A Tang dynasty (618-906 AD) era mirror depicting the moon goddess with the moon rabbit.
Last night the winds of change unveiled Bella Luna in her Harvest fullness. My beloved & I went on a ramble. It was such a clear night that the Moon Rabbit was front & center. When my girl was little we had a book of Buddhist stories called the Jakata Tales – There was one that we loved where the Rabbit in the Moon is known as “Tsuki no Usagi”.
“Many years ago, the Old Woman of the Moon decided to visit the Earth. She disguised herself as a beggar & asked Fox (Kitsune), Monkey (Saru), & Rabbit (Usagi) for some food.
Monkey climbed a tree & brought her some fruit. Fox went to a stream, caught a fish, & brought it back to her. But Rabbit had nothing to offer but some grass. So he asked the beggar to build a fire. Then Rabbit jumped into it & offered the only thing he had: himself.
Quickly the beggar changed back into the Old Woman of the Moon & pulled Rabbit from the fire. She said “You are most kind, Rabbit, but don’t do anything to harm yourself. Since you were the kindest of all to me, I’ll take you back to the moon as a reminder to all of your selflessness”
The Old Woman carried Rabbit in her arms back to the Moon& he is still there to this very day. Just look at the moon in the night sky & the selfless Rabbit is there!”
Christine Kemp
21 September 2021 – “Speaking with the Stars”
Astrid Jibodh
“The Master said, “A true teacher is one who, keeping the past alive, is also able to understand the present.” (Analects 2.11)” ~Confucius
Feast of St. Matthew, a 1st-century Galilean, the son of Alpheus. As a tax collector he was literate in Aramaic & Greek. After his call, Matthew invited Jesus home for a feast. On seeing this, the Scribes & the Pharisees criticized Jesus for eating with tax collectors & sinners. This prompted Jesus to answer, “Those who are well do not need a physician, but the sick do. Go and learn the meaning of the words, ‘I desire mercy, not sacrifice.’ I did not come to call the righteous but sinners” (Matthew 9:12-13)
19 BC – Deathday of Virgil, Roman poet
1780 – Benedict Arnold gives the British the plans to West Point.
1792 – The National Convention declares France a republic & abolishes the absolute monarchy
1860 – Deathday of Arthur Schopenhauer, German philosopher & author
1866 – Birthday of H. G. Wells
1912 – Birthday of Chuck Jones, American animator, producer, & screenwriter
1934 – A large typhoon hits western Honshū, Japan, killing 3,036 people
1938 – The Great Hurricane of 1938 makes landfall on Long Island in New York. The death toll is estimated at 500-700 people
1942 – In Dunaivtsi, Ukraine, Nazis murder 2,588 Jews
1972 – Philippine President Ferdinand Marcos signs Proclamation № 1081, placing the entire country under martial law marking the beginning of his authoritarian rule
1976 – Orlando Letelier is assassinated in Washington, D.C. He is a member of the Chilean socialist government of Salvador Allende, overthrown in 1973 by Augusto Pinochet
1991 – Armenia is granted independence from Soviet Union
1993 – Russian President Boris Yeltsin suspends parliament & scraps the constitution, triggering the Russian constitutional crisis
1996 – The Defense of Marriage Act passes the United States Congress. The law prohibited federal recognition of same-sex marriage, while allowing states to adopt any marital definition of their choosing
1998 – Deathday of John Wood, Anthroposophical translator
1999 – Chi-Chi earthquake occurs in central Taiwan, leaving over 2,400 people dead
Festival Gathering: Tuesday 28 September on the eve of Michaelmas with Rev’s Jeana Lee & Victoria Capon
Potluck at 5:30 Talk at 7pm
At the Rudolf Steiner Branch, 4249 N Lincoln Ave, Chicago, IL 60618
Meeting The Dragon With Our Four Fold Being – A talk and collaborative sculptural creation
Bring Food & drink for the potluck & a found objects to help build the dragon! Then our inspiration can come to life through our collaboration.
Jeana Lee was recently ordained as a priest of the Christian Community Movement for Religious Renewal and sent to the congregation in Chicago. Previously she taught chemistry and math at Green Meadow Waldorf high school. She enjoys swimming in the lake and is interested in questions of sin and redemption.
Victoria Capon hails from the east coast and is new to Chicago. Before attending seminary she taught at the Waldorf School of Cape Cod. Now she is happily settling into serving the chicago CC congregation and exploring the Windy City
Greetings friends – Come Join us in Chicago *Special in-person activities for ‘Building the Temple of the Heart’ ASA Annual Conference and Members Meeting 7-10 October 2021:
For those who are longing for a deep dive: The Applied Anthroposophy Course (AAC) brings transformative online content into the alchemy of individual and group inner work. The mission is to explore the urgent issues of our time through the lens of spiritual philosophy, awakening meaning, inner reflection, and outer action.
I will be facilitating one of the Chrysalis Groups: ‘The Cycle of the Year as a Path of Initiation into the New Mysteries’ –
The Royal Art of community awaits your participation.
