America's Greatest Son

The United States Celebrates the Birth of one of her greatest sons this weekend. What citizens of the USA tend to forget is that the nation was born out of the imagination of men, and is a work in progress. When you truly learn the history, read the debates and examine what inspired people to break a governing tradition that had been in existence since the dawn of civilization, it is quite inspiring.

Americans have a sound belief in their exeptionalism. Often the exceptionalism is expressed as not having to abide by laws and traditions of other cultures. Somehow, we are above the common tedium and restrictions that dominate other nations. What ever holds us back, we have almost a religious conviction, sometimes it can be irrational, that we can change things for the better individually and collectively.

Our nation has been referred to as the New Jerusalem, the City on the Hill, and patriotism for many can have a religious fervor. We are a nation of ideas, beliefs, adherence to principles, with the current of Justice holding everything together. Each one of the groups that makes up our collective culture brings a different gift.

I have often considered the Africans of our nation to be the truest of all Americans.  They originally came here against their will but used ingenuity and resilience against terrible odds to help forge our nation. Throughout our great history, it was the African Americans that continued to inspire us to live up to our ideals of Equality, Freedom and Fraternity. Because they have not experienced freedom and equality as much as other groups have, their commitment to Justice often surpasses other communities. From the Civil War to the Civil Rights Movement, it is the Africans that invite us to see our shortcomings and help forge new territory in community.

In essence, the American Experience is the experience of what it means to be truly human within the Christian context of those three ideals. Christ came for all, we are free, equal people living within the community of the Christ. Our execeptionalism as a nation is that the system of government was conceived on these values, and we the people consistently strive to meet those principles.

One of our greatest sons, who embodied with dignity and grace these American, these Christian principles, his birth is being celebrated this day. The national holiday was not soundly embraced by all of our states. Arguments against the holiday ranged from; we had enough holidays, we could not afford another holiday, he was a communist agitator. The old states rights versus federalism justification for oppression was also used as an excuse not to federalize the holiday. Boycotts ensued and finally, the third Monday of January was set aside as a national day for celebrating the life and accomplishments of Dr. Martin Luther King Jr.

Dr. King is remembered and celebrated for many reasons. One of the more striking aspects of his ministry was his dedication to the Beloved Community. The Beloved Community is the ultimate goal, the ultimate expression of the human experience within the Christ. For us to be free and equal humans with in a community, we must have love for one another. Dr. King's steadfast belief in the dignity of all people, the equality of all people was the true sign of his Christian orientation, his Christian American exceptionalism.

At the heart of the Beloved Community is a notion and recognition that the Christ is within us all. His act on Golgotha was the great equalizer, his deed transformed all of matter and made all of humanity capable of containing the Christ, of knowing the Divine. When we recognize that we all contain the Christ within, how will we behave towards one another?

In Astrosophy, the number 33 has a profound meaning. It is the number of years that Jesus walked the Earth, it is called the Christ Rhythm. When an event or a concept occurs, it plants a seed that can come to fruition 33 years later. Christ began his descent in the Etheric in 1900, and significant occurrences have happened on earth in the 33 year cycles since then. 

In 1966, Dr King began to connect the issues of war, poverty and racism. 33 years later, the WTO protests occurred in Seattle, where for the first time the wealthy, the poor and labor unions collaborated to successfully thwart the corporate take over of the global economy. A few years later, for the first time in human history the entire globe was protesting a war that had not yet begun, the American led invasion of Iraq. The biggest of all the marches with literally millions of people across the entire earth simultaneously marching for peace, happened on Martin Luther King's birthday. While so much seems hopeless in terms of resisting war, violence, racism and poverty, the seeds have been planted, and the fruit will bear out in the future. At the core of the WTO and anti-war protests was a recognition of the beloved community that King advocated. How can we have an economy based on war, aggression and racism if we recognize the Christ in all of life?

Across the nation on Martin Luther King Jr day, many communities have a call to service day, where people are encouraged to give a day of service to their local places of residence. This invitation to serve one another is the essence of the Beloved Community Dr King worked and sacrificed his life to achieve.

May we live up to this challenge, to see the Christ in one another, to serve one another on this most American of National Holidays.Thank you Dr. King for your great service to our nation. May your words continue to inspire us all to greater heights, that our American exceptionalism will be defined in terms of how we embody the Beloved Community.

