10 February 2017 – Astro-Weather:
Tonight is the Full Quickening Moon, Sacred to the Celtic Goddess Brigid – powered this evening by the constellation of Leo; with the Sun in Aquarius. It is also a Lunar Eclipse, which occurs at 6:43pm CST. This ‘Penumbral’ Eclipse can be understood as a ‘shadow eclipse’. And there is a lot of power hidden in the shadow. Yes, the shadow knows! We all have a shadow side lurking within, a term used by Carl Jung to describe our unconscious self. The Shadow follows us everywhere, there’s no getting away from it. It’s hard to grasp & yet we must strive to embrace this part of ourselves & bring the dark into the light, to release the energy locked up in the illusions of fear.
This shadow eclipse is the kick-off for ‘The Great American Eclipse’ on August 21, 2017 – a Total Solar Eclipse that will sweep across the mainland of the US for the first time in 137 years.
We have 2 pairs of eclipses this year – one pair this month, the other in August. So tonight’s eclipse is the opening act in a 4-act play:
1. Penumbral Lunar Eclipse Full Moon: 10 February 2017
2. Annular Solar Eclipse New Moon: 26 February 2017
3. Partial Lunar Eclipse Full Moon: 7 August 2017
4. TOTAL SOLAR ECLIPSE: 21 August 2017, ‘The Great American Eclipse’
Act Two will occur two weeks from now, on 26 February 2017, when we will have an Annular Solar Eclipse New Moon.
Rudolf Steiner was born on 25 February 1861, but because he almost died, they baptized him on 27 February, which was ‘officially’ recorded as his birthday. So this middle day 26 February in Steiner’s birth story is significant. The Solar eclipse, on Sunday February 26th 2017 indicates a new phase of Steiner’s influence, which is especially potent for the next six months! We will celebrate Steiner’s birthday along with the solar eclipse by analyzing his horoscope.
Astrologer Victoria Martin will expound on some classic interpretations of Rudolf Steiner’s Birth chart – For instance did you know he was born on a Full Moon, near the zenith of the sky aligned to Saturn? Victoria will also go further by adding the fixed stars, which according to Brian Gray at Steiner College, are basic components in Astrosophy.
Victoria will also do 3-minute readings for each participant to see where their birthdays fit in Steiner’s horoscope!
This can be even more precise if the entire horoscope of participants is available, so please email your date, time, and place of birth to viccimartin@gmail.com.
We can also look into the 2017 trends if there is interest! And Hazel Archer Ginsberg will give a brief overview of the phases in Rudolf Steiner’s life.
$10 Donation & Snacks to Share Encouraged at the Rudolf Steiner Branch of the Anthroposophical Society 4249 N. Lincoln Ave, Chicago IL. 60618. MAP
There is another celestial event taking place this evening – we will have a cosmic visitor – Comet 45P –- showing up in the heavens at the same time as the lunar eclipse/full moon. Comet 45P is a short-period comet discovered by the team of Minoru Honda on 3 December 1948. It revolves around the Sun every 5.25 years. We have experienced 13 visits from 45P since its discovery.
Think back about 5 years ago to 2011-2012 – pivotal years to be sure. What was going on for you then? How have you changed since then? Another key time period associated with this comet is 1995-1996.
Also think back to 31 December 2016 which is when Comet 45P reached exact contact with its star (& ours), the Sun. Because of this timing, it was dubbed ‘the New Year Comet’. This clearly makes Comet 45P a bringer of energies that will affect all of 2017 – a critical year for humanity, similar to the turning point of 2012, which also included a visit from Comet 45P.
It will return in 2022. What will life on earth be like then?
Comet 45P is GREEN in color, which resonates with the green of the Earth as well as the heart chakra. It’s about connecting the core of earth with the center of our heart in light & love.
Comet 45P is in front of the constellation Hercules now & will be in Hercules on the day of its closest approach on February 11. Then it will fade as it passes through the constellations Corona Borealis, Boötes, Canes Venatici & Ursa Major, moving into Leo by the end of February. The myth of Hercules will have special meaning now & for the rest of the year.
From an article by Dr Elizabeth Vreede:
“The Comet represents an element that does not wholly enter the usual sphere of cosmic law. Although they still contain a trace of the direct working of spiritual powers, indeed, of the very highest — the Seraphim and Cherubim. Before ordinary law may be broken through, the very highest power and insight is required. The various comets, indeed, are agents of a very special nature in our planetary system, their polar antithesis being in the moons.
Just as the moons are a kind of corpse which the planetary system trails along with it, so, on the other side, the comets may be spoken of as constant purifiers of the spiritual atmosphere within the solar system.
In earlier times men thought of them as the “scavengers of God,”
and many superstitions have gathered around them. To the eye of Spirit, too, the mission of the comets is perpetually to expel impure astral forces from the Cosmos or to introduce new impulses.”
Click here for a video of the Comet 45P’s path through the constellations.
