28-29 February 2020 – “Speaking with the Stars”: Tonight at twilight, Bella Luna in her waxing crescent phase forms a triangle with Venus the Goddess of Love, & the brightest stars of Aries. Then later when the rest of the stars come out, look above the Moon to see the 7 Sisters of the Pleiades. Helping to guide you, will be orange Aldebaran.
Tomorrow dear friends, we get a
bonus day – What will you do with it?
Saturday, 29 February 2020 is leap day, that calendar oddity that occurs (almost) every four years. For centuries, attempts to sync up with the length of the natural year have sowed chaos—until the concept of leap year provided a way to make up for lost time. Human beings have struggled to align civil, religious, & agricultural calendars with the solar year, so adding a ‘leap year’ solved the problem—although just for the next 3,300 years.
The solar year is approximately 365.2422 days long. No calendar day can match that number, & simply ignoring the seemingly small fraction creates a much bigger problem done the line.
In the past we human beings organized our lives in accordance with what we observed in the skies, this is the principle behind Sidereal astrology. For instance, ancient Egyptians planted their crops each year on the day when Sirius appeared. Ancient Greece & Rome also relied on the positions of the stars to anchor Festivals & other events in time.
Early Egyptians (prior to about 3100 B.C.) & other societies from China to Rome once used lunar calendars to track time. But lunar months average 29.5 days & so the year only adds up to about 354. So societies that kept lunar time quickly drifted well out of sync with the seasons due to the 11-day lag.
Other ancient calendars, like the Sumerians, dating to around 5,000 years
ago, simply divided the year into 12 months of 30 days each. Their 360-day year
was nearly a week shorter than our annual journey around the sun. The practice
of adding extra days to the year is at least as old as these systems.
When the Egyptians adopted this calendar they were aware that there was a problem – but they solved it by adding in an extra five days of partying – in the form of festivals, at the end of the year.
Religious leaders expected feast days to align with certain seasons & lunar phases. That’s why most of the modern world has adopted the Gregorian calendar & its leap year system to allow days & months to stay in step with the seasons.
By the time Julius Caesar enjoyed his famed affair with Cleopatra, Rome’s
lunar calendar had diverged from the seasons by some three months—despite
efforts to tweak it by irregularly adding days or months to the year.
To restore order, Caesar looked to Egypt’s 365-day year, which as early as the third-century B.C. had established the utility of a leap-year system to correct the calendar every four years.
Caesar adopted the system by decreeing a single, 445-day-long Year of
Confusion (46 B.C.) to correct the long years of drift in one go. He then
mandated a 365.25 day year that simply added a leap day every fourth year.
But even this system was flawed, because the quarter of a day that leap
year adds annually is a bit longer than the solar year’s leftover 0.242 day.
That made the calendar year some 11 minutes shorter than its solar counterpart,
so the two diverged by an entire day every 128 years.
Between the time Caesar introduced the system & the 16th century, this small discrepancy had caused important dates, including the Christian holidays, to drift by some 10 days.
Pope Gregory XIII found the situation untenable, so his Gregorian calendar
was unveiled in 1582—after another drastic adoption of time-warp tactics.
Gregory reformed the calendar & they dropped ten days from the month
of October that year. Then they changed the leap day rules to correct the
problem.
Now leap years divisible by 100, like the year 1900, are skipped unless
they’re also divisible by 400, like the year 2000, in which case they’re
observed. Nobody alive remembers the last lost leap day, but dropping those
three leap days every 400 years keeps the calendar on time.
Even today, some calendars discount the leap year meant to keep us in time with our orbit, while others ignore the sun altogether.
The Islamic calendar is a lunar system that adds up to only 354 days &
shifts some 11 days from the Gregorian calendar each year—though a single leap
day is sometimes added.
And while China uses the Gregorian calendar for official purposes, a
traditional luni-solar calendar is still popular in everyday life. It follows
the phases of the moon & implements an entire leap month about once every
three years.
People can get used to any calendar system. But once they are used to it
what really seems to rile them up is when something is changed. This is why ‘daylight
saving time’ is so controversial.
The current Gregorian calendar system makes the fractional days of the solar year & leap year calendar nearly equal by occasionally skipping a leap day.
This system produces an average year length of 365.2425 days, just half a minute longer than the solar year. At such a rate it will take 3,300 years before the Gregorian calendar moves even a day from our seasonal cycle. That means future generations will eventually have a decision to make on leap year. So dear friends, 3,000 years from now, folks may need to decide to tweak it. We’ll just have to wait & see.
In the meantime, Leap Year has the potential to disrupt traditional gender roles. Leap day is a sort of ‘Sadie Hawkins day’ when women are encouraged to propose marriage!
Today 2-22-2020 on the 144th anniversary of Ita Wegman’s Birth* I wanted to offer this write-up on The Weekend Intensive for the School of Spiritual Science.
Kerry Bold
The timing of Valentine ’s Day weekend was perfect for my husband Chuck & I to get away. We have always loved the rhythm of the ‘Mid-Winter Break’ which is still part of us from our daughter’s Waldorf School days. But the snow fairies decided to give us a little storm, which wasn’t bad comparatively speaking for Chicago, yet had the effect of delaying our flight 5 hours.
Gino Ver Eecke as Beniedictus, Maria Ver Eecke as Lucifer in the Mystery Dramas
It all worked out, since I often like to come to an event the day before to get acclimatized, & the delay actually allowed Gino Ver Eecke, our host, to come pick us up. We made it into ‘Spring Valley’ just in time for Gino to dash off to the Three Fold Auditorium to help with the lights for the dress rehearsal of the ‘Festival for the Unborn’ which was performed on Saturday night. The cold had followed us from Chicago, but even though it was dark, I wanted to show Chuck a little of Spring Valley, which had been my home over my Mystery Drama years, so we bundled up & took a walk-about.
The next morning was Valentine’s Day. Gino had to work, but we had time to commune while he prepared elaborate meals for the day to accommodate his special diet meant to combat Lyme’s, which a lot of folks in the area have – fresh juices & smoothies & soup for the evening meal, before he left.
The wood burning stove made the house, decorated with the loving ascetic of eurythmist Maria Burbank Ver Eecke, warm & cozy. Chuck & I had a leisurely honeymoon morning, & then took another walk out in the cold sunshine to visit the ‘Hand & Hoe’ – the Fellowship Community’s organic cafe & hand-crafted merchandise emporium, selling goods from across the Threefold Community. It’s my favorite place to go on Friday’s as they serve a homemade pizza & soup lunch & sell organic products from the Pfeiffer Center’s biodynamic fields, as well as milk from their our own dairy! The store is stocked full of hand-dipped candles, books printed from Mercury Press, home-made bread, crystals, & more! I always end up buying a few gifts & books there. I picked up the ‘12 Moods’ by Rudolf Steiner, a hand knitted cap (I had forgot to bring one from home) & a beautiful hand crafted stained glass window piece for Gino & Maria.
Polly with her new stained glass, the 2 doggies are somewhere too
The greenhouse in the Pfeiffer garden already had kale & lettuces growing. We took refuge from the cold there, blessing the land, the bees & all who work so lovingly to redeem the earth.
Then off we went to pick up some food supplies at The Hungry Hollow Co-op established in 1973 as a buying club by parents at Green Meadow Waldorf School. The Co-op has the best fresh squeezed juice bar ever. It is a source for local Biodynamically grown produce, & strives to conduct business in an environmentally & socially responsible manner, which is evident in the pervasive mood of good will living in the folks there.
Anyone who has been to ‘Spring Valley’ knows it’s a magical mecca for Anthroposophia. For 1 thing, upstate NY is beautiful, the land rolls with hills & dales, flowing creeks thru the forest, the ethers verdant with elemental forces, dotted by powerful granite boulders churned up from the ice age glacier.
The Threefold community is home to a wide variety of initiatives rooted in the work of Rudolf Steiner. Chuck & I took advantage of our free day & explored everywhere, soaking up the spiritual striving that lives so strongly here.