The Greatest Sin of Materialism

Our Lady of Peace, Our Lady of Peach Parish in Vacherie Louisiana

When one goes to the various Black Madonna Shrines throughout Europe, it is striking to see the adoration of the pilgrims. When I was sitting in Chartres Cathedral in the chapel dedicated to the Black Madonna of the Pillar, I noticed the difference between the people who were paying attention to the rest of the Cathedral and those who came directly towards the Black Madonna. The big difference was mainly the race. Those who were of non European origin came to the Black Madonna first, those who were of European origin tended to come to the shrine if it was on their pathway through the Cathedral.

What I was seeing was a deep resonance from the non European people, as if they were visiting a friend or relative. For those of us who do have European roots, we do not understand the wounds inflicted on our dark skinned brothers and sisters by presenting divinity as Caucasian. In one aspect I can empathize as I was exposed to traditions that forbade females over the age of 18 to preach the Gospel to adults, and have experienced the extreme pain of having the sacraments withheld from me due to my "paperwork," or what I like to call church affiliation. I have always been painfully amused when attending a service when communion was presented, and either the officiating clergy or sternly worded pamphlets requested that those of us who were not (fill in the blanks with a certain Christian sect, protestant or otherwise) were asked to refrain from the salvation offered by the sacrament. I always wondered why anyone thought this was an effective recruiting tool, who in their right mind would want to join something that was so exclusionary and elitist? Did the deed of the Christ only count for certain groups? Was entry into heaven dependent on having the proper identification papers, genitals and racial presentation? I was raised in an ecumenical home, as well as in the Methodist Church, where the "table" was open to all. I was shocked and deeply hurt when I found this was not how things are done in many houses of worship. 

There was a lovely segment on Weekend Edition this morning. As I drove out to the canyons to hike, I was deeply moved by what is going on in a small Parish Catholic Church in Vacherie, Louisiana. Vacherie is a small town about 50 miles west of New Orleans, made famous by the various now historic plantations in the area. Often in the path of the Hurricane's of the area, Vacherie is home to Our Lady of Peace Church. 

Our Lady of Peach Catholic Church was founded in 1864, and suffered many a devastating hurricane. In the late 40's a building campaign to restore the old Church started, and in 1954 a statue of Our Lady of Peace was donated to the congregation.

In 1959 another structure was completed, but with a purpose and effect in great contrast to the essential impulse of the Christ. A bathroom was constructed, but with two entrances. One set of doors was painted white, and the other was brown. While there was no specific signage, all parishioners knew what the colors meant, and ushers would follow African American congregants to make sure they used the proper rest room. 

In 2005 Hurricane Rita almost demolished the building that housed these segregated rooms, and this last October bulldozers were brought in to finish the job. Life long parishioners had always felt left out of the parish by this symbol of racial hatred, and were relieved when it was finally destroyed.

What was and is so unique about this instance is that before and after the destruction of the building, there was a group that formed to talk about racial pain. The service was called, "Healing of Racial Hurts" and  preceded the demolition of the building. The resident Priest, Father Michael Miceli said in his prayer during the Mass, 

"Let us acknowledge the mistakes, the decisions, the policies, the rules, the evil, the sins we committed that unfairly separated us, especially our African-American brothers and sisters, both living and deceased," He set fire to pieces of the old bathroom building. And from the pulpit, the priest apologized. "Please, forgive us," he said.

http://www.olopchurch.org/flipbook/october-6-newsletter

http://www.npr.org/2014/01/11/261422672/the-church-bathroom-that-stood-as-a-monument-to-a-segregated-past

Racism is the ultimate expression of materialism. To judge the worth and character of a person by something as arbitrary as the color of their skin is a feature of our current age. It started when the Europeans ventured across lands and oceans, with profound consequences. During the early days of the Spanish occupation of the Americas, the treatment of the Natives was so vicious that many of the clergy spoke out against the oppression. A great council ensued where the humanity of the Natives was argued in a  papal court. The resulting document was called Sublimus Dei, released in 1537. This document recognized the soul and humanity of the Natives, and forbade the enslavement of them. It did not however, recognized the humanity of the Africans, and we all know the horrors that ensued up to the Civil War, and the echos America endured in the Segregation of the South.

