Hi Mikko,

Light and Darkness --- from a phenomenological perspective:

http://www.rsarchive.org/Lectures/GA/index.php?ga=GA0320

Jean-Marc

================================================================
--- In anthroposophy_tomorrow@yahoogroups.com, Mikko Nuuttila <bellmeine@...> wrote:
>
> Has anyone truly wondered about the nature of the two-slit experiment with light?
> It is easy to perform at home:
> you cut two vertical slits on paper and shine light through them on a wall from an appropriate distance.
> When the distance is appropriate, you'll see light on the wall as if from many vertical slits.
> In quantum physics, the phenomenon is explained in terms of the dual particle/wave nature of light
> and in terms of refraction but I find the terms tell me absolutely nothing phenomenologically.
> I would prefer some more occult terms perhaps.
> If you come up with something, let me know.
>
> Mikko
>

-----Original Message-----
From: anthroposophy_tomorrow@yahoogroups.com [mailto:anthroposophy_tomorrow@yahoogroups.com] On Behalf Of dottie zold
Sent: Monday, November 09, 2009 8:48 PM
To: anthroposophy_tomorrow@yahoogroups.com
Subject: Re: [anthroposophy_tomorrow] The Sons of Jacob and the Zodiac

 

Kim, the Rabbis say that each son has a twin and I think we have to look at the wives and the mothers. I don't have any time but I wanted to say thank you for the title...Sergei has an incredible book on the zodiac and the seasons as well as Mr. Sucher. d "If there is something more powerful than destiny, this must be the human being who bears destiny unshaken." Rudolf Steiner --- On Mon, 11/9/09, Kim <kimgm@yahoo.co.uk> wrote: From: Kim <kimgm@yahoo.co.uk> Subject: [anthroposophy_tomorrow] The Sons of Jacob and the Zodiac To: anthroposophy_tomorrow@yahoogroups.com Date: Monday, November 9, 2009, 10:46 AM The Sons of Jacob and the Zodiac  It's generally agreed that the twelve sons of Jacob has to do with the twelve signs of the zodiac, but there are many different views on how these signs are distributed on the sons, some even take the sons of the sons into consideration. The following builds on Paul Mahler Dam's work. The following is of course a hypothesis, but it's the best I have found until now. In the figure I have added the mothers name, as it may tell something about the connection, but I haven't used the information yet. Table over relations Below the names of the signs, the name of the old ruler and the mother of the son are placed. Fixed Mutable Cardinal Air Naphtali Aquarius â™' ♄, Bilhah Simeon Gemini ♊ ☿, Leah Issaskar Libra ♎ ♀, Leah Fire Judah Leo ♌ ☉, Leah Gad Sagittarius � ♃, Zilpah Benjamin Aries ♈ ♂, Rachel Water Dan Scorpio � ♂, Bilhah Joseph Pisces â™" ♃, Rachel Levi Cancer ♋ ☾, Leah Earth Reuben Taurus ♉ ♀, Leah Zebulun Virgo � ☿, Leah Asher Capricorn â™` ♄, Zilpah The relations between the sons and the zodiac. Paul Mahler Dam in "Skriften pÃ¥ himlen": The Bible's description of Jacob's twelve sons seems to suggest the traditional description of the twelve zodiac signs. As we are around the year 2000 BCE. in the bull's age, it will be natural to start with the bull's sign. 2. Reuben = bull 'Reuben, thou art my firstborn, my might, and the beginning of my strength, the excellency of dignity, and the excellency of power. " [Mother: Leah] Taurus represents fecundity of spring, the sign of Venus, where the moon, as a symbol of all nurturing substance, is elevated. 3. Simeon and 4. Levi = Gemini and Cancer:  '... Simeon and Levi are brethren; instruments of cruelty are in their habitations...I will divide them in Jacob, and scatter them in Israel '. [Leah] The two signs are represented respectively by Mercury and the Moon. In reference to the corresponding Arc Angles demonic opposites, it seems understandable that the mental-conscious human ancestral risk of abuse by his intellect and false foundation of society and the abuse of the fertile earth mother are hiding in the description of the two brothers. In our intellectual arrogance we kills even love and its true fruits. 5. Judah = Leo:  'Judah, thou art he whom thy brethren shall praise: thy hand shall be in the neck of thine enemies; thy father's children shall bow down before thee. ... Judah is a lion's whelp ... The sceptre shall not depart from Judah, nor a lawgiver from between his feet, until Shiloh come; and unto him shall the gathering of the people be.'  [Leah] Leo-born are known for their pride and desire to control the situation themselves. In addition Leo have joy of children and a has natural skills for teaching. It is the Sun sign, which also highlights the Lion's desire for self-expression. 6. Zebulun = Virgo: 'God hath endued me with a good dowry; now will my husband dwell with me, because I have born him six sons.'  [Leah] Virgo is a 'ministering principle', people who often cares about others' wellbeing and health. The word 'gift' is associated with the name and can hang with the Festival of Sukkoth in Israel, in the month of Tishri, the first month of the year after the New Year which begins in our September month. A thanksgiving for nature's gifts: The star Spica in Virgo symbolizes the wheat ear in the left hand of Virgo. 7. Issaskar = Weight:  'Issachar is a strong ass couching down between two burdens: And he saw that rest was good, and the land that it was pleasant; and bowed his shoulder to bear, and became a servant unto tribute.'  [Leah] Emphasis on cooperation and harmonization, which in the worst case can mean that which the text tells: lack of autonomy and position, thus leaving others to determine as to ultimately find that you are bound by hand and foot by his own indecision, while enjoying life to the full. [Leah] 8. Dan = Scorpio:  'Dan shall judge his people, as one of the tribes of Israel. Dan shall be a serpent by the way, an adder in the path, that biteth the horse heels, so that his rider shall fall backward. I have waited for thy salvation, O LORD'. [Bilhah] This description may well sound a bit harsh to our ears, but nevertheless demonstrates the fact that Scorpio-born people are able to distinguish between lies and truth. Also they are rarely deceptive. It may make others uneasy, why they choose to call scorpions for suspicious and distrustful of people. The area of sky is also characterized by constellations serpents (snake) and Ophiuchus (serpent bearer), where we find the star Unuka / hai (serpent heart or neck), which expresses 'the face of God' is said to be a strict judge, as by irradiation of the planets can ask the incarnate human spirit against the obligations to adhere to the truth. 9. Gad = Sagittarius:  '... a troop shall overcome him: but he shall overcome at the last.'. His mother Leah exclaims: "What happiness", as she has given birth to Gad, whose name is a pun on the term 'happiness'.  [Zilpah] The Traditional ruler, Jupiter, often described as a "happy planet", but merely a romantic notion. The report on the 'warrior crowds making inroads' etc. seems rather to highlight the prominent social consciousnes, as Sagittarius is responsible for, and in our world can often involve conflicts, ambitions and struggles between people. 10. Asher = Capricorn:  'Out of Asher his bread shall be fat, and he shall yield royal dainties. ' [Zilpah] Saturn's character can not fail to emphasize materialism, the joy of owning things that could gather for houses for appropriate occasions where no less than the king comes to visit. With Saturn also respect for the laws so that Capricorns are often suitable as a leader and organizer. 11. Naphtali = Aquarius ' ...is a hind let loose: he giveth goodly words'. [Bilhah] The colorful and eccentric, which characterizes Uranus symbol, we experience many of life's stage. Communicating with other people is a very natural thing for Aquarius. 12. Josef = Pisces:  'Joseph is a fruitful bough, even a fruitful bough by a well; whose branches run over the wall...The blessings of thy father have prevailed above the blessings of my progenitors unto the utmost bound of the everlasting hills: they shall be on the head of Joseph, and on the crown of the head of him that was separate from his brethren."  [Rachel] Fish representing the horoscope sign area for the inevitable and unforeseen, which may include suffering and pain, which includes life karmalov. Furthermore, the mental susceptibility or sight, which just characterizes Joseph as Pharaoh's dreams suggest. It went badly for Joseph, as his jealous brothers sold him to passers-by Egyptian merchants. Jacob was obviously unhappy, when the brothers told him that his favorite had been killed. The karmic in the story is that the brothers later had to go to Egypt to beg for grain from Pharaoh's adviser - Joseph. 1. Benjamin = Aries:  '... shall ravin as a wolf: in the morning he shall devour the prey, and at night he shall divide the spoil. " [Rachel] It was under great pains and risking their lives that Rachel gave birth to her son. It is the Mars sign, the planet which stands for 'God's credentials' where activity in exaggerated sense can become aggressive. The egocentric prevail, we will eat first, since we can share what is left over. The above quotations are from Genesis. One of the biggest mysteries around the children of Jacob is the daughter Dinah, it's not the only place where a single woman is connected to a group of twelve (or seven). Zodiac with old rulers   Zodiac with old rulers. Planetary symbols References Text From Stephen Arroyo: Astrology, Psychology, and The Four Elements. Pictures by Rudolf Steiner.

The Sons of Jacob and the Zodiac 

It's generally agreed that the twelve sons of Jacob has to do with the twelve signs of the zodiac, but there are many different views on how these signs are distributed on the sons, and the sons of Joseph who fathers two of the tribes. The following is a continuation of Paul Mahler Dam's work.

The homepage Meaning Life Center contains many interesting interpretations around the Old Testament, and especially A day in the life of a Jew in this connection.

The following table contains my theory on the connections, below the table follows my reasons and references.

	Fixed	Mutable	Cardinal
Air	Ephraim, Man Aquarius â™' ♄,Asenath	Simeon Gemini ♊ ☿, Leah, Gerizim	Asher Libra ♎ ♀, Zilpah, Ebal
Fire	Judah, Lion Leo ♌ ☉, Leah, Gerizim	Naphtali Sagittarius � ♃, Bilhah, Ebal	Gad Aries ♈ ♂, Zilpah, Ebal
Water	Dan, Eagle Scorpio â™� ♂, Bilhah, Ebal	Manasseh Pisces â™" ♃, Asenath	Issachar Cancer ♋ ☾, Leah, Gerizim
Earth	Reuben, Ox Taurus ♉ ♀, Leah	Zebulun Virgo â™� ☿, Leah, Ebal	Benjamin Capricorn â™` ♄, Rackel, Gerizim

Contains the names of the signs, the old ruling planet, the mountain, and the mother of the son.

