3 July 2019 – “Speaking with the stars”: Arcturus, the brilliant yellow-orange star high in the southwest after dark, is the leading light of Bootes the Cowherd. The constellation’s brightest stars form a kite shape extending up from Arcturus. The kite is rather narrow, bent a bit left at the top, about two fists at arm’s length.
While
evening twilight is still fairly bright, the thin waxing crescent Moon guides
the way to the low line of Mercury,
Mars, Pollux, & Castor
disappearing into the sunset, .
Tomorrow, the 4th of July
2019, the Earth is at aphelion,
its farthest from the Sun for the year.
***
Looking at the past to see the present,
co-creating the future:
Those who work with the Original indications in the Calendar of the Soul know that Rudolf Steiner lists the birth & death days, as well as other significant occurrences of various individualities, along with the dates in the calendar. He said of this: “What is presented here can be useful to those who wish to follow the path of mankind’s spiritual development” ~Rudolf Steiner
CGerbrand van den Eeckhout
Deathday
of Cornelius – a Roman centurion who
is considered to be the first Gentile to convert to the faith. Cornelius
receives a vision in which an angel who instructs Cornelius to send the men of
his household to Joppa, where they will find Simon Peter.
The conversion of Cornelius comes after a separate vision given to Simon Peter (Acts 10:10–16) himself. In the vision, Simon Peter sees all manner of beasts & birds being lowered from Heaven. A voice commands Simon Peter to eat. When he objects to eating unclean animals, the voice tells him not to call unclean that which God has cleansed. When Cornelius’ men arrive, Simon Peter understands that through this vision the Lord commanded the Apostle to preach the Word of God to the Gentiles.
283 – Deathday of Anatolius. Prior to becoming one of the great lights of the Church, he enjoyed considerable prestige at Alexandria, & was credited with a rich knowledge of arithmetic, geometry, physics, rhetoric, dialectic, & astronomy. He was one of the foremost scholars of his day in Aristotelean philosophy.
Deathday
of St. Norbert of Xanten, who
avoided ordination to the priesthood & even declined an appointment as
bishop. One day as he rode to Vreden, a thunderbolt struck him off his horse.
After this near-fatal accident, his faith deepened, he renounced his appointment
at Court & returned to Xanten to lead a life of penance. St Norbert was a
great devotee of the Eucharist & Our Lady.
1035 – William the Conqueror becomes the Duke of Normandy
1863 – The U.S. Civil War Battle of Gettysburg, PA, ended after three days. It was a major victory for the North as Confederate troops retreated
1940 –In order to stop the ships from falling into German hands the French fleet is bombarded by the British fleet causing the loss of three battleships, 1,200 sailors die.
1944 –Minsk is liberated from Nazi control by Soviet troops during Operation Bagration
1988
– United States Navy warship USS Vincennes shoots down Iran Air Flight 655 over
the Persian Gulf, killing all 290 people aboard.
1988
– The Fatih Sultan Mehmet Bridge in
Istanbul, Turkey is completed, providing a connection between Europe & Asia
over the Bosphorus.
***
As the power of ‘Independence’ reverberates in our collective consciousness…Can we rise in our thinking to meet “Freedom, Equality, & Fraternity”…While imagining that the “bombs bursting in air” are beautiful, gentle fireworks of realization & enlightenment, going off like light bulbs in American minds…
Working towards a Global Interdependence Independence Day. A mutual dependency upon the independence of every nation & its people…Imagine everyone celebrating our differences with great admiration & respect…
We have all heard of Betsy Ross right? I just love this enterprising woman who led a very interesting life. She was actually disowned as a Quaker because she married an Episcopalian, who was later ironically killed while guarding a munitions dump. So here she was a young widow, telling George Washington that she thought the 5 pointed Star would look much better on the flag then his idea of having 6 pointed stars, true story.
I can just picture her sitting in the back room of the small upholstery business she ran by herself, with this mighty symbol that she helped design, laid out on her sweet lap, sewing away.
Now I’m not much for nationalism with all its borders & power over others kind of patriotism, but I must admit I love to see a well-made flag flapping in the breeze. All flags are cool – Crests with their ancient symbols, & especially those colorful banners you see on the porches of houses, shaped like butterflies or autumn leaves. I’m just a sucker for a glyph in the wind.
We all know what we’re talking about when we say ‘the 4th’ right…But when was the last time you stopped to think about what ‘the 4th’ is really all about. When I looked on the internet it gave me hit after hit on picnic ideas, & recipes for apple pie, hints on BBQ techniques, free patriotic screen savers, many downloadable versions of the “rockets’ red glare” with animated fireworks displays; & yet somehow they forgot to mention the fact that fireworks were a Chinese invention, an ancient art form that we took & made into gun powder. I’m serious, is baseball & burnt wieners all there is?