The harvest season is upon us once again…The Jewish New Year has begun, Sweet with the seal of At-One-ment…& now, the ancient celebration of Sukkot comes, to bring community together for a unique opportunity to experience an amazing blend of Honoring the Ancestors, Giving Thanks, & opening to receive prosperity’s blessings…
“When you sit in the Sukkah, ‘the shade of faithfulness,’ the Shechinah spreads Her wings over you…”
When our daughter was in 3rd grade we started celebrating Sukkot – In the Waldorf pedagogy this age is all about leaving the garden of paradise, The children live into stories about Moses & the wandering in the desert, & learn to build shelters. Her class was very close, so we had gatherings in our sukkah every year to share food, tell stories, create Autumn art, Invite in the Matriarchs of the Torah, & many other loving ancestors, & perform the ancient ritual of waving the Lulav, for blessings of abundance…
The Festival of Sukkot is quite a drastic transition, from one of the most solemn holidays in our year- Yom Kipper, to one of the most joyous. This festival is sometimes referred to as the ‘Season of our Rejoicing’. Sukkot begins at Sunset tomorrow when the Full Harvest Moon starts to rise, & lasts for seven days.
The word “Sukkot” means “booths,” & refers to the temporary dwellings that we build to celebrate this holiday. The name of the holiday is frequently translated as “The Feast of Tabernacles,” & Like Passover & Shavu’ot, Sukkot has a dual significance: Historical & Agricultural.
The holiday commemorates the forty-year period during which the Hebrew People were wandering in the desert, living in temporary shelters. Sukkot is also a harvest festival, & is sometimes referred to as the ‘Festival of Ingathering’.
This is harvest time, so we decorate the sukkah with the bounty of autumn, dried squash & corn, pumpkin & gourds, all the vegetables that make you think of Halloween & Thanksgiving. Building & decorating a sukkah is a fun, family project, much like decorating the Christmas tree.
Our family went out to Angelic Organics for the Autumn Field Day yesterday & brought home some harvest bounty, including potatoes we dug up ourselves in the u-pick garden. Visit Farmer John’s web site – it’s time to order your shares for next year!
Another observance related to Sukkot involves what are known as The Four Species, etrog (a citrus fruit, representing the heart), a palm branch (in Hebrew, lulav, representing the spine of the upright human being), two willow branches (arava, representing our eyes) & three myrtle branches (hadas, representing our lips & tongue). We take these four plants & use them to “rejoice.” The six branches are bound together & referred to collectively as the lulav. The etrog is held separately in the left hand. With these four species in your right hand, one recites a blessing & waves the species in all six directions (east, south, west, north, up & down, symbolizing the fact that the Divine is everywhere).
Ushpizot is an Aramaic word meaning guests. According to Jewish tradition, each night of Sukkot, a different set of guests is invited to rejoice with us in the Sukkah. While the custom of inviting Ushpizin, seven biblical male leaders, has been widely celebrated, there are also medieval sources that suggest inviting the seven female prophetesses: Sarah (Genesis 16,21), Miriam (Exodus 2:1-9; 15:20-21), Deborah (Judges 4-5), Hannah (I Samuel 25), Huldah (II Kings 22:10-20), and Esther (Book of Esther).
So come join us in spirit, with thoughts of World Peace, & be part of this experiential celebration…What great leaders, proud Matriarchs or daring Daddies would you like to invite into the sukkah…? Let this ancient tradition made new, empower you…
Blessings & Peace
~hag, Ultra-Violet, CG
RUDOLF STEINER’S CALENDAR OF THE SOUL translated (with added titles) by Roy Sadler AUTUMN EQUINOX The Soul’s Luminescence v25 I may, belonging to myself now, begin to shine a dawning inner light across the darkening of space and time. To sleep is nature’s urge; the depths of soul shall wake and bear the sun’s warm glow through winter storms and snow.
This week’s mirror verse MICHAELMAS 111 Soul Sunpower’s Radiance Of Thought v28 I can, revived within, now feel my own wide breadth of being, my strength of sun-empowered soul whose radiance of thinking solves life’s riddles and lifts the wish-fulfilling wings left lame by hope.
19 September 2021 – “Speaking with the Stars”: It’s the Eve of the Harvest Moon.
Festival Gathering: Tuesday 28 September on the eve of Michaelmas with Rev’s Jeana Lee & Victoria Capon
Potluck at 5:30 Talk at 7pm
At the Rudolf Steiner Branch, 4249 N Lincoln Ave, Chicago, IL 60618
Meeting The Dragon With Our Four Fold Being – A talk and collaborative sculptural creation
Bring Food & drink for the potluck & a found objects to help build the dragon! Then our inspiration can come to life through our collaboration.
Jeana Lee was recently ordained as a priest of the Christian Community Movement for Religious Renewal and sent to the congregation in Chicago. Previously she taught chemistry and math at Green Meadow Waldorf high school. She enjoys swimming in the lake and is interested in questions of sin and redemption.
Victoria Capon hails from the east coast and is new to Chicago. Before attending seminary she taught at the Waldorf School of Cape Cod. Now she is happily settling into serving the chicago CC congregation and exploring the Windy City
Greetings friends – Come Join us in Chicago *Special in-person activities for ‘Building the Temple of the Heart’ ASA Annual Conference and Members Meeting 7-10 October 2021:
For those who are longing for a deep dive: The Applied Anthroposophy Course (AAC) brings transformative online content into the alchemy of individual and group inner work. The mission is to explore the urgent issues of our time through the lens of spiritual philosophy, awakening meaning, inner reflection, and outer action.
