What if…? The universe is made of music & stories, not matter, or atoms.
What song will you sing today to bring the world into existence? What story will you tell?
hmmm…& what if we aren’t consciously creating the universe? What if we are just going along, living in someone else’s narrative? What happens if we habitually expose ourselves to toxic stories? What if a commercial jingle is our earworm?
Friends! We could wind up living in the wrong universe! – A world where we are just human animals; not spiritual beings having a human experience – A world where it’s impossible to become the purposeful genius we are all born to be.
No that’s crazy; we know that’s not true! So let’s wean ourselves off tell-tales that have a reductive plot line, fueled primarily by grotesque, negative scenarios.
Francisco de Holanda
More importantly, let’s celebrate the luminous mysteries that have shaped our life story: The meandering fascinations that don’t always lead to tidy conclusions, the wobbly joys that feed our soul, but don’t do a thing to serve the false ego’s ambitions. Let’s live into the adventure whose success revolves around brain-teasing breakthroughs, instead of exhausting confusion, caused by fear & illusion….
Jeremy Fish
So how about it…? Let’s encourage each other to nourish ourselves with delicious, nutritious narratives & the glorious music of the spheres, which inspire us to exercise our willpower for the highest good of all.
Just downloaded:Invitation: Sophia Working – with Angela Foster, Hazel Archer Ginsberg and Deb Abrahams Dematte.
What is your relationship to The goddess of Wisdom – The Sophia? How can we cultivate this ‘living being,’ called Anthroposophia, to awaken our will, for the active participation in personal and world destiny? We share some of the synchronicities of our Journey; talk about the ‘Sophia Group’; this year’s Holy Nights, and the upcoming International Sophia Conference in 2022. To inform our breakout session we will call up quotes like: “The term ‘Anthroposophy’ should be understood as synonymous with ‘Sophia’…the conscious wisdom of one’s humanity.” The ‘New Isis Myth’ is offered by Hazel as a seed for our future work.
(please let me know if the links work, thanks)
14 October 2020 – “Speaking with the Stars”: Today holds amazing solar system sights for both morning & evening observers. For those up before the Sun, you can spot the delicate crescent Moon joining with the planet Venus (occult Mercury) in the morning sky. Look East in the two hours before sunrise to glimpse the pair in the southern portion of Leo the Lion, southwest of Denebola which marks the tip of Leo’s tail. See if you can spot any earthshine on the lunar surface, which occurs when sunlight bounces off Earth & lights up the portion of the Moon in Earth’s shadow.
Lucky — & speedy — evening observers can catch Mercury (occult Venus) low in the western sky at sunset tonight as the Sun sinks below the horizon next to Virgo’s sheaf of wheat: Spica.
As Mercury disappears, look to its north. Higher above the horizon, you’ll see the bright star Arcturus in Boötes pop out in the darkening twilight. This red giant shines brightly than our Sun.
The Intercession of the Theotokos or the Protection of Our Most Holy Lady Theotokos and Ever-Virgin Mary, is a feast of the Mother of God celebrated in the Eastern Orthodox & Byzantine Churches.
The Slavic word Pokrov, like the Greek Skepê has a complex meaning. First of all, it refers to a cloak or shroud, but it also means protection or intercession. It is often translated as Feast of the Intercession.
According to Eastern Orthodox Sacred Tradition, the apparition of Mary the Theotokos occurred during the 10th century at the Blachernae church in Constantinople (modern-day Istanbul) where several of her relics (her robe, veil, & part of her belt) were kept. St. Andrew the Blessed Fool-for-Christ, who was a Slav by birth, saw the dome of the church open & the Virgin Mary enter, moving in the air above him, glowing & surrounded by angels & saints. She knelt & prayed with tears for all faithful Christians in the world. The Virgin Mary asked Her Son, Jesus Christ, to accept the prayers of all the people entreating Him & looking for Her protection. Once Her prayer was completed, She walked to the altar & continued to pray. Afterwards, She spread Her veil over all the people in the church as a protection.
St Andrew turned to his disciple, St. Epiphanius, who was standing near him, &asked, “Do you see, brother, the Holy Theotokos, praying for all the world?” Epiphanius answered, “Yes, Holy Father, I see it and am amazed!”
According to the Primary Chronicle of St. Nestor, the inhabitants of Constantinople called upon the intercession of the Mother of God to protect them from an attack by a large Rus’ army. The feast celebrates the destruction of this fleet.