Does anyone want to give us some history here, or a brief overview of the meaning of Independence Day? I was never much good with all the details, the dates & names & such, so history isn’t my strong point, but I’m always able to get the big picture, & it seems to be about freedom from oppression… ‘No taxation without representation’…& all that…the center point being the Declaration of Independence.
When was the last time you read this important document of our countries origin? You can print it off the net. “We hold these truths to be self-evident, that all people are created equal, that they are endowed by their Creator with certain unalienable Rights, that among these are, Life, Liberty and the pursuit of Happiness…”
The rest of the document goes on to give a laundry list of the crimes against the colonists by the king of Great Britain, whose name happens to be George the 3rd…(who says history doesn’t repeat itself, many of these same crimes were perpetrated not so long ago by George Bush & his dynasty)
Have we gained independence from one tyranny all those years ago, only to allow it to happen again on a world scale? Maybe it’s time to open our eyes & read the fine print of our birthright, reclaim our rights & go forward as a united community of World people, in peaceful justice, in equity, in reason, with compassion, having come through so much pain, to really start to, not just declare our independence, but to really live it…As individuals, as well as with the united community of the whole planet…
We have a strong voice…this is our world…our sacred space & we can sing any reality we want to…& I don’t know about you, but I’d rather sing ‘America the Beautiful’, or even something like, ‘It’s A Small World After All’, then the war worshiping ‘Star Spangled Banner’ any day…
America Guided By Wisdom, 1815 (litho) engraved by Benjamin Tanner (1775-1848)
So for our next song, I’ll get off the soap box, & let the power of our united heart-beats, our collective rhythm be our anthem…to bring healing & forgiveness to the old wounds & hope for the future… blessed be…
‘We can rise with the fire of freedom Truth is the fire that burns our chains & you can stop the fire of destruction Healing is the fire running through our veins’.
Light workers, ready, set, go: July 2019 is coming in strong – with solar & lunar eclipses, several tense oppositions in Cancer-Capricorn, & Mercury Retrograde conjunct Mars!
Steiner speaks about the fact that an eclipse has a ‘malignant effect’’ – one that is necessary, as a safety valve, to ‘avert danger, to provide an outlet for something’.
A solar eclipse provides an
opportunity for ‘the evil which is willed on earth’ to flow out into universal
space. All the unbridled impulses of humanity surge out into the cosmos. When
there is no eclipse, these evil impulses of will which are sent out into the
cosmos by human beings are burned up & consumed by the rays of the sun, so
that they can injure only humanity itself, & can do no universal harm.
The lunar eclipse exists for the purpose of allowing the ‘evil thoughts’ which are present in the cosmos to approach those human beings who are ‘desirous of being possessed by them’.
It seems that sometimes humanity needs to blow off stream, sending out our built up impulses into the cosmos at the solar eclipse. And with a lunar eclipse it’s the cosmos’ turn to stream toward the human being – in an ‘exchange of evil. This is important for humanity to know, so that we can be conscious of what is happening, & step up.
Antoine Caron
2 July 2019 – Total Solar Eclipse in Cancer, a the North Node eclipse which is about embracing the new.
This total solar eclipse will be visible in parts of Chile & Argentina just before sunset. Some regions in the Pacific & in South America, including locations in Ecuador, Brazil, Uruguay, & Paraguay will see a partial solar eclipse.
John Stolfo
Since we are dealing with an eclipse of the Sun, it would be important to remember how Michael remained on the Sun as the ruling power of the great cosmic kingdom of the Christ & guardian of the Christ-mysteries in the cosmos.
The Michael Meditation is a powerful
imagination that can help us bring into focus the cosmic & earthly
Michael-Mystery for our time, pointing up our responsibility as Anthroposophers
to take on the task of our Time-spirit.
MICHAEL MEDITATION from Rudolf Steiner’s last lecture
Springing from Powers of the Sun, Radiant Spirit-powers, blessing all Worlds! For Michael’s garment of rays You are predestined by Thought Divine. He, the Christ-messenger, reveals in you — Bearing mankind aloft — the sacred Will of Worlds. You, the radiant Beings of Æther-Worlds, Bear the Christ-Word to Man. Thus shall the Herald of Christ appear To the thirstily waiting souls, To whom your Word of Light shines forth In cosmic age of Spirit-Man. You, the disciples of Spirit-Knowledge, Take Michael’s Wisdom-beckoning, Take the Word of Love of the Will of Worlds Into your souls’ aspiring, a c t i v e l y !
