~Confessions of a Modern Rosicrucian - The Italian Connection - Canto IIa renewal of Buddha’s ‘Noble 8-fold Path to Enlightenment’
Canto II. An encounter with The Madonna Corona - an Exorcism - & Heart-Art - with a dear Soror in Lago di Garda
Soror KT took this grateful ~hag under her wing when the International Misraim Alliance gathered in Sweden last year, kindly assisting me with not only all the details of travel & accommodations, but taking interest, making me feel welcome & included as part of their large dedicated group working in the Scuola Misteriosofica Sezione Esoterica of Pleroma Anthroposofia. This amazing community of Fraters & Sorors held sacred space in the Swedish Lodge when I took the Fellowship Degree, creating a deep bond. We have kept in touch, building our karmic connection, sharing our struggles, questions, & insights into the Misraim Dienst. Soror KT is an accomplished artist & healer, so we have often discussed the occult significance of color within the Temple workings, as well as our reflections on the various practices. Having someone to talk to about these Rites is very important to me - an affirmation helping to train my moral compass – a grace that makes the burden light when doing ‘The Great Work.’
After feeding us, we took a pilgrimage to ‘Madonna Della Corona’ - Our Lady of the Crown - not far from KT’s home & studio in Veronese. The Sanctuary has been there for over a thousand years! - Built into the rockface of Monte Baldo, encircled by the Green River Valley - It has the pure air of mysticism – It felt as if we were stepping into a Tolkien novel - Crossing the Threshold into an aerie in ‘Middle Earth’. The view is literally breathtaking, worth every step of the steep 2 hour hike. According to an old urban legend, around the 10th century, folk living in the Adige Valley saw a scintillant light coming from the cliff Crown of Monte Baldo. Captivated by the liminal light, a few brave souls trekked up the wild mountain face - where they found a mysterious statue of the Madonna - holding the body of her son Christ Jesus - a Pieta -The villagers took the figure to their valley intending to display it in the Church for all to see - but when they went to venerate & do adoration at dawn the next day - the Pieta was gone. It wasn’t until they saw the effulgent light - once again at the top of the Corona cliff, that they knew where the Madonna had gone. They took the steep climb - & tried once again to take it off the Crown of the Monte - but 3 times in all - it evanesced away - back up to the crest of the mountain cliff face. And so they knew - what to do - & built a Chapel & a Shrine on the zenith - where the Madonna endeavored each time to return - & wished to dwell -& so it is said that Our Lady led them to where they were meant to build the Sanctuary of Madonna Della Corona.
After that amazing journey, KT took us to Lago di Garda – The Horned Guardian at the edge of the Italian Alps, where we participated in a glorious sunset. Since it is the largest lake in Italy, CG & I felt a special resonance reminding us of our own Great Inland Sea in Chicago. In Roman times the lake was revered as the god ‘Benacus’, associated with the cult of Neptune. That night I dreamt that the Lake rose up to the top of the mountain. The Madonna floated – swirling around the crown of the cliff followed by a sea dragon. At first I was alarmed, but then I intuited that the serpent was her ally. I was told to feed it hazelnuts. After it had eaten, the water receded, & all was restored - Except now, the Madonna’s crown had a new ruby red jewel that wasn’t there before. I tried to tell the others what had happened, but it never seemed the right time.
That morning KT blessed me with an energy healing session that became an exorcism .:. raking open an old wound in my throat chakra. I could picture my 16 petalled lotus flower, & how in past lives, 8 of those petals were gifted to humankind - Bright shining colors spinning the petals in rhythmic harmony - I could also descry the undeveloped 8 petals - & how they became darkened when human consciousness shifted from being a vessel of Spirit – to gradually becoming more densified over the ages, into a matter-focused consciousness. This stirred up in me a primal pain – breaching open the Sacred Wound between Time & Eternity. I am blessed that thru Spiritual Science I can relate to the idea that pain lives in the astral body - the desire body - Pain is actually a gift that helps us purify our Sentient Soul - our desire body - so that we can build the Temple of the ‘Spirt-Self’ within - & in the world - Our astral body vibrating in harmony with the cosmic astral realm in which the Spiritual Beings of the Stars are working.
& so it is that NOW, there is a calling to re-build this vestigial vessel for Spirit – only this time, we have to build it – using the Divine gifts we were given from the Creator gods - that we must renew & apply. These thoughts transform my desire - willing me - to develop those 8 darkened petals -so that all 16 Lotus petals of my throat chakra can be active - spinning in a wholesome harmonious way.
To achieve this goal I seek to consciously put my inner development into practice thru a renewal of Buddha’s ‘Noble 8-fold Path to Enlightenment’ – as given thru the Spiritual Science of Rudolf Steiner, in his basic book ‘How to Know Higher Worlds’ - & in ‘Guidance in Esoteric Training’ he calls it: Exercises for the Days of the Week’ –
Saturday - Saturn - RIGHT OPINION - To pay attention to our thoughts & ideas. To think only significant thoughts. Learning to separate the essential from the nonessential - the eternal from the transitory - truth from mere opinion. Saturn’s strength is being able to discern the essentials - the weaker trait is that we can be so focused on the past, locked into our own opinion that the art of listening suffers. In this exercise we quell our personal opinion, to let the other person, or situation, enter our being. The Saturn in us must let go of rigidity.
