Category Archives: Festival

The St. John’s Imagination

June 24, 2021Celestial Event, Chicago Event, Festival, Rudolf Steiner Quote, Summer~hag

Blessings friends on the Feast Day of St. John the Baptist 2021. Last night in the Schreinerei at the Rudolf Steiner Branch in Chicago we gathered in community to break bread & celebrate the Festival of St. John’s. Thru song, a few leading thoughts, art, movement & the most precious of all: conversation, we explored the expansiveness of this season. Here are some of the indications we worked with from the Four Seasons and the Archangels, Lecture IV: The St. John Imagination by Rudolf Steiner

“The Sun-gold, formed in the heights, in the dominion of Uriel, during high summer, passes down to weave and flow through the depths of the Earth, where it animates the elements.

Then you will come to feel that all this is a kind of background for the cosmic, light-filled deeds of Uriel, and a clear impression of the countenance and gaze of Uriel will come before you.

We feel a deep longing to understand this remarkable gaze, directed downwards, and we have the impression that we must look around to find out what it signifies. Its meaning first dawns upon the mind when as human beings we learn to look with spiritual eyes still more deeply into the blue, silver-gleaming depths of the Earth in summer. And we see that weaving around these silver-gleaming crystalline rays are shapes — disturbing shapes, I might almost call them — which continually gather and dissolve, gather and dissolve again. Here the moral world-order does not exist only in ourselves as abstract impulses.

On the other hand, all that is in human virtue and human excellence rises up with the silver-gleaming lines and is seen as the clouds that envelop Uriel (red). It enters into the radiant Intelligence, transmuted into cloud-shaped works of art.

It is impossible to look towards the increasingly earnest gaze of Uriel, directed towards the depths of the Earth, without also seeing there something like wing-like arms, or arm-like wings, raised in earnest admonition, and this gesture by Uriel has the effect of imparting to mankind what I might call the historic conscience. Here at high summer appears the historic conscience, which at the present time has become uncommonly feeble. It appears, as it were, in Uriel’s warning gesture.

And now if we have gained the impression of the connection of human morality with the crystalline element below and of human virtues with the shining beauty above, and if we take these connections into our inward experience, the real St. John Imagination will come to meet us.

So to spiritual observation there appears, as a kind of culmination, this picture: Above, illuminated as it were by the power of Uriel’s eyes, the Dove (white). The silver-sparkling blue below, arising from the depths of the Earth and bound up with human weaknesses and error, is gathered into a picture of the Earth-Mother (blue). Whether she is called Demeter or Mary, the picture is of the Earth-Mother. So it is that in directing our gaze downwards, we cannot do otherwise than bring together in Imagination all those secrets of the depths which go to make up the material Mother of all existence; while in all that is concentrated in the flowing form above we feel and experience the Spirit-Father of everything around us. And now we behold the outcome of the working together of Spirit-Father with Earth-Mother, bearing so beautifully within itself the harmony of the earthly silver and the gold of the heights. Between the Father and the Mother we behold the Son (see Plate V). Thus arises this Imagination of the Trinity, which is really the St. John Imagination. The background of it is Uriel, the creative, admonishing Uriel.

All this, too, would have to sound forth in musical tones — tones which carry these motifs on their wings and make them part of human experience. Here it is that Imagination passes over into Inspiration.

The human being lives in a certain sense as an embodied Inspiration, as a being brought into existence by Inspiration, in the Mysteries of the heights and depths and in the Mysteries of their conjunction. He lives in the Mysteries to which the Spirit-Father points upward; the Mysteries to which the Spirit-Mother points downwards, the Mysteries which are united by the fact that the Christ, though the working together of the Spirit-Father and the Spirit-Mother, stands directly before the human soul as the sustaining Cosmic Spirit.

Here in these nine lines are the Mysteries of the Heights, the Mysteries of the Depths, and the Mysteries of the Midst, which are also those of the inner being of man. And then we have the whole gathered up as a cosmic statement of these Mysteries of the Heights, the Depths and the Midst, sounding out as though with organ and trumpet tones:

Es werden Stoffe verdichtet
Es werden Fehler gerichtet
Es werden Herzen gesichtet.

Here you have that which can permeate the human being at midsummer, supporting him, exalting him, confirming him — the St. John Imagination filled with Inspiration, the St. John Inspiration filled with Imagination — in these words:

Schaue unser Weben Das leuchtende Erregen Das warmende Leben	}	The Heights
Lebe irdisch Erhaltendes Und atmend Gestaltetes — Als wesenhaft Waltendes	}	The Depths
Fühle dein Menschengebeine Mit himmlischen Scheine Im waltenden Weltenvereine	}	The Midst The inner being of Man.
Es werden Stoffe verdichtet Es werden Fehler gerichtet Es werden Herzen gesichtet. Behold our weaving, The kindling radiance, The warming life. Live in the earth’s sustaining, And in the form-giving breathing, With the power of true being. Feel your very bones suffused With heavenly glory In the presiding yoga of the worlds. Substances are densified, Errors judged and rectified, Hearts are sifted”

Moon Musings: How the Full Moon in Sagittarius (June 17, 2019) Will Af – Love By Luna — ‘Love by Luna’

24 June 2021 “Speaking with the Stars”: Full Honey or Strawberry Moon occurs at 1:40 P.M. CDT today. Best seen rising in the southeast about half an hour after sunset. Tonight, the Moon floats near the lid of Sagittarius’ Teapot asterism.