1773 – Just before the beginning of the American Revolutionary War, several of the British East India Company’s tea ships are set ablaze at the old seaport of Annapolis, Maryland
1912 – While campaigning in Milwaukee, Theodore Roosevelt, is shot & mildly wounded by John Schrank, a mentally-disturbed saloon keeper. With the fresh wound in his chest, & the bullet still within it, Roosevelt still carries out his scheduled public speech
1943 – Prisoners at the Nazi German Sobibór extermination camp in Poland revolt against the Germans, killing eleven SS guards, & wounding many more. About 300 of the Sobibor Camp’s 600 prisoners escape, & about 50 of these survive the end of the war
1944 – Linked to a plot to assassinate Adolf Hitler, Field Marshal Erwin Rommel is forced to commit suicide
1962 – The Cuban Missile Crisis begins
1964 – Martin Luther King Jr. received the Nobel Peace Prize for combating racial inequality through nonviolence
1979 – The first Gay Rights March on Washington, D.C., draws 100,000 people
1994 – The Palestinian leader, Yasser Arafat, The Prime Minister of Israel, Yitzhak Rabin, Shimon Peres, receive the Nobel Peace Prize for their role in the establishment of the Oslo Accords & the framing of the future Palestinian Self Government
***
MY POD (Poem Of the Day)
listen to the bees listen to the workers listen to the sweet hive of your heart ~hag
***
‘Soul to Soul’ on-line Festival with the Central Regional Council & Speical Guests
Halloween 31 October 2020, Saturday 11 am – 1 pm PT / 1 pm – 3 pm CT / 2pm – 4pm ET
Stay tuned for details
***
The Connection Between Epidemics, the Souls of the Dead, & the Spiritual World – Leading thoughts by Hazel Archer-Ginsberg. Group Eurythmy, Singing, Social Sculpture while reading the names of the dead, & Break out Sessions.
2 pm – 4 pm CDT 8 Nov. 2020 Our Annual All Souls Festival
In-person at Elderberries Biodynamic Outpost & 3 fold Cultural Hub, in conjunction with the Rudolf Steiner Branch Chicago, 4249-51 N. Lincoln Ave.
You float…you feel a gentle breeze began to dance you through the air like a leaf in the fall. This is a very comforting feeling, like being carried in your mother’s arms. There is no fear. You spin through the sky, flying over fields & forests…
As the wind gently releases, you slowly begin to sink down toward a wilderness of trees. Gently, Gently…You reach the ground landing on a well-trodden path.
You begin, now, to walk the path heading in a familiar direction. As you walk, you notice the 1st hint of color changing the trees…& the silence, broken only by the gentle breeze…the song of birds & other animals. Ahead of you, the path opens up to a larger area. You arrive at this place, & know that it is a Sacred Place.
It may be a grove, or a shady spot under a large tree. It may be a clearing, or a meadow. It may be a stone-circle, or a temple. However it appears to you – know this is a Sacred Place, that feels safe & powerful.
Enter this Sacred Place…You may wish to remove your shoes because the ground is holy…You may wish to make an offering, or sing a blessing…As you enter, you see the bright figure of a woman ahead of you. She looks very familiar. She calls your name, & asks you to come forward. You are unable to make out her face, as she is engulfed in a brilliant glow. She leans forward; you close your eyes, & embrace. As you stand in the arms of this bright woman, she whispers a truth to you. It is a well-reasoned, logical truth. It may be something you already know, but are unaware of. It may be something which makes wonderful sense to you, & makes your mind open with wonder. It may be a mystical teaching which will require further thought. Whatever it may be, you know you are blessed by this amazing teaching…
Then the bright woman braids a chain of flowers into your hair…you touch your fingers to your head knowing your mind has been forever changed, opened, to all the possibilities of positive thinking that will transform your thoughts into things…
You spin with joy, noticing all at once, that the bright woman has vanished & now, standing before you, is a dark figure, looking strangely familiar. Again, you are unable to make out her face. But you notice she is carrying a bundle over her shoulder. She lays her burden down on the ground at your feet. The dark woman speaks to you, with a voice that resonates in a similar way as the first figure; yet deeper, more mellow & mysterious…She calls you by name, & asks you to come forward. You do so. You close your eyes, & embrace this dark woman…Your embrace is a full of compassion & warmth.
She gently whispers a truth in your ear. It is a truth which you feel is right. The truth touches your heart & frees your soul. You feel like a bird, soaring through the skies, singing a song of joy. When you open your eyes you become aware that the dark woman has vanished, & the bundle she was carrying which she left at your feet, has transformed into a large piece of rich honey-colored amber. You pick it up & hold it in your hand…the sun calls you to lift the amber up…bring it up into the light…let the sunshine merge with this solid symbol of your vitality…breathe in the pranic life-force emanating from your true purpose made manifest…
Put this treasure in your pocket, as you leave the Sacred Place…forever knowing that the sacred place goes where your intention flows…Knowing that union is possible between the many parts of our beings…walk in confidence… balanced in the light & dark of your most authentic self…walk the path toward the wilderness.
You pass the trees, & notice that the colors of their leaves are becoming more pronounced. You see the squirrels busy collecting nuts, & the birds beginning their southward journey. You pass the point where you began walking on this path.
You begin ascending a large hill. You walk upward…upward…up the hill, until you reach the top. There you find that you can see the surrounding countryside all around you. You have an amazing view of your Sacred Place. As you stand there in the waning Sun, you feel your mind & body change. Knowing in every cell of your being that our soul must sink into the earth like a seed in its season, released into the fertile earth. Feel the last wave of the Summer heat vanish, you are in a warm blanket of earth, waiting, listening, waiting…feeling the loving arms of Mother Earth awakening you to transformation…
Put on the colors of autumn, & feel the breezes washing you. A glad gust takes hold of you, & floating in the air, you dance away from the wilderness…away from the Sacred Place…Back to yourself. As the wind loosens its grip…you land, back into yourself, grounded, renewed & ready to walk the talk…Ready to Be…Ready to Begin, the labor of love, called your life…
See you there
xox ~hag
***
13 October 2020 – “Speaking with the Stars”: The big night is finally here: Mars reaches opposition with our Day Star Sun at 6 pm CDT, just one week after its closest approach to Earth. It’s blazing amid the stars of Pisces in the East an hour after sunset. It will climb higher as the hours tick by; the best time to observe the Red Planet is late this evening in the hours leading up to midnight, when it is high above the horizon. It’s in a relatively dark part of the sky & in a faint constellation, so it will be easy to pick out, thanks to its brightness & its distinctive red color.
