Sunday, October 24th
10:30am
5737 Spartan Dr
San Diego, CA 92115
Contact: 619-286-0816
We invite you to join us to share in the story of our dear friend, Hong Zhao.
She will shed light on the relationship of Taoism to Anthroposophy as she traces her Chinese roots.
"My spiritual seeking began with the birth of my daughter. After I got my Master's degree in Electronic Engineering and was involved in the High-tech industry for years, I was so arrogant that I believed that science was the absolute truth and could be the resolution for everything. But during my first struggling parenting, I had to admit that my baby, as a messenger from the higher world, couldn't be explained by only abstract logic thinking. And my training in nature science couldn't provide me with any knowledge about the invisible world and the truth of human beings.
In order to gain that knowledge, my enthusiasm in ancient wisdom became strongly rekindled and I was attracted by the marvelous ancient Chinese wisdom in philosophy, medicine, and arts which was also different from what I learned for many years in Western arts. Many thoughts sounded so fascinating to me, for example: Everything has an origin in the spiritual world and human beings are the highest spirit among the natural world. As the mediator, between heaven and earth, we strive to be harmonious with the cosmos and unite with all creatures. Among all the educational systems, I found only one, Waldorf education, based on Anthroposophy, which has a similar spiritual viewpoint and puts those thoughts into practice.
We moved from China to the US and my daughter began her Waldorf school journey at 3 years old. I continued my study in Chinese medicine and philosophy, especially TAO, which changed me greatly and helped me effectively expand my mindsets. I began to have the ability to accept ideas that seemed contradictory and see through things in different layers, which lay a solid foundation for my later Anthroposophical study. Many questions arose continually within me, "Why does the harmonious, beautiful and elegant time in ancient China have to be gone? Why does the human being have to endure degradation in soul and spirit? I couldn't find clear answers in ancient wisdom. With these questions I joined WISC at the magical age of 35…"
SUNDAY, SEPTEMBER 26th, 2021
10:30 am to 12 pm
233 Autumn Rose Lane Fallbrook, CA 92028
We will be working artistically with the four panels of Rudolf Steiner’s
FOUNDATION STONE MEDITATION
Understanding how each panel relates to soul forces & seasons of the year
PANEL ONE: WILLING - February, March, April
Joseph Rubano will lead us in Spacial Dynamic exercises
PANEL TWO: FEELING - May, June, July
Alicia Santacroce and Joseph Rubano will share their poetry
PANEL THREE: THINKING - August, September, October
A sharing of Michael thoughts and of Prokofieff’s THE MICHAEL MYSTERY
PANEL FOUR: KNOWING - November, December, January
Past, Present and Future
Connecting the Microcosmic with the Macrocosmic
Eurythmy
Space is limited to allow distancing. Bring your masks for when we will be in closer proximity.
Dear Friends,
Join us on our back patio for a Branch celebration of the St. John's Day Festival on
Saturday, June 26th 3:00PM - 5:00PM
IN THE GARDEN AT THE HOME OF ELIZABETH AND VICTOR OLLEY
We will read together the Rudolf Steiner lecture, "St. John's Day Imagination" from The FOUR SEASONS andThe ARCHANGELS:
https://wn.rsarchive.org/Lectures/GA229/English/RSP1968/19231012p01.html
We will also sing together and stir the biodynamic preparations of BD500. Bring a gallon container (or larger) to contain your portion of this soil activator and root elixir to stimulate abundant and balanced life in your garden soil. We will be reimbursing Susan Starr for obtaining the preparations for us.
The Biodynamic preparation BD500 will be stirred following the reading and all are encouraged to bring a (gallon or larger?) container to take a portion of the preparation home for your home gardens. It is a soil activator and an elixir for the root formation of plants. BD 500 specifically stimulates calcium and nitrogen relationships to foster abundant, balanced life in the soil. One small package covers an acre. Sprinkle on your garden immediately before sunset.
Bring your favorite afternoon treat! Lemonade will be provided.
Details can be found on the attached flyer. RSVP to Elizabeth Olley at 760-761-0414
Blessings on your summer!
