Category Archives: Speaking with the Stars

Spores

Global Christian Worship - Christ as Seed: Art by Jyoti Sahi (India)
Jyoti Sahi

~Cracked open
Will the seed
Laid into the void
Progress & grow?
The gods circle round
Hunting for ideas that lie dormant
Thoughts unexpressed
Spore’s that remain uncultivated
These they plant in the clay of another life
Better able to fill the void
With fertile fruit
~hag

Grade Five Botany | Botany, 5th grades, Botany lessons
5th grade botany in Waldorf School

“…If you want to grow a plant, you take a tiny seed and lay it in the soil. The whole plant, the whole life of the plant is compressed into this tiny seed. What comes out of this seed? First, the root. The life expands into the root. But then it contracts again and grows, still in a state of contraction, into a stem. Then it expands and the leaves come and then the blossom. Then there is again contraction into the seed and the seed waits until the following year. In the plant, therefore, we see a process of expansion — contraction; expansion — contraction.

Whenever the plant expands, it is the Sun which draws out the leaf or the blossom; whenever the plant contracts (in the seed or the stem) the contraction is due to the forces of the Moon. Between the leaves, the Moon is working. So that when we take a plant with spreading leaves and root, we can say, beginning with the seed: Moon — then Sun — again Moon — again Sun — again Moon, and so forth … with the Moon at the end of the process. In every plant we see Sun forces and Moon forces working in alternation. In a field of growing plants we behold the deeds of Sun and Moon” ~ Rudolf Steiner

May 18, 2021 – “Speaking with the Stars:” This evening Bella Luna hangs in western Leo, below the front of the Sickle. As soon as night is fully dark, look almost two fists at arm’s length below the Moon for the dim head of Hydra. ~Sky&Telescope

Tag: alchemical - Eve Harms

Rudolf Steiner’s Lectures on this day (Help support the RSarchives!)

ON THIS DAY IN HISTORY (resourses include The original Calendar of the Soul by Rudolf Steiner, Wikipedia, Skyandtelescope.org)

Omar Khayyam

1048 – Birthday of Omar Khayyám, Persian mathematician, astronomer, & poet

Leonarda_da_Vinci_-_Isabella_d'Este_und_Mona_Lisa_II

1474 – Birth-day of Isabella d’Este, Regent in Mantua, (a city in Lombardy, Italy) one of the leading women of the Italian Renaissance, a major cultural & political figure. She was a patron of the arts, supporting Raphael, Mantegna, Titian, Leonardo da Vinci, as well as a leader of fashion, whose innovative style of dress was copied throughout Italy & at the French court. She was called: The “liberal & magnanimous Isabella” “supreme among women” “The First Lady of the world”.

Abraham Linocln faces

1860 – Abraham Lincoln wins the Republican Party presidential nomination.

8a2f9b41ace7c96e8890abde2e4ec2f7 -- The Supreme Court case, Plessy vs.  Ferguson, stated that being separate but e… | History memes, Plessy v  ferguson, Black history

1896 – The United States Supreme Court rules in Plessy v. Ferguson that the “separate but equal” doctrine is constitutional

Comets page 2

1910 – The Earth passes through the tail of Comet Halley.

A Deep Look At Oil Tankers And The Suez Canal In The Wake Of The Egyptian  Crisis | Business Insider

1951 –United Nations Security Council Resolution 93, adopted after hearing a report that a “prearranged & planned attack ordered by Israel authorities” was “committed by Israel regular army forces against the Egyptian regular army” in the Gaza Strip on February 28, 1951.

The Council condemned this attack as a violation of the cease-fire previsions of UNSC Resolution 54 & as inconsistent with the obligations of the parties under the General Armistice Agreement between Egypt and Israel & under the United Nations Charter.

The Council again called upon Israel to take all necessary measures to prevent such actions & expressed its conviction that the maintenance of the General Armistice Agreement is threatened by any deliberate violation of it & that no progress towards the return of peace in Palestine can be made until both parties comply strictly with their obligations.

Global Christian Worship - Christ as Seed: Art by Jyoti Sahi (India)
Jyoti Sahi

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

‘I Think Speech’ Podcast

Sangraal: A Pentecost Pilgrimage & Whitsun Festival with the Central Regional Council an experiential ‘Pageant’ written by Hazel Archer, taking us on a Quest from The Cauldron of Ceridwen, to The Holy Grail, & into The Sacred Vessel of the Sophia.

with Special Guests: Mary Mertz, Camille VettrainoEurythmy with Elizabeth Carlson, & Music with Ultra-Violet Archer

Join us on Whitsunday 23 May 2021, at 11 am PT / 12 noon MT / 1 pm – 2:30 pm CT / 2 pm ET / 8 pm CET

Join Zoom Meeting https://us02web.zoom.us/j/81181550712 Meeting ID: 811 8155 0712

Dial by your location  
Meeting ID: 811 8155 0712
Find your local number: https://us02web.zoom.us/u/kBw1EgrIR

Eurythmy - an Art of Movement for Our Time
Eurythmy Association of Great Britain

Bio – Elizabeth Carlson – I was born and grew up in upstate [Woodstock] New York. I completed the eurythmy training at Eurythmy School Zuccoli in Dornach, age 24, and studied again later at Eurythmeum Stuttgart for two years. I have worked in Waldorf education since, in eurythmy, (in USA, SA and UK) for 16 yrs, in Early Years for five years, and intermittently in care for the elderly and learning disabled. I completed an MA in eurythmy (education) with Alanus University (Germany, but in the UK)  in 2016. I have lived in the UK, presently in Cardiff, Wales, since 1992. My son is 26.

Music by Ultra-Violet Archer – Here’s her solo stuff https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCkdsh6zXYxE74LLlDiBE3uQ

The discography https://soundcloud.com/ultra-violet-archer

Bandcamp has all the lyrics & you can ‘buy’ the album to show support for ‘In Case of Emergence’ by ‘Circles Edge’ her new band with Morgan Vallet

https://circlesedge.bandcamp.com/album/in-case-of-emergence

Ayse Domeniconi

After working with Karma & Reincarnation for 3 years the CRC has chosen a new Theme: ‘The Mysteries of the Holy Grail, from Arthur and Parzival to Modern Initiation’

The Mysteries of the Holy Grail: From Arthur and Parzival to Modern  Initiation: Steiner, Rudolf, Barton, Matthew: 9781855842342: Amazon.com:  Books

You are also invited to get the Book & Join us for study sessions through out the year as well. contact Alberto Loya aloyavaca@utexas.edu for more info.

