The Central Regional Council (CRC) came together at the Rudolf Steiner House in Ann Arbor, MI. July 14 – 17, 2022, to do some creative team building in preparation for our AGM & Conference: “Deepening the Grail: Our Parzival Quest & Question.” Even though we meet every month with the community online for our study call around our current theme, this was our first AGM since 2019, & our first hybrid event!
The old fraternity house that is the headquarters for the ASA was donated to the Society by Ernst & Katherine Katz. (working with many others on the Board of the Ann Arbor group, including Peter & Mary Smith, Alan Cottrell, Bill Bottom, Sayhan Ege…) Dr. Katz was a professor of physics at the University of Michigan. He taught courses in both natural science & spiritual science to college students over the years. He also led anthroposophical study groups, which attracted people from all around the Central Region, enriching the spiritual lives of many people, young & old.
I like to call it the Mother House. It is certainly holds the aura of Anthroposophia. Many ghosts past & present can be seen haunting the steep stairs & industrial kitchen. Besides the many dorm rooms, the ASA has offices here as does the Prison Outreach. The amazing library holds a wonderful model of the first Goetheanum. The front garden is a marvel. The main eurythmy/lecture room that we used for our workshop looks out onto the spacious backyard which we embodied to full advantage.
As part of the conference we enacted a condensed version of the Parzival story enhanced by Chekhov-inspired movement with Lisa Dalton, artistic activity, & biography work. In the drama, written by Mary Mertz, who has a deep affinity with the tale from her Waldorf days, the mature Parzival looks back at his youthful failings & strivings to see how his suffering helped him win through to peace of soul, in his becoming – a servant of humanity, & a keeper of the Holy Grail.
This morning when I woke up still immersed in the Parzival tale, this line testified by the Indian spiritual poet Tukaram was ringing in my heart: “I know not what my past still has in store for me,” … I believe most of us can say the same thing about our karma. More & more I am coming to see that the events that happened to me once upon a time keep transforming as I ripen. They come to have different meanings in light of the ever-new experiences that I meet on my life’s journey. What seems like a setback when it first occurs may eventually reveal itself to have been the seed of a blessing. And of course I also see that a wish fulfilled at a certain point might come back to haunt us later on. This is all part of the Quest.
The many local participants joined us afterward for singing, dinner & conversation. And then, as part of the AGM, we honored Alberto Loya for his 13 years of dedicated service to the Central Region as a CRC member. Attendees in person & via Zoom, which included four CRC alum, shared memories & tributes. Many remarked on his joyous equanimity & servant leadership. Thank you for sharing your gifts with us, Alberto!
We also welcomed Mary Mertz of Salina, Kansas to the CRC. She has been working with the Council for the last year & looks forward to collaborating with members all over the Central Region.
We thanked Camille Vettraino for her work with the CRC over the past year, & introduced Michael Gratsch, of Pinckney, MI, as our newest coworker.
After some lovely moments by the fire-pit, enjoying meals in the backyard & around town, the newly formed CRC team ended our retreat with a Socratic walkabout in the local Arboretum, solidifying future plans to connect with & serve the Region.
We are grateful to the staff at the Rudolf Steiner House for hosting us, & to all who were able to attend the workshop & AGM. We look forward to our continued work together.
May the words of Angelus Silesius with which we ended our pageant continue to resonate:
“May wisdom shine through us
May love grow within us
May strength penetrate us
That in us may arise
Helpers of humankind
Servants of the holy things
Steadfast and true.”
Here is the link to the recording
~The Central Regional Council: Hazel Archer-Ginsberg (IL), Lisa Dalton (TX), Mary Mertz (KS), working with Michael Gratsch (MI)
20 July 2022 – “Speaking with the Stars”: Tonight the last-quarter Moon will rise around Midnight with Jupiter to her upper right – moving as the night progresses between Jupiter and Mars – high in the southeast. Bella Luna is in her last quarter.
Rudolf Steiner’s Lectures on this day (RSarchives)
ON THIS DAY IN HISTORY (Rudolf Steiner’s original Calendar of the Soul; The Free Social Encyclopedia)
According to Rudolf Steiner’s original Calendar of the Soul today is the Feast Day of the Prophet Elijah (John the Baptist, Raphael, Novalis)
Roots and Renewal – An online series hosted by the Regional Councils of the Anthroposophical Society in America
Join us for an exciting series where we will turn our attention toward the 100-year renewal and celebration of anthroposophy. On July 21 we will kick off the series and begin to mark significant milestones of this 100-year jubilee! We hope you will join the Eastern, Central, and Western Regional Councils as they host this engaging program.