Jenny Wright
Another thought I had was to also work with this ‘Heart-Meditation’ given to Ita Wegman’s mother, Henriette Wegman for her 73rd birthday by Rudolf Steiner (from Peter Seleg’ book: The Ensouled Sun of Man: A Heart Meditation)
“Center your attention in your heart. Imagine there is a small, transparent globe at the center of your heart. Then slowly expand this globe, allowing it to widen through your body, the room, and onward out and out. Keep its shape as it expands, through and around the Earth. Let it expand slowly beyond the Earth, through each planetary orbit: Moon, Mercury, Venus, Sun, and farther to the outer planets until it reaches the fixed stars of the Zodiac. Let it rest there, feeling held by the periphery and the powers that stream from it toward the Earth. Then, slowly, contract this globe again, so it passes back through all the spheres, until it is within your own heart again”. ~Rudolf Steiner
This speaks to the spiritual nature of the human heart in connection with the cosmic heart in our Day-Star – this is the work of Michael since the mystery of Golgotha- it gives us an imagination of the modern path to Christ.
Since the Moon briefly blocks out the rays of the Sun during a solar eclipse, the will impulses streaming out from humanity find their way into the spiritual world without being “mediated” by the spiritual influences of the Sun during the shadow time.
What should we do during a total solar eclipse? Practice ‘Good Will’. Feel the beauty. Think the truth. Be creative, kind, generous in your reverence – Call in your Higher Self. And stand with Michael, holding the sword & shield of the Sun, as a true human being.
3 July 2019 – Venus Enters Cancer
Thomas Velt
8 July, 2019 – Mars is conjunct Mercury, & then a few hours later, Mercury goes retrograde
9 July 2019 – Chiron in Aries Goes Retrograde
Also on 9 July 2019 – Sun Conjunct North Node, Opposite Saturn & South Node in Cancer opposite Capricorn.
11 July 2019 – Mars in Leo Square Uranus in Taurus
12 July – hag’s natal return!
14 July 2019 – Sun in Cancer Opposite Pluto in Capricorn
16 July 2019 – Lunar Eclipse in Capricorn, a South Node Lunar Eclipse, which is about releasing the old.
From Rudolf Steiner: And again, when there is an eclipse of the
moon, the man of today merely says: “Now the earth comes between the sun and
the moon; hence we see the shadow cast upon the moon by the earth.” That is the
physical explanation. But in this case also the old initiate knew that a
spiritual reality was behind the physical fact. He knew that when there is an
eclipse of the moon, thoughts stream through darkness down upon the earth; and
that such thoughts have a closer relationship with the subconscious life than
with the conscious life of the human being. The old initiates often made use of
a certain simile when speaking to their pupils. It is; of course, necessary to
translate their words into modern language, but this is the gist of what they
said: “Visionaries and dreamers love to go for rambles by moonlight, when the
moon is full. There are, however, certain people who have no wish to receive
the good thoughts coming to them from the cosmos, but who, on the contrary, are
desirous of getting hold of evil, diabolical thoughts. Such people will choose
the moment of a lunar eclipse for their nocturnal wanderings”
Eclipses of the sun and moon, recurring as they do in the course of every year, may really be looked upon as “safety-valves.” A safety-valve is there to avert danger, to provide an outlet for something or other — steam, for instance — at the right moment. One of the safety-valves which makes its appearance in the cosmos and to which we give the name of a solar eclipse, serves the purpose of carrying out into space in a Luciferic way, the evil that spreads over the earth, in order that evil may work havoc in a wider, less concentrated sphere. The other safety-valve, the lunar eclipse, exists for the purpose of allowing the evil thoughts which are present in the cosmos to approach those human beings who are desirous of being possessed by them. people do not, as a rule, act in full consciousness, but the facts are nevertheless real — just as real as the attraction of a magnet for small particles of iron. Such are the forces at work, in the cosmos.” ~Human Q’s & Cosmic A.
19 July 2019 – Mercury Retrograde Re-enters Cancer. Mercury Retrograde is about RE. Re-doing, re-searching, re-viewing, re-examining, re-inventing, re-thinking, re-scheduling…
21 July 2019 – Venus in Cancer Opposite Pluto in Capricorn. Some call this is a “femme fatale” aspect.
Also 21 July 2019 – Mercury in Retrograde Conjunct Sun in Cancer
22 July– Sun Enters Leo
28 July 2019 – Venus Enters Leo
29 July 2019 – Sun in Leo Square Uranus in Taurus
Michelle Knight
The Astrology of July features the return of Eclipse Season, with both a Solar Eclipse in Cancer TODAY on the New Moon July 2nd, & a Lunar Eclipse on the Full Thunder-Buck Moon, in the Sun’s opposite sign of Capricorn, which takes place on July 16th with the Moon also conjunct transformative Pluto.
