Category Archives: Lecture

Towards the Heights

Celestial Event, Festival, Insight, Lecture, Quote, The Bridging Project: Life & Death

May 1st 2016 – Orthodox Easter

Good Friday Arid RosenArid Rosenkratz

880 – The Nea Ekklesia is inaugurated in Constantinople, setting the model for all later cross-in-square Orthodox churches.

1707 – The Act of Union joins the Kingdom of England and Kingdom of Scotland to form the Kingdom of Great Britain.

1785 – Kamehameha I, the king of Hawaiʻi, defeats Kalanikūpule and establishes the Kingdom of Hawaiʻi.

786 – In Vienna, Austria, Mozart’s opera The Marriage of Figaro is performed for the first time

1851 – Queen Victoria opens The Great Exhibition in London.

1884 – May day proclamation of the demand for eight-hour workday in the United States

~   ~   ~

veil easter sunRuby Lun

Calendar of the Soul  Sixth Week [May 01, 2016 – May 07, 2016]

There has arisen from its narrow limits

  My self and finds itself

  As revelation of all worlds

  Within the sway of time and space;

  The world, as archetype divine,

  Displays to me at every turn

  The truth of my own likeness.

~   ~   ~

jacobs-ladderChagall_Marc Chagall

Climbing Jacob’s Ladder – A Festival of Ascension, part 1 of a Lecture by ~Hazel Archer Ginsberg

Ascension comes when the season of blossoming is reaching fullness. Trees & plants, stirring upwards in growth, have been touched by the warmth & light from above, & show forth the blessing of the heavens in color & scent. The whole of nature reaches upwards towards the heights.

The longing of the human soul strives upward also, in unison with nature, seeking the touch of world-warmth from the sun. This mood of ascension attunes all of life to the cosmic expanses.

However closely heaven & earth are aligned, their relationship is not always the same. In this we see the miracle of the seasons –the breathing-in, & the breathing-out, of the earth soul.

At the time of the Ascension of Christ, nature celebrates the ascension of the soul of the earth. – It is not by chance that the 40 days between Easter & Ascension coincide with this season.

Every year, when the earth breathes out in the springtime, the mystery of the Ascension of Christ, Who is the Spirit of the Earth, is renewed.

The stars in their constellations are shifting into their Summer places now, & the planets tread the ordered measure of their courses around them. These dots of light in the distance, point us to the spiritual beings who direct the life of the universe.

From this point of view, Ascension is a festival of the hierarchies.

Remember, that when Christ descended thru the heavens, & came into human form, the hierarchies lost His presence. They could only find Him by looking into the depths – bearing witness to  the God Who entered physical existence to remind earthly humanity of its cosmic citizenship.

At the Ascension, the mystery of the resurrection was brought back to the company of heaven – Signaling the return of the lost world of earth into the community of the stars. Since that time, the life of this planet is renewed with the cosmic forces that stream earthward.

The sacrifice of Christ initiated on earth, was the antidote to the consequences of death brought on by the Fall – the redemptive deed that turns death into life.

The Concentrated seed of Christ’s deed continues to grow in the earth thru this connection to the stars.

This reconnection was prefigured in the story of Jacob from the Old Testament. Thru his dream of the stairway to heaven, Jacob gave us the prophecy of the Ascension – A golden ladder set between heaven & earth, on which choirs of angels & our beloved dead can ascend & descend.

When the Risen Christ returned ‘to sit at the right hand of the Father’, at the Ascension, He became the bridge between the above & below.

The Christ impulse dwells in the earth, & extends into the Divine Presence, to fulfill the prophecy of Jacobs ladder, so that thru this deed, mankind is brought near again to cosmic beings.

As the Christ has ascended, so too, in the fullness of time will humanity be transfigured. The company of the hierarchies wait, for us, their younger siblings to ascend in our thinking to meet them in fellowship, as they work all the while at our sides.

Tomorrow we will continue this theme

until soon

~hag = ~Hazel Archer Ginsberg

(to read the whole lecture on Ascension click: Ascension 2014 Climbing Jacobs Ladder)

Doctrine of Signatures

Insight, Lecture, Poetry, Quote, Rudolf Steiner Quote, Soul to Soul, The Bridging Project: Life & Death

 mountain Odilon RedonOdilon Redon

“History, historical life, will only be seen in the right light when a true consciousness of the connection of the so-called living with the so-called dead can be developed” – The Living and the Dead by Rudolf Steiner, Berlin, 5th February, 1918

April 24, 2016 –  On this Day in History:

1184 BC – The fall of Troy

1479 BC – Thutmose III ascends to the throne of Egypt

 1704 – The Boston News, The first newspaper in Colonial America, is published

 1877 – Russo-Turkish War: Russian Empire declares war on Ottoman Empire

Death Day – 1891 – Helmuth von Moltke the Elder, a German Field Marshal. Moltke was sent as adviser to the Ottoman general commanding the troops in Anatolia, who was to carry on a campaign against Muhammad Ali of Egypt. Moltke navigated the rapids of the Euphrates & mapped many parts of the Ottoman Empire, riding several thousand miles in the course of his journey. On 24 June 1839, the Ottoman army was beaten.

