With all the genocide being perpetuated by those in power in Israel, I would like to tell the story of Ruth & Naomi, a Jewish woman & an Arab woman who shared a deep karmic connection, giving us a message of unity we need so much today. Their story is mixed in with the Holiday called Shavuot, the Feast of Weeks, Feast of The First Fruits, or Feast of the Giving of the Law; a spring festival that celebrates the grain harvest, & the ripening of the first fruits, as well as the anniversary of the giving of the Torah. Remember that this is the time that Moses meets the ‘I AM” of Christ in the burning bush!
According to tradition folks overslept the day that Moses came down from fiery Mount Sinai. So to atone, many folks hold an all-night vigil on the eve of Shavuot. They light candles, decorate with flowers, eat dairy food, study Torah, & read the Book of Ruth- an integral part of the Jewish & Christian liturgical year. Sections of Ruth are also used in the Protestant Wedding ceremony
A number of biblical scholars have speculated that the Book of Ruth may have been written by a woman – its story is not only expressed entirely from a woman’s point of view, the name “Ruth” literally means, “woman friend.” And the grammar of the original Hebrew shows an unusual content of gender equality. There is also a hidden teaching in Ruth, a kind of women’s mystery that we can contemplate, & also an allegory for a karmic, or spiritual union.
Here’s a synopsis: The widow Naomi & her 2 sons left Israel, because of a famine, traveling thru foreign lands. They settled in Moab which today is an Arab country on the East Bank of the Jordan River, bordered by Saudi Arabia, Iraq, Syria & Palestine. The sons married Ruth & Orpah, 2 non-Jewish women from that place. During this time in exile, the 2 sons died, & the 3 woman became very close.
The tender friendship was especially strong between Ruth & Naomi, so unusual with a mother-in-law; which has been celebrated in poetry, prose & in art, the world round. After a time, Naomi gets word that Jerusalem is fertile again, & with her 2 sons gone, she desires to go back to her homeland, telling her 2 daughters-in-law that they should go back to their families, since life with her would be one of poverty, in a strange land, & she didn’t want them to have to sacrifice all the pleasures of their young lives for her. Already sad & lonely with the loss of their husbands, the thought of parting with Naomi really intensified their grief. United in common sorrow, the 3 women stand at a crossroads. Naomi’s words made a deep impression on Orpah; & at last she decides to take her advice; –
But not Ruth, who felt a special destiny with Naomi; so they journeyed on together & made a home in Bethlehem, where Naomi’s family owned a small house, with a spring on the outskirts of town, but little else.
Ruth wanting to earn her keep, heard that laborers were needed in the fields. And Naomi remembered that she had a kinsman, Boaz, whose name means strength -a man of great wealth, as well as wisdom. And so it was that Ruth became employed in the fields of Boaz; where she worked hard & proved a blessing to her mother. Boaz took note of the integrity of the woman from Moab. At harvest time he needed many extra hands, & he often went among the reapers to see how the work was going forward. He heard such good accounts of Ruth’s industry, dignity & discretion that he ordered his men to leave plenty for her to glean & to carry home in the evening. This she often sold on the way, in order to buy something that Naomi needed.
The 2 woman enjoyed their evenings together. Naomi had her spinning-wheel & loom; she also worked in the garden, raising vegetables, herbs & chickens. They often talked over their day’s labor as they enjoyed their simple supper of herb tea, bread & watercress.
One night Naomi was told by the spirit of prophecy, that from Ruth would descend 6 of the most righteous men of the age, notably, the prophet Daniel, King David, & what we would call ‘the Luke Jesus’. Boaz prized Ruth for her virtues, & her great moral qualities of head & heart.
In due time they were married; & Ruth bore a son whose name was Obed, which means: ‘One who Serves’. Obed became the father of Jesse, the root from which sprung the Virgin Mary. And Obed, Ruth’s son, was also the father of King David. And so that is how this ‘Old Testament’ story ends, but we know this is just the beginning…
~hag
a video which includes this story & other tradtions around this Hoilday which is also connected to Whitsun can be found HERE or listen on the ‘I Think Speech’ podcast
16 May 2021 – “Speaking with the Stars”: Now’s the time to catch the elusive messenger of the gods Mercury, the innermost planet of the solar system as it swings into its greatest elongation east of the setting sun tonight. Look for this world in the western sky, where it’s popping out shortly after sunset above the planet Venus. As evening dusk ebbs into night, Venus blazes near the western horizon, & fainter Mercury is above it. And the lighted face of Bella Luna points toward Mars.
