“What man experiences as his destiny or karma takes place for him, within him and about him, from earthly life to earthly life. But in the heavenly worlds the consequences of what he did and experienced on earth go working on — and they work on even into the historic shaping of this earthly life.
My dear friends, you must take this statement in its full weight and importance. The individual man experiences his destiny. But as soon as two human beings are working together, something more arises, — more than the working out of the individual destinies of the one and of the other. Something takes place as between the two, transcending the individual experiences of either. Ordinary consciousness perceives no connection of what happens between man and man, with what goes on in the spiritual worlds above. For ordinary consciousness the connection is at most established when sacred spiritual actions are brought into this physical world of sense, — as when in sacred cult or ritual men consciously transform their physical actions so as to make them actions of the spiritual world at the same time.
But in a far wider sphere, all that happens between man and man is more than what the individual man experiences as his destiny. All that is not merely the destiny of individual men, but that is brought about by the feeling-together and working-together of men on earth, is forever in connection with the deeds of Seraphim and Cherubim and Thrones above. Into the latter there flow the deeds of men in their mutual connection with one another, as well as the individual earthly lives of men.
It is as though a fine spiritual rain were falling, falling to the earth, moistening the souls of men, impelling them to many things that arise historically in our time, in the relations between human being and human being”. ~Rudolf Steiner, KARMIC RELATIONSHIPS III
GA 237, Lecture 2, Forces of Karmic Preperation in the Cosmos, 4 July 1924, Dornach
May 19, 2022 – “Speaking with the Stars”: This is the time of year when Leo the Lion starts walking downward toward the west, on his way to departing into the sunset in early summer. After dark, spot the brightest star fairly high in the southwest. That’s Regulus, Leo’s forefoot.
Rudolf Steiner’s Lectures on this day (Help support the RSarchives!)
ON THIS DAY IN HISTORY (resourses include The original Calendar of the Soul by Rudolf Steiner, Wikipedia, Skyandtelescope.org)
1895 – Birthday of Emil Bock, Priest & co-founder of the Christian Community, anthroposophist and writer. In 1914 he began a study of languages at the University of Bonn . However, the same year he enlisted as a volunteer in the First World War and was sent to the front in Flanders , where he was wounded. In 1916, he met the theologian Friedrich Rittelmeyer , and from 1918 he studied Protestant theology in Berlin, and graduated in 1921. In June of the same year Bock met Rudolf Steiner and became one of the founders of the Christian Community in Switzerland.
Right at the moment of the rise of one of the most destructive, anti-human powers the world has ever seen, the Seminary of The Christian Community opened the doors of its first building dedicated to the training of priests in the movement for religious renewal. As Adolf Hitler proclaimed himself the “Führer”students gathered daily to hear words spoken in the sanctuary, from the altar, from the true “helfende Führer” (helping guide). Banned by the Nazi’s in 1941, Emil Bock – one of the founding priests and main teachers at the seminary – worked on a whole new translation of the New Testament while in the prison camp in Welzheim, including Paul’s letter to the Thessalonians and the Letter to the Hebrews. This spiritual work, completed under the pressures of a time of terrible catastrophe and real evil, became a powerful force that emerged above-ground at the end of the war in 1945. Bock was released from the concentration camp in 1942, but was under surveillance for the rest of the war. After the war, Bock was instrumental in the rebuilding of the community.
On November 1, 1950, Pius XII proclaimed the Dogma of the Assumption–Mary’s bodily assumption into heaven–which sent shock waves throughout the Christian world. C.G. Jung, for example, wrote his Answer to Job in response. Emil Bock’s response was the ‘Threefold Mary’ lectures, which answer some of the issues and broaden the scope to include not only the Mary-Sophia mystery in human history, but also the meaning of the feminine element in the evolution of consciousness. ~anthrowiki, christiancommunity
“The Mary mystery has meaning for all humankind, and a renewed Christian understanding of the human being in the fullest sense will be able to fathom it“. ~Emil Bock
Find a collection of the RECORDINGS of Presentations, Programs & Festivals HERE
Announcing an exciting Event on Ascension Thursday, May 26th 7 – 8:30 pm Eastern time.
Climbing Jacob’s Ladder – Celebrating the Festival of Ascension with Hazel Archer-Ginsberg & Eurythmy with Maria Ver Eecke
“In heavy clouds let Him ascend
And so also let Him downward tread.
In cooling streams let Him be sent,
In flames of fire blaze His descent,
In air & essence, sound & dew
To permeate our whole earth thru” ~Novalis
Ascension is a Festival of the Elements, & of the Hierarchies, it relates to the Transfiguration & the fulfillment of the promise of the ‘Second Coming’. Together we will explore the mystery of ‘As Above so Below’.
Hazel Archer-Ginsberg is a trans-denominational minister, essayist, lecturer, performer, and poet. She writes and curates ‘Reverse Ritual, Understanding Anthroposophy Through the Rhythms of the Year’ and the ‘I Think Speech’ podcast. Hazel’s been the Cultural Events and Festivals Coordinator for the Rudolf Steiner Branch in Chicago for over 10 years. She is a member of the Central Regional Council, the School for Spiritual Science, the Esoteric Youth Circle, and the General Council of the Anthroposophical Society in America.
Register by contacting Diane McGary, mcgary.family@comcast.net, by Sunday, May 22nd. You will receive an email with the zoom link on Tuesday May 24.
Hope to see you there!! – YES! Please feel free to spread the word!