The Mothers

There are five mothers, the two wifes of Jacob, and their handmaids, and the wife of Joseph:

Leah gave birth to six sons and Dinah.

Rachel's handmaid, Bilhah, gave birth to Dan and Naphtali.

Leah's handmaid, Zilpah, gave birth to Gad and Asher.

Rachel gave birth to Joseph, and, near Bethlehem, Benjamin.

Asenath, the Egyptian wife of Joseph, gave birth to Manasseh and Ephraim.

The Mountains

The tribes are split in two groups:

The tribes Simeon, Levi, Judah, Issachar, Joseph, and Benjamin were connected to Mount Gerizim, Mountain of Blessing, Deut 27:12.

The tribes of Reuben, Gad, Asher, Zebulun, Dan, and Naphtali were connected to Mount Ebal, Mountain of Cursing. Deut 27:13.

Four Quadrants

In astrology the Zodiac are split in four quadrants, with the initial four star signs as the centers of these, that is the Ox, Lion, Eagle, and Man. God places the twelve tribes in four groups, so my thesis is that these groups corresponds to the quadrants.

First quadrant, South:

With Reuben as Taurus, would pitch camp on the South, with Simeon and Gad. Second rank: Num2:16.

Second quadrant, East:

Judah as Leo, would pitch camp on the East. With him would be the tribes of Issachar and Zebulun. First rank.

Fourth quadrant, West:

Ephraim, son of Joseph, as Aquarius, would pitch on the West, with Manasseh, son of Joseph, and Benjamin. Third rank.

Third quadrant, North:

Dan as Scorpio, would pitch on the North, with Asher and Naphtali. Fourth rank.

Center: The Levites would be located in the center (middle) of the four camps and were NOT to be numbered. Num2:17,33.

Zodiac with the tribes of Israel.

First Quadrant - South

"Reuben, thou art my firstborn, my might, and the beginning of my strength, the excellency of dignity, and the excellency of power. "

As we are around the year 2000 BCE. in the bull's age, it will be natural to start with the bull's sign.

Taurus represents fecundity of spring, the sign of Venus, where the moon, as a symbol of all nurturing substance, is elevated. He laid with his father wife and is connect with the field where he found the mandrakes.

"... Simeon and Levi are brethren; instruments of cruelty are in their habitations...I will divide them in Jacob, and scatter them in Israel."

Second Quadrant, East

"Judah, thou art he whom thy brethren shall praise: thy hand shall be in the neck of thine enemies; thy father's children shall bow down before thee. ... Judah is a lion's whelp ... The sceptre shall not depart from Judah, nor a lawgiver from between his feet, until Shiloh come; and unto him shall the gathering of the people be."

"God hath endued me with a good dowry; now will my husband dwell with me, because I have born him six sons," and "Zebulun shall dwell at the shore of the sea; a harbor for ships shall he be...."

Moses' parting words to the two tribes were:

Rejoice, Zebulun, in your excursions, and Issachar in your tents.

From  "A day in the life of a Jew":

"Our sages explain:  Zebulun and Issachar made a partnership between them. Zebulun dwelled at the seashore, and would go out in his ships to engage in trade and make a profit, and support Issachar, who sat and occupied himself with the study of Torah.

Issachar and Zebulun thus represent the other two major items on the Jew's daily schedule. After climbing the four rungs of the heart to serve G-d in prayer, the Jew moves "from the synagogue to the study hall" to bind his mind to G-d through the study of the Torah, G-d's communication of His wisdom and will to man. Following that, the Jew goes out into the world as a businessman or professional, to "know Him in all your ways" and do "all your deeds for the sake of Heaven." "

Virgo is a 'ministering principle', people who often cares about others' wellbeing and health. The word 'gift' is associated with the name and can hang with the Festival of Sukkoth in Israel, in the month of Tishri, the first month of the year after the New Year which begins in our September month. A thanksgiving for nature's gifts: The star Spica in Virgo symbolizes the wheat ear in the left hand of Virgo.
Virgo is a practical sign, connected with going out in the world in contrast to the Torah study.

7. Issachar = Cancer:

"Issachar is a strong ass couching down between two burdens: And he saw that rest was good, and the land that it was pleasant; and bowed his shoulder to bear, and became a servant unto tribute.'"

In Cancer are the stars Aselli, or little asses, connected to the flag of Issachar, what Jacob compares to an ass.
Issachar and Zebulun could be changed!

Third Quadrant - North

8. Dan = Scorpio:

"Dan shall judge his people, as one of the tribes of Israel. Dan shall be a serpent by the way, an adder in the path, that biteth the horse heels, so that his rider shall fall backward. I have waited for thy salvation, O LORD."

