That which is Coming…

Festival, History, Remembering, Soul to Soul

The word Advent comes from the Latin advenire, “to arrive” or ‘that which is coming’. It a time of preparation, an inner exercise of waiting, of becoming present. Standing guard in the dark, thoughtfully gestating, before the return of the light at Winter Solstice & the birth of the Sun/Son at Christmas.

We look to the wisdom revealed in the position of the star-beings present now in the dome of the sky. The 4 weeks of Advent are deeply connected with the challenge of the Scorpion. & the Centaur. – Can we overcome our animal nature & the consequences of error & evil that has separated us from our true divine nature?

scorpio

Advent can be seen as the time of transforming the fallen parts of our souls, so we can truly meet the Christmas birth.

In the north, the darkness & death of nature mirror the descent of humanity from the light into the darkness of matter at the Fall. This time of Advent, reflects our journey away from the Divine Sun into the lower realm. This descent began during the epoch of evolution known as ‘Ancient Moon’ – in the course of the rebellion called the ‘War in Heaven’ with the later infusion of Luciferic tendencies upon the human astral body. 

“But now an event occurred that gave evolution a new turn. Beings who had a certain leading connection with that part of the Moon cosmos…became “rebellious”. This Moon rebellion changed the character of the human beings. They now had a soul body, as we said. They were thereby able to have inner sensations, emotions, etc., but now introduced into their inner nature was the impulse to develop a dim sense of independence, of segregation and of divorce from the higher spiritual world. These impulses prepared them to later become egoists. Those beings who initiated this development were later on perceived as the Serpent who brought about the Fall of humanity and the loss of paradise, according to the Book of Genesis. We find that Moon rebellion recorded in the script of the constellation of Scorpion.” (Willi Sucher, Isis Sophia II,  Part Two, The Evolution of Ancient Moon) Thanks to Jonathan Hilton and the Astrosophy Center)

William Blake

Rudolf Steiner also describes this rebellion in Occult Science: An Outline & from another perspective in, The Spiritual Hierarchies and their Reflection in the Physical World: “Beings from the sphere of the Mights (Dynamis), to put it tritely, were detached; they were placed in the course of evolution so as to bring about obstacles instead of acting as progressive influences. We have come to know this as the War in Heaven….[later in Lemurian times]..The beings who stayed behind, whom we call Luciferic beings approached the human astral body –they were unable to reach the “I” – and injected into the astral body the results of the War in Heaven…humans now had been given the possibility of error and evil, but at the same time also received the capacity to rise above error and evil through their own strength…Thus we can see that only because the Dynamis were given adverse orders did humans receive the possibility of reaching their goal by means of their own powers, something that even the Seraphim cannot attain through their own endeavors. That is the crucial fact…Humans have to fulfill a completely new mission in the world, the mission we have just characterized, and  descended into the earthly world in order to accomplish it.  Christ came into the world as man’s free helper; not as a God working from above, but as the first-born among many.”

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Bamberg Apocalypse

The Festivals of the year give us an opportunity to not only see the past but to work with the present to inform the future. Advent is the time of the year to come to terms with the consequences of the error & evil that is in our own astral nature, reflected in our society so strongly today, to develop the strength to overcome these tendencies in our self & in the world, so that we might prepare the way for the birth of Christ in us at Christmas-tide. This is our activity now for every human being during Advent out of freedom.

Advent is a true festival of our current time in world evolution. Especially now.  This is a karmic call to humanity to awaken to this path of spiritual development with its focus on the confrontation with evil in our time.

scorpian-dove
Vicki Len

The transformation of the Scorpion, not this time into the eagle, but into the dove, this must be our work –  Opening to the Christ flame, the true I Am, born anew in the chalice of the heart at Christmas; the most fertile time for inwardly listening to the voice of our souls. What is seeking to be born? What is longing for deliverance?

Offer up your questions, your hopes, for transformation, for healing, for redemption of the lower self. It’s hard to wait, to be observant, to be malleable & open to change. When we are striving to Know Thyself, we may receive many not so pleasant insights into parts of our self that need purification; terrifying, or shameful glimpses into the double. Sometimes coming from very unexpected sources, blunt synchronicities, uncanny dreams & visions.

luke-21
Turner London

We celebrate Advent to awaken our connection with the cosmic purpose in the Universe. Can we use this time to become more aware of the way in which we are disconnected from our source?  Can we strive to awaken our purpose, as we work to remember our Divine origin?

mary-with-child-adjoct2008

I think of the Mother God gestating the emergent body of Jesus within her. Every breath she takes, every beat of her heart, every thought in her mind, devoted to forming the perfect human being capable of holding the divine.

I think of the approaching soul of Jesus, the pure, innocent Nathan soul, described in Luke’s Gospel, preparing to enter into this immaculate body – This soul which has never incarnated into a human being before.

I can’t help comparing that original purity & dignity of humanity with the way people treat each other now-a-days – so much derision, disrespect & hatred, all the discrimination, how can these lies appear to so many as truth, a selfishness that they are willing to kill for?

Then I try to think about how this is part of some great plan to wake us up, to divide the wheat from the chaff, so that we can reclaim our place in the universe as conscious, Christened human beings.

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With Prayers for Peace & Healing-
I Am  ~Hazel Archer Ginsberg

Dear Friends – Scroll down for all the info. on upcoming programs & this year’s special 12 Holy Nights opportunity

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Rudolf Steiner’s Lectures on this day 

7 December 2019 – “Speaking with the Stars”: Vega is still the brightest star in the west-northwest in early evening. The brightest over it is Deneb. Farther to Vega’s left is Altair. These 3 form the Summer Triangle, pointing this time of year toward the Great Square of Pegasus crossing the meridian high in the south.

Venus, Saturn and Jupiter at dusk, Dec. 6, 2019

Dear Friends – Tonight may be the earliest sunset of the year, if you live near latitude 40° north. Even though we’re still two weeks from the winter solstice!

Sir Edward Coley BURNE -JONES (1833-98)

ON THIS DAY IN HISTORY

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43 BC – Deathday of Cicero, Roman philosopher, lawyer, & politician, murdered

1703 – The greatest windstorm ever recorded in the southern part of Great Britain, makes landfall. Winds gust up to 120 mph, & 9,000 people die.