That night Barbara Renold set a mood of urgent action with the opening words of welcome, reminding us that the School of Spiritual Science is the antidote for the adversarial powers that have such a grip on humanity at this time of the Consciousness Soul Age. We in the School have a great responsibility to work with this sanctified gift from the Being of Michael thru Rudolf Steiner. Barbara also acknowledged the important role that Ita Wegman played in the School.
This made me smile in grateful remembrance of my portrayal of Ita Wegman there at the Three Fold Auditorium. It was not long ago that Lemniscate Arts staged a reading of the new play called ‘Steiner’, featuring the 2 women closest to him. I could really feel the spiritual presence of these powerful individualities, Dr. Steiner, Marie Steiner von Sivers & Dr. Wegman, working from all worlds.
Class Lesson 1, was given by the formidable Dorothea Mier, the premier Eurythmy performer & teacher from Dornach. Dorothea took over the leadership of Eurythmy Spring Valley in 1980. Since 2006 she has stepped back as lead teacher, but still has her hands in everything. Our hostess Maria, one of her eurythmy students from way back, does a great imitation of Dorothea saying “I marvel at the Father”, which captured the beauty & reverence with which Dorothea had presented the lesson.
The next morning brought Herbert
Hagens to the podium with a free rendering of Class Lesson II, revealing
how working deeply with the Lessons can foster potent insights, connections
& patterns; a true process of initiation. We come to know the ‘Threshold’,
in Time, Space & through the heart – 3 ways that bring us to the same
Threshold, speaking from the past, present & future. Herbert pointed out
that there are 5 questions asked of us in the 1st tablet. He shared
with us the German work Stimmung = ‘tuning
in to a mood’, & said there are 4 moods in Lesson 2; with 3 warnings. He
named the 3 beasts as Ahriman, the Asuras & Sorat, which was intensely
unsettling yet truly eye-opening. But fear not, O human being, for at the end
we can find Love in the 2nd Hierarchy thru the rays of the Sun.
During the Lesson there
was a strange rather unnerving high pitched sound piercing the atmosphere,
which perfectly outpictured the forces of these beasts. It took a lot to
overcome what felt like a nail in the head. At the break it was good to find
out that I was not alone, others had heard it too, & that it was
remedied. So interesting since the night
before Herbert had mentioned how he always likes to get the same room at the
hotel because he is so sensitive to noise, hums & such.
There were about 60
participants, so we divided into 2 groups for our conversations, which were a
wonderful way to share thoughts, & experiences, as well as explore various
questions that were living in us.
Barbara Renold, lead us
in Speech, helped by a student from China, taking us thru 5 languages to work
with The Guardian’s Call: ‘O Human Being, Know Yourself’. We were asked to think about how we represent
Anthroposophy in the world. Can I be truly present? Not letting the beasts
interfere. Can I stand with, & as, the ‘Representative of Humanity’,
reflecting back what a human being can truly be? Is it my will to actively work
with the Being of Michael – “Who is like god’ – holding the countenance of
Christ, so that I can give this gift – this present to the world. What a joy to
embody the Logos with Barbara’s enthusiastic teaching.
Dorothea Mier took us on the stage to work thru experiencing the effects of the beasts in Eurythmy. What an honor to get a taste of her powerful instruction, which was profound & engaging.
There was a splendid exhibit by Anthro-Artist Larry Young at the Cafe, what a thrill!
Lunch at the Three Fold Café, was healthy, delicious & abundant. There was plenty of time to socialize, to meet new folks, & old friends, engaging in meaningful conversation. The weekend was set up wonderfully so that there was also ample time to just rest & digest all that we have taken in.
I had experienced a
powerful free rendering by Rudiger
Janisch at the last AGM in Atlanta. In this afternoon session, he again took
us deep & wide with Class Lesson III; writing on the board to give us a
good overview that showed how we can work with the mantras vertically &
horizontally, listening for instruction on what to do, developing a mood of
soul & the moral faculty that helps us find the rhythms, noting clues as to
the overcoming of these beasts. Things like heeding the headings, studying the architectural
motifs in the 1st Goetheanum showing The Guardian over the windows
& doors. He reminded us to approach these Lessons with the ‘Beginners Mind’,
so that we see the other for the 1st time without the prejudice of
memory. Be in the moment. Warm the thinking with feeling. Know that the other
is I. And re-member ‘Wisdom lives in the light’.
Another amazing meal at the Threefold Café, where Chuck got Dorothea to give us a glimpse into her biography by asking her how she came to eurythmy. What a powerful karmic tale!
The ‘Festival for the Unborn’ was a revelation, with offerings in Eurythmy, Spoken Word, a Lyre Ensemble, Cello performance, Speech Choir, & a few thoughts on embryology by Dr. Karnow. The Threefold Auditorium was packed. As the festival Coordinators, Melissa Lyons, who I lived with during my Mystery Drama visits, & Jennifer Kleinbach organized this amazing offering, with Melissa performing in the Eurythmy piece ‘Dance of Planets’ with the other eurythmists from the exceptional Festivals performing group. Jennifer directed the whole affair & shared her considerable talents as Speech artist & MC. Dorothea Mier did an amazing solo piece, opening us to the etheric realm, which poured forth from her every gesture. The poetry by Eve Olive, interspersed with the live music, the exquisite eurythmy & speech work, made the program into an invocation to the unborn, whose presence was palatable, creating in my imagination a picture of human souls listening & waiting at the rainbow bridge.
I have always coupled the Unborn with the so-called Dead, in my ‘All Souls’ Festivals, since for me the womb & the tomb are both portals to the spiritual world, the same Threshold seen from different angles. It was interesting to tease them apart. It created an intense concentration for me, pointing up what Steiner said about how those working with him would return after a very short time in the spiritual world, about 80 years. I have been living with this for some time. It is the impedance for my dedication to the Elderberries 3 Fold Initiative that we are working to give birth to in Chicago, which since our Michaelmas festival has linked up with the biodynamic famers. It really confirmed for me the responsibility we have as Anthroposophers to create the fertile foundations for the unborn to return, & how this relates to the sister movements like Waldorf education & biodynamics. And also how important it is to strive to know our own prenatal commitments, echoing the words of The Guardian, to Know Thy Self, which we heard throughout the weekend, so that we can make manifest the destiny we signed up for, remembering & implementing the blueprint we created with the highest spiritual beings before we came into this life.
The evening was resplendent, giving us the perfect impulse to take into our sleep. So potent in fact that I awoke in the middle of the night recalling the dreams I had about my daughter before she was born, which revealed her name to me.
Class Lesson IV was a sublime free rendering by Judith Brockway-Aventuro, which was clarifying & succinct. Through her blackboard work we saw the movement from the preceding Lessons & got perspectives in how we must: stand firm & feel what the depths of earth are asking of us; lovingly receive the warmth of the Sun to strengthen us for good works ; & how through bravery & grace we find our true humanity, by lifting our thoughts to the spiritual world.
At the break Herbert asked me to sit on the panel for the closing conversation. It was great to see folks head on & to share a few thoughts. This initiative will continue with 3 Lessons each, starting up again 6-8 November 2020, alternating & cycling thru with February dates in 2021 dates & beyond, as we approach the 100 year anniversary of the School for Spiritual Science, inaugurated after the re-founding of the Society with the movement at the Christmas Conference.
After many wonderful goodbyes, we took Maria & Gino out to a place called Bare Burger for a lovely organic lunch. What a joy to spend time with these 2 amazing human beings. We had Gino out to Chicago awhile back to give a lecture, & it is my hope that Maria will come, perhaps for the big Waldorf 100 here in June! She graciously drove us to the airport for an uneventful flight where we were able to begin digesting all that we had received.
Upon my return I dove
right into my next project: the
Easter-Tide Retreat: “Karma and Anthroposophic Psychology“, presented by the Central Regional Council and
the Association for Anthroposophic Psychology. I have just finished the epic ‘pageant’ – an inner initiation taking us
thru the ‘Harrowing of Hell’ on Holy Saturday, leading to the Alchemical
Marriage of The Sophia-Christos within, as part of this amazing Easter-Tide
Retreat…Come join us in Chicago…
1632 – Galileo’s Dialogue
Concerning the Two Chief World Systems is published.