These lunations are big astrological news, but as we saw above, there’s more. July also contains a full 3 weeks of Mercury in retrograde, through the signs of Leo, & then Cancer, & with the start of this retrograde period slated to be quite an intense moment because, as Mercury begins to move backward through early Leo, it will be in close conjunction with feisty Mars & in square with the startling trickster energy of Uranus!
There are the usual suspects as well: Saturn with Pluto, a close parallel, Jupiter with Neptune, in square, & prominent Chiron in semi-sextile aspect to Uranus. With all this outer planet activity, the transformational beat continues, as we can clearly see in our own lives & as well in the trending of the surrounding zeitgeist.
Most astrologers feel that the triple conjunction of Jupiter, Saturn, & Pluto that comes up in mid-November 2020 will be the peak of massive societal change, & that we are in stage 3 or 4 of this major transition. And every one of us might in fact be going through a similar transformative cycle during these pivotal years leading up to 2020, depending on how vigilant we may have been. We will all want to recognize that this is the time to tune in ‘as above so below, as within so without’.
And remember: The effects of an eclipse are said to last 6 months!
These kinds of challenging alignments
call us to be awake, in our “Speaking with the stars”. An eclipse, an
opposition, a retrograde, or a square admonishes us to take action.
When we consciously join the cosmic conversation & work with these intense energies, we are able to co-create the flow with awareness & intention, instead of spending our energies combating or swimming against the tide.
28 June 2019 – “Speaking with the Stars”: As evening grows late, even the lowest star of the Summer Triangle shines pretty high in the east now. That’s Altair. It’s a good 3 or 4 fists at arm’s length below or lower right of bright Vega. A marker for Altair is its little buddy Tarazed (Gamma Aquilae), above or upper left of it by about a finger’s width at arm’s length. Look left of Altair, by hardly more than one fist, for compact little Delphinus, the Dolphin. And above the midpoint between Delphinus & Altair look for even smaller, dimmer Sagitta, the Arrow.
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.
Jean Jacques Rousseau by Allan Ramsay.
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 – Korean War: 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.
***
POD (Poem Of the Day)
~i am the mud
between the toes of the Beloved…
make of me a poultice for the healing,
that from our commingling
the lotus may take root –
a strong foundation
for the blossoming…
~hag
***
Andrea Kowch
Summer-Tide is a time of relationships & harmony…Showing us how we are connected to the cosmos, to nature & its rhythms…with the longer days the pineal gland receives more light & we feel creative power shining in on us.
Here is a little guided meditation for this time of year:
Make yourself comfortable…as we share the air…taking a deep breath…
filling your belly…thrilling your lungs…Let your body sink deep & Relax…
As your awareness is internalized, connect with the Breath of Life, gently moving through you…Make all your senses alert to the breath…Enjoy its power & simplicity…Feel the sustaining energy behind the breath…Feel the life force coursing through your cells & thoughts…
Direct your inner vision to a large field, a field of glorious, full,
sunflowers…It the dawning of a new day…a perfect Summer morning, with a
white-cloud-dotted clear sky,& a warm sun beginning to dazzle the world
with its light…The sunflowers are tall & abundant, swaying in the warming
breeze blowing across the field…Listen to the rustle of their music, dancing in
the harmony of the elements together…Their beautiful, rich color casting a
golden glow all around you…
There is a path ahead, meandering through the flowers, many much taller than you are, magnificently facing the sun absorbing its rays…You follow this path, slowly & leisurely, feeling every part of your feet making contact with the fertile earth…The sunflowers lining the path acknowledge you, every step of the way, whispering of riches & abundance, of the golden prosperity of your soul…
Eugeny Khara
You look down to your right & see a large patch of St. John’s Wort in
full bloom…Receiving permission from the plant spirit, you begin to harvest the
bright yellow blossoms, putting them reverently into the pouch at your hip…
Thanking the glorious medicine of this spirit you move on down the path, feeling the heat rising with the sun, inflaming your souls purpose…
You stop to drink from a clear stream…& as you begin to stand, you notice a patch of pennyroyal…You commune with its magic, gathering the fragrant leaves into your pouch…Feeling enlivened & in rhythm with the height of summer, you are lead to wisteria & roses…Fields of thyme & mugwort & chamomile…
This is where the plant fairies dance & play in the lengthening shadows…You are called to look up to the sky, & you see the first pink traces of dusk approaching… As you come to the end of this path, your heart is at peace…
A little way ahead there is an opening…You make your way there, seeing
that it is a small mound with magnificent oaks & a pristine pond… Under one
of the oak trees, on the edge of the pond there is a blazing campfire crackling
as the sky turns orange-crimson…You are at home here…Your fire is born of oak