This description may well sound a bit harsh to our ears, but nevertheless demonstrates the fact that Scorpio-born people are able to distinguish between lies and truth. Also they are rarely deceptive. It may make others uneasy, why they choose to call scorpions for suspicious and distrustful of people. The area of sky is also characterized by constellations serpents (snake) and Ophiuchus (serpent bearer), where we find the star Unuka / hai (serpent heart or neck), which expresses 'the face of God' is said to be a strict judge, as by irradiation of the planets can ask the incarnate human spirit against the obligations to adhere to the truth.
Biting the horse heels could be the following Saggitarius.

9. Asher = Weight:

"Out of Asher his bread shall be fat, and he shall yield royal dainties."

No other possibility in this setup.

10. Naphtali = Saggitarius

" ...is a hind let loose: he giveth goodly words."

Naphtali is represented by a gazelle or running stag, which sounds like Saggitarius.

Fourth Quadrant - West

This quadrant contains sons of Rachel, and sons of Joseph. It's reasonable to expect Joseph's sons to have reached longer than Benjamin, so he must be Capricorn.

11. Ephraim = Aquarius.

Ephraim is mentioned first of the three, so he should be Aquarious.

12. Manasseh = Pisces.

As Ephraim and Benjamin are placed, Manasseh can only be Pisces.

10. Benjamin = Capricorn:

"... shall ravin as a wolf: in the morning he shall devour the prey, and at night he shall divide the spoil. "

The ruling planet is Saturn, and it was under great pains that Rachel gave birth to her son, followed by her death.
Benjamin was the first to be born in the holy land, the first in the fourth quadrant.

The above quotations are from Genesis.
The daughter Dinah was born after Zebulun and just before Joseph. A mystery in herself; it's not the only place where a single woman is connected to a group of twelve (or seven of twelve.)

References

Pictures of star signs by Rudolf Steiner.

Paul Mahler Dam in "Skriften på himlen":

Various interpretations and sources:

The 12 Tribes of Israel.

The Symbology of Twelve Signs.

The Divine Civilization of New Jerusalem.

A day in the life of a Jew. Contains many interesting interpretations around the Old Testament.

Planetary symbols

Thanks so much for sharing the lovely story of "The Snow Queen" and the deep
interpretations.  I had missed reading this story long ago. Had  I been read the
story  or read it it would have been  memorable indeed.

I also find the story of Oscar Wilde "The Nightingale and the Rose" a lovely
allegory:

http://www.online-literature.com/wilde/178/

Full of allegory and beauty.  It has also been illustrated in a graphic novel by
P. Craig Russell of Wilde's fairy tales:

 
http://www.amazon.com/Fairy-Tales-Oscar-Wilde-Vol/dp/1561633925/ref=sr_1_75?ie=U\
TF8&s=books&qid=1258439106&sr=1-75

-  Art

Oscar Wilde's version is more depressing as the Snow Queen has won.
Kim

--- In anthroposophy_tomorrow@yahoogroups.com, "Art" <arthra999@...>
wrote:
>
>
>
> Thanks so much for sharing the lovely story of "The Snow Queen" and
the deep interpretations.  I had missed reading this story long ago. Had
I been read the story  or read it it would have been  memorable indeed.
>
> I also find the story of Oscar Wilde "The Nightingale and the Rose" a
lovely allegory:
>
> http://www.online-literature.com/wilde/178/
>
> Full of allegory and beauty.  It has also been illustrated in a
graphic novel by P. Craig Russell of Wilde's fairy tales:
>
>
http://www.amazon.com/Fairy-Tales-Oscar-Wilde-Vol/dp/1561633925/ref=sr_1\
_75?ie=UTF8&s=books&qid=1258439106&sr=1-75
>
> -  Art
>

And here is a modern retelling of this poignant tale....
 
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=kfaU2Ldjg0k&feature=youtube_gdata

--- In anthroposophy_tomorrow@yahoogroups.com, "Art" wrote:
>
>
> Thanks so much for sharing the lovely story of "The Snow Queen" and the deep
interpretations.  I had missed reading this story long ago. Had  I been read the
story  or read it it would have been  memorable indeed.
>
> I also find the story of Oscar Wilde "The Nightingale and the Rose" a lovely
allegory:
>
> http://www.online-literature.com/wilde/178/
>
> Full of allegory and beauty.  It has also been illustrated in a graphic novel
by P. Craig Russell of Wilde's fairy tales:
>
> 
http://www.amazon.com/Fairy-Tales-Oscar-Wilde-Vol/dp/1561633925/ref=sr_1_75?ie=U\
TF8&s=books&qid=1258439106&sr=1-75
>
> -  Art
>

Often Western individuals follow the old paths of the East. Then, some move to
more Western practices. For example, Scaligero practiced raja yoga for many
years, until he found that Steiner's meditation allowed him to achieve those
results he was seeking, but could not attain through yoga or other methods.

Scaligero recognized the meaning of the development of rational thinking and
Western science in relationship with inner practice. Yoga practice belonged to
an individual that did not yet experience the concept as pure synthesis, but as
a transcendent superindividual element. Yoga is not necessary anymore because
human consciousness has changed.
Aurobindo is an example of Eastern teachers who begin to see the connection with
modern rationality.

