Today in Chicago we have our primary elections. Thruout the last few weeks our mail has been littered with pamphlets with various vacuous slogans. Many a day we have had candidates or their workers come to our door. My husband & I are always happy to engage. We like to do the talking – ask questions like where do you stand in regards to: Gun control – We ask about environmental issues – & Religious Freedom. When we bring up the idea of Medical Freedom we often get a blank stare, or a look of horror – we tried to put it into context with reproductive rights – Body autonomy – which includes a woman’s right to the care she desires out of her own choice.
It was to be expected that most had an opinion about reproductive rights & everyone says they want to stop gun violence, but I was surprised how many had no clue what I was talking about around the Medical Freedom & body autonomy issue that is facing us all. It was a foreign concept. Many were taken aback, appalled, & spoke about the need for a world-wide medical mandate for everyone, even the children.
I have been taking time to research the candidates, which isn’t easy to do. Most of their websites don’t tell you anything about what they stand for. And this year it has been particularly hard to find voting records. Why is that?
I’m not the type of Anthroposopher who likes to dictate about the political realm; these things are a person’s personal choice. I do think it’s important to vote. Even though I know the system is rigged, I still feel it is my duty as an American to get out there, & to be as informed as possible about who is controlling our political narrative.
Let Freedom Ring!
~hag
Here are a few resources that I found: https://ballotpedia.org/Sample_Ballot_Lookup Whatever State you live in, you can find a bit of info. here.
Those in Ill. Interested in Medical Freedom can find resources here.
Rudolf Steiner’s Lectures on this day
ON THIS DAY IN HISTORY
28 June 2022 – “Speaking with the Stars”: New Moon
The Feast of the Most Sacred Heart of Jesus, Latin: Sollemnitas Sacratissimi Cordis Iesu) is a solemnity in the liturgical calendar of the Roman Catholic Church. In the Catholic Church, the month of June is dedicated to the Sacred Heart of Jesus. This great feast in the Church is always celebrated on the octave day of Corpus Christi, the feast which celebrates the Body & Blood of Christ. Corpus Christi falls on the Thursday after Trinity Sunday (which itself falls on the Sunday after Pentecost), which means the feast of the Sacred Heart falls nineteen days after Pentecost Sunday. The following day is the feast of the Immaculate Heart of Mary, so these two devotions to the hearts of Jesus and Mary are side-by-side on the liturgical calendar.
Feast of Saint Vitus, a Christian saint from Sicily. He died as a martyr during the persecution of Christians by co-ruling Roman Emperors Diocletian & Maximian in 303. Vitus is counted as one of the Fourteen Holy Helpers of medieval Roman Catholicism. Saint Vitus’ Day is celebrated on 28 June on the Gregorian Calendar.
In the late Middle Ages, people in Germany & countries such as Latvia celebrated the feast of Vitus by dancing before his statue. This dancing became popular & the name “Saint Vitus Dance” was given to the neurological disorder Sydenham’s chorea. It also led to Vitus being considered the patron saint of dancers & of actors, comedians, dancers, of entertainers in general a& epileptics. He is also said to protect against lightning strikes, animal attacks & oversleeping.
1712 – Birthday of Jean-Jacques Rousseau, Swiss philosopher & polymath
1831 – Birthday of Joseph Joachim, Austrian violinist, composer, & conductor; friend of Herman Grimm.
1914 – Archduke Franz Ferdinand of Austria & his wife Sophie are assassinated in Sarajevo; this is the casus belli of World War I.
1919 – The Treaty of Versailles is signed, ending the state of war between Germany & the Allies of World War I.
1950 – Korean War: Suspected sympathizers are executed in the Bodo League massacre.
1950 – Korean War: Packed with its own refugees fleeing Seoul & leaving their 5th Division stranded, South Korean forces blow up the Hangang Bridge in an attempt to slow North Korea’s offensive. The city falls later that day.
1950 –North Korean Army conducts the Seoul National University Hospital massacre. Over 900 doctors, nurses, patients & wounded soldiers, were killed. The Korean People’s Army shot or buried the people alive. The civilian victims alone numbered 1900.
1964 – Malcolm X forms the Organization of Afro-American Unity.
1969 – Stonewall riots begin in New York City, marking the start of the Gay Rights Movement.