Dear Friends - please join us for this upcoming workshop - registration required:
PATRICIA RUBANO
DIRECTOR OF BIOGRAPHY AND SOCIAL ART PROGRAM
will be leading a workshop entitled
FAITH, LOVE AND HOPE
Sunday, May 23, 2021, 10 am - 12 pm
at the home of Alicia Santacroce in Fallbrook, CA
"Faith, love, hope, constitute three stages in the essential being of man; they are necessary for health and for life as a whole, for without them we cannot exist. Just as work cannot be done in a dark room until light is obtained, it is equally impossible for a human being to carry on in his fourfold nature if his three sheaths are not permeated, warmed through, and strengthened by faith, love, and hope. For faith, love, hope are the basic forces in our astral body, our etheric body, and our physical body." Rudolf Steiner, GA 130
https://wn.rsarchive.org/Lectures/GA130/English/GB1964/FaLoHo_index.html
We will explore these three virtues in relation to our own lives through images, artistic exercises and conversation to gain new perspectives and insights. Materials will be provided. Please bring your interest, openness and warmth as we create a vessel for positive working spirits.
Please register well in advance, as the workshop requires a minimum of 12 and a maximum of 15 persons. Email: patrubano@hotmail.com
Space is limited in order to create distance. Bring your masks for times when we will be in closer proximity. Thanks to a generous grant from Janey Newton, the Center for Biography and Social Art is able to offer this workshop free of charge.
SUNDAY, MARCH 28, 2021, 10 AM - 12 PM
To be held in the garden at the home of Jacqueline and Soleil Develle
Opening Verse: Foundation Stone Meditation
Eurythmy
Honoring those members who work with us on the other side of the threshold.
Reflections regarding the past year: An opportunity to share thoughts, feelings, events and insights that we have experienced during this pandemic.
Saturday, December 26, 2020 through
Wednesday, January 6, 2021
Gatherings will be held outside and begin at 1 PM.
Please RSVP the hosts so they can prepare the seating areas. Masks, social distancing and hand sanitizing are recommended. Can we sing through the masks? Let’s try! No Refreshments. Thank you!
The entire cycle is available in the Rudolf Steiner Archive:
The Individuality of Elias, John, Raphael, Novalis/The Last Address given by Rudolf Steiner:
Salt, Mercury and Sulfur, GA 220:
10 lectures given in Basle, September 15-26, 1909
by Rudolf Steiner, GA 114
Call the host (ess) for directions.
November 22nd, 2020 1:30 PM — 3:00 PM
4135 54th Place
San Diego, CA 92105
A eurythmy, poetry and musical contribution by Johanna and Bruce Laurelin, Chelaine Kokos Ortiz, Susan Starr and Mark Polesky. We will honor our loved ones on the other side of the Threshold in an outdoor setting at the Waldorf School of San Diego High School campus.
11/4/2020 The information for our local study groups has been updated. Please see the details here:
Dear Friends,
The San Miguel San Diego Area Branch of the Anthroposophical Society in America warmly invites you to a celebration of Michaelmas 2020.
11:00 AM — 2 PM
Fallbrook, CA
Please RSVP for location details:
Elizabeth: elisevison@yahoo.com - 760-761-0414
or Lori: loridaub@gmail.com - 818-314-0116
This is our first in-person meeting since the beginning of the pandemic. We look forward to seeing one another while using effective safety precautions including wearing of masks, physical distancing and hand sanitation. The meeting room is large with measurements approximately 20' x 35' which should allow plenty of space between participants. Please bring your own lunch, including drinks and utensils.
September 18, 6:00-8:00 pm
September 19, 10:00-12:00 and 1:30-3:30 pm
110 Martin Alley in Old Town Pasadena
Dear Friends,
Welcome to a new adventure with the Los Angeles Branch: a workshop both online and in person—at the same time. We have been propelled into this by six months of inactivity in our building. “The eyes are the windows to the soul” and it is time to look at one another again!
John Bloom has graciously agreed to participate in this new adventure, but we are beginners so there may be a few glitches: however, we believe that by offering both ways of meeting, the interaction will be richer, and more people will be able to participate.
All safety precautions will be in place in the building and you know what they are: spacing, masks, and no food, just bottled water.