Image result for 1787 – Delaware becomes the first state to ratify the United States Constitution.

1787 – Delaware becomes the first state to ratify the United States Constitution.

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1917 – The United States declares war on Austria-Hungary.

Image result for 1932 – German-born Swiss physicist Albert Einstein is granted an American visa.

1932 – German-born Swiss physicist Albert Einstein is granted an American visa.

Image result for pearl harbor 9/11 both not really surprise attacks

1941 – The Japanese ‘surprise attack’ on Pearl Harbor

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Current Festival & Program Events

13 – 14 December 2019

Rudiger Janisch

“The Spiritual Goetheanum, the threefold human being and the threefold social impulse”

Friday 13 December , 7 – 9 pm

Saturday 14 December, 9 am – noon

Rüdiger has been working in Curative Education and teaching in professional training programs in Germany and the United States for over 40 years. A long-time student of anthroposophy, he serves on the Collegium of the School for Spiritual Science in North America. His contributions to adult education methods were recognized in the context of an international research project sponsored by the European Union. He has been a member of the core faculty of a joint ‘Training for Trainers’ program supporting Curative Education and Social Therapy in Russia, Ukraine, Georgia, and Kyrgyzstan. He has also taught as an adjunct faculty member of the M.S. Ed program in Waldorf Remedial Education at Antioch University N.H. Having taught many different aspects of anthroposophy and Curative Education, he currently is focused on action research and the development of artistic and experiential approaches to the spiritual scientific study of the human being.

Fro more info. contact Hazel Archer-Ginsberg

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Holy Nights 2019-2020 – The New Mysteries of the ‘Christmas Conference’ Renewed! Dear Friends – Join us this year for an Extra Ordinary Holy Nights. We will gather at the Branch from 6:30 pm – 7:30 pm CST to attend a new initiative with folks from around the world; ‘May Human Beings Hear It: An Online Holy Nights Gathering hosted by ASA friends around the country’. Laura Scappaticci, Angela Foster.  

Here is the link with info. for this free Zoom Call gathering.  

Here is the Link to Register

Then from 7:30pm – 8:30pm CST we will take up our own study of the ‘Laying of the Foundation Stone’ from The Christmas Conference 1923/1924. (There are copies of ‘The Red Book’ in the Library)

Most Nights are from 6:30 pm – 8:30 pm CST except:
24 Dec. at NOON CST (no meeting at the branch)
*26 Dec. The Rudolf Steiner Branch is Hosting this Nation-wide event. Meet in the Upper Room at 6 pm CST.
*28 Dec. Olaf Åsteson practice 3 pm – 5 pm CST – Performance at 7 pm CST.

1st Holy Night: Tuesday 24 December 2019 – Christmas Eve, Adam & Eve’s Day (no meeting at the branch) Zoom call at NOON CST – A Goethean Conversation

2nd Holy Night: Wednesday 25 December 2019 – Christmas Day. 6:30 pm – 8:30 pm. 1st hour hosted by ‘The Sophia Holding Group’. Our study: Rudolf Steiner’ Opening Lecture. pg. 43

*3rd Holy Night: Thursday 26 December 2019 – Boxing Day – Feast of St. Steven. 1st hour hosted by us the Rudolf Steiner Branch, Chicago: “The Vast & Holy Night” a liminal performance of spoken word & eurythmy honoring the dark from which the light is born. Our study: The Laying of the Foundation Stone of the General Anthroposophical Society through Rudolf Steiner. Pg. 68

4th Holy Night: Friday 27 December 2019 – Feast of St. John -1st hour hosted by Mary Stewart Adams. Our study: Continuation of the Foundation Meeting pg. 98

*5th Holy Night: Saturday 28 December 2019 – The Dream Song of Olaf Åsteson with Debbie Barford & Mary Tom 3pm – 5pm practice 7 pm – 9 pm performance. Come gather to work with the Legend of Olaf Åsteson in the afternoon to be part of the community ensemble 3pm – 5pm with a dinner break returning for the performance open to all from 7 pm – 9 pm.  $10 Donation Encouraged. Contact Debra Barford for more info.

or Zoom Call: 6:30 pm – 7:30 pm hosted by The Dallas Maitreya Branch. Lisa Dalton

6th Holy Night: Sunday 29 December 2019 – 1st hour hosted by The Rockford TN. Group. Our study: Continuation of the Foundation Meeting. pg. 110 James E. Stamper

7th Holy Night: Monday 30 December 2019 – 1st hour hosted by The Eastern Regional Council. Our study: Continuation of the Foundation Meeting. pg. 138

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– NYE–The 13th Hidden Night Tuesday 31 December 2019-2020
7:30 pm – 1 am – $20 + Potluck Food & Drink to Share
Live Music & Folk Dancing with Jutta & the Hi-Dukes ™ 8 -9:30pm
Biography Playshop
Spacial Dynamics & the Loving Kindness Meditation with Deborah Rogers
Cut Away & Call in – A Ritual of Renewal
Seeking the Holy Grail Within – with Hazel Archer Ginsberg
Lead (Wax) Casting Divination for the NY
More TBA…

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8th Holy Night: Wednesday 1 January 2020 – 1st hour hosted by Tess Parker & The Youth. Our study: Continuation of the Foundation Meeting. pg. 183

9th Holy Night: Thursday 2 January 2020 – 1st hour hosted by The Western Regional Council. Our study: Continuation of the Foundation Meeting. pg. 192

10th Holy Night: Friday 3 January 2020 – 1st hour hosted by The Portland Branch. Our study: Continuation of the Foundation Meeting. pg. 204

11th Holy Night: Saturday 4 January 2020 – 1st hour hosted by Brian Gray. Our study: The Envy of the Gods – the Envy of Human Beings, Looking back to the burning of the Goetheanum, by Rudolf Steiner. Pg. 231

*12th Holy Night: Sunday 5 January 2020 – Epiphany, ‘Three Kings’ – 1st hour hosted by The Central Regional Council. Alberto Loya, Marianne Fieber, Lisa Dalton, Hazel Archer Ginsberg. Our Study: On the Right Entry into the Spiritual World – The responsibility Incumbent on us, by Rudolf Steiner. Pg. 260

for more info. contact Festivals Coordinator Hazel Archer-Ginsberg

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30 Jan. – 2 Feb. 2020 Prep-makers conference at Michael Fields Institute

Fellowship of Preparation Makers Gathering

BD 501 and 508 – Tools to bring the cosmic light into the earth.