& fir tree branches…The flames call out to you, whispering your secret
name…You offer up the harvest pouch you filled with love & summer herbs,
casting it into the blue core of the flames…throwing in with it all thoughts of
negativity…all obstacles…all pain…all worries, into its hot light of
transformation…& as it burns free…take in the rising fragrance of your
healing harvest…feeling cleansed…& energized
The twilight lingers, Our Day Star-Sun Takes its time to set triumphantly
in the west…The sky is a canvas, & Mother Nature is expressing all her
creativity…
Her grand design is reflected on the still pond at your feet…When you look
at the pond, you see that it is a perfect reflection of your life, & on its
surface you are able to see or experience all parts of who you are…What you
are…What you will to become…
Your soul’s beauty, vastness & great love blend, with the sunset colors, & the pond’s liquid shimmer…As the light fades, a soft breeze ripples across the pond, & the colors are set into motion. There is a sweet music in the air of flutes, & harps, bells & drums…a light begins to surface from the pond…you see a form crystallizing…You realize this is the spirit of Mother Earth come to dance with you…She hovers over the pond & in a sublime voice speaks to you…
“I have come, for you have honored me, by honoring yourself…I have come, for many do not know of Me…I have come through you…Your life & mine are the same…Your welfare & mine are the same…What is good for you is good for me…When you feel love, I feel love…So won’t you share your goodwill with others? Won’t you share your goodwill with the planet? Won’t you share your goodwill with yourself? I ask, for I see you are willing & able…I see you are a bright power…You are full of courage & light…You are a transformer of reality…Transform the reality that no longer serves you…& as you do, link with others who know Me, & recognize the family of Life…When you recognize in someone, what you know inside to be true, seek to expand that truth…for as light is shared & love is grown, so shall the world change…You are my feet & hands, my eyes & voice…You do not live alone…The world is yours to craft as you choose…Choose freedom…Choose the way that creates the best for all; children, women, men, bodies of water, mountains, the land, all life…I gift you with Life & the ability to care for it…Embrace this gift.”
Take a moment now & pledge to the Mother what you will do to help the world,
the environment; to help others; & to help yourself.
Cultivate the blessings received & the vision of your Divine-self in
your heart-soul…Resolve to act on your life-purpose & make it real…
Gradually bring your experience to the present once again, to the here
& now…Feel your body refreshed & renewed, here & now, in time &
space, in your own sacred space…know you are sacred… know you are here…&
Gently, joyfully, when you are ready, open your eyes…to see the unity of the
cosmic community to which you belong…& say – Blessed be…
~hag
***
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!
4251 N. Lincoln Ave. Chicago Saturday 29 June 2019 from 8 p-m – 11 pm with Sibu Joseph
The In the Now Sessions gather people with two Intentions. First that we enter the Now without restricting what manifests. And second that we do so for the good of All. The Rhythms provided by the Dog Beach Drummers will aid in our group resonance and the drum circle is open to all who wish to play. If your passion is the visual arts please bring your gear and paint with us, some materials will be on site for use. And if your passion is dance bring your heat and let’s get down in a space where all of our creative energies have the opportunity to manifest our highest Intentions.
The entrance fee is 10 dollars but no one will be turned away for financial reasons. This is a no smoking and alcohol free venue so please respect the space. There is plenty of street parking in the area and easily accessible by public transportation.
May the Unity and Love that emerges when we gather to share our passions shine throughout the universe. Namaste
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.
325 – 1stCouncil 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
~ ~ ~
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
~~~
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.
Judith Pillar
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?
Bruce Rimell
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.”
Metanoia by Botticlelli
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’
The Beheading of Saint John the Baptist 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.
Da Vinci
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
***
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!
16 June 2019 – “Speaking with the Stars”: The Full Honey Moon officially arrives at 3:31 am CDT tomorrow morning, but it looks completely illuminated all night. Sweet Bella Luna appears low in the southeast as the Sun sets & climbs highest in the south around 1 am. The Full Moon resides among the background stars of southeastern Ophiuchus, sliding into western Sagittarius by daybreak.
Don’t be surprised if your friends ask you what that
bright object sitting next to the Moon is -You can impress them by answering Jupiter right away. The Benevolent
King, showing himself on this Father’s Day reached opposition last week, holding
space with Venus, which doesn’t rise
until morning twilight is well underway.
