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“There has arisen from its narrow limits
My self and finds itself
As revelation of all worlds
Within the sway of time and space;
The world, as archetype divine,
Displays to me at every turn
The truth of my own likeness.”
– Taken from The Calendar of The Soul, by Rudolf Steiner. Translated from the German by Ruth and Hans Pusch
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Always beginning with my disclosure of not being a long-time student or expert in Anthroposophy . . .
This little verse is pretty, I think. It speaks to me of the expansion of our awareness of ourselves. Our spirit’s swelling and filling within us. Our realization of our limitless natures.
As we begin to honor and love our selves, we begin to honor and love others. Other people, the animal kingdom, the plant kingdom, Mother Earth, the sun and moon and cosmos. We begin to see ourselves reflected in all other aspects of creation.
We begin to notice those rhythmic movements within ourselves mirrored in the rising and setting of the sun, the phases of the moon, the changing of the seasons. We start to feel the times of warmth and of cold. The times of wetness and dryness. The times of death and rebirth. We begin to see that the mysteries of our inner life are reflected in the world around us.
There are great clues for us. Clues about how to love . . . how to surrender . . . how to grow . . . how to play . . . how to sing . . . how to dance . . .
Open yourself up to yourself — and then to your world around you. And, see what you can see!
The magnolias are in bloom here in Memphis! [deep breath, as if I can smell them here in front of my computer screen in the office -- I wish!] They really are magnificent blooms. They’re HUGE and rugged and they smell divine! My little one said, “Mommy, you should make perfume out of this.” She’s right.
Can I see myself in the magnolia? The tree is an evergreen with large, glossy, dark green leaves. This time of year they bloom and then leave behind very cool-looking woody cones. I just found out that the blossoms are not pollinated by bees or butterflies, but rather by beetles (beetles as totem animals assist with resurrection and transformation).
I think it’s especially interesting that although the tree does not itself follow the cycle of “death” and rebirth like deciduous trees do, it’s flowers and fruit are pollinated and assisted by a totem animal of resurrection. I like this! Can we begin to see how death and rebirth may be an inner experience rather than an outer experience sometimes — and that the gift of this process is something that smells so sweet and looks so beautiful?
Thank you, Rudolf Steiner, and thank you, Magnolia Tree, for your messages today. I carry you both in my heart and in my awareness today . . .
“Within the light that out of spirit depths
Weaves germinating power into space
And manifests the gods’ creative work:
Within its shine, the soul’s true being
Is widened into worldwide life
And resurrected
From narrow selfhood’s inner power.”
– The Calendar of the Soul, Rudolf Steiner, translated from the German by Ruth and Hans Pusch.
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Like I said last week, I’m no expert at Anthroposophy, but I’m always stirred by these little meditations.
This week’s message reminds me of a meditation that I did this weekend. It was an image of the central nervous system glowing in yellow light, surrounded by brilliant white light, then surrounded by the depth of the Void.
As the attention moves to the glowing and takes in the fullness of the beauty of the central nervous system (that place within us that holds all memories, beliefs, expectations, emotions, thoughts, etc.) we begin to find our attention resting at heart center. There, in the center of our energetic being, beats the rosy-pink life force. Our heart.
We notice the pulsing. The life. The rhythm. Our attention becomes fixated on this life force within us. The energy then moves out of the heart, into both of our shoulders, down our arms and out our hands, stretching out and expanding in its reach — far and wide.
The energy, the light, our life force, then moves up and out in all directions. Out of the atmosphere and into space where it circles the earth in all directions. It meets back at the North Star where it joins with itself in a brilliant light ball. Out of the ball of brilliant light streak many star beams of brilliant, silvery white light, reaching all corners of the universe.
One light beam flows directly back into our crown chakra and fills us with its brilliant, pure light energy. As it reaches our heart center, that rosy-pink space within us begins to glow brighter and expands to twice its size. As does the soft yellow light of our central nervous system.
