Psst, pass it on

Did you know that this time of year can be very depressing? This is brought on by lack of sunlight, poor diet, and stress, stress, stress.
By now a lot of people are fed up with Christmas. They have been listening to Christmas carols for at least a month, and frantically fighting crowds of shoppers to get that perfect gift, not to mention baking, cleaning and more baking. The decorations and tree come down smack on the 26th of December, and everyone breathes a sigh of relief.
Got the post Christmas blues? Have I got good news for you! The commercial aspect of Christmas is over, except for diehard bargain hunters, but the REAL Christmas is just beginning.
Every day from Christmas day to January 6th, you can destress, take some time for yourself, recharge your batteries. Is that a spa, you ask? No, it is celebrating the Act of Consecration of Man. Every day at our church, there is a service during the 12 Holy Nights. That's a myth, you might think, but you are misinformed. In fact, orthodox churches do not celebrate Christmas until January 6th, or, as we know it, Epiphany.
Don't believe in angels either? I most certainly do. She is standing at the altar every morning during this time of year, whether anyone else is there or not. You see, this is a very special time of year. It is when "angels bend near the earth, to touch our hearts of gold". This is the best time to raise your Self up to the heavens, for they are very, very close. The world in solemn stillness lies, to hear the angels sing.
Hey, it ain't rocket science, it's just an hour out of your day, and it was specifically designed for YOU.
Be still, for I AM near.
See you there.
Sparky

A Christmas Story

More radiant than the Sun
Purer than the snow
Finer than the ether
Is the Self
The spirit in my heart
This self I am, I am this self

R. Steiner

Here's a Christmas story from my family to yours:

My daughter, in her mid 20's, works for a local video store in a small strip mall. She's very outgoing and a great favourite with the regular customers. In this mall is also a cafe, where she often pops in to grab a coffee and a snack. The lady who runs this store does not have very good English, but is very nice. One day, Victoria popped in and asked, How's business? Business not very good, was the sad reply. Well, said Victoria, I will tell all my customers to come over to grab a coffee and snack after they get their videos. Now, this is a great marketing strategy, since if you're going to stay up watching movies, you might as well grab a coffee and a snack while you're at it. So this is what she did. Later in the evening, Victoria turned around, and there was her friend from the cafe with a tray of baked goods. Victoria, she said, we have good business today. People come in and they say, Victoria sent us. We are closed now, and will not be open tomorrow, so this is for you to say thank you. Needless to say, she and her coworkers devoured the treats and a new relationship was born.
You can make your own moral to this story, but for me it is this: never let language, culture or religion be a barrier, for a whole world of possibilities and opportunities is waiting.

Sparky

Advent, Christmas and Epiphany Programs (December 2010 to February 2011)

Double click on the images below to enlarge them:

Singin in the Rain

Hi there, me again.
One more reason why I love our church: we love to sing!
Maybe it's because, as Rev. Dancey pointed out this past weekend, we are surrounded by the songs of nature - mountains, water, wind, rain, even whale song (I'm sure you can find some tracks online. If you have never heard a whale song, it is worth finding.)
Singing, of course, goes back to the Old Testament, to the Psalms of David. David was called to the court of King Saul to soothe him with his harp playing, and ended up becoming King.
Singing is one of those activities that can lift you out of yourself, to higher realms, especially hymns and gospel music. Gospel music in particular, speaks to and from the heart. It can be joyful, hopeful, sorrowful. I love all different kinds of music - classical, country, rock, gypsy, Latin, etc. People sing for all different kinds of reasons and all different kinds of circumstances. You can sing in the shower, while you are vacuuming, working in the garden, even just when you are looking for inspiration. Singing is a very wonderful activity when you are working. It could be something mind-boggling boring, or just really hard slogging - singing helps make the work seem to go easier and faster. Convicts sing together working on a chain gang, women sing together washing clothes by the river. Singing lends a rhythmn to whatever you are doing. Children love to sing even when they are just playing on their own, and they love to sing at the top of their lungs. This is actually very good for your body, too.
This past weekend, we had a seminary workshop, focussing on the concept of "work". The concept that I liked best was that whatever you do, it should be done with JOY. Whether it is working for yourself, for others, some kind of endeavour for the future, and particularly when we come together in celebration, there can be joy, and one of the best ways to bring this about is in song/music.
Each season has its own special song. For us here in Vancouver, Fall begins with songs for Michaelmas and Thanksgiving coming together, followed by All Souls Day and Remembrance Day in November, honouring all those who have gone before us, leading up to the quiet song of Mary during Advent, to the crescendoing chorus of angels from all the hierarchies on Christmas Eve. Gratitude, Conscience, Hope and Compassion.
Yup, you guessed it, here in Vancouver, we're singin (and dancing) in the Rain! Come join us.