Sunday -Sun - WHOLSOME JUDGEMENT - having been formed independently of sympathies & antipathies - & After fully reasoned deliberation. The Sun is the cosmic Harmonizer. All unthinking behavior, all meaningless or discordant actions should be kept far from the soul. Once we are convinced of the rightness of a decision, we must hold an inner steadfastness.
Monday - Moon - RIGHT WORD - Only what has sense & meaning should come from the lips of one striving for higher development. All talking for the sake of talking is harmful. The usual kind of conversation, a disjointed hodgepodge of remarks, should be avoided. This does not mean avoiding conversation - it is precisely then that we have an opportunity to truly commune - with talk that leads to significance -Adopting a thoughtful attitude to every speech & answer. Never talk without cause - be gladly silent. We strive not to talk too much, or too little. First listen quietly; then reflect on what has been said. The Moon mirrors – teaching us to become the reflection of the highest evolution of humankind.
Tuesday - Mars - RIGHT DEED - Right Action - Where an occasion calls for action out of our own initiative, deliberate carefully how we can best meet the occasion - for the good of the whole, the lasting happiness of humankind - the Eternal. The Mars in us must learn to think first, to control our actions (this also applies to words). We start by considering most thoroughly beforehand the effect of our actions -Asking if our intended action might disturb our fellows - Enlarging our vision to oversee the consequence of our deeds. Only by quelling impulsivness - with vision, & acts of love, can we come to the right deed which serves the good for all.
Wednesday - Mercury - RIGHT POINT OF VIEW - Behavior – Right Livelihood - The Ordering of Life - To live in accordance with Nature & Spirit. Not to be swamped by the external trivialities of life. To avoid all that brings unrest & haste into life. To hurry over nothing, but also not to be indolent. To look on life as a means for working towards higher development, & to behave accordingly. The strong side of the Mercury in us is the quick grasp of new ideas - never being afraid of new concepts - Bringing innovations - shaking loose the stagnant properties, to become a healing factor for humankind & a messenger of the gods.
Thursday - Jupiter - RIGHT HABIT - Right Effort - Human Endeavour – We can become like Jupiter, the beneficent king, when we take care to look beyond the everyday, the momentary, setting aims & ideals connected with the highest duties of a human being – To leave nothing undone which lies within our power. This can be summed up as: ‘TO LET ALL THE FOREGOING EXERCISES BECOME A HABIT’.
Friday - Venus - RIGHT MEMORY - The endeavor to learn as much as possible from life. Nothing goes by us without giving us a chance to gain experiences that are useful for life. If we have ‘missed the mark’, this can become a motive for aiming again more perfectly. If we see others doing something that we think is ‘wrong’ we can observe them objectively, not coldly or heartlessly. We can learn from everyone. And we can look back to past experiences which can be of assistance in our decisions. The weak side of Venus might be to lose ourselves in our own personal memories & feelings. The strong side of the goddess of Love in us is, empathy & compassion.
The 8th path - The Octave - SUMMARY - RIGHT CONTEMPLATION - to be done every day + the Ruckschau nightly review - To turn our gaze inwards, even if only for 5 minutes daily, at the same time - to carefully take counsel with ourself – to test & inform our principles of life - to run thru in thought our knowledge - or lack of it – to weigh up our duties - think over the contents & true purpose of life – to feel genuinely pained by our errors & imperfections. In a nutshell: Labor to discover the essential -the enduring - & earnestly aim at goals in accord with it. For instance: Virtues to be acquired - & to judge our life thru the eyes of the Higher Self.
Tying the Buddha’s path in with the 8 beatitudes from Christ’s Sermon of the Mount is also very powerful. Steiner tells us: “When the sixteen petaled lotus is developed, one can understand the thought world of others.”
After breakfast Soror KT led us in a therapeutic painting session. Working with the primary colors we were invited to close our eyes to make a wet on wet single color gesture on the paper. Then to look at what came forth, & describe what we see. We went on to use whatever color combinations we felt called to apply. She worked with us each individually throughout the process. Her insights, lifting the veil –
Mine looks like Anthroposophia penetrating into my soul substrata - her healing rays of Wisdom bestowing light into the dark places.
And CG sees his painting as a battle with the dragon! This powerful session set us up for the 5-hour drive to Canto III – so stay tuned for more… With full gratitude - & much to digest Xox ~hag
Enjoy these Seasonal Video’s:    
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Víðarr Academy of North America - in the training of Health & Movement
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NOTE the DATE CHANGE:Michaelmas Festival 2025The Courage of Wisdom in the Light of LoveMONDAY 29 September6 pm - 9 pm Potluck, Prep-stir, Bonfire, Festival Circlein the backyard sanctuary of the Lucchesi-Archer-Ginsberg domicile rsvp Hazel@CogRite.com
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Greetings Friend, you currently a free subscriber to Cognitive Ritual. Thank you for receiving my workings freely offered. For the full experience, upgrade your subscription. ALL donations go to support Zinniker Farm - The oldest Biodynamic Farm in America! Together we can spiritualize the Universe. XOX ~hag
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Saturday, 27 September 2025
~Confessions of a Modern Rosicrucian - The Italian Connection - Canto II
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