Hi All, I look for a reference in Steiner's working showing that humanity as a whole started to pass "the threshold' (to the spiritual world) around 1930 (consciously or unconsciously). And I wonder if there is a reference saying that the spiritual battles predicted to find place between 2020 and 2040, may have to do with (the ending of) this process. Jelle van der Meulen, who wrote down Bernard Lievegoeds last book "The battle for the soul" (https://archive.org/details/lievegoed-bernard-the-battle-for-the-soul-the-working-together) writes in his last book about this. Any direct references to Steiner's work would help, or to other writers. Rick

I gave a talk on the Apocalypse of St. John recently (even the word has fearful connotations, doesn't it?!) and I just wanted to share with you a couple of the main points. Firstly, the word "Apocalypse" itself means "revelation", "unfolding" or "unveiling". It doesn't mean "catastrophe" or "end of the world" as some think. So, something is being revealed. Something is unfolding or being unveiled. In this sense, I think we can say that we do live in "apocalyptic times" as it does seem that much is being revealed these days, about the machinations behind the way the world works. It also made me think of how human life itself is an "unveiling". We learn more and more about who we are as we get older. Parts of ourselves are "revealed" by the situations we find ourselves in. Another point was that the book of revelation is not there to scare us, though there are some frightful images therein. So too with the images in Daniel, Ezekial and other prophetic books of the Hebrew Bible. According to Steiner, the purpose of this book of spiritual initiation (written in a strange initiation language, which should not be taken literally or materialistically) is to fire our will to do our best for the "good evolution of humanity". One way to read that is: do everything I can to spiritually grow, spiritually strengthen myself and grow in wisdom and love for my fellow human being and the beings of the earth. Thanks for being a part of this group. Best wishes Mick

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Thank you to all of those who joined us today on the free Spiritual Development Session! I especially enjoyed the insights and experience our attendees shared. From Buddhist backgrounds to "Heartfulness" meditation and excellent questions regarding the trinity of Thinking, Feeling and Willing....and their connection with Steiner's work. This was a bit of a test run to see how it went, who showed up and how the Skool platform works. I'll run another session soon. For those who attended, please let me know in the comments below: - what you thought of the session - what worked and what didn't - how the session might be improved Best wishes Mick

This is an article I wrote a little while back...I'd love to know what you think! Let me know in the comments below. I’m an Aussie living in the south-west of England. But most of my work these days is with people in the USA. I regularly come into contact with people from different sides of the political spectrum and the overwhelming thing I’ve noticed is this:Each side thinks the other side is evil. Not just silly, misinformed, a bit wrong, or misguided…but actually evil. If each side thinks the other is evil, where does that leave us? Where does it all end up? Civil war? What can be done about it? Is it hopeless? Those who don’t take the red vs blue stance, believe that both sides are controlled by other forces beyond them. The banking cartels, the deep state, the illuminati etc etc. But ultimately, the effect is the same. “My opinion is right and yours is wrong”. Clearly, direct political action like protesting has a negligible effect. Voting, even when handled legally and fairly is mainly directed towards the 2 party system. But many on both sides believe that the election process has been hi-jacked anyway (by the other side, of course). I believe the solution lies closer to home. And I’m not talking about “finding peace in yourself before creating peace in the world”, although this has its place. I’m talking about seeking a new way forward with the people we disagree with. Try this on for size: Next time you’re having a conversation with someone who disagrees with you, listen to them. I mean, really listen to them. Try to actually understand their thought processes. Aim to be able to argue their case better than they can. Put aside your own opinions for the duration of the conversation. Decide to hang them up on the hook like a coat. Don’t worry, they’ll still be there when the conversation is over. In fact, your opinions will raise their head continually throughout the conversation, usually in the form of a strong desire to contradict, tell them they’re wrong, yell, scream or maybe even lash out. That’s ok.