1915 – Armenian Genocide – The Ottoman government’s systematic extermination of its minority Armenian subjects inside their historic homeland, which lies within the present-day Republic of Turkey.

~   ~   ~

flowers Odilon RedonOdilon Redon

Calendar of the Soul – Fifth Week  [April 24, 2016 – April 30, 2016]

Within the light that out of spirit depths

Weaves germinating power into space

And manifests the gods’ creative work:

Within its shine, the soul’s true being

Is widened into worldwide life

And resurrected

From narrow selfhood’s inner power. ~RS

~   ~   ~

spring goddess watercolorOdilon Redon

Healing Plants & their planetary associations

  • People, plants, planets & constellations are made of the same elements (fire, earth, air & water) & the same energies (hot/dry, hot/moist, cold/dry, cold/moist). This commonality facilitates our connection with nature & the universe.
  • The human body is a miniature replica of our solar system with each body part & system symbolically representing a sign & planet.
  • Nature often has a way to tell us what a specific plant is good for. This belief has even been attributed to Adam who, in naming the creatures in the Garden of Eden, understood that each name has the power to describe the essence of things.

Celestial correspondences were established by keenly observing what a plant is good for, detailed in the ‘Doctrine of Signatures’, & by using the language of astrology & its rich, ancient contribution to our medical wisdom. Let’s focus on some aspects of the ‘Doctrine of Signatures’, attributed to Paracelsus (1493- 1541), & begin to understand the richness of its philosophy.

Appearance of Plants

  • Sun: Plants with heart shaped leaves are used for heart ailments. Plants with yellow flowers (Calendula, St. John’s Wort) & plants that turn towards the sun (Dandelion) are associated with the Sun.
  • Mars: Plants with thorns or prickles (Milk Thistle, Nettle) are identified with Mars, the planet symbolizing a pioneer, combative spirit.
  • Saturn: Plants that exhibit a knobby quality may remedy swollen joints, the body part associated with Capricorn, ruled by Saturn. Perennials with long lives (Mullein), plants with annual rings or woody plants (Kava Kava) are also identified with Saturn, the planet of aging.
  • Mercury: Plants with hairy, fuzzy leaves (Mullein) often correspond to the cilia of the mucus membranes of the lungs, the body part associated with Gemini, ruled by Mercury. Plants that have finely divided leaves like the bronchi of lungs (Dill, Fennel) or vines that grow on trees (Honeysuckle) are also associated with Mercury, the planet of communication & planet ruling the nervous system.
  • Venus: Plants with lots of mucilage (Marshmallow) soothe irritated mucus membranes, associated with Taurus, ruled by Venus. Plants with beautiful flowers (Vervain, Violet) or red fruits (Raspberry) are also linked with Venus, the planet symbolizing beauty.
  • Moon: Plants with little white or pale yellow flowers (Cleavers) & plants with juicy leaves (Catnip) or moon shaped leaves (Caraway).
  • Jupiter: Large edible plants (Burdock, Centaury), that remind people of the planet of expansion.
  • Neptune: Plants growing in or near the ocean (Dulse, Kelp) as Neptune is the Lord of the Oceans.

Plant Qualities

  • Sun: Plants beneficial to the heart and circulation (Motherwort, Ginger)
  • Mars: Plants growing under adversity (Elder, Beet, Blackberry).
  • Venus: Herbs that calm overindulgence in food (Burdock, Vervain, Sage).
  • Saturn: Plants that are grounding (Ho Shu Wu) & help one complete projects on the material plane.
  • Mercury: Plants that are good for the nervous system (Skullcap, Lavender).
  • Moon: Plants that may affect the subconscious. Plants living by the water (Peppermint, Watercress).
  • Jupiter: Herbs that promote a positive frame of mind & expansion (Oatstraw).
  • Neptune: Mystical herbs that are helpful in dream work (Skullcap) or help bring physical concepts to the next plane (Willow).
  • Uranus: Herbs that are hybrids & easy to transplant as Uranus is the planet of sudden changes. Herbs that energize, stimulate & promote inspiration (Cinnamon, Cloves).
  • Pluto: Herbs beneficial for enhancing sexuality (Damiana, Saw Palmetto) & for balancing the physical & spiritual aspects of a personality.