Mercury goes stationary at midnight, before heading into retrograde. It’s well below the horizon by then, but we can view it tomorrow at sunset.
***
Trent Blazer
“Human history becomes more and more a race between education and catastrophe.” ~H.G. Wells
In 1307 October 13 was a Friday – Hundreds of Knights Templar in France are simultaneously arrested by agents of Phillip the Fair, to be later tortured into a “confession” of heresy. Once freed of the Inquisitors’ torture, many Templars recanted their confessions. Some had sufficient legal experience to defend themselves in the trials, but in 1310 Philip blocked this attempt, using the previously forced confessions to have dozens of Templars burned at the stake in Paris. With Philip threatening military action unless the pope complied with his wishes, Pope Clement finally agreed to disband the Order, citing the public scandal that had been generated by the confessions. At the Council of Vienne in 1312, he issued a series of papal bulls, which officially dissolved the Order. As for the leaders of the Order, the elderly Grand Master Jacques de Molay, who had confessed under torture, retracted his confession & insisted on his innocence. But he was declared guilty of being a relapsed heretic & was sentenced to be burnt at the stake in Paris on 18 March 1314. De Molay reportedly remained defiant to the end, calling out from the flames that both Pope Clement & King Philip would soon meet their end. Pope Clement died only a month later, & King Philip died in a hunting accident before the end of the year
1792 –The cornerstone of the United States Executive Mansion (known as the White House since 1818) is laid
1917 – The “Miracle of the Sun” is witnessed by an estimated 100,000 people in the Cova da Iria in Fátima, Portugal. The people had gathered because the 3 shepherd children, who originally claimed to have seen Our Lady of Fátim, had predicted that at high noon the lady who had appeared to them several times would perform a great miracle. According to many witnesses, after a period of rain, the dark clouds broke & the sun appeared as an opaque, spinning disc in the sky. It was said to be significantly duller than normal, & to cast multicolored lights across the landscape, the people, & the surrounding clouds. The sun was then reported to have careened towards the earth before zig-zagging back to its normal position. Witnesses reported that their previously wet clothes became “suddenly & completely dry, as well as the wet & muddy ground that had been previously soaked because of the rain that had been falling.” According to reports, a panorama of visions, including those of Jesus, Our Lady of Sorrows, & of Saint Joseph blessed the people. The event lasted approximately ten minutes
***
Hank Lukas
MY POD (Poem Of the Day)
~I travel the back of a snake An unbroken seal on the book of myself Giving my mind the pleasure of creation My heart thinks & love opens the way… ~hag
***
‘Soul to Soul’ on-line Festival with the Central Regional Council & Speical Guests
Halloween 31 October 2020, Saturday 11 am – 1 pm PT / 1 pm – 3 pm CT / 2pm – 4pm ET
Stay tuned for details
***
The Connection Between Epidemics, the Souls of the Dead, & the Spiritual World – Leading thoughts by Hazel Archer-Ginsberg. Group Eurythmy, Singing, Social Sculpture while reading the names of the dead, & Break out Sessions.
2 pm – 4 pm CDT 8 Nov. 2020 Our Annual All Souls Festival
In-person at Elderberries Biodynamic Outpost & 3 fold Cultural Hub, in conjunction with the Rudolf Steiner Branch Chicago, 4249-51 N. Lincoln Ave.
I could give a rich play-by-play review of the entire ASA ‘Willing the Good Conference’, but what is living in me to share as a true after-image, the most powerful soul resounding is:
The social realm is the new stage of initiation.
WanJun Gim
More & more I find, that in the human social encounter (even in the medium of cyber space, when properly redeemed thru positive intention) thru a simple comment, an offhanded phrase spoken in the moment – the unplanned karmic happenstance becomes a living thread that can lead us thru the labyrinth of our habitual thinking. A flash of synchronistic truth transforms into a golden life-line freely given, a universal tether pulling us up from a personal abyss, into a shared illumination; a moment of instruction, a grace that sparks clarity or affirmation.
Lectures or leading thoughts can wash over us & leave us feeling full & bright.
Andi Oakes
And then, in a 3 minute session, if we let ourselves become a listening vessel, & allow ourselves to be real, & vulnerable, true human encounters become a place of revelation, a wellspring, nourishing us roots to crown – giving us the courage & fortitude to continue to potentize our homeopathic dose of ‘Willing the Good: Love, Action, Healing’ – A beginning manifestation of the ‘Culture of Selflessness’, which invokes deep connection, creating thru us, a vessel for Anthroposophia in the world.
