Category Archives: Celestial Event

World Initiation

December 26, 2019Celestial Event, Chicago Event, Festival, Remembering, Rudolf Steiner Quote, Soul to Soul, Speaking with the Stars, Uncategorized~hag

Cosmic Christmas Blessings on this “the World Initiation Night” From Anthroposophical Leading Thoughts by Rudolf Steiner, A Christmas Study: The Mystery of the Logos. Christmas, 1924

Image result for cosmic christmas painting

“ My Dear Sisters and Brothers…If the consciousness soul is able to strengthen itself sufficiently, to look back in inner vision to its divine-spiritual origin, it finds the cosmic Logos, as the Being who can lead it back. It fills itself with the mighty picture which reveals what took place on Golgotha. The beginning of this understanding is the loving comprehension of the Cosmic Christmas, the World Initiation Night, the festive remembrance of which is celebrated each year.

…The warmth of love is present in its highest form when it goes out to the Jesus child who appears on Earth during the World Initiation Night. In this way the human being has allowed the highest earthly spiritual fact, which was at the same time a physical event, to work upon his soul; he has entered upon the path on which he may receive Christ into himself…

Image result for christmas in the heart painting — Jonny J. Petros

To turn the human heart in love to these great cosmic facts: this is the true content of the festival of remembrance approaching the human being each year when he contemplates the World Initiation Night of Christmas. If such love as this lives in human hearts, it permeates the cold light-element of the consciousness soul…

To feel and experience Christmas in this way will enable the soul to realise how the glory of the divine-spiritual beings – whose images are revealed in the stars – announces itself to the human being, and how the human being’s liberation from the powers striving to alienate him from his origin takes place within the precincts of the Earth.”

Image result for annular solar eclipse of 2019 dec 26

Today 26 December 2019, on this 3rd Holy Night, We are in the aura of a Solar Eclipse. The Moon moves into an exact position opposite the Sun, eclipsing its light. This annular eclipse is not total, so Bella Luna does not cover the Sun completely, but leaves a Corona or “Ring of Fire”, a glow of sunlight radiating out of the darkness, visible to those who live in the Middle East, Africa, Asia, Australia & Micronesia. The effects, have created a typhoon in the already troubled Philippines.

But my friends, the energies of an eclipse are global.

They occur in 19 year cycles marking endings & new beginnings. On December 25, 2000, there was a Solar eclipse. Think back to that time. What was changing & evolving for you then? What is changing & evolving for you now, 20 years into the 21^st Century?

We are very near to the end of this year & this decade. We are also extremely close to a New Year, 2020, a new decade. We are in the current of change that leads to the next phase of civilization. And it’s right in our faces. We are in transition. We are pulling away from the last great epoch; famous for its revolutions (the French, American, & the Industrial) with its all-consuming “Global Expansion” & “World” wars. Some of us are striving to be in the center of the current, surfing the waves of change with both trepidation & hope – willing to think & act for the benefit of the planet & its peoples. Others recoil & retrench into old patterns & habits that seem to offer comfort & security. Evolution is a messy, process that moves in cycles. May we awaken to the opportunities of our time.

Today is also the Feast of St. Stephen the first martyr. He was a deacon in the early church at Jerusalem where he aroused the enmity of various synagogues by his teachings. Accused of blasphemy, he made a long speech denouncing the authorities who then stoned him to death. His martyrdom was witnessed by Saul of Tarsus, a Pharisee who would later have his Damascus experience to serve the Christ as Paul.

In Europe today is Mummer’s Day, or ” Darking Day” an ancient Cornish celebration that occurs every year on Boxing Day in Cornwall, where people take part in the traditional custom of guise dancing. And of course Boxing Day is celebrated the day after Christmas Day when folks like the mail carrier receive a ‘Christmas-box’. It originated in the United Kingdom, but is very popular in Canada, where this was the day to exchange gifts, or return the ones not wanted.

Today is the 5th day of Chanukkah & the 1^st Day of Kwanzaa – a week-long celebration that honors the African American heritage, culminating in a feast & gift-giving. The 7 candles in a candelabra symbolize the seven principles of Kwanzaa: Unity, Self-Determination, collective Work and Responsibility, Cooperative Economics, Purpose, Creativity, Faith.

3rd Holy Night: Constellation of Capricorn, (ruling the knees & bones)

The Sphere of the Archangel, Fire-Spirits

Virtue: Courage becomes the power of redemption

Rudolf Steiner tells us that the birth of Jesus could only occur in the seasonal round during the influence of Capricorn, when the Earth is frozen & dark, ie. purified of the Ahrimanic forces, with the light of the outer Sun, focused into Spiritual Sun within. These forces were gifted to us from the Archangels on Old Sun. So whenever we perceive light, with our eyes, or with our hearts, the Archangels are behind it.

So today, here in Chicago, with the weather in the 60’s – I can’t help thinking of this Steiner quote from The Cycle of the Year: “While the summer out-breathing occurred, the Earth was ahrimanized. Woe if Jesus had been born into this ahrimanized Earth! Before the cycle is completed again and December approaches, which brings about the birth of the Christ Impulse in the ensouled Earth, the Earth must be purified by spiritual forces, from the Dragon, from the Ahrimanic forces. And the purifying force of Michael, which subdues the evil Ahrimanic forces, must unite itself, from September into December, with the in-flowing earth breath, so that the Christmas festival may approach in the right way, and the birth of the Christ Impulse take place in the right way…”

Image result for global warming painting

Is this global warming a sign of the coming incarnation of Ahriman in the West?

This push of activity from Ahriman manifests itself every year in the sphere of the Goat, where he is the chief antagonist of the 12 Archangels. Ahriman hopes ever & again at this darkest & coldest time of the year to prevent the rising of the spiritual sun in the earthly sphere. And every year he is overcome by the Archangel Michael so that the Christ Sun may rise for the earth. How can we as Michaelites help in this endeavor?

We see this image of Ahriman depicted, especially in the Middle Ages, thru the imagination of ‘Satan’ portrayed with the horns & lower body of a goat -all the negative characteristics of the animal nature – a tradition followed by Goethe in his character of Mephistopheles with cloven feet.

