New Beginnings

Dear Friends,



I have always loved this time of year, when for us at the northern 49th parallel, the stars seems so close, even intimate, as if they are trying to tell us something. To me it has always been a message of comfort and hope. If you follow my friend Stephanie Georgieff's facebook page, on the Black Madonna, you will notice that her article 4 weeks ago also talks about The Beginning.

3 years ago in 2012, the world observed in one fashion or another, the "ending" of an Age, and the "beginning" of another. One that promises to be more loving. One that could even be called the Marian Age, or the Divine Mother, or the Holy Sophia.

Often the ending of some thing, can be catastrophic, apocalyptic, sheer chaos. Something is torn away or given up, but that is Life.

This describes the transformation that naturally takes place in plants, insects and some amphibians. Take for example a butterfly. It changes from a caterpillar, which wraps around itself a chrysalis, and emerges as a butterfly.

I had the opportunity to watch a movie the other night called The Blue Butterfly. It is worth watching just for the cinematography, but it is based on the true story of a Canadian child who is diagnosed with cancer. His dying wish is to go to the rainforest to catch a blue morph butterfly. He travels to Costa Rica with a famous entomologist from Montreal, and somehow during this journey, his cancer is cured. One can offer a number of explanations, but my personal one is the power of nature itself, or, one could say, being able to connect with the Etheric Life Force.

This is becoming more and more not just a theory to ordinary people, but a reality.

3 years ago, we gathered together on Vancouver Island for the North/South America Conference. What is happening now?

Good News!

Almost everyone I talk to is experiencing something new and positive streaming in this summer, particularly during these 10 weeks between St. Johnstide and Michaelmas.

Now, in the 3rd millennium since the Deed of Golgotha, we are experiencing the true reality – not that “Christ is coming in the clouds”, but that He is already Here!



Sparky

Dear Friends,

On this solemn morning of Easter Friday, I would like to share some thoughts and images with you.

Last night, a few intrepid souls went to our Silent Supper and Close of Day Service for Maundy Thursday, led by Rev. Susan Locey. We have done this for a couple of years now, and it is always very beautiful. The eloquent outline of what happened that evening over 2000 years ago during the service, was underlined by the beautifully simple and quiet meal we had all just shared.

To share a meal together is one way of building community. As Rev. Werner Grimm has reiterated time and again, our church is not here “just” to provide a house for the Sacraments. Its ultimate purpose is to find ways to build community, not just between ourselves, but also between the Earth and the spiritual world. This is to aid the evolution of the Earth in such a way that we allow the spiritual to manifest in the material world.

I had a very touching dream before I woke up this morning that I would like to share:

I found myself wandering in an unknown neighbourhood, and came across some children playing. Beside lay them a small baby, thin and listless, unable even to summon up the energy to move, as most babies who love to wiggle and kick. I held this baby in my arms, and as I did so, she became bigger, stronger and healthy, just like my own granddaughter. Then my old, dear housekeeper  appeared, who surely must now be with the angels. She was still caring for children, and called me by name – only then did I recognize her.

Over the past few weeks I have been reading a series of books by James Redfield on the Twelve Insights, written primarily in the 1990’s. Many of these insights also reflect Steiner’s tenets, simply from a different angle. What I like about his books is that he says technology should ultimately be used to help make all basic human needs available to everyone, at little or no cost. That is certainly not the case at the moment. He also says that power should not be held in the hands of a few. He also says that not only one's actions, but one's thoughts and attitudes, especially towards each other, are extremely important.

This takes us back to the ideal of a group or community working together, to uplift every single soul into the realm of the spiritual. This can only happen, I believe, when everyone’s basic human needs are met.

Perhaps it is not a coincidence that this year is the Chinese Year of the Sheep.

“I Am the Good Shepherd, who lays down His life for His sheep.”

Sparky

How the Altar appeared during the Twelve Days of Christmas

Here is how the Altar looked soon after Bruce and I had finished making the new sign which is to be hung up at the very front of the Chapel Hall during the Twelve Days of Christmas with the more modern wording of letters that Reverend Susan Locey had painted gold. Also of course we can see the new Altar painting by Wilfried Ogilvie which Monica had arranged to be brought to Canada, that Gieselherr, Leila and myself framed and hung up and which we have been fundraising for recently.