1651 – St. Peter’s Flood: A storm surge floods the Frisian coast, drowning 15,000 people
1732 – Birthday of George Washington, American general & politician, 1st President of the United States
1788 – Birthday of Arthur Schopenhauer, German philosopher & author
1876 – Birthday of Ita Wegman, founder of Anthroposophical medicine & close collaborator of Rudolf Steiner. She also developed a special form of massage therapy, called rhythmical massage, & other therapeutic treatments.
Ita Wegman, as she was known throughout her life, was born as Maria Ita Wegman in Indonesia, the first child of a Dutch colonial family. Around the turn of the century, she returned to Europe (she had visited before) & studied therapeutic gymnastics & massage. In 1902, when she was 26, she met Rudolf Steiner for the first time. Five years later she began medical school at the University of Zurich, where women were not discriminated to study medicine. She was granted a diploma as a medical doctor in 1911 with a specialization in women’s medicine & joined an existing medical practice.
In 1917, having opened an independent practice, she developed a cancer treatment using an extract of mistletoe following indications from Steiner. This first remedy, which she called Iscar, was later developed into Iscador & has become an approved cancer treatment in Germany & a number of other countries.
By 1919 she had a joint practice together with two other doctors, also women. In 1920 she purchased land in Arlesheim, where she opened her own clinic, the Klinisch-Therapeutisches Institut, the first center for anthroposophical medicine. In 1922 she founded a therapeutic home for mentally handicapped children, Haus Sonnenhof, also in Arlesheim, & co-founded a pharmaceutical laboratory, Weleda, that has since grown into a significant producer of medicines & health-care products.
In the following year, Rudolf Steiner asked Wegman to join the Executive Council of the newly reformed Anthroposophical Society at the Goetheanum in Dornach, Switzerland. She also directed the Medical Section of the research center at the Goetheanum. Together, Wegman & Steiner wrote what was to be Steiner’s last book, Extending Practical Medicine, which gave a theoretical basis to the new medicine they were developing. The book was partly written while Wegman cared for Steiner, who was already terminally ill. Wegman founded a new medical journal, Natura, the following year.
In 1936, the clinic opened a second home in Ascona, Switzerland. Shortly thereafter, difficulties between Wegman & the rest of the Executive Council flared up, & Wegman was asked to leave the Council; in addition, she & a number of supporters had their membership in the Anthroposophical Society itself withdrawn. The medical work flourished, however, & Wegman travelled extensively in support of the rapidly growing movement to extend medicine’s limits; she was especially active in the Netherlands & England during this time. Wegman died in Arlesheim in 1943, at the age of 67.
Ita Wegman is a close collaborator of Rudolf Steiner thruout many incarnations including: Alexander the Great to Steiner’s Aristotle; Gilgamesh & Ebani… On the Work of the Archangel Michael by Ita Wegman
1943 – Deathday of 1943 – Hans & Sophie Scholl, German activists. Sophie a German student along with her brother Hans were anti-Nazi political activists, active within the White Rose non-violent resistance group in Nazi Germany. They were convicted of high treason after distributing anti-war leaflets at the University of Munich (LMU).
In the early summer of 1942, Scholl, his sister Sophie, Willi Graf, Kurt Huber, Christoph Probst, & Alexander Schmorell, co-authored 6 anti-Nazi Third Reich political resistance leaflets. Calling themselves the White Rose, they instructed Germans to practice nonviolent resistance against the Nazis. The group had been horrified by the behavior of some German soldiers on the Eastern Front, where they had witnessed cruelty towards Jews in Poland & Russia.
Hans & Sophie Scholl & Christopher Probst were beheaded by Johann Reichhart in Munich’s Stadelheim Prison. The execution was supervised by Dr. Walter Roemer, the enforcement chief of the Munich district court. Scholl’s last words were “Es lebe die Freiheit!” (“Long live freedom!”). Shortly thereafter, most of the other students involved were arrested & executed as well.
1932 – Birthday of Ted Kennedy, an American politician who served as a United States Senator from Massachusetts for over forty years from 1962 until his death in 2009. A member of the Democratic Party, he was the second most senior member of the Senate when he died & is the fourth-longest-continuously-serving senator in United States history, having served there for almost 47 years.
For many years, Ted Kennedy was the most prominent living member of the Kennedy family, & he was also the last surviving, longest-living, & youngest son of Joseph P. Kennedy, Sr. & Rose Kennedy. He was the youngest brother of John F. Kennedy—the 35th President of the United States—& Senator Robert F. Kennedy, both victims of assassination, & the father of Congressman Patrick J. Kennedy.
1997 – In Roslin, Midlothian, British scientists announce that an adult sheep named Dolly was successfully cloned.
***
Bel Osnat
POD (Poem Of the Day)
~Out of chaos came the light
Out of will came life…
~hag
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Ita Wegman – The Courage to Heal – A Circles of Renewal Initiative 7 pm – 8:30 pm Saturday 22 February 2020
Ita Wegman ~ The Courage to Heal 7 pm Saturday 22 February 2020 – on the anniversary of her birth in 1876 A Community conversation around: The history of the friendship between Ita Wegman & Rudolf Steiner – From Mesopotamia, ancient Greece, the Fire, the re-founding of the Society with the Movement, the Split – hatred in the world, the Reconciliation with Marie Steiner, Qualities of meeting the other, – 8thfold path revisited…
A Circles of Renewal – Biodynamic Outpost Initiative at Elderberries General Store 4251 N. Lincoln Ave. 60618
For more info. contact Frank Agrama 323-445-9615
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3-Fold Breakfast & Lunch Conversations
Every day there will be open conversations on 3-folding: 8am – 11am – Coffee, Tea & Oatmeal 2pm – 5pm – Soup Free Will Donation
A Circles of Renewal – Biodynamic Outpost Initiative at Elderberries General Store 4251 N. Lincoln Ave. 60618
And a study of the Agriculture lectures every Friday 7-8:30 pm
For more info. contact Frank Agrama 323-445-9615
***
KNOW THYSELF – Karma and Anthroposophic Psychology — an Easter-Tide Retreat 9 -12 April 2020,
A popular view of karma is cause and effect or tit-for-tat. Karma, however, is so much more complex, interesting, and important. The soul work of karma has to do with the unfolding of our individuality through the elements, through the ethers, and very much through relationships.
Rudolf Steiner named his core mission as bringing karma and reincarnation to the West; his teachings deserve interpretation and practical enlivening. The Central Regional Council has been exploring this theme for many months. Anthroposophic Psychology gives a unique contribution to the soul work of karma. For this conference the CRC is partnering with the Association for Anthroposophic Psychology (AAP of North America) to present ideas and experiences concerning karma—and how it impacts upon personal psychology.
Tentative Schedule
Thursday April 9
Noon: Registration & Group Lunch (provided)
2:00-3:15 Welcome and ArtActs (Interactive Artistic Activity)
3:30-5:30 Star Wisdom and Karma – David Tresemer, Ph.D.
5:30-7:00 Dinner (on your own)
7:00-9:00 (Evening Presentation) “The Karma Exercises” – Susan Overhauser, Ph.D.
Friday April 10
9-10:15 ArtActs
10:30-12:30 Living into Karma—through the Senses —James A. Dyson, MD.
12:30-2:00 Lunch (on your own)
2:00-3:15 ArtActs
3:30-5:30 How to Find the Self in a Sea of Karma – Roberta Nelson, Ph.D. This is part 1 of a deep inquiry into finding one’s self.
5:30-7:00 Group Dinner (provided)
7:00-9:00 Unfolding the Enigma of the Saturn path — James A. Dyson, MD.
Saturday April 11
9-10:15 ArtActs
10:30-12:30 How to Find the Self in a Sea of Karma – Roberta Nelson, Ph.D. This is part 2 of a deep inquiry into finding one’s self.
