On Maundy Thursday a holy stillness descends. The sounds of swarming streets, the bargaining & busy arrangements of the Passover pilgrims, have reached their peak. And all the clamor of the first half of the week passes into silence. And just as the deep red sun is setting in the west, faced by the silver disc of the rising Full Moon, in the East, the trumpets sound from the Temple giving the signal for the day of Preparation. The streets are suddenly emptied & a brooding silence falls. It is the curfew of Passover-tide, when the destroying Angel is out making rounds, as it was once long ago, in Egypt. On the eve of the Passover, the faithful of the Old Covenant are preparing for the Sabbath. In every house people gather round the table to eat the Passover lamb in the circle of their blood-relations. And so it is that Christ Jesus & His disciples also prepare to celebrate the Passover. The sacred stillness is enhanced, because Providence has brought them to the house of the Order of the Essenes. The Coen-ac-ulum, or Upper Room, which the Essene Brotherhood has placed at the service of Jesus & His disciples stands on holy ground. Here, on Mount Zion, a sun-sanctuary has existed from times immemorial.
And of course there is always a counter-force - Immediately opposite, also on its own traditional spot, stands the house of Caiaphas, the ancestral home of the Order of Pharisees, where a circle has also gathered. They can scarcely give thought to the coming Feast, for they are actively crafting a plan of hatred & enmity. While the devout are preparing for the feast, these enemies are preparing to give the order – “Seek to arrest Him, but not at the Feast”. Unconsciously they are fulfilling part of the 23rd Psalm: “Thou preparest a table before me in the presence of mine enemies” The Pascal lamb on the table, & words of John the Baptist ring true once again: “Behold the Lamb of God, which taketh away the sins of the world.” For thousands of years the Passover lamb was a prophetic custom, & now the fulfillment of the prophecy is at hand. A heavy spiritual foreboding fills the room; separation & tragedy rest in the air. Christ’s deed of sacrifice throws its foreshadow on the consciousness of the disciples who will soon face a heavy test themselves. Let us think back, to when the magic of the blood, signified by all pre-Christian blood-sacrifices, had an active power. It was believed that the shedding of the blood of pure sacrificial animals was able to transport the human soul, which in that time was more loosely united with the body, into a state of ecstasy, where Divine forces from the other world could then be reflected in human conditions. And now that ancient way of sacrifice must fade forever; starting in that sacred upper room on Mount Zion. For a divine cosmic Being has now entered this world, carrying to Earth a new impulse for the evolution of humanity; therefore, the old blood-sacrifice must become superfluous. The Power formerly invoked from outer spiritual worlds is now on earth, come to unite itself with this world. The Passover lamb has magical forces no longer, for in earth-existence itself a seed of heavenly forces is being formed. The lamb becomes the pure image of the sacrificial deed of Divine Love.
On the table of the Holy Meal, however, there is also bread & wine. And when after the ancient custom of the Passover has been observed, Christ takes, to the astonishment of the disciples, these other elements of food & drink, adding a new covenant to that ordained by the Old Testament - A new unexpected deed is imprinted forever into the world –
The Gospel tells us: “While they were eating, Jesus took bread, and when he had given thanks, he broke it and gave it to his disciples, saying, “Take and eat; this is my body.” Then he took a cup, and when he had given thanks, he gave it to them, saying, “Drink from it, all of you. This is my blood of the covenant, which is poured out for many for the forgiveness of sins.” These substances are not on the table by accident. What was a hidden initiatory rite, which has always existed, comes to light. The exoteric blood-sacrifices were carried out in the Temple externally by the people, but in hidden sanctuaries, esoteric Sun-Mysteries have always been preserved, where bread & wine were always known to be the symbols of the Sun-God.
On the very spot where the circle is now gathered at the Last Supper, the sanctuary of Melchizedek once stood. It was from this holy place that he took forth bread & wine, carrying them down to the valley of Cedrone to dispense to Abraham. Now bread & wine became more than prophetic symbols. The divine Sun-Spirit is present in Christ. His soul surrenders itself & streams into the bread & wine. In the twilight of the room, bread & wine are enveloped with a shining Sun-aura. Since they become body & blood of the Christ soul, they become body & blood of the Sun-Spirit Himself. All the Sun-Mysteries of antiquity were a symbolic prophecy; at this moment, they grow into fulfillment. In the transition from the blood offerings of the past, to the bloodless offering of bread & wine, the whole idea of sacrifice changed. Ancient sacrifices were always material offerings. Now the sacrifice of the soul is founded anew, & there begins the tradition of inner sacrifice. The lunar sacrifices of antiquity are at an end; the solar sacrifice of Christianity comes into being. Christianity, the true Sun Religion, dawns with Sunset of Maundy Thursday. By performing significant acts before & after the Meal, Christ brings about a 4-fold Whole, anticipating the four parts of the central Christian sacrament which from now on will be continually celebrated. And of which we as Anthroposophers must transform further into the Reverse Cultus – no longer only calling the spirit down; but rising in spirt, rising in our soul forces of thinking, feeling & willing to meet the spiritual world, in our striving to become co-creators with source.
