HEART OF THE CHILD

 Dear Friends,

Jesus said, only those who turn and become like little children may enter the kingdom of heaven.

What does this mean, to be like a little child?

This is easier to understand when we observe the behaviour of little children. They are still very connected to the spiritual world, and their hearts are still very much open. They feel a close connection with plants, animals and the mineral kingdom. They are kind and forgiving. Their love is unconditional. Their energy and enthusiasm are positive and boundless. In their world, anything is possible. Their feelings are intense. If they see someone in pain, they feel that pain. They do not hold a grudge. What happens in the moment is quickly forgotten – they do not live in the past, nor do they worry about the future.

It is the ongoing task of humanity, according to Rudolf Steiner, to move from a mindset of taking, to one of giving, and self sacrifice.

People who experience pain and suffering often ask, Why me? This is a deep question and a complicated answer. Nevertheless, a starting point to that conversation might be, we suffer and experience pain so that our hearts can be open to others in pain. One example could be when someone loses a loved one to a particular disease. They then take up the cause of researching and eradicating that disease. In other words, our eyes have been opened to a particular problem, our hearts are engaged, and we find the will to focus on finding a solution to that problem.

When Peter asked Jesus, how often should we forgive someone their trespasses? Jesus answered, 70 x 7 times. HE also said, we should forgive all debts, for as we forgive, so will we also be forgiven.

Take a closer look at the word, forgive, or for give. This is almost a double movement. To give something is to pass something along. In some cases, people who have been given a gift or favor, say to themselves, I will pay it forward. If someone does you a kindness, often you will in turn do a kindness for someone else. The word for is also a forward movement. Nevertheless, we have to be sure we are not just going in circles, or the same old ruts, or even backwards. It takes courage (of conviction) to forge a new path, strength (faith) to keep going, and wisdom to know when to ask for help and engage others (humility).

Dear Lord, help me to weld wisdom, strength and courage into my soul, that I may work in the world in the right way. Help me to be as a little child.

Sparky

 

FEED MY SHEEP

 

Dear Friends,

First of all, I wish to express my gratitude for this chance to try to put down my thoughts and feelings from time to time, and to send them out into the universe. I hope in doing so, that I have not caused offense or concern, as this has never been my intention.

The opinions and ideas expressed are my own, and not necessarily a reflection of the views of the creators of this website.

Having said that, the following is just something I feel needs to be expressed.

We are challenged to think with our hearts and act out of feelings of empathy and compassion, even for our enemies.

That being said, it was with sorrow that I learned of the actions this week on the part of the Russian government.

Putting aside political considerations, the question is, why now?

If we look at the protests in the past few weeks in Canada and other countries, we see that feelings are running high, after two years of lockdowns. There have been a great many contributing factors to food shortages, limited medical care, a rise in gas and housing prices. The list goes on and on, not to mention the loss of loved ones. Each country and its people have suffered. In Canada, distance is a huge challenge in keeping supply chains going.

How much greater must this challenge be in Russia? We receive very little factual information with regards to what is happening in that country, but it is easy to imagine that their people are truly suffering, especially in the dead of winter. We know from history that aggressive military action only causes further hardship for civil populations.

Food, clothing, shelter and clean water are all basic human needs. When these needs cannot be met, desperation arises.

What if we, as a global community, worked to supply these items, food, at the very least, to the Russian people? Airdrops of food and medicine all over the country, from every direction, from every country and non governmental organizations. Would it not be great to turn war machines into bread machines – to turn stones into bread, so to speak, manna from heaven. We have the tools, but do we have the Will?

Yes, it is a naïve and childish idea, but then, we are also asked to be like little children…

Sparky

 

 

And Miles to go Before I Sleep

 

This is a famous poem by Robert Frost, set in the mood of winter, with snow on the ground and frost in the air.

During this time of year, it is common for people to experience the effects of different viruses. Temperature swings can occur, as our life body, our immune system, rallies and sets out to restore balance.

We can consider that the Earth, too, has a life body. Here in the Pacific Northwest, we have recently experienced extreme temperature swings. This is nothing new, and has happened before in my lifetime. Nevertheless, it is a warning that balance needs to be restored.