Yours, Diane McGary, mcgary.family@comcast.net, for the the Eastern Region
A Whitsun Festival of United Soul Endeavor & Spirit Community
with the Eastern, Central and Western Regional Councils of the Anthroposophical Society in America
Sunday 29 May 2022 – 3 – 4:30 pm PT, 4-5:30 MT, 5-6:30 pm CT, 6-7:30 pm ET
We will be working with Rudolf Steiner’s THE FIFTH GOSPEL GA 148, Lecture II, 2 October 1913, Oslo
The Whitsun Festival highlights one of the greatest challenges of being human: placing our individual gifts, our individual “I”, in right relationship within the social realm. This challenge is strongly felt during this time of the consciousness soul age. Our groups striving to know Spiritual Science must work together as a community, to have the possibility to create this type of culture, and the opportunity is here for each of us to meet, human to human, where a sacrament is possible in every encounter. Our individual strength comes from our personal development and is enhanced by weaving our gifts together with others, knitting our social world in conscious community.
For more info. contact Hazel@ReverseRitual.com
Topic: All Regions Whitsun
Time: May 29, 2022 05:00 PM Central Time (US and Canada)
Join Zoom Meeting
https://us06web.zoom.us/j/7050174041?pwd=WkNaNDlPS0VIMTJUUkE1ZkFMaDh5dz09
Meeting ID: 705 017 4041
Passcode: Whitsun
The Holy Grail Study Group with the CRC Mysteries of the Holy Grail – from Arthur and Parzival to Modern Initiation June 1, 2022 – 7:15 pm Central (8:15 pm Eastern) “Anyone who approaches these mysteries today must feel that they are confronting and challenging themselves by striving for the virtues of Parzival, while knowing that — because of modern conditions — they are in fact someone else also, the wounded Amfortas. Today we bear this divided nature within us: aspiring Parzival, wounded Amfortas. That is what self-knowledge must lead us to feel. From this recognition will flow the forces which make a unity again of this duality, and will thus advance us a little further in world evolution.”~ from Chapter 15, Rudolf Steiner, The Mysteries of the Holy Grail, Chapter 15 “Acknowledging Amfortas,” excerpts from Steiner’s lecture given at Berlin on 7 February 1913 (GA 144, lecture IV), will be the focus of the June 1 meeting. A transcript of the entire lecture 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 One tap mobile +13017158592,,81116556762# US (Germantown) +13126266799,,81116556762# US (Chicago) Dial by your location +1 301 715 8592 US (Germantown) +1 312 626 6799 US (Chicago) +1 646 558 8656 US (New York) +1 253 215 8782 US (Tacoma) +1 346 248 7799 US (Houston) +1 669 900 6833 US (San Jose) Find your local number: https://us02web.zoom.us/u/kcHr5EVwrv If you have questions, please contact Mary Mertz mary.mcginnis@juno.com or Alberto Loya aloyavaca@utexas.edu. There is a knighthood of the 21st century whose riders do not ride through the darkness of physical forests as of old, but through the forest of darkened minds. They are armed with a spiritual armor and an inner sun makes them radiant. Out of them shines healing, healing that flows from the knowledge of the human being as a spiritual being. They must create inner order, inner justice, peace and conviction in the darkness of our time. ~Karl Konig Agenda for this meeting (CST) 7:15 Welcome and Introductions 7:18 Verse 7:25 Study led by volunteers Note: CRC team will ID volunteers Mariarosa – pages 117-123b Marianne – pages 123b-129 7:50 Conversation 8:25 ID volunteers for next meeting 8:28 Close with verse |
Once again, you’ve proved that you have your finger on the pulse of our thoughts. You’ve given us another inspiring theme from Steiner: “But as soon as two human beings are working together, something more arises, — more than the working out of the individual destinies of the one and of the other. Something takes place as between the two, transcending the individual experiences of either. Ordinary consciousness perceives no connection of what happens between man and man, with what goes on in the spiritual worlds above.”
As I read this, I thought of the lemniscate, or rather many lemniscates ascending in their spiral “dance”. One side of the lemniscate the positive, active energy and the other the negative, passive energy, and where they unite, in the center, the point of interest. As Steiner says, to ordinary consciousness, it doesn’t look like much, at that point of junction, but what is being created there is visible to supersensible consciousness. Eventually, what’s formed there will manifest itself to ordinary consciousness – perhaps it’ll show up as an intuitive thought that becomes an idea which is acted on. Or perhaps it’ll receive a physical form from the Spirits of Form, in some artistic, creative endeavor. Thanks once again for the inspiration. Have a great day in the windy city. Cheers.
Yes, I was thinking of you & our other friends here, as well as every encounter that comes our way – alwyas an opportunity to make manifest not only our own destiny, but to seed the evolution of humankind thru this co-creation with the highest spiritual realms, as we bring the gifts of Art, Sceince & Spirituality into life. The General Council will be working with this lecture next month!
As the Council works with it, don’t make the mistake that many make; heed Steiner’s words that ordinary consciousness sees nothing of what’s happening in the spiritual worlds above. Just as there appears to our physical vision nothing but a small junction in the center of the lemniscate, that center is where the action is taking place, where matter is being formed, because it’s there that the positive, active energies and the negative, passive energies meet. See the Light in that place with spiritual vision, and hear the Music of the Spheres being produced there. Very much like Goethean conversation – it’s from the Silence that the spiritual world speaks.
Yes, a good reminder to practice equanimity & open mindedness, Faith, Hope & Charity all rolled into one!
Thanks M