St. John the Baptist and Uriel the Archangel of Summer –

An Experiential online Festival with Geoff Norris, Elizabeth Carlson, Lisa Dalton, Lucien Dante Lazar, Hazel Archer

Sunday 27 June 2021 on Zoom:
Noon – 1:30 pm PT / 1 – 2:30 pm MT / 2 pm – 3:30 pm CT / 3 – 4:30 pm ET /
8 – 9:30 pm London Time / 9 – 10:30 pm CET

Metanoia – Can you hear the voice of conscience? – Make straight the path, for at the fullness of Summer, the light is so bright that it leaves no room for the shadow, a time to remember what St. John said “Then you will know the truth, and the truth will set you free.”

Musicial Performance by Lucien Dante Lazar

Speech – Geoffrey Norris

Eurythmy- Elizabeth Carlson

Living into St. John’s-Tide – Lisa Dalton

Leading Thoughts – Hazel Archer

Hazel Archer is inviting you to a scheduled Zoom meeting.

Topic: St. John’s
Time: Jun 27, 2021 02:00 PM Central Time (US and Canada)

Join Zoom Meeting
https://zoom.us/j/7052931041?pwd=TkMwcGVVdk5GTVJmVzVJS2s5YVFtQT09

Meeting ID: 705 293 1041
Passcode: Uriel

Find your local number: https://zoom.us/u/a961qZZhF

For more info. contact Cultural Events & Festivals Coordinator Hazel Archer Hazel@reverseritual.com

Forerunner in Full

June 23, 2021Celestial Event, Festival~hag

Listen: ‘I Think Speech’ podcast

POD (Poem Of the Day)

The Spirits of Will flash code in the lightning
Love speaks
Truth in the deep rolling thunder
The Gnomes know it’s Midsummer
Fat Undines splash against the warm fecund earth
& steam up in a vital whiff
Of ozone wafting in the cool moist air
Filling my breath joining the purple sky
On my walk home
After the longest day…
~hag

Here we are on the eve of the Feast of St. John the Baptist, which stands today also on the Eve of the Full Honey Moon of June.

The Sun has entered the fixed stars of Gemini, the Twins; which puts the Earth in the opposite stars of the Archer; the constellation which is associated with the Winter Solstice. This is the vertical axis of the life of Sun & Earth.

The equinoxes of Spring & Autumn hold the horizontal axis, forming the great cross of nature, the seasonal life & symbol of Earth. Upon this cross we have the Christian festivals, with St. John’s & Christmas coinciding with this vertical axis, & Easter & Michaelmas along the horizontal axis.

When thinking about the the in-breath & out-breath-the living cycle of the soul of the Earth- we learn from Rudolf Steiner, that at Summer Solstice the Earth soul & spirit (which is now the Christ) are fully exhaled out to the periphery of the cosmos, to become intermingled with the grandeur of the highest cosmic mysteries, where the true forces of life exist among the stars. The soul of the Earth has been dreaming in the heights. The forces which live in the seeds have been held in these summer dreams of the Earth in union with the hierarchies, & it is this dreaming which is brought back into the Earth to become assessable during the sacred time of the Holy Nights.

The summertime union between the Sun & Earth is actually a re-union between the spiritual beings of the Sun & their human offspring. Through ‘the great window of heaven’ we experience this interaction which helps us develop an awareness of our ego. We can contemplate this dynamic & bring it to life in our soul most strongly at this time of year.

Rudolf Steiner tells us that in St. John’s-Tide The Trinity reveals itself out of the heart of this cosmic activity – We can experience this as a sounding – like the music of the spheres, which calls us to explore our own inner harmony with the cosmos – Will we answer the echo that unites us to the eternity of the Trinity?

Also important: Can we learn, to be still & small enough to hear the voice of conscience?

At the fullness of Summer, the light is so bright that it leaves no room for the shadow to hide. High Noon is the hour of judgment – a good time to remember what JC said “Then you shall know the truth, & the truth will set you free.”

This becomes true if we respond to the summertime call for a ‘Metanoia’- a review of life that asks us to engage in repentance, a call to ‘make straight the path’

For when our ‘little ego’ decreases, we grow in Christ. The true power of our higher “I” will increase like Christ increases in Earth existence. Just as John the Baptist, 1^st had to decrease – but then after the beheading, he was able to distillate his Spirit-Self to become the guardian angel of the apostles, especially Lazarus John, his name sake.

