Holy Night 10: January 4-5, 2021

“On the twelfth night place the crown at the foot of the Divine. Because although we have won the crown, the struggle has been gained with help and grace; for grace comes from that source or fount in man that human power cannot reach. Now we manage to make a beginning and an end of time without space, and space out of time. Everything is eternal and holy now. We must use the forces of perseverance if we are to achieve the goals or aims of the hunter [the Archer], if we are to receive the good of the spiritual realm.

What we have known and received in the Twelve Holy Nights, we should take into life and thus spiritualize matter and soul. The Twelve Holy Nights are important to the life and fate of the entire year. They may plant a seed of good will.

It is especially important as we embark on New Year’s Eve [Feast Day of St. Silvester*]. On this night, we released the spirit of the people; for now, what we think will be taken by the higher hierarchies and carried as the force of accomplishment.” ~ From indications given by Rudolf Steiner to Herbert Hahn

*St. Sylvester I (died Dec. 31st, 335 A.D.)

Twelfth Contemplation:

“Now we take our final Holy Night step. These 12 steps, which we have taken each day, can become the theme for each month of the year ahead until we reach the renewal of our being at the following Christmas.

We have contemplated our inner being, and hopefully have become more conscious of all the different activities that take place moment by moment within us. We have become more aware of the way our feelings rise up and can sweep us away if we do not intervene. Some of our thoughts that flit through our mind might have shocked us; they were always there, we just didn’t notice them. Our impulses to act may also have become more conscious, giving us the opportunity to assess our motives. At the very least, if we have become more aware of these three soul activities then we have experienced the highest in our being, our I Am.

Our I Am gives us poise and purpose and it changes the way we see our relationship to the world and to all the people that we encounter.

When we have those I Am experiences, we start to see Christ within every human being. The Cosmic Christ entered into this earth through the vehicle of Jesus and this Spirit dwells in us. It dwells in us primarily through every breath we take and through the food we eat; food that is grown in the earth that is now the body of Christ. As we accept the reality of this, we begin to experience His etheric presence in the life force of this earth and in our own etheric body. Now we begin to treat every person as if they were Christ. We arrest every negative thought before it forms, because we see that we would be thinking that thought about Christ. We are careful about all our feelings and motives because of our respect for Christ in the other person. In this way, we transform ourselves and we raise the other person up as well. As St. Paul said: “…the glory of this mystery…which is Christ in you, the hope of glory” (Colossians, 1:27). If we did nothing else but contemplate this mystery each day through the year ahead, we will change the world.” ~ Herbert Hahn

While listening to the recording you can also read the two chapters, available at Rudolf Steiner Archive, by clicking here.