January 30th  – February 2nd, 2020 

Michael Fields Agricultural Institute, N8030 Townline Rd, East Troy, WI

The mission of the Fellowship of Preparation Makers is to ensure that good quality biodynamic preparations are available now and into the future throughout North America.

Schedule:

Thursday, January 30th

10—10:30 am   Registration for Chromatogram Intensive

10:30am   Chromatogram Intensive – All levels welcome. Presenter: Ryann Herring

12 —1pm  Lunch on your own

1-3pm  Chromatogram Intensive

3—5pm  Registration and Social Time

5-6:30pm  Supper

7-8:30pm   Welcome from Perry Brown, and Candlemas Festival with Hazel Archer Ginsberg

Friday, January 31st

7:30-8:30am   Registration, Breakfast and Social Time

8:30– 10 am   History of Fellowship of Prep Makers, and Introductions.

10-10:30am  Morning Break

10:30–12:30pm  Why Biodynamics? Presenter: Mac Mead

12:30-1:45pm Lunch

2-3:30pm  How the cosmic works in the earth? Presenter: Hugh Courtney

3:30-4pm Afternoon Break

4-6pm  Different ways to make and use BD501 & BD508. Practical hands on session with Marjory House and Lloyd Nelson

6-7:30 pm Supper

7:30-9pm  The Journey of a Prep Maker,  A history circle, Facilitator: Brian Wickert

Saturday, February 1st

7:30-8:30 Registration, Breakfast and Social Time

8:30-10am  History of Silica on Man’s Evolution (Lamuria to today) Presenter: Mac Mead

10-10:30am  Morning break

10:30– 12pm  Silica and the Human Presenter: Dr. Mark Kamsler

12-1:30pm Lunch

1:30-3pm  Interpretation of Chromatograms  Presenter: Ryann Herring

3-3:30pm  Afternoon Break

3:30-5pm  Kolisko Institute  Presenter: Dr. Mark Kamsler

5-7pm  Supper

7-8:30pm  Quality Comparison of BD501 & 508  Show and tell how you make and use the preps. Facilitator: Wali Via

8:30 pm  Evening Social/Brew City Drifters

Sunday, February 2nd

7:30-8:30 am  Breakfast & Social Time

8:30-10am  Round Table Discussion: Peppering for Pests and Weeds Panel: Mac Mead and Hugh Courtney

10-1-:30  Morning Break

10:30– Noon  Fellowship presentations, evaluations and closing circle.

Noon  Lunch

Registration and Lodging

Full Conference Fee $250

Single Day $125

Single Talk $25

Single Meal $15

Chromatogram Intensive $25

Homestays Available

Airport pickup from MKE available

REGISTER ONLINE HERE

Questions:
Allison Pratt-Szeliga
apszeliga@michaelfields.org
262-642-3303×107

Home stay  and airport transportation arrangements will be handled by:
Petra Zinniker
petrazinniker@gmail.com
262-581-7574

We will work to provide home stays for everyone who requests one. Some homes will be free and others may have a cost. Please contact Petra with your requests. Home stays will be reserved on a first come first served basis.

Local accommodations are also listed below:
Quality Inn & Suites (1.8 miles away)
2921 O’Leary Ln, East Troy, WI 53120•(262) 684-2183

Alpine Valley Resort (1.6 miles away)
W2501 Co Rd D, Elkhorn, WI 53121•(262) 642-7374

BD 501 and 508 preps for quality comparison:
If you have them, please bring or send BD 501 and BD 508 preps for quality comparison and closing ceremony.
Preps can be mailed to Petra Zinniker, N 7399 Bowers Rd, Elkhorn, WI 53121

Presenter Bios:

Hazel Archer-Ginsberg Festivals Coordinator & Council Member of the Chicago Rudolf Steiner Branch, and the Central Regional Council of the Anthroposophical Society. Founder of Reverse Ritual, Understanding Anthroposophy Through the Rhythms of the Year, Presenter, Poet, and Trans-denominational Minister.

Mac Mead has been practicing biodynamics for over 40 years, primarily in therapeutic communities dedicated to both biodynamic agriculture and medicine. Over the years, he has gardened and farmed on every scale, from handwork to field-scale vegetables, tended an orchard, and managed dairy cows. Mac was the resident farmer at the Fellowship Community’s Duryea Farm from 1997 until 2005. He is presently the program director of the Pfeiffer Center for biodynamics.

Hugh Courtney is the first to say that he is not a farmer, and he didn’t even enter the biodynamic arena until he was in his 40s. But in 1976 he responded to the offer by Josephine Porter – a board member of what is now the Biodynamic Association (BDA) – to teach anyone who would come to her farm how to make the biodynamic preparations according to the indications given by Rudolf Steiner in the Agriculture Lectures. Hugh has never looked back. After this fateful meeting, followed by eight years of mentoring by then-elder Josephine Porter, he took up the preparations work at the request of a member of the BDA Board of Directors when Josephine died in May 1984. Hugh subsequently founded the Josephine Porter Institute for Applied Bio-Dynamics (JPI) in October 1985 to honor her many years of service to biodynamics and to fulfill a personal commitment to her to create a permanent “home” for the biodynamic preparations. That “home” was created on the farm in Woolwine, Virginia owned by the Courtney family. After the founding of JPI, making and distribution of the preparations, plus training others in the making and use of the preparations, became the mission of the new organization.

Marjory House has been gardening and farming in the Willamette valley of Oregon for over twenty years. She received a certificate in permaculture design in 2007 from Jude Hobbs and Toby Hemenway of the Cascadia Permaculture institute. She currently owns and operates a seven-acre, certified Biodynamic farm with over 450 apple trees and over an acre of vegetables grown for restaurants, farmers’ markets, and Sero Biodynamic Seeds. She has maintained a fruit tree pruning business for 15 years and a biodynamic consulting business for the last 7 years. She has been a preparation maker with the Oregon Biodynamic Group since 2006. She can be reached through her website www.gobiodynamic.com(link is external).

