Holy Night 8

December 31 – January 1 – Leo

The cross on the sword pommel: the sacrifice. Girded with the sword of the power of Christ, the tongue speaks the truth, without being able to wound. It is the night of re-setting.

Mystery: The knight, the fighter with the lance of the will and the sword of knowledge. The dog as symbol of obedience, at his side. Behind him death and the devil! At a certain level of knowledge any false step leads to quicker ruin, and victory is won through fulfilling and being tirelessly true to Leo’s tasks.

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

Translation from German by Laura Zanutto in 2015 and Mark Willan in 2016

Heilige Nacht

31./1. – Löwe

Das Kreuz am Schwertknauf: Das Opfer. Umgürtet mit dem Schwert der Christuskraft spricht die Zunge die Wahrheit, ohne verletzen zu können. Es ist die Nacht des Ent-setzens.

Mysterium: Der Ritter, der Streiter mit der Lanze des Willens und dem Schwert der Erkenntnis. Der Hund als Symbol des Gehorsams, ihm zur Seite. Hinter ihm Tod und Teufel! Auf bestimmter Erkenntnisstufe führt jeder falsche Schritt schneller ins Verderben, der Sieg wird errungen durch das Erfülltsein und der unermüdlichen Treue gegenüber den Aufgaben des Löwen.

Eighth Contemplation by Kristina Kaine

This is the third night of the sword. The imagery in these words point to the crucifixion. It was the spear that allowed the blood of Jesus to pour out into the earth and complete the task for which he came. His task was to make this earth the body of Christ restoring its dwindling life-force. Without this earth, human beings cannot develop their full potential.

We can only achieve our full potential through the purest will. Our task to become aware of our will so that we use it responsibly. Each time we misuse our will we are working with death and the devil and we create new karma. At a certain level, the misuse of our will must be taken care of by the Lord of Karma, who is Christ, to prevent Cosmic consequences.

This night, at the turning point between two years, is a time for weighing up the past and stepping into the future with purpose. It is a time to have the courage to say that we do not know the truth, that we only have glimpses of it. It is a time to assess the level of respect that we have for the Christ deed. It is also a time to commit ourselves to becoming more aware of how we use our will. Even at the simplest level in our opinions and judgments of others. We cannot know people’s karma and therefore we cannot know why they have their particular character and personality. At this level of the will, we can at least give people the space to be themselves, and then we will hold the sword of power that cannot hurt.

Art: The Crucifixion by Giuliano di Simone

The Holy Night Reflections written between 2011 – 2016 are available on Amazon https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B01M730YAV/

The Holy Night Reflections written between 2016 – 2021 are now available on Amazon https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B08SBMRY7L/