Category Archives: History

Feast of the Assumption

August 15, 2022Biography, Community, Festival, History, Insight~hag

August 15th is the Feast of the Assumption of The Blessed Virgin Mary. This mysterious event, which represents the 1st fruits of the Resurrection, comes during what the ancients called the season of Lammas or Loaf-mass, the Cross-Quarter between, the Summer Solstice (St. John’s) & the Fall Equinox (Michaelmas). This is the time when John Barleycorn is cut & ground to make our bread; it is a time of sacrifice, of death, in service to life; a time when we leave the sleepiness of summer, to begin the conscious work of harvest.

Also at this cross quarter time we experience the Perseid meteor showers – our wake-up call – so we can activate & forge the iron in our blood for the battle that takes place at Michaelmas.

It came to me clearly that Michaelmas is a reversed Easter festival. Easter reveals 1st: the mystery of death, (conscious sacrifice) -then resurrection, (transformation). Michaelmas, a festival of the future-now, gives us 1st: a resurrection of our soul forces, thru the awakening of our heart-thinking – then a conscious death, the courage to make a mindful sacrifice; to give up nature consciousness to achieve self-consciousness & ultimately to sacrifice the self – “Not me, but Christ in me” to gain spirit consciousness.

And the Feast of the Assumption is a symbol of this sacrifice, a conscious death; the transformation that makes it possible to go into the spiritual world awake. – The life & death of the 3 Mary’s show us a way to live a life that prepares us for a worthy death, which is a revolution, like the sacrifice the caterpillar makes to become a butterfly. A conscious death in the physical world is a Resurrection into the Spiritual World.

So today, on this Feast of the Assumption of Mary, we have an opportunity to remember that thru our work with Anthroposophy, individually & in community, we too can re-emerge like the butterfly, enlivened by the Sun, fortified by cosmic iron from the stars, ready to work with Michael & the being of Anthroposophia, in full wakefulness.
~hag

15 August 2022 –“Speaking with the Stars:

Rudolf Steiner’s Lectures on this day

Dear friends – I am just now returning from an intensive week training for the Association of Anthroposophical Psychology (AAP) – rolling right over to the ‘New Mysteries’ conference in Spring Valley. I hope after a bit of digesting I can share some insights gained…

Here is one thing that arose for me around the New Mysteries, that was not touched upon at the conference, but which is of extreme significance to my understanding, especially in light of this feast day:

What was given to those who were in the Super-sensible Michael School came into the world as Anthroposophy. To the statement about the origin of the Cognitive-Ritual, around the New Mysteries, given later as part of the ‘Comic Cultus’, Rudolf Steiner wrote in a letter from August 15th, 1906:

“This ritual can be nothing else than a mirror image of what is a fact on the higher plane. At the end of the 18th & beginning of the 19th Century there hovers in the immediate neighborhood of the physical world of sense, a great super-sensible event, consisting of super-sensible acts of ritual, an unfolding of mighty pictures of the spiritual life of beings of the universe, the beings of the hierarchies, in connection with the great ether-workings of the universe, & the human workings upon Earth. It is interesting to see how at this most favorable moment a little miniature picture of this super-sensible ritual & action flowed into Goethe’s spirit. Transformed & changed in miniature we have this picture set down by Goethe in his fairy story of the Green Snake & the beautiful Lily…”

One of the themes central to this tale is that of the Temple – with its Three Kings: the representations of Wisdom, Beauty, & Strength. This is also characterized by Rudolf Steiner as a path of initiation: The power of perception of the Golden King coming from the Imaginative faculty giving us Wisdom; that of the Silver King, an inspiration from the equanimity of feelings; & that of the Bronze King, which we are still learning to strengthen, building us up to Intuition springing from the Will.

The Three altars, in the the Fairy Tale, are also in Steiner’s Cognitive-Ritual, & artisticly shown in the Temple scenes of the Mystery dramas.

