Holy Night 6 – 2018

December 29-30 – Gemini

Now follow the three nights of the sword.

Peter’s night. Night of the consecration of the sword. Each of us must forge his or her own sword of discernment. Each of us must unite our spiritual will with the eternal, the immortal, and the perishable, and in this way we shall recognize the truth.

Mystery: Bring together the Son of God with the Son of Man – Unity.
Rudolf Steiner’s indications for the Holy Nights given to Herbert Hahn

Translation from German by Laura Zanutto 2015 adjusted by Mark Willan 2016

6. Heilige Nacht

29./30.  –  Zwillinge

Die drei Nächte des Schwertes.

Petrus-Nacht. Nacht der Schwertweihe. Jeder muss sich das Schwert der Unterscheidung selbst schmieden. Jeder muss mit gesteigerter Willenskraft die beiden Stücke, das Todlose, Ewige und das Vergängliche zusammenschmieden, um die Wahrheit kennen zu lernen.

Mysterium: Gottessohn mit Menschensohn verschmelzen. Einssein!

Sixth Contemplation: Kristina Kaine

Forging the sword of discernment is a critical ability needed for these times in which we live. How can we know right from wrong, truth from lies? Who do we believe? Can we trust in our own ability to discern?

We can be comforted to know that the determination to discern is as important as the ability to discern. So often we feel so defeated by tasks which seem impossible that we don’t even attempt them. That is the ‘perishable’ approach. All that is perishable belongs to the earth, and while we live on the earth the weight of it tires us and can prevent us from seeing the eternal picture.

What is called for now is to live our lives with an understanding of the eternal which holds within itself the truth that we return to this earth again and again. While each earthly life is perishable, and critically important in the scheme of things, it is only a part of our universal life. If we can apply this idea in our daily life, we hold the sword which will strengthen us and show that we have connected with our Higher Self. In this way we create the Son of Man within us.

In the series “Who is Jesus: What is Christ?” in Volume 1, I wrote about the sword in this way. “This I Am [Higher Self] is like a sword waiting to be placed in the sheath that we are preparing within us. This preparation is a forging process in our being; it has to be the right fit, not too small, not too large. This forging process happens when we become very aware of the way we feel, think and act. It is when we refine these soul activities that our I Am has sufficient contact with them to turn them into their higher spiritual expression of Imagination, Inspiration and Intuition. This is a very mobile process and in one moment we can be working through our soul and in the next through our spirit. It is this movement that we must become consciously aware of if we are to provide the perfect fitting sheath for our I Am.”

As we do this work we can ask how we unite the eternal with the perishable so that we can recognize truth. One way is to be determined to apply the idea of reincarnation in the small and large moments of our life. To recognize when another life is working into this one. This can occur whenever we have a reaction to someone or something. This reaction is like a strike from the sword. Anyone who has used a sword knows that when they strike they are no longer protecting themselves. If they hold the sword in a balanced way they can fend off the things that attack them. The same is true of any attack we experience in our life. To be aware of a reaction as a signal rather than an attack will assist us to respond in a measured way.

When the sword strikes into our lives this is our opportunity to respond in a balanced way. The more we can do this, the more each perishable life unifies with eternity.

Guardians of the Nativity by Brian Jekel