1973 – Elections are held for the Northern Ireland Assembly, which will lead to power-sharing between unionists & nationalists in Northern Ireland for the first time.
| The Holy Grail Study Group with the CRC The Mysteries of the Holy Grail: From Arthur and Parzival to Modern Initiation July 6, 2022 – 7:15 pm Central (8:15 pm Eastern) “We may describe the astral body as an egotist. This means that every path of development that aims to liberate the astral body must recognize the interests of humanity by expanding and becoming progressively wider in scope. Indeed…it must become interested in the whole earth and all humanity.”~ from Chapter 17 Focus of the July 6 meeting: Rudolf Steiner,The Mysteries of the Holy Grail, Chapter 16 “The Word in Chains,” excerpts from Steiner’s lecture given at Dornach on 11 March 1923 (GA 222, lecture I) AND Chapter 17 “Balancing the Soul,” excerpts from Steiner’s lecture given at The Hague on 26 March 1913 (GA 145, lecture VII).A transcript of the entire lecture for chapter 16 can be found on the RS Archive by clicking this link.A transcript of the entire lecture for chapter 17 can be found on the RS Archive by clicking this link. * Please consider giving to the development and maintenance of the digital library of Rudolf Steiner’s work. Scroll to the bottom of this message to read more about the RSArchive.org and SteinerLibrary.org |
The Central Regional Council of the Anthroposophical Society in America invites you to join our ongoing study conversation. The study has been divided among two volunteers who will summarize their section to rebuild it as a foundation for our conversation. Please familiarize yourself with the lecture if possible so you will feel comfortable sharing your reflections and thoughts with the group. This collection of lectures has been republished by Rudolf Steiner Press under the title: “The Mysteries of the Holy Grail: From Arthur and Parzival to Modern Initiation.” The book was compiled and edited by Matthew Barton, published by Rudolf Steiner Press in 2010. This will be a Zoom conference call allowing us an opportunity to see one another while conversing (or audio only if you prefer). To connect to the audio/video-conference: Video Conference Details:Join Zoom Meeting https://us02web.zoom.us/j/88210505106 Meeting ID: 882 1050 5106 If you have questions, please contact Mary Mertz mary.mcginnis@juno.com Agenda for this meeting (Central Time) 7:15 Welcome and Introductions 7:18 Verse 7:25 Study led by volunteers Note: CRC team will ID volunteers Stefano – chapter 16 Camille – chapter 17 7:50 Conversation 8:25 ID volunteers for next meeting 8:28 Close with verse |
Deepening the Grail: Our Parzival Quest and Question
Workshop & Annual Meeting with The Central Regional Council of the Anthroposophical Society in America
Saturday 16 July 2022
In-person at the Rudolf Steiner House in
Ann Arbor & on Zoom
Join anytime between 2 pm ET – 5 pm
& then for the AGm from 6:30 pm – 7:30 pm ET
NO COST for attendees
The Parzival Quest, is calling to humanity at this time of the Consciousness Soul. Explore aspects of this Quest through art, and movement, via embodiment processes and sensing gestures in the tangible and intangible sheaths of being human. Inspired by devout anthroposophist, artist Michael Chekhov, and guided by CRC member, Chekhov master teacher Lisa Dalton.
Then stay for supper and for the Central Region’s ‘Annual Meeting’—we haven’t had one since 2019, so it’s about time to fill you in on what’s happening!
Alberto Loya is stepping down from the CRC. He’s been with the Council since 2009—thank you for your many contributions, Alberto! We look forward to sharing memories and tributes during the meeting.
And Mary Mertz who has been working with the CRC for the last year will be offically inducted onto the Council.
2:00 pm ET– Welcome, singing, Chekhov movement, biography work
3:30 – 3:45 pm ET– Break
3:45 – 5:00 pm ET – Our Parzival Quest and Question
5:00 pm ET – Be our guest for dinner
6:30 – 7:30 pm ET – AGM – We will be bidding farewell to Alberto Loya & welcoming Mary Mertz, as well as giving reports on 2020 and 2021.
The CRC: Hazel Archer-Ginsberg, Lisa Dalton, Alberto Loya,
working with Mary Mertz
Please RSVP to Mary Mertz mary.mcginnis@juno.com
If you can’t attend the workshop, we hope you can join in the
Annual Meeting.
Let us know whether you’ll be attending in person or via Zoom.