Also from the letter of August 15, 1906, Steiner further states, that the ritual appropriate for our time, was prefigured by esotericists & in particular the initiate Melchizedek, stating over 2,300 years ago, & then taken up by “The Rosicrucians who said: “Shape the world in such a way that it contains, Wisdom, Beauty, & Strength, then will Wisdom , Beauty & Strength, be mirrored in us. If you have used your time to this end, then you will depart from this life taking with you the mirror-image of Wisdom, Beauty, & Strength. Wisdom is the image of Manas; Beauty, piety, goodness, the image of Buddhi; Strength is the image of Atman…It is not through idle contemplation that the human being progresses on Earth, but by incorporating Wisdom, Beauty & Strength into the Earth”.

From Marie Steiner in reference to Steiner’s autobiography The Story of My Life, she writes: “When Rudolf Steiner first made his public appearance with the intention of removing the veil of esotericism, he took Goethe’s Fairy Tale as his starting point, & spoke about the altars of Wisdom, Beauty, & Strength. He placed them in the Temple of his Mystery Dramas & spoke to us in greater depth about their significance. And again he placed them into our Esoteric School (specifically in the Cognitive-Reverse Ritual of the Misraim Service) & let us approach again & again the various aspects of Thinking, Feeling & Willing, which are an expression of these altars”.

A start had been made in fulfilling the central demand of Goethe’s Fairy Tale: to bring the Mysteries – ie. the Temple – out of occult obscurity into the full light of day, to the attention of the public.

Rudolf Steiner: “What is Anthroposophy in its reality? My dear friends, if you comprehend all the wonderful, majestic imaginations which are present as a Super-sensible Reverse Ritual & translate them into human concepts, that is Anthroposophy” ~Dornach, July 8, 1924, Karmic Relationships Vol. 3.

In this sense Goethe’s fairy Tale, developed further in the Cognitive-Ritual, with its Three altars, was the sign & seal of Rudolf Steiner’s activity, brought out of the depths of the Temple, since the time when the Mysteries 1st existed, & handed over to humankind as the New Mysteries.

ON THIS DAY IN HISTORY

Himmelfahrt Mariae Feast Day of the Assumption of Mary, is the day the mother of Jesus Christ, ‘died’. Her body was not subjected to the usual process of physical decay but was “assumed” into heaven & reunited there with her soul. This holiday, which has been celebrated since the fourth century CE, is a Christian version of an earlier harvest festival &, in many parts of Europe, is known as the Feast of Our Lady of the Harvest.

For centuries celebrations were held on this date in the honor of the goddess Isis of the Sea, who was born on this day according to mythology. With the coming of Christianity church leaders decided that the easiest way to handle this pagan ritual was to simply change it into a Christian holiday, hence the introduction of Assumption Day came forth.

In Italy remnants of the ancient celebration include night time bonfires & public illuminations, symbolic of the Sun. The idea of prosperity is also evident in the throwing of coins from windows down to the street in some cultures. Symbolic images of the Virgin Mary & her assumption into heaven are paraded throughout the day. Blue is the color most often associated with the Virgin Mary. It symbolizes truth & clarity, & it is the color of the sky, which symbolizes heaven. The lily, which is a symbol of purity, chastity, & simplicity, is also associated with the Virgin Mary.

1248 – In honor of the Feast of the Assumption of Mary, The foundation stone of Cologne Cathedral, built to house the relics of the Three Wise Men, is laid

1281 –The Mongolian fleet of Kublai Khan is destroyed by a “divine wind” for the second time in the Battle of Kōan in Japan

1309 – The city of Rhodes surrenders to the forces of the Knights of St. John, completing their conquest of Rhodes. The knights establish their headquarters on the island & rename themselves the Knights of Rhodes

1534 – Jesuit Order Founded

1549 – Jesuit priest Francis Xavier comes ashore at Kagoshima, Japan
Rudolf Steiner describes him as having forgot his true destiny by failing to recognize Kasper Hauser

Rudolf Steiner describes him as having forgot his true destiny by failing to recognize Kasper Hauser

1769 – Birthday of Napoléon Bonaparte

1812 –The Battle of Fort Dearborn is fought between United States troops & Potawatomi at what is now Chicago

1843 – Tivoli Gardens, one of the oldest still intact amusement parks in the world, opens in Copenhagen, Denmark (Tivoli inspired Walt Disney to create Disneyland)

1910 – Very 1st performance of Rudolf Steiner’s 1st Mystery Drama “The Portal of Initiation” opens in Munich