Sophia%20Community%20Circle%20(2).png
Sophia Community Circle – WEDNESDAY 2 JUNE 2021

We are She – She are We – Embodying Love in Wisdom with Hazel & Ultra-Violet Archer

9:30 am PT / 10:30 am MT / 11:30 am CT / 12:30 pm ET / 5:30 pm GMT / 6:30 pm CET

Spiritual Science

Rudolf Steiner's Calendar of the Soul outlined by George O'Neil in  Heart-logik Format - Organicthinking | Rudolf steiner, Blackboard drawing,  Outline
George O’Neil

Listen to the ‘I Think Speech’ podcast

While waiting for the recording of our offering on Ascension Thursday to download, I came across this:

“According to RS we prepare our souls most effectively for the meeting with the Etheric Christ if we live meditatively through the yearly cycle…The calendar is an essential Rosicrucian impulse that is related to the events at Golgotha and furtheing inner development. It continues the work carried out by Rosicrucians for centuries on the more subtle processes in nature and in the course of the year: ‘sacrifice” as ‘sacred natural science.’ The Calendar and Soul Calendar constitute the metamorphosis of that work for use in modern times. It offers support to ‘any person’ in ‘any situation,’ and can enhance human inner development in preparation for the experience of the reappearance in the etheric of the Christ being..” ~ Peter Selg: ‘Rudolf Steiner and Christian Rosenkreutz’ pg. 45-46

Here is the RECORDING of Living into the Spheres of Cosmic Life and Cosmic Light:  Easter, Ascension, Whitsun in the Calendar of the Soul, with Luigi Morelli, Hazel Archer, Geoff Norris – & Zoom Host Frank Agrama

The Greatest Spiritual Event of Our Time According to Rudolf Steiner —  Awaken in the Dream

10:10 Testament: Since the original Ascension, thru the effects of the expansion of the Christ light, the possibility exists in the etheric body of human beings for something new to appear, something that breathes in life eternal. And these ultimate formative forces which do not participate in death, & which humanity will gradually attain thru the influence of the Christ Impulse, is ever streaming back to us – a contraction & expansion into-&-out-of cosmic & earthly space.

It generates a force that will in turn create a sphere around our Earth that is in the process of becoming a Sun – A spiritual sphere – a corona – is forming around the Earth composed of the etheric forces that have come alive with the essence of Love & Light. Just as the Christ Love issues from the Earth, & the light of the New Isis-Mary-Sophia radiates from cosmic space, there is also a kind of reflection of it that encircles the Earth thru us – embodied as the enlivening fire of the Holy Spirit. And so it is & ever shall be that the Earth thru our purified soul forces begins to be creative, surrounding itself with this spiritual corona which will ripen the seed into a Sun…

~hag

Moon passing Mars in Gemini, May 15-16, 2021
skyandtelescope.org

15 May 2021 – “Speaking with the Stars”: Now the crescent Moon shines with faint, distant Mars.

Spiritual Science is Practical: Proper Conduct of a Group & on  Anthroposophical Lecturing- Rudolf Steiner

According to T.H. Myer & the ‘Present Age’ TODAY in 1922 – there was a ‘Nationalist’ assault on Rudolf Steiner as he was giving a public lecture in Munich.

4 Elements Human - BDposters | Rudolf steiner, Waldorf teaching, Waldorf  education

I will unite
The Knowledge of my Soul
With Fire of the flower’s fragrance;
I will bestir
The Life of my Soul
On the glistening drop of leafy morning;
I will make strong
The Being of my Soul
With the all hardening Salt
Whereby the Earth with loving care
Nurtures the root.”

~Rudolf Steiner, 5 January 1924

Holy Grail - Wikipedia

Sangraal: A Pentecost Pilgrimage & Whitsun Festival with the Central Regional Council an experiential ‘Pageant’ written by Hazel Archer, taking us on a Quest from The Cauldron of Ceridwen, to The Holy Grail, & into The Sacred Vessel of the Sophia.

with Special Guests: Mary Mertz, Camille VettrainoEurythmy with Elizabeth Carlson, & Music with Ultra-Violet Archer

Join us on Whitsunday 23 May 2021, at 11 am PT / 12 noon MT / 1 pm – 2:30 pm CT / 2 pm ET / 8 pm CET

Join Zoom Meeting https://us02web.zoom.us/j/81181550712 Meeting ID: 811 8155 0712

Dial by your location  
Meeting ID: 811 8155 0712
Find your local number: https://us02web.zoom.us/u/kBw1EgrIR

Eurythmy - an Art of Movement for Our Time
Eurythmy Association of Great Britain

Bio – Elizabeth Carlson – I was born and grew up in upstate [Woodstock] New York. I completed the eurythmy training at Eurythmy School Zuccoli in Dornach, age 24, and studied again later at Eurythmeum Stuttgart for two years. I have worked in Waldorf education since, in eurythmy, (in USA, SA and UK) for 16 yrs, in Early Years for five years, and intermittently in care for the elderly and learning disabled. I completed an MA in eurythmy (education) with Alanus University (Germany, but in the UK)  in 2016. I have lived in the UK, presently in Cardiff, Wales, since 1992. My son is 26.

Music by Ultra-Violet Archer – Here’s her solo stuff https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCkdsh6zXYxE74LLlDiBE3uQ

https://ultravioletarcher.bandcamp.com/track/when-my-wings-dry

The discography https://soundcloud.com/ultra-violet-archer

Bandcamp has all the lyrics & you can ‘buy’ the album to show support for ‘In Case of Emergence’ by ‘Circles Edge’ her new band with Morgan Vallet

https://circlesedge.bandcamp.com/album/in-case-of-emergence

Ayse Domeniconi

After working with Karma & Reincarnation for 3 years the CRC has chosen a new Theme: ‘The Mysteries of the Holy Grail, from Arthur and Parzival to Modern Initiation’

The Mysteries of the Holy Grail: From Arthur and Parzival to Modern  Initiation: Steiner, Rudolf, Barton, Matthew: 9781855842342: Amazon.com:  Books

You are also invited to get the Book & Join us for study sessions through out the year as well. contact Alberto Loya aloyavaca@utexas.edu for more info.

Sophia%20Community%20Circle%20(2).png
Sophia Community Circle – WEDNESDAY 2 JUNE 2021

We are She – She are We – Embodying Love in Wisdom with Hazel & Ultra-Violet Archer

9:30 am PT / 10:30 am MT / 11:30 am CT / 12:30 pm ET / 5:30 pm GMT / 6:30 pm CET

rising

Amazon.com: Our Lady of Fatima 5x7 - Catholic Art: Handmade

‘I Think Speech’ podcasts

I realized yesterday after posting my thoughts on the connections between, Ascension, the Transfiguration, the Assumption of Mary & the Marian Apparitions etc. that 13 May was also the 104th anniversary of the apparition of Our Lady of Fatima which occurred between May 13 – October 13, 1917 (I love these affirmations!)

The Catholic Free Press, Roman Catholic Diocese of Worcester - Artwork  brings Our Lady of Fatima to local schools and churches - Worcester, MA
Kathy Jordan

Thank you friends for all the interest & dialogue sparked by these connections. It was heartening to hear from so many others who have also been feeling a stirring, & wanting to bring these associations to light.

AND on Friday the 13th of May in 1314 – Jacques de Molay, last Grand Master of the Knights Templar, & 54 other Templars, were ordered burned at the stake by King Philip IV of France.