Preparing the future with you
~hag
Remedios Varo The Encounter 1962
“What is it that really underlies these things? What is it that is trying to work its way out to the surface in human destinies and human evolution?” We may characterize it as follows: — Man wants to have a social order, he wants to give the life of humankind in society a social structure within which, in harmony with the age of the spiritual soul, he may become conscious of what he is, and knows himself to be, as a spiritual being — in his human dignity, in his significance and force as Man. Within the social order, he wants to find himself as a human being among fellow human beings.” ~Rudolf Steiner: The Fundamental Social Demand of Our Times, LECTURE 1, The Transforming of Instinctive into Conscious Impulses
(Dear friends in the School of Spiritual Science: Out of one such encounter this weekend, a few of us will be creating a study group to work with Sergei O. Prokofieff’s book: “The Esoteric Path Through the Nineteen Class Lessons”. Please contact me for details)
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Henri Matisse
‘Thinking’ in the Soul Calendar by Rudolf Steiner, Translated by Roy Sadler This week: 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 that hope left lame.
& its opposite in the southern hemisphere now, v2, Arising into senses’ all-enwoven outwardness thought’s power sheds its separate strand; the spirit worlds will find again the offspring who in them must find its human seed but in itself the fruit of soul.
Thinking is mentioned just 4 times in between v2 & 28: v4, Beltane, I feel the being resonant with mine, speaks feeling that perceives and in the sunlit world unites with all that shines; it would endow illumined thought with warmth, and marry man and world. v7, Ascensiontide, My Self is threatening to flee, drawn strongly by the world’s inviting light. Now you, my foresight, dawn your star in me and firmly as of right replace the power of thought that in the senses’ glory will lose itself. v8, Whitsun, In concert with the god’s creating the senses’ power grows; it overwhelms the mind’s force, dampening it down to dream. When bonding with my soul would be a holy being my thinking must be stilled in dreamlike presence satisfied. & v14 (2 octaves before v28), Completely open to the senses I lost my own impulse; thought’s dream seemed, numbing me, to rob me of myself, but waking, even now, there comes to me in all the senses’ glory cosmic thought.
So the Tenor experience till v13 (qv Oct. 4th re. the 4 voices) is to release thought, endowing it with the summer’s warmth for the Baritone to ensoul dream experience with cosmic thought and begin to glisten this week’s Soprano voice with sun-empowered radiance of thinking.
To quote a phrase from the approaching Halloween verse, v30, the summer of the world becomes the summer of the soul. We have moved into the 2nd half of the Soul Calendar, & now the cosmic summer’s dreamtime activates human thinking. The verses can be imagined in a 24 hour rhythm. Each morning dawns with a new reviving gift.
We can meditate this week’s verse every morning when we wake! & v2 with a slight change in lines 1 & 3 can help us into sleep… To sleep in all-enwoven outwardness thought’s power sheds its separate strand; the spirit worlds will find again their human offspring, whose soul must find her seed in them, but in herself the fruit.
The last 3 lines are an alternative translation of the 1st version. I invite readers if they wish to suggest which they prefer in the comment section, & also any thoughts they might like to offer about my translations & descriptions I’ve added last week & this.
~Roy Sadler
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Jyoti Sahi
Those who work with the Original indications in the Calendar of the Soul know that Rudolf Steiner lists the birth & death days, as well as other significant occurrences of various individualities, along with the dates in the calendar. He said of this: “What is presented here can be useful to those who wish to follow the path of mankind’s spiritual development” ~Rudolf Steiner
12 October 2020 – “Speaking with the Stars”: At dawn tomorrow Tuesday the 13th, Bella Luna in her waning crescent sheath dances with Venus. Look for Regulus to Luna’s upper right & orange Gamma Leonis, only a little fainter than Regulus, to the Moon’s upper left.
The constellation Cetus the Whale is rising in the southeast as darkness falls.
Freethought Day – the annual observance by freethinkers & secularists of the anniversary of the effective end of the Salem Witch Trials
Fiestas del Pilar -Feast Day of Our Lady of the Pillar – the name given to the Blessed Virgin Mary in connection with an ancient Spanish tradition that she appeared to the Apostle James the Greater as he was praying by the banks of the Ebro at Zaragoza. Mary is often depicted carrying the Child Jesus on her arms resting above a pillar, sometimes carried by angelic cherubs. The Virgin Mary is invoked under this title as the Patroness of Spain
1692 – The Salem witch trials are ended by a letter from Massachusetts Governor William Phips
1875 – Birthday of Aleister Crowley, an English occultist, ceremonial magician, poet, painter, novelist, & mountaineer. He founded the religion of Thelema, identifying himself as the prophet entrusted with guiding humanity into the Æon of Horus in the early 20th century.
Born to a wealthy Plymouth Brethren family, Crowley rejected this fundamentalist Christian faith to pursue an interest in Western esotericism. He was educated at the University of Cambridge, where he focused his attentions on mountaineering & poetry, resulting in several publications. Some biographers allege that here he was recruited into a British intelligence agency, suggesting that he remained a spy throughout his life. In 1898 he joined the esoteric Hermetic Order of the Golden Dawn, where he was trained in ceremonial magic by Samuel Liddell MacGregor Mathers & Allan Bennett.