A Contemplation

It has been a good few months since I offered up a blog, mostly because I find the esoteric and exoteric do not mix so well, but I would be remiss in not mentioning our beautiful new altar painting, by Wilfred Ogilvie. Hopefully Felix will have a chance to post a picture of this painting, as words fail to describe the depth of feeling that this picture evokes. One can only describe it as awe-inspiring and reverential. How were we so lucky to be gifted with such a painting? One can only say, it is a miracle - a gift from God. Was it my imagination that the Act of Consecration was spoken a little more softly this Sunday? With a little more reverence? Perhaps. This is truly a painting that we can work with in manifesting the Holy Spirit. Still in this mood, as I was driving to work this morning, a rendition of the following song by Whitney Houston was playing on the radio. I want to offer the words here, and in doing so, ask those of us who are familiar with Goethe's Green Snake and the Beautiful Lily to consider these words, and ask what can contemplation of these words bring: Do You Hear What I Hear? Said the night wind to the little lamb, do you see what I see Way up in the sky, little lamb, do you see what I see A star, a star, dancing in the night With a tail as big as a kite With a tail as big as a kite Said the little lamb to the shepherd boy, do you hear what I hear Ringing through the sky, shepherd boy, do you hear what I hear A song, a song, high above the trees With a voice as big as the sea With a voice as big as the sea Said the shepherd boy to the mighty king, do you know what I know In your palace warm, mighty king, do you know what I know A Child, a Child shivers in the cold Let us bring Him silver and gold Let us bring Him silver and gold Said the king to the people everywhere, listen to what I say Pray for peace, people everywhere! listen to what I say The Child, the Child, sleeping in the night He will bring us goodness and light He will bring us goodness and light We all experience at this time of year the hastening of time, faster and faster, like a vortex, until midnight of Christmas Eve. If you have a chance to attend the midnight service, one can feel the oh so deep hesitation in the movement of time - the feeling that something cosmically important is happening - before time resumes. As we in The Christian Community know, this is the beginning of the 12 Holy Nights. In times past, it was much easier to hold this time in thought. In modern times, it is much harder to hold this time in our consciousness. People are so tired of Christmas by the time it arrives thanks to all the marketing, that the tree comes down straight away on Boxing Day. How sad!! This is in fact only the beginning of Christmas! Wishing everyone a Blessed Christmas. Sparky

Second poem for Michaelmas

Here now is the other poem which Monica Gold wrote for Michaelmas last year and asked me to post for her.


Michaelic Consciousness

At every moment of our life

When consciously we conquer
Darkness, illusion and dismay
When faith and hope become
Companions of the day
Then do we rise beyond ourselves
To unimagined spirits heights
Where the creator takes our hand
Preparing us for greater flights.

For Michaelmas

This is how the Manse community garden looked right at the end of summer, a project which was the idea of Fiona. The large boulders in the foreground were labouriously heaved out of the ground in spring, slope terracing was put in place and the garden took off from there. Various people volunteered through the season and produce was offered for a donation at the church. In the back are seen the colourful beehive boxes which were already part of the garden for at least the last couple of years.

Today I will post a poem for Monica Gold which she wrote for the time of Michaelmas. Later on in the weeks after September 29th there will be another Michaelmas poem by the same author.


Michael

Today a broken chain
It's links of gold
Protected Man from heaven
Down to earthly cold.

Now he must find anew
Within himself ways manifold
New living threads to ties of old.

The boat is slim,
The current swift
The lighting dim
And easily
It floats adrift.
Until the Michaelic sign
Shines bright.

It is a sword of iron
Forged at night
Which will provide forever 
Healing light
That guides and enlightens all
Of us who as yet cannot see.

That seriousness alone 
Remains the key that sets us free.

Up coming posts

A few things to mention here. I have decided to make the title screen smaller so new posts can be seen right off without scrolling down, only I could not get a smaller version to load so I went with a very basic title for now. Also I have been very busy the last few months doing extra work away from home and on my family's house which did not seem to allow any time to post new ideas. I do have one concept but it definitely needs refining. So thank-you to Sparky for her last post with the beautiful image and the sleek wording which to me can being interpreted dynamically a couple of ways. Tell me, has anyone heard the song 'Elemental' sung by Kirsty Hawkshaw on guru mother by Opus III? The main lyrics are: "earth my body, water my blood, air my breath, fire my spirit". The reference must be to Mother Earth. What Sparky wrote totally made me think of this song right away! Michaelmas is coming closer as well and I have two poems which someone handed to me to post for them which I will do separately over the weeks covering the Michaelmas time. Bye for now and keep well from Felix.