Adding to the panorama are, to their right, fainter Antares & the other stars of upper Scorpius
Happy Father’s Day to all you benevolent Kings out there!
100 years
ago, In June 1917 Rudolf Steiner spoke for the 1st time about Three-Folding…Are
we ready to carry this seed to the next stage…?
“Understanding of the world as it actually is, ability to bring spiritual knowledge right down into the practical life of humanity, into the stubborn spheres of technical industry & economics, as well as into the thinking, the moral life & the actions of the human being – this is one side of Rudolf Steiner’s challenge. The other is the development of the inner life of soul which generates love for human beings and the wisdom to promote their spiritual & social wellbeing…The inspirer of the 20th century has lived among us, & lives among us still. Is it not for us to work as laborers unto harvest?” ~D.N. Dunlop, “Rudolf Steiner and the fulfillment of the Quest.
1361 – Deathday of Johannes Tauler, a disciple of Meister Eckhart, one of the most important Rhineland Mystics. He promoted a neo-platonist dimension in the Dominican spirituality of his time
1858 – Abraham Lincoln delivers his House Divided speech in Springfield, Illinois
1901 – Deathday of Herman Grimm, son of one of the “Brothers Grimm” compilers of indigenous folk tales. His reputation is that of the arch-Romantic, Gründerzeit art historian, he was viewed as the intellectual successor of Goethe. His approach to art history was through the “Great Masters,” & a biographical account of art history. Rudolf Steiner spoke about his past lives as Pliny the Younger & Beatrice of Tuscany.
1903 – The Ford Motor Company is incorporated
1904 – Irish author James Joyce begins a relationship with Nora Barnacle & subsequently uses the date to set the actions for his novel Ulysses; this date is now traditionally called “Bloomsday”
1911 – IBM founded in Endicott, New York
1920 – Dr. Rudolf Steiner, & Dr. Ita Wegman, founded “Futurum AG“, in Arlesheim, Switzerland, & “Der Kommende Tag AG (an incorporated company to encourage economic & spiritual values) in Stuttgart Germany. Both companies merged for economic reasons, & today is known as Weleda.
1932 – D.N. Dunlop plans “International Association for the Advancement of Spiritual Science”
1936 – Deathday of Emil Molt, used concepts of the 3-fold social order in his business. He was the founder of the first Waldorf School, where Rudolf Steiner was the pedagogical director. Steiner spoke of him as the individuality called Charlemagne.
Emil Molt, orphaned at 13, was born in southern Germany. After finishing high school he was apprenticed to Emil Georgii in the town of Calw, in the Black Forest. There he learned about money, his powerful work ethic, & wonderful customer service. He was diligent & a quick study, valued by his employer, who took the unusual step of asking him to work a year beyond his obligation.
During this time Molt met his wife-to-be, & felt an immediate inner connection. But he was not yet in a position to marry. At 19 he went to serve his obligatory year of military service in Ulm. When he was finished, he signed a four-year contract with a German-run export business in Greece, & moved to Patras. After one year, in which he learned much about international trade, Greece got into a war with Turkey over Crete, & lost. Germany had sided with Turkey, & so Germans were unpopular.
Molt was offered a position in Stuttgart with the son of Emil Georgii (who was also called Emil) which he accepted. He was finally in a position to marry his beloved Berta, with whom he had been corresponding continually. They got married & they settled down in Stuttgart to manage a cigarette manufacturing company owned by the younger Emil Georgii. Molt traces the ups & downs of the business, & tells the story of how he eventually came to be director & part owner of the Waldorf Astoria cigarette company. Under Molt’s direction the brand was highly successful. Molt was a sensitive & progressive manager, he experimented with such novelties as open-book management.
World War One was devastating to Germany, & difficult for the Waldorf Astoria cigarette company. But Waldorf fared better than most of its competitors due to Molt’s foresight in buying several years worth of raw materials at the start of the war, before Germany’s foreign currency became worthless (most of the tobacco came from Greece & Turkey). At the end of the war Molt had too many workers, because Molt had hired replacements for those that went off to fight. When the soldiers returned from the front, Molt did not want to simply fire the replacements. Instead he kept everyone on the payroll, & worked them half days. In the afternoons he held adult-education classes for his workers, & paid for them to attend. He offered courses in history, geography, paper-making, tobacco cultivation, as well as literature. These were popular, but the workers, unaccustomed to learning, found the courses tiring. This made him realize that to make a difference, education had to come to children, & so he started thinking of a school for the children of his workers.