Moving to Boleskine House by Loch Ness in Scotland, he went mountaineering in Mexico with Oscar Eckenstein, before studying Hindu & Buddhist practices in India. He married Rose Edith Kelly & in 1904 they honeymooned in Cairo, Egypt, where Crowley claimed to have been contacted by a supernatural entity named Aiwass, who provided him with The Book of the Law, a sacred text that served as the basis for Thelema. Announcing the start of the Æon of Horus, The Book declared that its followers should adhere to the code of “Do what thou wilt” & seek to align themselves with their Will through the practice of magick.
After an unsuccessful attempt to climb Kanchenjunga & a visit to India & China, Crowley returned to Britain, where he attracted attention as a prolific author of poetry, novels, & occult literature. In 1907, he & George Cecil Jones co-founded a Thelemite order, the A∴A∴, through which they propagated the religion.
After spending time in Algeria, in 1912 he was initiated into another esoteric order, the German-based Ordo Templi Orientis (O.T.O.), rising to become the leader of its British branch, which he reformulated in accordance with his Thelemite beliefs. Through the O.T.O., Thelemite groups were established in Britain, Australia, & North America.
Crowley spent the First World War in the United States, where he took up painting & campaigned for the German war effort against Britain, later revealing that he had infiltrated the pro-German movement to assist the British intelligence services. In 1920 he established the Abbey of Thelema, a religious commune in Cefalù, Sicily where he lived with various followers. His libertine lifestyle led to denunciations in the British press, & the Italian government evicted him in 1923. He divided the following two decades between France, Germany, & England, and continued to promote Thelema until his death.
Crowley gained widespread notoriety during his lifetime, being a recreational drug experimenter, bisexual & an individualist social critic. He was denounced in the popular press as “the wickedest man in the world”. Crowley has remained a highly influential figure over Western esotericism & the counter-culture, & continues to be considered a prophet in Thelema. In 2002, a BBC poll ranked him as the seventy-third greatest Briton of all time.
***
‘Soul to Soul’ on-line Festival with the Central Regional Council & Speical Guests
Halloween 31 October 2020, Saturday 11 am – 1 pm PT / 1 pm – 3 pm CT / 2pm – 4pm ET
Stay tuned for details
***
The Connection Between Epidemics, the Souls of the Dead, & the Spiritual World – Leading thoughts by Hazel Archer-Ginsberg. Group Eurythmy, Singing, Social Sculpture while reading the names of the dead, & Break out Sessions.
2 pm – 4 pm CDT 8 Nov. 2020 Our Annual All Souls Festival
In-person at Elderberries Biodynamic Outpost & 3 fold Cultural Hub, in conjunction with the Rudolf Steiner Branch Chicago, 4249-51 N. Lincoln Ave.
my POD (Poem Of The Day) ~Before the hawk sailed In the space between the mountain & the moon Before magic made the Word Before Isis was veiled I flourished in the mirrored sea Waiting for this life With you ~hag
***
Evelyn De Morgan
Like quicksilver, the messenger of the gods, darts thru dark tangled alleys. Is he a healer, or a trickster, or maybe a thief? With a light step, in his winged sandals, he confidently goes through hidden passages in the night. In his hands a golden key has the power to open all the doors before him. There is no place dark enough or deep enough that he cannot reach. Not even the realm of the Shades, for in his role as pyschopomp he is a guide to souls, in initiation, & to the place of the dead.
Mercury is the only god allowed to come & go from the Underworld. Standing now in retrograde in Scorpio, this powerful aspect of Mercury, as ‘guide into the depths’, is especially enhanced. Mercury retrograde is about the mind turning its attention within. The psyche becomes the object of observation. And immediately the alchemical motto of the V.I.T.R.I.O.L.V.M. is evoked.
Visita Interiora Terrae Rectificando Invenies Occultum Lapidem Veram Medicinam. Visit the interior of the earth, and by rectifying you will find the hidden stone which is the true medicine. The black dirt of Egypt (al-Kemia) contains vital forces hiding in the mud.
Working on our shadow side isn’t easy, & is often avoided. It’s the soul’s journey into the vault where we keep all our secrets hidden away. Confronting our unconscious fears takes a force of will; & this transit can help.
Get ready friends, because all the shadows that emerged during the lockdown—which was a forced social Nigredo—are going to come back during Mercury retrograde in Scorpio. In alchemy, nigredo, or blackness, means putrefaction or decomposition. This is the 1st step in the cultivation of the ‘Philosopher’s Stone’. All alchemical ingredients have to be cleansed & cooked down into a uniform black primordial matter.
In analytical psychology, the term became a metaphor for ‘the dark night of the soul, when we must confront the shadow within.’
Besides the shadow work, with Mercury Retrograde in Scorpio, we might also experience the return of relationships, or external situations, which we thought were over & done with. Or perhaps we will glean some insights about them. This is what Scorpio does; it turns Mercury into a private detective. Truths are unveiled.
Mercury also performs an opposition to Uranus in Taurus; & also a strong square with Saturn – Two perfect squares immediately before & then after the 2nd stationary point.
The opposition with Uranus is about technology, means of transport & communication, betraying us. Isn’t that the way the truth often comes out, by a kind of betrayal? Messages sent to the wrong person—a classic. A slip of the tongue; or a chance encounter, revealing where we really were.
And the square with Saturn, brings deep intuition, because of Mercury being in Scorpio; which then comes knocking up against our intellectual reasoning, since Saturn is in Capricorn. Our gut is going to tell us one thing, our intellect, something else. Not only it will be very difficult to be reasonable, but it will be just as easy to be suspicious.