Interesting to think that the 7th American cultural epoch will stand under the sign of the goat. How can we prepare the way in the purity of the ideal?

The Ancient Persians knew that the 12 Archangelic Beings, operating from the 12 signs of the Zodiac, work thru the 12 main nerves that connect the human brain with the rest of our body, in order to gradually summon forth what appears today as our intelligence. And Human intelligence is most awake, most light filled, at this time of the year which stands under the ruler-ship of the cosmic forces proceeding from the region of the goat.

Zarathustra called them the 12 envoys of the great Sun-Spirit Ahura-Mazdao, & described them as a kind of cosmic aura surrounding the Sun, holding space for the Christ-Impulse that was to be born in the sphere of Earth.

The Archangels worked thru the 12 disciples as their representatives. In our time these Beings are the inspirers of the Holy Nights. Each of the Archangels have their own qualities.

The Archangel Gabriel for instance had the task of bringing the divine forces to bear in the womb of Mary.

Capricorn is connected to the knee. Bending the knee is a sign of reverence, helping us draw near to the Archangels who rule the element of speech. So when we kneel in prayer, we spiritualize our speech.

What would it be like to make speaking a truly conscious act? To make everything we say a prayer, a blessing, an expression of reverence, aligned with truth, filled with grace?

Ayse Domeniconi – “The Visitor”, from the series”Night”

According to spiritual science, in the Venus epoch there will arise from the knee-cap, the outer form of the human head.

Image result for kneeling in prayer painting — Patrica Ventke

May we bend our knee to speak from spirit-fired, christened heads & hearts.

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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 the Anthrophosophical Society in America with Organizers: Laura Scappaticci, Angela Foster, and Hazel Archer-Ginsberg.
Each gathering will begin with an opening verse and acknowledgment of the zodiac constellation corresponding to that night. Then a special offering will be shared by different friends representing many North American groups, branches, and regional councils. These unique contributions will range from meditative readings and thoughtful poems, to enlivening eurythmy and artistic activities, to insight into the cosmic script of the zodiac. This will be followed by work with the Foundation Stone Meditation and conclude with a closing verse.
December 24 12 noon CST
December 25 – 30 6:30 PM CST
December 31 “Hidden Night” – No Meeting
January 1 – 5 6:30 PM CST

The gatherings will be recorded for later viewing if you are not able to join us live. Register using the button above to access both the live presentations and recordings.

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. Zoom Call 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.William Rogers

4 pm – 6 pm You are invited to the Mandaamin Institute’s 2019 Open House! This year we intend to report on the great progress we have made with breeding, testing, and getting our high quality, nutrient efficient corn out together with our farmer, university, and company colleagues.

However, we also need now to consider, does it make sense to do research and to breed crops for organic farmers if the farmers are going out of business?

The last few years have been very tough for farmers and there is a real danger that we will lose the smaller scale farmers who practice biodynamic and organic farming. It is increasingly clear that farmers cannot do it alone. Consumer awareness and action are critical for ensuring the best food possible and a healthy planet.

Therefore, this year we will highlight Mark and Petra Zinniker, who run the oldest biodynamic farm on the continent in Elkhorn, Wisconsin. They will share with us the amazing things they have been doing to produce the healthiest food possible, while at the same time, saving the planet through their farming methods.

We will share with you our problems, our plans, and our hopes. Please forward this invitation and the attached flier to anyone who is concerned about food and water quality, climate, and planet health.

Sunday, December 29, 2019

4:00 p.m. to 6:00 p.m. 7194 Madaus Street, Lake Geneva, Wisconsin

Drinks and snacks will be provided. Please RSVP by contacting Bente Goldstein at: (262) 642-9738 or benteg@centurytel.net

Then dear friends, from 6:30 pm – 7:30 pm We will hold the Holy Nights ‘May Human Beings Hear It: An Online Holy Nights Gathering hosted by ASA friends around the country’. Here is the link with info. for this free Zoom Call gathering. Here is the Link to Register

PLEASE CONTACT HAZEL IF YOU WANT TO CAR POOL

for those who opt to stay in the City – Our study: Continuation of the Foundation Meeting. pg. 110

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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The Christian Community in North America

Winter Youth Conference 2020

THE COURAGE TO LOVE THE WORLD THAT WE’RE IN

For young people ages 14-19 – January 17 – 20, 2020 MLK weekend in Washington DC

WHAT DO YOU LOVE? -WHAT IS IN NEED OF YOUR LOVE?

Rev. Carol Kelly, Rev. Paul Newton, Anna Silber, Samuel Parker, Ultra-Violet Archer, Hazel Archer-Ginsberg

fee $300 (Financial assistance available)

contact Rev. Carol Kelly carolkelly.cc@gmail.com

full flyer: Christian community DC2020

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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 30^th – February 2^nd, 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

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

Presenters:

Hazel Archer-Ginsberg

Mac Mead

Hugh Courtney

Marjory House

Lloyd Nelson

Dr Kamsler

Ryan Herring

Wali Via

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 RetreatMaundy 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 DaltonEurythmist: 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 dayFor more information and to register, contact Alberto Loya aloyavaca@peoplepc.com

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Festivals for the Dead. Then & Now. Renew, or Create Your Own Tradition.

with Hazel Archer-Ginsberg – Founder of Reverse Ritual Understanding Anthroposophy through the Rhythms of the Year. Essayist, Lecturer, Poet, Trans-denominational Minister, ‘Anthroposopher’, working as the Festivals Coordinator & Council Member of the Chicago Rudolf Steiner Branch, The Traveling Speakers Program, & the Central Regional Council of the Anthroposophical Society.

2nd Holy Night: Christmas 2020

December 25, 2019Celestial Event, Chicago Event, Festival, History, Insight, Remembering, Rudolf Steiner Quote, Winter~hag

Here is the ‘I Think Speech Podcast for The 2nd Holy Night: CHRISTMAS 2020

“With Christmas there should pour into our hearts the fundamental human feeling of love — the fundamental feeling that says: compared with all other forces and powers and treasures of the world, the treasures and the power and the force of love are the greatest, the most intense, the most powerful.” ~Rudolf Steiner, The Search for the New Isis

Yes, Love – It’s not a sentimental feeling – Love is a crowning force.

