‘More Light’

     
“Do open the shutter of the bedroom so that more light may enter.”

Johann Wolfgang von Goethe
(His actual last words.)

The Masonic Light group logo was designed by Bro. Drew Horn, of the Master's Jewel, in 2005.

Admit it, you have abandoned the Yahoo! Groups you once enjoyed for Masonic conversation. Facebook did us in even though it’s almost impossible to find intelligent discourse anywhere on there.

Fortunately, Josh Heller refuses to give up on Masonic Light. The co-founder, with Chris McClintock in 2000, of the most informed, diversely populated, and useful online Masonic discussion forum of early e-Masonry recently resumed the reins (from yours truly), resolved to make the group a haven for thinking Freemasons again.

After a group purge, to wash away all the obsolete email accounts and ensure the group is home only to the living, Josh has a plan that will be launched October 1. He has enlisted the help of six other members who each will take possession of one day of the week to spark discussion. These are:

Sundays: Josh Heller
Mondays: Magpie Mason
Tuesdays: Charlie Persinger
Wednesdays: Jason Mitchell
Thursdays: Clay Anderson
Fridays: Rashied Sharrieff-Al-Bey
Saturdays: Gerald Reilly (the famous Gerald Reilly)

We do welcome new members. Check us out here.
     

‘New Year’s with Novalis’

     

Our word philosophy derives from the Greek philo and sophia, meaning love of wisdom. So, when I spot the name Sophie decorated with a heart that someone engraved in the once fresh cement of a Manhattan sidewalk, I have to smile. (That this graffito is found immediately outside the front door of the Anthroposophical Society's NYC Branch, I'm sure, has something to do with it.)

It was back to Centerpoint this evening for a very well presented lecture. I only wish I knew what it was about, but it inspires research. A first year student of Eurythmy at Spring Valley spoke thoughtfully for more than an hour on the subject of Novalis, with ample discourse (and here’s where I got lost) on Rudolf Steiner’s thoughts on Adam Kadmon, John the Baptist, and the linkages of King Solomon to St. Matthew and Nathan the Prophet to St. Luke. I hope I didn’t get that last part backward, but either way this is something I need to read up on.

Novalis—his government name was Friedrich von Hardenberg—is remembered as one of the fathers of German Romanticism. Not so much here in America actually, but in Germany, he is rated right up there with Goethe, Schiller, and other greats. Our lecturer read from Novalis’ journal to lay the foundation of his talk that would touch on the topics mentioned above, and even involve Raphael. (The painter, not the archangel.) The lecture began with the story of Novalis and his love for Sophie von Kühn, which makes my stumbling across the sidewalk graffito shown at top even more serendipitous.

I didn’t take notes, because I knew I’d be left in the dust, but Anthroposophy definitely is something I will be studying. A nine-day festival/conference is scheduled for August at Chestnut Ridge, New York to discuss the future of the movement. I’m very curious to hear what will come of that. Until then, I’ll continue visiting its New York City Branch and shopping in the bookstore.
     

'A collective dream of the Western psyche'

     

Longtime readers of The Magpie Mason—well, first, you have my thanks—might remember my occasional efforts to promote study of Jungian psychology to complement esoteric studies, and while I cannot even allow my brain to imagine 2013 yet, I nonetheless share this information.

The C.G. Jung Foundation and the C.G. Jung Institute of New York have announced their Jungian Advanced Seminar for Spring 2013, beginning January 30, offering "Goethe's Faust: A Gateway to the World of C.G. Jung." Classes will be held Wednesday nights, from 7 to 8:30. Tuition costs $475.

From the course description:

"Faust was Jung's heritage.

For all who claim to be Jungian,

it will also be theirs."

Edward F. Edinger

Few literary works provide such a comprehensive and authoritative image of the challenges of individual existence in modern Western culture as Goethe's Faust does. This masterwork of German literature was profoundly significant to C.G. Jung and to the evolution of analytical psychology. Jung's thoughts on Faust are woven throughout his Collected Works and letters.

This monumental play demands many levels of interpretation. In this seminar, we will trace Jung's thoughts of this Opus Magnum as a collective dream of the Western psyche. We will follow Jung's focus on the alchemical symbolism in Goethe's Faust as it reflects the quest of individuation for the personal and collective Western psyche. We will explore how these dynamics are encountered in the process of a Jungian depth analysis, and how techniques, such as Active Imagination, can be utilized to further the process in clinical work.

Archetypal figures and events from Faust will guide us in our attempt to understand the psyche of modern humanity. While Goethe's play will be our primary source, we will also use selected imagery from literature and opera to elucidate Faustian dynamics.

While we focus on Goethe's Faust as a poetic vision of the psyche of modern man, we will also explore its relevance for a post-modern world and the trajectory and telos of Jung's vision for the evolution of psyche.

Instructor: Heide M. Kolb, MA, LCSW, NCPsyA

Bro. Johann Wolfgang von Goethe, of course, was the German author/philosopher remembered maybe mostly for Faust. And Faust, of course, is his take on the timeless theme of man making a deal with the devil.

I realize this course isn't for everyone, but I thought I should mention it.