Healing Blessings & Peace ~hag = Hazel Archer Ginsberg

Nunc dimittis

Insight, Lecture, Poetry, Rudolf Steiner Quote, Soul to Soul, Uncategorized

On this Day:

simeonssong-001

-Birth Day of Simeon – the God-receiver, visited by the Holy Spirit & told that he would not die until he had seen the Christ. He was the “just and devout” man of Jerusalem who, according to Luke 2:25–35, met Mary, Joseph, & Jesus as they entered the Temple for the presentation at the Temple. On taking Jesus into his arms he uttered the Nunc dimittis & gave a prophecy alluding to the crucifixion.

According to Rudolf Steiner’s indications in GA 114, Simeon was Asita – a hermit ascetic of ancient India in the 6th century BCE. He predicted that Prince Siddhartha would either become an ideal universal ruler, or a supreme religious leader; Siddhartha was later known as Gautama Buddha.

Mohammed_receiving_revelation_from_the_angel_Gabriel

-570 Birthday of the Prophet of Islam Mohammed.

romulusremusred

-753 BC – Romulus & Remus found Rome

-Feast Day of Anselm von Canterbury, a Benedictine monk, abbot, philosopher & theologian who held the office of archbishop of Canterbury from 1093 to 1109.

Anselm composed dialogues & treatises with a philosophical approach, causing him to be credited as the founder of Scholasticism. He was famed as the originator of the ontological argument for the existence of God & of the theory of atonement.

-1789 – John Adams was sworn in as the first U.S. Vice President

-Death Day of Mark Twain 1910

~   ~   ~

POD (Poem Of the Day)

spring birch people!

~Hail breath of Wisdom

Humming forth from

The throat of my beloved…

You thrill me

Like a seed bell calling spring…

& perfect peace…

~hag

 ~   ~   ~

dodecahedren 2 copper

 Why Reverse Ritual?  ~some thoughts by Hazel Archer Ginsberg (Part 7 of 7)

Working with the Calendar of the Soul & the Foundation Stone Meditation can lead to Communion with the forces & spirits of the cosmos which can then work into our physical being in a homeopathic way to transform us.

In the big picture we can see that the Reverse Ritual encompasses all human creative activity. It can be attained in the world of pure thought, in all the arts, in the care of nature & its creatures, in therapeutic work, & in group meetings dedicated to the science of the spirit.

In particular, I use the formula of the Reverse Ritual in our Festival life. This range reaches down into the sphere of head, hands & heart – enhanced thru our connection with spirit beings in nature, in the cosmos, with living & departed souls, with the beings of the Hierarchies, & with the Christ Being.

“Living together with the course of cosmic life becomes a happening different in character from his connection with the facts of everyday life. It becomes a ritual, a cult. And so the cosmic ritual comes into being, in which man can have his place at every moment of his life” *1

“Our whole life is an act of worship. In ordinary life, we serve like priests at the altar.” ~Novalis

*1. Spiritual Knowledge is a True Communion: The Beginning of a Cosmic Ritual Suitable for the Present Age Dornach, New Year’s Eve, 1922-23 GA 219 (The fire that destroyed the 1st Goetheanum was discovered 1 hour after this lecture ended)

We will see what tomorrow will bring

Until soon –

Blessings & Peace –

~hag = Hazel Archer Ginsberg 

Karmic Will

Insight, Lecture, Poetry, The Bridging Project: Life & Death

michael_binding_satan_print william_blake_William Blake

ON THIS DAY:

1232 Pope Gregory IX introduces the Inquisition.

1312 Pope Clement V abolished the Templar Order

1889 Adolf Hitler was born

~   ~   ~

POD (Poem Of the Day)

~ A pool of sadness became a nest of vipers.

Derision hatched into bitter imps that gnaw my heart,

Mist my thinking & paralyze my will…

I strive to re member

Love

Is who i am…

                          ~hag

 ~   ~   ~

 Michael beckoning!!!Arild Rosenkrantz

Why Reverse Ritual?  ~some thoughts by Hazel Archer Ginsberg (Part 6 of 7)

Anthroposophy itself traces its own source back to events that are connected with the evolution of humanity, both on Earth & in the spiritual world, especially in connection with the destinies of the Sun forces of Cosmic Intelligence, & its leader Michael, in the continuing work of the Christ Being himself.

