News 17-24

Anthroposophy in Hawkes Bay

Sunday 28 April 2024                     

Calendar of Coming Events-- Diary Dates

In the Rudolf Steiner Centre, 401 Whitehead Road, Hastings
unless stated otherwise.

(** see below for more details.)

• Friday 3 May.  Hohepa Day **
• Weekend 4-5 May. Annual Conference of Anthroposophical Society in NZ. ** 
• Sunday 5 May 7:15 am The School of Spiritual Science.  Mantra 14
• Friday 10 May. 7 pm. p56 Letter "The condition of the Human Soul before the Dawn of the Michael Age"; Leading Thoughts 85 to 87.
• Thursday 16 May. 5:30 pm. Branch Committee meeting 
• Wednesdays 3, 10, 17, 24 July.  7pm. Conversations on the Foundation Stone Meditation 

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The Hohepa Day Programme
Friday 3 May

6.30 am - 8.15 am  Powhiri and Sunrise at Atea a Rangi - Star Compass, SH1 Awatoto, Napier 4110 (free to attend)

8.45 am - 9.15 am  Breakfast Speaker sessions at the Napier War Memorial Centre, 48 Marine Parade, Napier 4110

9.15 am  Welcome with Santiago De Marco

9.30 am  James Palmer - Secretary for the Environment

10.10 am  The Hōhepa Team

10.30 am  Ueli Hurter - Co-leader of the Agriculture Section (Goetheanum Switzerland)

11.15 am  Q & A Panel

12.45 pm - 2.00 pm Lunch at Hōhepa Clive, 363 Main Road, SH51, Clive

From 2.00 pm, there will be a selection of fun activities available for those who wish to participate in land-based activities on our farm, crafts and wellbeing sessions, and a range of presentations about our work. There will be ample opportunities to connect with people along with site tours, cheese tastings, coffee and refreshments. Our shop will showcase all Hōhepa products to celebrate the richness of our story.

6.00 pm - Late
In the evening, drinks and music will greet us as we connect and mingle before enjoying some more presentations by keynote speakers, including Ueli Hurter, followed by a special meal showcasing Hōhepa’s biodynamic produce and meat, which can be enjoyed with a glass of organic wine.
This is a ticketed event with a range of tailored options to cater to everyone whether you can only participate in part of the day, or enjoy the day in its entirety.

Cultivating Change - Bringing Health to Humanity. 

If you can provide a plate of food or fruit for afternoon tea, we would be most grateful.  Please bring your contributions to Taikura School on Friday, 3rd May or on Saturday morning, the 4th.  Many thanks to those who can help in this way.

Registrations need to be in today, Sunday 28 April, by 5 pm.

Invitation to The Concert

Even if you are not otherwise attending the conference, you are warmly invited to attend the concert which is part of the Conference at 6:15 pm on Saturday. 

AGRICULTURAL COURSE

On Mondays we are reading the lectures gven in Koberwitz by Rudolf Steiner to farmers -- the "Agricultural Course".  These evenings are for anyone at all who wishes to study the content of these lectures.  Our studies will continue until all the lectures have been gone through.  Christopher Bacchus 8786883

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FOUNDATION STONE MEDITATION.

On four Wednesdays in July, starting on the 3rd and continuing on the 10th, 17th and 24th, I am offering to have four conversations on the foundation stone meditation.  If you contact me at chrsbacchus@gmail.com  I can send you a copy of a version of the meditation in English.  We will start at 7pm.
Christopher Bacchus

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FRIDAY CONVERSATION AND STUDY GROUP

On the 2nd and 4th Fridays of the month, we meet in the Foyer.  The study is focused on the Leading Thoughts that Rudolf Steiner issued during the last year of his life as brief paragraphs dealing with Anthroposophy as a Path of Knowledge sometimes with longer 'Letters'.  This Group is open to anyone interesting in engaging with this path.  Come along at 7pm.

THE LIBRETTO OF WAGNER'S PARSIFAL

After Eva Knausenberger's talk on Wagner's Parsifal, several people expressed interest in exploring the text and meaning of the libretto further. 

Eva tells me that she would be very happy to have another opportunity to do so and suggests an evening in May for a workshop and/or conversation.

Suggested topics are: the role of Kundry, the Spear/Lance, the Wound. 

If you are interested, please let Diana know. 021 706709 

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Some Reflections on 'Parzival', a medieval romance by Wolfram von Eschenbach
by John Allison

When I was preparing a short talk on Richard Wagner recently, I decided to look into the lives of two figures from the Parzival story.  These two figures are believed* to be past incarnations of Rudolf Steiner and Ita Wegman, namely Schionatulander and Sigune.  I found that Wolfram von Eschenbach had written another story as a sequel to the Parzival about the family of Titurel the king of the Grail.  He had a son called Frimutel whose daughter Schoysiane is the mother of Sigune.   Schoysiane dies in childbirth and Sigune is then looked after by Herzeloyde , who is a sister of Schoysiane and the mother of Parzival.  The story is about the tragic romance of Sigune and Schionatulander. 

It is interesting also that Anfortas is a brother of Herzeloyde and therefore an uncle of Parzival.

Schionatulander is the son of Gurzgri and Mahaute and a grandson of Gurnemanz.  He is a knight of King Arthur’s Round Table and a page of the French Queen Ampflise.  She gives him to Gahmuret as his page and he travels with Gahmuret to Baghdad.

After Gahmuret is killed, Schionatulander returns to Herzeloyde and meets Sigune. 

Later he is mistaken for Parzival [who had, unwittingly, taken a ring from Jeschute, Orilus’s wife] and is killed by Orilus because of this.

This happened near Arlesheim (near Dornach), by Trevrizent’s cave.  Parzival rides by and sees Sigune with the dead Schionatulander in her arms.  Rudolf Steiner awakens to this memory after seeing the Pieta of Michelangelo in St Peters in Rome.  Perhaps this helps us to understand how deeply Rudolf Steiner was connected to the Knights of King Arthur and to the Knights of the Grail.  In his past life Rudolf Steiner was Schionatulander and Ita Wegman was Sigune. 

John Allison 

For a list of characters and their relationships, and a poetic translation of the story, see:  Eschenbach, Wolfram von (c.1160–c.1220) - Parzival: List of Characters (poetryintranslation.com)