Sparky

Jellyfish image

Jellyfish

We have reached the time of year when the nights are getting longer, and the days shorter. Especially if you live in Vancouver, it can seem like there are days, even weeks, when you never see the light. The clouds settle in for the winter, and you don't know if you are going to get rain or snow, depending on elevation and location. Gone are those long, warm summer days. The ripened fruits of the field have been harvested, thanks to all that beautiful warm sunshine. We have had the chance to absorb all that wonderful light,and store it internally. It has to carry us through the winter, until the sun breaks through the clouds again, sometime in early spring. It's time for us to take what we have been given from the outside, process it inside, and radiate our own light. My favourite image to express this is the jellyfish. If you have a city aquarium,you might be lucky enough to have a display of these beautiful creatures, and see what I mean. This is a challenge for us in spiritual terms as well. Can we take the Light we have been given, and in turn radiate it out to the world, especially when faced with Darkness? You can actually see this quite clearly in the faces of some of the people around you. Some people just seem to have a brightness, or aura, of light around them. Take a look sometime into a crowd, and I bet you can pick someone out who seems to shine, or have a glow about them.
You can't force it to happen, you have to just be like the jellyfish. Let all the bad, dark stuff float away - don't hang onto it - and let that little light inside you shine for all the world to see.
Sparky
Song for the day: You Light Up My Life

At the Ringing of the Bells

Here is the next in a series of anonymous pictures with verse by Rudolf Steiner

Giving Thanks

Greetings:

I hope by now that anyone reading my blogs understands that the underlying intent is to express my gratitude and thanks to my church family and all the friends I have made. There is no greater gift than to have family and friends stand by you in times of crisis, and perhaps extend a helping hand to those who are not so lucky.

This weekend we celebrate the Canadian Thanksgiving. It's a time to think of all the things we have to be thankful for, and remember to Whom thanks is due.

The word "commune" comes from Latin, meaning com (with or together) and munus (gift). It also means an "intentional community". For us to be able to come together and worship who are like-minded, is a great gift. But as we know, it is not receiving but giving that is important. That is what we are now being asked: what can we give? in what shape or form? what should be our intent in reaching out to the world outside our doors? How, what, where, when?

Introducing a community point of view is the basis of threefolding, whose roots date back to the 19th century, to a movement in Germany called Lebensreform, of which Rudolf Steiner was a proponent. Combining thought/logic and feeling/love into something not just meaningful but inherently human - a social conscience. I have a feeling that once we get a handle on this concept, we will be able to perceive something else standing behind it - a 4th element. You only need to consider the image of a pyramid to grasp what I mean: 4 triangles standing together on a square, or rhombus. Long considered a magical or sacred space.

If you look on Dr. Emoto's website, you will be able to call up pictures of water crystals representing words like "love", "gratitude" and "joy". I think these are also appropriate for Thanksgiving. So let's pray, eat and love, not necessarily in that order, and consider the concept of Joy in Community - next blog.

Sparky

P.S. Instead of a song for inspiration, here's a dance: SAMBA!