Lloyd Nelson. Biodynamic Preparation Maker, Consultant, Farmer, and Educator.  Lloyd Nelson has been practicing the art of Biodynamics for twenty years. He is co-founder of Biodynamic Source, a Demeter certified prep making and distribution non-profit and owns and operates a BD spray service, and assists in converting farms to Biodynamic management.

Dr Kamsler, a Board Certified pediatrician has been taking care of his patients over 18 years. He specializes in holistic and natural medicine, treating, whenever possible, chronic and acute illnesses with natural supplements, homeopathic medicines, and other disease specific topical ointments. 

Ryan Herring is a mechanical/plumbing piping designer for L&S Engineering. He and his family of 6 live in Spokane Valley, Washington. He worked for an indoor hydroponic cannabis farm, where he diagnosed plant health and made nutrients and specialty microbial teas and ferments for about 9 months. He graduated the Spokane Master Composter program in 2013 and graduated from the Spokane County WSU Master Gardener program in 2014. In 2015 he continued on his journey and obtained Permaculture Design Certificate from Skeeter Pilarski and the Inland Northwest Permaculture Guild, where he continues to be an active member. Ryan has also been teaching Soils and regenerative agriculture and gardening to the local community. Ryan has been active member in the regional Inland Northwest Biodynamic Group since the fall of 2014. Since then he has practiced/consulted on biodynamic farming and gardening in the Inland Northwest. Most recently, Ryan joined the Fellowship of Preparation Makers and the Evaluation Group that is part of the Fellowship.

Wali Via has farmed at Winter Green Farm in western Oregon since 1985. Winter Green has a 500-member community supported agriculture program (CSA); grows crops for five farmers’ markets, as well as wholesale accounts; and has a cow/calf beef herd. He is on the board of the Biodynamic Association, an active member and past president of the Oregon Biodynamic Group, and a member of the Fellowship of Preparation Makers. Wali has lectured on biodynamics, compost, and sustainable agriculture internationally and has been making and using the biodynamic preparations since 1976. Wali’s passions include spending time in the wilderness, nature photography, and composting.

Sponsors:

Michael Fields Agricultural Institute

Demeter

Biodynamic Association

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The Central Regional Council and the Association for Anthroposophic Psychology present: View this email in your browser
Karma and Anthroposophic Psychology
— an Easter-Tide Retreat

Maundy Thursday 9 April 2020 Noon thru Easter Sunday at 3 pm
Rudolf Steiner Branch 4249 N. Lincoln Ave. Chicago, IL
 AAP:James A. Dyson, M.D., Roberta Nelson, Ph.D., and David Tresemer, Ph.D. with Susan Overhauser, Ph.D.

CRC:Marianne Fieber, Alberto Loya, Hazel Archer-Ginsberg, David Howerton, Lisa Dalton

Eurythmist: Mary RuudActivities:Art-ActsStar WisdomThe Karma ExercisesExperiential PAGEANT on Holy Saturday: ‘Know Thyself’Easter Sunrise SongtrailOptional service at the Christian CommunityCommunal meals and time for ConversationLectures:‘Living into Karma through the Senses’‘How to find the Self in a Sea of Karma’‘Unfolding the Enigma of the Saturn Path’‘The Gesture of Karma’‘Christ as Lord of Karma — how do I access this in terms of my personal psychology?’(Program subject to change)

$125 Conference fee includes 1 meal a day

For more information and to register, contact Alberto Loya aloyavaca@peoplepc.com

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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..

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ON-GOING: 

Community Study – Wednesdays at  9:30 am – 11 am at the Branch – Working with Rudolf Steiner’s Karmic Relationships Vol 4

‘Anthroposophy’, which means Wisdom of the Human Being is a ‘Spiritual Science’ built on the research of Rudolf Steiner. Our current conversation explores: the riddles of existence, the truth of karma, the mystery of evil, historic connections, life after death and more.  We incorporate ‘The Calendar of the Soul’, eurythmy, focused discussion and seasonal artistic explorations in our study.  

For more info. contact Hazel Archer Ginsberg

Redeeming Stone Mountain

History, Insight, Remembering

Stone Mountain – the 11th & final piece of ‘The Journey’ (part 1, part 2, part 3, part 4, part 5, part 6, part 7, part 8, part 9, part 10)

The dome of Stone Mountain was formed during the conception of the Blue Ridge Mountains 350 million years ago, & is part of the Appalachian Mountains & the eastern end of the Campbellton Trail, a Native American path that ran through what is now the Atlanta area. Europeans first learned of it in 1567, when Spanish explorers were told there was a mountain farther inland: “very high, shining when the sun set, like a fire.” At that time, the Stone Mountain area was inhabited by the Creek & Cherokee peoples.

Image result for walking up stone mountain atlanta

Now-a-days it is known not only for its geology, but also for its enormous rock relief, the largest bas-relief in the world. Bigger than Mount Rushmore, this controversial carving stands on the side of this quartz face as a monument to 3 Confederate soldiers who fought to defend slavery & white supremacy – Jefferson Davis, Robert E. Lee & Stonewall Jackson. At night a laser-light show animates these figures so that they come alive. From the road the stone looks like the dome of a human skull rising up from the ground.

Angela & I walked up the mountain face carrying our “Soul Soil” offering.  It’s an amazing landscape of bare rock cut with freshwater pools formed by rainwater, dotted with sweet Georgia Oak & a few yellow daisies growing in the rock crevices.

When we reached the summit, with views of Atlanta’s skyline, & the surrounding Appalachian Mountains, we found the little oak tree that spoke to us, & sat down to do our afternoon Circle meditation.

Back at the ARC, with our cockroach friend CR, as witness, we had stirred together all the “Soul Soil” samples & created a healing offering for Stone Mountain by filling a walnut shell with mojo from our journey, & wrapping it with Alabama cotton. We buried this with a prayer at the root of our oak tree.

Then Angela suggested we contact various friends who were part of, or tuned into our journey, to ask them to join us in speaking the Foundation Stone Meditation. We could feel the presence of many kindred spirits united in Good Will, here, & on the Other-Side; & the potency of this broadcast spreading out from the summit of Stone Mountain to “Let Freedom Ring”…

While I was speaking the FSM, 7 doves kept circling us. Magic was literally in the air. And even after we moved away from our tree, they followed us to a pool & flew down beside us for a drink.

