Holy Night 10

January 2-3 – Libra

The night in which the greatest sacrifice grows from service: learning to listen to the inner voice and the signs of divinity, and to hear them obediently.

Mystery: the voice calling in us through our various incarnations. Its clarity grows through sacrifice and decision.

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

Translation from German by Laura Zanutto 2015 and Mark Willan 2016

10. Heilige Nacht

2./3. Januar – Waage

Die Nacht, in der aus dem Dienen das größte Opfer erwächst, Gehorsam-Horchen-Hören lernen, auf die innere Stimme und das Zeichen des Göttlichen.

Mysterium: Der Rufer in uns durch die verschiedenen Inkarnationen hindurch: Seine Klarheit nimmt zu durch Opfer und Entscheidung.  Rudolf Steiner

Tenth Contemplation: Kristina Kaine

When we hear “the voice calling in us through our various incarnations” who is it that we actually hear? Is it God, is it Christ? Is it angels or other spiritual beings? This question should resonate within us, right into the depth of our being where the answer is kept as treasure for us to discover, but only when we find the key.

The key is also within us yearning for us to find it. The clues for the search lie in the processes of sacrifice and decision. We explored the nature of sacrifice during Holy Night 8; the decision, the offering, the rejection, the retention, the longing, the seeking and the satisfaction. A process which we participate in repeatedly, it is a cycle of life which we follow obediently, unconsciously at first, becoming ever conscious of it as we progress along the path.

And the voice? Whose is it? It is ourselves of course! It is our highest self, our True Self, our I Am. It yearns for us to hear it, to be more aware of it. How does it know we are becoming aware of it? When we make the greatest sacrifice. What would be the greatest sacrifice we could make? Take a moment to think about it before reading on.

… … … …

The greatest sacrifice any person can make is to help another person bear their karma. We say with all sincerity, “Let me be of service to you and help you bear your burden.” When we are able to say this to another person we are part of a new community. The members of this community are those who engage with their I Am which is what gives them the ability to be of service in this way.

Yet what often happens in communities is the exacerbation of each other’s karma and the wallowing in our own karma. Or someone sees themselves as a leader of the group (which is no longer appropriate in new communities anyway, and of itself has karmic consequences), making judgments and creating rules which undermine the personal decision to share the karma. St Paul knew about this when he said;

Bear one another’s burdens, and so fulfil the law of Christ. Galatians 6:2

The sharing of karma does not remove the karma, because the purpose of karma is to give each one of us the opportunity to become consciously aware of our I Am. Interfering with someone’s karma would deprive them of being able to consciously connect with their own I Am. The karma of every individual is associated with their I Am.

These ideas about the purpose of assisting others to bear the burden of their karma come from the eleventh lecture given by Rudolf Steiner on The Gospel of St Matthew where he says:

“The founding of future humanity is on the basis of their ego-nature [their I Am nature].”

If we are committed to this future we will, with Christ Jesus, have the power to say to each other:

Come to me, all who labor and are heavy laden, and I will give you rest. Take my yoke upon you, and learn from me; for I am gentle and lowly in heart, and you will find rest for your souls. For my yoke is easy, and my burden is light.” Matthew 11:28-30

Image: The Crucifixion by Raphael