Anthroposophy in Hawkes Bay
Rudolf Steiner Centre, 401 Whitehead Road, Hastings
Events over next 2 weeks
[30 November to 14 December]
- Saturday 6 December, 9:30. School of Spiritual Science. General discussion on issues concerning members. There will not be a reading of a lesson. Our study of the cycle of 19 lessons will begin again in February next year.
- Sunday 7 December. A performance of the Oberufer Paradise Play at Rangimarie**
- Friday 12 December. 7 pm. Friday Study Group. Karmic Relationships - esoteric studies. Vol VIII
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future 2025...
- Saturday 20 and Sunday 21 December. Summer Festival.**
- Wednesday 24 December. 8 pm. Christmas Celebration **
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2026
- Weekend 10-12 January. Social Eurythmy with Teresa Mazzei at Michael Park School, Ellerslie**.
- Weekend 17-18 January. 'Deepening Course' at Titirangi RS School**
- Saturday 28 February: Humour and Rudolf Steiner the Cartoonist with Van James from Hawaii.
- Friday 6 to Sunday 8 March. NEW GROUND Youth Festival, Tauranga.
"Exploring Being Human" with Richard Drexel and Helen Proctor
*Camping *Anthroposophy *Workshops *Connections
*Community *Saunas *Discussions *Learning
$150 includes food and camping for 2 nights.
Tickets and Info www.nzYouthSection.co.nz
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End of Year Events:
A small group of Paradise Players welcome you this coming Sunday 7th Dec to Rangimarie Christian Community, 617 Heretaunga Street East, to experience in simple fashion the story of Adam and Eve's expulsion from the Garden of Eden. Hear the wise words and wonderful melodies that breathe a beginning mood of Christmas.
There will be one performance at 6pm, and a second one at 7pm (N.B. we hope for more people to come to the second one, if you are undecided). Please also note that the play is intended for those over the age of about 13 years not lower school children, apologies.
A small koha entry to cover some costs is welcome and we hope to see you there!
The Paradise Players. [per Deryn Menzies]
SUMMER FESTIVAL
Dear members,
The Summer Festival will be on the 20th and 21st December.
Saturday 20th :
4.00 – 5.30 pm There will be a BD stirring and spreading, with Jenny Speedy
(bring some items to share for a light dinner afterwards, before the Evening talk)
7 pm Talk on ‘Christian Rosenkreuz and Rudolf Steiner’ by special guest Norbert Mulholland from Lower Hutt*
Connecting to Christian Rosenkreuz is significant in our time – (see details below).
Sunday, 21st :
3 pm Reading: from ‘The Four Seasons and the Archangels’ with John Jackson
7 pm Social time with refreshments – bring a contribution
7.30 Festival gathering
Our Friends from CHB will be bringing us the gift of music again this summer, in various ways.
In the summer it is good to look at the wholeness of nature, the four elements, also reflected in the four temperaments of the human being. We have some light-hearted poems in store for you spoken by the chorus.
We will sing the summer round from Julian’s 52 rounds of the Soul Calendar together; led by Bob and Jenny; and you will hear again Benedictus’ verse sung by our special group of singers.
Norbert has kindly agreed to give the Festival address on the summer forces and the Archangel Uriel.
We also have another special guest, Helen Proctor, who will take us through a progression of the intervals of music in eurythmy, of which Rudolf Steiner speaks in his ‘Initiate Consciousness’ lectures [A cycle of eleven lectures given in Torquay and Devon, England from the 11th to the 22nd of August, 1924.], that it helps to bring the consciousness of the Christ into our hearts – which allows us to find one’s Higher Self in the light and warmth of the Summer.
To conclude the evening we will hear the ‘Canticle to the Sun’ by St. Francis in Old Italian, spoken by the chorus, a homage to God through the manifestations of the elements of nature and humanity, with music composed by Julian Pook.
Christmas Eve Festival, on the 24th December
This year we are also including a Christmas Celebration again, on the 24th December,
8pm Social gathering with refreshments in the foyer...
9pm Gathering in the Festival Room, some people might like to go to the Midnight Service afterwards...
There will be Christmas music, and we will hear the Foundation Stone Meditation spoken in German by the chorus, and we will have a conversation – Peggy Harris’ Tradition
The conversation will be about:
‘The significance Christ and of the Mystery of Golgotha for our time’, with a brief introduction from: ‘Man’s Journey through the Planetary Spheres and the Significance of a Knowledge of Christ’, Hannover, 18.11 1912.