1914 – Julian Carlton, A servant of architect Frank Lloyd Wright murders seven people & sets fire to the living quarters of Wright’s Wisconsin home, Taliesin

1914 – The Panama Canal opens to traffic with the transit of the cargo ship SS Ancon

1915 – A story in New York World newspaper reveals that the Imperial German government had purchased excess phenol from Thomas Edison that could be used to make explosives for the war effort & diverted it to Bayer for aspirin production

1917 – Deathday of Hermann Joachim, Anthroposopher & Freemason. Rudolf Steiner did his funeral address see GA 261

1935 – Will Rogers & Wiley Post are killed after their aircraft develops engine problems during takeoff in Barrow, Alaska

1939 – The Wizard of Oz premieres at Grauman’s Chinese Theater in LA

1941 – Corporal Josef Jakobs is executed by firing squad at the Tower at 7:12 am making him the last person to be executed at the Tower of London for espionage

1945 – Surrender of Japan in World War II, Korea gains Independence from Japan. The Allies proclaimed V-J Day a day after

1947 – India gains Independence from British rule after near 190 years of Crown rule & joins the Commonwealth of Nations

1948 – The Republic of Korea is established south of the 38th parallel north

1965 – The Beatles play to nearly 60,000 fans at Shea Stadium in New York City, an event later regarded as the birth of stadium rock

1969 – The Woodstock Music & Art Fair opens in upstate New York, featuring some of the top rock musicians of the era

1971 – President Richard Nixon completes the break from the gold standard by ending convertibility of the United States dollar into gold by foreign investors. Nixon also announced a 90-day freeze on wages, rents & prices

2001 – Astronomers announced the discovery of the first solar system outside our own. They had discovered two planets orbiting a star in the Big Dipper

2013 – The Smithsonian announces the discovery of the olinguito, the first new carnivoran species found in the Americas in 35 years

2015 – North Korea moves its clock back half an hour to introduce Pyongyang Time, 8½ hours ahead of UTC

My POD (Poem Of the Day)
~note to self:
the gods care not if i rage & rend my breast
She hears not merely words, but thought renderings
She speaks not only to the inner ear but to the truth vibrating everywhere…
i will be silent then
& let Her speak to the god within my true heart…
i will to be quieter still
to let Wisdoms Will speak thru me…
~HAG

Turning Wheel

August 1, 2022Biography, Community, Festival, History, Poetry, Rudolf Steiner Quote, Summer, Upcoming Events~hag

“Bringing in the Sheaves” – Sowing in the morning, sowing seeds of kindness, sowing in the noontide and the dewy eve: Now begins the harvest and the time of reaping, we shall come rejoicing bringing in the sheaves. Bringing in the sheaves, bringing in the sheaves, we shall come rejoicing bringing in the sheaves. Bringing in the sheaves, bringing in the sheaves, we shall come rejoicing bringing in the sheaves…”

Preparing for the 2^nd Harvest: Lammas Day – We will explore this ancient, yet ever renewable Cross-Quarter holiday.

The Harvest fest of Lammas or Lughnasadh begins today until August 7th when we hit the astrological Crossquarter between Summer Solstice & Fall Equinox.

It is also the Feast Day of Joseph of Arimathea – According to all four Gospels, the man who assumed responsibility for the burial of Jesus after the crucifixion. A number of stories that developed during the Middle Ages connect him with both Glastonbury, where he is supposed to have founded the earliest Christian oratory, & also with the Grail legend.

“One must penetrate to an understanding of the Mystery of the Bread, which is said to have been broken by Christ Jesus in the same chalice in which Joseph of Arimathea caught His blood. As legend tells it, this chalice was then removed to Europe, but was preserved by angels in a region high above the surface of the earth until the arrival of Titurel who created for this Grail, this sacred chalice, a temple on Mont Salvat” ~Rudolf Steiner, Dornach, April 16, 1921

The Wheel turns from St. John’s Tide with its message of the inner Christ Sun and the mirroring of the Holy nights, to the Sun in the heart of the lion (or at least it’s where Regulus, the heart of the lion, was a couple of thousand years ago!) Lammas, or Loaf mas, a cross quarter festival traditionally celebrated at the beginning of August, marks the point when we leave the Garden, and earn our own way, “by the sweat of our brow”.