The cosmic origins of the Reverse Ritual & Anthroposophy are the result of Michael’s participation with specific streams of humanity in preparation for the guidance of Michael as Time Spirit in 1879. Through this we see a connection with the cosmic rituals that occur before birth & after death, as well as the cosmic ritual of the Hierarchies on the sleeping human being. Here we also perceive the cosmic event of karma formation. (Reveled especially in the Offering stage of the RR)

“Every earthly ritual is a symbolic image of this cosmic ritual. This cosmic ritual is higher in comparison with every earthly ritual” (GA 219)

I end these thoughts tomorrow

Blessings & Peace –

~hag = Hazel Archer Ginsberg 

Revolve

Insight, Lecture, Poetry, Quote, Rudolf Steiner Quote, Soul to Soul, The Bridging Project: Life & Death

sun angelHans de Lapell

TODAY: the Sun enters Aries in the Sidereal Zodiac (Taurus in the Tropical)

Feast of the Holy Lance, the spear of Longinus – the centurion who pierced the side of Jesus Christ. Longinus, who was nearly blind, was healed when some of the blood & water fell into his eyes. He then exclaimed “Indeed, this was the Son of God!” [Mark 15:39]. Longinus converted, Left the army, took instruction from the apostles & became a monk in Cappadocia. There he was arrested for his faith, his teeth forced out & tongue cut off. However, St. Longinus miraculously continued to speak clearly. The governor, who was made blind by the demons that came from his idols, had his sight restored when St. Longinus was being beheaded, because his blood came in contact with the governors’ eyes. St. Longinus’ relics are now in the church of St Augustine, in Rome. His Lance is contained in one of the four pillars over the altar in the Basilica of St Peter’s in Rome.

Death Day: Pope Saint Leo IX, 1054, a German aristocrat & a powerful secular ruler of central Italy while holding the papacy. Leo IX is widely considered the most historically significant German Pope of the Middle Ages. His citing of the ‘Donation of Constantine’ (a forged Roman imperial decree by which the emperor Constantine the Great supposedly transferred authority over Rome & the western part of the Roman Empire to the Pope) in a letter to the Patriarch of Constantinople brought about the Great East-West Schism between the Catholic & Orthodox churches.

1775 American Revolution begins in Lexington

1995 Oklahoma City bombing

Death Day: Lord Byron 1824 (seeker after the Palladium )

Death Day: Charles Darwin 1882 (according to the Karmic Relationships Vol 1, lecture 10, his former incarnation was Tariq ibn Ziyad)

~   ~   ~

books-heart

POD (Poem Of the Day)

~In the beginning & at the end

The book is opened

And we see what we must

Remember.

We are made of god-stuff

The explosion of stars

Waves of light

Molded into form

Secrets writ large on the scroll of each soul

The laws of creation

Death & change inscribed in the blood

A Sun-seed ever expanding

In eternal thoughts

That lead to love…

But where is Wisdom?

~hag

~   ~   ~

veil woman sunEdith Pulser

Why Reverse Ritual?  some thoughts by Hazel Archer Ginsberg (Part 5 of 7)

Rudolf Steiner spoke about the 4th phase of the Reverse Ritual by pointing to the connection between the Michael Mystery & the Christ Mystery. “We must find the path to Christ within”- The connection of the human “I” with the Christ “I”. Only then do we arrive at the Word, the Logos – The Revelation

The “festival of Knowledge” that Michael brings becomes an inner revelation. The sphere of Revelation has an apocalyptic character; an apocalypse in the “I”. And from this dark night, the lonely soul gains the forces to say ‘not I, but Christ in me’, grasped in freedom as insight, realized in love.

Renewed from within, this Revelation then radiates out to others, nurturing the seed impulse in the “Christed” inner being of humanity, streaming out into the cosmos, for the future. Here we see how “Anthroposophy is a path of knowledge, to guide the spiritual in the human being to the spiritual in the universe”

This can generate a radical capacity to understand the world, our fellow human beings, & world evolution. A force of warmth lives in this. Borne of love, it activates the will, to compassion.

The Sacramental Ritual flows from Revelation thru to Communion in a closed, self-contained form.

The Reverse Ritual moves from Communion, over Transformation & Offering to Revelation. Its form is open; the community can start from any stage or can cultivate a specific one, while maintaining its connection with the whole.

The sacrament proceeds out of the sphere of the Son, from the proclamation of the Gospel.

The Reverse Ritual, in every case, proceeds out of the sphere of the human being.

…& so it is…

Blessings & Peace –

~hag = Hazel Archer Ginsberg