What about the East? Human consciousness has evolved to the current level of
abstractness, basically worldwide. Several decades ago was already rare to find,
in remote parts of the world, individuals whose consciousness had their
foundation not in their head, but mainly in their heart.
Today, abstractness is the ordinary level of consciousness of any population in
the world.
In this sense I wonder if we can even really distinguish a Western from an
Eastern individual, today.

An example cited by Scaligero was represented by the school of Kyoto and Nishida
Kitaro.
For Kitaro we need to move beyond speculation to experience thinking, not
through old methods of contemplation, but within thinking as pure experience or
junsui keiken.

Where is the discrimination? Yoga represents a set of teachings that was adapted
through millennia to overcome the impediments to the spiritual imposed by the
Kali Yuga. It was designed to fit the possibilities of a different level of
consciousness still able to experience breathing as something more than just a
mechanical process. Today's consciousness is completely abstract and those paths
are not suitable anymore. Do some individuals still need to practice yoga? It
seems so, but at a certain point they may realize that the barrier is within
thinking, and that thinking cannot be skipped. Scaligero understood this.

Federico

NOTICE:
COPYING OR POSTING OTHER THAN ON THE ANTHROPOSOPHY_TOMORROW LIST IS AN
INFRINGEMENT OF COPYRIGHT.

Recently, waldorf critics cited Giovanni Colazza with reference to a lecture
held by Dr. Colazza at the Theosophical group 'Roma', in April 1910, entitled
"Breathing and Occultism." Colazza suggested that oriental forms of meditation
were not suitable for Western bodies, because of the different social
environment and inner constitution.
"The intent of exclusively applying Indian methods in our time and to our race,
means to disregard the evolution that has considerably modified the possibility
of our organism, and the new spiritual currents that are being introduced in the
world."

Massimo Scaligero, in his "Yoga Meditation Magic," wrote: "One is a Western
person because has proceeded beyond the East, through a Spiritual activity about
which we are not yet spiritually conscious . The absence of such consciousness
is the evil of the Western soul, which, in fact, does not need the Oriental
metaphysics, but its own. The real problem of our civilization is that it
attains its own metaphysics, not that it exhumes the metaphysics from those
traditions that it already had the force to leave behind itself. One day it will
realize that by having left those traditions behind it operated through the
highest power of the Spirit. On the condition of becoming conscious of that. . .
. The most recent psychosomatic structure of Man, in fact, shows a change that
can be recognized as a transition from a sentient-rational consciousness to the
determinacy of the "consciousness soul," which characteristic is the
self-limitation to the position of what is real as the absolute sensorial
objectivity."

It would be unreasonable today to deny the millenary experience of the West,
from Greek philosophy, to the beginning of the scientific method, to modern
rationality, only to revert to past stages of consciousness that have been
overcome. Logically, Steiner was teaching that modern Western individuals should
not practice oriental disciplines. For many, however, the beginning of the
practice begins with those past methods, from which they eventually move on to
more contemporary paths.
It would be quite unreasonable to expect that the greatest teacher of the West
suggested to his disciples to follow the old paths of the East. The West has
gone beyond the East because the East paved the way to the birth of the concept
in Greece. Without the work of the original Yoga, brought to India by the
population that originally came from Europe, the West would have not have
discovered the concept.

Federico

NOTICE:
COPYING OR POSTING OTHER THAN ON THE ANTHROPOSOPHY_ TOMORROW LIST IS AN
INFRINGEMENT OF COPYRIGHT.

Been a while since I poked fun at our old adversaries over at the WC. I always
wanted to make a recording of demonic laughter to freak them out, or just give
them something to make fun of. Well, when I saw this on my FB page, it was
perfect, if long overdue. The demons from the WE basements are laughing in the
background, and the clowns, oh boy the clowns, from both camps! And I think the
background music should be the anthem for the old out dated AT basement...


http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=tZ3QcN3puHs

Best

Mike

--- In anthroposophy_tomorrow@yahoogroups.com, dottie zold wrote:

> I was thinking that Steiner's exercises and concepts
> actually prepare us for the suffering required to
> overcome the Fall and our spirit bodies involved in this.

Hi, Dottie. I always appreciate your contributions.
Thank you, once again. I am going to be in your
neighborhood here in a couple of weeks. Please
contact me if you would like to meet! I would love
to talk to you face to face, if we can work that out.

Love,
Jenny

--- In anthroposophy_tomorrow@yahoogroups.com, "Mike" wrote:

> ... I think the background music should be the
> anthem for the old out dated AT basement...

