News 22-23

Branch News – Sunday 4 June

Week 22, 2023

Coming Events in brief

Note ** means see below for more details.

• Tuesday 6 June 1:30pm. Angela Hair will talk on Homeopathy**.
• Monday 12 June 5:45pm at the Centre.  Conversations **
• Friday 16 June 7pm Talk by Dr Richard Drexel **

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**  Come and Join with homeopath Angela Hair
at the Rudolf Steiner Centre
on Tuesday 6 June 1.30pm-2.45pm
and learn about homeopathy through the Selene Starter Kit.  $35 for the kit and $15 for course. 
RSVP to Angela 027-4436737

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** “Conversations”

Anthroposophy, Spirit and Culture

 We look forward to our next Conversations gathering on -

Monday 12th June     at the Centre
5:15pm         Light snacks

5:45pm      talk by Michelle Vette. 
“Towards the Centenary of the Anthroposophical Society’s founding Christmas Conference”

All Welcome

Diana Bacchus and Bernie Raichle

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All are welcome to a talk on 
The Human Constitution 
by Dr Richard Drexel

(Title of Talk may change -- Sue Simpson) 

7.00pm, Friday 16 June at the Anthroposophical Centre

Door charge $20

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Festival of Whitsunday

It was nice to see a good gathering of members and friends coming together for this festival centred around the medieval Parcival saga which Rudolf Steiner spoke of as having special significance for our modern ‘Consciousness Soul’ time.

A warm thank you to Kathy Allan, John Jackson, Ineke Mulder and Anna Reid for your contributions.

Ineke ended her talk with these Three Michaelic ideals:

• What in the past was called Piety,
  is now called Unconditional Truth;
• What was called Love
  is now called Responsibility for the other;
• What was called Humility
  is now called Courage for one’s Destiny.

A number of people have indicated that they have downloaded the poetic English translation of Wolfram von Eschenbach’s “Parzival” and are reading it.    

Some people have expressed their regret for not being able to attend this Festival on Whitsunday.  Ineke has very kindly offered that she is very happy to repeat the talk (more or less) at another time that may be more convenient.

**** Would those interested in such a repeat talk please contact Robin (info@anthrohb.nz)
with your name and a range of best times for you
[morning, afternoon, evening, weekday or weekend]
but also possible and not possible times/dates
so that a good time can be established.

Ineke writes: “When you do write in the Newsletter, could you mention that I will not give the same talk, although aspects of that will be there but also will look at different aspects of the saga. I would like to bring in Gawain, his development and journey just as I talked about Fierefiz last Sunday. The Grail castle and the castle of wonders. … … maybe give some time for questions. Kind regards.”

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FESTIVALS

John Allison writes:

'Robin, could you share these paragraphs with the members?  
I think they challenge us to unite our festivals with the course of nature.  Some people say we need a spirit approach not a soul approach to a Michael Festival, but this is an abstract idea as we cannot have one without the other.  Also, which soul are we talking about?  We live in the time of the Consciousness Soul where the Ego becomes fully self-aware and can open to the Spirit Self.  Are we meant to remove ourselves from our soul and be a disembodied spirit with no connection to nature? Surely not!  Please include these brief thoughts of mine as well.'

Rudolf Steiner: [in Lecture 2 of “The Cycle of the Year as breathing process of the Earth” GA223 on 1 April 1923, Dornach]

“People must learn once more to “think” the spiritual “together with” the course of nature.  It is not admissible today for a person merely to indulge in esoteric speculations; it is necessary today to be able once again to do the esoteric.  But people will be able to do this only when they can conceive their thoughts so concretely, so livingly that they don't withdraw from everything that is going on around them when they think, but rather that they think with the course of events: “think together with” the fading of the leaves, with the ripening of the fruits, in a Michaelic way, just as at Easter one knows how to think with the sprouting, springing, blossoming plants and flowers.

When it is understood how to think with the course of the year, then forces will intermingle with the thoughts that will let human beings again hold a dialogue with the divine spiritual powers revealing themselves from the stars.  Men have drawn down from the stars the power to establish festivals which have an inner human validity.  Festivals must be founded out of inner esoteric force.  Then from the dialogue with the fading, ripening plants, with the dying Earth, by finding the right inward festival mood, we will also again be able to hold converse with the Gods and link human existence with divine existence.”

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In connection with the Parzival Saga and seeking the Grail, I would like to share some visual notes I made when reading Bernhard Lievegoed's book on Four Mystery Streams in Europe which he names as Vidar [Nordic], Rosicrucian, Arthurian and Grail streams.

Robin