After we had descended from Stone Mountain, I realized that my wedding ring was gone. The small gold band was not on my finger. Hmmm. Another offering?

Then I received a text from Charlotte Brakebill to call her right away. Charlotte, whose husband Don crossed when I was there in Tennessee doing a presentation on the Rose Cross on Whitsunday (this was the whole impetus for the Southern Tour), said she opened up the red book on the Christmas Conference to do the Foundation Stone Meditation with us, when a letter from Traute Page (White Rose) fell out! It talked about how she felt isolated & wished she could be involved with folks during the Holy Nights working with the FSM & the Christmas Conference!

This was extremely interesting, another example of the universe lining things up, since on one of the car rides Angela & I were talking about creating an initiative for the Holy Nights, inviting 12 groups or branches to present in a Zoom call format something they wanted to share, connecting communities around the US. We called Laura Scappaticci & lo & Behold it’s happening! (Stay tuned for all the dets.  AND There may be a few slots open, so if your group wants to bring content for 1 of the Holy Nights contact one of us)  

Dear Friends, thru these 11 installments, I have tried to give at least a glimpse into all the magic that transpired on this All Souls Journey. But these liminal realities are hard to capture.

The 3 Sisters at Barbara Bittles home, the morning of Deb’s departure & our All Souls Workshop 11-16-19
Watching the ‘Memphis Kings’

I am grateful beyond words to my Soul Sisters Angela Foster & Deb Abrahams-Dematte, who were there for me in All Worlds – what a glorious, deep, intimate, powerful, intense adventure that I will forever cherish & continue to unfold within my soul. Thanks to all of YOU who were participants along the way.

May our paths ever intertwine with grace, as we work to redeem the Cosmic Intelligence with Michael & Anthroposophia, empowering the Christ within us all.

Advent Blessings & Peace

~hag

CR

History, Insight, Poetry, Remembering

Atlanta, Part 10 of The Journey (part 1, part 2, part 3, part 4, part 5, part 6, part 7, part 8, part 9)

Image result for harriet tubman

And so the 2 sisters rode into another lingering sunset. The conversation which ranged from Harriet Tubman to Christian Rosenkreutz & beyond, made the hours slide by with the miles in a blink.

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For the last 3 sleeps we had been contemplating taking the power of our journey up to ‘Stone Mountain’ in Atlanta.

Image result for “I Have a Dream” speech, Martin Luther King Jr.

In his iconic “I Have a Dream” speech, Martin Luther King Jr. lists places around the country, from California to Colorado, declaring: “let freedom ring”. He includes “Stone Mountain of Georgia” – a confederate strong hold, & symbol of the Ku Klux Klan, reborn there with the burning of a cross on Thanksgiving night 1915.

The dream I had on that Memphis morn seemed like a confirmation that, yes, as hard as it would be, we needed to go & reclaim Stone Mountain. So after we landed at the ARC, we made plans to meet the next day 11-18-19, & make the ascent.

~Rudolf Steiner

In the morning I was strolling out front when Angela arrived. She pointed out 2 trees that stood like Joachim & Boaz outside of the ARC. When they 1st got the house, Angela was on the phone talking to Robert McDermott when she looked out the front window to see water gushing up from the tree holding the position of the Southern pillar. As the waters began to mix with the clay it became a stream of red spreading from the roots into churning a pool. We marveled that because we happened to be standing outside she was reminded of this origin story of the ARC, which was another synchronicity aligned with the reoccurring image of the waters creating an opening into the underworld.

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~Rembrandt

We went inside & our conversation turned once again to Christian Rosenkreutz. Angela mentioned that when we were at Don’s farm in Rockford, Charlotte had showed her the bedroom where the picture of ‘The Polish Rider’ was prominently displayed. Angela went over to the library & dug behind some books pulling out a print of this same painting by Rembrandt. She taped it up on the dining room wall next to the map of the USA & the Verse for America. The next thing we knew a huge, & I mean gigantic cockroach was on the wall right above the print of CR. It was going around in circles & moving its long tentacles in strange ways. Was it dying, or giving birth, or doing some sort of weird eurythmy, or what? Then Angela calls out CR CockRoach CR!

Image result for map of the us chicago portland

We were repulsed but transfixed, watching its every move. And move it did, up above the map, stopping right over Chicago! We couldn’t look away, we were giving a blow by blow commentary on its gestures & progress across the map when it suddenly stopped near Portland OR. – which at the Group & Branch meeting of the AGM had just recently become ‘Branch Buddies’ with Chicago. Too strange. CR eventually moved to a high corner of the wall on the outside of the map & just kind of landed. We didn’t want to touch it, so we let it be & got into Big Daddy Howell’s van to make our pilgrimage to Stone Mountain.

I think I will stop here for today, dear friends, I planned for this 10th part of the series to bring us to completion, but I see now that the end of this journey must come as we began, with the #11.

So tune in tomorrow as we climb the mountaion…

~hag

***

Image result for red rocks shaped like hearts

POD (Poem Of the Day)

~I cross an open field strewn with stones
& shards of red rocks shaped like hearts…
Invoking the King of the Mineral Realm
I speak to the stones:
You, will break,
You, will hold rain,
You, will be tossed,
You, will crumble,
& your grains of sand will mark my passage…
& the red rocks agreed…
~hag

***

30 November 2019 – “Speaking with the Stars”: As the stars come out, the Cassiopeia W stands on end very high in the northeast. Watch her turn around to become a flattened M, even higher in the north, by late evening.

Rudolf Steiner’s Lectures on this day 

ON THIS DAY IN HISTORY

~Artus Wolffort

Feast of Saint Andrew born in the village of Bethsaida on the Sea of Galilee. “The first striking characteristic of Andrew is his name: it is not Hebrew, as might have been expected, but Greek, indicative of a certain cultural openness in his family. He was a fisherman like his brother St. Peter. Jesus called them to be his disciples by saying that he will make them “fishers of men.” Andrew told Jesus about the boy with the loaves and fishes (John 6:8), & when Philip wanted to tell Jesus about certain Greeks seeking Him, he told Andrew first (John 12:20–22). Andrew was present at the Last Supper, & was one of the four disciples who came to Jesus on the Mount of Olives to ask about the signs of Jesus’ return at the “end of the age”. (Mark 13:30) Andrew is said to have been martyred by crucifixion. In the Western Esoteric tradition, Andrew is associated with the astrological sign of Virgo.