Molt first heard Rudolf Steiner speak in 1904, & became a member of the Theosophical Society in 1906. Stuttgart was a hub of anthroposophical activity, & Steiner came through many times. The area had the first dedicated branch house (in 1911) & regular meetings. After the First World War Steiner spoke several times in lectures about things that could be done, & Molt felt called upon to act.
Molt & several other Stuttgart-based anthroposophists tried to establish the Threefold Social Order in Baden-Württemberg, but despite their tremendous efforts, this did not come about. But Molt did take his idea of a school for his worker’s children, which he had shared with the workers to great enthusiasm, to Rudolf Steiner, who took it up. Molt earmarked a substantial sum from the company profits to pay for the school. The school was opened within six months. For the first year it was a “company” school, with the teachers being paid as employees of the Waldorf Astoria Cigarette Company. A year later, in 1920, the school was made independent, at the insistence of the teachers. A charitable foundation was established to own & manage the school, & the Waldorf Astoria Cigarette Company continued to pay the tuition of the factory worker’s children. Many new pupils joined. Enrollment went from around 300 to 1,100 students in about 5 years. The school was considered a model, & other schools were founded shortly thereafter in other cities. In 1928 a Rudolf Steiner School as far away as New York was established.
While the school flourished, business went downhill in the 1920’s. Molt bought out his partners in the Waldorf Astoria Cigarette Company. Inspired by the idea of a business association to fund anthroposophical work he & several other Stuttgart-based anthroposophists donated their businesses, becoming shareholders in “Die Kommende Tag”. The association was poorly managed, & collapsed a year later. The Waldorf Astoria Cigarette Company, its prized asset, was sold by the association to some banks, who kept Molt on as manager. Molt lost his entire investment, as did many others. In 1928 the banks sold their interest to the largest cigarette manufacturer in Germany, which was in the process of buying out & liquidating the competition. Molt read about the sale in the newspaper, & was shortly out of a job, the Waldorf Astoria Cigarette Company relegated to history.
At his death in 1936 the Waldorf School was being slowly strangled by the Nazi’s, & was shut down a few months later. But the model survived. After the war, it reopened, & today there are over 900 recognized Waldorf Schools worldwide.
1961 – Rudolf Nureyev defects from the Soviet Union
1963 –Cosmonaut Valentina Tereshkova becomes the first woman in space
1967 – The Monterey Pop Festival begins
1976 – Soweto uprising: A non-violent march by 15,000 students in Soweto, South Africa turns into days of rioting when police open fire on the crowd
2008 – California began issuing marriage licenses to
same-sex couples
***
Alessandro Sicioldr
POD (Poem Of the Day)
~The eye opens differentiating
Colors in the light
Recalling me in this now
Knowing my name
It watches my heart
Wags my tongue
& Hangs the sky with Moon & Star
It is
Yesterday & tomorrow
A million years traveling
To reach the flowers in my hand
~hag
***
This Years’ Road trip to the ‘Villes’
István Orosz
I am still digesting our potent journey thru the Easter Paradox of 2019. The road trip from Chicago thru Louisville, to Nashville & Knoxville was a true culminating Whitsun event. My dear friend Elisabeth Swisher, the lead driver in our higher octave ‘Thelma & Louise’ adventure, was a godsend.
The power of the thriving Fox Hollow bio dynamic farm shone like a beacon in the atmosphere around Louisville as we made our way to visit a music festival at the botanic gardens outside the city. The rains always seemed to let up as soon as we arrived somewhere, making the air fragrant with life forces.
No trip to Nashville would be complete
without a visit to the home of the world’s only full-size replica of the
ancient Parthenon – nicknamed the “Athens of the South”; the centerpiece
of the 1897 Centennial Exposition, where a number of buildings were based on
ancient originals. The Parthenon was the only one preserved by the Knights of
Pythias.
Forty-six Doric columns encircle the building. The largest bronze doors in the world, weighing 7.5 tons each, stand at the East & West entrances.
But what draws me back is the featured colossus of Athena Parthenos, the tallest indoor sculpture in the Western world.
Many other sculptures & friezes are also direct casts of the original sculptures which adorned the pediments of the Athenian Parthenon, dating back to 438 BC.
Brigitta Gallaher
After taking in these ancient influences, we made our way to Barbara Bittles gracious home away from home, where the community gathered for a wonderful potluck meal before the 1st presentation on the Rose Cross in the evening. Barbara’s home is a true sanctuary, we worked in ‘The Chapel’ where she hosts the Christian Community Act of Consecration quarterly. The room is imbued with reverence & Barbara’s good will; it was an honor to share my offerings there again this year. Cathy Green & Elisabeth Swisher led us in song, we did folk eurythmy, & we worked with Rudolf Steiner’s indications for ‘Preparation, Illumination, Initiation’ to warm the ground of our souls for this important meditation. Fruitful conversation ensued, & we all took potent spiritual thoughts into our sleep.