12:30-2:00 Lunch (on your own)
2:00-3:15 ArtActs
3:30-5:30 The Gesture of Karma – David Tresemer, Ph.D. Guest to this presentation will be Lisa Loving Dalton.
5:30-7:00 Group Dinner (provided)
7:00-9:00 PAGEANT: ‘Know Thyself’ by Hazel Archer-Ginsberg,
Sunday April 12
Easter SunriseSongtrail at the Lake with Marianne Fieber
At the Christian Community 2135 W. Wilson Ave · Chicago, Il 60625
9:30 Children’s Stories
10:00 Children’s Service
10:30 Adult Easter Service
11:30 Potluck Feast
12:30LEADING THOUGHTS: Christ as Lord of Karma—how do I access this in terms of my personal psychology? – James Dyson, MD.
1:30 Gatheringexperiences and reflections.
2:30 CRC business
3:00 Closing
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Sacred Gateway: Conscious Living, Conscious Dying, and the Journey Beyond April 16-19, 2020 in Detroit, MI.
The Sacred Gateway: Conscious Living, Conscious Dying, and the Journey Beyond 2020
04/16/2020 – 2:00 PM – 04/19/2020 -1:00 PM PT
Description
The Sacred Gateway: Conscious Living, Conscious Dying, and the Journey Beyond CLICK HERE TO REGISTER!
April 16 – 19, 2020 Detroit Waldorf School Detroit, MI
Bring a new consciousness to your own life and death
Support those who are crossing and who have crossed over
Expand your practice and knowledge of working with the dying
Through interactive workshops, triad sharing, keynote discussions with Rev. Patrick Kennedy, Sandra LaGrega and Jennifer Fox, Dr. Melinda Toney, and Hazel Archer-Ginsberg, and more, as well as experiential and artistic activities, we will consciously explore the spiritual and practical aspect of human life and death.
7pm Screening of a Will For The Woods Detroit Waldorf School Auditorium- Open to the public! $10 Suggested Donation
Friday, April 17
10:00-1:00p Registration Opens 10:00-12:00p Choose from two pre-conference activities at the Detroit Waldorf School
Exploring the Beauty of home funerals and green burial: Photo essay and Q&A with Merilynne Rush, MS, End-of-Life Doula Trainer and Home Funeral Guide (Open to the public. Donation accepted at the door)
The Story of Detroit: A Walking Songtrail (Meet in the school playground. Approx. two mile walk)
12:00p Bag Lunch (For Purchase) 1:00p Conference Opening 1:45-3:00p Keynote Discussion with Rev. Patrick Kennedy: Befriending Death 3:00-3:30p Break 3:30-5:00p Three-Day Themed Workshops (Chosen on site. Choose one theme and attend Friday, Saturday, and Sunday)
ALL WORKSHOPS CHOSEN ON SITE Fuller descriptions coming soon!
From Loss to Connection Through the Arts: Reading, Writing and Drawing with Marianne Dietzel and Maureen Flannery Together we will invite our loved ones across the threshold to join us in experiencing practices thet connect and heal. We will read to the dead, write prose and poetry, and draw from gestures of nature.
BIOGRAPHY: GIFTS OF REVIEWING LIFE AND CONNECTING TO LIFE AFTER DEATH Sandra LaGrega and Jennifer Fox
A HOME DEATH CARE STORY: CONSCIOUS DYING AND THE HOME VIGIL~BASED ON DYING OF WAYNE TONEY Dr. Melinda Toney, Carole Schoaf, and Katherine Blackburn
MULTI-CULTURAL APPROACHES: ANCIENT AND MODERN/ SACRED AND ESOTERIC: FESTIVALS FOR THE DEAD. THEN AND NOW. RENEW OR CREATE YOUR OWN TRADITION Hazel Archer-Ginsberg, Julia Torres and Guests
5:30-6:30 Choose: Eurythmy (Movement), Singing, or Poetry 6:30 Evening Appetizer Reception (Included in registration fee) 7:30-9:00 Evening Performance
Saturday April 18 – All workshops chosen on site/Saturday Lunch and Dinner for purchase
7:30-9:00 Evening Performance with Sarah Putnam: Little Gidding by TS Elliot followed by Memento Mori Ritual
Sunday, April 19 – All workshops chosen on site
8:00 Coffee/Tea/Breakfast Snacks (Included in Registration Fee)
8:30-9:15 Choose: Eurythmy (Movement), Singing, or Poetry
9:30 – 11:00 Three Day Themed Workshops
11:30-1:00 Green Burial Ceremony and Closing
Full conference: $280 Supporter (This level provides scholarships for other attendees!) $195 Standard ASA Member Rate/$215 Non-Member Rate/$60 Youth CLICK HERE TO REGISTER!
Please Note: Cancellation fee of $35 before April 9. No refunds after April 10.
Comfort Inn Detroit at 1999 E Jefferson Ave has a block of rooms available for us. Please go to this link for the $124.00 nightly rate. Breakfast is included, as well as shuttle rides to and from the Detroit Waldorf School. You can also call 313-567-8888 and say that you are with the Sacred Gateway group.
~The secrets of the ethers Push thru the bossy wind Striving to awaken & reveal Will you listen?
Sheri Nome
Beyond the shouting there speaks: We need Truths in their wild state- Insurrectionary Beauty that Excites our Curiosity- Outrageous Goodness that drives us to perform heroic acts of lusty Compassion- Ingenious Justice that endlessly affirms us – Tricky Freedom that is never permanent but must be reinvented & reclaimed every day, & a totally-serious-yet-always-laughing Love that schemes and dreams about how to transform the suffering & increase the Wisdom of every Sentient Being. ~hag
11 February 2020 – “Speaking with the Stars”: The next constellation east of Orion is dim Monoceros the Unicorn.
ON THIS DAY IN HISTORY – “What is presented here can be useful to those who wish to follow the path of humankind’s spiritual development” ~Rudolf Steiner, from the original Calendar of the Soul, of which this section of the blog is dedicated.
Feast day of Saint Blaise. From being a healer of bodily ailments, he became a physician of souls, then retired for a time to a cavern where he remained in prayer. As bishop of Sebastea, Blaise instructed his people as much by his example as by his words, & by many miracles. From all parts, the people came flocking to him for the cure of bodily & spiritual ills. He is said to have healed animals (who came to the saint on their own for his assistance) & to have been assisted by animals.
The governor was jealous, Blaise was arrested. When he was led away, the story goes, they met a poor woman whose pig had been seized by a wolf. At the command of Blaise, the wolf restored the pig to its owner, alive & unhurt. When he had reached the capital & was in prison awaiting execution, the old woman whose pig he had saved came to see him, bringing two fine wax candles to dispel the gloom of his dark cell.
In 316, Agricola, the governor of Cappadocia sent to kill the Christians, arrested the bishop Blaise. As he was being led to jail, a mother set her only son, choking on a fish-bone, at his feet, & the child was cured straight away. Regardless, the governor, unable to make Blaise renounce his faith, beat him with a stick, ripped his flesh with iron combs, & beheaded him. Consequently, Saint Blaise is invoked for protection against injuries and illnesses of the throat.
In many places on the day of his feast the blessing of St. Blaise is given: 2 burning candles, blessed on the feast of the Presentation of the Lord (“Candlemas”), are held in a crossed position by a priest over the heads of the faithful or the people are touched on the throat with them. At the same time the following blessing is given: “May Almighty God at the intercession of St. Blaise, Bishop and Martyr, preserve you from infections of the throat and from all other afflictions“. Then the priest makes the sign of the cross over the faithful.
Blaise is considered one of the ‘Fourteen Holy Helpers’. His cult became widespread in Europe in the 11th & 12th centuries & his legend is recounted in the 14th-century Legenda Aurea. Saint Blaise is the saint of the wild beast.