Mood swings, too, can happen when our hormones are out of balance. We can consider volcanic activity, earthquakes, hurricanes, etc. as mood swings in the Earths life body. Again, balance needs to be restored.

As human beings, we experience the Earth as our home. So far, it is the only planet we know of, where conditions are just right for our existence. Unfortunately, these conditions are changing, in part due to our own activities. In particular, the removal of non-renewable resources, the use of chemicals and machines that harm the life body (including the delicate balance of minerals, plants, animals, water, soil, air) of the Earth. We have disregarded the mood swings and temperature swings so long as they do not affect our daily life.

This is no longer the case. As a collective, we must find ways to help restore balance. Even more, we must find ways to renew the Earths life body in such a way that she can continue to sustain OUR lives. You may notice that I used the word, collective. This is because there is no one perfect solution that can be applied. Each country, each community, must find what works in their own area. We all can contribute in our own way, rather than trying to impose a single solution. We have seen that agreement on one single solution is not possible amongst nations, nor is it viable. Nevertheless, if we each do our part to make a contribution, this will strengthen the restoration and renewal. The 3 wise men did not all bring the same gift to the Child. Each gift, gold, frankincense and myrrh, has its own healing properties. Neither does the gift have to be expensive or rare. Sometimes the best gifts are the simplest to make, and the easiest to do. Rather than pointing fingers at each other, we must ask, What can I do? What is my gift that I can bring?

The life body of the Earth and our lives are intertwined, like a picture of DNA. Only in this time period was this picture able to emerge. In focusing on smaller and smaller minutiae, we have forgotten about the big picture. The Earth is encouraging us to re-member.

Sparky

 

 

Seminary Journey Post Script

Dear Friends

I forgot to post the GoFundMe link in the last post.  Please find it below and I would appreciate it if you could share it on social media.

Thank you so much,

Erica

https://gofund.me/387091a4

Support Erica On Her Seminary Journey

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Erica's Seminary Journey Update!

 Dear Friends of My Seminary Journey,

I can’t believe that 7 months have gone by since my last post!  So much has happened and so much is coming…  here is an update:

This October I went to Berlin with our Seminary Directors and two other Ordination Preparation students - one from the US who studied here in Toronto, and one from South Africa. We were asked by the Church Leadership to come and meet with them in person as we look ahead to the Ordination Preparation course.  It was an amazing trip meeting with the Leadership, attending the Ordinations of two new Priests (in German!), attending classes.  We then traveled to see where our founder Rudolf Steiner lived in Berlin, and to Breitbrunn where the first circle of priests gathered to look at their future - becoming Priests and founding a new church.  It was a whirlwind trip ending with a visit to the Ziest congregation in the Netherlands.  There we met with Bastiaan Baan, who used to be the seminary director in New York.  I feel so blessed to have been able to go on this trip and experience a part of the world wide movement and be in touch with its founding.

With the completion of second year, I am now in preparation for Ordination.  Three other students will join me in that group - one who studied here with me who is from the US, one from the UK, and one from Australia.  We have already started with an online course together on Zoom.  Also each of us, as well as the directors, have an early Christian to study and present about at the beginning of our in person classes in January.  I will be studying Evagrius Ponticus from the fourth century.  We are also working on printing out the gospel readings for the church services.  It’s good to be practicing printing as my ritual books will be handwritten! The books are hand bound and art pens are used for the printing in script.  Our classes will be speech training, sermon writing (and then delivering sermons), work on the Gospels, and on the Breviary - a group of meditations that Steiner gave specifically for the priests.  Also my vestments are being made in Germany and I will be fitted in January for the final adjustments.

Thankfully for the past few months I have had employment at the Seminary.  That has ended now as I transition into full time studies.  The work has allowed me to put some money aside for supporting myself during the next few months until I start work in June.  But I could use some financial support for supplies and tuition.  It would be so helpful if you could post the gofundme link on your social networks with the hopes of reaching the final goal of the fundraiser.  Here are the things I will need help with:

Handbound Liturgy Book, Gospel Folio, and Breviary:  $375

Script Pens and Folio Paper: $75

Tuition: $4,500

It is so amazing to be moving forward with this calling to become a Priest!  At the end of February I will find out if I will be invited to be Ordained.  Then it's up to me to say the final ‘yes’.  Ordinations will be held the weekend of May 13th.  Without you all it wouldn’t be happening with such grace.  Thank you so much for all of your support.  The gift of prayers, good wishes, and finances have made this all possible for me.  My heart is full….

