A Become

21 December 2018 – “Speaking with the Stars”: 

By mid-evening Bella Luna, on the eve of coming into fullness as the ‘Long Nights Moon’full, forms an almost-isosceles triangle with Aldebaran to her upper right & Betelgeuse to her lower right.

Tonight is the longest night of the year for the Northern Hemisphere; the longest day for the Southern Hemisphere. The solstice occurs at 6:23 p.m. CST, when the Sun reaches its farthest point south & begins its six-month return northward. That’s when winter begins in the Northern Hemisphere, summer in the Southern.

Moon and Aldebaran Dec 21, 2018

Entering into the Longest Night
Entering into the Birth of Light
Consecrating the expected Nativity
Of a New Solar Year
In Yule-Tide Exultation
In the light of Transformation…

The battle between old & new – Dark & Light…The winter solstice is the dark before the dawn, a time of renewal, giving us the most primordial myths of humankind: In Old Norse mythology, the Sun goddess was swallowed up by the wolf of darkness, but was reborn as her daughter, the maiden goddess of the underworld, who rose again to illumine the world. In Greece & Rome, midwinter marked the birth of gods, such as Mithras & Dionysus, who died & journeyed into the underworld, winning gifts for humankind before their miraculous rebirth. We must honor the dark before calling in the light.

This image has an empty alt attribute; its file name is yuleforest.bmp

The esoteric meaning of this time of year can be gleaned from the ancient mystery schools. In the Hellenistic world, initiates into the Mysteries of Isis had to undergo a ceremony of death & rebirth in which they entered the underworld to gaze upon the “sun at midnight.” This ceremony, which had its origins in ancient Egypt, speaks of the journey of the soul into the fecund depths of the subconscious mind, where we meet the Guardian at the gate, which opens to the dark sea of spirit from which all creation comes forth, purified & born anew.

To this day people gather at sacred sites as far apart as Newgrange in Ireland & the temple of Karnak in Egypt, to celebrate the miracle of the sun’s return at the darkest time of the year – In the pitch-black sanctuaries of caves & earth chambers, to wait for the birth of new light & life.

Of course when we strive to walk the modern path of initiation, working the 6 basic exercises every day, we don’t wait for the outward sun to shine, we must labor to give birth to the light within, for ourselves.

At a time when the fate of our planet & all her creatures hangs in the balance, let each of us journey down into the cave of the soul to drink from the secret well of wisdom & find the hidden flame within the dark — then return bearing our own unique gift of Light for the world.

The gift of the light (Gesture: Both hands scoop up light & bring it to your heart)
We thankfully take, But nothing may be, Just alone for our sake.
The more we give light (Hands move outward) The one to the other
It shines & spreads life (Arms move out horizontally, spreading light)
Growing still further, 
Till every spark is set aflame. (Right hand in front of chest shows the proof of a flame.)
Till every heart, Joy shall proclaim. (Eurythmy Ah — arms up, palms upward)

May the cave of your heart be ever bright –

~Hazel Archer Ginsberg



When we look up to the wonder of the starry world, when we contemplate the whole process of the universe with its glories and marvels, then we are led at last to the feeling that all the glory that lies open to our view in the whole universe that surrounds us only has meaning when it is reflected in an admiring human soul.” ~Goethe

***

John Stolfo

Rudolf Steiner’s Lectures on this day 

Triumphant in man’s deepest soul
Lives the Spirit of the Sun;
Quickened forces, set astir,
Awake the feelings to His presence
In the inner winter life.
Hope, impulse of the heart,
Beholds the Spirit victory of the Sun
In the blessed Light of Christmas,
The sign of highest life
In the winter’s deepest night. ~Rudolf Steiner

ON THIS DAY IN HISTORY

What is to be the starting force & impulse for events in social & ethical life must come out of the spiritual world.” Rudolf Steiner, New Spiritual Impulses in History” December, 1917

Winter Solstice or Yule

Blue Christmas, also called the Longest Night in the Western Christian tradition, is a day in the Advent season marking the longest night of the year. On this day, some churches hold a church service that honors people who have lost loved ones in that year. There is an interesting convergence for this day as it is also the traditional feast day for Saint Thomas the Apostle. This linkage invites making some connections between Thomas’s struggle to believe the tale of Jesus’ resurrection, the long nights just before Christmas, & the struggle with darkness & grief faced by those living with loss

72 – Deathday of Thomas the Apostle, called Didymus which means “the twin” one of the Twelve Apostles of Jesus Christ, according to the New Testament. He is informally called doubting Thomas because he doubted Jesus’ resurrection when first told (in the Gospel of John account), followed later by his confession of faith, “My Lord and my God“, on seeing Jesus’ wounds.