In iconography, Blaise is represented holding two crossed candles in his hand (the Blessing of St. Blaise), or in a cave surrounded by wild beasts, as he was found by the hunters of the governor. He is often shown with the instruments of his martyrdom, steel combs. The similarity of these instruments of torture to wool combs led to his adoption as the patron saint of wool combers in particular, & the wool trade in general
Joy McAllen
Feast Day of St. Gobnait, Irish patron Saint of BeeKeepers. She was born in County Clare in the 5th or 6th Century, & is said to have been the sister of Saint Abban. She fled a family feud, taking refuge in the Aran Islands. Here an angel appeared & told her that this was “not the place of her resurrection” & that she should look for a place where she would find nine white deer grazing. She found the deer at the place now known as St. Gobnet’s Wood.
Celtic lore held bees in high esteem, believing the soul left the body as a bee or a butterfly. Gobnait is said to have added beekeeping to her life’s work, developing a lifelong affinity with them. She started a religious order & dedicated her days to helping the sick. She used honey as a healing aid. She is credited with saving the people at Ballyvourney from the plague.
One story tells of how she drove off a brigand by sending a swarm of bees after him and making him restore the cattle he had stolen.
St Gobnait’s well is situated to the North of Ballyagran. It is said that a white stag can sometimes be seen at the well.
660 BC – Traditional date for the founding of Japan by Emperor Jimmu
AD 55 – Tiberius Claudius Caesar Britannicus, heir to the Roman emperor-ship, dies under mysterious circumstances in Rome. This clears the way for Nero to become Emperor
1534 – Henry VIII of England is recognized as supreme head of the Church of England
1650 – Deathday of René Descartes, French mathematician & philosopher
1790 – The Religious Society of Friends, also known as Quakers, petitions U.S. Congress for the abolition of slavery
1847 – Birthday of Thomas Edison, American engineer and businessman, developed the light bulb and phonograph
1858 – Bernadette Soubirous’s first vision of the Blessed Virgin Mary in Lourdes, France. ‘I Am the Immaculate Conception’ – Today is the feast of Our Lady of Lourdes, & we celebrate her message of peace, & healing. In 1858, a 14-year-old peasant girl, Bernadette Soubirous, was gathering firewood in the countryside when a beautiful woman, standing on a rock in a natural grotto, appeared to her. This began a series of 18 apparitions in which Bernadette spoke & prayed with the woman. On one visit, the mysterious woman instructed Bernadette to dig into the dry ground & drink from the spring that flowed there. Although no spring was visible, Bernatdette scratched at the ground & a spring began to bubble up. To this day, the waters continue to flow, which have a miraculous healing property. Lourdes is well-known for the many miracles of healing that have taken place there over the years
1861 – American Civil War: The United States House of Representatives unanimously passes a resolution guaranteeing noninterference with slavery in any state
1937 – A sit-down strike ends when General Motors recognizes the United Auto Workers
1971 – Eighty-seven countries, including the United States, United Kingdom, & Soviet Union, sign the Seabed Arms Control Treaty outlawing nuclear weapons on the ocean floor in international waters
1978 – China lifts a ban on works by Aristotle, William Shakespeare & Charles Dickens
1979 – The Iranian Revolution establishes an Islamic theocracy under the leadership of Ayatollah Ruhollah Khomeini
1981 – Around 100,000 US gallons of radioactive coolant leak into the containment building of TVA Sequoyah 1 nuclear plant in Tennessee, contaminating 108 workers
1990 – Nelson Mandela is released from Victor Verster Prison outside Cape Town, South Africa after 27 years as a political prisoner
2011 – The first wave of the Egyptian revolution culminates in the resignation of Hosni Mubarak & the transfer of power to the Supreme Military Council after 18 days of protests
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KNOW THYSELF – Karma and Anthroposophic Psychology — an Easter-Tide Retreat 9 -12 April 2020,
Karma and Anthroposophic Psychology – An Easter-Tide Retreat
April 9 – 12, 2020 – Rudolf Steiner Branch 4249 N. Lincoln Ave. Chicago, IL
AAP: James A. Dyson, M.D., Roberta Nelson, Ph.D., and David Tresemer, Ph.D. with Susan Overhauser, Ph.D.
CRC: Marianne Fieber, Alberto Loya, Hazel Archer-Ginsberg, David Howerton, Lisa Dalton
Eurythmist: Mary Ruud
A popular view of karma is cause and effect or tit-for-tat. Karma, however, is so much more complex, interesting, and important. The soul work of karma has to do with the unfolding of our individuality through the elements, through the ethers, and very much through relationships.
Rudolf Steiner named his core mission as bringing karma and reincarnation to the West; his teachings deserve interpretation and practical enlivening. The Central Regional Council has been exploring this theme for many months. Anthroposophic Psychology gives a unique contribution to the soul work of karma. For this conference the CRC is partnering with the Association for Anthroposophic Psychology (AAP of North America) to present ideas and experiences concerning karma—and how it impacts upon personal psychology.
Conference Fees (includes 1 meal per day & art supplies):
2:00-3:15Welcome and ArtActs (Interactive Artistic Activity)
3:30-5:30Star Wisdom and Karma – David Tresemer, Ph.D.
5:30-7:00 Dinner (on your own)
7:00-9:00 (Evening Presentation) “The Karma Exercises” – Susan Overhauser, Ph.D.
Friday April 10
9-10:15 ArtActs
10:30-12:30Living into Karma—through the Senses —James A. Dyson, MD.
12:30-2:00 Lunch (on your own)
2:00-3:15 ArtActs
3:30-5:30How to Find the Self in a Sea of Karma – Roberta Nelson, Ph.D. This is part 1 of a deep inquiry into finding one’s self.
5:30-7:00 Group Dinner (provided)
7:00-9:00Unfolding the Enigma of the Saturn path — James A. Dyson, MD.
Saturday April 11
9-10:15 ArtActs
10:30-12:30How to Find the Self in a Sea of Karma – Roberta Nelson, Ph.D. This is part 2 of a deep inquiry into finding one’s self.
12:30-2:00 Lunch (on your own)
2:00-3:15 ArtActs
3:30-5:30The Gesture of Karma – David Tresemer, Ph.D. Guest to this presentation will be Lisa Loving Dalton.
5:30-7:00 Group Dinner (provided)
7:00-9:00 PAGEANT: ‘Know Thyself’ by Hazel Archer-Ginsberg, the CRC, and consultant Margot Hodgson, LPC
Sunday April 12
Easter SunriseSongtrail at the Lake with Marianne Fieber
At the Christian Community 2135 W. Wilson Ave · Chicago, Il 60625
9:30 Children’s Stories
10:00 Children’s Service
10:30 Adult Easter Service
11:30 Potluck Feast
12:30LEADING THOUGHTS: Christ as Lord of Karma—how do I access this in terms of my personal psychology? – James Dyson, MD.
1:30Gatheringexperiences and reflections.
2:30CRC business
3:00Closing
CRC: Marianne Fieber, Alberto Loya, Hazel Archer-Ginsberg, David Howerton, Lisa Dalton
AAP:
James A. Dyson, MD, Senior Faculty, Assoc. for Anthroposophic Psychology (AAP), North America; Faculty Member, English International Training in Anthroposophic Medicine
Roberta Nelson, Ph.D., licensed addiction and clinical counselor; Faculty Chair for Assoc. for Anthroposophic Psychology (AAP), North America. Contributor to The Counselor … as if Soul and Spirit Matter.
Susan Overhauser, Ph.D., licensed psychologist, California; Associate Presenter for Assoc. for Anthroposophic Psychology (AAP), North America.
David Tresemer, Ph.D., President, Assoc. for Anthroposophic Psychology. Editor and contributor, The Counselor … as if Soul and Spirit Matter; editor, Slow Counseling; column in Lilipoh for the last seven years. Author of Star Wisdom & Rudolf Steiner.
About AAP: The foundation course in the Association for Anthroposophic Psychology (AAP) is a three-year (three times a year) training, starting up again in April 2021. See www.AnthroposophicPsychology.org
P.O. Box 2180, Boulder, Colorado 80306
E: Admin@AnthroposophicPsychology.org
Web: AnthroposophicPsychology.org
Activities:
Art-Acts
Star Wisdom
The Karma Exercises
Experiential PAGEANT on Holy Saturday: ‘Know Thyself’
Easter Sunrise Songtrail
Optional service at the Christian Community
Communal meals and time for Conversation
Lectures:
‘Living into Karma through the Senses’
‘How to find the Self in a Sea of Karma’
‘Unfolding the Enigma of the Saturn Path’
‘The Gesture of Karma’
‘Christ as Lord of Karma — how do I access this in terms of my personal psychology?’