This Quote by Rudolf Steiner gives us a clue as to the connection of this sacrifice of the Templars with Ascension & the Reappearance of Christ in the Etheric:  “…With a mysticism such as was unfolded by the Knights Templar, something spiritual is added to the spiritual “effects” of the etheric world. And inasmuch as this took place, humanity was actually brought a stage further in its evolution. Through this experience of the Templars, the Mystery of Golgotha was understood, and also experienced, at a higher stage than before. Something is now present in the world, in regard to this Mystery of Golgotha, which was formerly not there

Blessed With Every Spiritual Blessing | Pictures of jesus christ, Jesus  art, Pictures of christ

The whole period before the Mystery of Golgotha was only a time of preparation in the evolution of the earth. The Mystery of Golgotha imparted to the earth its meaning and purpose…

When the Mystery of Golgotha took place the earthly body of Jesus of Nazareth was given over to the elements of the earth, and from that time onwards Christ has been united with the spiritual sphere of the earth and lives within it…

Stock Illustration - Man With Dark Cloud Overhead
Jay Frankael

The ‘seeds of earthly materialism’ which were increasingly carried into the spiritual world by the souls who went through the portal of death since the sixteenth century, and which caused more and more darkness, built a ‘black sphere of materialism.’ Christ took this black sphere into his being in the sense of the Manichean principle for the purpose of transforming it. For the angel being in which the Christ had manifested himself since the Mystery of Golgotha the black sphere caused a ‘death by suffocation.’ This sacrifice by Christ in the nineteenth century is comparable to the sacrifice on the physical plane through the Mystery of Golgotha and can be called the second crucifixion of Christ on the etheric plane. This spiritual death by suffocation, which brought about the extinction of the consciousness of the Angelic Being is a repetition of the Mystery of Golgotha in etheric realm. It took place to make possible a revival of the Christ consciousness which was earlier hidden in human souls on earth. The revival becomes the clairvoyant vision of humanity starting in the twentieth century.

Surreal Painting. Man With Eye On A Back Of The Head And Storm.. Stock  Photo, Picture And Royalty Free Image. Image 107761745.

Thus the Christ-consciousness may be united with the earthly consciousness of humanity from our time on into the future; for the dying of the Christ-consciousness in the sphere of the Angels in the nineteenth century signifies the resurrection of the direct consciousness of Christ — that is to say, Christ’s life will be felt in the souls of human beings more and more as a direct personal experience from the twentieth century onwards.” ~Rudolf Steiner, GA 152 Occult Science and Occult Development 1913

Cloud head - Painting by Javier Fernando Volovich | Artmajeur
Havear Frenando

You are welcome to view last night’s RECORDING of Living into the Spheres of Cosmic Life and Cosmic Light:  Easter, Ascension, Whitsun in the Calendar of the Soul, with Luigi Morelli, Hazel Archer, Geoff Norris – & Zoom Host Frank Agrama

Clouds Above - Official Website
Aaron Hanson

Rudolf Steiner’s Lectures on this day (god bless the RSarchives)

ON THIS DAY IN HISTORY (Sourced from Steiner’s original COTS, RSarchives, Wikilinks, Sky&Telescope)

14 May 2021 “Speaking with the Stars”: Find Mercury and Venus low in the northwest in twilight this week. The crescent Moon hangs in between.

To truly know the world, look deeply within your own being; to truly know yourself, take real interest in the world.” Rudolf Steiner

St. Matthias

Feast Day of Matthias – According to the Acts of the Apostles, Matthias was chosen to replace Judas Iscariot following the betrayal of Jesus & his subsequent suicide. This calling as an apostle is unique, because his appointment was not made personally by Jesus, since it was after the Ascension, but made before the descent of the Holy Spirit at Whitsun.

The intelligence legacy of Lewis and Clark | by NGA | Medium

1804 – The Lewis and Clark Expedition departs from Camp Dubois & begins its historic journey by traveling up the Missouri River.

BBC NEWS | Middle East | 1948: The State of Israel is founded

1948 – Founding of the State of Israel

August Strindberg by Gösta Adrian-Nilsson
Gosta Adrian-Nilsson

1912 – Death-Day of Johan August Strindberg, something of a polymath, Swedish playwright, novelist, poet, essayist & painter, Strindberg was also a telegrapher, theosophist, painter, photographer & alchemist. Rudolf Steiner speaks about him in Karmic Relationships, Volume IV: Lecture II:

“…Thus I made the acquaintance of this doctor, a man of our own day. When I met him I was in the company of another person whom I had known very well for a long time. This other person had always made, I will not say a deep, but a very thorough impression on me. He was exceedingly fond of the society of men who were interested in occultism in the widest possible range, though an occultism somewhat externally conceived. He was fond of relating the views of his many acquaintances on all kinds of occult matters, and especially on the occult connections of what the modern artist should strive for, as a lyric and epic poet, or as a dramatist. Around this person there was what I might call a kind of moral, ethical aura. I am applying the word ‘moral’ to all that is connected with the soul-qualities under the command of the will.

I was paying a visit to him, and in his company I found the other man first mentioned, whom I knew by reputation and respected very highly for his literary and medical career. Everything that took place during this visit made a deep impression on me and impelled me to receive the whole experience into the realm of spiritual research.

A Boat Against the Current: This Day in Theater History (August Strindberg,  Influential Swedish Playwright, Born)

Then a very remarkable thing happened. By witnessing the two persons in the company of one another, and by the impression which my new acquaintance made on me — (I had known him for a long time as an eminent literary and medical man and had a great regard for him, but this was the first time that I saw him in the flesh) — by these impressions I gained certain perceptions. To begin with however, it enabled me, not to investigate in any way the connections in life and destiny of my new acquaintance. On the contrary, my seeing them together shed light as it were upon the other one, whom I had long known. And the result was this. — He had lived in ancient Egypt, not in his last, but in one of his former lives on earth. And (this is the peculiar thing) he had been mummified, embalmed as a mummy. Soon afterwards I discovered that the mummy was still in existence. Indeed a long time afterwards I saw the actual mummy. This, then, was the starting-point. But once the line of research had been kindled in connection with the person whom I had long known, it shed its light still farther, and eventually I was enabled to investigate the karmic connections of the other man, my new acquaintance, the doctor. And the following was the result.

Sunset Painting by August Strindberg
sunset by  August Strindberg

As a general rule one is led from one earthly life of a human being to the preceding one. But in this case intuition led far back into ancient Egypt, to a kind of chieftain in ancient Egypt. It was a chieftain who in a certain sense, indeed in a very interesting way, possessed the ancient Egyptian Initiation, but had become somewhat decadent as an Initiate. In the further course of his life, he began to take his Initiation not very seriously, indeed he even treated it with a certain scorn. Now this man had a servant, who in his turn was extremely serious. This servant was of course not initiated; but both of them together were given the task of embalming mummies and procuring the substances for this purpose, which was no easy matter.

Now especially in the more ancient periods of Egypt, the process of embalming mummies was very complicated and demanded an intimate knowledge of the human being, of the human body. Nay more, of those who had to do the embalming — if they did it legitimately — deep knowledge of the human soul was required. The chieftain of whom I spoke had been initiated for this very work, but he gradually became, in a manner of speaking, frivolous in relation to this, his proper calling. So it came about that in the course of time he betrayed (so they would have put it in the language of the Mysteries) the knowledge he had received through his Initiation to his servant, and the latter gradually proved to be a man who understood the content of Initiation better than the Initiate himself. Thus the servant became the embalmer of mummies, and at length his master did not even trouble to supervise the work, though of course he still took advantage of the social position, etc., which this honourable task involved. But at length his character became such that he no longer enjoyed great respect, and he thus came into various conflicts of life. The servant, on the other hand, worked his way up by degrees to a very, very earnest conception of life, and was thus taken hold of, in a remarkably congenial way, by a kind of Initiation. It was no real Initiation, but it lived within him instinctively. Thus a large number of mummies were mummified under the supervision and co-operation of these two people.

August Strindberg | lex.dk – Den Store Danske

Time went on. The two men passed through the gate of death and underwent the experiences of which I shall speak next time — the experiences in the super-sensible which are connected with the development of karma or destiny. And in the Roman epoch they both of them came back to earthly life. They came back at the very time when the dominion of the Roman Emperors was founded, in the time of Augustus — not exactly, but approximately, in the time of Augustus himself.