To inquire about accommodations at the Rudolf Steiner House,
contact Cynthia Chelius cynthia@anthroposophy.org
Zoom meeting info (please note — passcode required)
Jul 16, 2022
The zoom can be accessed from 2 pm. You are welcome to attend all or part of the workshop. The main event will be the Parzival Quest from 3:45 pm – 5 pm Eastern Time & the AGM 6:30 pm – 7:30 pm ET
Join Zoom Meeting
https://us02web.zoom.us/j/86449905249
Meeting ID: 864 4990 5249
Passcode: 923117
| Renewing the Mysteries:The Founding of The Christian Community & the Burning of the First Goetheanum Spring Valley, NY – August 8-13, 2022 REGISTER NOW!* lectures * artistic workshops * conversation * evening performances I will be offering a program on Tuesday 9 August for the Free Initiative 2:30 -3:30 pm ET |
| Many anthroposophists have understood the 1923/24 Christmas Foundation Conference as constituting a renewal of the Mysteries. Nine months after the Christmas Conference, speaking to the priests of the Christian Community, Rudolf Steiner pointed to a sequence from the founding of the Christian Community in September 1922 to the burning of the Goetheanum at the end of that year to the Christmas Conference.In this 100th anniversary year of both the founding of the Christian Community and the burning of the Goetheanum, can an exploration of these events help us to understand the nature of the New Mysteries? The keynote speaker is Daniel Hafner, priest of the Christian Community. He will address this theme with a particular focus on the colored windows of the First Goetheanum. The Act of Consecration of Man will be celebrated during the week and there will also be a Class Lesson for members of the School of Spiritual Science. Venue: SPRING VALLEY, NY, Threefold Community, and The Christian Community *REGISTRATION IS REQUIRED TO ATTEND THIS EVENT: A conference on the scale currently planned requires that a minimum number of participants register by July 20th. INFO OR QUERIES: Rev. Paul Newton paulknewton@msn.com (845) 517-4101 Sponsored by The Christian Community Spring Valley Area and the Threefold Branch of the Anthroposophical Society |
Hi Hazel,
I like this essay from today about “let freedom ring”, which can also be a political motivation. Yet, with the recent revoking of Roe v Wade, we can clearly see that medical freedom is in Jeopardy. Is that the issue you are referring to today? Yes, in my own personal experience, the incumbents and candidates for political office, really know very little of what really is at stake.
Abortion, for example, is a decision involving a human life. Does a human life deserve to exist, or is it merely about a woman’s right to her body and what she does with it? This is the issue here. Abortion as a means of birth control is a blasphemy, and we had better note it in this day and age. This is why it is working out as a matter of disruption in today’s environment.
It should have occurred some 25 years ago, when certain evidence proved that women who had abortions also developed breast cancer later in life. This could have proved to be the catalyst in a woman’s decision to abort the life that was within her. Yet, this evidence was denounced when it came out by the National Organization for Women (NOW), and whose power had the effect of nullifying its importance as a karmic consequence to abortion. Thus, the evidence of the link between abortion and breast cancer was suppressed by NOW. Why? Because a woman has an invested right to her body and what she does with it.
This seems to be the present attitude, Hazel, and why not? Karmic consequences only show the link. If breast cancer had been accepted as scientific proof that abortion has its consequences in leading to this disease, then its own force would have made women responsible for their actions. Yet, an outside agency intervened. This was ‘NOW’ , and we still see it as a strong political organization today.
Of course there is karma involved – Societal as well as individual. If we had a mindset that truly valued life, supporting human life at every stage, then family planning would be shared by all human beings, not just heaped on the single mother. Part of the education in these matters needs to be based on the spiritual as well as the physical – for indeed Abortion should never be thought of or used as a sole means of birth control but as an emergency option – that is part of what the spiritual education must entail, along with the respect for women’s autonomy which can empower them to learn more about their bodies & their cycles – with men taking responsibility & science & new societal norms working to help men in that regard. And the business world must respect life as well, offering paid maternity leave for mothers & fathers.
Hazel, I like these sentiments. If the link between abortions and breast cancer had been seen as the potential fate of making such a decision to terminate a life in the making, then women today would know what is at stake. They would know what further jeopardy they were placing their bodies in with aborting the fetus. Now, today, this education of the real facts has to be started all over again. Why? Because NOW had the power to suppress the evidence of the link between abortion and breast cancer from some 25 years ago. Please consider how many lives would have been saved if women knew the real consequences of the decision to abort their babies? Many women have died of breast cancer, and this is also a karmic consequence.
Today, with the revoking of Roe v Wade, women need to know these facts in making their determination to terminate a life and risk the consequences for themselves. A dirty abortion still has the same effects. This is a difficult subject coming at the time of Saint John’s Imagination this year. It is even paradoxical when we consider “The Mothers”, and where they dwell within the Depths, in order to produce the Son in the midst.
The rest is kind of heartbreaking. It means conveying all this evidence again in 2022. That is why people wonder if we are actually making progress.
The point is the human being needs to be seen by medical science as a whole organism. And as individuals we have to consciously recognize the connections between our Thinking, Feeling & Willing on a physical, emotional & spiritual level. What we put in, or take out of our own bodies has consequences. Of course any organization has an agenda. People have to be able to think for themselves & there are plenty of resources we can avail for ourselves on health issues. Then it is up to each individual to live out their destiny with their personal & collective karma. It should not be mandated by the government.
Here is an interesting article from today about fetal identity growing over the three trimesters. The author is someone I want to contact. She is a professor at the University of New York. I hope she will be responsive.
https://www.yahoo.com/news/does-fetus-acquire-moral-status-122741362.html
Of course, any input will be shared here.