April 16 – 19, 2020 Detroit Waldorf School, Detroit, MI
Bring a new consciousness to your own life and death
Support those who are crossing and who have crossed over
Expand your practice and knowledge of working with the dying
Through interactive workshops, triad sharing, keynote discussions with Rev. Patrick Kennedy, Sandra LaGrega and Jennifer Fox, Dr. Melinda Toney, and Hazel Archer-Ginsberg, and more, as well as experiential and artistic activities, we will consciously explore the spiritual and practical aspect of human life and death.
7pm Screening of a Will For The Woods Detroit Waldorf School Auditorium- Open to the public! $10 Suggested Donation
Friday, April 17
10:00-1:00p Registration Opens 10:00-12:00p Choose from two pre-conference activities at the Detroit Waldorf School
Exploring the Beauty of home funerals and green burial: Photo essay and Q&A with Merilynne Rush, MS, End-of-Life Doula Trainer and Home Funeral Guide (Open to the public. Donation accepted at the door)
The Story of Detroit: A Walking Songtrail (Meet in the school playground. Approx. two mile walk)
12:00p Bag Lunch (For Purchase) 1:00p Conference Opening 1:45-3:00p Keynote Discussion with Rev. Patrick Kennedy: Befriending Death 3:00-3:30p Break 3:30-5:00p Three-Day Themed Workshops (Chosen on site. Choose one theme and attend Friday, Saturday, and Sunday) ALL WORKSHOPS CHOSEN ON SITE Fuller descriptions coming soon!
From Loss to Connection Through the Arts: Reading, Writing and Drawing with Marianne Dietzel and Maureen Flannery Together we will invite our loved ones across the threshold to join us in experiencing practices thet connect and heal. We will read to the dead, write prose and poetry, and draw from gestures of nature.
BIOGRAPHY: GIFTS OF REVIEWING LIFE AND CONNECTING TO LIFE AFTER DEATH Sandra LaGrega and Jennifer Fox
A HOME DEATH CARE STORY: CONSCIOUS DYING AND THE HOME VIGIL~BASED ON DYING OF WAYNE TONEY Dr. Melinda Toney, Carole Schoaf, and Katherine Blackburn
MULTI-CULTURAL APPROACHES: ANCIENT AND MODERN/ SACRED AND ESOTERIC: FESTIVALS FOR THE DEAD. THEN AND NOW. RENEW OR CREATE YOUR OWN TRADITION Hazel Archer-Ginsberg, Julia Torres and Guests
5:30-6:30 Choose: Eurythmy (Movement), Singing, or Poetry 6:30 Evening Appetizer Reception (Included in registration fee) 7:30-9:00 Evening Performance
Saturday April 18 – All workshops chosen on site/Saturday Lunch and Dinner for purchase
7:30-9:00 Evening Performance with Sarah Putnam: Little Gidding by TS Elliot followed by Memento Mori Ritual
Sunday, April 19 – All workshops chosen on site
8:00 Coffee/Tea/Breakfast Snacks (Included in Registration Fee)
8:30-9:15 Choose: Eurythmy (Movement), Singing, or Poetry
9:30 – 11:00 Three Day Themed Workshops
11:30-1:00 Green Burial Ceremony and Closing
Full conference: $280 Supporter (This level provides scholarships for other attendees!) $195 Standard ASA Member Rate/$215 Non-Member Rate/$60 Youth CLICK HERE TO REGISTER!
Please Note: Cancellation fee of $35 before April 9. No refunds after April 10.
Comfort Inn Detroit at 1999 E Jefferson Ave has a block of rooms available for us. Please go to this link for the $124.00 nightly rate. Breakfast is included, as well as shuttle rides to and from the Detroit Waldorf School. You can also call 313-567-8888 and say that you are with the Sacred Gateway group.
Festivals for the Dead. Then & Now. Renew, or Create Your Own Tradition.
with Hazel Archer-Ginsberg – Founder of Reverse Ritual Understanding Anthroposophy through the Rhythms of the Year. Essayist, Lecturer, Poet, Trans-denominational Minister, ‘Anthroposopher’, working as the Festivals Coordinator & Council Member of the Chicago Rudolf Steiner Branch, The Traveling Speakers Program, & the Central Regional Council of the Anthroposophical Society.
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~Vitae Sophia~ A Whitsun Festival of United Soul Endeavor
Eurythmy: AUM = A – I stand for myself, U- I stand for humanity, M – I stand for Life
Social Sculpture: Steiner’s ‘Blue Dot Exercise’- Through Art, the bridge between science & spirit, we warm the ‘I’, to open the heart, in support of healthy community.
What are my gifts-What are my tools? How can I place them in right relationship within the social realm? How can I hone them to strengthen and enhance the world?
Enter the Labyrinth of Vitae Sophia – Human hearts, once warmed, can rise up to meet the source of wisdom, like flowers turning toward the sun.
Living into the Foundation Stone of Love – How can we take our individual Inner Whitsun & expand it, into what Steiner calls the “World Festival of Knowledge” a path leading from ‘Sprit Recollection’, to ‘Sprit Sensing’, to ‘Sprit Beholding’?
Hazel Archer-Ginsberg – Founder of Reverse Ritual Understanding Anthroposophy through the Rhythms of the Year. Essayist, Lecturer, Poet, Trans-denominational Minister, ‘Anthroposopher’, working as the Festivals Coordinator & Council Member of the Chicago Rudolf Steiner Branch, The Traveling Speakers Program, & the Central Regional Council of the Anthroposophical Society.
3 June 2020 – a Round Table Discussion 7 pm – 9 pm on ‘The Sophia’ with John Bloom, Joan Sleigh, Hazel Archer-Ginsberg & Carrie Schuchardt at The House of Peace in Ipswich, MA.
~Let the crystals fall To add form to the light… Thru the white I will see The single star that calls to me… The waxing moon falls away so that I may live Free to stumble Free to fly with my snow angel Listening, waiting, willing The sap to rise ~hag
Kristen Hertwich
Opening the way for Brigid, the Celtic Alchemical Triple Goddess of the 4 fires & the purifying waters which gives birth to healing.
A long time ago, nigh the beginning, near the waters of a sacred well, at the first crack of alabaster in the young morning at the Cross-Quarter time between Winter & Spring, there at the very threshold – the goddess Brigid slipped into the world, & the waters of the earth rippled with joy.
Up rose a column of fire – out of the head of She – burning clear to the very sky. ‘Ha’, She laughed, reaching up to break away a flaming plume from her crown; dropping it on the ground before Her. There it leapt & shone, creating a blazing hearth.
Then from the fire of her hearth, Brigid used both hands to draw out a leaping tongue of heat, swallowed it, & felt the fire burn straight to her heart. There stood the goddess, fire crowning her head, fire leaping inside her heart, glowing & shooting from her hands, & dancing on the smoldering hearth before her.
The waters
of the sacred well quickened as Brigid built a chimney of brick about her
hearth. Then she formed a roof of thatch & walls of stone. And so it was
that by the waters of the sacred well the goddess built the forge in which she
keeps the 4 fires which have served the world evermore.
Out of the fire in Brigid’s hands baked the craft of bending iron. Out of the fire on Brigid’s hearth & the waters of her sacred well came the healing potions, teas, & tinctures. Out of the fire in Brigid’s head flared out writing & poetry. Out of the fire in Brigid’s heart spread the warmth of compassion.
Word of the
gifts of Brigid’s fire traveled deep & wide. People flocked to learn from
Brigid the secret of using fire to soften iron & bend it to the shape of
their will. The people called it smithcraft, & made wheels, pots, &
tools that did not break.