Perfect.  : )

> http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=tZ3QcN3puHs
>
> Best
>
> Mike

--- In anthroposophy_tomorrow@yahoogroups.com, "write3chairs" <write3chairs@...>
wrote:
>
> --- In anthroposophy_tomorrow@yahoogroups.com, dottie zold wrote:
>
> > I was thinking that Steiner's exercises and concepts
> > actually prepare us for the suffering required to
> > overcome the Fall and our spirit bodies involved in this.
>
> Hi, Dottie. I always appreciate your contributions.
> Thank you, once again. I am going to be in your
> neighborhood here in a couple of weeks. Please
> contact me if you would like to meet! I would love
> to talk to you face to face, if we can work that out.
>
> Love,
> Jenny
>
Gosh, Jenny, I see that this has gone too far. I must now admit that Dottie is
my troll. I'd love to meet you though. When can you come to Argentina?
Love,
Frank

--- In anthroposophy_tomorrow@yahoogroups.com, "Frank" wrote:

> Gosh, Jenny, I see that this has gone too far.
> I must now admit that Dottie is my troll.
> I'd love to meet you though. When can you come to Argentina?
> Love,
> Frank

Well, I have a confession to make, too.
I have been stalking the frequent posters
on this group, trying to get them to meet me.
But alas, no success yet. There is still hope,
however, and I think his name is Frank....

Don't cry for me, Argentina. I will make it
there one day. How disappointing to learn
that Dottie is only a troll, though.
Guess I will have to cancel my trip.

Sadly yet with a thin strand of hope,
Jenny

"not only are doctors coming the understanding that the heart is not a pump"

Hi, really interested about where this information comes from?

Thanks,

Pete.

--- In anthroposophy_tomorrow@yahoogroups.com, "elfuncle" <coolvibes@...> wrote:
>
> Careful there, Dottie -- if Dan & Di & other holefolks are forced to admit
anything like this, through double blind heart tests or whatever -- they'll
argue that this is the case among anthroposophists only, because
anthroposophists, eurythmists, mantra chanters, Akasha travellers, child
hypnotizers, abusers, predators, Steinerites, Blavatskyites and Waldorf staff
are all hairy primates disguised as humans through special costumes designed in
the Goetheanum Basement. The Good doctor and his cohorts were wearing such
costumes themselves, and all anthros are alien beasts; their blood is probably
Vulcan green, and their hearts are located elsewhere in their bodies.... just
like Spock.
>
> Tarjei
>
> --- In anthroposophy_tomorrow@yahoogroups.com, dottie zold <dottie_z@> wrote:
> >
> >
> >
> >
> > So whadaya think about this? Now, not only are doctors coming the
understanding that the heart is not a pump, so too do we now have evidence,
(again) of humans being a separate line from the animals and that man did not
originate from apes. d
> >  
> > Fossils radically alter ideas about the look of man's earliest ancestors
> >
> >
> > Analysis of a near-complete skeleton of a human ancestor found in Ethiopia
changes scientists' thinking about the appearance and behavior of our distant
forebears.
> >
> >
> >
> >
> >
> >
> >
> > This image released today by "Science" shows the probable life appearance in
anterior view of Ardipithecus ramidus ("Ardi").
> >
> >  
> >
> > A treasure trove of 4.4-million-year-old fossils from the Ethiopian desert
is dramatically overturning widely held ideas about the early evolution of
humans and how they came to walk upright, even as it paints a remarkably
detailed picture of early life in Africa, researchers reported Thursday.
> >
> > The centerpiece of the diverse collection of primate, animal and plant
fossils is the near-complete skeleton of a human ancestor that demonstrates our
earliest forebears looked nothing like a chimpanzee or other large primate, as
is now commonly believed. Instead, the findings suggest that the last common
ancestor of humans and primates, which existed nearly 2 million years earlier,
was a primitive creature that shared few traits with modern-day members of
either group.
> >
> > The findings, analyzed in a large group of studies published Thursday in the
journal Science, also indicate that our ancestors began walking upright in
woodlands, not on grassy savannas as prior generations of researchers had
speculated.
> >
> > The discovery of the specimen called Ardipithecus ramidus "is one of the
most important discoveries for the study of human evolution," said
paleoanthropologist David Pilbeam of Harvard University, who was not involved in
the research. "The find itself is extraordinary, as were the enormous labors
that went into the reconstruction of a skeleton shattered almost beyond repair,"
he said in an e-mailed statement.
> >
> > "It is so rare to get a more or less complete skeleton," said
paleoanthropologist Andrew Hill of Yale University. "In the entire course of
human evolution, at least until you get to Neanderthals, there are only three to
four available. We can always tell so much more from a skeleton" than from the
jawbones and skulls that are more commonly found.
> >
> > The fossils described in the new studies were found 15 years ago in the Afar
Triangle of Ethiopia by a team led by paleoanthropologist Tim White of UC
Berkeley. But White and his team have been relatively closemouthed about the
fossils, and other researchers -- some of whom have accused him of hoarding the
fossils for his own use -- have been eagerly awaiting more information.
> >
> > Today, they are getting a surfeit: Eleven papers by 47 authors, and a
similar number of short summaries prepared by each paper's authors.
> >
> > The fossils were found in a layer of sediment sandwiched between two layers
of volcanic ash, each dating from 4.4 million years ago -- indicating that the
fossils are also of that age.
> >
> > In addition to the nearly complete fossil specimen of the female primate,
which investigators have dubbed Ardi, the team found more than 100 fossils from
36 other members of the same species.
> >
> > "These fossils are much more important than Lucy," the 3.2-million-year-old
specimen of Australopithecus afarensis that was found in the Afar desert in the
1970s, said paleoanthropologist Alan Walker of Pennsylvania State University,
who was not involved in the research. "The reason is that when Lucy was found,
we already knew the major features of Australopithecus from fossils found in the
1940s. . . . These fossils are of a completely unknown creature, and are much
stranger and more primitive than Australopithecus."
> >
> > The White team also found fossils of 29 species of birds, primarily small
ones like doves, lovebirds, mousebirds, passerines and swifts, as well as
several that were previously unknown. Animal fossils included 20 new species of
small mammals, including shrews, bats, rodents, hares and small carnivores, as
well as larger animals, including baboons, colobus monkeys and spiral-horned
antelopes.
> >
> > Fossilized wood, seed and other plant remains indicate the presence of
hackberry, fig and palm trees. Collectively, these finds indicate that the
environment was more humid and cooler than it is today, and contained grassy
woodland with forest patches.
> >
> > Today, the Afar is a desert. But go back in a time machine and "4.4 million
years ago, this was really a different world," White said. "We look up in the
trees and we see that they are full of monkeys. We look around on the ground and
we see that there are a lot of kudus. And we see an occasional hyena. And we see
elephants and we see lots of small mammals."
> >
> > This whole collection of data "gives us information we have never had before
about human evolution," said paleoanthropologist C. Owen Lovejoy of Kent State
University, one of the primary authors of the papers. "The whole savanna theory
goes out the window in terms of it being the explanation for upright walking. .
. . And the idea that we evolved from something like a chimpanzee also goes out
the window."
> >
> > Ardi stood about 47 inches tall and probably weighed 110 pounds. Many
researchers previously believed that such an early ancestor would, like modern
chimps, be a knuckle-walker, using the knuckles for support while moving on all
fours. Instead, Ardi appears to have climbed on all fours on branches, but
walked upright on the ground. Her feet, like those of monkeys but not chimps,
were designed more for propulsion than for grasping.
> >
> > Her face had a projecting muzzle, giving her an ape-like appearance, but
many features of her skull, such as the ridge above the eye socket, are quite
different than those of chimpanzees. Her brain is about the same size as Lucy's.
> >
> > Her hands lacked many of the specializations that allow modern-day African
apes to swing, hang and easily move through trees. Those specializations
apparently evolved in large primates after they separated from the last common
ancestor with humans more than 6 million years ago. (Few fossils of such
primates are available because they lived primarily in forests, which are not
conducive to preservation of bone.)
> >
> > The finds "are turning evolution on its head," Lovejoy said.
> >
> > The most controversial aspects of the papers involve the authors' --
particularly Lovejoy's -- interpretations of what the fossils say about
behavior. Of particular importance, he said, is that the sizes of males and
females were about the same, and that the specimens do not have large, sharp
canine teeth. Both findings suggest that the fierce, often violent competition
among males for females in heat that characterizes gorillas and chimpanzees was
absent in Ardipithecus.
> >
> > That implies, Lovejoy concluded, that the males were beginning to enter into
monogamous relationships with females and devoted more time to caring for their
young than did earlier ancestors.
> >
> > "This is a restatement of Owen Lovejoy's ideas going back almost three
decades, which I found unpersuasive then and still do," Pilbeam said.
> >
> > Hill was more blunt, calling Lovejoy's speculation "patent nonsense."
> >
> > thomas.maugh@
> >
> >
> > "If there is something more powerful than destiny, this must be the human
being who bears destiny unshaken." Rudolf Steiner
> >
>