The chieftain, who had gradually become a really frivolous Initiate, and who, when he had passed through the gate of death, had felt this as an extraordinarily bitter trial of earthly life, experiencing it in all the bitterness of its effects — we find him again as Julia, the daughter of Augustus. She married Tiberius, the step-son of Augustus, and led a life which to herself seemed justified but was considered, in the Roman society of that time, so immoral that at length both she and Tiberius were banished.

The other man — the servant who had worked his way from the bottom upwards nearly to the grade of an Initiate — was born again at the same time, as the Roman historian Titus Livius, or Livy.

280 August Strindberg ideas | august, theatre of the absurd, best pack and  play
August Strindberg

It is most interesting how Livy came to be an historian. In the ancient Egyptian times he had embalmed a large number of mummies. The souls who had lived in the bodies of these mummies — very many of them — were reincarnated as Romans. And certain ones among them were actually reincarnated as the seven Kings of Rome. For the Seven Kings were no mere legendary figures. Going back into the time when the chieftain and his servant had lived in Egypt, we come into a very old Egyptian epoch. Now through a certain law which applies especially to the reincarnation of souls whose bodies have been mummified, these souls were called back again to earth comparatively soon. And the karmic connection of the servant of the chieftain with the souls whose bodies he had embalmed was so intimate, that he had to write the history of the very same human being whom in a previous life he had embalmed, though naturally, he also included the history of many others whom he had not embalmed. Thus Titus Livius became an historian. Now I would like some, indeed as many of you as possible, to take Livy’s Roman History, and, with the knowledge that results from these karmic connections, to receive a real impression of his style. You will see that his peculiar penetration into the human being and his tendency at the same time towards the style of the myth, is akin to that intimate knowledge of man which an embalmer could attain.

August Strindberg - Home | Facebook

We do not perceive such connections until the corresponding researches have been made. But once this has been done, a great light is shed on many things. It is difficult to understand the origin of the peculiar style of Titus Livius, who as it were embalms the human beings whom he describes. For such is his style. Real light is thrown upon it when we point to these connections.

Thus we have the same two people again as Julia and Titus Livius. Then Julia and Livy passed once more through the gate of death. The one soul had had the experience of being an Initiate to a considerable degree, and having then distorted his Initiation by frivolous conduct. He had discovered all the bitterness of the after-effects of this in the life between death and a new birth. He had then undergone a peculiar destiny in his new life on earth as Julia, of which life you may read in history. The result was, that in his next life between death and a new birth (following on the life as Julia) he conceived a strong antipathy to this his incarnation as Julia. And in a curious way this antipathy of his was universalised. For spiritual intuition shows this individuality in his life between death and a new birth as though perpetually crying out: “Would that I had never become a woman! It was the evil that I did in yonder life in ancient Egypt which led me thus to become a woman.”

Frank Beacham's Journal: August Strindberg, the Swedish playwright,  novelist, poet, essayist and painter, was born 172 years ago today

We can now trace the life of these two individualities still farther. We come into the Middle Ages. We find Livy again as the glad poet and minstrel in the very centre of the Middle Ages. We are astonished to find him thus, for there is no connection between the external callings. But the greatest possible surprises that a human being can possibly have are those that result from a real study of successive lives on earth. The Roman historian, with his style that proceeded from a knowledge of man acquired in embalming mummies, with his style so wonderfully light — we find him again as the poet Walther von der Vogelweide. His style is carried upwards, as it were, upon the wings of lyric poetry.

Walther von der Vogelweide lived in the Tyrol. He had many patrons; and among his many patrons there was one very peculiar man, who was on familiar terms with alchemists of every kind, for there were scores of alchemists at that time, in the Tyrol. This man was himself the owner of a castle, but he frequented all manner of alchemists’ dens and hovels. In so doing he learned extraordinarily much, and (as happened in the case of Paracelsus too) by spending his time in the dens of alchemists he was impelled to study all occult matters very intensely, and gained an unusually intense feeling for occult things. He thus came into the position of rediscovering in the Tyrol what was then only known as a legend, namely, the Castle in the Mountain — the Castle in the Rocks — (which indeed no one would have recognised as such, for it consisted of rocks, it was hollowed out of the rocks) — I mean, the Castle of the Dwarf King Laurin. The daemonic nature in the district of the Castle of the Dwarf King Laurin made a profound impression on him. Thus there was a remarkable combination in this soul — Initiation which he had carried into frivolity, annoyance at having been a woman and having thus been drawn into the sphere of Roman immorality and, at the same time, Roman cant and hypocrisy about morals; and lastly, an intimate knowledge, though still only external, of all manner of alchemical matters, which knowledge he had extended to a clear feeling of the nature-daemons and of other spiritual agencies in nature.

File:Underlandet, (Kraina czarow), 1892.jpg - Wikimedia Commons
August Strindberg

These two men — though it is not recorded in the biography of Walther, nevertheless it is the case — Walther von der Vogelweide and this other man often came together, and Walther received many an influence and impulse from him.

Here we have an instance of what is really a kind of karmic law. We see the same people drawn together again and again, called to the earth again and again simultaneously, complementing one another, living in a kind of mutual contrast. It is interesting once more, to enter into the peculiar lyrical style of Walther. It is as though at last he had grown thoroughly sick of embalming dead mummies and had turned to an entirely different aspect of life. He will no longer have anything to do with dead things, but only with the fullness and joy of life. And yet again, there is a certain undercurrent of pessimism in his work. Feel the style of Walther von der Yogelweide, feel in his style the two preceding earthly lives: feel too, his restless life. It is extraordinarily reminiscent of that life which dawns upon one who spends much of his time with the dead, when many destinies are unburdened in the soul. For such indeed was the case with an embalmer of mummies.

August Strindberg and the Pricey Grey Tank Top: We Tend To Desire the  Desired — Jim Carroll's Blog

Now we go on. — My further researches into this karmic chain led me at length into the same room where I had visited my old acquaintance, whom I had recognised as an Egyptian mummy. And now I perceived that this very mummy had been embalmed by the other man whom I now met in his room. The whole line of research led me back to this same room. In effect, I found the soul who had passed through the servant of the old Egyptian embalmer, through Titus Livius, through Walther von der Vogelweide (the most celebrated of the Middle High German lyric poets) — I found him again in the doctor of our time, in Ludwig Schleich.(a German surgeon,writer philosopher, poet & painter)

Thus astonishingly do the connections in life appear. Who, with the ordinary consciousness alone, can understand an earthly life? It can only be understood when we know what is there in the foundations of a soul. Theoretically, many people know that deep in the foundations of the soul there are the layers of successive earthly lives. But it becomes real and concrete only when we behold it in a specific instance.

August Strindberg, celestograph, 1894. Courtesy Royal Library, Stockholm.

Then inner vision was directed out of this room once more. (For in the case of the other man, who had been mummified by this one, I was led to no more clues — at any rate to no important ones.) On the other hand I now perceived the further soul-pilgrimage of the old chieftain, of Julia, of the discoverer of Laurin’s Castle. For he came back to earth as August Strindberg.

Now I would like you to take the whole life and literary work of August Strindberg and set it against the background which I have just described. See the peculiar misogyny of Strindberg, which is no true misogyny, but proceeds from quite different foundations. Look, too, at all the strange daemonic elements that occur in his works. See his peculiar attraction to all manner of alchemistic and occult arts and artifices. And at length, look at the adventurous life of August Strindberg. You will find how well it stands out against the background which I have described.