This year we had Mercury retrograde in all Water signs: Pisces, Cancer & now Scorpio. This created a great triangle of water in the sky. Water is the element of emotions & feelings.
Interesting that next year we will see Mercury doing the same thing in Air signs: Aquarius, Gemini & Libra; perhaps that will bring an opportunity to change our way of thinking?
***
11 October 2020 – “Speaking with the Stars”: If you’re awake in the early dawn, like I am, tomorrow, Monday the 12th, the waning crescent Moon stands very high above bright Venus. It’s been fascinating to watch Venus as morning star reveal herself. Look between Bella Luna & the goddess of Love, for Regulus, the forefoot of Leo.
1138 – A massive earthquake strikes Aleppo, Syria. The third deadliest earthquake in history with over 230,000 killed
1582 – Because of the adoption of the Gregorian calendar, this day does not exist in this year in Italy, Poland, Portugal and Spain
1634 – The Burchardi flood: killed around 15,000 in North Friesland, Denmark & Germany
1809 – Along the Natchez Trace in Tennessee, explorer Meriwether Lewis dies under mysterious circumstances at an inn called Grinder’s Stand
1890 – The Daughters of the American Revolution is founded
1906 – San Francisco public school board sparks a diplomatic crisis between the United States & Japan by ordering Japanese students to be taught in racially segregated schools
1918 – The Puerto Rico earthquake shakes the island with a maximum Mercalli intensity of IX (Violent), killing 1116 people
1958 –NASA launches the lunar probe Pioneer 1 which falls back to Earth & burns up
1962 – Second Vatican Council: Pope John XXIII convenes the first ecumenical council of the Roman Catholic Church in 92 years
1968 –NASA launches Apollo 7, the first successful manned Apollo mission, with astronauts Wally Schirra, Donn F. Eisele & Walter Cunningham aboard
1972 – A race riot occurs on the United States Navy aircraft carrier Kitty Hawk off the coast of Vietnam during Operation Linebacker
1984 – Aboard the Space Shuttle Challenger, astronaut Kathryn D. Sullivan becomes the first American woman to perform a spacewalk
2000 – NASA launches STS-92, the 100th Space Shuttle mission, using Space Shuttle Discovery
***
Kristina West
Thanks to all who heard the call & took up the invitation to join us for the workshop: Sophia Working. I hope to be able to share the link to the recording soon
xox
***
‘Soul to Soul’ on-line Festival with the Central Regional Council & Speical Guests
Halloween 31 October 2020, Saturday 11 am – 1 pm PT / 1 pm – 3 pm CT / 2pm – 4pm ET
Stay tuned for details
***
The Connection Between Epidemics, the Souls of the Dead, & the Spiritual World – Leading thoughts by Hazel Archer-Ginsberg.
2 pm – 4 pm CDT 8 Nov. 2020 Our Annual All Souls Festival
With Group Eurythmy, Singing, Social Sculpture while reading the names of the dead, & Break out Sessions.
In-person at Elderberries Biodynamic Outpost & 3 fold Cultural Hub, in conjunction with the Rudolf Steiner Branch Chicago, 4249-51 N. Lincoln Ave.
“Ideas are for Anthroposophy Vessels, formed out of love, Into which the being of humanity, Is brought from the spiritual worlds. Clothed in thoughts formed with love The light of true humanity Shall shine through Anthroposophy. And knowledge is but the form In which through humanity It shall be possible That the true spirit from the widths of the world Will focus in human hearts It may enlighten human thought. And as Anthroposophy Really can only be grasped through love, Therefore it is love creating If it is grasped by the true being of humanity. Therefore, in the midst of furious hatred A place of love could be built in Dornach. And words Will not be coined in the Anthroposophical realm As they are usually coined today. Words are formed That are all intrinsically pleas. Every word in Anthroposophy If it is spoken in the right sense Is fundamentally a plea A reverent plea: A plea That the spirit may come down to humankind“. ~ Rudolf Steiner, From the 1922 The Christmas Foundation; Beginning of a Cosmic Age
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Igor Zenin
Calendar of the Soul by Rudolf Steiner, Translated by Roy Sadler
v25, Autumn Equinox, 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.
Shiloh Sophia
mirror 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.
v28 is very special. The Soul Calendar also has a 24 hour rhythm! Human thinking has its first mention here after the opposite verse, 2, says, ‘thought’s power sheds its separate strand’. v28 can be a mantra for the soul every morning on awakening… This is something that could be added in 3 weeks time when we reach v28 in the year’s calendar.
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Screenshot from the “Sky Guide” app. The sidereal zodiac, shared by Sandra Eastburn
21 September 2020 – “Speaking with the Stars“: The messenger of the gods: Mercury & the bright star Spica stand side by side in Virgo this evening. Start searching for them in the west right after sunset, when they’re already quickly sinking toward the horizon. Once Virgo disappears from the evening sky, look east past Libra & into Scorpius to find the waxing crescent Moon. Nearby is bright red Antares, which depicts the star-studded Scorpion’s heart. After these sights have set, move your gaze further east still to find Jupiter & Saturn, shining near the Teapot of Sagittarius. The giant planets are now just under 8° apart; they will continue drawing closer over the next few months until they reach a spectacular close conjunction December 21.
