Arise, oh shining Light!
Only four of the fifty-two verses of the anthroposophical calendar begin with "the Light." Two are five weeks before and after Easter (Verses 5 & 48) as we move toward Spring, while two are five weeks before and after Michaelmas (Verses 22 & 31) as we descend into winter darkness.
This time of year, we witness the emergence of Spirit weaving through new growth of flowers and greenery as the light grows. Indeed, our own souls begin to grow and manifest the power that we cultivated during the cold winter months. We join forces with Spirit weaving through the material world.
Our oscillating relationship to the Sun can be likened to the rhythmic systems of the human body. The upper body is akin to the airy Luciferic impulses of warm summer while lower body can be likened to the hardened winter and Ahrimanic influences of the more grounded material world. We can balance these polar forces with the Christ in the heart. In terms of bodily systems, the heart (blood, lungs, and feeling) connects our lower body (the metabolic system and our willing) with our head (our senses, nervous system and thinking).
Rudolf Steiner's verses for the 52 weeks of the calendar are here on our website, together with Rudolf Steiner's original German text and several other translations: Rudolf Steiner, The Calendar of the Soul.