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Rudolf Steiner’s Lectures on this day
ON THIS DAY IN HISTORY
547 – Death day of St. Scholastica, foundress of the women’s branch of Benedictine Monasticism. The patron saint of nuns, & convulsive children. She is invoked against storms & rain. The most commonly told story about her is that she would go & visit her twin brother Benedict of Nursia near his abbey once a year, They would spend the day praying & discussing sacred texts. Sensing the time of her death was drawing near, Scholastica asked him to stay with her for the evening so they could continue their discussions. Not wishing to break his Rule, Benedict refused, insisting that he needed to return to his cell. At that point, Scholastica closed her hands in prayer, & after a moment, a wild storm started outside. Benedict asked, “What have you done?”, to which she replied, “I asked you & you would not listen; so I asked my God & he did listen. So now go off, if you can, leave me & return to your monastery.” Benedict was unable to return to his monastery, & they spent the night in discussion. Three days later, from his cell, her twin saw her soul leaving the earth & ascending to heaven in the form of a shining white dove
630 – Feast Day of St. Austrebertha. A popular legend states that one day, while looking for the donkey whose task it was to carry the laundry of the monks to the convent, she came across a wolf. The wolf admitted to killing the donkey & begged for forgiveness. Austrebertha forgave the wolf but commanded him to carry the laundry himself, a task that the wolf performed for the rest of its life
1258 – Baghdad falls to the Mongols, & the Abbasid Caliphate is destroyed
1306 – In front of the high altar of Greyfriar’s Church in Dumfries, Robert the Bruce murders John Comyn sparking revolution in the Wars of Scottish Independence
1355 – The St Scholastica Day riot breaks out in Oxford, England, leaving 63 scholars & 130 locals dead
1567 – Lord Darnley, second husband of Mary, Queen of Scots, is found strangled following an explosion at the Kirk o’ Field house in Edinburgh, Scotland, a suspected assassination
1763 – French & Indian War: The Treaty of Paris ends the war & France cedes Quebec to Great Britain
1814 – Napoleonic Wars: The Battle of Champaubert ends in French victory over the Russians & the Prussians
1920 – Józef Haller de Hallenburg performs a symbolic wedding of Poland to the sea, celebrating restitution of Polish access to open sea
1940 – The Soviet Union begins mass deportations of Polish citizens from occupied eastern Poland to Siberia
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POD (Poem Of the Day)
~May I stand in the midst of celestial fire
Until my heart is molten golden
May I walk on earth radiant in thought
My body curve toward the will of heart
A heliotropic dance propelling
My breath in calm waters
Toward destiny…
~hag
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Some thoughts about eclipses :
In “Human Questions and Cosmic Answers” Rudolf Steiner states: “An eclipse of the sun is due to the fact that the moon comes between the sun and the earth, cutting off the rays of the sun.” At the time of a solar eclipse, something totally different takes place on the earth. Usually the rays of the sun penetrate down to the earth & the forces or rays of our will stream out to meet the sun. At an eclipse, our will forces radiate out into the darkness, & there is a period of time, short as it is, in which all that is of the nature of human will, good will as well as ill intention etc, flows out into universal space in an abnormal way since it is not met & offset by the sun. Ordinarily, the physical sunlight unites with the radiations of human will streaming towards it. When there is an eclipse, the forces of will flow unhindered into cosmic space.
Steiner describes this as a ‘safety valve’ a way to ‘let off steam’. All those human will forces, the beautiful as well as the ugly, are able to leave the earths atmosphere.
The old initiates knew these things. They saw that at such a moment all the unbridled impulses & instincts of humanity surge out into the cosmos. And they gave their pupils the following explanation. They said: “Under normal conditions the evil impulses of will which are sent out into the cosmos by human beings are burned up and consumed by the rays of the sun, so that they can injure only man himself, but can do no universal harm. When, however, there is an eclipse of the sun, opportunity is given for the evil which is willed on earth to spread over the cosmos. An eclipse is a physical event behind which there lies a significant spiritual reality”.
And again, when there is an eclipse of the moon, the man of today merely says: ‘Now the earth comes between the sun & the moon; so we see the shadow cast on the moon by the earth.’ That is the physical explanation. But in this case also the ancient initiates knew that a spiritual reality was behind this physical fact. They knew that when there is an eclipse of the moon, cosmic thoughts stream through the darkness down to the earth; & that such thoughts have a closer relationship with the subconscious or shadow side than with the conscious side of the human being.
The old initiates often made use of a certain simile when speaking to their pupils. “Visionaries and dreamers love to go for rambles by moonlight, when the moon is full. There are, however, certain people who have no wish to receive the good thoughts coming to them from the cosmos, but who, on the contrary, are desirous of getting hold of evil, diabolical thoughts. Such people will choose the moment of a lunar eclipse for their nocturnal wanderings”.
So as Steiner said, eclipses of the sun & moon, recurring as they do in the course of every year, can be looked at as “safety-valves” -there to avert danger, to provide an outlet at the right moment. One of the safety-valves which makes its appearance in the cosmos is the solar eclipse, which serves the purpose of carrying out into space in a ‘Luciferic way‘, the ‘evil’ that spreads over the earth, in order that ‘evil may work havoc in a wider, less concentrated sphere’.