This is the true imagination of the 6-pointed star. We must create the triangle pointing up, to meet the triangle pointing down. This becomes the sacred alchemy of fire & water which we must further transform into the dodecahedron of love. These New Mysteries of AnthropoSophia must hover in our imagination as we continue to live into this picture of Holy Week. Before the Meal, Christ follows the custom observed in the Order of the Essenes, washing the feet of each of the disciples, including Judas. A deeply moving picture, vast in its full significance: Christ completely surrendering Himself in loving devotion, upon which His death will soon set the seal. After the Meal, another ceremonial act is observed, this time in accord with the custom followed by all the neighboring households where - the head of the family begins to recite from the Haggadah, the history of the Jewish People from ancient times set down in legendary form. With Christ, too, the meal is followed by a discourse. This is recorded by St. John in the wonderful “Farewell Discourses” where we hear 2 of the I am Statements: ‘I am the way, the truth & the life”, & “I am the true Vine’. As well as a prefiguring of the energies of the Holy Spirit. The discourse ends in the High Priestly Prayer (St. John, Chapters 14-17). And so it is that 4 stages are passed through: the Passover Lamb, the Bread & wine, the Washing of the Feet, & the Farewell Discourse.
The Washing of the Feet sums up in a pictorial act the essence of Christ’s teaching: “A new commandment I give unto you, that you love one another.” The Washing of the Feet is the last of the parables, not just spoken, but fully enacted. It teaches Love as the ultimate purpose of the Christ Gospel. The stream of cosmic Love, speaks at the same time as the Spirit of Wisdom thru The Christ. This is a precursor to the Wisdom of AnthropoSophia & the unveiling of Isis, which is our task to take up now & in the future. At this stage, in order for Christ’s deed to transpire, the sacred round table breaks up dramatically. It is a strict regulation of the Passover that after dark on this night no one may leave the protection of the house. If he does so, he meets the Destroying Angel. In spite of this, Judas, does go out. St. John’s Gospel tells us: “It was night”.
It was also night within Judas; at this moment the adversarial powers entered into him. Judas goes to the house opposite, where Caiaphas & his circle are waiting. The soul of Judas cannot abide the Mystery of the Sacrament. On the evening before, as the consecrated mood of Mary Magdalene’s anointing unfolded in the house at Bethany, he was already seized with the demon of unrest. In the upper room he has met the sacramental substance for the second time. There is no Peace within him, so he cannot receive the blessing of peace thru the sacrament. Instead it has the opposite effect, throwing him into the hands of the the Destroying Angel, who displaces his ego, & possesses him.
As this transpires, Jesus rises from the table & beckons to the astonished disciples. They follow him out into the night, where the light of the full moon had for some time been extinguished - for it was passing thru an eclipse. These 2 acts of going-out-into-the-night symbolize profound inner events. The going out of Judas shows that his true self has abandoned him; outside he meets the Angel of Death. Ahrimanic spirits make him their pawn. The going-out of Christ is a picture of the free surrender of the soul, as the cosmic bearer of a conscious Sacrifice, a willing meeting with the angel of death, in order to transform death into life. A golden shimmer mingles with the chilly night as the Christ goes with the disciples down the same path into the valley that was trodden 2000 years before by Melchizedek, carrying the bread & wine to Abraham.
The shining aura which people saw radiating from the Being of Christ on Palm Sunday has now contracted into much deeper levels. It is at this time not perceptible, & yet the world receives a new glory on this holy evening, which is more like an Easter Eve than the eve of Good Friday. Prefiguring the yet to come Thursday of Ascension, 6 weeks later - When the seed of light, which began to grow in the upper room, will spread over the whole Earth with cosmic power. ~hag, Matthew, John & Emil Bock
You are welcome to listen to the ‘I Think Speech’ Podcast on the theme of Holy Thursday. 16 April 2025 - “Speaking with the Stars”
21-27 - Anthroposophical PsychoSophy Retreat at Camphill Kimberton where my New Mystery Drama: Soul Excursion - makes its premier as a Readers Theatre - Thursday 24 April 2025 in Rose Hall starting at 7pm with original Harp music by Jessica Schaeffer.
30 April - 1 May - Beltaine Song-Circle (email for dets)
3 May - UNION w/ ~hag at the Bridget Center This indoor and outdoor celebration offers the opportunity to learn about how ancient traditions honored this season of greening, bird song, plantings, birth and fertility, and how our old and new traditions and actions can align and contribute to the healing and abundance of the natural world. Learn from storyteller-wisdom keeper-interdenominational minister Hazel Archer Ginsberg about the Celtic tradition of Bealtaine and how other ancient cultures revered these seasonal markers in the Cycle of the Seasons. We will offer gratitude and blessings to the land, soil, plants, and all those that care for and steward the earth and its animals by making and applying biodynamic farm preparations to enliven and restore the soil. We will learn about Bridget’s Gardens, its permaculture design plans and participate in planting perennial native wildflowers, black currants, red osierdogwoods, willows, and elderberries. Come plant with us and take some home too! Clark Stamm (Acting Director of Bridget Center, Permaculturist, and Artist), and Angela Curtes (Grounded LLC and fellow Bridget Center Mission Circle member) will facilitate these activities.
The Alchemical Wedding w/ Mysteria Mystica Americana & Friends5 May 2025 at 7 pm CDT on ZoomEnjoy our many free on-line Seasonal offerings HERE
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Thursday, 17 April 2025
The Destroying Angel
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