Northeast Florida's Anthroposophical Study Group
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SOPHIA CIRCLE
anthroposophy (noun)
[an-thro-POS-o-phy] The art and science of becoming more fully human
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THE SOPHIA CIRCLE MEETING GROUPS & EVENTS
Sophia Zoom Circle
The Sophia Circle Book Club meets every Tuesday from 7:45-9 pm EST to discuss various readings from spiritual literature.
Here is the Zoom link:
Our current study is GA 132 "Inner Experiences of Evolution" by Rudolf Steiner.
For more information about joining, please email Barbara Braathen at sophiacircleflorida@gmail.com
These books have been studied by the Jax Sophia Circle:
by Rudolf Steiner:
The Philosophy of Freedom
The Six Basic Exercises
Anthroposophy of Every Day Life
Festivals and Their Meanings
Evil
The Kingdom of Childhood
The Spiritual Hierarchies
The Gospel of St. John
The Reappearance of Christ in the Etheric
Isis Mary Sophia (?)
The Archangel Michael (?)
Isis Mary Sophia: Her Mission and Ours
Spiritual Beings in the Heavenly Bodies
and in the Kingdoms of Nature
The Interior of the Earths
by Others:
Baghavahd Gita
The Elemental Kingdom by Margaret Spock
The Star in My Heart - Joyce Rupp
The Sophia Teachings by Robert Powell
The Fall of Sophia tr Violett MacDermot
The Spiritual Tasks of the Homemaker
by Manfred Schmidt-Brabant
Threefold Mary by Emil Bock
The Fairy Tale of the Green Snake and
the Beautiful Lily by Goethe
ANTHROPOSOPHY IS ALIVE IN NORTHEAST FLORIDA!
MESSAGE FROM SOPHIA CIRCLE CO-FOUNDER
CARRIE ZARKA DOOLEY
Sophia Circle operates as the Northeast Florida branch of the Anthroposophical Society of America. We are small but we are growing, and we are proud of our accomplishments.
Sophia Circle has been meeting for four years online, to read and discuss anthroposophical books. Our membership, from all over the US, is expanding, and in addition, we are getting feedback that our bookclub is exceptional for the depth of its discussions. Indeed, we can spend a few weeks on a few pages of Steiner material.
At Christmas season, Sophia Circle holds the Holy Nights Candle Meditations. Each of twelve nights, we embrace one of the Virtues in silent meditation as its candle burns. This year, there were a dozen in-person participants, and over 1000 Instagram followers.
Sophia Circle has honored the elementals with a number of Elemental Festivals performed outdoors in Jacksonville. This beautiful ritual involves adoration of the natural elements, movement, song, and prayers of gratitude. It was also performed once online for the Anthroposophical Society of America.
In 2020, Sophia Circle was incorporated into the newly-formed Jacksonville Educational Community (JEC), an anthroposophical non-profit to support Spring River school, a Waldorf inspired homeschool for grades K-8. We have so far reached over 400 families who have interest in an anthroposophical approach to education.
In 2023 we sponsored Building Bridges with Dr. Torin Finser, serving premiere teacher training for 22 participants, including four from Palm Beach Waldorf.
Next year, in the 2024/5 school year, we are so appreciative to begin our high school program, adding grades 9 and 10 to Spring River, and up to 12th grade by 2026.
Sophia Circle and JEC will continue with their highest intentions: to bring the healing knowledge of anthroposophy to as many as possible, and to help insure a viable and creative future.
Poem by Sabrina Dalla Valle
What if our skin
were also the skin of the universe?
Pressed against unknown darkness,
we are the limit, maybe even
the membrane for all possibility.
Barbara Braathen Guest Speaker
The leader of our Sophia Circle,, Barbara Braathen was interviewed for Martin Bensen's podcast "Concerning the Spiritual in Art." See it below!!
Protective Grid Around
the City of Jacksonville
In 2019, members of our Sophia Circle determined that a protective spiritual shield could be developed around Jacksonville by burying the Holy Night candles in the sequence of the Zodiac in a circle around our area. Initially, this was for protection from the effects of 5G, which could potentially clog up the Angel network of influences. It was also viewed as building a spiritual dome over Jacksonville to serve as a space portal for the angelic realms, to invite higher beings in and to help us develop a relationship with the spiritual realms. Each Holy Night candle includes copper and a crystal, and each honors one of the twelve constellations of the Zodiac. The first candle buried was Sagittarius, buried during Sagittarius, under a pine tree. Subsequently, the other eleven candles, during the month of their Zodiac sign, were buried under pine trees circling the city. The whole process took a year. In addition to the Holy Night candle, a Shungite tetrahedron was also buried; known as the 'miracle' stone, Shungite provides protection from electromagnetic frequencies. We thank these dedicated Anthroposophists for this circle of love that now encompasses our area!!
The locations include the park at Bayard off US1, the WMCA at Ponte Vedre, the Playgarden School in Atlantic Beach, Hanna Park, Ft. George Island, Baldwin Park on North Side, Jennings Forest in Middleburg, Fleming Island, and Julington Creek
A Visit by Dr. Karin Cseak
The Elemental Ceremony was blessed with a talk by Dr. Karin Cseak, a Sophia Circle member and Anthroposophical Physican from Ohio. Dr. Karin was visiting Jacksonville for the first time, and we want her to come down more often.
There are very few Anthroposophical Physicians in America: Florida has none, California and New York each have seven, Ohio has one, many states have none. Dr. Karin discussed how Anthroposophic Medicine is closely tied to the elementals, and is administered in relation to the movements of the earth, sun, moon, planets, and stars. It is an extremely effective approach to good health. Thank you so much, Dr. Karin!!
News
The Hierarchies
Here are members the Hierarchy, and their various names, as Rudolf Steiner visioned them, based on the description of Dionysius the Areopagite, an early Christian of the 1st Century:
Spirits of Love -- Seraphim
Spirits of Harmony -- Cherubim
Spirits of Will - Thrones
Spirits of Wisdom - Dominions, Dominations, Kyriotetes
Spirits of Movement - Dynamis, Mights, Virtues
Spirits of Form -- Exusiai, Authorities, Powers
Archai - Spirits of Personality, Principalities, Primal Beginnings
Archangels -- Spirits of Fire, Folk Spirits
Angels - Sons of Twilight, Sons of Life
Each member of the Hierarchy has its mission, given by the Trinity, the Godhead.
More about Sophia Circle
Anthroposophy, as the field of spiritual science, was described by Rudolf Steiner as "a path of knowledge to guide the spiritual in the human being to the spiritual in the universe."
As we move through our lives, and in the world, we seek to understand each other and ourselves to find both harmony and freedom.
To understand others, we must develop a true interest in them and the world, and find an appreciation for the individual value of each person.
Sophia Circle seeks to engage with others in ways that bridge the gaps of understanding and acceptance that leave so many feeling alone and polarized.
We welcome you to follow us on social media, join one of our meetings or reach out via email to sophiacircleflorida@gmail.com