The other safety-valve, the lunar eclipse, exists for the purpose of allowing the evil thoughts which are present in the cosmos to approach those human beings who are desirous of being possessed by them. People ruled by their unconscious selves. These facts are just as real as the attraction of a magnet for small particles of iron. Such are the forces at work, in the cosmos.
Rudolf Steiner also gave us hints as to how to come to terms with ‘evil’. He reveals that the gods themselves called their opponents into being. Lucifer is an Archangel which has stayed behind in evolution & Ahriman is a retarded member of the Archai.
Humanity, striving toward Freedom, stands as the 10th Hierarchy & has the task of integrating the gifts of Nature & Spirit, while accepting the responsiblity & finding the strength to lead evil (i.e.: Lucifer & Ahriman) back to the good.
One of my family’s traditions: In Italy, the Moon was represented by a mirror, so during a lunar eclipse, we would cloud the mirror with our breath, a very old tradition. It was believed that a wolf swallowed the Moon during an eclipse & that by breathing on the mirror we would cause the wolf to cough it up & return it to the sky.
Many cultures have these kind of imaginations. The Vikings tell a tale about two wolves who wish to eat the Sun & Moon. Skoll (repulsion) goes after the Sun & Hati, running ahead of the Sun, goes after the Moon. When either are caught, there is an eclipse. When this happens, the people on Earth rush to rescue the Sun or Moon by making as much noise as they can in hopes of scaring off the wolves.
Today in the modern world, we must take up the active sword & protective shield of Michael, & stand as warriors against the dark.
See you there
xox
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DIGITAL Pandora: Imaging HOPE by Gretchen Steele
Art Opening 7 pm – 9 pm Friday February 17th, 2017 at the Rudolf Steiner Branch of the Anthroposophical Society 4249 N. Lincoln Ave, Chicago IL. 60618. MAP
A Performance Art Exhibit & Gallery Reception with an opportunity for participants to create their own collage art to be shown at the Closing exhibit March 31st, 2017
DIGITAL Pandora: Imaging HOPE is a multi-media art exhibit including work inspired by the myth of Pandora as a narrative of hope – by Gretchen Steele
The exhibit includes multi-media collages on paper, large-scale (5’ x 5’) collaged fabric prayer cloths, a performance art piece titled Embodied Compass ll: Reliquary Immersion, and a participatory SEA (Socially Engaging Artwork) inviting viewers to collaborate in a collaged community mural using a images (from the artist’s photo bank of the previous performance piece, Embodied Compass l: Digital Pandora) and marker-based drawing materials.
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An evening Discourse & Full day Workshop with Hazel Archer-Ginsberg at
Fostering Sustainable Agriculture through Research, Education and Policy since 1984
What is Anthroposophy?
Friday March 3rd 2017, Potluck Social 5:30 pm Lecture –7 pm – 9 pm
A Hands-on Discourse with Hazel Archer-Ginsberg
What can the human being (anthropos) of today do to recognize our inherent wisdom (sophia) to access the source of spiritual knowledge, for our own inner development, and for the evolution of the earth and all of humanity?
What would it be like to support each other in community, as we strive to penetrate the mystery of our relationship with the spiritual world?
How does this ‘Spiritual Science’ built on the research of Rudolf Steiner, speak to the riddles of existence: our artistic needs, the truth of karma, the mystery of evil, life after death and so much more?
Come Explore this Modern Path of Initiation with:
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, & Trans-denominational Minister.
Also:
Saturday March 4th 2017 –
A Experiential Three Part Workshop* with Hazel Archer-Ginsberg
‘The Spiritual Guidance of the Individual and Humanity’
Some of the topics treated in this experiential workshop are: The nature of the brain, the development of speech, angelic beings, ancient language, Zarathustra, Buddha, & Christ.
‘The Spiritual Guidance of the Individual and Humanity: Some Results of Spiritual-Scientific Research into Human History and Development’ consists of three sections. Each section was originally a lecture (6, 7, & 8 June 1911) but was subsequently reworked by Steiner & cast into the form of an essay. It is available without a fee at Rudolf Steiner Archives
Session #1 – 10 am – 12 noon:
• Introductions
• The divine wisdom working in the human being in the 1st three years of life.
• Through inner striving we can contact again and consciously build on this wisdom which is connected to the Christ impulse.
• Activity- Biography work: Our 1st conscious memory – a preview of the “I”.
Noon – 1:30 pm – Lunch
Session #2 – 1:30 pm – 3:30 pm:
• The childlike condition of humanity in ancient times, directed by higher spiritual beings.
• A look into the evolution of these guiding spirits –progressive as well as regressive –
• Revealing the necessity of the ‘two kinds of evil’.
• The importance of Spiritual Science to avoid error.
• Activity – Labyrinth Walk
3:30 pm – 4 pm – Break
Session #3 – 4 pm – 6 pm:
• A survey of the Post-Atlantean age, our present epoch.
• The Christ connection with the progressive spiritual beings
• Modern science as the work of the regressive spiritual beings
• A peek into the future
• Activity – The Golden Legend & The Rose Cross Mediation: An artistic rendering
*(Workshops can be taken as a whole or individually, details to follow)
Michael Fields W2493 County Rd ES
East Troy, WI 53120, USA
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