1961 – Deathday of Ehrenfried Pfeiffer a German scientist, soil scientist, leading advocate of biodynamic agriculture, anthroposophist & student of Rudolf Steiner.

Ehrenfried Pfeiffer began work with Rudolf Steiner in 1920 to develop & install special diffuse stage lighting for eurythmy performances on the stage of the first Goetheanum.

After Steiner’s death in 1925, Pfeiffer worked in the private research laboratory at the Goetheanum in Dornach. He became manager & director of the 800-acre experimental biodynamic Loverendale farm in Domburg in the Netherlands. This farm was set up to carry out some of the agricultural studies of the Goetheanum laboratory. The work of testing & developing Rudolf Steiner’s Agriculture Course of 1924 was an international enterprise coordinated by Pfeiffer at the Natural Science Section of the Goetheanum.

Pfeiffer’s most influential book ‘Bio-Dynamic Farming and Gardening’ was published in 1938 simultaneously in at least five languages, English, German, Dutch, French, & Italian.

The following year, just months before the outbreak of World War II, Pfeiffer ran Britain’s first biodynamics conference, the Betteshanger Summer School & Conference, at the estate of Lord Northbourne in Kent. Pfeiffer’s Betteshanger Conference is regarded as the ‘missing link’ between biodynamic agriculture & organic farming.

Pfeiffer first visited the U.S. in 1933 to lecture to a group of anthroposophists at the Threefold Farm in Spring Valley, New York on biodynamic farming. His consulting was essential to the development of biodynamic agriculture in the U.S.

Pfeiffer developed an analytical method using copper chloride crystallization & used this technique as a blood test for detecting cancer. As a result, Pfeiffer was invited to the U.S. in 1937 to work at the Hahnemann Medical College in Philadelphia. While in the U.S., he continued to consult with those interested in biodynamic farming & helped to form the Biodynamic Farming & Gardening Association in 1938.

In 1940 he immigrated to the U.S. from Switzerland with his wife Adelheid, escaping the advance of German troops into France. They brought with them their son Christoph & daughter Wiltraud.

With the advent of World War II in Europe, Pfeiffer took his family to Kimberton, Pennsylvania, where Alaric Myrin offered Pfeiffer the opportunity to create a model biodynamic farm & training program.

Starting in the late 1930s he taught biodynamic farming & gardening at the Kimberton Farm School. One of his students, Paul Keene, who worked & studied with Pfeiffer there for two years & shortly thereafter co-founded Walnut Acres, recalls: “… he helped bring all of life together for us in a definite coherent pattern”.

Aiming to continue his work training biodynamic farmers, Pfeiffer bought a farm in Chester, New York, where a small colony arose focused on farming, education, & the administration of the Biodynamic Association.

His copper chloride sensitive crystallization theory brought him an honorary degree of Doctor of Medicine from Hahnemann Medical College & Hospital in Philadelphia in 1939. He studied chemistry & became a professor of nutrition in 1956. Pfeiffer wrote on the dangers of pesticides & DDT a& Rachel Carson consulted with him when she was writing Silent Spring.

In 1961, at his home in Spring Valley, N.Y., he suffered from a series of heart attacks, lingering for several days, but ultimately was not given the proper medical care & died. His wife subsequently took over the operation of their farm in Chester, New York.

Pfeiffer was a pioneer of biodynamic agriculture in Europe, Britain, & America. He is most widely known for his innovative work in composting. He conducted extensive research on the preparation & use of biodynamic compost & was the inventor of BD Compost Starter, a compost inoculant. For many years Pfeiffer served as a compost consultant to municipal compost facilities.

Underground Stream

Autumn, Insight, Poetry

Knoxville/Maryville/Rockford TN, part 9 of The Journey (part 1, part 2, part 3, part 4, part 5, part 6, part 7, part 8)

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~Karla Wozniak

Driving down the highway I always feel like I’m traveling in a time machine. During deep conversations time seems to stop. Sometimes the time zones change. And the sunrise or sunsets stretch out into eternity before you. All these gifts were ours as we made the trip to Bill & Bonnie Rogers’ splendid house in the Tennessee hills. Bill drove down to guide us thru the twists & turns up the mountain.  Bonnie greeted us with the table beautifully set for our late supper. What a joy to be welcomed back again by these friends.

~Whitsunday 2019 Don Brakebill’s deathday.
Don was a renowned vocalist, beloved music director & teacher.

In the morning we drove over to Rockford TN. the homestead where Don Brakebill was born & shared his gifts with the world. Charlotte, who holds many study groups there, made us a lovely breakfast; & her dear son Michael played us a recording of Don singing, which brought us all tears of joy. As I mentioned in an earlier post Don Crossed the Threshold just 5 months prior, on Whitsunday, while I happened to be in town presenting. This Southern Tour was sparked from wanting to bring the All Souls Journey here in light of Don’s death.

Charlotte explained how she felt it was unsafe to go down by the barn where Don’s ashes were laid. She said that during the memorial, scores of folks were down there, driving in & out with no problem. But that recently they took Don’s truck, which he so loved to drive, down to the barn with a friend. Near the area the ground had given way, & Don’s truck fell axle deep into a sink hole, exposing an underwater stream.

Well I just about fell out of my chair. I got shivers thinking about my trepidatious walk in the dried up reservoir in the Atlanta where I had the feeling I would be pulled into a sink hole; & the coincidence with Angela’s dream, recorded on the same date a year earlier, where a tree was uprooted & her warning that the ground was unstable…I wondered what date this sinkhole by the barn had happened, & what it all might mean. Michael said he could just see Don cracking a smile about the whole thing.

The connection with the underground stream, the living waters of Muscle Shoals, the Tennessee & Mississippi Rivers, my experience, & Angela’s dream – it was all so… interesting.

Painting inspired by mu trips to mountains. Observing nature, light and color, movement of flora and fauna and as an example- mountain streams, I'm creating some of my best compositions. :: Painting :: Abstract :: This piece comes with an official
~ Maciej Ciesla

What seems to want to be revealed is speaking forth from the mystery of the element of water itself – the way it is so adaptable, so relentless in it’s journey from source. Flowing, sometimes strong & vast, other times, slow & still, lying hidden, down below the surface, waiting to be discovered. A deep well of possibilities.