Feast of St. Matthew, a 1st-century Galilean, the son of Alpheus. As a tax collector he was literate in Aramaic & Greek. After his call, Matthew invited Jesus home for a feast. On seeing this, the Scribes & the Pharisees criticized Jesus for eating with tax collectors & sinners. This prompted Jesus to answer, “Those who are well do not need a physician, but the sick do. Go and learn the meaning of the words, ‘I desire mercy, not sacrifice.’ I did not come to call the righteous but sinners” (Matthew 9:12-13)
“When seeking to describe the whole course of these events as related in the Gospel of Matthew we should have to say The writer first directs his attention to answering the question: What kind of physical and etheric body could serve such a Being as the Christ for His life on earth? And because of what the writer had experienced he could answer: In order that a suitable physical and etheric body could be prepared it was necessary that they should pass through forty-two generations of the Hebrew people so that the attributes laid down in Abraham might be fully developed. He could then continue to answer the question further by telling us: Such a physical and etheric body could only provide a fitting instrument if the greatest individuality humanity had so far produced for the comprehension of the Christ—that is the Zarathustra individuality — made use of them up to his twelfth year, at which time he had to leave this body and enter another. This was the body of the Jesus of whom the writer of the Gospel of Luke tells. From this point, the writer of the Gospel of Matthew, turning from that to which he had given his attention at first, deals exclusively with the Jesus of whom we read in the Gospel of Luke, and follows the life of Zarathustra until his thirtieth year. The moment had then come, when the astral body and ego-bearer had been so far evolved by Zarathustra that he could sacrifice them to the mighty Being — the great Sun-spirit — who descended from spiritual spheres and took possession of them. This was the moment of the baptism by John in Jordan.” Lecture 12 on The Gospel of Matthew by Rudolf Steiner
19 BC – Deathday of Virgil, Roman poet
1780 – American Revolutionary War: Benedict Arnold gives the British the plans to West Point.
1792 – French Revolution: The National Convention declares France a republic and abolishes the absolute monarchy
1860 – Deathday of Arthur Schopenhauer, German philosopher & author
1866 – Birthday of H. G. Wells
1934 – A large typhoon hits western Honshū, Japan, killing 3,036 people
1938 – The Great Hurricane of 1938 makes landfall on Long Island in New York. The death toll is estimated at 500-700 people
1942 – In Dunaivtsi, Ukraine, Nazis murder 2,588 Jews
1972 – Philippine President Ferdinand Marcos signs Proclamation № 1081, placing the entire country under martial law marking the beginning of his authoritarian rule
1976 – Orlando Letelier is assassinated in Washington, D.C. He is a member of the Chilean socialist government of Salvador Allende, overthrown in 1973 by Augusto Pinochet
1991 – Armenia is granted independence from Soviet Union
1993 – Russian President Boris Yeltsin suspends parliament & scraps the constitution, triggering the Russian constitutional crisis
1996 – The Defense of Marriage Act passes the United States Congress. The law prohibited federal recognition of same-sex marriage, while allowing states to adopt any marital definition of their choosing
1998 – Deathday of John Wood, Anthroposophical translator
1999 – Chi-Chi earthquake occurs in central Taiwan, leaving over 2,400 people dead
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The Central Regional Council Invites ALL to our Michaelmas Festival: ‘Courage Born of Wisdom’ – Wednesday 23 September 2020 –On ZOOM – 7:15 pm CDT – 8:30 pm
1st CRC performs a telling of a tale from ancient Chaldea where EA gives birth to Marduk, precursor to Michael.
Proverbs 24: 1-9
then “Wisdom Built herself a house*”…7 members of the various sections of the Anthroposophical Society will stand as Wisdom’s 7 Pillars to share how Courage was born from Wisdom leading to their work in the world.
Pedagogical Section –Michael Holdrege Youth Section – Stephan Ambrose Medical Section –Drs. Molly & Quentin McMullen Eurythmy – Barbara Richardson Social Science Section – Doug Wylie BioDynamic Agriculture – Rand Carter Three-Folding – Dorothy Hinkle-Uhlig
with Original songs by Lucien Dante Lazar!
& a closing about the connection between Michael, The Christ & Anthroposophia!
Meeting ID: 820 7046 0900 One tap mobile +13017158592,,81116556762# US (Germantown) +13126266799,,81116556762# US (Chicago)
Dial by your location +1 301 715 8592 US (Germantown) +1 312 626 6799 US (Chicago) +1 646 558 8656 US (New York) +1 253 215 8782 US (Tacoma) +1 346 248 7799 US (Houston) +1 669 900 6833 US (San Jose) Meeting ID: 820 7046 0900
LucienDante Lazar– Ring the Iron Bell – Welcome (10 minutes)
Group Singing: Michaelmas Time Song (5 Minutes)
Angela Foster – 1. Social Sculpture: The Purifying Fire (10 minutes) (for those joining on zoom, supplies needed for decoupage: votive or prayer candle, tissue paper, images of Joan, magazines, glue)
2. Leading Thoughts, & ‘Personal Recollections of Joan of Arc – Preface’ (10 minutes)
Mary Spalding – ‘Courage Dear Hearts’ Biography of Jeanne d’Arc (10 minutes)
Copper Rod Eurythmy: (10 minutes)
Frank Agrama & Dottie Zold – A Michaelic Will: Joan of Arc, Sophie Scholl, Saint Odilie and Jesus of Nazareth. (20 minutes) ‘We are dealing here with a superhuman entity, a being who lived in the spiritual world and heard humanity crying out in misery, calling out to the spiritual worlds for help. This being prepared to receive the Christ Being.’ ‘Humanity cried out in pain and torment, and its cries rose up to that spirit being, who responded by seeking permission from the Sun Spirit to become imbued with Christ.’