All the
medicine plants of the earth were gathered & brought to the house of the
goddess. With their leaves, flowers, bark, & roots, they offered themselves
to the waters of her sacred well. Brigid made healing brews. She gave a boy
with weak teeth an infusion of the dandelion root. She gave a young woman the
decoction of raspberry leaf to help her womb carry a child. An old bent man,
took from Brigid wintergreen bark for his ache & black cherry juice for the
gout. She gave comfrey to a girl with a broken leg & blue cohosh to another
to bring her moon-blood without pain. Brigid infused motherwort, licorice root,
& dried parsley for a woman who was becoming a crone. “Cup a
day,” said Brigid, “that you stay supple & strong.”
The people
were healed & wanted Brigid’s recipes. “But we can’t remember which
plants for which healings, where to gather them or how long to steep
them,” they told Brigid.
The fire on
Bridget’s head blazed bright. She took up a blackened stick & made marks
with it on a flat piece of bark. “These are the talking marks,” She
said. “They are the way to remember what you don’t want to forget.”
The talking
marks also let the people write down the stories of her wisdom. Here is one
that fits for us today:
Once 2 men,
came to Brigid, both had a terrible case of leprosy.
“Bathe
yourself in my well.” said Brigid to the 1st man. And so it was that at
every place the healing waters touched, the man’s skin turned whole again.
“Now
bathe your friend,” said Brigid.
Repulsed,
the man backed away from his friend. “I won’t touch him,” he said.
“Then
you are not truly healed,” said the goddess. With that truth revealed, the
1st man’s leprosy returned & the goddess herself bathed & healed the
2nd man.
“Return
to me with compassion,” she said to the 1st man. “There find your
healing.”
The folk
hold the wisdom of the goddess close; & every year on Imbolc they thank
Brigid for her well of wisdom & her fires of hand, hearth, head &
heart.
Brigid is a Triple goddess holding the archetype of the Maiden, Mother & Crone. In her maiden aspect, she is said to charm new life into the cold heart of Winter, with her white birch wand, to help him open his eyes to the promise of Spring. Imbolc literally means ‘in the belly’ it is the lambing season after all, when the milk begins to flow, this is Her Mother aspect.
This is traditionally a time of purification – a time of re-dedication – of initiation, when the power of the Wise Crone comes to bear. So start by cleaning your house! Brigid will thank you for it. And if you have any Christmas greenery lingering, burn it now. And bathe with warm milk for health & beauty, setting aside a time to reflect on what you will renew.
Meditate upon what you would like to see grow in health & strength this year: for yourself, your family, your community, the Earth, & ask for Bride’s blessing upon your prayers.
Make your own Brigid Cross, a fiery sun-wheel & hang it up, especially in the kitchen where her influence can bless your food.
Give an offering: cake, buttered bread & milk will do — outside your door: Brigid & her cow are said to walk through the neighborhood tonight. In the city it is proper to give food to the homeless.
Leave a red silk ribbon on your doorstep for Brigid to bless: It can then be used for healing purposes. When I was a wee girl whenever we would skin our knee, or some such, my ma would say, ‘Go, fetch Brigid’s ribbon’. Then she would wrap it gently round the booboo – lo & behold – it would be all better!
When my daughter was young, we would gather with other Waldorf families to honor & explore the power of the Triple Goddess within us, through storytelling, crafting fiery Sun-Wheel’s around the fire, sharing a potluck meal, & making a scavenger hunt in the woods.
Can you feel the earth quickening? This is a magical time, when the sap begins to rise & the waters start to flow. While frost still bites & winds still blow, the light is growing stronger, & life begins to wake. It is the time of year when the belly of the great mother quickens with the growing light, for this is the feast of Brigid – the midwife of the New Year ‘s Sun. Through the union of fire & water, we can work with the elementals to call in the Spring.
Thank you, Brigid, for the smith-craft of your forge, the soothing healing teas, the talking marks, & for the warmth of compassion. May we use it wisely to prepare for growth & renewal, performing the ancient rituals of spring cleaning, purifying & anointing the body electric, awakening the spirit within…
A time of
spiritual re-dedication, of self-blessing & initiation, of affirming &
energizing creative work…
A time of
blessing the seeds & consecrating the garden tools…
A time to
purify & get fertile, so let’s charm the plow, & kiss the candle, to
re-kindle, a need-fire, as a welcoming beacon, to call back, our dormant power,
to heat up, our potential, & re-seed our creativity. As we add fuel to the
fire of our community, one spark warms us all, a purifying fire, that burns
clean & opens the way to the true power of love & light from deep
within us all…
I will kick off the Prep-makers conference at Michael Fields Institute tonight with a ‘Candlemas’ offering to begin our work of forging tools to bring the Cosmic Light into the Earth.
After some leading thoughts we will gather in Triad Groups to do Rudolf Steiner’s ‘Seed Exercise’ from How to Know Higher Worlds.
Describe, precisely what you see
Picture clearly, that the plant will grow out of this seed
Reflect: light & earth will entice this plant out of the live seed (out of the ‘artificial’ seed nothing alive will grow)
Think how something invisible is hidden in the seed.
Concentrate on this “invisible something”.
Ponder how the invisible will become visible. Feel intently as well as think on it. Let it be planted deep into the soul!
An inner force will be felt eventually. A luminous cloud seen. Colors like lilac & blue. The physically invisible reveals itself. (Many cautions) No reverie – sobriety. Control.
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30 January 2020 – “Speaking with the Stars”: The Gemini twins lie on their sides on January evenings, left of Orion. Castor & Pollux, are farthest from Orion, one over the other. Castor is the top one, with his feet just left of Orion’s very Club. Far below that spot shines Procyon.
516 BCE – The Second Temple of Jerusalem finishes construction
1128 – Birthday of Alanus ab Insulis, Teacher at Chartres. Rudolf Steiner speaks about him in many of his Karmic relationships lectures.
1661 – Oliver Cromwell, Lord Protector of the Commonwealth of England, is ritually executed more than two years after his death, on the 12th anniversary of the execution of the monarch he himself deposed.
1882 – Birthday of Franklin D. Roosevelt, American lawyer and politician, 32nd President of the United States
1889 – Deathday of Archduke Crown Prince Rudolf of Austria, heir to the Austro-Hungarian crown, is found dead with his mistress Baroness Mary Vetsera in the Mayerling. From the research of Rudolf Steiner we hear about this suicide as being a karmic consequence of his life as Nero.
1933 – Adolf Hitler is sworn in as Chancellor of Germany.
1945 – World War II: The Wilhelm Gustloff, overfilled with German refugees, sinks in the Baltic Sea after being torpedoed by a Soviet submarine, killing approximately 10,500 people
1948 – Mahatma Gandhi is assassinated by Nathuram Godse, a Hindu extremist. A year earlier on this same date, W.J. Stein sent him Steiner’s Threefold Social Order
1956 – Civil rights leader Martin Luther King, Jr.’s home is bombed in retaliation for the Montgomery Bus Boycott.
1969 – The Beatles’ last public performance, on the roof of Apple Records in London. The impromptu concert is broken up by the police.
12th Holy Night: January 5-6, 2017 Epiphany, ‘Three Kings’ –Constellation of Aries, Ram (ruling the head) The Sphere of the Mystic Lamb
Our journey, taking us on the path from Jesus to Christ, is a divine archetype that every human being may follow thru the 12 regions of the Zodiac – & beyond, into the compass of the Holy Spirit & now on the Eve of Epiphany, we get a glimpse into the sphere of the Mystic Lamb.
David-Taulbee-Anderson
This last & highest region – Aries the Ram, is ‘at the head’ of the whole zodiac circle of ‘Adam-Kadmon’ – the Alpha to Omega Archetype of Humanity –from which the Christ descended – passing thru each sign – each Angelic realm – into the Spirit & Soul of the Sun, for the pre-earthly deeds.
