Classholders’ Meeting – January 2014

Our recent class-holders’ meeting took place on on January 24 -26.  2014, at the Hesperus Community in Richmond Hill.  With a little imagination, one could perceive some shiny new threads , woven into the  fabric of this yearly meeting.  

The  presentations delivered by individuals were well-researched, and  were received  by equally well-prepared participants. For example, we worked with the Foundation Stone  given  by Rudolf Steiner for the first Goetheanum  in 1913.  Entering the mood of this very special  moment  in  history, when Rudolf Steiner also  received  the Fifth Gospel  and  spoke the reversed  Lord’s Prayer, we experienced a working-ethic  one could describe as : be on  guard.  

A courageous step was taken by the preparatory group with the following questions:

1)   How do guarantee that the mantras do not lose their spiritual force? 

2)  Do we indeed achieve the requirements for the true School of Michael when we hold the Class?

3)  What are the occult laws underlying these requirements?

These questions are placed right into the struggle for anthroposophy in our time. They remained somewhat open-ended, because each question is  not only a concern for classholders, but also involves every individual who is a member of the School of Spiritual Science.  

From these efforts, a heightened participation took place. One could experience a density of  attention. And the fruit of this work were  not only  new insights,   but surprisingly it was a first beginning of allowing moments of silence, of not falling into the temptation to give  answers, because there were  moments left open  for  the unexpected….    

To the authors of this little excerpt, in the process of reviewing , something of this new  quality emerged that wants to be taken up. To have  the courage to leave the silence hovering in the room and  wait  to see what possibilities can come from such working .

  

– Part 2, by  Brenda Hammond 

We are the religion of the gods.

This quote from Rudolf Steiner, brought by Penelope Baring,  still resonates with me. So, I thought, what did the gods behold when they considered our circle during those hours, days and evenings?

Fellowship, certainly. A general mood of trust and also one of inquiry. The gods would have delighted in the art of speech (brought by Patricia Smith) and that of eurythmy (Michael Chapitis) where we sounded out the Reverse Lord’s Prayer and moved the Zodiac.

I think they would also have been gratified by the prepared contributions of others such as Judy King and France Beaucage. and Ingrid Belenson.  New connections were made; old ones renewed and enhanced. Information was exchanged in various fields such as: what’s happening at the Goetheanum; which members of the Vorstand will be visiting Canada during the summer and for the proposed conference in 2016.

The meetings were chaired by Eric Oxford who brought a discipline towards time and yet a sensitivity to process that was much appreciated. The effort that all had put in towards preparation always adds to the quality of the meeting.