POD (Poem Of the Day)
~Now I seize
Darkness by its arms & shake it…
The souls of ancient swallowed women fall out
Of the belly of obscurity…
The old She, the few & the forgotten
Walk back into being
With me…
~hag
Find a collection of the many RECORDINGS of Presentations, Programs & Festivals HERE
Sangraal: A Pentecost Pilgrimage & Whitsun Festival with the Central Regional Council an experiential ‘Pageant’ written by Hazel Archer, taking us on a Quest from The Cauldron of Ceridwen, to The Holy Grail, & into The Sacred Vessel of the Sophia.
with Special Guests: Mary Mertz, Camille Vettraino. Eurythmy with Elizabeth Carlson, & Music with Ultra-Violet Archer
Join us on Whitsunday 23 May 2021, at 11 am PT / 12 noon MT / 1 pm – 2:30 pm CT / 2 pm ET / 8 pm CET
Join Zoom Meeting https://us02web.zoom.us/j/81181550712 Meeting ID: 811 8155 0712
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Bio – Elizabeth Carlson – I was born and grew up in upstate [Woodstock] New York. I completed the eurythmy training at Eurythmy School Zuccoli in Dornach, age 24, and studied again later at Eurythmeum Stuttgart for two years. I have worked in Waldorf education since, in eurythmy, (in USA, SA and UK) for 16 yrs, in Early Years for five years, and intermittently in care for the elderly and learning disabled. I completed an MA in eurythmy (education) with Alanus University (Germany, but in the UK) in 2016. I have lived in the UK, presently in Cardiff, Wales, since 1992. My son is 26.
Music by Ultra-Violet Archer – Here’s her solo stuff https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCkdsh6zXYxE74LLlDiBE3uQ
https://ultravioletarcher.bandcamp.com/track/when-my-wings-dry
The discography https://soundcloud.com/ultra-violet-archer
Bandcamp has all the lyrics & you can ‘buy’ the album to show support for ‘In Case of Emergence’ by ‘Circles Edge’ her new band with Morgan Vallet
https://circlesedge.bandcamp.com/album/in-case-of-emergence
After working with Karma & Reincarnation for 3 years the CRC has chosen a new Theme: ‘The Mysteries of the Holy Grail, from Arthur and Parzival to Modern Initiation’
You are also invited to get the Book & Join us for study sessions through out the year as well. contact Alberto Loya aloyavaca@utexas.edu for more info.
We are She – She are We – Embodying Love in Wisdom with Hazel & Ultra-Violet Archer
9:30 am PT / 10:30 am MT / 11:30 am CT / 12:30 pm ET / 5:30 pm GMT / 6:30 pm CET
The Book of Ruth is the 8th and shortest book of the OT, and yet, its telling of the relationship between Ruth and Naomi gives the pretext to another rendering of these two living at the time of Christ, and yet, not knowing each other directly.
“And it came to pass, that, when Jesus was returned, the people gladly received him: for they were all waiting for him. And behold, there came a man named Jairus, and he was a ruler of the synagogue: and he fell down at Jesus’ feet, and besought him that he would come into his house: For he had one only daughter, about twelve years of age, and she lay a-dying. But as he went the people thronged him. And a woman having an issue of blood twelve years, which had spent all her living upon physicians, neither could be healed of any, came behind him, and touched the border of his garment: and immediately her issue of blood stanched.“
(Luke VIII, 40–44.)
“How can the twelve-year-old daughter of Jairus possibly be healed, for she is at the very point of death? This can only be understood if we know that the girl’s physical illness was connected with another phenomenon in another person, and that she cannot be healed independently of that other phenomenon. When this, child, now twelve years old, was born, a certain connection existed with another personality — a connection deeply grounded in Karma. Hence we are told that a woman who had suffered from a certain illness for twelve years, passed behind Christ and touched the border of His garment. Why is this woman mentioned here? It is because she was connected karmically with Jairus’ child! This twelve-year-old girl and the woman who had suffered for twelve years were deeply connected! And it is not without reason that a secret of number is indicated here: the woman with an illness suffered for twelve years approaches Jesus and is healed — and only now could He enter the house of Jairus and heal the twelve-year-old girl who was believed to be already dead.”
https://wn.rsarchive.org/Lectures/GA114/English/RSP1964/19090924p01.html
The Festival of Shavuot lasts for three days. This year from May 16 to May 18. As the lead-up to Pentecost on May 23rd, we have the story of Ruth and Naomi. Now, what if it could be shown that Ruth and Naomi reincarnated at the time of Christ? The excerpt from the Gospel of Luke above indicates an important relationship between two persons intimately linked from an earlier life together.