What: An online series marking significant milestones in the 100-year renewal of anthroposophy
Where: Online through Zoom. Recordings will be shared via email.
When: July 21, 2022 at 3pm PT/ 4pm MT/ 5pm CT/ 6pm ET
Future dates are September 16 and October 16, 2022 *More details below
Contribution: Free! All donations are gratefully accepted to support the work of the regional councils.
SESSION 1: From Artemis to the Representative of Humanity and Beyond
July 21, 2022 at 3pm PT/ 4pm MT/ 5pm CT/ 6pm ET
Join the Regional Councils of the ASA to explore the connections between the burning of the Temple of Ephesus, the birth of Alexander the Great on 21 July 356 BC., and the burning of the 1st Goetheanum 100 years ago in 1922. This session will be enlivened with group eurythmy, singing, and break-out sessions. This session will be recorded and emailed after the live presentation.
We will be working with a compilation of Rudolf Steiner’s insights from these lectures:
+ World History in the Light of Anthroposophy – And as a Foundation for Knowledge of the Human Spirit, GA 233: Lecture IV, 27 December 1923 ~ Lecture V, 28 December 1923 ~ Lecture VIII, 31 December 1923, Dornach + The Easter Festival In Relation to the Mysteries, GA 233A, lecture IV. The Mysteries of Ephesus. The Aristotelian Categories, 22nd April, 1924, Dornach.
*More Detail TBA for SESSION 2 and 3!
SESSION 2: 100 years with the ‘Movement for Religious Renewal’ 16 September 1922 – 2022
A panel of Christian Community Priests from the Regions, including Rev. Craig Wiggins
September 16, 2022 at 3pm PT/ 4pm MT/ 5pm CT/ 6pm ET
SESSION 3: The Founding of ‘The Esoteric Youth Group’ 16 October 1922 – 2022
A snapshot into the biographies of the original members of the Circle. From The Esoteric School – Esoteric Lessons 1913-1923, in the collected works of Rudolf Steiner
October 16, 2022 at 3pm PT/ 4pm MT/ 5pm CT/ 6pm ET
“You know that among the many clichés which became current in the nineteenth century, it was said that the great pioneer of the nineteenth century closed his life by calling out to posterity: “More light!” As a matter of fact Goethe did not say “More light!” He lay on his couch breathing with difficulty and said: “Open the shutters!” That is the truth. The other is the cliché that has connected itself with it. The words Goethe really spoke are perhaps far more apt than the mere phrase “More light”. The state of things at the end of the nineteenth century does indeed arouse the feeling that our predecessors have closed the shutters. Then came the younger generation; they felt cramped; they felt that the shutters which the older generation had closed so tightly must be opened. Yes, my dear friends, I assure you that although I am old, I shall tell you more of how we can now attempt to open the shutters again.” ~ Rudolf Steiner – GA 217 – THE YOUNGER GENERATION – Lecture 1 – Dornach, 3 October 1922
Renewing the Mysteries:The Founding of The Christian Community & the Burning of the First Goetheanum Spring Valley, NY – August 8-13, 2022 REGISTER NOW!* lectures * artistic workshops * conversation * evening performances I will be offering a program on Tuesday 9 August for the Free Initiative 2:30 -3:30 pm ET |
Many anthroposophists have understood the 1923/24 Christmas Foundation Conference as constituting a renewal of the Mysteries. Nine months after the Christmas Conference, speaking to the priests of the Christian Community, Rudolf Steiner pointed to a sequence from the founding of the Christian Community in September 1922 to the burning of the Goetheanum at the end of that year to the Christmas Conference.In this 100th anniversary year of both the founding of the Christian Community and the burning of the Goetheanum, can an exploration of these events help us to understand the nature of the New Mysteries? The keynote speaker is Daniel Hafner, priest of the Christian Community. He will address this theme with a particular focus on the colored windows of the First Goetheanum. The Act of Consecration of Man will be celebrated during the week and there will also be a Class Lesson for members of the School of Spiritual Science. Venue: SPRING VALLEY, NY, Threefold Community, and The Christian Community *REGISTRATION IS REQUIRED TO ATTEND THIS EVENT: A conference on the scale currently planned requires that a minimum number of participants register by July 20th. INFO OR QUERIES: Rev. Paul Newton paulknewton@msn.com (845) 517-4101 Sponsored by The Christian Community Spring Valley Area and the Threefold Branch of the Anthroposophical Society |