On December 25th, we are invited to consider the historical events behind the first Christmas. Using the lens of Anthroposophy, or spiritual science, we can see that a thoughtful way to approach the birthday of Jesus is thru the two Nativity stories in the Gospels, each very different from the other. I spoke to this yesterday in the podcast for the 1^st Holy Night.

St. Matthew’s Gospel points to what we might call the Solomon Jesus, a re-incarnation of the great sage Zarathustra, actually born earlier in a fine house under the star of Bethlehem, where he is visited by the Magi, & then the holy family fled to Egypt to escape the persecution of Herod.

This image has an empty alt attribute; its file name is nativity-707x1024.jpg — Giotto

The Gospel of St. Luke points to what we can call the Nathan Jesus, born in a humble stable in Nazareth, a pure divine soul never incarnated before, that part of Adam that stayed in the spiritual world & prepared the way for the Christ.

The two Jesus children unite when the Luke child is twelve & the Matthew child is 14. We find this story in Luke 2:41-52 when his parents find him teaching in the Temple in Jerusalem. As Rudolf Steiner explained in the ‘Fifth Gospel’, which we are reading together every night for our Holy Nights Study, the Luke Nathan Jesus takes on the highest soul forces (“I”) of the wise Matthew Jesus who sacrifices his life on the physical plane.

Jesus in Asia” by RS Sugirtharajah — RS Sugirtharajah

Shortly before the Baptism in the Jordan, when Jesus of Nazareth was 30 years old, that Solomon soul part leaves Jesus & enters Mary, to make room for the Christ at the Baptism by John. Mary takes on this soul part & it opens in her the Divine Sophia. This is beautifully described in Stiner’s 5^th Gospel.

During the Renaissance, some artists knew of these profound secrets, & painted this occult theme often showing 2 or 3 sacred children: the Luke Nathan Jesus as a boy & a second older boy, The Jesus from the Matthew Gospel, along with John the Baptist (cousin of the Luke Jesus)

The Shepherds' Sign of the Manger (Luke 2:1-20) -- Christmas Incarnation — Gerard van Honthorst

2^nd Holy Night: Christmas Day – The Birth of the Luke Jesus.

Constellation of Aquarius, (Ruling the calves, & ankles of the human body) Symbol: The Water-Bearer

The Sphere of the Angeloi, also called ‘Sons of Life’ or ‘Sons of Twilight’

The region of Aquarius, the Water-bearer is connected with the hierarchy of the angels, who have a special affinity with the outward element of water. Inwardly they are connected to the etheric body in human beings, which not only provides the physical body with life, but is also the tableau in which memory is written. That is why the etheric body is called the ‘Water of Life’ in the bible, & why the angels are called the ‘Sons of Life’ in various mystery traditions. It is also why angels are known to be the holders of the ‘memory’ of our past doings. And this is why they are considered to be our Guardian Angels.

We see these two qualities of the etheric body illustrated in the various mystery traditions – The water of Lethe, which is the draught of remembrance, & Eunoe, the draught of forgetfulness.

File:Gaston Brussiere23.jpg - Wikimedia Commons — Gaston Bussière

There is a connection with the Egyptian river on which the boat of Isis travels; which represents the life of the soul. It is also known as the Nepenthe given to Isolde which allows her to forget her duty to marry Mark so that she can fall in love with Tristan.

Image result for john the baptist and st. john the divine painting — Murillo

This 2^nd Holy Night, is also connected to the two initiates named John in the gospels. John the Baptist & John the disciple Jesus loved, writer of the St. John Gospel & Revelations.

The sign of the Water-bearer represents both the angel & the spiritualized human soul on our way to the next stage of our evolution, empowering us to achieve Imaginative & Moral Cognition which enables us to come into our angel stage.

John the Baptist was the representative of this stage in human development. He received a special initiation in which he experienced the Sun at Midnight from the constellation of the Water-bearer, & for this reason he was able to baptize with water to loosen the etheric bodies of those he initiated.

Image result for st. john the divine with eagle painting — Cosme Turo

The second Johannes, who we know as the disciple Jesus loved, or St. John the Divine, is always represented by the Eagle, connected to the higher “I”.

Judas the Iscariot - And It Was Night | Christopher Williams | oil painting — Christopher Willams

The lower Ego is the Scorpion represented by Judas.

This is the night in which we can draw close not only to our angels who guide us & shine the spirit downwards into our souls, but also to the two John individualities who achieved ahead of time, what we are still striving to attain.

“The Christmas mystery must be found anew. We must become as devout with Nature as the shepherds were devout in their hearts. We must become as wise in our inner intuition as the Magi had become in their observation of planets and stars in space and time.” ~Rudolf Steiner, The Search for the New Isis

25 December 2019 – “Speaking with the Stars”: As The ‘Christmas Star’: Jupiter & Saturn move apart, they’re sinking quite low in the southwest at twilight.

Image result for spirit child painting — Megan Kasper

Rudolf Steiner’s Lectures on this day

Festival of Jesus’s birth – Christmas

304 – Deathday of Saint Anastasia – “Anastasia the Deliverer from Potions”, “Anastasia the Healer” or “Anastasia of Sirmium – venerated as a healer & exorcist. Her relics lie in the Cathedral of St. Anastasia in Zadar, Croatia. She is one of seven women, who along with the Blessed Virgin Mary, are commemorated by name in the Canon of the Mass

336 – 1st documented celebration of Christmas in Rome

1156 – Death day of Peter the Venerable, French abbot of Cluny. Despite his active life & important role in European history, Peter’s greatest achievement is his contribution to the reappraisal of the Church’s relations with the religion of Islam. He was well known for collecting original sources on & writing about Islam & also as the author of vast amounts of correspondence, reflecting his almost encyclopedic knowledge of theological questions. His writings are counted as some of the most important documents of the 12th century. He took a long sabbatical journey to Spain to study with Islamic scholars of all ranks & published the first Latin edition of the Koran

Image result for isaac newton quotes we build too many

1642 – Birthday of Isaac Newton, English physicist & mathematician

1923 – Laying of the Foundation Stone of the General Anthroposophical Society through Rudolf Steiner

1977 – Deathday of Charlie Chaplin

1983 – Deathday of Joan Miro, painter

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December 24- January 5 (No Meeting December 31)

OVER 1000 PEOPLE REGISTERED!