The Jade Buddha for Universal Peace

"The Peace be with you."
This blessing is given to each person who participates in communion during our Sunday, or weekday, Service.
On a world tour right now is the Jade Buddha for Universal Peace, which I was able to take in recently. This incredibly beautiful statue was designed for one purpose - to bring people together and to think or meditate on, what peace means for each one of us, and for the world. It is truly an international icon, for the jade came from B.C., it was carved in Thailand, and will eventually make its home in Bendigo, Australia.
One first has to ask, why jade? In Asian culture, Jade has all the qualities we in the West normally ascribe to gold: wisdom, justice, compassion, courage. The ability to stimulate creativity and mental agility, to bring joy and happiness. To embody all that is good, beautiful and precious. In ancient Egypt, jade meant love, the harmonizing of energy and beauty, inner peace and balance.
Now for the hard part: how can one achieve inner peace?
My emotions have been in turmoil for more than 2 years, but I have finally reached a point where I needed to make peace with my Self. I had 3 very good reasons for doing this (see my profile picture), and that meant I had no time to lose. Through counselling, I am learning how to face my demons. Each time I go, it's a little like ripping off a bandaid, but I leave each time feeling a little bit lighter. My counsellor has warned me that I still have a lot to face, but for the sake of my children, I am willing to go through whatever is necessary. She is not only a counsellor, but a life coach and empowerment speaker. Suzanne always makes sure to give me something good to work on until we meet again. My friends are starting to notice a new me.
This is the good part: Jesus said, I stand at peace with the world. This peace can be with you also because I give it to you. I know somehow He will give me the strength to get through this. He knows exactly what I am going through, because he too, had to face the demons of this world, and came with the specific mission of sacrificing his Self for each of us. Not just giving up his Self for us, but to us. He didn't just appear and then disappear, leaving us to struggle on our own. He left a part of his Self in each of us. The trick is to find a way to connect with that little seed, and tap into its healing, renewing power.
I think that there will only be universal peace when each of us has learned how to be at peace with ourselves. No matter what demons you face, there is someone who can help, whether it is a priest, counsellor, friend, teacher. The first step is the hardest: tell someone you know you can trust and who will listen.
Happiness can be a very fleeting thing. It is not how many friends you have, or how much wealth or stuff you have. Peace of mind is a completely different thing. Which do you want? What are you willing to let go of, or undergo to get it? Someone loved you so much that He was willing to sacrifice everything for you. Maybe there is someone in your life for whom you are willing to do the same.
This is my wish for each of my friends and relatives: The Peace be with you.

Sparky

P.S. Song for the Day: I'm a Believer, by The Monkees

Grace

A person who wishes to remain anonymous has offered me a series of images they painted with accompanying verses by Rudolf Steiner. For purposes of variety I will post them intermittently.

Brown paper wrapper

We are in the process of creating a new website for our organization in North America, and if you google The Christian Community, websites for other congregations around the world will come up. Some of these have wonderful pictures, both inside and out of our churches.
The newer ones, which were built specifically for The Christian Community are very distinct in colour, form and orientation. From orthodox standards, they are, to put it mildly, very plain from the outside, like a brown paper wrapper. Now, I have been a member of our congregation for decades, but only recently have I learned to ask the all-important question, WHY? In terms of understanding what our church is all about, I am barely starting to get a glimmer here and there. So I asked myself, why are our churches built like this?
For one thing, the form is intended to be organic, to be a reflection of its natural surroundings, to be in harmony, so to speak, with its environment.
As to the colour, this, I think, is done for a very specific reason, and underlines one of the basic philosophies of our church. There is a saying, "Never judge a book by its cover." The exterior is in fact a specific challenge to all who look at it - Seek and you will Find. Come in and discover for yourself what lies within. Like a parcel wrapped in plain brown paper, you know something wonderful is waiting to be opened. It may be surprising, unexpected, maybe a little bit mysterious or unfathomable, layers upon layers of "tissue paper" waiting to be peeled back, or bubble wrap, or little styrofoam balls. In other words, it is a Gift. A gift from our community, through the working of the Holy Spirit, to YOU!

Happy birthday, Rev. Susan Locey.
Sparky

Mother Teresa

Mother Teresa's name was much in the news this week, thanks to a controversial video by a popular singing artist.
She was one of the shining lights of the 20th century, the like of which, we possibly have not seen since St. Francis of Assisi.
Here is one of her most famous quotations:

Dear Jesus, help us to spread your fragrance (essence) everywhere we go. Flood our souls with your spirit and life. Penetrate and possess our whole being so utterly that our lives may only be a radiance of yours. Shine through us and be so in us that every soul we come in contact with may feel your presence in our soul. Let them look up and see no longer us but only Jesus. Stay with us and then we shall begin to shine as you shine, so to shine as to be a light to others. The light, O Jesus, will be all from you. None of it will be ours. It will be you shining on others through us. Let us thus praise you in the way you love best by shining on those around us. Let us preach you without preaching: not by words, but by our example, by the catching force, the sympathetic influence of what we do, the evident fullness of the love our hearts bear to you.

Amen.