The harvest of grain, and the baking of bread, represents the first child of the cosmic union of Sun and Earth. It symbolizes the essence of humanity, born from this union, for the loaf is more than a gift of nature, it is made by the combined forces of nature with the will forces of human activity.

The harvest season is a time of judgment. We are called upon to sift through the things that have grown up during the past half-year, and decide what we will keep and what we will cut away. We must make choices, and act on them. The cycle of life turns past the peak of growth, into the time of release.

In astrology, the moon, five eighths past the new moon, is called the “disseminating moon”. During this phase, what has built up in the waxing cycle begins to be released into the environment. We start to see the results of our work. At Lammas, the sun is five-eighths of the way around the Wheel from Winter Solstice. Growth has reached its peak, and the life of the Sun God has begun to bleed off into the fruit and grain.

The King is Dead Long Live the King – for now is also the time of sacrifice, of death in service of life. Some of the first fruits are ready for harvest, but some, too unripe to be eaten, must be plucked anyway. These are culls, removed so they won’t drain the life force from the good fruit. If everything was left on the tree, the life force would be diluted, or worse, the bad fruit could weigh down a branch until it breaks, destroying the entire crop, or sometimes killing the tree. The culls are taken so the rest of the fruit, and those who depend on the crop for survival, might live.

John Barleycorn must die… ‘Cut in half and buried, then beaten with sticks, and finally crushed between stones’… as the song goes, nevertheless rises once again. Bread is the perfect sacrifice for “Loaf Mass” or Lughnassadh as the Celtics called it, for they knew that this festival is more than just the first fruits of the earth — it also involves the first fruits of human labor. Grain is processed by human craft, and joined with the four elements to make the staff of life.

Dear friends, in my ever striving to craft my humanness, I have decided to take the Association for Anthroposophical Psychology (AAP) Training. And from there I will drive the 2 hours to Spring Valley to be part of the ‘Renewing the Mysteries Conference’. I will be offline until Aug. 16, 2022.

In gratitude ~Hazel Archer Ginsberg

1 August 2022 – “Speaking with the Stars”

CORN RIGS & WHEELS, a poem for Lammas – Aug. 1st

Cicadas trance
In theta waves of sound
The sickles reap in boarder-time
Opening the gate to the West

Dragons fly
Into the mouth
Of the Hollowman
His eyes ablaze
As he glimpses Her waiting womb
All ripe & hot – Her phoenix tomb
A fierce alchemical furnace.

Baked in the lion fire
Of tetramorph Angels
John Barleycorn must die.

Grind the grain
To make the bread & beer

Molded chrysokolla
The kneaded Wickerman
Fulfills the sacrifice
& sits upon Her altar
Next to braided corn dollies
& moist cake.

At the top of the hill
The Sun covered with pitch & tar
& tied to the wheel of Catherine
Is set aflame
The blazing disk rolls in immolation
To its decline

Burn the old straw effigy
At the funeral games to bless the 1st grain

Watch Sothis rise
Morning 1st scorcher
Celestial Jackal
Herald of the New Year
Flood the fields
With your scintillating serum

Where we meet again
& once again
In a year & day
To behead the Loaf
& eat…

~hag

What is this day?
It is the day of Lammas.
What is the meaning of this day?
It is the mystery of the corn
What is the mystery of the corn?
That which is cut down will rise again.
Who will rise again?
We will rise again.
Who will rise again?
We will rise again.
Who will rise again?
We will rise again.

So bake a loaf of bread on Lammas. If you’ve never made bread before, this is a good time to start. Honor the source of the flour as you work with it: remember it was once a plant growing on mother Earth. If you have a garden, add something you’ve harvested–herbs or onion or veggies. If you don’t feel up to making wheat bread, make corn bread, or gingerbread people, or popcorn. What’s most important is intention. All that is necessary to enter sacred time is an awareness of the meaning of your actions.