Johannes E – O – Ah – nes…Following this archetypal gesture we can see that John the Baptist has become one of the main impulse givers towards group work -guiding community life for us even today.

~hag

Rudolf Steiner’s Lectures on this day(RSarchives)

ON THIS DAY IN HISTORY (Rudolf Steiner’s original Calendar of the Soul, Anthrowiki, Wikipedia Commons, Alchetron, The Free Social Encyclopedia)

2006 – the Deathday of Rene Querido, General Secretary of the Anthroposophical Society in America, pupil of W.J.Stein, teacher, & writer, my favorite of his works: “The Golden Age of Chartres”: The Teachings of a Mystery School and the Eternal Feminine.

Find a collection of the many RECORDINGS of Presentations, Programs & Festivals HERE

‘Preparing the Way’ an experiential St. John’s-Tide Festival
23 June 2021, Doors open at 5:30 pm with a Potluck –
Program from 7 – 8:30 pm
In-person at the Rudolf Steiner Branch 4248 N. Lincoln Ave. Chicago, 60618

Singing – Elizabeth Kelly
Group discussion – Hazel Archer
Spatial Dynamics – Deborah Rogers
Art – Mary Spalding

For more info. contact Cultural Events & Festivals Coordinator Hazel Archer

St. John the Baptist and Uriel the Archangel of Summer –

An Experiential online Festival with Geoff Norris, Elizabeth Carlson, Lisa Dalton, Lucien Dante Lazar, Hazel Archer

Sunday 27 June 2021 on Zoom:
Noon – 1:30 pm PT / 1 – 2:30 pm MT / 2 pm – 3:30 pm CT / 3 – 4:30 pm ET /
8 – 9:30 pm London Time / 9 – 10:30 pm CET

Musicial Performance by Lucien Dante Lazar

Speech – Geoffrey Norris

Eurythmy- Elizabeth Carlson

Living into St. John’s-Tide – Lisa Dalton

Leading Thoughts – Hazel Archer

Hazel Archer is inviting you to a scheduled Zoom meeting.

Topic: St. John’s
Time: Jun 27, 2021 02:00 PM Central Time (US and Canada)

Join Zoom Meeting
https://zoom.us/j/7052931041?pwd=TkMwcGVVdk5GTVJmVzVJS2s5YVFtQT09

Meeting ID: 705 293 1041
Passcode: Uriel

Find your local number: https://zoom.us/u/a961qZZhF

For more info. contact Cultural Events & Festivals Coordinator Hazel Archer Hazel@reverseritual.com

The call of conscience

June 22, 2021Festival, Insight, Rudolf Steiner Quote, Speaking with the Stars, Summer~hag

(top art by Søren Dalsgaard)

“He Must Increase but I Must Decrease.” (John 3:30)

John the Baptist – born in the light of the Summer Sun, just after the Solstice, six months before Jesus, whose birth is celebrated just after the Winter Solstice.

Along with references to the light of the Sun, there are many lamp & fire symbols in the Old Testament that prepare the way for the Christ, in which this being appeared in ‘flames of fire’ & ‘clouds of glory’, such as the burning bush (Exodus 3), & the refiner’s fire (Malachi 3:2)

“Your word is a lamp to my feet and a light to my path”(Psalm 119:105)

Solomon compares prayer with a lamp, & teaching with light, (Proverbs 6:23) “like the shining of the sun, burns evermore, and leads to eternal rest.”

Rabbis were often called “Lamps of the Law,” & David was “The Lamp of Israel” (2 Samuel 21:17). Compare the remarkable parallel spoken of in the prototype of the Baptist: “Then stood up Elias the prophet, as fire, and his word was kindled like a lamp” (Ecclesiasticus 48:1). This speaks to the promised light which was to appear, & Elias as the torchbearer who kindles the lamb to light the bridegroom’s way.

“He was not the Light, but came to bear witness to the Light” (John 1:8). Here we see the distinction between the lamp (John the Baptist) & the Light (The Christ)

2 Peter 1:19 tells us: “We also have the message of the prophets, which has been confirmed beyond doubt. And you will do well to pay attention to this message, as to a lamp shining in a dark place, until the day dawns and the morning star rises in your hearts.”

John the Baptist, as the Forerunner of the Christ, is the flame signal of the Messiah, the last Old Testament form of the pillar of fire, or the candlestick in the temple. “He was the burning and shining lamp (λύχνος, not φῶς) and there was nothing you wanted more than to bask for a while in that light”. (John 5:35) Here we experience the Baptist as Christōsphoros, the harbinger of the Christ-Light (Φωσφόρος) – the “Light-Bearer”.

“John replies in the words of Isaiah the prophet, “I am the voice of one calling in the wilderness, ‘Make straight the way for the Lord.” (John 1:23)

“The eye is the lamp of the body. If your eyes are healthy, your whole body will be full of light.” (Matthew 6:22). We also find that, under the symbol of lamps of fire, the messengers of God, are repeatedly set forth (Matthew 5:14-16; Matthew 25:1-8; Revelation 1:20; Philippians 2:15).

