23 March 2019 – “Speaking with the Stars”: Mars continues to put on a nice show these March evenings. It appears in the west once twilight fades to darkness & doesn’t set until after 10 pm CDT. The Red Planet crosses the border from Aries the Ram into Taurus the Bull today, setting up a dramatic conjunction with the beautiful Pleiades star cluster.

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Rudolf Steiner’s Lectures on this day

ON THIS DAY IN HISTORY

1775 – American Revolutionary War: Patrick Henry delivers his speech – “Give me liberty, or give me death!” – at St. John’s Episcopal Church, Richmond, Virginia

1919 – In Milan, Italy, Benito Mussolini founds his Fascist political movement

1933 – The Reichstag passes the Enabling Act of 1933, making Adolf Hitler dictator of Germany

1938 – Deathday of Friedrich Rittelmeyer, a Protestant German minister, & theologian; friend of Rudolf Steiner; co-founder & driving force of The Christian Community. Growing up in Frankish Schweinfurt – his father was a Lutheran minister – it was already clear to him as a child that he wanted to go into a religious profession. From 1890 Rittelmeyer studied philosophy & Protestant theology. His teacher Oswald Külpe, encouraged him to write his dissertation on Friedrich Nietzsche.

He also went on a study trip to meet theologians & socially-engaged ministers of the time, as well as members of the Moravian Church. From 1895 to 1902 he was at the Stadtvikar in Würzburg. In 1903 he took up the preachership of Heilig-Geist-Kirche in Nuremberg. There he married Julie Kerler on 5 April 1904. Rittelmeyer worked & closely collaborated with Christian Geyer, the head preacher of the Sebalduskirche, together they produced two joint volumes of sermons. Around 1910 they both led discussions with the Bavarian church council on a liberal interpretation of the Bible.

Also in 1910 the Nuremberg school teacher Michael Bauer enabled Rittelmeyer to have his first encounter with Rudolf Steiner, the founder of anthroposophy. Rittelmeyer described the encounter & discussed Steiner’s personality & work in his book ‘Rudolf Steiner Enters my Life’:

“In earlier ages, the fact alone that such an all-embracing genius gave witness to Christ as being the greatest reality in earthly history, would have had a profound effect. But in Rudolf Steiner much more was present. One could put it like this: he comprehended all branches of learning so spiritually and so deeply, and he recognized Christ in such big and broad dimensions that eventually Christ shines forth as the true light in all spheres of life. He observed strictly the necessity for each sphere to form its own method according to its intrinsic laws. He never carried religion into anything from without. But he illuminated all realms of knowledge with such powerful light, that Christ became visible in it. A Christ, it is true, far greater than the Christ of the Churches; but a Christ related to the Bible and to the Christ of the early Christians.”

“Thus, he advanced the science of language to the point where it could understand why Christ is called ‘the Word’. Thus, he carried medicine to the point where medicine could understand again ‘the body of Christ’. Thus, he carried astronomy to the point where Christ became visible as the true ‘Light’…he taught how science could again become reverent and devout. He built a temple for all sciences, so high and so broad, that their servants could work in it without sacrificing an iota of their personal freedom or of the special characteristics of their province.  He united the learning of the age with Christ, and Christ with the learning of the age.”

In 1916 Rittelmeyer was sent to the Neue Kirche in Berlin, working as preacher there. He soon came to oppose the First World War & with 4 other Berlin theologians signed a proclamation of peace & understanding on the occasion of Reformation Day (October 1917).

In September 1922 he established the “Movement for Religious Revival” (Christengemeinschaft) Rittelmeyer acted as its first “Erzoberlenker” or Head Preiest, & from its base in Stuttgart was the leading envoy right up to his death.

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Dear Friends –

Because of the Easter Paradox  there is a DATE CHANGE!  

For Fred Janney’s weekend: ‘ANTHROPOSOPHICAL SOCIETY: WHAT AILS THEE!

Sat. 6 April 2019, 7 pm – 9 pm: Biographies of the original Vorstand members

& Sun. 7 April 2019, 1 pm – 4 pm: Identifying your spiritual stream – bringing cohesion and direction for members on both sides of the threshold.

Contribution $25-$50 or pay what you can afford, ALL proceeds donated to APO.

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TONIGHT: 7 – 9pm, Our Holy Saturday study of Kaspar Hauser (which we will continue during the Ecclesiastical Holy Week 14-20 April 2019) Deborah Rogers has offered to order more of the fascinating book by Peter Tradowsky. If you would like to order this, or any other Anthroposophical books, & receive a substantial discount, please contact Deborah.

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Sunday 24 March 2019 Our 1^st Easter Paradox Festival 2 pm – 4 pm

‘Preparation, Illumination & Initiation’- ‘The Rose Cross Meditation’.

Leading Thoughts, Social Art & Discourse with Hazel Archer-Ginsberg 

Eurythmy with Mary Ruud

Together we will enact this powerful Rosicrucian tool given to us by Rudolf Steiner, as a soul path of initiation, using imaginative cognition to build spiritual etheric forces; a Metamorphoses of Self & of World evolution.

A Cosmic Wake Up Call: The True Date of Easter 2019

$10 & Pot Luck Feast to Share Encouraged (Hazel will bring the Pascal Lamb)

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Rudolf Steiner Branch of the Anthroposophical Society of America, 4249 North Lincoln Avenue. Chicago, IL 60618 (map) Check out our Web site!  Calendar of Events