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~HIlma af Klint

Like the so-called dead. We can’t see them, but they are stirring mighty tides in the spirit world. Raining inspiration vast as the ocean, which seeks to be uncovered within our own soul forces. If we don’t pay attention, the Father Ground may shake us open, as a mercy, to awaken our often unconscious longing for connection with spirit.

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Claude Monet

Will we look into the water, into the etheric realm? Will we find there a reflection of ourselves, as we live into “Christ in me’…?

~Suzie Addicks.

I carried all this in my heart as we made our way back to Bill & Bonnie’s for the All Souls Festival. Soon folks arrived & we set to work.

~photo by Angela Foster

We gathered around the large dining table doing eurythmy, which someone mentioned had the dual purpose of blessing the food. The Circle of Remembrance was particularly poignant. Vicki, who had also lost her husband, read out the many names of the beloved dead. The room expanded with their loving presence. The comments & stories brought a deep practical understanding of working with the dead. Charlotte’s experience in striving to be open to the communications with Don brought a new dimension to my thinking, which I am continuing to ponder & apply.

~James E Stamper

James Stamper, working on his iPad did some amazing art in response to our work.

~James E Stamper

This was the last presentation of the Tour, a true capstone event. We were reluctant to leave, but we had a long drive back to Atlanta & another brilliant sunset was calling us to the road.

~hag

Tomorrow we end this series with the last extra ordinary day in Atlanta.

I trust you are keeping the Thanks Giving going…

Blessings & Peace

~hag

***

Image result for chicago riverwalk in autumn
~hag Chicago Riverwalk

POD (Poem Of the Day)

~On the Riverwalk
The world whirls
& I
Striding in my silence
Arms akimbo, my breath unhurried
Thinking like the sleep of small animals
Open & drifting like a birch leaf
Fine with settling amongst its fellows in a heap.
~hag

***

13 – 14 December 2019

Rudiger Janisch

“The Spiritual Goetheanum, the threefold human being and the threefold social impulse”

Friday 13 December , 7 – 9 pm

Saturday 14 December, 9 am – noon

$50 for the full weekend workshop, or pay what you will

Rüdiger has been working in Curative Education and teaching in professional training programs in Germany and the United States for over 40 years. A long-time student of anthroposophy, he serves on the Collegium of the School for Spiritual Science in North America. His contributions to adult education methods were recognized in the context of an international research project sponsored by the European Union. He has been a member of the core faculty of a joint ‘Training for Trainers’ program supporting Curative Education and Social Therapy in Russia, Ukraine, Georgia, and Kyrgyzstan. He has also taught as an adjunct faculty member of the M.S. Ed program in Waldorf Remedial Education at Antioch University N.H. Having taught many different aspects of anthroposophy and Curative Education, he currently is focused on action research and the development of artistic and experiential approaches to the spiritual scientific study of the human being.

Fro more info. contact Hazel Archer-Ginsberg

***

Giving

History, Insight, Quote, Remembering

Nashville, part 8 of The Journey (part 1, part 2, part 3, part 4, part 5, part 6, part 7 )

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~hag

We arrived at the Parthenon just before they closed the gates for the night. The guard was acting as docent giving an impromptu talk, highlighting the various details of Athena Parthenos. Deb spoke with the maintenance man who admitted that it has taken him a while to get used to being with the Goddess. When he 1st started working there it spooked him to be alone with the colossus, especially in the dark when he opened up for the day.

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~hag

Fear not O mortal man, let the greatness of the Divine Feminine, empower you to wholeness, embrace her mighty power & become a true human being.  

Image result for Sunflower Café TN at night
~hag

Spiritually Fortified, we made our way to the Sunflower Café to meet Barbara Bittles & Cathy Green our Nashville hosts, holders of The Middle Tennessee Branch, for a Southern style veggie dinner.

Light Gatherers by Helen Chamberlain

Then we drove to Barbara’s stately home, which was rebuilt after a fire completely destroyed it. Luckily Barkley her faithful dog, (who has since gone back to the group soul), alerted her in the night & they were able to escape the flames.

~photo by Angela Foster

I decided to set up for our workshop which was happening at 10 am the next morning, knowing Deb had to be at the airport at 7 am, so she could be home in time to go to the Biodynamic conference.

~Angela Foster

Right on time, folks began arriving, young & old, with their hearts & hands ladened with good will & food for the potluck. Many brought pictures of their beloved dead which we set up to create an altar on the mantle.

~Angela Foster

We began with eurythmy in the Chapel, a spiritually charged room dedicated to the Act of Consecration – the Christian Community Service, which a visiting priest gives quarterly.

~hag

The workshop was lively with much participation; folks sharing stories, insights, asking questions which took us deeper into the work; & thru the rendering of the planetary seals, gaining a sure foothold as we made our collective journey between the life of death & rebirth.

~hag

So many amazing coincidences & synchronicities arose between us. One remarkable gentleman, a true mountain man, farmer & founder of the local Waldorf School, was actually in Memphis when MLK was shot. As a fireman he was called in when the riots broke out.

~hag

The group was attuned to the concept that the past, present & future are interwoven, revealing our karmic destiny – reaching out from other incarnations, into future generations, thru us in every moment.  

~hag

We lingered over lunch & enjoined each other’s company before Angel;a & I had to pack up & make our way to Knoxville/Maryville/Rockford TN.

Image result for Light Gatherers by Helen Chamberlain
~Helen Itzal

Many Blessings dear friends, as we give Thanks

***

Venus, Jupiter, Saturn, and Moon at dusk, Nov. 28-29, 2019

28 November 2019 – “Speaking with the Stars”: Bella Luna pairs with Venus at dusk.

Does the Sun already seem to be setting about as early as it ever will? You’re right! We’re still three weeks away from the winter solstice — but the Sun sets its earliest around December 7th & right now it already sets within only about 1 minute of that time. A surprising result of this: The Sun actually sets a trace earlier on Thanksgiving than on Christmas — even though Christmas is around solstice time!This offset from the solstice date is balanced out by the opposite happening at sunrise: the Sun doesn’t come up its latest until January 4th. It’s because of the tilt of Earth’s axis & the eccentricity of Earth’s orbit.