Saying Grace with you ~hag

Rudolf Steiner’s Lectures on this day

ASSOCIATION for ANTHROPOSOPHIC PSYCHOLOGY:

OPEN: Enrollment for 2022 Program

LINK: 3-Year Certificate Program 2022-2025

AVAILABLE: Continuing Education Units (CEUs) Available

JOIN US

EXPLORE the interpenetrating mysteries of Body, Soul & Spirit
DISCOVER the illusive secrets of your own Psyche
ILLUMINATE the journey from lower self to Higher Self

Music Workshop Introducing: New Impulses in Music

When: August 5 & 6 – 2022

Friday night @ 6:30 – 9:00***** and *****Saturday @ 9:30 -12:00 and @ 2:00 – 4:30

Where: New Vision Church: https://newvisionbic.org/aboutus/N14W27995

On Silvernail Rd. Pewaukee (just south of I-94 / at the SS EXIT)

About our instructor: Veronika Roemer

In her own words she says “Music speaks to our souls, and through its three basic elements of melody, harmony, and rhythm, it speaks directly to our three soul forces of thinking, feeling, and willing. When making music, we are always encountering all three of these forces in an interweaving, harmonious process. Music is nourishment for our souls.” In this workshop she will be introducing participants to these instruments and illustrating the following characteristics that make them essential “for our time”. In short, she will show how

the “sound quality brings healing to the inner ear” and helps the listener reconnect to their inner musician.
the “technical ease of the instruments” makes them accessible to everyone.
the “movements in space make musical realities visible, like the movement from tone to tone, or of one chord to the next.”
the “group processes reconnect people. Because connections are built through music and not talking, the social aspects of the group processes are more subtle offering an extra bonus to the musical work”. Finally, music lifts the mood and allows people to laugh and enjoy themselves and others.

Veronika has extensive training and experience. Her initial training was gained at the Musikakademie in Basel and Musikhochschule in Zurich Switzerland inclusive of orchestral and string quartet performance in Europe followed by a student Foundation year at Emerson College and five additional years teaching and instructing for them as faculty. She also has multiple years of study and instruction at the Dorian School of Music Therapy. From 1998-2013 she was a resident and co-worker at Camphill Village Kimberton Hills developing a music program for adults with developmental disabilities continuing as an instructor for the group through 2021 as well as instructing for the Camphill Academy at Beaver Run and at the Kimberton Waldorf School. Currently she is a founding faculty member for the SunGate Educational Community and active member of the Lyre Association of North America. Wherever she goes she is happiest to be making music with people.

Veronika is returning to visit us in Wisconsin where she lived (in Wales) from 1990-1998 and had a connection to the Prairie Hill Waldorf School. At that time she began her family of five children and was the founding mother of the Rafael Foundation for New Impulses in Music and a local lyre group.

In each workshop session we will sing, play various instruments such as bordun lyres, wood, and metal instruments, do rhythm games and more.

We are delighted to have Veronika return to present these workshops and hope that you can attend. Come for one or come for all!

For more information or to RSVP contact: Gail Sauter- Rafael Foundation for New Impulses in Music 262-391-8939 or sauterg96@gmail.com

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
Hazel Archer-Ginsberg will be offering a program on Tuesday 9 August for the Free Initiative 2:30 -3:30 pm ET – ‘From The Jealousy of the Gods & Man to Artemis & the New Isis’

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

Ernst Lehrs

July 30, 2022Biography, History, Quote, Upcoming Events, video recording~hag

TODAY 30 July in 1894- Birthday of Ernst Lehrs a German anthroposophist, science teacher in the 1^st Waldorf School in Stuttgart, lecturer & writer. Having fought in World War I, he then studied science & graduated with a PhD in 1923. In 1935 he moved to The Netherlands, where he worked as a teacher, before moving to Britain as a Jewish refugee from the Nazis. In 1952 he returned to Germany & worked as a lecturer at the newly established course in anthroposophic special education in Eckwälden, where he remained until his death.

In his important work “Man and Matter”, Ernst Lehrs talks about how today’s researcher is an uninvolved spectator, he reveals not only how science has led inescapably to the illusions it believes in today, but more important how we may correct in ourselves the misconceptions science brings into our views through today’s education, giving us a spiritual understanding of nature based on the work of Goethe; which requires an activation of the cognitive consciousness, leading the true researcher back to themselves.

Ernst Lehrs was a personal pupil of Dr. Rudolf Steiner, one of the 12 founding members of the Esoteric Youth Circle, which celebrates its 100 year anniversary on 16 October 2022.