It is no coincidence that the sphere of the Mystic lamb in Aries stood in the heavens at the exact time of the Baptism, when the Christ being was ‘born’ into the Sun-Soul/body of the Nathan Jesus, in order to perform, 3 years later, His 4th & most important deed on the hill at Golgotha. In John 1:35-36, the Baptist says: “Look, there is the Lamb of God”. With these words we hear a testimony of the cosmic connection of Christ with the heavenly region of the Ram, thru which Christ entered our cosmos from the realms beyond the zodiac. It is thru this portal outside of The Trinity, related to more than our cosmos alone, that the ‘Voice from Heaven’ speaks at the baptism: “This is my Beloved Son, today I have begotten Him” or as Matthew 3:17 tells it: “As soon as Jesus was baptized, He went up out of the water. Suddenly the heavens were opened, and he saw the Spirit of God descending like a dove and resting on Him. 17And a voice from heaven said, “This is My beloved Son, in whom I am well pleased!”
Giusto de Menabuoi
From the Aries constellation flows the source of Christ’s spiritual influence in the cosmos which then spreads its emanations towards the 1st 7 ‘light or ascended’ zodiac signs, which goes down to the region of the Scales. This may be called the body of the Mystic Lamb. And from Virgo to Pisces we have the body of the Divine Sophia. The overlapping center where they meet is where the ‘Mystic or alchemical Marriage’ takes place, an initiatory process in the New Mysteries open to humanity now. (Remember: the 13 Hidden Holy Night is New Year’s Eve, the center between the above & below, where we see the Sun at Midnight)
Peter Paul Rubens
Those initiated in the ancient Jewish rites had an inkling of the connection between, what they called the ‘Messiah’ & the region of the Ram. This is seen in the practice of sacrificing lambs for the ‘sins of Israel’. The Passover was a pre-figuring of The Christ, the new ‘Sacrificial Lamb’ – destined to be led to the slaughter for ‘the sins of the world’. This sacrifice was the medicine redeeming humanity from the fall, & ending the need for blood sacrifice.
Peter Paul Rubens
John the Baptist was a leading initiate of the Jewish mysteries. In his earliest incarnation as ‘Adam’ – he was the 1st man to take up a physical existence on earth. Because of this he was given the task of baptizing people in preparation for the descent of Christ -the 1st God to enter physical existence on earth. His task was to sort the Lambs – those ready for the new initiation, from those unfit in that life. And Eve had the task of giving birth to the Matthew Jesus.
Hildegard von Bingen
Christ-Jesus became the new archetype of the human being, which had fallen into disarray through ‘the fall of Adam’- The human body was intended in the beginning to be more spiritual, but instead, it entered more deeply into materiality then what was intended by the gods. But thru the Resurrection, we can achieve the rise of Adam-Kadmon – the perfected human being – in times to come. It is for this reason that John the Baptist says that he (as the old Adam) must decrease, while Christ (the new Adam) must increase.
Henry Ossawa Tanner
Later after John the Baptist dies, his spirit is able to unite with Lazarus/John during his initiation by Christ into the New Mysteries – so that Lazarus becomes John the Divine. In the Book of the Apocalypse he reveals the connection of Christ with the Sphere of the Mystic Lamb, in his description of the Heavenly Lamb who guards the Book of Seven Seals.
Frank Yoneur
And so, thru our journey of Jesus to Christ we see the earthly reflection in the 13 Holy Nights between the festivals of Christmas to Epiphany, of our human evolution back to the Godhead. And at Epiphany, the festival of the Birth of Christ into the earthly body of humanity in the man Jesus, we get an insight into the journey that a god took to become human. For at the moment of the Baptism, the highest Trinity is reflected in the depths of earthly existence: the Holy Spirit as the Dove (Bull), the Son-Principle as the Lamb (Ram) & the Father-principle as the Voice from the Heavens – from those realms where human imagination has yet to penetrate. But it is from there, from the bosom of the Father/Mother, that Christ descended into our cosmos. There He worked from the sphere of the Sun, as the 13th in the circle of the 12 – the Divine Spirit of our solar system; & then at the Baptism He descends from the Sun to the Earth, in order that the Earth may become a Sun.
It is ‘The Great Work’ of Being Human, to Become, each of us, a Sun – Recognizing & acknowledging this spark of Divinity in everyone we meet – supporting & adding to this light. And we can work to achieve this by practicing the Virtue connected to the mystic lamb: Devotion becomes the power of sacrifice. For when we give in the spirit of devotion, the grace of our sacrifice is a joy & a sacrament given in Freedom with Love.
The Witch of Christmas, La Befana, is celebrated on the Eve of Epiphany – The legend of La Befana began thousands of years ago & remains to this day a tradition practiced by many folks with an Italian heritage (my father’s people are from Montefegatesi, the highest of the Bagni di Lucca villages in Tuscany) also practiced in many Waldorf schools.
The Legend: This story takes place at the time of the birth of the Matthew Jesus. La Befana is an old woman who lives in a house in the hills of Italy. Befana spends her days sweeping & baking, when she’s not needed as a healer. One night, Befana notices a bright light in the sky, she knows something is brewing, but goes back to her work. Later, a glorious caravan led by Three Wise Men stop & ask La Befana for directions to Bethlehem inviting her to join them in their search for the Christ Child. But Befana is too busy caring for those around her. After the caravan disappeared over the hills, she remembered that box of old toys that she had collected over the years, many that were tossed out because they were broken. She had fixed & re-painted them, handing them out to every child who needed one, because she loved seeing them smile. So she placed some baked goods & gifts for the Christ-child in a sack, took her broom to help the new mother clean & raced out after the caravan in search of the Baby Jesus. La Befana was soon lost. And just as she was getting very tired, angels appeared from the bright light, the magic star in the sky to give flight to La Befana on her broom –it was a night of miracles after all. She searched & searched for the Baby Jesus.
La Befana still searches, even today, after all these centuries. And so, every year on the eve of the Epiphany, whenever La Befana comes to a house where there is a child, she drops in to see if it might be the child she seeks. It never is, but Befana leaves a gift anyway. For La Befana has come to realize, over the years, that her searching is not vain, that in a way, the Christ Child is found in all children.
Ever since then the old wise woman has been known as “La Befana” or simply “Befana.” In fact, Befana’s name comes from the ancient Greek word “epifania” which means “epiphany.” It is significant since the religious feast of the Epiphany is celebrated on January 6th. So on the eve Befana flies from house to house on her old broomstick & delivers gifts to the good girls & boys, in the name of the Holy Child.
This celebration, in remembrance of the Magi’s visit, often includes purifying rites & benedictions with water. Water set out by the fireplace on the eve of the Epiphany (the night that La Befana flies the skies) is said to have sacred properties that can ward off evil spirits & is used in critical moments of a family’s life.
Celebration of the Epiphany is older then Christmas, & is one of the most popular Italian feasts especially in the backcountry or in the hills. In the time when our grandparents were children, La Befana was tremendously popular & was awaited with a mixture of joy & anxiety. Children hung hand-knitted stockings on the fireplace & wrote long letters to her expressing their wishes. Often they were disappointed as their families had little money to spend on gifts; however, sometimes they found little hand-sewn dolls & puppets in their stocking. If they had been bad, their stockings were filled with onions, garlic & coal. In modern-day Italy some shops sell carbone or black rock candy that actually looks like pieces of coal.
And to celebrate this day, people would gather together on Epiphany morning to & chestnuts, & fruit pancakes.
My Waldorf girl learned this song at school many years ago:
Babuska, Babuska, she sweep & sweep all day Babuska, Babushka, would not take time away. Kings came ariding 1, 2, 3 Over the land & over sea Following following yonder star Calling out to them from afar But Babuska, Babuska, she sweep & sweep all day Babuska, Babushka, would not take time away.
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Greetings on this Eve of Epiphany – Our last of the 13 Holy Nights.
TONIGHT Sunday 5 January 2020 – Doors open at 5 pm for those who would like practice the songs as part of the 3 Kings ensemble.
Doors close at 6:15 pm for the live streaming of ‘May Human Beings Hear It! hosted by the Central Regional Councilwith special guest Marianne Fieber.
Doors re-open 7:30 pm for the study: “On the right entry into the Spiritual World -The responsibility incumbent on us”. Lecture & words of farewell by Rudolf Steiner.