Daily Schedule:

11:00-11:10am CST – Welcome and silent contemplation with the new zodiac image and virtue

11:10-11:20 am CST – Divine Feminine Sharing

11:20-11:30 am CST – Group Sharing and Closing

** Recordings Posted Daily **

December 24 First Holy Night Presenter: Angela Foster
December 25 Second Holy Night Presenter: Laura Scappaticci
December 26 Third Holy Night Presenter: Joyce Reilly
December 27 Fourth Holy Night Presenter: Hazel Archer-Ginsberg
December 28 Fifth Holy Night Presenter: Jordan Walker and Stefan Ambrose
December 29 Sixth Holy Night Presenter: Ultra-Violet Archer
December 30 Seventh Holy Night Presenter: Deb Abrahams-Dematte
~ ~ December 31 – Pause ~ ~
January 1 Eighth Holy Night Presenter: Lelan Harris
January 2 Ninth Holy Night Presenter: Michele Mariscal
January 3 Tenth Holy Night Presenter: Claudia Knudson
January 4 Eleventh Holy Night Presenter: Jolie Luba
January 5 Twelfth Holy Night Presenter: Timothy Kennedy

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The Festivals Committee for the Rudolf Steiner Branch in Chicago invites you to Our Annual Holy Nights
December 24, 2020, through January 5, 2021

*Please note–No meeting December 29th and 31st. See special offerings below for these dates.

The Fifth Gospel by Rudolf Steiner – Each evening we will study together

on Zoom from 7 pm – 8 pm CST

Join Zoom Meeting: https://zoom.us/j/92592034861?pwd=Mmo0eURaWDVqYVlabTdSY1ltcUFxdz09

Meeting ID: 925 9203 4861 – Passcode: Peace

On Tuesday, December 29th, 6 pm – 8:30 pm CST,

we will join The ARC in Atlanta for a reading of Goethe’s fairy tale, The Green Snake and the Beautiful Lily

This has a separate zoom code: https://us02web.zoom.us/j/82656914578?pwd=MHN3Mmt3OEhtQlZTMlc1NHFtUm80QT09 Meeting ID: 826 5691 4578 Passcode: Goethe

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New Year’s Eve, there will be NO zoom call

Masked ball Painting by Marcel Garbi | Saatchi Art

Thursday 31 December 2020-21 Our Annual Conscious NYE Gathering 6 pm-10:10 pm CT

In-Person at Elderberries Bio-dynamic Outpost & The Rudolf Steiner Branch Chicago

6 pm CST – Potluck and artistic mask making with Lucien Dante Lazar

8 pm– 9:30 pm CST – Live Music with Jutta and the Hi-Dukes

10:10 pm CST – Project Thought-Seed

The evening ends at 10:30 pm

$20 per person http://donate.rschicago.org/

For more info. contact Hazel Archer hag@rschicago.org

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Nancy Poer

Wednesday 6 January 2021, 2 pm – 4 pm CST

Joan’s Epiphany ‘What Joan of Arc Calls for Today’

In-Person at Elderberries Bio-dynamic Outpost & The Rudolf Steiner Branch Chicago & online Join Zoom Meeting https://zoom.us/j/7052931041 Meeting ID: 705 293 1041

Today on the Birthday of Joan of Arc we welcome special Guest Nancy Poer

We will also explore ‘The Destinies of Individuals and of Nations’, Lecture 5, ‘The Nature of the Christ Impulse and the Michaelic Sprit Serving It’ by Rudolf Steiner with Leading Thoughts by Hazel Archer-Ginsberg

Social Sculpture: “The Passage” with Lucien Dante Lazar,

+ An Artistic exploration, Singing & Eurythmy

http://donate.rschicago.org/

For more info. contact Hazel Archer hag@rschicago.org

Blessings of the Season
~Hazel Archer-Ginsberg
Festivals & Events Coordinator
for the Rudolf Steiner Branch
of The Anthroposophical Society

Adam & Eve’s Day

December 24, 2019Celestial Event, Chicago Event, Festival, History, Insight, Remembering, Rudolf Steiner Quote~hag

24 December 2019 – “Speaking with the Stars”: Look for the Christmas star within; & then look up & out to see Orion shining in the East, his three-star Belt is nearly vertical, pointing down to where Sirius, the brightest star of the night, will rise around 7 pm. When Sirius is low next to the horizon it often twinkles miraculously, flashing the vivid sacrifice of the color beings.

1st Holy Night: Christmas Eve, Adam & Eve’s Day

Constellation of Pisces, The 2 Fishes

The Sphere of the Human Being (ruling the feet)

Virtue: Magnanimity Becomes Love

Image result for pisces painting — Jill Hamilton

‘From the light, thru the darkness, into new light’ – this is the path of human evolution symbolized by the region of the 2 Fishes. One fish swims down into the physical, where we are graced with 2 feet to walk upright upon the earth, until we are ready to swim back up to spirit.

It’s thought-provoking to remember that each epoch is ruled by a prevailing constellation, guided by a particular Time Spirit. Right now we are in the age of Pisces, guided by Michael. For our contemplation of the Holy Nights, it is interesting to think back to the last time the forces from this region of the Zodiac were raying down their influence. Rudolf Steiner’s research tells us it was when the Sun separated from the earth. The Christ-Being left the Earth with the Sun. The light that was within, began to shine from outside us.

And this constellation will be active again when the Inner Spiritual Sun, won thru individual freedom, begins to rise out of the darkness in the human soul. This is possible because Christ made the descent & united Himself with earthly evolution thru the mystery of Golgotha, gradually awakening the higher Sun-Self in humanity, making us worthy to become the 10^th Hierarchy.