I will be facilitating one of the Chrysalis Groups: ‘The Cycle of the Year as a Path of Initiation into the New Mysteries’ –
The Royal Art of community awaits your participation.
Dear Friends – As we move closer to the Autumnal Equinox & deeper into the earnestness of the Michaelmas Season, I find that every day I am meeting with inspired happenstance leading me hither & thither on a Social Pilgrimage of the Soul – only to find yet another golden nugget, a well baked brick, for the experiential Pageant: ‘Building the Temple of the Heart – the capstone community offering for the ASA annual conference & members meeting.
Yesterday an inspiration came forth while I was thinking of what to share at the closing around the Sophia Conference in the Spring. Graced by the research muses I rediscovered this amazing Steiner quote which speaks to both conference themes:
“When we are more and more able to experience the content of anthroposophy in our heart, in our feelings, then it is as if living, cosmic beings enter our souls. Then, anthroposophy will appear to us increasingly as a living being. And we will become aware that something is knocking at the threshold of our heart saying, ‘Let me in, because I am you yourself; I am your true nature, your very humanity’ ~ Rudolf Steiner, Supersensible Man, 18 November 1923, Lecture V
Dear Friends – Now more than ever we are called to join our soul forces together. I hope you will consider being part of the Conference 7-10 October. Maybe you will choose to meet with kindred souls in person in your neck of the woods, or simply join us online for a potent & festive event.
For those who are longing for a deep dive: The Applied Anthroposophy Course (AAC) brings transformative online content into the alchemy of individual and group inner work. The mission is to explore the urgent issues of our time through the lens of spiritual philosophy, awakening meaning, inner reflection, and outer action.
I will be facilitating one of the Chrysalis Groups: ‘The Cycle of the Year as a Path of Initiation into the New Mysteries’ –
The Royal Art of community awaits your participation.
See you there
~hag
17 September 2021 – “Speaking with the Stars”: The gibbous Moon hangs lower right of bright Jupiter at dusk this evening. To their right, Saturn glows dimmer in the background. Later in the night, as the sky turns, Bella Luna will come directly below Jupiter, and Saturn will move lower than both of them. That’s how you’ll find them oriented around midnight.
I turn to history not for lessons but to confront my experience with the experience of others and to win for myself a sense of responsibility for the state of the human conscience ~ Zbigniew Herbert
ON THIS DAY IN HISTORY
1179 – Deathday of Hildegard of Bingen, “the Sybil of the Rhine” a German Benedictine abbess, writer, composer, philosopher, Christian mystic, visionary, & polymath.
She is considered to be the founder of scientific natural history in Germany. One of her works as a composer, the Ordo Virtutum, is an early example of liturgical drama, the oldest surviving morality play. She wrote theological, botanical, & medicinal texts, as well as letters, liturgical songs, & poems, while supervising miniature illuminations in the Rupertsberg manuscript of her first work, Scivias. She is also noted for the invention of a constructed language known as Lingua Ignota.
Hildegard 1st saw “The Shade of the Living Light” at the age of three. Hildegard was hesitant to share her visions, but at the age of 42, Hildegard received instruction from God, to “write down that which you see and hear.” Still hesitant to record her visions, Hildegard became physically ill. The illustrations recorded in the book of Scivias were visions that Hildegard experienced, causing her great suffering: “But I, though I saw and heard these things, refused to write for a long time through doubt and bad opinion and the diversity of human words, not with stubbornness but in the exercise of humility, until, laid low by the scourge of God, I fell upon a bed of sickness; then, compelled at last by many illnesses, and by the witness of a certain noble maiden of good conduct [the nun Richardis von Stade] I set my hand to the writing. While I was doing it, I sensed, the deep profundity of scriptural exposition; and, raising myself from illness by the strength I received, I brought this work to a close – though just barely – in ten years. (…) And I spoke and wrote these things not by the invention of my heart or that of any other person, but as by the secret mysteries of God I heard and received them in the heavenly places. And again I heard a voice from Heaven saying to me, ‘Cry out therefore, and write thus!’
Hildegard’s visions caused her to see humans as “living sparks” of God’s love.
On 17 September 1179, when Hildegard died, her sisters claimed they saw two streams of light appear in the skies & cross over the room where she was dying.
“Listen: there was once a king sitting on his throne. Around Him stood great and wonderfully beautiful columns ornamented with ivory, bearing the banners of the king with great honor. Then it pleased the king to raise a small feather from the ground, and he commanded it to fly. The feather flew, not because of anything in itself but because the air bore it along. Thus am I, a feather on the breath of God.”
1787 – The United States Constitution is signed in Philadelphia
1859 – Joshua A. Norton declares himself “Norton I, Emperor of the United States.” Born in England, Norton spent most of his early life in South Africa, he emigrated to San Francisco with an inheritance, but he lost his fortune investing in Peruvian rice & Norton’s public prominence faded. He reemerged to lay claim to the position of Emperor of the United States, & ‘Protector of Mexico’. He was treated deferentially in San Francisco, ¤cy issued in his name was honored in the establishments he frequented.
Though some considered him insane or eccentric, citizens of San Francisco celebrated his regal presence & his proclamations, such as his order that the United States Congress be dissolved by force & his numerous decrees calling for a bridge crossing connecting San Francisco to Oakland, &a corresponding tunnel to be built under San Francisco Bay.