All are welcome, bring a plate to share.
- If anyone would like to join the chorus to prepare for these occasions, you are very welcome..! – please let us know very soon
With warm regards,
Astrid Anderson and John Jackson.
021-215 4019 022-122 8002
*Special guests for the Summer Festival:
Norbert Mulholland:
In Ireland Norbert trained and worked as an actor, as well as in the fine arts (Sculpture and Painting).
After a year at Emerson College, England, he moved to Australia where he specialised in Anthroposophical Speech and Drama. His teaching and speech therapy career began in Sydney.
Coming to Aotearoa New Zealand in 1990 he has worked as: Speech Therapist; Performer; Writer; Painter; Waldorf School
Teacher; School Principal; Lecturer; Director of the Waldorf teacher training at Taruna; co-founder of Wellington Eurythmy Ensemble; co-founder of The Spirit of The Word Speech and Drama Training.
He remains active in all the above areas and continues to teach and mentor in Waldorf schools here and overseas. Spiritual Science has been a life path for Norbert since his teenage years and he now runs seminars, talks, and workshops to foster the divinely human in all aspects of life.
About Norbert’s Talk:
“Christian Rosenkreutz and Rudolf Steiner” -- the extraordinary collaboration set in motion 125 years ago
The above was the second of two talks given in Auckland over winter/spring this year. The Hawkes Bay talk will focus in the first place on Christian Rosenkreutz, but Rudolf Steiner’s presence will be presupposed throughout.
Taking cues from their incarnations (the trials they have overcome) this exploration will seek to follow Christian Rosenkreutz and Rudolf Steiner on their separate earthly/spiritual journeys. Then, the wonder of their spiritual confluence will stand before us and, hopefully, help us find them today — and join them!
Helen Proctor:
Details on Helen’s special background and her musical and eurythmy training – (see next week’s newsletter).
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Future Events Regular Groups
Items, Notices, Letters, or articles of interest to the Hawkes Bay Anthroposophical community
ARE MOST WELCOME
Please email your text by midday Saturday to the Editor at info@anthrohb.nz
with "For AnthroHB News" in the subject line.
Diagrams and pictures need to be in .jpeg (or .jpg) format.
Robin Bacchus, Editor
MEDITATION WORKSHOP
Over the last weekend about 25 people from the lower North Island gathered to attend a workshop on Anthroposophical Meditation in the Centre, run by Agnes Hardorp and Thomas Mayer from Switzerland.
There were a variety of exercises, activities and mantra to help one develop one’s meditational technique, the task of which is to get to know one’s higher self.
Several people have written about their reflections on their experiences in this workshop.
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A review by Erica Jeffs.
Agnes and Thomas came to Hastings from Germany for this Meditation and more....workshop. They were invited by Simone, a Eurythmist in Christchurch and we were fortunate to be included on their journey. Agnes and Thomas have been holding workshops with Rudolf Steiner's indications for meditation for the past 20 years and had a lot of wisdom to share.
I went to the talk on Thursday evening 'Living with the Deceased' and decided to attend the whole weekend workshop. The workshop came highly recommended for Thomas's authorship and insight into the elemental world and Agnes's Eurythmy and Meditation background.
Looking back over this week's echoes of the workshop, there was a lot to integrate. We had so many different deep experiences. It was aptly called a meditation 'workshop'. I heard someone say when asked how they found the weekend....."I was very tired afterwards!" "I absolutely loved it" "It was a potpourri of experiences!"
I agree. I have gained more tools in my kete, for myself and for my Healing Therapies clients. It was special to explore them within a group.
We explored the importance of knowing Higher world's for our own Spiritual deeping, connection to higher realms, higher path and higher assistance. Each a key to a portal of experience, growth and in sight. Meeting with elementals, angels, deceased and our higher selves. We were given exercises to develop will, focus, concentration and setting clear intentions. We experienced how to check, purify and enliven our chakras. We shared our experiences in little break out groups, each time giving the opportunity for a deeper connection with our own and others experiences. We were reminded that in the group impulse our Angels and Archangels can work through us assisting us with our Spiritual work together.
We had a big group, including people who traveled from up North and down South to be here.
We visited Cornwall park both days to move our bodies, learn Pan Eurythmy and tune into the elementals there. We learned that Pan Eurythmy was developed to promote Spiritual and Physical well-being by harmonising with the rhythms of nature. It was a fun way to do a group exercise outside which helped us to deepen our connection with the elementals at our park.