This has been the work of the Mystery schools since Lemurian times, referred to as the initiation of the Fishes. We see this reflected in many cultural legends: The great Manu learns of the impending flood from the Fishes. While in the Gilgamesh epic Enkidu is called ‘Son of the Fish’. The Guardian of the Grail receives the name the Fisher-King…etc…

John the Baptist had the task of preparing Jesus of Nazareth for the Fish-initiation which he performed at the Baptism in the Jordan. And of course the closest disciples of Christ-Jesus were fishermen (Luke 5:10). Later the ancient symbol of the Fishes came to be associated with those that could be called the Bearer of the Christ.

How striking it is to think that at the 1^st Christmas, the symbol of the Fishes pointed, not only back, to the epoch when Christ left the Earth together with the Sun; but also prophetically, to our time now, (since the 1930’s) where humanity has the possibility to experience the ‘Second Coming’ of Christ in the etheric; & then to the future time, when Christ will shine fully once again within the free & conscious human soul.

Image result for alpha and omega painting

So here on the 1^st Holy Night, in the constellation of Pisces, we find the Alpha & Omega of human evolution, expressing the very essence of Anthropos.

On this night what would it be like to hold a picture of our past selves, informing our present & future selves?

Blessings & Peace ~Hazel Archer Ginsberg

Christmas Eve = Adam & Eve’s Day – the start of the 13 Holy Nights which are especially fruitful for mystical deepening.

Feast of the Seven Fishes (Italian Americans)

Juleaften (Denmark)/Julaften (Norway)/Julafton (Sweden)

Nittel Nacht (certain Orthodox Jewish denominations)

Nochebuena (Spain and Spanish-speaking countries)

1818 – The first performance of “Silent Night” takes place in the church of St. Nikolaus in Oberndorf, Austria

1851 – The Library of Congress in Washington, D.C., burns.

1865 – Jonathan Shank & Barry Ownby form The Ku Klux Klan.

1905 –Birthday of Howard Hughes, American businessman, engineer, & pilot

1914 – Deathday of John Muir, Scottish-American geologist, botanist, & author, founded Sierra Club

1914 – the Wedding of Rudolf Steiner to Maria Von Shivers

***

Image result for angels christmas painting — Ven Dex

Christmas Mood
I feel as from enchantment freed
The spirit-child within the womb of soul,
In clear serenity of heart
The holy Cosmic Word has now begotten
The heavenly Fruit of Hope,
Which grows rejoicing into worlds afar
Out of my being’s Godly ground.
~Rudolf Steiner

***

The 12 days of Christmas or 13 Holy Nights fall between Adam & Eve’s day & 3 Kings Day, exemplifying 2 paths, one of a god towards humanhood & the other, of a human toward godhood.

The Paradise Play, the Shepherds’ Play & the 3 Kings’ Play are known as the Oberufer Christmas Plays, ancient tales 1st collected by Rudolf Steiner’s teacher Karl Julius Schroer, named after the Austrian village of Oberufer, an island in the Upper Danube. This river’s source begins in the Black Forest of Germany & flows through Bavaria & Austria. It was from this magical region that these powerfully symbolic plays came.

The first, called The Paradise Play, tells the story in the book of Genesis of the creation of the world, & of Adam & Eve’s expulsion from the garden of Eden after they succumbed to the temptation to eat the fruit of the Tree of Knowledge too soon, the tree of Good & Evil. It is from this primordial tree that we get the modern tradition of the Christmas tree; in the olden days they called it the Paradise Tree. And Christmas Eve, used to be referred to as the Feast of Adam & Eve. Since the fall from paradise represents that point in human evolution, which precipitated the necessity for the incarnation of Christ.

Image result for oberufer shepherds play old

The Shepherds’ Play, tells the story of the proclamation of the Birth of Nathan Jesus to the shepherds in the field. This is the nativity story told in the Gospel According to Luke.

Image result for oberufer the Kings Play old days

The third of the Oberufer Plays is the Kings Play, which tells of the visit of the 3 wise men, the Magi, to the birthplace of the Zarathustra Jesus child, & of the murderous atrocities of Herod in his attempt to destroy the New born King. This is the nativity story told in the Gospel According to St Matthew, usually performed on the 5th or 6th of January, 12th night, the feast of Epiphany, or 3 Kings day.

The knowledge of these 2 Jesus Children given to us to consider by Rudolf Steiner as early as 1909, is also revealed in many examples of Renaissance art. This open secret is supported in many of the apocryphal gospels, in Gnostic texts & especially in the Dead Sea Scrolls discovered in a cave by the Essene enclave near Nazareth, some 40 years after Steiner spoke about these mysteries.

The Kingdom of the New Jerusalem will be able to come into the world when “The Two Become One, & the Outer Becomes as the Inner’. This quote expresses the occult reality of the coming together of the 2 Jesus children to create the perfect human vessel for the Christ. And so it came to be that the prophesy was fulfilled in Jesus of Nazareth.

& Now my friends, the rest is up to us.

***

Each gathering will begin with an opening verse and acknowledgment of the zodiac constellation corresponding to that night. Then a special offering will be shared by different friends representing many North American groups, branches, and regional councils. These unique contributions will range from meditative readings and thoughtful poems, to enlivening eurythmy and artistic activities, to insight into the cosmic script of the zodiac. This will be followed by work with the Foundation Stone Meditation and conclude with a closing verse.
December 24 12 noon CST
December 25 – 30 6:30 PM CST
December 31 “Hidden Night” – No Meeting
January 1 – 5 6:30 PM CST

The gatherings will be recorded for later viewing if you are not able to join us live. Register using the button above to access both the live presentations and recordings.

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

Here is the Link to Register

Most Nights are from 6:30 pm – 8:30 pm CST except:
24 Dec. Zoom Call at NOON CST, afterwards we will decorate the tree with the signs & symbols
*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.

*29 Dec. Mandaamin Institute’s 2019 Open House! 4-6pm Zoom call 6:30pm up there

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

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

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.William Rogers

However, we also need now to consider, does it make sense to do research and to breed crops for organic farmers if the farmers are going out of business?