At his funeral two days later, nearly 30,000 people packed the streets of San Francisco to pay homage. Norton has been immortalized as the basis of characters in the literature of writers Mark Twain, Robert Louis Stevenson, Christopher Moore, Maurice De Bevere, Selma Lagerlöf, & Neil Gaiman
1908 – The Wright Flyer flown by Orville Wright, with Lieutenant Thomas Selfridge as passenger, crashes, killing Selfridge. He becomes the first airplane fatality
1916 –Manfred von Richthofen (“The Red Baron“), a flying ace of the German Luftstreitkräfte, wins his first aerial combat near Cambrai, France, in World War I
1928 – The Okeechobee hurricane strikes southeastern Florida, killing more than 2,500 people. It is the third deadliest natural disaster in United States history, behind the Galveston hurricane of 1900 & the 1906 San Francisco earthquake
1939 –The Soviet Union joins Nazi Germany’s invasion of Poland in World War II
1939 –German submarine U-29 sinks the British aircraft carrier HMS Courageous in World War II
1961 – Deathday of Dag Hammarskjöld, Swedish diplomat, economist, author & the second secretary-general of the United Nations. Soon after his appointment Hammarskjöld was interviewed on radio by Edward R. Murrow. In this talk he declared: “But the explanation of how man should live a life of active social service in full harmony with himself as a member of the community of spirit, I found in the writings of those great medieval mystics [Meister Eckhart and Jan van Ruysbroek] for whom ‘self-surrender’ had been the way to self-realization, and who in ‘singleness of mind’ and ‘inwardness’ had found strength to say yes to every demand which the needs of their neighbours made them face, and to say yes also to every fate life had in store for them when they followed the call of duty as they understood it.”
He was en route to negotiate a cease-fire on 18 September when his plane crashed near Ndola, Northern Rhodesia. Hammarskjöld & fifteen others died in the crash. The circumstances of the incident are still not clear. There is some evidence that suggests the plane was shot down. Göran Björkdahl (a Swedish aid worker) wrote in 2011 that he believed Dag Hammarskjöld’s 1961 death was a murder committed in part to benefit mining companies like Union Minière, after Hammarskjöld had made the UN intervene in the Katanga crisis. Björkdahl based his assertion on interviews with witnesses of the plane crash & on archival documents. Former U.S. President Harry Truman commented that Hammarskjöld “was on the point of getting something done when they killed him. Notice that I said ‘when they killed him’.”
1978 – The Camp David Accords brokered by President Jimmy Carter, is signed by Egyptian PresidentAnwar El Sadat and Israeli Prime MinisterMenachem Begin
2001 – The New York Stock Exchange reopens for trading after the September 11 attacks, the longest closure since the Great Depression
2006 – Fourpeaked Mountain in Alaska erupts, marking the first eruption for the long-dormant volcano in at least 10,000 years
2011 – Occupy Wall Street movement begins in Zuccotti Park, New York City
Festival Gathering: Tuesday 28 September on the eve of Michaelmas with Rev’s Jeana Lee & Victoria Capon
Potluck at 5:30 Talk at 7pm
At the Rudolf Steiner Branch, 4249 N Lincoln Ave, Chicago, IL 60618
Meeting The Dragon With Our Four Fold Being – A talk and collaborative sculptural creation
Bring Food & drink for the potluck & a found objects to help build the dragon! Then our inspiration can come to life through our collaboration.
Jeana Lee was recently ordained as a priest of the Christian Community Movement for Religious Renewal and sent to the congregation in Chicago. Previously she taught chemistry and math at Green Meadow Waldorf high school. She enjoys swimming in the lake and is interested in questions of sin and redemption.
Victoria Capon hails from the east coast and is new to Chicago. Before attending seminary she taught at the Waldorf School of Cape Cod. Now she is happily settling into serving the chicago CC congregation and exploring the Windy City
Greetings friends – Come Join us in Chicago *Special in-person activities for ‘Building the Temple of the Heart’ ASA Annual Conference and Members Meeting 7-10 October 2021:
THURSDAY, October 7 – CENTRAL TIME (*For those in the pageant: Tech rehearsal – 3 pm) *5 pm Dinner in the RS Branch ‘Schreinerei’ (Meal plan menu coming soon – Sign up now so we know how much food we need!)
