Holy Night 1

December 24-25 – Capricorn

Christmas Eve, when Christ is born in the soul, the soul asks: can I listen with all my weaknesses, deficiencies and passions?

Symbol: The stable of Bethlehem, in which in lowliness and poverty is born the Light of the World. The Voice of the Silence penetrates to the soul and teaches to affirm joyfully the good in us and others.

Capricorn. The Divine Spirit is born in Matter. Spirit and Matter, the Alpha and Omega touches and creates life.

Mystery: The seeking soul in the darkness of a trackless forest.

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

Google translation from German adjusted by Laura Zanutto and Kristina Kaine 2015

1. Heilige Nacht in Bezug auf Januar

24./25. Dezember – Steinbock

Der Heilige Abend, an dem Christus der Seele geboren wird. Und die Seele fragt: kann ich mit all meinen Schwächen und Mängeln und Leidenschaften erhört werden? Symbol: Der Stall von Bethlehem, in dessen Niedrigkeit und Armut wurde das Licht der Welt hineingeboren. Die Stimme der Stille dringt zur Seele und lehrt sie, das Gute in uns und den Anderen freudig zu bejahen. Steinbock. Göttlicher Geist wird im Stoff geboren. Geist und Stoff, das A und O berühren sich und es entsteht Leben.

Mysterium: die suchende Seele im Dunkel eines weglosen Waldes.

First Contemplation: by Kristina Kaine

How is it possible to listen to the Voice of Silence? We live in such a noisy world it is hard to imagine such a thing. Unless we work out how to listen to the Silent Voice we cannot give birth to the Anointed One in our soul.

This birth process is a walk in the trackless forest, and if we become aware of the steps we can take we will hear this Voice clearly. We must start with silence. The kind of silence that accompanies the soul entering into life on earth. The Jesus who was born on this night is described by St Luke, not St Matthew. This soul had never incarnated before and the silence that accompanied his birth was a cosmic silence. It was as if the whole universe, and all the spiritual beings within it, held their breath.

This is an all powerful moment which when tasted must be laid aside. It is in the giving up of our will and becoming powerless that we can rest in the feeling of this event. It was an event that had never taken place before in the evolution of mankind. To get some idea of this feeling, think of the first time you looked upon a newborn child who has just left its mother’s womb. Its perfect body, shining like a star fills us with wonder. In this moment, we don’t think, we don’t express our will, we just feel with awe.

Then, if we can set aside this overwhelming feeling, we know, we hear the Voice. The Voice of Silence is the Word, the Logos. This is the knowing that comes from nowhere, it speaks when “the Alpha and Omega touches and creates life.” What do we know? We know that this child has waited eons for this moment to join us on the earth and in this way gives us the gift of gifts. What will we do with this gift? Will we leave it wrapped within the depth of our being or will we begin to unwrap it and stand in this universe as I Am beings to honour the mighty birth of the Luke Jesus at the turning point of time?

Inspired by these words from The Esoteric Class 12 January, 1906 “Learn to be silent and you’ll get power; give up power and you’ll get will; give up will and you’ll get feeling; give up feeling and you’ll get knowledge. An esoteric must place these occult propositions before his soul in all work and action.” Rudolf Steiner

Image: Nativity, North transept, Lower Church, San Francesco, Assisi by Giotto