Sunday, December 29, 2019

4:00 p.m. to 6:00 p.m. 7194 Madaus Street, Lake Geneva, Wisconsin

Drinks and snacks will be provided. Please RSVP by contacting Bente Goldstein at: (262) 642-9738 or benteg@centurytel.net

PLEASE CONTACT HAZEL IF YOU WANT TO CAR POOL

for those who opt to stay in the City – Our study: Continuation of the Foundation Meeting. pg. 110

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

***

***

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

for more info. contact Festivals Coordinator Hazel Archer-Ginsberg

Still

December 21, 2019Celestial Event, Chicago Event, Festival, History, Insight, Remembering~hag

Today on Winter Solstice, when the ‘Sun Stands Still’, Let us pause to reflect on the many customs associated with this powerful storytelling time of year.

Image result for dark before the dawn painting — Keey Withers

It is the dark before the dawn, the time of renewal, giving us the most primordial myths of humankind. The Sun of Mid-Winter draws in its breath, opening in new life at this time of deepest darkness.

In Old Norse mythology, the Sun goddess was swallowed up by the wolf of darkness, but was reborn as her daughter, the maiden goddess of the underworld, who rose again to illumine the world.

Image result for isis in the underworld painting

The esoteric meaning of this time of year can be gleaned from the ancient mystery schools. Initiates into the Mysteries of Isis had to undergo a ceremony of death & rebirth in which they entered the underworld to gaze upon the “sun at midnight.” This ceremony, speaks of the journey of the soul into the fecund depths of the subconscious mind, & even deeper into the great dark sea of space from which all creation comes forth, where it could be purified & born anew.

Dion Fortune describes this process in her book, The Sea Priestess:

Sink down, sink down, sink deeper and more deep
Into eternal and primordial sleep.
Sink down, be still, forget and draw apart,
Sink into the inner earth’s most secret heart.
Drink of the waters of Persephone,
The secret well beside the sacred tree.
Waters of life and strength and inner light –
Eternal joy drawn from the depths of night.
Then rise, made strong, with life and hope renewed,
Reborn from darkness and from solitude…

Throughout the ancient world, people gathered at sacred sites as far apart as Newgrange in Ireland & the temple of Karnak in Egypt, to celebrate the miracle of the sun’s return at the darkest time of the year. In the pitch-black sanctuaries of caves & earth chambers, our ancestors waited for the birth of new light & life.

Image result for cave of the soul painting — Beckwith Carplax

At a time when the fate of our planet & all her creatures hangs in the balance, let each of us journey down into the cave of the soul to drink from the secret well of wisdom & find the hidden flame within the dark — then return bearing our own unique gift of Light for the world.

May we re-member what came before, so that we can reflect on the now & create the future anew.

The ancient Romans celebrated from December 17^th to December 24^th with a festival called Saturnalia, during which all work was put aside in favor of feasting & gambling. The social order was reversed, with masters waiting on their slaves.

Saturnalia is named after Saturn, who is often depicted with a sickle, like the figures of Death or Old Father Time. Astrologically speaking, Saturn is saturnine: gloomy, old, dutiful & heavy, like the metal associated with it: lead. He was the god who ate his own children rather than let them surpass him.

For new life to flourish, for the sun to rise again, it is necessary to vanquish this gloomy old fellow. Therefore, the feasting & merriment of the midwinter season are required in order to combat the forces of gloom.

The day following the Saturnalia, was the Juvenalia, a holiday in honor of children, who were entertained, feasted & given good luck talismans. After vanquishing the Old King, it’s time to celebrate the New Year’s Baby.

Christ’s birthday was not celebrated on December 25^th until the 4th century. Before then, December 25^th was best known as the birthday of the Persian hero & sun-god, Mithra (an earlier form of Michael). The myth tells that he sprang up full-grown from a rock, armed with a knife & carrying a torch. Mithra journeyed into the underworld, winning gifts for humankind before his miraculous rebirth.

Lenaia was a women-only Athenian midwinter festival. They held ecstatic dances where a bull, representing Dionysus, was cut into nine pieces.

This image has an empty alt attribute; its file name is Mithras-solinvictus.jpg

In 274 AD, the Roman emperor Valerian declared December 25^th the Birthday of Sol Invictus, the Unconquerable Sun.

In the early years of Christianity Christ’s birthday was celebrated on January 6^th known to us now as Epiphany, represented by the Wise Magi, Kings who could read the omens in the starry script. The Eastern Orthodox folks knew that this was connected with the Baptism, when the Cosmic Christ Being entered into human form.

On the same date in pre-Christian times, this was when the Virgin Kore gave birth, celebrated in Alexandria with a festival called the Koreion. The image of the goddess, decorated with gold stars, was carried seven times around her temple as the priests cried, “The Virgin has brought forth the new Aeon!”

Image result for horus light of the world

This ritual recalls the Egyptian ceremony re-enacting the birth of Horus, the sun-god to Isis. All lights in the city were doused while Isis circled the sarcophagus seven times, then brought forth Horus who was called “the Light of the World.”

Image result for isis horus madonna and child

Statues of Isis holding the newly born sun god on her lap, presenting him to the world, prefigure the later Madonna & child archetype.

In Europe on Winter Solstice the ceremonies involved kindling the new light with a Yule log. Oak was popular in the north of England, birch in Scotland & ash in Cornwall & Devon, all associated with the Sun.

Image result for Cailleach Nollaich carved in wood

In some parts of the Scottish highlands, the head of the household finds a withered stump and carves it into the likeness of an old woman, the Cailleach Nollaich or Christmas Old Wife, the goddess of winter, the hag of night, the old one who brings death. Burning her image drives away the hardships of winter & protects the occupants of the household from death.

The Yule log is brought into the house with great ceremony, & decorated with holly & ivy & evergreens. Some prefer to use the Yule log as a decoration & place candles on it instead, transforming it into a candelabra. It is lit with a piece of last year’s log as described in Herrick’s poem, “Hesperides:”

Come bring with a noise
My merry, merry boys
The Christmas log to the firing
With the last year’s brand.
Light the new block,
And for good success in his spending
On your psalteries play:
That sweet luck may
Come while the log is a-teendling.