To meet COVID guidelines, masks will be required—and available if needed. We know that some people may not feel comfortable with this, but personal compromises are needed to allow as many people as possible to participate. If you have any issues, please call Margaret Shipman to discuss them, and if you have any hesitation at all about anything, please join us on zoom. We took this step in the LA Branch because we want to be able to work together again and to have as many people participate as possible.
Registration Required
Please note that registration is required for this event. Registration will be needed to allow you into the online meetings and for in-person so we know how many to expect in the building and help us in setting up the room. If you plan to attend please click this link:
https://www.tinyurl.com/johnbloom92020
Thank you for taking part in the visionary work of John Bloom. We look forward to what he will bring and to sharing conversation with him.
Blessings,
LA Branch Planning Committee
We invite you to join us as we begin a new book for home study: MATERIALISM AND THE TASK OF ANTHROPOSOPHY
On July 6th, the Monday Evening Rudolf Steiner Study will begin reading Lecture I of this series of 17 lectures given in Dornach between April 2nd and June 5th, 1921.
Our rhythm has been to meet at a member's home at 7:00 for tea, dessert and visiting. Then at 7:30 we would begin the reading.
7:30 - A candle is lit ...
The Calendar of the Soul verse is read ...
The reading of the lecture begins in turn by those present.
The full set of lectures can be found in the Rudolf Steiner Archive at: https://wn.rsarchive.org/Lectures/GA204/English/AP1987/MaTask_index.html
There are also easy-to-read printable PDFs included here for each week:
| Date | Lecture (PDF) |
|---|---|
| July 6, Monday | Lecture One, 4/2/21 |
| July 13, Monday | Lecture Two, 4/3/21 |
| July 20, Monday | Lecture Three, 4/9/21 |
| July 27, Monday | Lecture Four, 4/15/21 |
| Aug 3, Monday | Lecture Five, 4/16/21 |
| Aug 10, Monday | Lecture Six, 4/17/21 |
| Aug 17, Monday | Lecture Seven, 4/22/21 |
| Aug 24, Monday | Lecture Eight, 4/23/21 |
| Aug 31, Monday | Lecture Nine, 4/24/21 |
Please feel free to post any questions or comments.
We hope you can share the reading of these important lectures with us!
Will be celebrated on: Sunday, June 21, 2020, 4:00 PM In the garden at the home of Alicia Santacroce *
In The Cycle of the Year as a Path of Initiation, Sergei Prokofieff refers to St. John’s Day as a Festival of the Future. “Man is unable consciously to follow the soul of the Earth into the far reaches of the cosmos at this time of the year. He can only unite with it unconsciously in his nightly wanderings; it is not accessible to his modern waking consciousness.” This is the time of the year when the whole inner being of the Earth has breathed out and ascends to the far reaches of the cosmos, in blissful dreams.
The conditions of earthly life have been especially demanding for the last several months. Do you have a song or a poem, either a favorite you want to share, or one that you have created during the pandemic? Bring your poetic or musical voice, an instrument, a paintbrush or any expression you wish to share.
Bring your favorite afternoon treat! It will be a blessing to meet together safely and we are all looking forward to it!
Here is a link to the St. John’s Day Imagination for your individual study: The Four Seasons and the Archangels, /St. John’s Day, GA 229, by Rudolf Steiner:
https://wn.rsarchive.org/Lectures/GA229/English/RSP1968/19231012p01.html
* Please RSVP to contact@sandiegoanthroposophy.com or call Alicia 760-451-0001 or Elizabeth 760-761-0414 for the address.
The festival of Whitsun, or Pentecost, is celebrated fifty days after Easter - ten days after the festival of Ascension. It celebrates the awakening of earthly ego-consciousness experienced by the apostles and symbolized by the “tongues of fire”.
The eleven apostles had been plunged into mourning by the crucifixion of Christ, then filled with joy at His reappearance in His resurrected form. For forty days thereafter the apostles received the teachings of the risen Christ, but as Rudolf Steiner describes, they were in a dream-like state of semi-consciousness throughout this time. Then, at Christ’s Ascension, they were once again grief stricken at the loss of their beloved teacher. It was on the tenth day of their grieving that the outpouring of the Holy Spirit, the Comforter and Spirit of Universal Love, quickened their earthly ego-consciousness, inspiring and enabling them to carry the teachings of Christ out into the world.