Self-Portrait - August Strindberg as art print or hand painted oil.

Then read the Memoirs of Ludwig Schleich, his relations to August Strindberg, and you will see how all this arises once more against the background of their former earthly lives. Indeed, from the Memoirs of Ludwig Schleich a very remarkable light may suddenly arise, a light truly astonishing. For the man in whose company I first met Ludwig Schleich — the man of whom I said that in his ancient Egyptian life he was mummified by Schleich — it is he of whom Schleich himself tells in his Memoirs that he led him to Strindberg. In a past life, Strindberg and Schleich had worked together upon the corpse. And the soul who dwelt in that body, led them together again.

Absinthe.se - August Strindberg and absinthe, 1849-1912

Thus, all that we have to explain to begin with about repeated earthly lives and the karmic connections in general, becomes real and concrete. Only then do the facts that appear in earthly life become transparent. A single human life on earth is an entire mystery. What else can it be, until seen against the background of the former lives on earth? ~Rudolf Steiner http://wn.rsarchive.org/Lectures/GA238/English/APC1957/19240907p01.html#sthash.phuf3nNA.dpuf

Holy Grail - Wikipedia

Sangraal: A Pentecost Pilgrimage & Whitsun Festival with the Central Regional Council an experiential ‘Pageant’ written by Hazel Archer, taking us on a Quest from The Cauldron of Ceridwen, to The Holy Grail, & into The Sacred Vessel of the Sophia.

with Special Guests: Mary Mertz, Camille VettrainoEurythmy with Elizabeth Carlson, & Music with Ultra-Violet Archer

Join us on Whitsunday 23 May 2021, at 11 am PT / 12 noon MT / 1 pm – 2:30 pm CT / 2 pm ET / 8 pm CET

Join Zoom Meeting https://us02web.zoom.us/j/81181550712 Meeting ID: 811 8155 0712

Dial by your location  
Meeting ID: 811 8155 0712
Find your local number: https://us02web.zoom.us/u/kBw1EgrIR

Eurythmy — Developing the Self - Developing the World
Renol Banktard

Bio – Elizabeth Carlson – I was born and grew up in upstate [Woodstock] New York. I completed the eurythmy training at Eurythmy School Zuccoli in Dornach, age 24, and studied again later at Eurythmeum Stuttgart for two years. I have worked in Waldorf education since, in eurythmy, (in USA, SA and UK) for 16 yrs, in Early Years for five years, and intermittently in care for the elderly and learning disabled. I completed an MA in eurythmy (education) with Alanus University (Germany, but in the UK)  in 2016. I have lived in the UK, presently in Cardiff, Wales, since 1992. My son is 26.

Music by Ultra-Violet Archer – Here’s her solo stuff https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCkdsh6zXYxE74LLlDiBE3uQ

https://ultravioletarcher.bandcamp.com/track/when-my-wings-dry

The discography https://soundcloud.com/ultra-violet-archer

Bandcamp has all the lyrics & you can ‘buy’ the album to show support for ‘In Case of Emergence’ by ‘Circles Edge’ her new band with Morgan Vallet

https://circlesedge.bandcamp.com/album/in-case-of-emergence

Ayse Domeniconi

After working with Karma & Reincarnation for 3 years the CRC has chosen a new Theme: ‘The Mysteries of the Holy Grail, from Arthur and Parzival to Modern Initiation’

The Mysteries of the Holy Grail: From Arthur and Parzival to Modern  Initiation: Steiner, Rudolf, Barton, Matthew: 9781855842342: Amazon.com:  Books

You are also invited to get the Book & Join us for study sessions through out the year as well. contact Alberto Loya aloyavaca@utexas.edu for more info.

Self to Self

yep you can listen to the podcast too on ‘I Think Speech

Greetings dear friends on this the actual Astrological Cross-Quarter Day – Traditionally when the Sun hits 15 degrees of Taurus.

Bringing us Blessings of: Affinity, Alliance, Bonding, Betrothal, Communion, Concord, Conjoined, Connection, Entwined, Intimacy, Intended, Interwoven, Intertwined, Integral, Link, Matrimony, Mutuality, Nexus, Nuptial, Organic, Partnership, Relationship, Unbroken, Wedded state of bliss…

The Beauty of Marriage in the Church's Tradition - St. John Vianney  Theological Seminary
John Vianney

Can you hear the Wedding Bells…Calling you to Your Sacred Wedding Party – Where You marry You…Come on, Say I do…

Breathe in, filling the life-force deep inside yourself, connecting with the life-force, all around you…& breathe out, letting your attention soar. Breathing in, feeling that life-force flowing thru your blood, & out, letting your attention sharpen, as you relax. Breathing in that deep connection to life-force, out & letting your attention expand, opening, & wandering.

Let your union ripen
Let your union deepen

Sacred Grove Painting by Brent Borup
Brent Barup

In your mind’s eye, can you see before you a sacred grove, a place of verdant life-force, in spring bloom? Can you feel that grove calling to you, life-force to life-force, drawing you deeper into the heart of the grove? Can you open your senses, letting the sights, sounds, & scent of your grove wash over you? Can you reach out & touch the plants, filled with life-force, how do they feel? Can you feel the ground beneath your feet? Are there animals here, making noises? What is the color of their sound? Can you see with your ears? Taste with your eyes? Do you feel called to let your body move with the life-force of this place? How does this movement manifest within you?

Through union we awaken
Through union we are brazen

And that life-force, that seed of life-force inside you, is it drawn to a plant, a bush, or a tree, & can you see a fruit so filled with the seeds of life-force that it calls to you, calls to the life-force
flowing through your blood? Your life-force to its life-force. If you feel called, if you dare, can you pluck that ripe fruit, take it in your hand, savoring its texture, its aroma, &, if you will, will you take a bite of its rich life-force, the seeds & flesh of its life-force joining your life-force, as your attention expands further, to a place of unity with pure life-force energy.

In union we take action
In union our heart is open

The Enduring Appeal of Frida Kahlo | by Jessica Toale | Medium
Frida Kalho

And in this place of unity, what if you could marry yourself?

How does life-force flow within you? What parts of yourself would you wed to yourself? What are your strengths & gifts? Who are your allies, what are your tools? Where are your shadows, the parts of you that needing polishing? How can you stand complete & whole unto yourself,
knowing yourself in all your parts? Is there a gesture, a motion, a movement that can integrate self to self, can you let that flow thru your body?

TARA FLORES, ENERGY PURIFICATION FOR HIGHER CONSCIOUSNESS (APOPHYLLITE) —  J. Rinehart Gallery
Tara Flores

How can you create a life,
that celebrates the life-force as an integrated Web of Energy
integrated & whole…
In the harmony of the elements balanced & blessed…
How can you use this season of fertile gifts to become
more integrated & whole…?

Your personal alchemical marriage-
Takes courage, knowledge, & voyage…
The Self an integration of life’s message

Community | Elegant Themes Blog

And in this place of unity, what if you could marry your community?

What communities are you a part of? Call them back. Call back how they feed you, how you feed them. How does life-force flow & move in exchange between self & community? Call back how they serve you, call back how they don’t serve you. With what tools, with what allies can you serve & heal community? Where is the light, & where is the shadow? How can you wed your community with love beyond all reason? Is there a gesture, a motion, a movement that can integrate self to community, can you let that flow thruyour body?