Then, we have a later reincarnation together, which can be found through spiritual-scientific research. So, May 16th, Shavuot, Ruth and Naomi, which is a Hazel discovery of great importance. May 17th, the reincarnation of these two at the time of Christ.
This leaves Tuesday, May 18th to explore the later incarnation together. Hazel, it was a profound revelation for me to hear your words about Ruth and Naomi over the last three years at this time of year. Just the year before, c. 2018, I had done a close study of someone who is important for us all. She has only increased in stature, and she would bow before her king.
These are powerful lead-up days to the descent of the Holy Spirit.
and the woman who suffered from the issue of blood was Martha, Lazurus & Mary Magdelene’s sister…
Didn’t Christ know Martha from before?
Martha and Mary
38 Now as they were traveling along, He entered a village; and a woman named Martha welcomed Him into her home. 39 She had a sister called Mary, who was seated at the Lord’s feet, listening to His word. 40 But Martha was distracted with all her preparations; and she came up to Him and said, “Lord, do You not care that my sister has left me to do all the serving alone? Then tell her to help me.” 41 But the Lord answered and said to her, “Martha, Martha, you are worried and bothered about so many things; 42 but only one thing is necessary, for Mary has chosen the good part, which shall not be taken away from her.” Luke 10
Linking the Luke Jesus through Obed and Jesse to David also seems very important to consider in this. David’s first child is related to the Nathan line of the House of David. But, the child died after just seven days.
One of those un-blessed matings
Just curious Hazel – did Steiner say that Martha was the woman with the blood issue? Or someone else? I heard another anthroposophist (could have been Tomberg, or Edward Reaugh Smith), say that the balancing act in this set of miracles MAY have been that the one woman had an unstoppable flow of blood, while the daughter was at the age when she should have started menstruating, but there was a blockage, which could have led to her death. The person who said this mentioned we can’t be dogmatic about this, but everything seemed to fit, that the one’s excess somehow energetically supplied the other’s lack.
Hi M – I can’t give you the direct quote, but Steiner mentions Mary Magdalene as being healed in her astral body, Martha her sister receiving a healing in the etheric body & Lazarus the ultimate healing with the new Christian initiation that overcomes death. And you are right about there being a connection in the blood between the twelve-year-old daughter of Jairus & Martha, but to put it in terms of a 12 year in danger of dying because there was a menstrual blockage seems a bit too literal. But, yes, I do think there is a mystery here with the blood that they share.
I think that conflating the woman with the hemorrhage and Martha might be a stretch, and while the Gospel of Luke, chapters 7 & 8, clearly indicates the issues concerning Mary Magdalene as a sinner with afflictions within her astral body based on bearing seven demons, and the raising of the physical body of Lazarus, Steiner said very little to nothing about these happenings, and allowed the gospels to speak for themselves on these matters, e.g., Martha’s complaining to Christ about Mary leaving her to do all the serving, ref. Luke 10, and the clear evidence that Lazarus did actually die, ref. Luke 16, John 11.
Such synchronicity – started reading the book of Ruth this morning in my daily Bible reading. This short book is a true treasure, coming as it does after the book of Judges, a time when the chosen race was failing miserably at following the law given by Moses. To have such a love story come in that dark time is amazing. We might think that it was just coincidence that a famine drove Naomi & family to Moab, and that Ruth & Orpah’s husbands just happened to die there, and that Ruth returns with Naomi, but the truth is that this is all part of the grand scheme of redemption. Call it destiny if you like.
Yes, and the begining of moving from bloodlines into a unified humanity.
Yes, that’s a another interesting development in the evolution process. Steve Hale must have something to say on this – haven’t heard from you lately Steve – hope all is well with you?
Hi Maverick. Yes, it is well to consider how David fought the battle for a united kingdom of Israel, which included Galilee. And Christ was drawn to the Galileans because they were of the mixture of bloods of the various people; thus, universality of blood. The woman with the hemorrhage of twelve years could symbolize the OT priority on bloodlines within the tribe, which by the time of Christ now needs to be resolved. Also noteworthy is that it was at the moment that the woman was healed that the daughter of Jairus fell into a death-like sleep.