Like the call of conscience from John the Baptist, the need arises to let the light of the higher ego shine into our being.

Let us seek to know the will forces that through our deeds become part of the earth’s being, & make straight the path to the New Jerusalem.

(See also these references: John 1:5, John 1:7, John 1:8, John 1:9; & compare John 3:19-21, John 8:12; John 9:5; John 12:46)

Until soon

Blessings and Peace ~hag

A blue chart, showing the boundaries of the constellation Gemini, as the sun enters Gemini. — EarthSky.org

22 June 2021 – “Speaking with the Stars:” – The June solstice arrived on June 21 at 10:32 CDT. At that moment, the Sun was in front of the constellation Taurus the Bull. About 1/2 day later – the Sun crossed the constellation bounary, moving out of Taurus into the constellation Gemini the Twins. So the solstice sun shines very close to the Taurus-Gemini border.

Three curved, dotted sun tracks across the sky from various heights above the horizon down to the horizon. Northernmost sunset is on June solstice.

Because of a motion of Earth called precession, the Sun is always moving West along the zodiac. There are 12 constellations of the zodiac. And the cycle lasts 26,000 years. So you might see that the sun will continue to shine in front of Taurus at the June solstice for many, many years. It won’t cross a constellation boundary again until the year 4609. That’s when the June solstice sun will finally move into the constellation Aries the Ram, the constellation to the immediate west of Taurus (which was where the Sun was at the Spring Equniox when Christ was on Earth) ~EarthSky.org

Klöster der Zisterzienser – Verlag Urachhaus

Rudolf Steiner’s Lectures on this day(RSarchives)

ON THIS DAY IN HISTORY (Rudolf Steiner’s original Calendar of the Soul, Anthrowiki, Wikipedia Commons, Alchetron, The Free Social Encyclopedia)

Feast of St. Thomas More, “a man for all seasons,” From Rudolf Steiner: Things in Past and Present in the Spirit of Man, Lecture VIII – THOMAS MORE’S “UTOPIA” …”Thomas More was really fortune’s favourite. He advanced from various state offices, became a member of Parliment, and finally High Chancellor for Henry VIII who had him executed because he would not agree to the Succession Act. This was a sin against the new institution of the English Church. Then the enlightened Lord Justices had to decide what sort of judgement should be meted out to Thomas More. The following is the decision which these enlightened justices reached as the price Thomas More had to pay for his so-called treason of not going along with Henry VIII. He was to be condemned and brought to the Tower by Sheriff William Pinkston and then put in a braided basket and dragged through the City of London to Tiburn. In Tiburn he was to be hanged only until he was half dead, then he was to be taken down form the scaffold and certain of his limbs would be cut off; his body torn open and the entrails burned. Then his body with the exception of the head would be divided into four portions and each would be placed on a pike and set at the four ends of the City of London. His head, however would be put on a high spear and placed on London Bridge in order to serve as a warning for people to go along with the King. This was the sort of judgement that these enlightened lords issued. This was not carried out, however, he was beheaded and the head was placed upon a spear on London Bridge.”

1527 Deathday of Niccolo Macchiavelli – “The Prince”

1633 – The Holy Office in Rome forces Galileo Galilei to recant his view that the Sun, not the Earth, is the center of the Universe.

1805 – Birthday of Giuseppe Mazzini, an Italian politician, journalist & activist for the unification of Italy spearheading the Italian revolutionary movement. Freemason – Grand Master of the Grand Orient of Italy. Rudolf Steiner speaks of him as a Hibernian initiate with Garibaldi & Cavour in Karmic Relationships: Esoteric Studies – Volume V

1839 – Cherokee leaders Major Ridge, John Ridge, & Elias Boudinot are assassinated for signing the Treaty of New Echota, which had resulted in the Trail of Tears

1892 – Birthday of Maria Darmstädter – a German religious scholar and Holocaust victim. Born to a prominent Jewish family from Mannheim, she was baptised in the Lutheran church as an adult and shortly after joined the newly established Christian Community in the early 1920s. She was one of the community’s first and most influential members, and contributed greatly to its liturgy. She was deported to Gurs internment camp by the Nazis in October 1940 and murdered in Auschwitz. Her letters from Nazi concentration camps were published in 1970. ~ Peter Selg, ‘From Gurs to Auschwitz: The Inner Journey of Maria Krehbiel-Darmstädter’, Great Barrington, 2013

1941 –Hitler invades the Russia in Operation Barbarossa

1942 – Pledge of Allegiance formally adopted by Congress

1969 – The Cuyahoga River catches fire in Cleveland, Ohio, drawing national attention to water pollution, & spurring the passing of the Clean Water Act & the creation of the Environmental Protection Agency

1978 – Charon, a satellite of the dwarf planet Pluto, is discovered by American astronomer James W. Christy

1990 – Checkpoint Charlie is dismantled in Berlin.