In Italy, the Yule log is called the Ceppo, & families gathered around the hearth pouring libations of wine upon the glowing wood, linking the Yule log with the custom of wassailing, & pouring out libations to the trees in the orchard.

Image result for yule log burning ancient

The Yule log is left to burn all night, &, if possible, throughout the 12 Holy Nights. The ashes are kept for good luck. They have magical properties & can be scattered in the field to fertilize the soil or sprinkled around the house for protection.

Another ancient midwinter custom is decorating with greens. The Romans decorated with rosemary, bay, laurel, holly, ivy & mistletoe. The holly & ivy were both important midwinter plants in Great Britain & Ireland, as seen in the mysterious medieval carol which mentions the rivalry between them, with the Ivy representing the cold gloominess of winter, & the Holly King, the jolly spirit of the season.

The Christmas tree is of more recent origin. The earliest record of an evergreen being decorated comes from Riga in Latvia in 1519, when a group of local merchants carried an evergreen bedecked with flowers to the marketplace, where they danced around it & then burned it.

Image result for christmas tree oberufer

Another possible source is the custom in 15th century Germany of hanging apples on a fir tree as a prop for the Oberufer plays performed on Christmas Eve, depicting Adam & Eve being driven out of Paradise.

Image result for battle between light and dark painting — Sumpra Tanz

Many traditions focused on this human battle between the dark & the light within. May we be willing to look into the dark before calling in the light.

Image result for hanukkah candles next to christmas tree

This is a natural time for letting go & saying farewell. Since this is the season when animals hibernate & nature sleeps & we can turn inward too. Then when you light your Hanukkah candles or your Christmas tree, do so with the intention of bringing light into the world. What are the ways in which you can help make the world lighter?

***

Online Holy Nights Gatherings:“May Human Beings Hear It”

Hosted by the Anthrophosophical Society in America
Organizers: Laura Scappaticci, Angela Foster, and Hazel Archer-Ginsberg
Each gathering will begin with an opening verse and acknowledgment of the zodiac constellation corresponding to that night. Then a special offering will be shared by different friends representing many North American groups, branches, and regional councils. These unique contributions will range from meditative readings and thoughtful poems, to enlivening eurythmy and artistic activities, to insight into the cosmic script of the zodiac. This will be followed by work with the Foundation Stone Meditation and conclude with a closing verse.
December 24 1:00 PM Eastern Time (US & Canada / 6:00 PM GMT)
December 25 – 30 7:30 PM Eastern Time (US & Canada / 12:30 AM GMT)
December 31 “Hidden Night” – No Meeting
January 1 – 5 7:30 PM Eastern Time (US & Canada / 12:30 AM GMT)

The gatherings will be recorded for later viewing if you are not able to join us live. Register using the button above to access both the live presentations and recordings.

Wise Cosmos is pleased to participate in this inaugural Holy Nights series sponsored by Anthroposophical Society in America. Brian Gray will be the featured presenter on January 4th.

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

Here is the Link to Register

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

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

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.William Rogers

However, we also need now to consider, does it make sense to do research and to breed crops for organic farmers if the farmers are going out of business?

This image has an empty alt attribute; its file name is Zinniker-petra-Mark.png

Sunday, December 29, 2019

4:00 p.m. to 6:00 p.m. 7194 Madaus Street, Lake Geneva, Wisconsin

Drinks and snacks will be provided. Please RSVP by contacting Bente Goldstein at: (262) 642-9738 or benteg@centurytel.net

PLEASE CONTACT HAZEL IF YOU WANT TO CAR POOL

for those who opt to stay in the City – Our study: Continuation of the Foundation Meeting. pg. 110

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

***

***

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

for more info. contact Festivals Coordinator Hazel Archer-Ginsberg

***

Too Bright a light

November 23, 2019Celestial Event, History, Insight, Poetry, Remembering~hag

Part 3 – Digesting the Journey (part 1, part 2 )

The plan was to bring the All Souls Festival 1^st to Atlanta, so I contacted Jolie Luba, leader of the Death Care Community, who had taken us on a moving song trail in the cemetery during the AGM. We grappled with dates & it became clear that instead, we were to have a gathering exploring the connections on 11:11 with the Mercury Transit. (Read about it here) Angela Foster suggested I come into Atlanta on the evening of November 9^th (the anniversary of the fall of the Berlin wall) to be there for 1^st Class on the 10th. This was special, since I had been in town last year doing a presentation when Atlanta had their inaugural 1^st Class gathering. The power of Lesson 10 spoke right to the heart of our impending journey, giving insights that enlightened our understanding, which we lived into & brought into the work.

That evening Angela & I sat together cutting out the planetary seals. We had a deep conversation where I shared stories of old karmic patterns & some hard truths about my striving to be human. When she left & I was alone at The ARC (Anthroposophical Resource Center), I was spent, so I took a shower with the intention of going to bed early. I was reading Prokofieff’s book about the Sculptural Group ‘A revelation of the Spiritual Purpose of Humanity and the Earth’ – When all of a sudden both my legs started cramping up, a horrible contorting ‘charlie horse’. I kept getting out of bed to try & walk it off. I went over to a high stair to stretch my calves, when both legs seized up & I took a tumble down the stairs. My left arm broke my fall & was sorely bruised.

Image result for Ahriman carved by Rudolf Steiner in the representative of humanity — ~close up of ‘The Group’ by Rudolf Steiner

The image of Ahriman came before me as I looked at my feet, painfully contorted & unable to straighten. It was a long hard night.

When I did sleep, I dreamt that my brothers, who I haven’t seen or spoken to for years, were my children. They were literly bouncing off the walls spider man style & I was wringing my hands in worry over what to do. (This dream brought up a lot, since my own childhood was turbulent & complicated. I graduated from HS early & left home when I was 16 to get away from my incestuous father)

*~photo by Bill & Bonnie Rogers, 11:11:19 Sunrise in Knoxville TN*

I got finally just up at 4:44 am to do some eurythmy, meditate & watch the sunrise on 11:11.