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Thanksgiving Day

The prayer below was shared with me during Thanksgiving week a few years ago.  It is timeless & appropriate at any time of year, but particularly now.

Giving thanks is common to all spiritual & religious groups.

Native Americans had entire ceremonies just for the purpose of expressing thanks – sometimes lasting for days.

This Thanksgiving Prayer comes from the Seneca Nation & is at least 500 years old.

It is traditionally done around a fire, with spiritual food on the altar.

Seneca Thanksgiving Prayer 

And now we are gathered together to remember the Great Mystery’s first instruction to us: to love one another always, we who move about on this earth.

And the Great Mystery said that when even just two people meet, they should first greet each other by saying: “Nyah Weh Skenno” which translates to “thank you for being” and then they may take up the matter with which they are concerned. 

[Nyah Weh Skenno more literally means: “thank you for being alive in the here and now and not adding to the confusion of the world.”]

The Great Mystery gave us our lives and requires in return only that we be grateful and love one another. The purpose of this prayer is to pass on those instructions and give us the opportunity to express our gratitude.

So the first thing we will do is give thanks for our lives.

And the Great Mystery gave us the Earth on which to live and roam. We refer to her as “Our Mother, Who Supports Our Feet.”

And our mother gives us everything we need in order to live and be happy. She teaches us to be generous and nurturing, yet strong.

Let us be of one mind that we may do this properly.   We give thanks for Our Mother Who Supports Our Feet.

And the Great Mystery decided to have Plants growing on the earth. They are available in abundance as Medicines to heal us and Food to sustain us.

And we have Berries which come back every year when the winds turn warm again.   In giving thanks for them, we give thanks for the warm winds that usher in the season of abundance.

Let us be of one mind that we may do this properly.   We give thanks for Plants and Berries.

And the Great Mystery gave us the life’s blood of our mother to sustain us.   When the new day dawns, the first thing we use is Water and it’s the last thing we use at night.   It comes from the springs, brooks, ponds, lakes and rivers. It is found not only on the earth, but even falls from the heavens in the form of blessed rain.

Let us be of one mind that we may do this properly.   We give thanks for Sacred Water.

And the Great Mystery decided to put Forests on the earth.   The trees of the forest provide warmth, fuel and protection. We call them our Tall Standing Brothers and they live their lives drinking in the sun.

When they die and give themselves for the fire, they represent the Sun here on earth.

One tree was created to remind us of the Great Mystery. The Maples stand on the earth and drip sweet liquid when the cold wind blows. Our elders called this “wood juice” — it gives us energy and lightens our spirits during the long cold winters and is a great gift.

Let us be of one mind that we may do this properly.   We give thanks for Our Tall Standing Brothers, the Trees.

And the Animals are a great gift – they are our friends and relatives upon the earth. The four leggeds test us and amuse us; they’re our teachers and companions. And they provide food and clothing for the people.

And there are Birds with outstretched wings who dance upon the air and sing a beautiful song that ushers in the warm spring. And they also provide us with food.

Let us be of one mind that we may do this properly.   We give thanks for the Animal and Bird Nations.

And the Great Mystery gave the people another gift, to sustain them: the Three Sisters: Corn, Beans And Squash. The people are to take care of them, plant them in the earth, tend them as they grow, and harvest them. This will strengthen the hearts and sustain the bodies of the people.

Let us be of one mind that we may do this properly.   We give thanks for the Three Sisters: Corn, Beans and Squash.

The Wind strengthens the people as they move about on the earth. It strengthens our breath, clears the air as well as our minds and carries the voice of the ancient ones all over the earth so that, even in the desert, the smallest whisper reminds us we are never alone.

Let us be of one mind that we may do this properly.   We give thanks for the Wind.

And the Great Mystery fashioned a sky above us and put a helper in the sky who moves about across the earth, yet lives in the sky.   This helper always comes from the east and travels to the west. His heart is so big and strong, and his love for his relations so great, that he lights the entire sky when he passes by. This light is our Elder Brother, The Sun.

The Sun takes that obligation seriously and with great regard, for he never misses a day of this journey. He brings us light, and warmth and allows growing things to flourish.

Let us be of one mind that we may do this properly.   We give thanks for our Elder Brother, the Sun.

But there is also a time when the earth is in shadow so the Great Mystery gave us another helper for this time: the Night Circle Of Light, our Grandmother, the Moon. Our grandmother is a measure for us up to this present time. She changes her form daily: she regulates the tides on our mother the earth and also in the bodies of women. She also taught us how to measure through the cycle of the seasons.

Let us be of one mind that we may do this properly.   

We give thanks for the Night Circle of Light, Grandmother Moon.

And the Great Mystery also put the Stars in the sky while it is dark. They are indicators and we can find our way by them. Each one has a name, and there is one for every human on the earth, those living now and those who have passed on.

Let us be of one mind that we may do this properly.   We give thanks for the Star Nation.

The Four Winds, the directions, are our protectors. Wherever we go, wherever we stand, we are at the center of the four winds, and we want to speak good words to them so that they may bless us with their protection.

Let us be of one mind that we may do this properly.   We give thanks for the Four Winds.

And the Great Mystery saw that the people also needed guidance so he sent Clan Ancestors to teach understanding of the Great Mystery.   Our clan ancestors teach us how to love one another and give guidance to our minds. They hold great knowledge and our future depends on how well we listen to them.

Let us be of one mind that we may do this properly.   We give thanks for our Clan Ancestors.

And the Great Mystery, told us this: “I shall continue to dwell above the sky, and that is where those on the earth will end their thanksgiving. I shall always be listening carefully to what the people are saying and shall always be watching carefully what they do. They will begin on the earth, giving thanks for all that they see. They will carry that gratitude upward, ending where I dwell.” 

We want to live well to earn that right.

Let us be of one mind that we may do this properly.   We give thanks for the one who gives us our lives, the Great Mystery.

[At this time express gratitude for other aspects of your life]

Closing: 

May our grief be lifted,
Our hearts be open,
Our stomach be full,
Our bones be braced,
And our will be calmed.

It is spoken, it is beautiful.

& so dear friends, I wish you a blessed Holy Day. Thank you for being alive in the here & now, & not adding to the confusion of the world.

Today & everyday

XOX

~hag