Closing thought, an additional take away for me was sitting on the blow up meditation cushion. It was a first for me and amazing! It was my most comfortable sit for an upright spine. I usually sit like a princess with many cushions!
For those who want to check out Agnes and Thomas's work, here is their website for further information www.anthroposophical-meditation.info
With love, Erica
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By Sylvia Timm
I read Thomas Mayer’s book: “Covid Vaccinations seen from a spiritual view point” in German, at the time. I was so impressed by how he handled this complex and controversial topic. With clarity, beauty, inclusion of differing standpoints, true to the scientific method: the systematic search for truth. Then I came again across Thomas' work with the elemental beings, through Cleone Armon’s online course on Elemental beings. Needless to say, when I learned about the Workshop, in Hastings I had to sign up.
On the Thursday night the meeting started with a talk about Living with the deceased, a topic that had always been close to my heart. I knew from the book, mentioned above, that Thomas has a real connection to it. He led us through a meditation this evening, where we learned to hold a sentence (“Wisdom Lives in the Light") in our consciousness, starting with one word and then adding the others as if threading them through the eye of a needle, the first word, until we could hold them all simultaneously. At the second round of this meditation we invited a person, known to us or not, who had died, to participate and then notice the difference to the first round. To me it was remarkable how much bigger the space became and the words had an added ease and glow to them.
From Friday evening to Sunday early afternoon, we practiced a variety of meditations.
Looking actively at a stone in our hand; then closing our eyes and seeing it as a mental picture; looking at the stone again and letting it be the active one; where does the stone speak to you? How is the mental picture after that? Then both movements at the same time and what is the mental picture of the stone like now? Can we look with awe and reverence at the stone, how does it affect what we see now?
We did more word meditations and form meditations, which also included letting go of the mental picture to experience empty awareness. Meditations to connect with our angel and even archangel and archai. Also, a meditation where we asked the “dead” to enter our consciousness in front of us and in order to communicate with them we invited them into our heart space.
In between all these meditations we went to Cornwall park. Starting with Pan Eurythmy, a wonderful group circle dance, that seemed to enhance a feeling of ease in connection to oneself and each other as well as to nature, in short a deeper, more balanced connectedness to the divine within everything.
Feeling the aura and the change between the layers of a tree. Learning about very subtle feelings in us that changed, depending where we stood because of different elemental beings present at locations in the park, that seemed random to me.
The first encounter was an earth elemental that appeared to be a stable construction of pillars and arches. At least that is how I felt it. Next, we were guided to a water elemental near the path. I felt a movement and almost smelt wafting mist on this hot and dry day.
We then went to a group of bushes where we felt a busy happy energy fairly close to the ground. Thomas told us that here live a group of gnomes. We also saw that they had a sense of humour: every cut off branch hole had a different shaped mushroom growing out of it, you had to discover them and they seemed to communicate.
We encountered an airy/lofty female energy, a Madonna-like being, which I felt again the next day on the same spot. A fire elemental, which surprised me by feeling more strong and solid than maybe fiery/hot. Lastly, we were alerted to a Christ elemental.
It was located in a more open space in the park. I could feel a wide openness in my heart and head area and was unable to feel rage or fear in this space when prompted.
Coming back the next day to this spot: I could feel the place but not the grand feelings as the day before.
We live in very materialistically oriented times. Half of the souls in the western worlds, who left their physical bodies have not realised that they are “dead”, they are so called earthbound souls, who could do with our help to move on, according to Thomas.
I wonder if many of the participants of these workshops are as inspired as I am to form regularly-meeting meditation groups all over the country, where we support each other with our meditations, in connection with the people who have gone before us and the realm of the elemental beings?
It was a big, wonderful weekend of learning and integrating; So great to come together with like-minded folk and be guided in the meditations, the connections to the supersensible worlds. My deepest gratitude to Thomas and Agnes.
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By Claire Morgan
Already on the Thursday evening there was a lovely atmosphere of relaxed conviviality at the Centre as we all found our places, every seat was taken – it was a great turnout.
Thomas gave a clear description of the soul’s journey after death. It was supported by a chart that everyone could follow. That is the picture of when everything goes rightly.
Then came the shocking revelation that this very often fails and goes wrong frequently in our present era. In Europe at least, as many as half of these souls get stuck, they cannot proceed on this healthy natural journey, for many reasons. Thomas gave both humorous and heart-rending examples of his personal experiences with souls who were lost, lonely or confused.