6:30- 8:00 PM Annual General Meeting (AGM) – Members Meeting (Note: This portion is free and open to all members)
FRIDAY, October 8 – CENTRAL TIME *9:30 AM In the Upper Room our Class Reader Clark Remington will give Lesson XI for the School of Spiritual Science (Note: There will be no online gathering for the Class Lesson 11:30 AM What is the School of Spiritual Science? A conversation led by Helen-Ann Ireland, open to all (30 min) *12 Noon LUNCH in the RS Branch ‘Schreinerei’ 1:00 PM Conference Opening 2:00 PM The Stairway of Surprise: Rudolf Steiner’s 6 Basic Exercises with Michael Lipson 3:00 PM 30-minute Snack Break in the RS Branch ‘Schreinerei’ 3:30 PM Thinking / Clear Thinking with the New Orleans Hub Doing / Right Action with the Austin Hub Musical Interludes by Morgan Vallat 4:30 PM Biography with Janey Newton 5:00 PM 60-minute Break *DINNER in the RS Branch ‘Schreinerei’ 6:00 PM Singing, Speech & Eurythmy with Dennis Dietzel, Katherine Thivierge & Mary Ruud 6:15 – 7:15 PM Building the Temple through Spiritual Research: Sections of the School of Spiritual Science as Columns of the Temple
SATURDAY, October 9 – CENTRAL TIME (*For those in the pageant: Tech rehearsal – 9 am)
11:00 AM Singing, Speech & Eurythmy with Dennis Dietzel, Katherine Thivierge & Mary Ruud 11:15 AM The Life of the Heart in Space, Time and Eternity with Michaela Glöckler 12:30 PM Biography with Janey Newton 1:00 PM 60-minute Break *LUNCH in the RS Branch ‘Schreinerei’ 2:00 PM Singing, Speech & Eurythmy with Dennis Dietzel, Katherine Thivierge & Mary Ruud 2:15 PM Feeling / Equanimity with the Twin Cities Hub Loving / Positivity with the Northern Michigan Hub Opening / Open-mindedness with the Ann Arbor Hub Musical Interludes by Morgan Vallat 3:30 PM 60-minute Snack Break in the RS Branch ‘Schreinerei’ 4:30 PM Exploring the Heart Connections between Chartres Cathedral and Wolfram von Eschenbach’s Parzival with Brian Gray 5:45 PM Biography with Janey Newton 6:15 PM 60-minute Break *DINNER in the RS Branch ‘Schreinerei’ 7:15-8:30 PM Thanking / Inner Harmony / Wholeness with the Chicago / Youth Section Hub
SUNDAY, October 10 – CENTRAL TIME (*For those in the Pageant- Please wear all Black, or all white – Run Through – 9 am) 11:00 AM Singing, Speech & Eurythmy with Dennis Dietzel, Katherine Thivierge & Mary Ruud 11:15 AM Experiential Pageant: ‘Building the Temple of the Heart- The Royal Art: A Social Pilgrimage of the Soul’ by Hazel Archer featuring the 6 HUBS, Friends and Hosts, Dennis Dietzel, Mary Ruud, Katherine Thivierge & YOU 12:15 PM (Timing Subject to change) LUNCH in the RS Branch ‘Schreinerei’ 1:00-2:00 PM Conversation and Conference Closing
~Autumnal vapours hover over the magic world of sense… Within the shining pageant of the light mingles a softening veil of mist… i see afar on fields of space the wintry sleep of fall… The Summer that is gone has given Herself to my call… ~hag
Happy Birthday to the Christian Community, founded on this day in 1922!
Here is an account by Rudolf Steiner: “At the end of September and beginning of October 1921, there assembled at the Goetheanum a number of German theological students who bore in their hearts the impulse for a religious renewal in the Christian sense. The work that was begun then found its fulfilment in September 1922.
The hours spent with these students, in the small hall of the south wing – the very spot where later the fire was first discovered (The Goetheanum was destroyed by arson on the New Year’s Night 1922 – 1923.) – were for me an experience that I cannot but reckon as one of the solemn festivals of my life. There, in company with a group of men and women fired with a noble enthusiasm it was possible to enter on the path that carries the knowledge of the spirit into religious experience.” ~Rudolf Steiner on the founding of The Christian Community. From “Growing Point – The Story of the Foundation of The Christian Community” by Alfred Heidenreich~
The celebration of the first Act of Consecration of Man (the Christian Community Mass) constituted the birth of The Christian Community on 16 September 1922 in Dornach, Switzerland, guided into being through the immeasurable & selfless help of Dr. Rudolf Steiner, whose science of the spirit – Anthroposophy, has become a central source of renewal in the most varied fields of life. Waldorf Education, Eurythmy, Bio-dynamic Agriculture, The Camphill Movement for the care of people with special needs, Anthroposophical Medicine, etc. all bear witness to this.
Dr. Steiner’s assistance came in response to earnest questions from a group of German Lutheran theologians, including the eminent Berlin minister Dr. Friedrich Rittelmeyer, seeking appropriate Christian forms & content for the religious life of our time.
The Christian Community is not the ‘anthroposophists’ church’, although it is the only Christian church whose priests recognize the wisdom of Anthroposophy as a decisive aid for the broadening & renewal of the religious life in our time.
The Christian Community is an international movement with approximately 350 congregations in 27 countries. Each congregation is financially independent & is carried by voluntary contributions & donations from members and friends. Supporting the work of the congregations on an international level is The Foundation of the Christian Community made up of priests & lay-people. The priesthood has at its center a group called the Circle of Seven who stand responsible for all the priestly work world-wide. At the center of this Circle of Seven stands the Erzoberlenker, currently Rev. Vicke von Behr.
After taking root mainly in Europe until WWII, The Christian Community then spread to the other continents. The first North American congregation was founded in New York City in 1948. Since that time, it has expanded to 14 communities throughout North America served by one or more full time priests. ~thechristiancommunity.org
Here in Chicago we are blessed to have the Lenker for North America, Craig Wiggins.