Sparky

The Sneeze

They walked in tandem, each of the 92 students filing into the already crowded auditorium. With their rich maroon gowns flowing and traditional caps, they looked almost as grown up as they felt. Dads swallowed hard behind broad smiles, and Moms freely brushed away tears. This class would NOT pray during commencement, not by choice, but because of a recent court ruling prohibiting it. The principal and several students were careful to stay within the guidelines allowed by the ruling. They gave inspirational and challenging speeches, but no one mentioned divine guidance and no one asked for blessings on the graduates or their families. The speeches were nice, but they were routine until the final speech received a standing ovation. A solitary student walked proudly to the microphone. He stood still and silent for just a moment, and then it happened.
All 92 students, every single one of them, suddenly SNEEZED!
The student on stage simply looked at the audience and said,
GOD BLESS YOU!
And he walked off stage.
The audience exploded into applause. This graduating class had found a unique way to invoke God's blessing on their future with or without the court's approval.
Pass this on to all of your friends, and
GOD BLESS YOU!
This is a true story. It happened at Eastern Shore District High School in Musquodoboit Harbour, Nova Scotia, Canada.
Cheers,
Sparky

Chemistry, Love, Marriage and Everything

"Approach love and cooking with reckless abandon." My grandmother remarried when she was 77 years old. We all looked on in amazement as these two "oldsters" were transformed into "youngsters". Such is the transformative power of love. They had 10 very happy years together. We were very happy for them and grateful that they had been given this joy in their old age.

My son, the erstwhile baker, is also taking chemistry in high school. I wonder if he knows how closely chemistry and baking really are? You cannot bake a cake or bread without a chemical reaction. I bet even the beginning of creation is actually chemistry rather than physics - after all, the basic molecules, protons, neutrons, are really descriptions of chemistry at work. If you have ever baked cookies with children, you know how this goes. You end up with flour all over the place, and huge smiles on their faces!

Science is changing so fast today, that teachers can't keep up. Instead, they have come up with a very sensible solution - they teach the kids How to Learn. Where to look for the answers, and how to figure things out. Our church is like that, too. We do not take things on blind faith. We are encouraged to look for deeper meaning behind even the simplest of words. If we come to a priest with a question, we are almost never given a direct answer. We are guided where to look, and to find the answer ourselves. Everyone learns differently, and looking at the same thing, will get a different answer.

Our church was founded in the early 1920's, by a group of fairly young, radical free thinkers, who wanted to look at Christianity in a new way. We have no dogma. When one of our priests comes to give a talk, they almost always precede it by saying that this is simply something they are offering from their own point of view and experience and research. It is offered in the spirit of a free gift, for each of us to take from it what we wish, or what speaks to our hearts.

When you see two people on a movie screen, sometimes people say, they have good chemistry. Sometimes two people just seem to click for no special reason, like my friend Stephanie in California and I. It's a mystery. Love is the greatest and most ancient Mystery. In fact, our world as we know it today, could not exist without it. Nothing good can exist or endure without love. Love in its highest form is sacrifice. You have to give up something, usually ego, but sometimes it can be your very life. Women face this fact every time they prepare to give birth. The greatest act of love is to give up your own life or self, for that of your fellow man. There is no fiercer animal on the face of the planet than that of a mother fighting to protect her young.

If you look up love in a comprehensive dictionary, you come up with something interesting. As a suffix, it becomes, beloved. In Old English, Old German and Middle Dutch, it becomes, belief, believe and faith. Out of love comes faith and hope.

In a marriage, though, love is not enough. There must also be mutual respect, trust, support, etc. It has to be carefully nurtured. It will not survive abuse, being taken advantage of, neglect, or being taken for granted. These things come out of ego, as do desire and need. Again, it is about sacrifice. If you take the phrase, I want peace, for example, take out the I (individual), and want (need), you are left with peace.

Different tunes are always running through my head, so here's one I'd like to leave with you,

Don't know much about history,
Don't know much about biology,
Don't know much about my science book,
Don't know much about the French I took.

What I do know is that God loves you
And if you know that you love God, too
What a wonderful world this could be.

Let's get cooking!

This past Sunday, we celebrated the 25th anniversary of our church building, had a wonderful visit by a member of our Future Initiatives Group, and a delicious pot luck lunch.

A few months ago, in our North American newsletter, it was announced that we were "expecting" company! This was very exciting. Then last Sunday, a messenger came saying that we could actually help to prepare for this company. Even more exciting!

I love having company. It galvanizes you into doing all the little things you can't seem to find time for on a day to day basis. It means washing windows, vacuuming, dusting, getting out the good china and crystal and polishing them up. It means planning the meal and putting out the welcome mat. And just maybe, changing a few small things around just to freshen things up - don't forget the fresh flowers, too!

We always love our potluck gatherings, because we never know exactly what people will bring. There is a variety of tastes and textures, and somehow it all comes together.