Most significantly, Pentecost marks the entry of the Christ Being into the sphere of the earth. “For instead of passing, as does a human being, into Devachan, a realm of Spirit after death, the sacrifice offered up by the Christ Being was that he made the Earth his heaven … It is a saying of immeasurable greatness if we express this mystery in the following words: since the event of Pentecost the Christ Being has abided with human souls on the Earth; before then He did not abide with the souls of people on the Earth!” (Rudolf Steiner, The Fifth Gospel pp 46-47).
The festival of Ascension is celebrated 40 days after Easter, the Crucifixion and Resurrection of Christ, described by Rudolf Steiner as the Mystery of Golgotha. In 2020, Ascension is Thursday, May 21. It is a festival that is easily overlooked as it occurs ten days before Pentecost (the descent of the tongues of fire) which one could say is culturally more often remembered. Rudolf Steiner’s spiritual scientific research and experiences of the Mystery of Golgotha bring remarkable and profound realities to reflect upon during this festival.
After the Risen Christ presented himself to the disciples in his “resurrection body” he spent forty days with them, teaching and inspiring them. As a result of these experiences the disciples were awakened to clairvoyant consciousness. In this state of newly awakened imaginative consciousness they witnessed Christ’s Ascension into the spiritual world.
Rudolf Steiner further indicates that the resurrection of Christ points towards the redeeming of the physical body of mankind (through the rescuing of the phantom body, see From Jesus to Christ, by Rudolf Steiner, GA131, 1911) while the act of Ascension saved for mankind his etheric body. In Occult Science (also known as Esoteric Science) it is described how the natural tendency of the etheric body is to aspire to the Sun and away from the Earth. At his Ascension Christ held back this tendency as he had born the forces of the Sun into the Earth existence. Hence it is a deed performed for all of mankind, for Christ remains in union with the earth.
In very specific ways the Ascension points also to Christ’s participation in man’s life after death. “Since the Mystery of Golgotha there has stood before the soul of every human being who passes through death the Ascension picture which the disciples were able to behold that day, on account of their particular soul condition.” (see The Festivals and their Meaning, by Rudolf Steiner, lecture of 7 May, 1923)
Furthermore, it is described how the Christ relates to the souls of the dead on their sojourn through the Moon, Sun and starry realms so that they can work again on their karma in subsequent incarnation(s). “Thus in the scene of the Ascension we have an indication of the all-encompassing influence of the Christ-Being, after the Mystery of Golgotha, upon the sphere of the life of the human soul after death.” (See The Cycle of the Year as a Path of Initiation, p. 183, by Sergei O. Prokofieff.)
If one has opportunity this coming Thursday, here are references for further study:
You are invited to join, from your own home, a Monday Evening Steiner Study Group.
Prior to the current virus concerns, we had been meeting regularly in North County on the 1st, 2nd and 3rd Mondays of the month to read various lecture series given by Rudolf Steiner. Now we would like to invite you to join us for the next seven Monday evenings.
Our rhythm has been to meet at a member's home at 7:00 for tea, dessert and visiting. Then at 7:30 we would begin the reading.
7:30 - A candle is lit ...
The Calendar of the Soul verse is read ...
The reading of the lecture begins in turn by those present.
For our study, we have selected THE DRIVING FORCE OF SPIRITUAL POWERS IN WORLD HISTORY, seven lectures given in Dornach from the 11th to the 23rd of March, 1923.
| Date | Lecture (PDF) |
|---|---|
| May 4, Monday | Lecture One, 3/11/23 |
| May 11, Monday | Lecture Two, 3/12/23 |
| May 18, Monday | Lecture Three, 3/16/23 |
| May 25, Monday | Lecture Four, 3/17/23 |
Please feel free to post any questions or comments.
We hope you can share the reading of these important lectures with us!
Dear Members and Friends,
In the interest of sound and prudent judgment based on our current environment, we will temporarily suspend all Anthroposophical Society sponsored gatherings in our area through the month of April. This includes all study groups and the School of Spiritual Science First Class. We will, however, continue to assess the facts and keep you updated.
