Greetings Freinds – When we look up to the heavens around the time of MidSummer, we gain the impression that cosmic Intelligence is alive everywhere , an impression of many beings living within each other, interwoven with light. Up above we feel — everything we perceive is illumined, permeated, with a feeling of intelligence.

Yet down below, deep within the Earth, we feel —that in the blue darkness everything is experienced as will forces.  

Within this radiant activity there appears the extremely earnest countenance of the Archangel Uriel, which arises – glowing warmly out of the pervading radiant Intelligence. We have the impression that this Being forms its body of light, out of the radiant Intelligence. And for this to happen at the height of Summer, the elemental spirits of the Earth must soar upwards. And as they do, they weave themselves into the shining Intelligence up above, & the shining Intelligence receives them into itself. And out of that gleaming radiance Uriel takes form.

It is with great earnestness that this representative of the weaving cosmic forces, seeking to embody himself in a vesture of light, appears in the time of Summer. The intelligence of Uriel arises from the working together of the planetary forces, supported by the working of the fixed stars of the Zodiac. The deeds accomplished by Uriel in the radiant light, preserves the thoughts of the cosmos, in his thoughts.

The feeling comes: “You clouds of summer, radiant with Intelligence, in which are reflected up above the blue crystal-formations of the earth below, just as these blue crystal-formations mirror in turn the shining Intelligence of the summer clouds — out of your shining there appears in high summer, with earnest countenance, a concentrated Imagination of Cosmic Understanding…Through the power of attraction residing in the concentrated cosmic Intelligence of Uriel, the silver forces (white) are drawn upwards, and in the light of this inwardly shining Intelligence, as seen from the Earth, they appear as radiant sunlight, densifying into a glory of gold. One has the immediate feeling that the gleaming silver, streaming up from below, is received by the sunlit radiance above. And the earth-silver — the phrase is quite correct — is changed by cosmic alchemy into the cosmic gold which lives and weaves in the heights.”

With the sprouting, springing life, we can no longer speak of matter permeated by spirit, as it is in winter. We have to speak of spirit woven through with matter – with silver and gold.

~A Summary of THE ST. JOHN IMAGINATION, from ~the Four Seasons and the Archangels, Lecture 4, by Rudolf Steiner

How can we apply these spiritual insights in our everyday life…?

~hag

17 June 2023 – ‘Speaking with the Stars: The stars’ places before sunrise and after sundown are signals that the season is changing. Jupiter and Saturn are visible before sunrise, while brilliant Venus and Mars are in the west after sundown.

Chicago, IL. Sunrise, 5:15 a.m. CDT; Sunset, 8:28 p.m. CDT. whenthecurveslineup.com

Rudolf Steiner’s Lectures on this day(RSarchives) 

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

International World Day to Combat Desertification & Drought.

1462 – Vlad Dracula (the Impaler) attempts to assassinate Mehmed II an Ottoman sultan forcing him to retreat from Wallachia

1631 – Mumtaz Mahal dies during childbirth. Her husband, Mughal emperor Shah Jahan I, will spend the next 17 years building her mausoleum, the Taj Mahal.

1885 – The Statue of Liberty arrives in New York Harbor

1928 – Amelia Earhart began the flight that made her the first woman to successfully fly across the Atlantic Ocean

1972 – Watergate scandal begins: Five White House operatives are arrested for burgling the offices of the Democratic National Committee, in an attempt by some members of the Republican party to illegally wiretap the opposition

1987 – With the death of the last individual of the species, the dusky seaside sparrow becomes extinct

1603 – Feast day of Joseph of Cupertino, Italian Franciscan friar who is honored as a Christian mystic & saint. He was said to have been remarkably unclever, but prone to miraculous levitation & intense ecstatic visions. He is the patron saint of air travelers, aviators, astronauts, people with a mental handicap, test takers & poor students.

1882 – Birthday of Igor Stravinsky, Russian pianist, composer, & conductor

~Kindling Radiance~ A Community Festival Gathering Celebrating St. John’s-Tide Saturday, June 24, 2023 at Zinniker Farm 5:30 pm – Potluck – Please bring food & drink to share 6 – 7 pm – Artistic Offerings – Poem, Song?… Express yourself! 7 – 9 pm – Bonfire Drum & Song Circle w/ Hazel & Ultra-Violet Archer Bring lawn chairs & drums if you have them!Show support for Zinniker Farm – $15 more or less Love Donation Co-hosted by The Christian Community of Southeast Wisconsin, The Christian Community of Chicago, Mark & Petra Zinniker, Hazel at ReverseRitual.com  Why a St. John’s Festival? At this time of year, when daylight hours are the longest, “the soul of the earth rises in longing toward the heights, seeking communion with the universe, with the light and warmth of the sun… and the stars.” ~Rudolf Steiner. Three days after the Summer Solstice, we celebrate St. John the Baptist – a lone voice calling to us from the wilderness to change our hearts and minds – so that we can connect to the ‘True Vine’ & receive the new impulse of Love raditating into the world. Come join us as we come together as a community to support the Farm & celebrate the glories of Summer. Interested? Please… RSVP to margaretincommunity@gmail.com Subject: St. John’s Let us know the number of people you are RSVPing for And if someone in your group would like to offer a poem, song, story, etc. on the theme Bring food & drink to share (plates and utensils provided) Bring a friend, lawn chairs, drums, clothes and shoes for a working farm All are welcome, but please keep your pets at home. You can visit the pigs and chickens on the farm, but please remember these are farm animals and not pets. Please just look and say hello quietly and respectfully, with reverence and gratitude for their service. Zinniker Farm is located at N7399 Bowers Rd., Elkhorn, WI 53121If you are in the area, come join us as we celebrate St. John’s-Tide on the Zinniker Farm. Can’t make it in person? You can still support the Zinniker Farm and their regenerative work with your good will and contributions. Regenerative farming is Stewardship that provides true results for the healing of the Earth. It is time to make a lasting investment.Please contact  Mark & Petra Zinniker to find out how to make a direct contribution to their regenerative work or sign up at  Patreon.com/Zinnikerfarm