2002 – An earthquake measuring 6.5 Mw strikes northwestern Iran killing 261 people & injuring 1,300 others

2010 – Deathday of Ekkehard Meffert anthroposophist who studied geology, geography, philosophy (with a thesis on Cusa), Education, politics & history. Best known for his biography of Mathilde Scholl, one of the first esoteric students of Rudolf Steiner

Find a collection of the many RECORDINGS of Presentations, Programs & Festivals HERE

St. John the Baptist and Uriel the Archangel of Summer –

An Experiential online Festival with Geoff Norris, Elizabeth Carlson, Lisa Dalton, Lucien Dante Lazar, Hazel Archer

Sunday 27 June 2021 on Zoom:
Noon – 1:30 pm PT / 1 – 2:30 pm MT / 2 pm – 3:30 pm CT / 3 – 4:30 pm ET /
8 – 9:30 pm London Time / 9 – 10:30 pm CET

Musicial Performance by Lucien Dante Lazar

Speech – Geoffrey Norris

Eurythmy- Elizabeth Carlson

Living into St. John’s-Tide – Lisa Dalton

Leading Thoughts – Hazel Archer

Hazel Archer is inviting you to a scheduled Zoom meeting.

Topic: St. John’s
Time: Jun 27, 2021 02:00 PM Central Time (US and Canada)

Join Zoom Meeting
https://zoom.us/j/7052931041?pwd=TkMwcGVVdk5GTVJmVzVJS2s5YVFtQT09

Meeting ID: 705 293 1041
Passcode: Uriel

Find your local number: https://zoom.us/u/a961qZZhF

For more info. contact Cultural Events & Festivals Coordinator Hazel Archer Hazel@reverseritual.com

Thunder Stir

June 21, 2021Celestial Event, Festival~hag

CG the Solar King, Photo by Victoria Martin

Greetings friends as we stand with the still Sun after the Solstice. Last night at our celebration, next to the bonfire, while stirring the crystal essence of the 501 silica prep, we honored the power of our Daystar Sun, blessing the elemental beings living in all kingdoms, & called up the archetype of the ‘Good Father’ for Father’s Day. Folks went around speaking qualities, & we sent those energies into the stir.

We asked: What does it mean to be a ‘good’ human being? Specifically what it can mean to be ‘a good man’? – To celebrate the masculine part of ourselves in balance with the feminine qualities. How can a good man be a good father, a Shepard & role-model for an effective future?

Every culture has its own history of storytelling – of how the world came to be, which informs what the world will become. This is how social norms should be formed, not thru the distorted lens of the screen, or history written by the conquers. To tell the children stories of our past, we pass on our history. This must include a range of archetypes that live within the ‘good man’:

King – Warrior – Magician – Lover.

Qualities of the benevolent King: Inspire, Leadership, Strategic, Vision, Wisdom, Decisive, Lead, Judgement, Charismatic, Benevolence, Integrity, Influencer, Empowering, Risk Taker, Humility, Authority, Order and Structure, Blessing…I particularly love the idea of “blessing”. A King who gives a blessing bestows upon us the right to go forward & make the best most valuable use of our own talents. This does not inhibit anyone’s ability to freely create & work for the greater good. Additionally, this blessing is a recognition of the skills to get the job done. “Authority” must come from within.

The Protector/Warrior: Courageous, Strength, Discipline, Determined, Reliable, Focused, Tactics, Work Achievement, Endurance, Loyalty, Service… The best warriors are those who are courageous – rather than fearless; reliable & loyal rather than seeking to be leaders. The Warrior has total focus on implementing the required tactics to accomplish the strategy set by their leader King/Queen. Strength & endurance needs to be physical, mental & emotional. Their characteristic quality of service enhances their sense of duty in fulfilling the tasks set by their King/Queen.

Magician: Wisdom, Intuition, Perception, Insight, Knowledge, Mysticism, Power , Respected, Gifts, Mentor…The Magician can be a teacher bestowing knowledge, & understanding to better ‘know thyself’. This is empowering to others & brings out the ‘magic’ in them. In cultural myth, the Magician seeks knowledge not for its own sake, but so that they may better understand, serve & mentor. Many Magicians have a personal gift: music, art, speech, charisma, that they can use to widen their own abilities to enhance the lives of others rather than for personal gain.

The Lover: Genuine, Compassion, Affectionate, Caring, Empathy, Altruistic, Open, Honest, Trustworthy, Beauty, Vitality, Celebration, Merciful…The archetypal Lover shares powerful qualities that enhance & improve the lives of others. It is the energy & power for living that the Lover brings to the world. Their appreciation for the beauty they see around them is an inspiration to others. The earth, the sky, the passing breeze. The Lover takes the moments of beauty seen in the smile of a child, or an old lady, & makes sure that moment is not missed. Celebration is the quality of being able to stop, breathe, look around & see what joy there is, in life. The Lover knows how to comfort & sustain.