Andrew Mazorol and Tynan Kerr – BOOOOOOOM! – CREATE * INSPIRE * COMMUNITY *  ART * DESIGN * MUSIC * FILM * PHOTO * PROJECTS
Andrew Marolzel

What do you want to wed
What do you want to shed
What will you grow in your seedbed
What are your marriage vows
What are your not alloweds
What power will your wedding arouse

Planets & Galaxy DIY Painting Kit – Paint by Diamonds

And in this place of unity, what if you could marry the universe?

How do you live in relationship with the world? In relationship with the sum of all the communities, all the animals, all the plants, all the rocks & stones & bones of our ancestors? How can you live in sacred marriage with the world? Life-force to life-force, all connected,
married, in a circle of life feeding life, life-force feeding life-force. How can you nurture & heal the universe as the universe nurtures & holds you? Is there a gesture, a motion, a movement that can integrate self to universe, can you let that flow thru your body?

Why Get Married? - Is marriage worth the sacrifice? - Marriage
Beth Merkel

What mystery is unfolding in the heart-fires we are holding
In our hand we our molding a new destiny

Imagine building a nurturing matrix
In the heart of a rising phoenix
A mystic union stronger then steel & bricks
a marriage of ethics & frolics…

Why Get Married? - Is marriage worth the sacrifice? - Marriage
Kenneth Yung

We are here, in a place of unity, of sacred marriage, self to self, self to community, self to universe, the union of all, of the elements, of life-force itself. Can you let that union, that sacred marriage flow thru your body, in gesture, movement, dance, & song?

One self in union with oneself
One unity together in community
One world united in myself

SoLoGaMy..would you marry yourself..? | Toluna
Kay Toluna

Do you take your Self to be your True Authentic Self…in the presence of the Divine & in the witness of this community, do you promise to love yourself with an affirming devotion. Care for yourself with tenderness, seek to strengthen yourself, comfort & encourage yourself…To share the good times & hard times, integrated & whole…To make your heart a sanctuary of warmth & peace… integrated & whole…if you do, let your heart say, I do…& be integrated & whole… May this community of faith witness this sacred attunement…integrated & whole…

Beltane Painting by Aidao Art
Yen Shaer

And, in your own time, when you feel called, you can walk outside, stepping between the Beltane fires, consecrating that sacred marriage of self to self, self to universe, life-force to life-force.

Let the sacred Love Dance of the Divine within begin…Let the Wedding of Heaven & Earth, the Bridal feast of the True Authentic Self begin…Let the organic betrothal with Mother Earth, in wedded bliss, begin…

Nancy Rourke Paintings — Deaf Culture: Unity of Global Signing
Nancy Rourke

Self to Self…
Parts Become One…
Earth to Sky & Moon to Sun…
1st fruits
Bless this Union
Celebrate the Gifts that come

I love you
~hag

7 May 2021 – “Speaking with the Stars”: This week, greet Mercury and Venus low in the northwest in the fading afterglow of sunset. You may first spot Venus, then as the sky darkens Mercury will come into view. ~Sky&Telescope

Living into the Spheres of Cosmic Life and Cosmic Light: 
Easter, Ascension, Whitsun 
in the Calendar of the Soul  with Luigi Morelli,
Hazel Archer 
and Geoff Norris – Zoom Host Frank Agrama

13 May 2021 Ascension Thursday 5- 6:30pm PT / 6-7:30 pm MT / 7 pm – 8:30 pm CT / 8-9:30 pm ET / 1 am – 2:30 am GMT / 2 am – 3:30 am CET

Join Zoom meeting: https://zoom.us/j/7052931041?pwd=TStPVnpFRzlwZ0NpRURBZDNyYnpBQT09 

Meeting ID: 705 293 1041 – Passcode: Ascension

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

Welcome – Frank Agrama

Ascension Verse #6 – Geoff Norris

The Secret Teachings, The Elementals, & The Etheric Christ – Hazel Archer

Calendar of the Soul – Luigi Morelli

For those who are familiar with the Calendar of the Soul we could say that during spring and summer we follow the ascent of cosmic life, cosmic light, cosmic warmth and cosmic Word as gifts bestowed upon the human being by the cosmos. By being receptive to them we strengthen our connection to cosmos and Self.

We will briefly explore the dynamics of the year, then look at what qualities of soul we need to develop as we move into spring and summer, most particularly from Easter to Ascension and Whitsun. We will look at the verses of the calendar in conjunction with the artistic renditions of Anne Stockton and Karl König, drawn for each of the verses.

We will ask ourselves: How can we live into and grow from this time of the year? How can we deepen our inner relationship to the event of Ascension? What can we receive and what can we give?

Break-out Groups

Group Speech Work with Geoff Norris

Angels, in the early morning
May be seen the Dews among,
Stooping — plucking — smiling — flying —
Do the Buds to them belong?”

~Emily Dickenson

Closing Thoughts – Hazel Archer

Donations Welcome http://donate.rschicago.org/
 
For more info. contact Festivals and Cultural Events Coordinator Hazel Archer-Ginsberg hag@rschicago.org

Attaining Imagination and the Life of Owen Barfield

BIO Luigi Morelli. Cultures have been a great part of my upbringing, since I’m American born, part Italian, part Peruvian, mostly grew up in Belgium, and have lived the longest in the US. I have long had a passion for social change from a cultural perspective. Professionally this has brought me to working with the developmentally disabled in the intentional, holistic, communities of Camphill International and L’Arche International, and also in the mainstream. Being a founding member of the Wavecrest L’Arche Community in Los Angeles was a memorable experience. I have lived in intentional cohousing for the last ten years; first in Ecovillage Ithaca, now at Headwaters Cohousing in Cabot, in both places actively involved in community building and process facilitation.
 
Since 1999 I have found a vocation in researching/writing both about American history and/or about cultural/spiritual change, which you can find at www.millenniumculmination.net. Only of late have I started writing on meditative material I have used for years, publishing an essay on the Foundation Stone Meditation (also onsite) and one upcoming on the Calendar of the Soul. I love outdoors in many forms, gardening, hiking, skiing, love singing and playing flute, and enjoy most kinds of social events.



BIO Geffery Norris was born in Durban, South Africa on 07/09/1951. After extensive performing with the Rock Musical “Hair “in Southern Africa, Portugal and Spain in the early 70’s he continued his theatrical training at the London School of Speech Formation and Dramatic Art, graduating in 1978. He is an actor, storyteller and teacher of voice, movement and drama and has given courses and workshops worldwide integrating the approaches of Rudolf Steiner, Michael Chekhov, Viola Spolin (and others, his own included).and has performed extensively throughout Britain, Eire, Continental Europe, Scandinavia, Israel, Southern Africa, The United States, Canada, China, Taiwan, Japan, and New Zealand. He is a master teacher of Steiner Speech Drama and Movement, with over 46 years of experience in the field. www.speechanddramastudio.com
 
Norris’s “Noble Art of the Word” puts to shame our modern actors, who fear to bring colour to poetic, rhythmic language, making it monochromatic dull prose. May they learn from one of the best examples. ~Theatre Critic – Olsztyn


Hazel Archer-Ginsberg – Founder of Reverse Ritual: Understanding Anthroposophy through the Rhythms of the Year & the ‘I Think Speech’ Podcast. Trans-denominational Minister, Essayist, Lecturer, Poet, Anthroposopher – working as the Festivals Coordinator of the Chicago Rudolf Steiner Branch, & the Central Regional Council of the Anthroposophical Society. Past Video Recordings

