19 June 2019 – “Speaking with the Stars”: Here it is two days from Summer Solstice, & the conspicuous Summer Triangle asterism dominates the eastern sky in late evening.
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Rudolf Steiner’s Lectures on this day
ON THIS DAY IN HISTORY
325 – 1st Council of Nicea concludes & promulgates the Nicene Creed
1566 – Birthday of James VI of Scotland & I of England, son of Mary, Queen of Scots. He sponsored the translation of the Bible into English that would later be named after him: the Authorized King James Version. Sir Anthony Weldon claimed that James had been termed “the wisest fool in Christendom”. He was the patron of Frances Bacon, William Shakespeare, Joacob Boehme & Jacob Balde.
James’s visit to Denmark, sparked an interest in the study of witchcraft, which he considered a branch of theology. He attended the North Berwick witch trials, the first major persecution of witches in Scotland under the Witchcraft Act 1563. Several people were convicted of using witchcraft to send storms against James’s ship, most notably Agnes Sampson. James became obsessed with the threat posed by witches & wrote Daemonologie in 1597, a tract opposed the practice of witchcraft & that provided background material for Shakespeare’s Tragedy of Macbeth.
1623 – Birthday of Blaise Pascal, French mathematician, physicist, inventor, philosopher & child prodigy.
1844 – Deathday of Étienne Geoffroy Saint-Hilaire, defender of Goethean science, a French naturalist who established the principle of “unity of composition”. His scientific views had a transcendental flavor.
1862 – The U.S. Congress prohibits slavery in United States territories, nullifying Dred Scott v. Sandford.
1867 – Deathday of Maximillian I. Seeking to legitimize French rule in the Americas, Napoleon III invited Maximilian to establish a new Mexican monarchy for him. Many foreign governments refused to recognize Maximilian’s claim or regime. His self-declared empire collapsed, & he was executed by the Mexican government.
1917 – The solar eclipse of June 19, 1917
1936 – The solar eclipse of June 19, 1936
1953 – Julius & Ethel Rosenberg are executed at Sing Sing, in New York
1964 – The Civil Rights Act of 1964 is approved after surviving an 83-day filibuster in the United States Senate
2012 – WikiLeaks founder Julian Assange requests asylum in London’s Ecuadorian Embassy for fear of extradition to the US after publication of previously classified documents including footage of civilian killings by the US army
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Weltenwärme (World Heat)
Summer – In radiant heights where,
Glistening in the sun,
The friendly dragonflies are
Flitting out rays of warmth
Which blend into the space around.
There, tarry thou, my soul;
For, thinking of me, they weave
From sadness, strength.
Already I can feel
How they are sensing me;
How warmth streams from them,
Permeating me.
The spirit dissolves
In cosmic interweaving,
The earthly heaviness
Into light of the future.
~Rudolf Steiner
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In our time now at the Summer Solstice, the Sun enters the fixed stars of Gemini, the Twins; which puts the Earth in the opposite stars of the Archer; the constellation which is associated with the Winter Solstice. This is the vertical axis of the life of Sun & Earth.
The equinoxes of Spring & Autumn hold the horizontal axis, forming the great cross of nature, the seasonal life & symbol of Earth. Upon this cross we have the Christian festivals, with St. John’s & Christmas coinciding with this vertical axis, & Easter & Michaelmas along the horizontal axis.
When thinking about the the in-breath & out-breath, the living cycle of the soul of the Earth, we learn from Rudolf Steiner, that at Summer Solstice the Earth soul & spirit (which is now the Christ) are fully exhaled out to the periphery of the cosmos, to become intermingled with the grandeur of the highest cosmic mysteries, where the true forces of life exist among the stars. The soul of the Earth is dreaming now in the heights. The forces which live in the seeds are held now in these summer dreams of the Earth in union with the hierarchies, & it is this dreaming which is brought back into the Earth to become assessable during the sacred time of the Holy Nights.
The summertime union between the sun & earth is actually a re-union between the spiritual beings of the sun & their human offspring. Through ‘the great window of heaven’ we experience this interaction which helps us develop an awareness of our higher “I”. We can contemplate this dynamic & bring it to life in our soul most strongly at this time of year.
Rudolf Steiner tells us that at midsummer the Trinity reveals itself out of the heart of this cosmic activity. A sounding, like the music of the spheres, that calls us to explore our own inner harmony with the cosmos. To answer the echo that unites us to the eternity of the Trinity.
Also important: Can we learn, to be still & small enough to hear the voice of conscience?
At the fullness of Summer, the light is so bright that it leaves no room for the shadow to hide. High Noon is the hour of judgment – a good time to remember what John said “Then you shall know the truth, & the truth will set you free.”
This is true if we respond to the summertime call for a ‘metanoia’- a review of life that brings us to want to engage in repentance, a call to ‘make straight the path’
Pierre Puvis de Chavannes (1824–1898)
For when our ‘little ego’ decreases, we grow in Christ. The true power of our higher “I” will increase like Christ increases in earth existence. Just as John the Baptist, 1st had to decrease, then after the beheading, he was able to distillate his Spirit-Self to become the guardian angel of the apostles, especially Lazarus John, his name sake.
Johannes E – O – Ah – nes…Following this archetypal gesture we can see that John the Baptist has become one of the main impulse givers towards group work -guiding community life for us even today.
~hag
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29-30 June 2019 Biography Work. Your Unique Life, Your Unique Path by Thania Keppel Coaching LLC
Everybody’s life is UNIQUE!
We are all at different stages in our lives and we are all unique individuals. That’s why there is no “one size fits all” solution to our issues.
We all have the frustrating experience of events in our lives that keep repeating themselves (challenging personal or professional relationships, accidents, failures, illnesses, etc.) That’s because the school of life doesn’t allow us to skip important lessons. Only when we have completed our “homework” or overcome a certain challenge will we be able to move to the next level.
In this two-day Biography workshop you’ll learn how to live in harmony with yourself. You’ll develop a personal roadmap to your life through immersion into the rhythms and cycles of your life, supported by hands-on activities. You’ll understand how to best connect with those around you: Your clients, your spouse, your partner, your children, your employees and the entire community!
If you are tired of going in circles and are ready to take control of your life this workshop is for you!
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