Written by Ernst Lehrs a few days after the burning of the 1^st Goetheanum: “His (Rudolf Steiner’s) open criticism in various directions concerning the Society & the various activities within it in the weeks leading up to the fateful Christmas-New Year’s time, made one clear about the fact that it was due to the failure on the part of the Society that the necessary spiritual protection was missing from the building. Yet, it was out of an experience of this failure that the impulse for the Youth Course arose, as well as what led to the coming about of our specific endeavor. Thus the idea arose among us that we should ask Rudolf Steiner if, & how we could contribute to the Anthroposophical Society ‘consolidating’ itself again – as one of us put it. With this in mind, we asked to be allowed to speak with him. In the Glass House, on January 3, 1923, we asked about our helping toward consolidation of the Society, Rudolf Steiner answered in a calm tone with emphatic earnestness; “Just keep yourselves consolidated, & the Society will be consolidated.” Then he gave the advice that we should sit together on a regular basis & in symposium-like conversations, reflect again & again upon the foundational impulse of our group.”

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.

Each session is 90 minutes

Contribution: Free! All donations are gratefully accepted to support the work of the regional councils.

Click here to register!

Here is the Recording of SESSION 1: From Artemis to the Representative of Humanity and Beyond

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

30 July 2022 – “Speaking with the Stars”: Peak of the The Delta Aquariids meteor showers.

Rudolf Steiner’s Lectures on this day

“We understand only the very smallest part of human history and of our own life if we consider it in its external aspect, I mean in that aspect which we see from the limited view-point of our earthly life between birth and death. It is impossible to comprehend the inner motives of history and life unless we turn our gaze to that spiritual background which underlies the outer, physical happenings“. ~Rudolf Steiner, Karmic Relationships, Volume IV: Lecture III

ON THIS DAY IN HISTORY

762 – Baghdad is founded

1626 – An earthquake in Naples, Italy, kills about 10,000 people

1733 – The first Masonic Grand Lodge in the future United States is constituted in Massachusetts

1965 – U.S. President Lyndon B. Johnson signs the Social Security Act of 1965 into law, establishing Medicare & Medicaid

1975 – Jimmy Hoffa disappears from the parking lot of the Machus Red Fox restaurant in Bloomfield Hills, Michigan, a suburb of Detroit, at about 2:30 p.m. He is never seen or heard from again

1818 – Birthday of Emily Brontë

1863 – Birthday of Henry Ford

1898 – Deathday of Otto von Bismarck, 1st Chancellor of Germany

I will be offline starting next week:

ASSOCIATION for ANTHROPOSOPHIC PSYCHOLOGY:

OPEN: Enrollment for 2022 Program

LINK: 3-Year Certificate Program 2022-2025

AVAILABLE: Continuing Education Units (CEUs) Available

JOIN US

EXPLORE the interpenetrating mysteries of Body, Soul & Spirit
DISCOVER the illusive secrets of your own Psyche
ILLUMINATE the journey from lower self to Higher Self

Music Workshop Introducing: New Impulses in Music

When: August 5 & 6 – 2022

Friday night @ 6:30 – 9:00***** and *****Saturday @ 9:30 -12:00 and @ 2:00 – 4:30

Where: New Vision Church: https://newvisionbic.org/aboutus/N14W27995

On Silvernail Rd. Pewaukee (just south of I-94 / at the SS EXIT)

About our instructor: Veronika Roemer

the “sound quality brings healing to the inner ear” and helps the listener reconnect to their inner musician.
the “technical ease of the instruments” makes them accessible to everyone.
the “movements in space make musical realities visible, like the movement from tone to tone, or of one chord to the next.”
the “group processes reconnect people. Because connections are built through music and not talking, the social aspects of the group processes are more subtle offering an extra bonus to the musical work”. Finally, music lifts the mood and allows people to laugh and enjoy themselves and others.

In each workshop session we will sing, play various instruments such as bordun lyres, wood, and metal instruments, do rhythm games and more.

We are delighted to have Veronika return to present these workshops and hope that you can attend. Come for one or come for all!