Holy Grail - Wikipedia

Sangraal: A Pentecost Pilgrimage & Whitsun Festival with the Central Regional Council an experiential ‘Pageant’ written by Hazel Archer, taking us on a Quest from The Cauldron of Ceridwen, to The Holy Grail, & into The Sacred Vessel of the Sophia.

with Special Guests: Mary Mertz, Camille VettrainoEurythmy with Elizabeth Carlson, & Music with Ultra-Violet Archer

Join us on Whitsunday 23 May 2021, at 11 am PT / 12 noon MT / 1 pm – 2:30 pm CT / 2 pm ET / 8 pm CET

Join Zoom Meeting https://us02web.zoom.us/j/81181550712 Meeting ID: 811 8155 0712

Dial by your location  
Meeting ID: 811 8155 0712
Find your local number: https://us02web.zoom.us/u/kBw1EgrIR

Eurythmy — Developing the Self - Developing the World
Renol Banktard

Bio – Elizabeth Carlson – I was born and grew up in upstate [Woodstock] New York. I completed the eurythmy training at Eurythmy School Zuccoli in Dornach, age 24, and studied again later at Eurythmeum Stuttgart for two years. I have worked in Waldorf education since, in eurythmy, (in USA, SA and UK) for 16 yrs, in Early Years for five years, and intermittently in care for the elderly and learning disabled. I completed an MA in eurythmy (education) with Alanus University (Germany, but in the UK)  in 2016. I have lived in the UK, presently in Cardiff, Wales, since 1992. My son is 26.

Music by Ultra-Violet Archer – Here’s her solo stuff https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCkdsh6zXYxE74LLlDiBE3uQ

https://ultravioletarcher.bandcamp.com/track/when-my-wings-dry

The discography https://soundcloud.com/ultra-violet-archer

Bandcamp has all the lyrics & you can ‘buy’ the album to show support for ‘In Case of Emergence’ by ‘Circles Edge’ her new band with Morgan Vallet

https://circlesedge.bandcamp.com/album/in-case-of-emergence

Ayse Domeniconi

After working with Karma & Reincarnation for 3 years the CRC has chosen a new Theme: ‘The Mysteries of the Holy Grail, from Arthur and Parzival to Modern Initiation’

The Mysteries of the Holy Grail: From Arthur and Parzival to Modern  Initiation: Steiner, Rudolf, Barton, Matthew: 9781855842342: Amazon.com:  Books

You are also invited to get the Book & Join us for study sessions through out the year as well. contact Alberto Loya aloyavaca@utexas.edu for more info.

Visonary

Girl and Universe Creative Connection Urban Drawing by Julia Woodman
Julie Woo

‘I Think Speech’ podcast for today

Dear Friends- The universe is eternally creative. Something is always coming into being, or transforming into something else. To awaken to this process makes us co-creators. We become a willing accomplice – for our attention & intention sets up a radiating frequency that morphs matter. Don’t underestimate the vibration of Devotion. And if this Hope & Faith is backed by Love, it is never blind – it’s visionary.

Angel Art Print Poster Wall Art Wall Decor Guardian | Etsy
Marino Petro

Many times when talking about destiny or fate, Rudolf Steiner reminds us that ‘miracles are never-not-happening’. Our angels are ever working, whether we are aware of it or not, to help guide & protect us. Just imagine how much more effective we can be if we are consciously working with them?

How One Tiny Change Completely Ruined The Wizard Of Oz | Cracked.com

If we make the connections & see the workings of the wizard behind the curtain, the wizard of our higher-self, what might appear broken is already programmed for repair.

National Tourist Routes Project in Norway: Architecture and Artworks for  Resting, Recollecting, and Reflecting - ONCURATING
Devan Newendlan

Throw trust into the eternal handiwork of the infinitely creative process of evolution, & watch how what appears to be a road block shapeshifts into a more scenic drive, leading into opportunity.

Cocoon - Large Oil paintings by June Li — juneliart
June Li

And guess what? As cliche as it is true: There’s no time like the present – Because: It’s caterpillar season folks. What happens inside a chrysalis or cocoon? Well first, the caterpillar digests itself, releasing enzymes to dissolve all of its tissues. Go ahead – disintegrate into an “imaginal soup” knowing that you will emerge as the butterfly. Marianne Williamson, who I still visualize as the perfect president, said: “Only infinite patience produces immediate results.”

Scenic Route, Davey Barnwell – JIGGY Puzzles
Davey Barnwell

So let’s be the process, expecting nothing less than the daily magnificence of tiny miracles, which we can recognize, rise to meet & manifest.

See you on the high road

~hag

6 May 2021 – “Speaking with the Stars”: Tonight, find the Hunting Dogs. The constellation Leo the Lion stands high in the southern sky, while the upside-down Big Dipper is high in the north. Notice the Big Dipper and Leo. You can use them to star-hop to to the constellation Canes Venatici, the Hunting Dogs.

Many people know how to find Polaris, the North Star, by drawing a line through the Big Dipper pointer stars, Dubhe and Merak. You can also find Leo by drawing a line through these same pointer stars, but in the opposite direction.

Extend a line from the star Alkaid in the Big Dipper to the star Denebola in Leo. One-third the way along this line, you’ll see Cor Caroli, Canes Venatici’s brightest star ~EarthSky.org

Irene Hardwicke Olivieri Artist Interview | Scribble08 by Mark Murphy |  Art, Art block, Artist
Irene Wardwicke

Rudolf Steiner’s Lectures on this day (so thankful for rsarchive.org/)

ON THIS DAY IN HISTORY (From the Calendar of the Soul by Rudolf Steiner & Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia)

spiritual world wide web
Meagan O’ Santter

“What is to be the starting force & impulse for events in social & ethical life must come out of the spiritual world.” Rudolf Steiner, New Spiritual Impulses in History” Dornach 16 December, 1917

John: the Beloved Disciple | The Brothers of Saint John

Birthday of St. John, the disciple whom Jesus loved. Thru the research of Rudolf Steiner (GA 93, 264, 265) we hear of this individuality in other lives as: Hiram, Lazarus, Christian Rosenkreutz, St. Germain.

Muawiyah Caliph

680 Death-day of Muawiyah Caliph. The meaning of Muawiyah in Arabic is “young fox”. Muawiyah worked as a scribe for Muhammad. The story goes: He had a pen behind his ear which he had not used. The Prophet said, ‘What is this on your ear?’ He said, ‘A pen which I have made ready for Allah & His Messenger.’ The Prophet said. ‘May Allah repay you well on behalf of your Prophet! By Allah, I will only ask you to write down revelation from heaven.”

In 639, Muawiyah was appointed as the governor of Syria. Under his governance the Syrian army became a major military force. Muawiya was one of the first to realize the full importance of having a navy. During his naval expeditions he took Rhodes & later Cyprus; then shifted his focus back towards Constantinople, & Anatolia. By his creation of a fleet, Muawiyah was the driving force of the Muslim effort against Byzantium. His navy raided the Byzantine islands & coasts at will. The shocking defeat of the imperial fleet by the young Muslim navy at the Battle of the Masts in 655 was of critical turning point. It opened up the Mediterranean, considered a “Roman lake”, & began a centuries-long series of naval conflicts over the control of the Mediterranean. This also allowed the expansion of the state into Africa & Spain. Trade between the Muslim eastern & southern shores & the Christian northern shores almost ceased during this period, isolating Western Europe from developments in the Muslim world. Muawiyah was crowned as caliph at a ceremony in Jerusalem in 661.

