in her midst. These are, indeed, the two Jesus’, and the expectations from Mary are quite different. From the first, she experiences a kind of supreme authority, and that is why she refers to him as “Sir”. From the second, of course, it is her familiar “Rabboni”.
Yet, it is the final admonishment to Mary from the first Jesus to “Stop clinging to me” that produces the most profound consequence. Do you remember what it was? I will give you a hint. It involves a birth.
I know that you do not want to pursue this conversation any further, and I thank you for allowing its limit, but there is a certain historicity that says that Jesus and Mary had a child together. This, of course, requires that Jesus survived the crucifixion. He did. Yet, it is the relationship between Mary and the one she does not know that produces a child. Her precious ‘Rabboni’ stayed out of it because he had a much larger agenda to attend to. So, it came down to her close affiliation with the one designated as “Master Jesus” that produced the child. John-Mark is the child, who would both follow Paul in his first missionary journey, and then come back home in order to be the support for Peter, who had miraculously escaped from sure death at the hands of Herod Agrippa I. Mary makes the call, and Mark returns home post haste. The Gospel of Mark is the result.
Now, we can end the conversation, Hazel, and I thank you for allowing it. Yet, if you want to continue it, here I Am.
Of course, the Art of Conversation has the angle of finesse, which means ‘reading between the lines’. In this case, it is clear, but it could take another 2000 years in order to get it! Do we have have that long?
I am always open to pondering the super-sensible realities behind individualities, & historical events, but for me it’s not about creating a separate narrative that materializes spiritual truths.
I find it often derails & confuses what I am trying to build thru a particular theme…
Of course these trains of thought based on your personal agenda can also sometimes provide interesting tangential insights that can prove fruitful for some readers – so yes, the space is open & time is relative…
I don’t have a personal agenda other than contributing to the blog. I do feel, though, that there is much more to consider in the continuing expansion of knowledge. All is relative, and timely.