For more information or to RSVP contact: Gail Sauter- Rafael Foundation for New Impulses in Music 262-391-8939 or sauterg96@gmail.com

Mother House Grail Quest

July 20, 2022Biography, Celestial Event, Central Regional Council, Community, History~hag

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.

Click here to register!

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.

Click here to register today!

*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

Spirit is a Song

July 11, 2022Biography, Central Regional Council, History, Poetry~hag

What is Spirit?

Spirit is a song…animating the center we all share…
Everywhere & nowhere, here & there
Spirit is a song…Find your center & sing along
Everywhere & nowhere, here & there
Spirit is a song…you sing your whole life long
Everywhere & nowhere, here & there
Spirit is your eternal song…One in time, Beyond time, for All time
Everywhere & nowhere, here & there
Sing your spirit song…Stir the life-force & you can’t go wrong
Everywhere & nowhere, here & there

With the 4 we’ve squared the circle…But to be the 5-pointed star you must add spirit
Everywhere & nowhere, here & there

What does spirit look like to you?
Where do you feel your connection to Spirit?
Open your center & find your line to source

Sing your own divine love song…& call it spirit by all Her many names
Sing your own divine love song…& call it spirit by all His many names
Sing your own divine love song…& call it spirit by all your many names
Everywhere & nowhere, here & there

We are all the container for spirit
If it has tools beyond our own bodies, minds & souls, they are circles, knot-workings, pentacles & all manner of interwoven connections to the love force…energy…pure…
Everywhere & nowhere, here & there

What song does spirit sing to you?…What song does spirit sing through you…?
What song will you sing to spirit?
Everywhere & nowhere, here & there

By Spirit is Peace & love attained, & through spirit both are shared
Everywhere & nowhere, here & there
O the mystery of Spirit…The Divine All
The Fifth Element,
The above & the below
Creator of the dark & the light
Open us to your wisdom
Embrace us, surround us
Move within, dance out
Teach us, change us, transform us !

Spirit is a song
& in Spirit we all belong

Welcome Spirit…Blessed Bee…

~hag

11 July 2022– “Speaking with the Stars”: Jupiter is a bright point of light in Cetus the Whale this morning, east of the Circlet of Pisces.

Sunrise: 5:41 A.M.
Sunset: 8:30 P.M.
Moonrise: 6:53 P.M.
Moonset: 3:04 A.M.
Moon Phase: Waxing gibbous (94%)

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)

The feast day of Nertha, ancient Germanic Goddess of the Earth

1767 – Birthday of John Quincy Adams, 6th President of the United States. He began his diplomatic career as the U.S. minister to the Netherlands in 1794, and served as minister to Prussia during the presidential administration of his father, the formidable patriot John Adams. After serving in the Massachusetts State Senate and the U.S. Senate, the younger Adams rejoined diplomatic service under President James Madison, helping to negotiate the Treaty of Ghent (1814), which ended the War of 1812. As secretary of state under James Monroe, Adams played a key role in determining the president’s foreign policy, including the famous Monroe Doctrine. John Quincy Adams went on to win the presidency in a highly contentious election in 1824, and served only one term. Outspoken in his opposition to slavery and in support of freedom of speech, Adams was elected to the House of Representatives in 1830; he would serve until his death in 1848. ~history.com

1864 – Birthday of Peter Deunov, Bulgarian spiritual master and teacher of esoteric Christianity in the early 20th century, is also known for his inspired musical compositions and as the inventor of the Paneurhythmy, a sacred dance of the Universal White Brotherhood. Beinsa Duono is his Bulgarian spiritual name.

In the Summer-tide dream –
Beauty dancing in the thunder Clouds
Meets Love where He waits.
~hag

Roots and Renewal – An online series hosted by the Regional Councils of the Anthroposophical Society in America

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.

Click here to register!

SESSION 1: From Artemis to the Representative of Humanity and Beyond

July 21, 2022 at 3pm PT/ 4pm MT/ 5pm CT/ 6pm ET

We will be working with a compilation of Rudolf Steiner’s insights from these lectures:

Click here to register today!

*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

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

Cognitive Ritual

~Confessions of a Modern Rosicrucian

Category Archives: History

Feast of the Assumption

Turning Wheel

Ernst Lehrs

Mother House Grail Quest

Spirit is a Song

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