Everyone took turns creating the vortex & chaos of the prepstir. We were also blessed by some musicians, Fuji & Marshel who played 12 string guitar & mandolin; we even sang a few old Chicago blues songs. No one wanted to stop stirring even after the hour had come & gone. More folks arrived after dark who wanted to add their energy to the mix. When a few fat rain drops fell we kept up the fire & the stir continued. The air was heavy & the heavens were rumbling, as lightning flashed. The storm held off for another hour; & conveniently when everything was cleared away, & there were just a few of us by the fire, the clouds finally burst. What a thrill – It was one of those tremendous thunder & lightning – tornado watch – Summer storms – that the Heartland is famous for. Glorious.

Blessings on the Earth & all her kingdoms, & blessings on all who embody the Good Father!

~hag

St. John the Baptist and Uriel the Archangel of Summer –

An Experiential online Festival with Geoff Norris, Elizabeth Carlson, Lisa Dalton, Lucien Dante Lazar, Hazel Archer

Sunday 27 June 2021 on Zoom:
Noon – 1:30 pm PT / 1 – 2:30 pm MT / 2 pm – 3:30 pm CT / 3 – 4:30 pm ET /
8 – 9:30 pm London Time / 9 – 10:30 pm CET

Musicial Performance by Lucien Dante Lazar

Speech – Geoffrey Norris

Eurythmy- Elizabeth Carlson

Living into St. John’s-Tide – Lisa Dalton

Leading Thoughts – Hazel Archer

Hazel Archer is inviting you to a scheduled Zoom meeting.

Topic: St. John’s
Time: Jun 27, 2021 02:00 PM Central Time (US and Canada)

Join Zoom Meeting
https://zoom.us/j/7052931041?pwd=TkMwcGVVdk5GTVJmVzVJS2s5YVFtQT09

Meeting ID: 705 293 1041
Passcode: Uriel

Find your local number: https://zoom.us/u/a961qZZhF

For more info. contact Cultural Events & Festivals Coordinator Hazel Archer Hazel@reverseritual.com

Solstitium

June 20, 2021Celestial Event, Festival, History, Insight, Poetry, Speaking with the Stars, Summer~hag

Listen to the Summer on the ‘I Think Speech’ podcast

This is “Midsummer’s Night,”- we pass through the Summer Solstice at 10:32 pm Chicago time. In terms of daylight, this day is 6 hours, 6 minutes longer than on December Solstice. This is when the Sun is farthest North for the year (the Earth’s North Pole tilts directly towards the Sun) & now begins its 6 month return southward.

Summer Solstice comes at the precise moment when the Sun’s power is at its peak. ‘Solstice’ (Latin: ‘solstitium’) means ‘sun-stopping’. The point on the horizon where the sun appears to rise & set, stops & reverses direction after this day. On the solstice, the sun does not rise precisely in the East, but rises to the north of East & sets to the north of West, making it visible in the sky for a longer period of time.

It’s also the day when the midday Sun passes the closest to being straight overhead, so our shadow becomes the closest to us.

The term “Midsummer’s Night” is left over from when the seasons were commonly defined as beginning & ending around the cross-quarter days.

But as we all know, what goes up, must come down, & so after ‘standing still’ for 3 days, the Sun begins to wane…& the journey into the harvest season begins. After the expansive outbreath we must begin the conscious in-breath – this is the celebration of St. Johns- Tide.

But before we ‘decrease’, as John the Baptist did, we can recall that ‘Midsummer’ has always been an important Solar event throughout the evolution of humankind.

Even our dear Shakespeare knew that Midsummer’s eve is a magical time, when we can see beyond the sense world to communicate with the plant & faeiry spirits.

It is after all the time of the herb harvest, all plants gathered around this time, especially on this the shortest night are considered exceptionally potent for healing & ritual purposes.

This is traditionally the time when the herb St. John’ wort reaches its full potency & since it is a solar herb, it is used to bring the power of the Sun to people who suffer from depression

Sonnenwendfeuer – Summer Solstice Drawing by Mary Evans

The wise women of old would place St. John’s Wort & other healing herbs around the home for protection as they dried; They threw the stalks into the Midsummer bonfire, & when the coals had cooled down the ashes were mixed with water & sprinkled on the fields, the 4 corners of the home & the on the head & feet of the children.

Royal fern seeds gathered at midnight on the eve were said to make you invisible. Rub the blossoms on your eyelids to see the wee folk which will also make you wealthy & wise; but be sure & carry a bit of rue in your pocket or you might be ‘pixie-led’. Can’t find the rue, then turn your clothes inside out & follow the old ‘Ley-Lines’, which will keep you from getting lost in faeiry land.

Divination on matters of love are especially powerful on Midsummer’s Eve; young women around the globe place yarrow or other herbs & flowers native to their part of the world peaking at this time, under their pillows, to dream of their future mates.