With this unexpected change to our habits, we are presented with an opportunity to take stock of ourselves as we continue on our path of spiritual development.
In Knowledge of the Higher Worlds and its Attainment, (GA 10, 1904) Rudolf Steiner describes the soul strength which is required for this process:
“… The would-be initiate must bring with him a certain measure of courage and fearlessness. He must positively go out of his way to find opportunities for developing these virtues. His training should provide for their systematic cultivation. In this respect, life itself is a good school — possibly the best school. The student must learn to look danger calmly in the face and try to overcome difficulties unswervingly. For instance, when in the presence of some peril, he must swiftly come to the conviction that fear is of no possible use; I must not feel afraid; I must only think of what is to be done …”
“… It is pre-eminently a question of cultivating this courage and this fearlessness in the inmost depths of thought-life. The student must learn never to despair over failure. He must be equal to the thought: I shall forget that I have failed in this matter, and I shall try once more as though this had not happened. Thus he will struggle through to the firm conviction that the fountain-head of strength from which he may draw is inexhaustible. He struggles ever onward to the spirit which will uplift him and support him, however weak and impotent his earthly self may have proved …”
He also said to doctors in Arnheim on July 24 1924,
“If we could not become ill, we could also not become spiritual beings … If we could not become ill, we would remain fools for our entire lifetime. The possibility of illness is due to the possibility of becoming human beings who think, feel and will … Spiritual insight into both health and illness enriches our entire view of nature.” As Richard Leviton said in his introduction to The Healing Process, a collection of Steiner’s 1923-1924 lectures, “It reminds us that as humans we are embedded in a world of natural processes and dynamic interactions that span the micro level of cells and the macro level of galaxies. We are not estranged from the environment; we are the environment in human form. Illness is not an irrelevancy in our lives; it is a clue to the core of our life.”
There have been many references to Rudolf Steiner’s comments about the nature of viruses and we republish this article from the Goetheanum as one of them:
Under normal circumstances we would be meeting together on Easter Saturday, April 11th, to study and meditate on this sacred time of the year. Although we will not be able to physically meet, we offer these suggestions to you for developing a deeper understanding of this Festival.
(Left: Easter, Rudolf Steiner)
The Easter Festival in Relation to the Mysteries
by Rudolf Steiner, April, 1924, GA 233, Lecture One:
Festivals and the Mysteries. The Adonis Mystery. The Easter Thought … https://wn.rsarchive.org/Lectures/GA/GA0233a/19240419p01.html
The Four Seasons and the Archangels
by Rudolf Steiner, October 1923, GA229, Lecture Three:
The Easter Imagination
https://wn.rsarchive.org/Lectures/GA229/English/RSP1968/19231007p01.html
For music to accompany your thoughts during Holy Week (beginning Palm Sunday, April 5 to Easter Sunday, April 12) here are a few suggestions:
Bach’s ST. MATTHEW PASSION, BWV 244. Karl Richter (1971)
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Xdl0m1v5el8
PARZIVAL, an opera by Richard Wagner, conducted by Horst Stein, Bayreuth
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=eqOBEH-JRhs
THE MESSIAH, G.F. Handel (Easter portion)
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=JH3T6YwwU9s&t=7019s
Let us hold one another in our thoughts and prayers as we read, listen and meditate - and, as Rudolf Steiner said, “ Let us fill ourselves with love and spiritual equanimity as a protection."
The soul of the world lies out-stretched
Upon the cross of the world’s body.
In five out-beaming rays, luminously it lives
Through wisdom, love, and power of will,
Through all-awareness and ego-awareness,
Finding thus
Within itself the Spirit of the World.
with Joan D. Treadaway, M.S.
A joint Branch and WISC event:
Saturday, February 22, 2020
9 am - 1:30 pm
at the Waldorf School of San Diego 3547 Altadena Avenue, San Diego 92105
In 1922 Rudolf Steiner approached Dr. Felix Piper, an anthroposophical physician, to work with him in treating children and adults with the healing pictures of the Raphael Madonna series. Known as “THE MADONNA TREATMENT”, it is used as a therapy in Camphill Special Schools and in many healing practices. The 15 pictures have a regenerative force, enlivening the human being through the streaming movement of the five etheric streams.