The next day Mary Bryan, felt inspired in
the night to make up beautifully rendered copies of the mantras for everyone to
work with. Thank you dear Mary!
The Workshop the next day was sublime:
*Singing with Cathy Green: ‘Down by the River *Folk Eurythmy: ‘I Think Speech’ *The ‘Easter Paradox’ of 1924 – 1943 -2019 *Social Sculpture: Are you a ‘Springtime’ or an ‘Autumn person’? *The 3-Fold Movable Feast: The Resurrection – Antidote to the ‘fall’ The promise of Ascension leading to the 2nd Coming Whitsun: Festival of United Soul Endeavor *Singing with Elisabeth Swisher – Da Pacem Cordium (Peace to every heart) *Labyrinth of Vitae Sophia *Eurythmy: Foundation Stone
We discussed impressions from both the ‘Esoteric’ & the ‘Ecclesiastical’ Holy Weeks:
What a powerful experiment, researching, observing, listening, asking questions, being open to the messages within & around us during this extended opportunity to live into the 3-fold Festival of Easter during this paradox year.
some of the group from Nashville
At the end of our workshop, it was such a blessing that again the elemental spirits gave us space to walk the labyrinth & end with the Foundation Stone Meditation, in Barbara’s lovely garden.
A few times during our work, especially when we were singing, I had a clear image of Don Brakebill, Charlotte’s beloved husband from Maryville, where we were headed next, standing & singing with us. An imagination of him dressed in white, peaking around a corner, waving with a bright smile on his face. I said to the group: ‘Don is at the Threshold’. And I had a feeling Whitsun would be his birth day into the spiritual world.
After another wonderful social meal we hit the road making our way to Bill & Bonnie Rogers’ beautiful domicile in Knoxville. We stopped in town 1st for a Southern meal in Market Square where we met some interesting young folks at a resale shop. We got to talking about art & life, & danced among the racks of fun second hand clothes (E & I both found a treasure to take home!)
We sat up till late drinking tea sharing deep insights with dear Bill & Bonnie, such thoughtful, deep thinkers, kind & attentive, their hospitality attuned to beauty & every comfort.
Whitsun morning we received word that Don had indeed made his transition early Whitsun morning. Up until recently Charlotte still brought Don to all the study group sessions where every once in a while he would add the perfect comment even though he had been suffering with Alzheimer’s for about 12 years. I remember last year when I came to give a presentation he told a few stories of his life on the farm where he grew up, & joined enthusiastically in the singing, which was his great love. Read more about his life here
a portion of the Knoxville group that stayed late. Bonnie is holding a picture of Charlotte & Don.
The friends from the Knoxville area gathered for a generous potluck lunch before the workshop, & with one heart dedicated Whitsunday to Don, who we all felt was with us in spirit.
Workshop activities: *Leading Thoughts & original art-collage projections *‘The Golden Legend’ + Plant / Human: our future evolution *Building the Image of the Rose Cross *Folk Eurythmy: ‘IAO’ *Social Sculpture: Are you an ‘Autumn Person’ (RED) or a ‘Spring-time Person’ (BLUE) ? Folk Eurythmy: Hallelujah for Don
Many insights were shared by the participants; thoughts about the connections of the Rosicrucian stream with Freemasonry, insights gleaned from our biographies highlighted by the artistic work, discussions pointing up connections from other studies, all interweaving & enlivening the day’s theme.
After the workshop we took a walk in nature among yellow butterflies & views of the river, as we processed all that we had experienced. We ended the day by watching a compelling documentary featuring quotes by Rudolf Steiner, about 5G, which we must all educate ourselves about. (Although I don’t recommend watching it right before bed)
After a lovely breakfast, with our dear friends Bill & Bonnie, on colorful china from Bulgaria, Elisabeth & I hit the road. We thoroughly enjoyed sharing our biographies, & listening to a Neil Gaiman book on CD. We stopped for the best BBQ in Tennessee & took a nature walk in a lovely State Park before finding ourselves back on the shores of the Great Inland Sea of Chicago, full, & grateful for such an enriching journey.
The Easter Paradox of 2019 was a true milestone,
whose research will continue to live within me, a conduit from the original ‘Turning
Point in Time’ – thru Steiner’s Paradox experience in 1924 – & Lili Kolisko’s
powerful experiments in 1943…
Having heard the call to action, may our
work at this year’s 3-fold Paradox add to the etheric energies that this cosmic
& earthly opportunity has given us, to help enliven our future evolution.