There are those who complained that the "Healing of Racial Hurts" Mass was unnecessary and served only to stir things up. But there were others who felt a great burden lifted, and finally welcomed in their home church. 

We are one in the Christ, we are one in the family of Humanity, as part of the Cosmos that birthed us. The magnificence of creation is that there are so many varied ways that Divinity expresses itself, both in nature and in the human community. Racism breaks this bond, this deep connection. When Divinity is expressed to the exclusion of others, it is a pain greater than any other. I think this is why racial and religious strife is so destructive, wounds so greatly, because it is basically telling the other that they do not exist. To experience this in a sacred place such as a church, even in the bathroom, is the ultimate triumph of evil.

There is much strife in the world these days, between different groups. In some ways, I think it is a sort of working out of the evils of materialism, for our task in this age, particularly on the American continent is to face materialism in a moral way, to transform and spiritualize the material.

In the landmark book Race and the Cosmos, author Dr. Barbara Holmes talks about the heady days of the Civil Rights movement. She speaks about how the African American community thought if they could have legal and economic parity with whites, then all would be well. What she and others have experienced has been the opposite. There is a great grief over the centuries of abuse and oppression of slavery, and a deep feeling of alienation from culture and origins because many families do not know from where their ancestors came. Dr. Holmes then goes on to talk about the cosmic nature of Black, and that we all come from the great galaxy, that our true home is within the vastness of the Universe, with the Divine as parent of us all.

A wonderful tactic of resistance is being used in the Ukraine these days, that of holding mirrors to the police.

What I love about this is that it is the essence of being human. The essence of being a Christian is recognizing the humanity, the Christ in the other. How can we harm and reject the other, when in reality the other is us? 

True healing comes from going deep into wounds so they can heal. If you cover up a wound without allowing for the dirt to be cleaned, it will fester and cause great damage. Recognizing another's pain, asking for forgiveness is one of the greatest things we can do to create harmony in our personal and communal relationships.

The scarred, somber dark faces of the Black Madonna's I think are profound reminders that Divinity has many faces. The Black Madonna's are essential to help us acknowledge our diversity, that Divinity is in us all. Let us reach out to one another, in the spirit of the universalism of the Christ. Only then, can we truly have what the Church in Vacherie promotes, deep, lasting, rich and rewarding peace.

The Human Heart and the Holy Grail

One of the many themes of the Black Madonna's is that they are associated with The Holy Grail. The Shrine at Montserrat is considered to be the location of the Grail in many legends. The bringers of the Black Madonna's the Knights Templar are also considered to be associated with the Holy Grail.

The Grail is the cup that caught the blood of Christ as he hung on the cross. It is considered to be an agent of transformation as the blood of Christ also transforms. 

In Anthroposophy, we view the Incarnation in Palestine over 2000 years ago as Christ coming in the Physical. We understand the Christ has come again, as was foretold in the Gospels. We see this so called "second coming" as happening now, but in the Etheric or life realm, not in the Physical.

The Angelic Hierarchies by Hildegard of Bingen

Since the beginning of the 1900's Christ has been descending through the planetary spheres and the angelic hierarchies to reappear in the Etheric. A great counter distraction to this event of the activity of Christ occurred twice, when he started his decent. The great distractions that turned humanities gaze away from the current Christ event were during the time of World War I, and again in 1933 with the triumph of the Nazi's in Germany.

Robert Powell speaks about the Christ Rhythm as being 33 1/3 years, as long as Christ Jesus life on earth.(1) At the dawn of the age of light, after the 5000 year period which many call the Kali Yuga ended in 1899, the Cosmic Christ started his new journey towards Earth. Each one of the Christ Rhythms is 33 1/3 years and we can see amazing things in history during 1933, 1966 and 1999 respectively.

The Black Madonna's are associated with the Evangelist Luke, who as we have learned was a apostle of Paul. Luke was educated in Greek Medicine which dealt with the Etheric realm. 

The Black Madonna's came in mass during the Crusades by the Knights Templar. The Crusades were the preparation for the age of Consciousness Soul which we now are living through. The main ideal of the Knights Templar was to create a culture that could contain the Christ, a Grail culture, if you will.

