Here is the Podcast of today’s offering on ‘I Think Speech’.
I am holding in my consciousness that we are in the season of Epiphany, which is often defined as a revelation, I can’t help picturing it as a cartoon image of the lightbulb over the head – indicating a sudden, intuitive insight – where it all makes sense. An Epiphany is often related to the appearance or manifestation of a spiritual being or phenomenon – But I don’t think a true Epiphany happens by chance, or comes as some fliting flash that fades away.
I think of the example of what we hear in the book of Matthew – how the Magi prepared, perhaps for lifetimes before they made it to Epiphany. And in the 5th Gospel we read how Jesus of Nazareth was prepared 1st thru 42 generations, & then for 30 years, before he received the Christ in the Baptism by John in the Jordan. And we have to work thru all of the 13 Holy Nights to reach the Epiphany, which is not just a day, but a season, that takes us into the 1st stirrings of Spring – still frozen & invisible, but tickling the roots, awakening the sap, willing it to rise…
Thru all that is happening to darken or distract us in the world, I have been trying to live into this, to see thru a glass darkly, looking, always searching, for the light hiding in the shadows, which can reveal the revelation – allow the appearance.
I have been thinking about the ‘Appearance’, ‘The Manifestation’, The Advent of Christ, in the Etheric World. And it just so happens that 112 years ago TODAY, Rudolf Steiner gives the 1st lecture ever on the Etheric Reappearance of The Christ (see link below) Sometimes when I contemplate this amazing mystery, it comes to me in the picture of an assembly – a convocation, a summit. But mostly I see it as an intimate meeting; or a like blind date, where we are introduced thru a mutual friend – thru our connection to Anthroposophia, which gives us the wisdom to see with new eyes. We receive from this part of ourselves the invite – the entre to the cosmic party. It’s an open invitation, but it takes more than just spinning around 3 times to remove the blindfold – to lift the veil that separates us from meeting this reality.
The Christ, in his rhythmical Presence, presses forward into the etheric realm, into the realm of the formative forces which envelop the earth to fortify & maintain all life; & Steiner says “Humanity on its natural path of development touches on that sphere with our soul forces” – So that gets me asking, Ok, how do we do our part, on this natural path, to develop those soul forces of Thinking, Feeling & Willing, in this new way? How do we employ Imagination, Inspiration & Intuition without expectation, with the utmost faith & patience, to achieve the 1st glimmering – an awakening of our etheric eyes, a new supersensible sensing, which can experience the life-body?
Steiner says “We think we see with our eyes, but we don’t literally see with these outer organs. They are a kind of microscope, or telescope, or camera, a fairly dead body in us. We see by means of it, with etheric activity.”
He explains that we perceive colors as the result of etheric activity. If we look at green & afterwards at a white sheet of paper, we see it’s reversal as red. (hmm the Christmas colors, go ahead get out your crayons & give it a try) This seeing is due to the continuation of the etheric activity of the eye, which answers to the impressions of colors. We see a balance. We never see an actual color as it is, but always a balance.
We produce complementary colors thru the etheric activity of our eye; & what we see – the final physical effect, is a balance, even if we are not consciously aware of it. (Think 3D Glasses!)
But when we do make it our intention to be conscious, we became co-creators of this new etheric sight.
For more practical exercises in seeing into the etheric, I recommend working with Baruch Urieli’s amazing book: Learning to Experience The Etheric World – with the very interesting sub-title: Empathy, the After-Image & a New Social Ethic.
Rudolf Steiner suggests in his lectures ‘From Jesus to Christ’, (Which is what the Holy Nights are all about) that it is our own etheric activity which lightens up that sphere in which the Etheric Christ is present.
And I have come to see that thru our own activity in connection with The Sophia as a Being of Light, we can shed some Light on Love, waiting in the realm of our formative forces for us to perceive & interact with.
It is an activity, which in its clarity, & beauty, can be strengthened not only thru the specific spiritual discipline of the 6 Basic exercises, & the meditative path, but thru moral development, which brings a balance, in wholeness.
Working the 8-fold path & the 6B are certainly key. And for me right now Equanimity is helping to give a flow to my moral progress. When we take hold of the reins of our emotions & steer them where we want to go, it improves the etheric light which we can pour from our heart down into the limbs & then back up to our head, & out thru our eyes, into the etheric world to light up the Christ.
May this New Year bring us ever closer to a true vision of our shared spiritual reality
See you there
~hag
12 January 2021 – “Speaking with the Stars”: Low in the sunset, Mercury & Saturn dance in the Sea-goat, while Jupiter looks on.