168. At the beginning of the Consciousness Soul age a dampening of the human feeling of connection with the outer-earthly cosmos took place. In contrast thereto, the feeling of connection to the earth by experiencing sense impressions was so strong, especially among scientifically inclined people, that a benumbing resulted.

169. Within this benumbing, the Ahrimanic powers work so dangerously that man lives in the illusion that this strong benumbing experience is the correct one and constitutes real evolutionary progress.

170. Man must find the strength to enlighten his world of ideas and experience them as such, also when they are not supported by the benumbed sense-world. In this experience of the independently enlightened world of ideas the feeling of connection to the outer-earthly cosmos will awaken. The basis for Michael festivals will then arise.

The Macrocosmic Nature of Man

At first the cosmos reveals itself to man from the earthly and the outer-earthly side, the world of the stars [heavenly bodies – trans.].

Man feels himself related to the earth and its forces. Life teaches him very clearly about this relationship.

In contemporary times, however, he doesn't feel related to the stars in the same way. But this is the case only as long as he is not conscious of his etheric body. Grasping the etheric body in imaginations develops a feeling of belonging to the world of stars, just as one has such a feeling about the earth through consciousness of the physical body.

The forces that place the etheric body in the world come from the periphery of the universe, while those for the physical body stream from the center of the earth.

But together with the etheric forces which stream into the earth from the periphery of the cosmos, come the cosmic impulses which act in the astral bodies of men.

The ether is like a sea in which the astral forces swim, approaching the earth from all the diverse cosmic directions.

