Holy Night 8 : 31 Dec – Jan 1 Leo

The cross on the pommel (the counterweight at the end of the hilt): Sacrifice. The tongue, girded with the sword of Christ Power, speaks the truth without being able to hurt. It is the night of the Ent-setting.*

Mystery: The knight, the fighter with the lance of the will and the sword of knowledge. The dog as a symbol of obedience, by his side. Behind him, death and the devil! On certain level of knowledge, each false step leads rapidly to destruction, the victory will be achieved through the fulfillment and the unremitting faithfulness to the duties of the lion.

Rudolf Steiner’s indications for the Holy Nights given to Herbert Hahn

* Ent-setzens: Ent-setting means horror, terror, but “Ent-setzen” does not exist, so, it could be a play on words “move away from fear and horror”

This is a new translation using Google to translate from the original German and adjusted by Laura Zanutto and slightly tweaked by Kristina Kaine 2015

Eighth Contemplation: Kristina Kaine

Spiritual development has consequences. As we develop our ability to see truth, the first thing we see is the truth about our own nature, especially our lower nature. Are we strong enough to deal with this? Can we counterbalance our higher and lower nature? It is for this reason that we need a relationship with Christ. He will help us see the flaws of our lower nature and deal with the horror we feel. We must always remember that our life is not just about facing difficulties; the difficulties are there so that we have something to overcome and in this way hone our will.

When the Christ Power speaks we are reminded that it is the Logos, the Creative Word, resounding through the universe from the beginning of creation. Of course we won’t measure up to the perfection of the Creative Word, nor will we be hurt by it. Knowing about these experiences prepares us, and strengthens us, and helps us realise that without the lower self we would never be in a position to personally experience ourselves as eternal beings.

This is a tricky time in our development. Even if we are unsure of the Christ Being – which is understandable because he has been so misunderstood and misrepresented – we can decide to develop some confidence in his purity and power. Simply through our openness and willingness to meet Christ we leave death and the anti-forces behind. Leaving them behind doesn’t mean they disappear, we simply see them for that they are, stages on our journey.

While these ideas may seem daunting, we can be sure that we each have deep levels of courage (lion) to face any danger. We also have companions on our journey who lovingly support our efforts.