We could certainly experience why ‘The Dead Need Us’. Thomas was keen to verify that this was not just his experience or opinion. He has been working in Germany with a group of ninety people who meet monthly to give these souls the help they need from human beings. The good news he reassured us, is that it is very easy to contact the deceased, and that much more is possible and imperative in groups than working alone.
He then gave us a gentle invitation to just sit quietly and participate, only if we were willing, as he guided us with a word meditation. “Wisdom Lives in the Light.” That we could fill ourselves with that light in our hearts and make ‘an invitation’… to a loved one to come into that space… or to see if someone else would come into our minds… to allow for a surprise … to acknowledge any subtle presence with a (silent, of course) greeting and after the few minutes of listening to say goodbye. Simple. Just like being present with a friend on earth really.
It was a mark of his skill and experience that many felt safe enough to share what they had experienced.
The results were conclusive, just as he had suggested: “It is easy to connect with the deceased, they are very close - they want contact - and we need it too”
The Anthroposophic Meditation Connecting to the Higher Self was the focus from Friday through till Sunday. It had the same simplicity, freedom, respectful invitation and love throughout.
Thomas and Agnes were welcomed to New Zealand by a traditional Māori greeting and accepted a taiaha offered by Te Whiti, a participant.
Agnes brought in her forty years of experience and guided us through many more meditations - something for everyone - from simple through to advanced, giving us all something to grow into or practise, as well as valuable tips along the way.
Everything flowed like a continuum, between them, between activities, between us during the meal and snack breaks. It was well structured, yet flexible and relaxed. The birdsong must get a mention – it was exquisite. After each segment in the large group (of 27ish ) we were divided into (randomly selected) small groups and given the opportunity to speak of our experiences with the content (but discussion could only happen after the last person had spoken). We were taken on a journey, (quite literally walking to Cornwall Park three times during the weekend) where we were sometimes challenged (for example to walk back after doing Pan Eurythmy in order to connect it to the following activity). Or extended, for example, to focus on the feelings within, not the wind, sun, shade or noise, in order to sense the subtle energy around a tree or an elemental being. Sometimes we could feel validation; I always felt safe.
At the closing the taiaha was returned, it had rested on the literature table for the duration.
There is written material and information on their website:
www.anthroposophical-meditation.info
Thomas and Agnes have travelled extensively giving these courses for years and they encourage initiatives to develop in their wake. I certainly hope this important work continues further in New Zealand.
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Robin Bacchus reflects:
One meditational activity that Agnes introduced that I would like to share was based on the Imagination given to the first teachers of the Stuttgart Waldorf School to help them form a College of Teachers, who work together to discover the Inspirations and intuitions need to run a school with spiritual guidance. This Imagination can be effectively used by any group of colleagues (College) working together in an organisation seeking spiritual guidance from the Third Spiritual Hierarchy for their work together.
The following is how Caroline von Heydebrand [in Foundations of Human Experience] remembers it:
Rudolf Steiner “We want to form our thoughts so that we can be conscious of the following:
Behind each of us stands our Angel gently laying hands upon our head.
This Angel gives each of you the strength you need.
“Imbue thyself with the power of imagination/fantasy”
Above your heads hovers a ring of Archangels.
They convey from one to the other of you what each of you has to give to the other [fruit of your work, and expectations].
They connect your souls.
Thus you receive the courage that you require.
“Have Courage for the Truth”
(From this courage the Archangels form a vessel.)
The Light of Wisdom is given to us by the Higher Beings of the Archai, who do not form themselves into a ring, but come from the beginning of time, and reveal themselves and disappear into primordial distances.
They project into this space only as a drop.
A drop of Time-Light falls into the vessel of courage from the active Time Spirit [Michael].
“Sharpen thy feeling for Responsibility of Soul”
**** as I see it, the gifts from the Third Hierarchy are:
- The first gift from each person’s Guardian Angel is “wings of Imagination”, the ability to form one’s thoughts into true pictures or images.
- The second gift from the College’s Archangel or Group Soul is the inspiration and courage to speak fairly what you have to say to your colleagues; and the courage to listen calmly to what your colleagues have to say to you. You need to be able to form a clear and open line of communication with every colleague. These lines form the Chalice of courage (a grail) – see diagram. If any line of communication between two members is broken the chalice itself is damaged and not fully receptive.
- The third gift from the Archai or Time Spirit is intuition, the drop of light in the chalice, about what united action needs to be responsibly undertaken to solve whatever problems that the College is discussing or a member of it faces.