In the present cosmic age, only the mineral and vegetable kingdoms are able to have a direct connection to the astral forces which stream to the earth on the waves of the ether. Not, however, the animal kingdom or humanity.

Spiritual vision shows that in the case of the animal kingdom it is not the present astral forces which stream into the embryonic stage, but those which did so during the Ancient Moon period.

With the vegetable kingdom one sees how the wonderfully manifold forms are structured when the astral severs itself from the ether and acts on the plant world.

With respect to the animal kingdom, one sees how the astrality that was active during the Ancient Moon period and was derived from the spiritual, has been preserved and as such remains in the spirit-world and does not enter the etheric world.

The effectiveness of this astrality is mediated by the moon forces, which have also remained at the previous stage of the earth's evolution.

In the animal kingdom we therefore have the result of impulses which manifested themselves in an natural way in the earth's previous stage, whereas in the present cosmic age they have withdrawn to the spirit-world, which actively streams through the earth.

Spiritual vision observes that within the animal kingdom, in the penetration of the physical and etheric bodies by the astral body at present, only the astral forces preserved from the past are meaningful. Once the animal has its astral body however, then the sun-impulses enter actively into it. The sun forces cannot give the animal astrality; once in the animal, however, they must needs be active in its growth, nutrition and so forth.

For humanity it is different. It also receives at first its astrality from the preserved Moon forces. But the sun forces contain astral impulses which remain ineffective for the animal kingdom, but continue to affect human astrality in the same way as when the Moon forces first imbued humanity with astrality.

In the animal astral body one sees the moon world; in the human astral body one sees the harmonious concordance of the sun and moon worlds.

It is due to this sun effect in the human astral body that man is able to absorb what streams spiritually from the earth for the development of his self-consciousness. Astrality streams forth from the periphery of the universe. It acts either as what presently streams forth, or what streamed forth in the past and is preserved. However, everything which relates to the formation of the I as the vehicle of self-consciousness must stream out from the center of a star. Astrality acts from the periphery, what is relevant to the I acts from a center. The earth as a heavenly body gives impulse to the human I from its center. Forces stream from the center of every star [heavenly body] from which the I of some being is formed.

This indicates the polarity between a star's [heavenly body's] center and the cosmic periphery.

One sees from this description how the animal kingdom still exists today as a result of earlier earthly evolutionary forces, how it uses up the preserved astral forces, how it must, however, disappear once these forces are used up. On the other hand, with man new astral forces are created from the sun, which enables him to continue his evolution into the future.

Without being conscious of man's relationship to the stars as well as to the earth, it is not possible to understand the essence of humanity. And what man receives from the earth for his self-consciousness also derives from the spirit-world which acts within the earth. That the sun gives to man what his astrality needs derives from the activity which took place during the ancient Sun period. The earth received there the capacity to develop humanity's I-impulses. It is the spiritual from that period which the earth preserved of the Sun forces, and which is preserved from dying out now through the present activity of the sun.

The earth was once itself Sun. It was spiritualized. In the present cosmic age the sun acts from without. This continuously rejuvenates the aging spiritual forces from ancient times. For what continues to act without absorbing the forces of the present succumbs to the Luciferic.

One can say that the man's feeling for his connection to the outer-earthly cosmos is so muted in this cosmic epoch that he doesn't notice it within his consciousness. And it is not merely muted, it is drowned out by feeling connected to the earth. Because man must find his self-consciousness in the earth, he grew so attached to it at the beginning of the Consciousness Soul age that it acts much more strongly on him than is appropriate for the correct course of his soul life. He is to a certain extent benumbed by the impressions of the world of the senses. Because of this numbness he does not actualize the free thinking of which he is capable.

The whole epoch from the middle of the nineteenth century on was such a benumbing through sense impressions. The great illusion of this age is that man took the overly strong life of the senses to be the correct one – the life of the senses which strove to extinguish the life in the outer-earthly cosmos.

The Ahrimanic powers were able to unfold their being within this benumbing. Lucifer was held back more by the sun forces than was Ahriman, who was able to call forth, especially in scientifically inclined people, the dangerous feeling that ideas are only applicable to sense impressions. Therefore anthroposophy can find little understanding in those circles. One stands before the results of spiritual knowledge and tries to understand them with ideas. But these ideas do not grasp the spiritual, because they are benumbed by Ahrimanic knowledge through the senses. And thus one fears that he will succumb to blind belief in authority if he is open to the results of the spiritual seer's research.

The outer-earthly cosmos became ever darker for human consciousness during the second half of the nineteenth century.

If man is again able to vivify the ideas within him, even when they are not supported by the world of the senses, then light will stream back to his gaze from the outer-earthly cosmos. But this means recognizing Michael in his kingdom.

Once the Michael festival in autumn becomes true and internal, then those who participate in the festival will experience the following as a leitmotiv which will live in their consciousness: Idea filled, the soul experiences spirit-light when the sense revelations only echo in man as remembrances.

If man can experience this, then, after the festival, he will be able to submerge again in the right way into the sense world. And Ahriman will not be able to harm him.

Goetheanum, January 1925

Trans. FTS