And 2 newly ordained Priests Rev. Jeana Lee & Rev. Victoria Capon
Here is a recent note to our congregation from Rev. Jeana Lee: Dear Members and Friends,
It has been said that an enemy is one whose story you do not yet know. Everyone has a story to tell. Whether or not it appears to feature ourselves it is nevertheless about us. Perhaps it is like an epic, tracing the course of our life. Perhaps it is captured in a single moment or image that shows the essence of who we are or who we are becoming. These are true stories.
Telling our stories helps us to become ourselves, to understand ourselves. A story can sustain us like a hopeful lighthouse beam during stormy times. Finding ourselves within a story can bring about healing. Where do we fit, what role do we play within the archetypal stories of humanity? At what part of the story’s arc are we now?
In every story there is transformation – some kind of death and some kind of resurrection. This is the archetypal story of humanity.
The quality of the listening brings out the story in different ways each time. As we share our stories with each other, we can find connection, see ourselves in their story and them in ours. Listening to true stories transforms us from enemies into neighbors. What’s your story?
With warm regards, Rev. Jeana Lee
16 September – “Speaking with the Stars”: Keep your stargazing eyes busy tonight and check out the waxing gibbous #Moon hanging out with Jupiter and Saturn! Look for these two planets about a half-hour after sunset, low in the southeast. ~The Adler Planetarium in Chicago
1947 – Typhoon Kathleen hits Saitama, Tokyo, at least 1,930 kill
1961 – The United States National Hurricane Research Project drops eight cylinders of silver iodide into the eyewall of Hurricane Esther. Wind speed reduces by 10%, giving rise to Project Stormfury
1961 – Typhoon Nancy, with possibly the strongest winds ever measured in a tropical cyclone, makes landfall in Osaka, Japan, killing 173 people
1977 – Deathday of Maria Callas, Greek operatic soprano
1978 – The 7.4 Mw earthquake affects the city of Tabas, Iran with a maximum Mercalli intensity of IX (Violent). At least 15,000 people were killed
2004 – Hurricane Ivan makes landfall in Gulf Shores, Alabama as a Category 3 hurricane, killing 124
Festival Gathering: Tuesday 28 September on the eve of Michaelmas with Rev’s Jeana Lee & Victoria Capon
Potluck at 5:30 Talk at 7pm
At the Rudolf Steiner Branch, 4249 N Lincoln Ave, Chicago, IL 60618
Meeting The Dragon With Our Four Fold Being – A talk and collaborative sculptural creation
Bring Food & drink for the potluck & a found objects to help build the dragon! Then our inspiration can come to life through our collaboration.
Jeana Lee was recently ordained as a priest of the Christian Community Movement for Religious Renewal and sent to the congregation in Chicago. Previously she taught chemistry and math at Green Meadow Waldorf high school. She enjoys swimming in the lake and is interested in questions of sin and redemption.
Victoria Capon hails from the east coast and is new to Chicago. Before attending seminary she taught at the Waldorf School of Cape Cod. Now she is happily settling into serving the chicago CC congregation and exploring the Windy City
Greetings friends – Come Join us in Chicago *Special in-person activities for ‘Building the Temple of the Heart’ ASA Annual Conference and Members Meeting 7-10 October 2021:
THURSDAY, October 7 – CENTRAL TIME (*For those in the pageant: Tech rehearsal – 3 pm) *5 pm Dinner in the RS Branch ‘Schreinerei’ (Meal plan menu coming soon – Sign up now so we know how much food we need!)
6:30- 8:00 PM Annual General Meeting (AGM) – Members Meeting (Note: This portion is free and open to all members)
FRIDAY, October 8 – CENTRAL TIME *9:30 AM In the Upper Room our Class Reader Clark Remington will give Lesson XI for the School of Spiritual Science (Note: There will be no online gathering for the Class Lesson 11:30 AM What is the School of Spiritual Science? A conversation led by Helen-Ann Ireland, open to all (30 min) *12 Noon LUNCH in the RS Branch ‘Schreinerei’ 1:00 PM Conference Opening 2:00 PM The Stairway of Surprise: Rudolf Steiner’s 6 Basic Exercises with Michael Lipson 3:00 PM 30-minute Snack Break in the RS Branch ‘Schreinerei’ 3:30 PM Thinking / Clear Thinking with the New Orleans Hub Doing / Right Action with the Austin Hub Musical Interludes by Morgan Vallat 4:30 PM Biography with Janey Newton 5:00 PM 60-minute Break *DINNER in the RS Branch ‘Schreinerei’ 6:00 PM Singing, Speech & Eurythmy with Dennis Dietzel, Katherine Thivierge & Mary Ruud 6:15 – 7:15 PM Building the Temple through Spiritual Research: Sections of the School of Spiritual Science as Columns of the Temple
SATURDAY, October 9 – CENTRAL TIME (*For those in the pageant: Tech rehearsal – 9 am)
11:00 AM Singing, Speech & Eurythmy with Dennis Dietzel, Katherine Thivierge & Mary Ruud 11:15 AM The Life of the Heart in Space, Time and Eternity with Michaela Glöckler 12:30 PM Biography with Janey Newton 1:00 PM 60-minute Break *LUNCH in the RS Branch ‘Schreinerei’ 2:00 PM Singing, Speech & Eurythmy with Dennis Dietzel, Katherine Thivierge & Mary Ruud 2:15 PM Feeling / Equanimity with the Twin Cities Hub Loving / Positivity with the Northern Michigan Hub Opening / Open-mindedness with the Ann Arbor Hub Musical Interludes by Morgan Vallat 3:30 PM 60-minute Snack Break in the RS Branch ‘Schreinerei’ 4:30 PM Exploring the Heart Connections between Chartres Cathedral and Wolfram von Eschenbach’s Parzival with Brian Gray 5:45 PM Biography with Janey Newton 6:15 PM 60-minute Break *DINNER in the RS Branch ‘Schreinerei’ 7:15-8:30 PM Thanking / Inner Harmony / Wholeness with the Chicago / Youth Section Hub
