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Listen to the ‘The I Think Speech‘ Podcast of this post
Dear friends – CG & I are back from our ‘Festival of Life Tour’. This title which came to me like a whisper, & was offically confirmed when we were sitting by Nancy Poer’s fireplace one evening & I noticed an old poster which actually had a quote using the same phrase Festival of Life! I love these kinds of affirmations.
We flew from the Heartland into Sacramento CA. & drove thru a dynamic terrane to White Feather Ranch where Nancy & her late husband Gordon have lived for 33 years. We talked for hours with Nancy sharing many amazing tales of her life adventures.
This sacred land – 70 acres – was once inhabited by the Shingle Springs Band of Miwok Indians. There is a grinding rock near the creek, not far from a shrine to Guadalupe, blessing the waters.
Besides the Ranch house which has a huge kitchen with a wood stove & many bunkbeds, there are 2 tiny houses. The orchard, the cattle ranch itself, & the garden with many raised beds is in need of a farmer. (Could that be YOU?)
At 91 Nancy still keeps a little herb garden up at her house on the hill next to her dove coup. These sweet birds, symbol of The Sophia as Divine Wisdom, have been used in many ceremonies held on the land over the years, especially woman’s retreats.
Nancy’s home is filled with sacred art, much of it given to her by her Native friends, or made by hand for her many books. She has just finished a new one called: “The Angel Children’s Journey” a profound tale, simply told & masterfully rendered, for all generations, about Karma & Reincarnation.
When our friends Tobias & Hermes came up the next day from Stockton CA. they went down the zip line & we hung out in the Peace Garden under a canopy of Love Oak Trees, with a stage made out of recycled old growth redwood trees, which has been the central space for many a conference & retreat over the years.
Next to the tool house Nancy showed us her death casket, with its Rose-Cross lid, which she has been crafting with her sons. Her attention to detail is a marvel. She has intentionally chosen various woods for their fine grain; proud of her collection over the years of this recycled lumber. In that same room there are pictures of the family sky-driving, & the blueprint for the plane that Nancy & Gordon built! They were both pilots, so are their sons. The last time Nancy took the plunge was on her 85th birthday, jumping out of a plane with her grandkids.
I have never met a woman with so much vitality & wisdom. She tells us she is preparing to disincarnate, but the spirit is still so strong in her. She works everyday on various projects, receiving inspirations from the spiritual world & her many co-workers, putting these artistic visions into manifestation in various mediums. Grandmother Nancy has touched many lives.
The question that has run thru the whole tour has been: What is the succession plan when these Elders cross the Threshold? What is to become of White Feather Ranch? Where is the next generation of Earth Stewards willing to farm & spiritualize the land?
While we were there, Nancy’s 6 children were putting a plan into action to sell the top 20 acres to at least provide for Nancy in these last years. But what happens when our dear Nancy shuffles off her mortal coil to become wholly spirit once again? Well, unless someone –a community of people – steps up to buy the land, the family will need to sell the ranch too, & 33 years of Biodynamic stewardship will be gone.
Friends if you haven’t been out to White Feather, or perhaps it’s been awhile; now is the time to go.
We are thinking of putting together a Festival of Life celebration for Nancy, with Live Music from Velsum Voices sometime in January. Stay tuned here for more details as they arise.
In the meantime go to Nancy’s wonderful website, where you can buy her books & articles.
Feeling honored
~hag
RUDOLF STEINER’S CALENDAR OF THE SOUL
translated (with added titles) by Roy Sadler
AUTUMN EQUINOX
Soul 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.
The Equinox was on Friday. I align the verses so that v38 is always
at Christmas, which is on a Sunday this year – so this Equinox verse
is a week late as it will be next year but not in the following years
when Christmas is from Tuesday to Saturday and the Autmn Equinox
from Sunday to Thursday.
This week’s mirror verse can be a meditation every morning on awaking.
MICHAELMAS 111
Soul Sunpower
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.
Greetings friends – This is a dynamic moment in time…let’s strengthen and enkindle connections within our community and beyond. Last year’s annual conference theme was ‘Building the Temple of the Heart’ – now we can imagine entering this temple to connect with other striving souls around the World.
Join us in-person for a Community Gathering to celebrate Michaelmas as we stream the tour of the model of the first Goetheanum live from Dornach, Switzerland, followed by leading thoughts from Rev. Daniel Hafner,
with Velsum Voices as the capstone, & a potluck meal to end the afternoon.
at the Rudolf Steiner Branch in Chicago 4249 N. Lincoln Ave. 60613
on 29 September 2022
the Feast Day of Saint Michael and All the Heavenly Hosts
Doors open at 11:30 am
Noon CT – Live stream
1:15 pm CT – Velsum: singing: ‘Enkindling Connections-& The Heart Rose’
1:30 pm – 3 pm Potluck – Please Bring Food & Drink to Share
for more info. contact the Cultural Events & Festivals Coordinator Hazel Archer
Rudolf Steiner Branch of The Anthroposophical Society
4249 North Lincoln Avenue. Chicago, IL 60618 (map)
https://www.rschicago.org/happenings/calendar
www.rschicago.org/donate
Dear friends –
The Michaelmas Season is looming. The oblique angle of the Sun cuts across the shadows like a sword. The days grow shorter & the harvest has begun
Biodynamic agriculture has a keen focus on tuning into the natural rhythms of the Earth, & the cosmos. The alteration between night & day can be seen as the Earth breathing in & out, so it is with each turn on the wheel of year – there is a seasonal cycle in tune with the Earth’s journey around the Sun. Once a year in the Autumn the planet takes a deep breath in, as everything comes to harvest & slowly goes into a Winter dormancy.
So it’s time to gather on the land for the Fall Prep Day at the Zinniker Farm.
October 1st, 2022.
Suggested donation: $20 per person in support of the Stewardship of Zinniker Farm
We’ll start at 1:30pm.
Dress for comfort with layers.
Please bring a dish to pass for the evening potluck & bonfire.
As always in the fall we will be filling horns for the BD 500 Horn Manure Preparation:
It is a powerful means for structuring the soil
It stimulates soil microbial activity of the soil and the production of humus
It regulates the pH balance of the soil
It stimulates seed germination and root development, in particular vertical growth, increasing depth of root systems
It improves the development of leguminous plants (Fabaceae) and nodule formation
It helps dissolve minerals even in deep layers (alios) and can helps counteract excessive salt levels.
We won’t need to make any of the compost preparations, so we will spend the remaining time with application of the preparations. We will learn how to add the preparations to the compost pile and stir and spray Horn Manure.
We are looking forward to seeing you soon. ~Petra & Mark Zinniker
Zinniker Farm
N7399 Bowers Rd
Elkhorn, WI 53121
262-642-5775
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