Traditional legend written centuries later claim he travelled outside the Roman Empire to preach the Gospel, travelling as far as Tamil Nadu & Kerala in present-day India. According to tradition, he baptized many people, founding what today is known as Saint Thomas Christians or Nasranis. After his death, the relics of Saint Thomas the Apostle were enshrined as far as Mesopotamia in the 3rd century. In 1258, some of the relics were brought to Abruzzo in Ortona, Italy, where they have been held in the Church of Saint Thomas the Apostle. He is often regarded as the Patron Saint of India, & the name Thoma remains quite popular among Christians in India

1804 – Birthday of Benjamin Disraeli, Prime Minister of the United Kingdom

1907 – The Chilean Army commits a massacre of at least 2,000 striking saltpeter miners in Iquique, Chile.

1910 – An underground explosion at the Hulton Bank Colliery No. 3 Pit in Over Hulton, Westhoughton, England, kills 344 miners.

1913 – Arthur Wynne’s “word-cross“, the first crossword puzzle, is published

1919 – American anarchist Emma Goldman is deported to Russia

1940 – Deathday of F. Scott Fitzgerald, American novelist & short story writer

1945 – Deathday of George S. Patton, American general

1946 – An 8.1 Mw earthquake & subsequent tsunami in Nankaidō, Japan, kills over 1,300 people & destroys over 38,000 homes

1963 –”Bloody Christmas” begins in Cyprus, resulting in the displacement of 25,000-30,000 Turkish Cypriots & destruction of more than 100 villages

1967 – Louis Washkansky, the first man to undergo a heart transplantdies in Cape Town, South Africa, having lived for 18 days after the transplant

1968 –Apollo 8 is launched placing its crew on a lunar trajectory for the first visit to another celestial body by humans

1973 – The Geneva Conference on the Arab–Israeli conflict opens

1988 – A bomb explodes on board Pan Am Flight 103 over Lockerbie, Scotland, killing 270

1992 – A Dutch DC-10, flight Martinair MP 495, crashes at Faro Airport, killing 156

1994 – Mexican volcano Popocatépetl, dormant for 47 years, erupts

2004 – Iraq War: A suicide bomber killed 22 at the base next to the main U.S. military airfield, the single deadliest suicide attack on American soldiers

***

Baron Arild Rosenkrantz.

~you & i are
pure as dream
lasting as music
opulent as the Goddess…
We are
given the gift
of becoming…

~hag

A Guided Meditation for the Winter Solstice: Let each of us journey down into the cave of the soul to drink from the secret well of wisdom & find the hidden flame within the dark & when we return we will bear our own unique gift of Light for the world. But 1st – Wrap this darkness gently about you like a comfortable blanket. Float gently now in its depths. Grow here, nourished by an invisible cord that connects you to the Source of all life. Floating gently in the dark…Softly rocking in the dark…And though it is dark, we realize that what surrounds us is not empty, but — like the womb — full of life. Take a moment now to sense the swirling, nurturing energy of the dark.

And now, as the energy increases, it gives birth to the smallest spark imaginable, the spark of new life. See that spark now as it glows, watch that spark now, watch it as it grows. Glowing brighter & brighter, it grows into a flame. And as you look at this flame, its light fills you with warmth, with love. And as you feel increased love & warmth within you, the visible intensity of the flame slowly diminishes & as it does, in its place, slowly becoming visible, is the outline of a present. This gift becomes more solid, until you can see its form clearly & see that it is wrapped in a glistening filament of light. / This gift has your name on it, inscribed in the glistening material. Is your name written in a special color? Is the inscription special in any other way? Approach your wrapped present now more closely. What shape is it? How big is it? What color is its wrapping? Pick it up: is it light? heavy?