We learn from Karmic Relationships Vol. 7 lecture 6 that he was reincarnated as Woodrow Wilson.

1871 – Birthday of Christian Morgenstern, was a member of the General Anthroposophical Society. Dr. Rudolf Steiner called him ‘a true representative of Anthroposophy’. In 1881 his mother Charlotte died of a lung disease which he inherited from her and which was to overshadow his life with a long series of sanatorium stays. Morgenstern was a German author & poet from Munich. He worked for a while as a journalist in Berlin, but spent much of his life traveling through Germany, Switzerland, & Italy, primarily in a vain attempt to recover his health. His travels, though they failed to restore him to health, allowed him to meet many of the foremost literary & philosophical figures of his time in central Europe.

In January 1909 he met Rudolf Steiner , with whom he became a close friend, and in the same year he joined the German section of the Theosophical Society led by him. When this organization was split up in 1912/1913, he stayed on Steiner’s side and became a member of the Anthroposophical Society.

In Phanta's castle

Morgenstern’s comical poetry still inspires today. Morgenstern unfolds his amiable, but sometimes also shrewd language wit especially in the poetry collection Galgenlieder: “How the toad sings so foolishly in the nearby reed!” His best-known poem is The Impossible Fact . The conclusion became a catchphrase: “[…] because, he concludes with razor-sharpness, what cannot be cannot be.” In “Scholastikerprobleme” he discussed how many angels could sit on a needle. Many Germans know some of his poems & quotations by heart.

• “I shall excavate the strata of my soul.”
• “I’m a man of limits: forever physically, emotionally, morally and artistically on the brink of plunging into the abyss. Yet I manage to keep my balance and possess presence of mind.”
• “I bear no treasures within me. I only possess the power to transform much of what I touch into something of value. I have no depths, save my incessant desire for the depths.”

Morgenstern’s poems have been set to music by many composers

Christian Morgenstern was also an acclaimed translator, rendering into German various prominent works from Norwegian and French, including the dramas and poems of Henrik Ibsen, Knut Hamsun, Bjørnstjerne Bjørnson & August Strindberg. He died of tuberculosis.

Full Moon Paintings-Night Sky In Oil And Watercolor • ArtistAnne
Anne Nordhouse-Bilke

Moonrise
In the tops of the forest,
the rigid and black
in the pale twilight sky
ghosts,
hangs a big one
shiny soap bubble.

It is slowly loosening
from the branches
and floats up
in the ether.

Down in the thicket
lies Pan,
in the mouth
a long reed,
there is still the foam on it
of the nearby pond
encrusted shimmers.

He blew bubbles,
the cheerful god:
but most of them
planted him treacherously.


Just one
held up bravely
and flew out
from the crowns.

There she drifts shimmering
carried by the wind,
across the country.
Rises higher and higher
the fragile ball.

But Pan looks
with a pounding heart –
restrained breath –
after her.

~Christian Morgenstern

Living into the Spheres of Cosmic Life and Cosmic Light: Easter, Ascension, Whitsun in the Calendar of the Soul  with Luigi Morelli, Hazel Archer and Geoff Norris – Zoom Host Frank Agrama

13 May 2021 Ascension Thursday 5- 6:30pm PT / 6-7:30 pm MT / 7 pm – 8:30 pm CT / 8-9:30 pm ET / 1 am – 2:30 am GMT / 2 am – 3:30 am CET

Join Zoom meeting: https://zoom.us/j/7052931041?pwd=TStPVnpFRzlwZ0NpRURBZDNyYnpBQT09 

Meeting ID: 705 293 1041 – Passcode: Ascension

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

Welcome – Frank Agrama

Verse #6 – Geoff Norris

Ascension: The Secret Teachings, The Elementals, & The Etheric Christ – Hazel Archer

Calendar of the Soul – Luigi Morelli

For those who are familiar with the Calendar of the Soul we could say that during spring and summer we follow the ascent of cosmic life, cosmic light, cosmic warmth and cosmic Word as gifts bestowed upon the human being by the cosmos. By being receptive to them we strengthen our connection to cosmos and Self.

We will briefly explore the dynamics of the year, then look at what qualities of soul we need to develop as we move into spring and summer, most particularly from Easter to Ascension and Whitsun. We will look at the verses of the calendar in conjunction with the artistic renditions of Anne Stockton and Karl König, drawn for each of the verses.

We will ask ourselves: How can we live into and grow from this time of the year? How can we deepen our inner relationship to the event of Ascension? What can we receive and what can we give?

Break-out Groups

Group Speech Work with Geoff Norris

Angels, in the early morning
May be seen the Dews among,
Stooping — plucking — smiling — flying —
Do the Buds to them belong?”

~Emily Dickenson

Closing Thoughts – Hazel Archer

***

Holy Grail - Wikipedia

Sangraal: A Pentecost Pilgrimage & Whitsun Festival with the Central Regional Council an experiential ‘Pageant’ written by Hazel Archer, taking us on a Quest from The Cauldron of Ceridwen, to The Holy Grail, & into The Sacred Vessel of the Sophia.

with Special Guests: Eurythmist Elizabeth Carlson, & Music with Ultra-Violet Archer & Lucien Dante Lazar

Join us on Whitsunday 23 May 2021, at 11 am PT / 12 noon MT / 1 pm – 2:30 pm CT / 2 pm ET / 8 pm CET

Join Zoom Meeting https://us02web.zoom.us/j/81181550712 Meeting ID: 811 8155 0712

Dial by your location  
Meeting ID: 811 8155 0712
Find your local number: https://us02web.zoom.us/u/kBw1EgrIR

Eurythmy — Developing the Self - Developing the World
Renol Banktard

Bio – Elizabeth Carlson – I was born and grew up in upstate [Woodstock] New York. I completed the eurythmy training at Eurythmy School Zuccoli in Dornach, age 24, and studied again later at Eurythmeum Stuttgart for two years. I have worked in Waldorf education since, in eurythmy, (in USA, SA and UK) for 16 yrs, in Early Years for five years, and intermittently in care for the elderly and learning disabled. I completed an MA in eurythmy (education) with Alanus University (Germany, but in the UK)  in 2016. I have lived in the UK, presently in Cardiff, Wales, since 1992. My son is 26.

Music by Ultra-Violet Archer – Here’s her solo stuff https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCkdsh6zXYxE74LLlDiBE3uQ

https://ultravioletarcher.bandcamp.com/track/when-my-wings-dry

The discography https://soundcloud.com/ultra-violet-archer

Bandcamp has all the lyrics & you can ‘buy’ the album to show support for ‘In Case of Emergence’ by ‘Circles Edge’ her new band with her boyfriend Morgan Vallet https://circlesedge.bandcamp.com/album/in-case-of-emergence

Ayse Domeniconi

After working with Karma & Reincarnation for 3 years the CRC has chosen a new Theme: ‘The Mysteries of the Holy Grail, from Arthur and Parzival to Modern Initiation’

The Mysteries of the Holy Grail: From Arthur and Parzival to Modern  Initiation: Steiner, Rudolf, Barton, Matthew: 9781855842342: Amazon.com:  Books

You are also invited to get the Book & Join us for study sessions through out the year as well. contact Alberto Loya aloyavaca@utexas.edu for more info.