The ancient Druids celebrated the Summer Solstice as the Wedding of Heaven & Earth. The Goddess manifests as Mother Earth & the God, as the Sun King.

This quarter day is also called St. John’s Eve by the church, celebrated on the fixed date of 24 June, for they knew that John the Baptist was born around the Summer Solstice, 6 months earlier than Jesus, who was born at Winter Solstice.

Famous Fairy paintings — Musings in Summer: Jenny Uglow

Plant Spirits, Faeiry Folk, thank you for sharing your gifts, continue to teach us how to live in harmony with the essence of your healing magic.

But remember dear sisters & brothers, that at the zenith of the Sun’s climb skyward, the brightest light casts the deepest shadow, so let us gather to bring the sacred Elements of Life into balance, as we celebrate the powers of Midsummer.

(Summer Solstice/Litha poem)
St. JOHN’S EVE in the tropic of cancer

WILD PAN THE BAPTIST
WITH WORT & RUE IN HIS POCKETS,
DREADED FORERUNNER
ANOINTING THE MISTLETOE
IN THE OAKGROVE…

HORNS OF LIGHT
DANCING IN FAERY RING CIRCLES…

TEST YOUR STRENGTH
IN THE CENTER OF THE STANDING STONES
ROLL THE BLAZING SUN WHEEL
& REKINDLE THE HOME FIRES
FROM THE BRAND OF MIDSUMMERS FLAME
LEAPING AS HIGH AS THE FLAX FIELDS…

THE GOD HAS GONE INTO THE GRAIN
THE SUN IS ON THE WATER
THE EDGE OF THE RIOTING ROSE
BEGINS TO MELT
Its SCENT IS HEAVY ON THE HEAT

STEALING THE BREATH
FROM THE HOT MOUTH OF GOD…

HER INFERRED RUBY STEAMS
THE MAGNETIC STAINS OF LIGHT
TO GUIDE THE SUMMER-TIDE SOUL
INTO THE LABYRINTH
WHERE THE OAK KING CRESTS
& GIVES WAY
TO THE DARK HOLLY TWIN…

THE HISSING SERPENT
A ROUND WRITHING EGG
CHRISTENS THE HONEY MOON WITH MEAD…

AWAKEN THE GATE
MEDITATE THE LAUREL GRAIL
& ST.JOHN’S SPEAR
UNDER CANOPUS SQUARED
A PACKSADDLE BEAM
CAPPING AN ARCH
AS ARGO SAILS THE DIPPER FLOCK
FROM THE TOP OF SEVERITY
TO THE MOUNT OF THE MANGER…

PIN A TALE ON THE DONKEY
PUT A FENCE AROUND THE GOAT…
~hag

Rudolf Steiner’s Lectures on this day (the Rudolf Steiner Archives)

ON THIS DAY IN HISTORY (Anthrowiki)

Was Pope Sylvester II a Sorcerer? | by Tim Gebhart | Exploring History | Apr, 2021 | Medium

935 – Birthday of Pope Sylvester , originally known as Gerbert of Aurillac. He was a prolific scholar & teacher. He endorsed & promoted study of Arab & Greco-Roman arithmetic, mathematics, & astronomy, reintroducing to Europe the abacus & armillary sphere, which had been lost to Latin (though not Byzantine) Europe since the end of the Greco-Roman era. He is said to be the first to introduce in Europe the decimal numeral system using Arabic numerals. He was the first French Pope.

According to the legend, Gerbert, while studying mathematics & astrology in the Muslim cities of Córdoba & Seville, was accused of having learned sorcery. Gerbert was supposed to be in possession of a book of spells stolen from an Arab philosopher in Spain. Gerbert fled, pursued by the victim, who could trace the thief by the stars, but Gerbert was aware of the pursuit, & hid hanging from a wooden bridge, where, suspended between heaven & earth, he was invisible to the magician.

Gerbert was supposed to have built a kind of robot head. This “Brazen” head would answer his questions with “yes” or “no”. He was also reputed to have had a pact with a female demon called Meridiana, who had appeared after he had been rejected by his earthly love, & with whose help he managed to ascend to the papal throne (another legend tells that he won the papacy playing dice with the Devil).

According to the legend, Meridiana (or the bronze head) told Gerbert that if he should ever read a mass in Jerusalem, the Devil would come for him. Gerbert then cancelled a pilgrimage to Jerusalem, but when he read mass in the church Santa Croce in Gerusalemme (“Holy Cross of Jerusalem”) in Rome, he became sick soon afterwards &, dying, he asked his cardinals to cut up his body & scatter it across the city. In another version, he was even attacked by the Devil while he was reading the Mass, & the Devil mutilated him & gave his gouged-out eyes to demons to play with in the Church. Repenting, Sylvester II then cut off his hand & his tongue.

The inscription on Gerbert’s tomb reads in part Iste locus Silvestris membra sepulti venturo Domino conferet ad sonitum (“This place will yield to the sound [of the last trumpet] the limbs of buried Sylvester II, at the advent of the Lord”, mis-read as “will make a sound”) & has given rise to the curious legend that his bones will rattle in that tomb just before the death of a Pope.