And now unwrap your gift. / How easy or difficult is it to unwrap? You finish opening it now & you receive your gift. What is it? Look at it carefully. Experience it fully. Accept it. Accept your gift with joy. Feel your heart warm with the love with which this gift is given to you.

And now, from your heart, send out gratitude for this gift, send out thanks for this gift, send it out like light, like a beacon back to the to the Universe: both the dark & the light. Send out your thanks for this gift. & Now, if you wish, find a place to keep this gift, a place to put this gift, so you can use in the New year.

~Hazel Archer Ginsberg

Dear Friends, Come explore with us The Mystery of Christmas & Epiphany 

HOLY NIGHTS at the Rudolf Steiner Branch Chicago 2018-19

“…When the Two Become One…”

* Christmas Eve 24 December 2018, 7 pm – 9 pm

Ave Maria on Classical Guitar – Philip Armetta

The Greatest Story Ever Told”- Renaissance Art, & Storytelling with Hazel Archer Ginsberg,

Group Art project: Turning the inside out, & the outside in

Carols with Ultra-Violet Archer   

Love Donation

For more info. contact Festivals Coordinator Hazel Archer Ginsberg

Image result for dream song of olaf asteson

* Thursday 27 Dec. 7 pm – 9 pm – The Dream Song of Olaf Asteson with Debra Barford & Mary Tom

$10 or pay what you can

Image result for According to Luke by Rudolf Steiner

* Friday 28 & Sunday 30 Dec. 7 pm – 9 pm – Group Study: ‘According to Luke’ by Rudolf Steiner Hosted by Deborah Rogers. Copies available to members in the library or online

Image result for jutta & the hidukes

* Monday 31 Dec. Our Annual NYE Gathering 7:30 pm – 1 am In Elderberries 4251 N. Lincoln Ave.

Please bring food & drink to Share.

$20 or pay what you can (½ goes to the band ½ to the artists)

8 pm – 9:30 pm – Jutta & the Hi-Dukes Folk Dancing

9:30 pm – ‘Biography Work’ with Paulette Arnold

10:30 pm – Spacial Dynamics with Alex Boshell

11:15 pm – ‘Out with the Old’ Ceremony, with ~hag,

Lead Casting to meet the Future

MIDNIGHT: Labyrinth Walk, Singing

For more info. contact Festivals Coordinator Hazel Archer Ginsberg

Image result for According to Luke by Rudolf Steiner

* Tuesday 1, Wednesday 2, Thursday 3 January 2019, 7 pm – 9 pm – Group Study: ‘According to Luke’ by Rudolf Steiner Hosted by Deborah Rogers. Copies available to members in the library or online

* Friday 4 January 2019, 7 pm – 9 pm

“…When the Two Become One…” The Mystery of Christmas & Epiphany

Holy Night Social Discourse – Renaissance Art, & Storytelling with Hazel Archer Ginsberg,

Beeswax Candle Dipping! with Nancy Melvin

Eurythmy with Mary Ruud

$15 for supplies & Snacks to Share Encouraged

For more info. contact Festivals Coordinator Hazel Archer Ginsberg

Image result for 3 kings bring gifts renaissance art

* Sunday 6 Jan. Epiphany 2 pm – 4 pm – 

The Baptism / 3 Kings/ 12th Night – Leading Thoughts with Hazel Archer-Ginsberg

Storytelling with Ann Burfiend

Social Art with Nancy Melvin

Eurythmy with Mary Ruud

$10 & Snacks to Share Encouraged

For more info. contact Festivals Coordinator Hazel Archer Ginsberg

Rudolf Steiner Branch of The Anthroposophical Society, 4249 North Lincoln Avenue. Chicago, IL 60618 (map

Check out our Web site!  (Anthroposophical Society in America)

The Elderberries 3-Fold Space & the Flex Space are available for rental on PEER SPACE for classes, events, meetings, retreats, art exhibits, family parties, etc..

Leave a Reply

Your email address will not be published. Required fields are marked *

This site uses Akismet to reduce spam. Learn how your comment data is processed.