As we notice the expansion of our inner experience and truth, the energy once again forcefully moves out of our heart center, through our arms and out our hands. Once again it arcs out and around the earth, this time meeting at the south star where once again it creates a star of intense brilliance and clarity. Once again this star bursts forth in glorious light, reaching all parts of the universe.
One of the star beams once again comes straight toward us an enters our crown chakra. This time it moves all the way down our central nervous system, down our legs and through our feet, where it moves straight to the very center of the earth, grounding us to the Mother.
We find ourselves firmly grounded to the earth, becoming one with it, while maintaining the brilliant, purity of the light of the heavens.
We are reminded of our creative brilliance, our infinite potential as it manifests itself as a joining of the earthly with the heavenly. We become firmly connected with both planes — the divine and the mundane.
As we stretch out our arms and hands in a gesture of sharing and generocity, we literally encompass the whole world in the gesture. We touch all.
The vibrations of that generocity then ripple out throughout the world, circling it and moving out into space where it is intensified and purified and then returned to us in a way that doubles us.
Friends, this is Truth. This is a quiet, yet profound truth of how our sharing comes back to us two-fold. It is an image of our reach. Our influence. Our place in the cosmos.
We are not insignificant. We are lit by the stars of heaven. Shine, my friends!
Wasn’t that a Tears for Fears song in the 80′s? Hold on . . . I’m going to Google that . . . Yep, it’s a Tears for Fears song. I thought about pasting the lyrics here, but they don’t really resonate fully. The title sure does, though.
A couple of years ago I took my children to a seed sowing ceremony at a biodynamic farm. It was a lovely event at a picturesque little family farm. There were songs and blessings, a visit from Lady Spring. And, after the farmers sprinkled the field with biodynamic treatment, we each got a little paper bag with seeds in it and we walked the field, sowing the seeds. Just like they used to do.
The gesture you use when you sow seeds by hand originates at the belly, moves up the midline and forward and gracefully arcs outward and upward. The seeds then fly off your fingertips and scatter all around.
You can picture the beauty and grace of this. You might be reminded of a flower girl, scattering flower petals before the bride’s entrance.
My Anthroposophy teacher talked about this gesture one day. She said how therapeutic it can be. She gestured it again and again. We began to feel the depth of the motion — the outward motion of spreading good. Kindness, love, help, wisdom, healing, friendship, community. She gestured that our eyes and face follow our hands — our gaze and perspective moves outward and upward. We can find ourselves expanding. We can find ourselves in joyful service.
In contrast, she said, when we’re at the grocery store or at Target, we’ve got the opposite gesture. That one of materialism and maybe even greed and self-centeredness. We draw things toward us and drop them in our basket. We gather, we take, we consume. It’s about us, us, us.
It’s nice sometimes to make it about others, others, others. It’s nice to share the best of ourselves. To cast the seeds of our growth and potential out onto the breeze and into the fertile, prepared soil.
There’s a parable in the Bible that talks about the sown seeds landing some on the rocky path, some among weeds and some onto the fertile soil.
Yes, we don’t know what will come of the seeds of love that we sow. Maybe we don’t need to. Maybe it’s got nothing to do with us. Maybe it’s just our place in the cycle of things.
Don’t let that not-knowing stop you from putting yourself out there.
Last season’s harvest produced this season’s seeds. What do you have that you can share? What wisdom or ability has come to fruition for you? What fruits of yourself have you harvested for your own use and are now ready to plant in the broader fields?
Remember that next season, someone will sow seeds that you may harvest. After all, the wheel of life keeps turning. Take your place. Sow your seeds of love around you.
Bring those seeds of potential up from your creative central core, forward of your heart center and send them scattering in the space before you. Follow them with your eyes and with your mind — blessing them as they find their place in the prepared soil.
. . . sowing the seeds of love, seeds of love . . . sowing the seeds of love . . .