1819 –It is the first steam-propelled vessel to cross the Atlantic, The U.S. vessel SS Savannah arrives at Liverpool, United Kingdom.

1877 – Alexander Graham Bell installs the world’s first commercial telephone service in Hamilton, Ontario, Canada.

1887 – Victoria Terminus, the busiest railway station in India, opens in Bombay

1943 – The Detroit race riot breaks out and continues for three more days

1970 – Deathday of Herbert Hahn, an anthroposopher who joined the society in 1912. In 1919 he was called by Rudolf Steiner to teach at the first Waldorf School in Stuttart, becoming a Class Teacher between 1921 & 1927 & finally History & German language teacher in the high school. Steiner entrusted him with the task of giving “free religion lessons” (for those children who did not belong to any of the denominations) & within this context he held the first “Sunday Service” in 1920. From 1931 until 1939 he taught at the Vrije School in The Hague.

During WW II he was deployed as interpreter. In 1943 he married his teaching colleague Maria Uhland. After the war, he returned to the Stuttgart Waldorf School, re-founded after the Nazi period & served as its unofficial director until his retirement in 1961.

Of his numerous works as an author especially his recollections of Rudolf Steiner, & his main work, Vom Genius Europas, his outline of an anthroposophical cultural psychology, was ground breaking. He was also one of the founding members of the Esoteric Youth Circle.

Here is a quote about the circle by HH: “Among the many presentations Rudolf Steiner gave concerning our being in modern culture & the world civilization, one very earnest appeal rises up as special in my memory. Rudolf Steiner warned us not to build up our initiatives & activities, which are directed toward great goals, on forms that exist in the outer world & are created out of routine. He said that these forms had grown old & brittle; they cannot be saved from perishing. We must see that we achieve a new basis & ground upon which we can move, borne by the spirit.

This comment, like all of the others he made in connection with the foundation of the community, was brought into a very large perspective. The largest perspective that opened up may well have been, as he said in view of the future of the community: “When this is founded, then you can think of it as determined for a wide-reaching working. It could, for instance, be the case that, at a given time, none of the members of the community are living on Earth; in the ordinary sense, the community would count as having died out. Yet, it will not be wiped out. With the 1^st community members who reincarnate, the community returns to Earth.”

The final comment given, answers in a totally satisfying manner, a question that was often asked by those joining the community later. The question was whether the Esoteric Youth Group were not to be considered dissolved by the Christmas Conference.

Aside from the fact that Rudolf Steiner again confirmed & gave the call to the community thru a new, essential meeting during the Christmas Conference, what was said above removes any doubt. The indication of the carrying of the community impulse thru the incarnations speaks for itself. More precise is the idea that the founding of the Esoteric Youth Group community in October 1922, may be considered to be one of the preparatory steps for the Christmas Conference of 1923. And still more certain is that this community is given an inner obligation for the carrying thru of the great impulse of the Christmas Conference”. ~Herbert Hahn, Copenhagen-Charlottenlund August 12-14, 1963

RUDOLF STEINER’S CALENDAR OF THE SOUL
translated (with added titles) by Roy Sadler
SAINT JOHN’S TIDE
At the Altar of the Senses
v12
The world’s light-glancing beauty
compels my inmost soul to free
the god-enwoven forces of my life
in cosmic flight, forsake myself
and trusting, seek my higher self
in world-wide warmth and light.

St. John the Baptist and Uriel the Archangel of Summer –

An Experiential online Festival with Geoff Norris, Elizabeth Carlson, Lisa Dalton, Lucien Dante Lazar, Hazel Archer

Sunday 27 June 2021 on Zoom:
Noon – 1:30 pm PT / 1 – 2:30 pm MT / 2 pm – 3:30 pm CT / 3 – 4:30 pm ET /
8 – 9:30 pm London Time / 9 – 10:30 pm CET

Musicial Performance by Lucien Dante Lazar

Speech – Geoffrey Norris

Eurythmy- Elizabeth Carlson

Living into St. John’s-Tide – Lisa Dalton

Leading Thoughts – Hazel Archer

Hazel Archer is inviting you to a scheduled Zoom meeting.

Topic: St. John’s
Time: Jun 27, 2021 02:00 PM Central Time (US and Canada)

Join Zoom Meeting
https://zoom.us/j/7052931041?pwd=TkMwcGVVdk5GTVJmVzVJS2s5YVFtQT09

Meeting ID: 705 293 1041
Passcode: Uriel

Find your local number: https://zoom.us/u/a961qZZhF

For more info. contact Cultural Events & Festivals Coordinator Hazel Archer Hazel@reverseritual.com

Cognitive Ritual

~Confessions of a Modern Rosicrucian

Category Archives: Festival

The St. John’s Imagination

Forerunner in Full

The call of conscience

Thunder Stir

Solstitium

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