SUNDAY, October 10 – CENTRAL TIME (*For those in the Pageant- Please wear all Black, or all white – Run Through – 9 am) 11:00 AM Singing, Speech & Eurythmy with Dennis Dietzel, Katherine Thivierge & Mary Ruud 11:15 AM Experiential Pageant: ‘Building the Temple of the Heart- The Royal Art: A Social Pilgrimage of the Soul’ by Hazel Archer featuring the 6 HUBS, Friends and Hosts, Dennis Dietzel, Mary Ruud, Katherine Thivierge & YOU 12:15 PM (Timing Subject to change) LUNCH in the RS Branch ‘Schreinerei’ 1:00-2:00 PM Conversation and Conference Closing
Today is not only Yom Kippur, it is also The Feast of Our Lady of Sorrows; 1st celebrated by the Cistercians in the 12th century. The Mother is also called Our Lady of Compassion, from the Latin roots cum & patior which means to suffer with. “The Seven Dolors,” the title given in the 17th century, refers to the image of the 7 swords that pierce the Heart of Mary. The feast was set for the day after the Feast of the Holy Cross (September 14) & is an octave for the birthday of Our Lady on September 8th.
Samuel Epperly
As Mary stood at the foot of the Cross, the sword of sorrow Simeon had foretold pierced her soul. Below are the seven sorrows of Mary:
The prophecy of Simeon (Luke 2:25-35) The flight into Egypt (Matthew 2:13-15) Loss of the Child Jesus for three days (Luke 2:41-50) Mary meets Christ Jesus on his way to Calvary (Luke 23:27-31; John 19:17) Crucifixion and Death of Christ Jesus (John 19:25-30) The body of Jesus being taken from the Cross (Psalm 130; Luke 23:50-54; John 19:31-37) The burial of Jesus (Isaiah 53:8; Luke 23:50-56; John 19:38-42; Mark 15:40-47)
Yom Kippur, the Day of Atonement, which begins tonight at sunset, falls 10 days after Rosh Hashanah, & is the culmination of the entire High Holy Day drama. It is the holiest day of the Jewish year or, as the Bible describes it, the “Sabbath of Sabbaths”. During the 24 hours of Yom Kippur, the biblical commandment to fast from food & water, while engaging in intense soul-searching, & praying for forgiveness is practiced. Yom Kippur is a day of inner purification & of reconciliation with the creator & with our fellow human beings. It is a reminder of the frailty of human existence & our duty to act charitably toward the less fortunate. This ancient tradition is just as important now as it was for our ancestors, maybe even more so.
During this time before the Autumnal Equinox & the beginning of the Michaelmas Season, a shift occurs within us, echoing outside of us in Nature, & reflected in various cultural expressions & traditions.
It is the moment in time to dedicate mind, body, & soul to reconciliation – with God, our fellow human beings, & ourselves; a time to turn to those whom we have wronged, acknowledging the pain we might have caused. At the same time, being willing to forgive & to let go of offenses & the feelings of resentment they provoked in us. This journey for both seekers & givers of pardon mirrors the journey a soul takes after death.
During this season it is customary to walk to a body of fresh water & recite a prayer, symbolically casting bread crumbs into the waters, a symbol of our sins: those actions that have missed the mark.
Trudy Suden
What we do to ourselves & others has repercussions. Because of this unity everything that occurs in our own little world creates a resonance in others & in society as a whole. To heal the planet we first have to heal ourselves, acknowledge our sorrows like the Mother of Christ, & thru compassion – forgive.
1963 – 16th Street Baptist Church bombing , an act of white supremacist terrorism, in Birmingham, Alabama, occurred when four members of the Ku Klux Klan planted at least 15 sticks of dynamite attached to a timing device beneath the front steps of the church.Described by Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. as “one of the most vicious and tragic crimes ever perpetrated against humanity”. The explosion killed four girls & injured 22 others.
No prosecutions ensued of the Klan members involved until 1977, when Robert Chambliss was tried & convicted of the first degree murder of one of the victims, 11-year-old Carol Denise McNair. Thomas Blanton & Bobby Cherry were each convicted of four counts of murder & sentenced to life imprisonment in 2001 & 2002, but Herman Cash, was never charged .
The 16th Street Baptist Church bombing marked a turning point in the United States during the Civil Rights Movement & contributed to support for passage of the Civil Rights Act of 1964
Festival Gathering: Tuesday 28 September on the eve of Michaelmas with Rev’s Jeana Lee & Victoria Capon
Potluck at 5:30 Talk at 7pm
At the Rudolf Steiner Branch, 4249 N Lincoln Ave, Chicago, IL 60618
Meeting The Dragon With Our Four Fold Being – A talk and collaborative sculptural creation
Bring Food & drink for the potluck & a found objects to help build the dragon! Then our inspiration can come to life through our collaboration.
