Fourth Holy Night applied to April

December 27-28 – Aries

Consciously purify the astral body (soul). The antipathies and sympathies are transformed into love, complete love, always through love. Love silences the passions and desires. The strength of Christ enlightens and fortifies us in our battles with Lucifer and Ahriman for our metamorphosis.

Mystery: Personal work is to be placed in the service of all for the good of all. The archangel Uriel places us before a mirror in which we see ourselves as we are.
R. Steiner Fourth Contemplation: Kristina Kaine

Do we really know what love is? Most of the time we love because it suits us, and we hate because it suits us. This love is biased and rooted in the karma arising out of our past-life experiences. True love can only be experienced when we love another person regardless.

Strange as it is, love can often arise out of hatred. When we strongly disagree with something or someone, we join forces with those who share our disagreement. We feel united with them in our ‘cause’as we oppose the ideas and actions of the other person. It is easy to think that we are right, that we are united in love for those in the group who agree withour cause, but, in actual fact, we are motivated by a lack of love.

To experience true love we begin by thinking love rather than feeling it. Feeling-love arises in our astral body, thinking-love is a spiritual act arising out of mental picturing. It is through the strength of our mental picturing that we can truly love Christ and in this same way love each other.

When we are able to love another person in this pure way, with no ulterior motive, they are transformed and become more loving in their own lives. This is the secret behind the New Commandment in the Gospel of St John. “A new commandment I give to you, that you love one another; even as I have loved you, that you also love one another.” John 13:34

One of the reasons we find it so hard to love others purely is because pure love is so intense that we can be fearful of it. This is why it is so important for us to learn to love Christ through the process of mental picturing. He then gives us the strength and courage to love ourselves as we are, and to love others as they are.

Image: Uriel, right, in the Virgin of the Rocks (Louvre version) by Leonardo da Vinci, 1483–86.

Introduction to Holy Nights: The 12 Holy Nights sow a seed for our progress through the year ahead. Our sole purpose on this earth is to become aware our I Am, our True Self. By applying each of the 12 Holy Nights to each of the 12 months through the year we come closer to knowing ourselves more completely. In its highest expression our I Am becomes one with Christ who accompanies us each step of the way.

“The true name of Christ is “I Am”; who does not know or does not understand this and calls Him by another name does not know anything about Him. “I Am” is His only name.” Rudolf Steiner 27 May 1909