The Black Madonna of the Americas is The Virgin of Guadalupe. This miraculous image is a seemingly endless codice of symbols, but one of the more amazing aspects of this Madonna is the geometry which she represents. She is an image of the Golden Ratio, as well as the geometry of the Fifth Chamber of the Etheric Heart. She has her hands over her heart, says to Juan Diego to whom she appeared, to "build me a temple," and her image imprinted upon Juan Diego's chest. The corona and her hands are the same geometric shape as the fifth chamber of the heart.

Rudolf Steiner and Ehrenfried Pfeiffer spoke about the development of the "fifth chamber" of the human heart. This chamber is being developed so humanity can perceive the Etheric Christ. Frank Chester of California has discovered the geometry of this chamber through his work with the Chestahedron. http://www.frankchester.com/

It seems to me, all these correlations between the Black Madonna's, Luke the Evangelist, and the Virgin of Guadalupe. The message is that we must develop our hearts so that they can perceive and contain the Etheric Christ.

We often think of spiritual enlightenment as an external destination. For centuries the treasure of the Templars has been thought of some sort of cache of gold buried in the new world. But if we really think of the true "treasure chest" it is actually within our own bodies, our heart can contain the real, lasting and most valuable of all treasures, if we open and develop it. Our hearts can perceive and contain the cosmic Christ. Our human hearts are the true Grail.

(1) Please see The Chronicle of the Living Christ by Robert Powell for a discussion of the Christ Rhythm


http://books.google.com/books/about/Chronicle_of_the_Living_Christ.html?id=j7OIa_W0dz4

Listen to the Podcast for a discussion of this topic

 http://www.blogtalkradio.com/blackstefka/2014/01/05/the-human-heart-and-the-holy-grail

Suffering, the Dark Night of the Soul and Wisdom

As we enter into these final days of the Holy Nights, those of us who participate in studies and special church services start to grow a bit weary here near the end. The Holy Nights is a microcosm of the coming year, and each year is a path of initiation to those who wish to grow in their maturity as a human being.

A major effect of the event on Golgotha was that the spiritual world was opened wide to humanity. The torn curtain in the Temple between the Holy of Holies and the congregation was a deep symbol that there was nothing between Humanity and Divinity after the deed of the Christ.

Before this event, only a select group was initiated, after Golgotha, life became the initiation. We became all equal in the eyes of the Divine, and from this point onwards it has been our own efforts that will open us up to communion with the Heavens.

The Black Madonna's have many themes associated with them. A major similarity among these works of art is that they have very somber faces. Numerous narratives mention how the Madonna's survive fires, bombs, and attacks with swords. In some instances they are actually broken, yet miraculously mend themselves. The Black Madonna of Czestochowa in Poland has scars on her cheeks from a Saracen vandal. Many attempts to cover the scars have been unsuccessful, as they reappear the next day.

The term the Dark Night of the Soul was coined by St. John of the Cross. He was trying with Theresa of Avila to reform the Spanish Clergy and Women Religious. He was betrayed and thrown into a windowless dungeon, where he conceived of the theory that during the darkest of nights, the greatest of suffering is where we feel the Divine most potently.

A trending theme in modern day attempts at Spiritual awakening is the association with pleasure and happiness with fulfillment. I think this is why the new age new thought movements are so popular. Suffering is something humans do not really want to acknowledge let alone endure, and yet it is a universal experience.

While extremely unpleasant, suffering is part of the human journey of initiation. The deeper purpose is to open the heart and develop organs of perception to the Spiritual World. Wisdom is the gift of suffering. Suffering transforms. In the blackened forest after a devastating fire, new life stirs. From the intense pressure on charcoal, a diamond is formed. The irritating sand in an oyster produces a priceless pearl.

The Black Madonna's along the Compostela are dark and stern for a reason. They show us that life is difficult, the journey is long, but there is transformation at the end. When we are in agony, it often opens our hearts and we feel and perceive the Divine in ways we never could in times of plenty and contentment. Our suffering is not in vain, and the love and wisdom on the other side is sweeter than anything we can imagine. 

Blessings on your journey.

The Lecture Reference from The Fifth Gospel by Rudolf Steiner

http://wn.rsarchive.org/Lectures/GA148/English/SCR2006/19131006p01.html