Image result for Deb Abrahams-Dematte <deb@anthroposophy.org>

Deb arrived that morning, & had a work call. The branch council was meeting there as well. So I went out for to hike in the Clyde Shephard nature preserve. It was a cold day & I had that sacred spot to myself. While walking I came upon a platform which looked out over an open circular prairie-like area. I climbed up to observe. Why had they put this platform here? What was I to look for? Nothing was apparent, so I decided to go & walk in that place. The ground was super soft with huge cracks in the sandy soil so that my feet sunk in deeply. It was a very unnerving feeling. I had the thought that I should quickly leave or the ground would swallow me up.

After I was out, a huge great horned owl swooped past me, so that I could feel the whoosh of air from her wings on my face. And when I was leaving I meet these beautiful sheep.

That afternoon on 11:11 at 4:11 pm – 6:11 pm we gathered at the Martin Clinic. I gave some leading thoughts, Enid Hancock gave us the story of St. Martin of Tours, Angela Foster lead us in Decoupaging candles, Mark Hancock spoke about the inspiration for his ‘Humanizing Medicine’ Martin Clinic, Jolie Luba lead us in some potent biography questions, & we sang songs like ‘This Little Heart of Mine’…An amazing program.

Angela & Patrick Foster, & their girls, Sophie & Penelope, took us out for great sushi dinner. It was a powerful, Blessed day.

Deb & I spent a great time talking into the night at the ARC. And then the next day went out for our various & sundry food supplies for the trip -Scoring also at a great consignment shop that Margret Runyon had recommended.

The journey commences in earnest tomorrow…

***

POD (Poem Of the Day)

~Yes, it’s true
My tone is often sharp, never flat
A briny argot crusted
With cutting honesty
I push into fathomless oceans
Reaching out to the ancient Mother who is all gristle
Salty
Trusting in nothing but death
Scoured by grace & danger
My single solace, the fate
That defines the map
Of a star dream terrain
Speaking in pure tones
Of too bright a light.
~hag

***

Image result for venus jupiter painting — ~Sir Peter Paul Rubens, Venus supplicating Jupiter

23 November 2019 – “Speaking with the Stars”: At twilight tonight & tomorrow evening, Venus & Jupiter are just 1½° apart, low in the southwest. Around 7 pm CST the Great Square of Pegasus floats in very high toward the south. Its right (western) edge points down toward Fomalhaut. Its eastern edge points less directly toward Beta Ceti less far down. Near where the third corner is Alpha Phoenicis, or Ankaa, in the constellation Phoenix. In early dawn Sunday, look low in the east-southeast for the thin crescent Moon, a true chalice in the heavens. Bella Luna is there above Mercury & next to fainter Mars.

Venus and Jupiter by Raphael - Reproduction Oil Painting — ~Raphael, Venus & Jupiter

Rudolf Steiner’s Lectures on this day

“People will have to learn through the idea of karma that they may not repudiate their earlier deeds with their later deeds. A certain consequentiality in life, a readiness to take on the consequences of what one has done, will have to emerge in human evolution. When one looks more closely, one sees how far removed from this people still are. A greater feeling of responsibility for one’s actions, a greater awareness of karma, that is what a study of this sort might yield.” ~Rudolf Steiner

ON THIS DAY IN HISTORY

Feast day St. Columban, Stories claim that as he walked in the woods, it was not uncommon for birds to land on his shoulders to be caressed, or for squirrels to run down from the trees & nestle in the folds of his cowl. He was a strong defender of Irish traditions. The following are the principal miracles attributed to his intercession:

Procuring food for a sick monk and curing the wife of his benefactor
Escaping injury while surrounded by wolves
Causing a bear to evacuate a cave at his biddings
Producing a spring of water near his cave
Replenishing the Luxeuil granary
Multiplying bread and beer for his community
Curing sick monks, who rose from their beds at his request to reap the harvest
Giving sight to a blind man at Orleans
Destroying with his breath a cauldron of beer prepared for a pagan festival
Taming a bear and yoking it to a plough.

1644 – John Milton publishes Areopagitica, a pamphlet decrying censorship.

1889 – The first jukebox goes into operation at the Palais Royale Saloon in San Francisco.

Image result for 1924 – Edwin Hubble's discovery, that the Andromeda "nebula" is actually another island galaxy far outside of our own Milky Way, is first published in The New York Times.

1924 – Edwin Hubble‘s discovery, that the Andromeda “nebula” is actually another island galaxy far outside of our own Milky Way, is first published in The New York Times.

1978 – Cyclone kills about 10,000 people in eastern Sri Lanka.

1978 – The Geneva Frequency Plan goes into effect, realigning many of Europe’s longwave & mediumwave broadcasting frequencies.

1980 –Irpinia earthquake shakes southern Italy killing over 5,900, & injuring 7,700–8,934.

1981 – Iran–Contra affair: Ronald Reagan signs the top secret National Security Decision Directive 17 (NSDD-17), giving the Central Intelligence Agency the authority to recruit & support Contra rebels in Nicaragua.

1992 – The first smartphone, the IBM Simon, is introduced at COMDEX in Las Vegas, Nevada.

***

13 December 2019 Rudiger Janisch:

The 3 fold human being , the Foundation Stone & the 3 fold social organism 7 pm – 9 pm

14 December 2019- 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.

Contact rjanisch@camphill.edu

Cognitive Ritual

~Confessions of a Modern Rosicrucian

Category Archives: Celestial Event

World Initiation

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

Fellowship of Preparation Makers Gathering

2nd Holy Night: Christmas 2020

Adam & Eve’s Day

Still

Too Bright a light

13 December 2019 Rudiger Janisch:

The 3 fold human being , the Foundation Stone & the 3 fold social organism 7 pm – 9 pm

14 December 2019- 9 am – noon

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

Fellowship of Preparation Makers Gathering

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13 December 2019 Rudiger Janisch:

The 3 fold human being , the Foundation Stone & the 3 fold social organism 7 pm – 9 pm

14 December 2019- 9 am – noon

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