Frank Agrama and Dottie Zold, of Elderberries and Have Seeds community, will look at the biographies of these individuals who developed the quality and capacity to work out of ‘a culture of selflessness’ in their community, and the impact this had on the world as young people becoming. We can understand these individuals’ path of sacrifice, as a reflection of the archetype of Jesus of Nazareth, during his growing and seeking years as spoken of in Rudolf Steiner’s Fifth Gospel.
‘Michael is a being of Strength, Courage and Will. He is Sun spirit. He wishes to be regarded.’
Group Singing: Firmly on the Earth I Stand (5 minutes)
Biography Work in Break out Groups – Sharing a story of courage from our lives: Each person takes 3 minutes to tell their tale. (15 minutes)
Harvest from the break out groups – Large Group Sharing (5-10 minutes)
‘The Passage’ by Lucian Dante Lazar (15 minutes)
Impressions, Q’s from the piece – Large Group Sharing (5-10 minutes)
The Mars / Saturn Square (10 minutes)
Everyone takes a turn Ringing the IRON, Rudolf Steiner’s ‘Verse for the Michaelic Age’ given at his ‘Last Address’ (5 minutes)
Group 1: Springing from Powers of the Sun, Radiant Spirit-powers, blessing all Worlds! For Michael’s garment of rays We are predestined by Thought Divine.
Group 2: Michael, the Christ-messenger, reveals in us Bearing humankind aloft — the sacred Will of Worlds. You, radiant Beings of Ether-Worlds, Bear the Christ-Word to human beings.
Group 1: Thus shall the Heralds of Christ appear To our thirstily waiting souls. Your Word of Light shines forth to us In the cosmic age of the Spirit-Human.
Group 2: We, disciples who would know the spirit, Follow Michael’s beckoning Wisdom, To take the Word of Love, Willed by Worlds, Into our highest aims of soul-work; actively!
12:30 pm – Goodbye – Thank you – Off to Zinniker Farm –
*From Petra Zinniker: Our fall preparation making will take place on September 26th at 1:30pm, here at the farm. We will be making 3 preparations this year: Horn manure, Chamomile and Dandelion preparations, and have a potluck dinner with a campfire afterwards.
*Please bring a dish to pass and a lawn chair for the potluck*
Please RSVP! Space is limited. Although this is an outdoor event we want to make sure everyone can find the space they need. Dress for the weather!
Tuesday, September 29 MICHAELMAS ‘Talisman for Courage’ Art Workshop with Victoria Martin 6:30 pm – 8:30 pm
MICHAELMAS ‘Talisman for Courage’ Art Workshop in person at the Rudolf Steiner Chicago Branch 4249 N. Lincoln Ave. Chicago. 6:30-8:30 PM Facilitated by Victoria Martin
6:30 (sunset) Doors open: orientation. Tea, nuts, and fruit are served
7 PM sharp Visual lecture and demonstration
7:15 PM –8:00 PM workshop – Pastels on flat canvas good for 100+ years (archival materials)
8:00– 8:30 PM discussion – We will learn all about symbols of The Michaelmas: Wings, Iron Meteorites/Stars, Scales of Judgment, Sword of Justice, and the Serpent/Dragon. There will be a wide selection of easy to render visual images in any/all of these 5 categories at each workstation. We will use a black charcoal pencil and the colors red, gold, and turquoise archival pastels on raw canvas size 11” x 11” this Talisman will be suitable for mounting on stretchers or framing (no glass needed).
Limited to 10 participants $15 tuition + $5 materials = $20 or pay what you will. Observers and guests are welcome at no charge, but please bring tree nuts, greens, fruit, or other paleo snacks.
We will discuss organizing some of the ALIANT Next Steps
Review ELIANT’s Charter, Vision, and Mission Statement –
Take up a biweekly study of Rudolf Steiner’s Speaker’s Lectures for the Threefold Commonwealth from 1921, found in Communicating Anthroposophy. (We place an order and coordinate shipping, if you are interested please message us, and if you would like support purchasing a book, let us know! ) –
Study our countries’ Constitution wherever we are living.
Join Zoom Meetinghttps://zoom.us/j/96695622019 Meeting ID: 966 9562 2019 One tap mobile +13462487799,,96695622019# US (Houston) +14086380968,,96695622019# US (San Jose)
Dial by your location +1 346 248 7799 US (Houston) +1 408 638 0968 US (San Jose) +1 669 900 6833 US (San Jose) +1 253 215 8782 US (Tacoma) +1 646 876 9923 US (New York) +1 301 715 8592 US (Germantown) +1 312 626 6799 US (Chicago) Meeting ID: 966 9562 2019 Find your local number: https://zoom.us/u/aeEGUaSyqT