Today, the kitchen has replaced the living room in terms of where people want to gather and congregate. When you have company, everyone pitches in by bringing something for the meal or helping to prepare things. Although it is nice to be presented with a meal already prepared, it is even more satisfying when you have made some kind of contribution.

One of the things I love about our church is the space each individual is given to make their own decisions and exercise their own free will. No one is told exactly what they should do or say. We are each invited to explore our inner self and connection with the Divine.

We have reached a phase, though, where we can begin to find ways to bring outwardly what we have found inwardly. How can we do this?

Each contribution, or thought, adds to the "feast", and it becomes something more than the sum of its parts, in a very organic way.

My son is applying for a baking course at a local college, and on the application it asks, "Why do you want to take this course?" He answered, because I love to see the smile on someone's face when they taste something good.

Each Sunday, we come together to celebrate the sacrament of the Act of Consecration of Man. It is "feast", celebrating Life and Love. So this Sunday, bring your smiles, and help come celebrate, at a church where everyone's contribution is valued, respected and welcome!

Next blog: chemistry, love, marriage, and the whole ball of wax.

Gold as the theme for the July 2012 North-South Conference

Some of you may have noticed the large white paper hanging on the east wall downstairs in the Church. For those who don't know about it yet, Reverend Susan Locey had the idea to have a place where people could come up with phrases or words following the general theme of gold to develope the mood for the Conference. Whether they are quotations or your own thoughts it does not matter. There is construction paper, pens, scissors and tape on the counter by the clock to hang up individual wordings.

I will keep track of them and try to post all the new ones as they appear on the wall.

" A heart of GOLD "
" The golden fleece "
" Enlightenment through the Gold "
" The golden path... "
" A Golden oppurtunity "

" Sharing the Gold "

" GOLDEN STAR "

" Golden Sun "

" Golden Age "

" Good As Gold "

" Silence is golden "

" Gold Medal "

" the golden mean "

" the gold standard "

" Self knowledge - Golden Gift " (Christian Morgenstern)

" Gold treasure "

" The Golden Gate "

" Gold coin "

" The golden King "

" Silence is golden! "

" Chemical Symbol: Au

   from Latin "Aurum"

   meaning "Shining Dawn""

" HEARTS OF GOLD "

" Sands that shimmer like gold "

" Goldfish "

" Gold mine "

" Goldeneye (bird) "

" gold at home "

" Golden freedom "

" Golden west "

" Goldfever "

" Goldsmith "

" Goldfinch "
" The mother-lode "
" Golden flower
                   Chinese herb"

" Faust I - Scene VIII
 Last lines
              Margarete:
" ... to Gold still tends,
On Gold depends
All, All! Alas, we poor!""

 " The Earth as a New Sun

 Freedom and love for all mankind on earth,

divine, evolutionary goals

will become possible only

Through awakened wills

And sun-filled souls

It is a fairy tale that begins to shine and live

When someone finds a path
on which he may rise and give
his ego to the spirit of truth.
Here his consciousness is led to the fact
That through the love bestowed on us
by the Son of Man and through the holy act
of His accomplished deed
at the turning point of time
the future will show
its consequence divine,
The now darkening earth will become
With Michael's help, and ours,

A NEW, LIVING AND GOLDEN SUN."

" El Amor Brilla "
" Gold-leaf "
" Not everything that glitters is gold "
" Gold bullion "
" golden idea "
" good as gold "
" sharing the wealth "

The five senses as experienced in one of an infinite variety in the West Coast Biosphere

Very often after cleaning the Church yard I say to myself, " Yeah, nature is back!" It really is a good feeling to see a part of the natural world pretty much the way it should be. Sometimes I have memories of other places I have been in the past, including into my childhood. Much of the areas in Scandinavia and around the Alps I have visited really stand out but especially some of the outstanding environs in our part of the world.
These impressions are sort of a collection of scene memories from all over Vancouver Island, the Lower Mainland and the Sunshine Coast.


Imagine it is summer and you are camped by the ocean somewhere up the coast at the edge of the rainforest.
*The feel of slightly moist sand while walking barefoot amongst the dunes in a small clearing just above the highest high tide line.
*The sight of the morning sun just breaking through a low fog bank over a calm tide.
*The aroma of dried driftwood, seaweed and the salt air mingling.
*The taste of of wild salal berries as you make your way along the edges of some bushes just inland from shore.
*The gentle sound of bees making their rounds amongst the honeysuckles and clovers.