Yep, today is my Half Birthday! My astrologer friend Victoria Martin says 1/2 b-day’s are the ‘low point of the natal year’…grrr…& soon Mercury (occult Venus) will go retro…Ok 2022 here we come…
Rudolf Steiner’s Lectures on this day
“I have been impressed with the urgency of doing. Knowing is not enough; we must apply. Being willing is not enough; we must do”. ~Leonardo da Vinci
ON THIS DAY IN HISTORY
1910 – Rudolf Steiner gives the 1st lecture ever on the Etheric Reappearance of The Christ, to members in Stockholm Sweden. At the same time as the “initiation” of Krishnamurti in Adyar. True Nature of the Second Coming – Preparation for this Event through the Development of Etheric Vision ~RS Then on January 25th Rudolf Steiner begins the series The Reappearance of Christ in the Etheric for the members in Dornach
The Holy Grail Study Group with the CRC ALL ARE WELCOME Mysteries of the Holy Grail – from Arthur and Parzival to Modern Initiation January 12, 2021 – 7:15 pm Central (8:15 pm Eastern) |
“Since the Mystery of Golgotha, someone who begins to ask questions will be able to find the right way of doing so, and will also get the right feeling for the new Isis Mystery. What matters today, then, is to ask the right questions, and develop the right attitude to the spiritual world view that can now be presented. Someone who merely wishes to judge can read any number of books and lectures without learning anything apart from mere words. Someone, on the other hand, who approaches in a questing mood, will learn far more than can be found in the words. He will find that these words bear fruit in the powers of growth that lie in his own soul. Anything the spirit teaches us must become real inner experience. That is the important thing.” ~Rudolf Steiner, The Mysteries of the Holy Grail, Chapter 7, “The Questioning Stance of Soul”, excerpts from Steiner’s lectures given at Berlin on 6 January 1914 … focus of the January 12 meeting. These chapters from the book can be found online at the CRC’s website by clicking this link A transcript of the 6 January, 1914 lecture can be found on the RS Archive by clicking this link 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 One tap mobile +13017158592,,81116556762# US (Germantown) +13126266799,,81116556762# US (Chicago) Dial by your location +1 301 715 8592 US (Germantown) +1 312 626 6799 US (Chicago) +1 646 558 8656 US (New York) +1 253 215 8782 US (Tacoma) +1 346 248 7799 US (Houston) +1 669 900 6833 US (San Jose) Meeting ID: 882 1050 5106 Find your local number: https://us02web.zoom.us/u/kcHr5EVwrv If you have questions, please contact Alberto Loya aloyavaca@utexas.edu |
Agenda for this meeting (CST) 7:15 Welcome and Introductions 7:18 Verse 7:25 Study led by volunteers Note: CRC team will ID volunteers Travis – pg. 53 to 57 (top) Tom – pg. 57 to 61 7:50 Conversation 8:25 ID volunteers for next meeting 8:28 Close with verse There is a knighthood of the 21st century whose riders do not ride through the darkness of physical forests as of old, but through the forest of darkened minds. They are armed with a spiritual armor and an inner sun makes them radiant. Out of them shines healing, healing that flows from the knowledge of the human being as a spiritual being. They must create inner order, inner justice, peace and conviction in the darkness of our time. ~Karl Konig |
And then there is the miner who goes deep into the bowels of the earth with pick and shovel to mine raw ore, 7 rounds on the alchemical wheel to turn it into gold – earth epiphany. There’s no light in that cave except what we can find in us, and it is there for everyone. Nicholas
May we bring an Epiphany to all the elements: Earth, Air, Fire, Water, Ether…
in E, W, N, S…
May human beings hear it!
Maybe even a kind of Grand Epiphany this year because Mercury does not reach solar conjunction in this increment until January, in the sign of Capricorn every eight years. Thus, prior to 2022 the last occurred in 2014. Now, if we go back a hundred years to 1914, Steiner gave a very pivotal course, entitled: Human and Cosmic Thought, which compares a number of factors worth considering again today. This Friday is January 14th. In this course, Steiner constructs a model which is very evident for the listening audience. From the Zodiac arises certain psychological orientations, which the human mind addresses, and then adds the factor of the various planetary moods, which becomes a combination of great importance. It becomes the Human Personality, which is Us in our present embodiment. Individuated, of course, this is where we have our stamp. As such, anthroposophists have a very special stamp.
Last year at this time we displayed our special stamp; the Spirit of Columbia. It was a very encouraging word. This year is more like the usual propaganda, which would invite a more reclusive posture, like with Lake Geneva. In fact, the mother of Crown Prince Rudolf was stabbed to death while walking around Lake Geneva in September 1898. People had no idea why, but Rudolf Steiner knew. GA 178, “Behind the Scenes of Human Happenings”.
I think that 2022 is a new direction. Steiner went to England for the first time in nearly nine years in 1922, and met Daniel Dunlop for a new power consortium. He even went two more times that year! Yet, this caused disturbance for the old world mentality back in Germany. It would prove to be fatal. Even back in Munich in May 1922, Steiner was attacked in his most beloved city. First assassination attempt?