In Gratitude, Erica

Robert from the US, Erica from Canada, Andreas from South Africa in front of the apartment where Rudolf Steiner lived in Berlin.

Potlatch

 Dear Friends,

You may well ask why I wish to refer to the Native American custom of potlatch, which is still practiced in the Pacific Northwest. In fact, it is in some ways, similar to our customary celebration of Thanksgiving and even Christmas.

Today, I would like to mention a dear friend of mine, who is celebrating her 70^th birthday this year. In spite of a challenging childhood, or perhaps because of it, she ultimately became a healer, prolific artist and author. Despite daily pain and physical challenges from 9+ autoimmune diseases, she continues to maintain a positive attitude, and continues to allow the creative juices to flow onto the page and/or canvas, while still living independently.

This weekend, as part of a civic art show, she plans to give away for free, 50 of her paintings. Her desire to do this is, I believe, twofold. The first, is to make room for new impulses to come in. The second, is the tradition of potlatch, which is typically a gathering together of family and friends, sometimes over several days, to celebrate a special event. The family holding the event distribute gifts to all participants, which is opposite to our culture, where they would expect to receive gifts, except perhaps at Thanksgiving and Christmas. During these two festivals, there is usually an upwelling desire to bring family and friends together for a feast, and the exchange of gifts. Amongst some of the Native Americans, it was a way of redistributing wealth or sharing resources, among other purposes.

In the New Testament, there are many examples of giving as well. The first Christmas, where gifts were brought to the baby Jesus. The woman who misplaces a gold coin, or the father who temporarily loses a son. When they are found again, there is a feast or celebration. The rich man who asked Jesus what more he could do, and was told to give up all that he had and distribute it to the poor. The disciples were commanded to set out and take nothing with them. Our community priests are also asked to do the same.

Which is better – to give or to receive? The former suggests an act of selflessness. Over the past two years and moving forward, we can clearly see that there is more and more need for giving. Several close friends and relatives have all responded to an underlying impulse this year to give away things that have become merely stuff. We see the continued growth of a chasm between the rich and the poor.

The time has come for us to listen to our hearts and ignore political posturing, and respond in a positive way to the global hijacking of world economies and governments by multinational corporations. The need has never been greater for communities to come together and share all that we have. Real change will only happen at the grassroots level. It can only happen through the acts of individuals working together in a peaceful manner.  We are seeing this in places that have experienced natural catastrophes, collapsed economies and overwhelmed institutional structures. Now, as never before, we can perceive the light of Christ, that wants to work in us and through us.

Sparky

WELLSPRING

 

"Spirit Triumphant! Flame through the impotence of faltering, fainthearted souls! Burn up selfishness, kindle compassion, so that selflessness, the lifestream of humanity, may flow as the wellspring of spiritual rebirth!" — Rudolf Steiner

Dear Friends,

During this time of covid, when we have been forced to look inwardly as never before, we have been in what may be called a dream state, here in Vancouver.

Echoing the dream song of Olaf Asteson, some intrepid community members will recreate the story of TCC in Vancouver up to this point, during the upcoming Holy Nights.

This is because the time has come for our community to dream of what could be for the future. At night as we sleep, we receive messages from the spiritual world, of good will, a renewal of our spirit for the new day. It is time for us, in cooperation with the Spirit of our community, to begin a new chapter. A legacy for the next generation.

We have long known that our current building/property simply can no longer function, neither in the present, nor to certainly meet the future needs of our community.

It is time for us to dream of a new location and space. There is no greater expression of this need and longing, than the quote above by Rudolf Steiner.

My beloved, our baby has grown wings and is ready to strike out on her own. She is ready to soar and take her place amongst the tribe of Eagles. On the Pacific west coast, there is no better image for movement than that of an eagle. Reaching the highest heights, and plummeting to the deepest depths. As such, it is my humble suggestion that our new chapel might be named: The Chapel of St. John.

Sparky