Jeana Lee was recently ordained as a priest of the Christian Community Movement for Religious Renewal and sent to the congregation in Chicago. Previously she taught chemistry and math at Green Meadow Waldorf high school. She enjoys swimming in the lake and is interested in questions of sin and redemption.
Victoria Capon hails from the east coast and is new to Chicago. Before attending seminary she taught at the Waldorf School of Cape Cod. Now she is happily settling into serving the chicago CC congregation and exploring the Windy City
Greetings friends – Come Join us in Chicago *Special in-person activities for ‘Building the Temple of the Heart’ ASA Annual Conference and Members Meeting 7-10 October 2021:
THURSDAY, October 7 – CENTRAL TIME (*For those in the pageant: Tech rehearsal – 3 pm) *5 pm Dinner in the RS Branch ‘Schreinerei’ (Meal plan menu coming soon – Sign up now so we know how much food we need!)
6:30- 8:00 PM Annual General Meeting (AGM) – Members Meeting (Note: This portion is free and open to all members)
FRIDAY, October 8 – CENTRAL TIME *9:30 AM In the Upper Room our Class Reader Clark Remington will give Lesson XI for the School of Spiritual Science (Note: There will be no online gathering for the Class Lesson 11:30 AM What is the School of Spiritual Science? A conversation led by Helen-Ann Ireland, open to all (30 min) *12 Noon LUNCH in the RS Branch ‘Schreinerei’ 1:00 PM Conference Opening 2:00 PM The Stairway of Surprise: Rudolf Steiner’s 6 Basic Exercises with Michael Lipson 3:00 PM 30-minute Snack Break in the RS Branch ‘Schreinerei’ 3:30 PM Thinking / Clear Thinking with the New Orleans Hub Doing / Right Action with the Austin Hub Musical Interludes by Morgan Vallat 4:30 PM Biography with Janey Newton 5:00 PM 60-minute Break *DINNER in the RS Branch ‘Schreinerei’ 6:00 PM Singing, Speech & Eurythmy with Dennis Dietzel, Katherine Thivierge & Mary Ruud 6:15 – 7:15 PM Building the Temple through Spiritual Research: Sections of the School of Spiritual Science as Columns of the Temple
SATURDAY, October 9 – CENTRAL TIME (*For those in the pageant: Tech rehearsal – 9 am)
11:00 AM Singing, Speech & Eurythmy with Dennis Dietzel, Katherine Thivierge & Mary Ruud 11:15 AM The Life of the Heart in Space, Time and Eternity with Michaela Glöckler 12:30 PM Biography with Janey Newton 1:00 PM 60-minute Break *LUNCH in the RS Branch ‘Schreinerei’ 2:00 PM Singing, Speech & Eurythmy with Dennis Dietzel, Katherine Thivierge & Mary Ruud 2:15 PM Feeling / Equanimity with the Twin Cities Hub Loving / Positivity with the Northern Michigan Hub Opening / Open-mindedness with the Ann Arbor Hub Musical Interludes by Morgan Vallat 3:30 PM 60-minute Snack Break in the RS Branch ‘Schreinerei’ 4:30 PM Exploring the Heart Connections between Chartres Cathedral and Wolfram von Eschenbach’s Parzival with Brian Gray 5:45 PM Biography with Janey Newton 6:15 PM 60-minute Break *DINNER in the RS Branch ‘Schreinerei’ 7:15-8:30 PM Thanking / Inner Harmony / Wholeness with the Chicago / Youth Section Hub
SUNDAY, October 10 – CENTRAL TIME (*For those in the Pageant- Please wear all Black, or all white – Run Through – 9 am) 11:00 AM Singing, Speech & Eurythmy with Dennis Dietzel, Katherine Thivierge & Mary Ruud 11:15 AM Experiential Pageant: ‘Building the Temple of the Heart- The Royal Art: A Social Pilgrimage of the Soul’ by Hazel Archer featuring the 6 HUBS, Friends and Hosts, Dennis Dietzel, Mary Ruud, Katherine Thivierge & YOU 12:15 PM (Timing Subject to change) LUNCH in the RS Branch ‘Schreinerei’ 1:00-2:00 PM Conversation and Conference Closing
Find a collection of the many RECORDINGS of Presentations, Programs & Festivals HERE
ON-GOINGWAYS TO ENGAGE:
Wednesdays 9:30-11:00am CT – True and False Paths in Spiritual Investigation, by Rudolf Steiner. We incorporate ‘The Calendar of the Soul’, eurythmy, focused discussion and seasonal artistic explorations in our study. All are Welcome. Contact Hazel Archer-Ginsberg. Hazel@ReverseRitual.comWe meet in person in the Branch Library or join via Zoom https://us06web.zoom.us/j/84457727333?pwd=S2U1b0JGbjZmczR3SXJaUVdlbTJpUT09 Meeting ID: 844 5772 7333 Passcode: true
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(CLOSED) Fridays 12noon – 1:30pm CT. The Esoteric Path Through the Nineteen Class Lessons by Sergei O. Prokofieff. A serious study for Members of the School of Spiritual Science. Contact Hazel Archer-Ginsberg. Hazel@ReverseRitual.com
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