Weekly Meditations

When asked how one might find a way into Christianity, the Benedictine monk Brother David Steindl-Rast advised, "Meditate the sacred year." In the same vein, when asked what a lifetime's study of Anthroposophy had given him, the English philosopher Owen Barfield replied, "I now have some idea of the reality of the living year." For readers who like to chew meditatively on poetry, Weekly Meditations will put them firmly on the path to realizing both of these great realities. Rudolf Steiner's weekly verses allow attentive readers to follow the course of the year in body, soul, and spirit. In addition, from the perspective of one who has sought to live inwardly with the sacred, living year, Patsy Scala's poetic reflections, which arose from her deep practice of the verses, provide an accessible and complementary guide to one's daily practice. Weekly Meditations is a book to keep handy and reread throughout the seasons of the year.

Rudolf Steiner (b. Rudolf Joseph Lorenz Steiner, 1861-1925) was born in the small village of Kraljevec, Austro-Hungarian Empire (now in Croatia), where he grew up. As a young man, he lived in Weimar and Berlin, where he became a well-published scientific, literary, and philosophical scholar, known especially for his work with Goethe's scientific writings. Steiner termed his spiritual philosophy anthroposophy, meaning "wisdom of the human being." As an exceptionally developed seer, he based his work on direct knowledge and perception of spiritual dimensions. He initiated a modern, universal "spiritual science" that is accessible to anyone willing to exercise clear and unbiased thinking. From his spiritual investigations, Steiner provided suggestions for the renewal of numerous activities, including education (general and for special needs), agriculture, medicine, economics, architecture, science, philosophy, Christianity, and the arts. There are currently thousands of schools, clinics, farms, and initiatives in other fields that involve practical work based on the principles Steiner developed. His many published works feature his research into the spiritual nature of human beings, the evolution of the world and humanity, and methods for personal development. He wrote some thirty books and delivered more than six thousand lectures throughout much of Europe. In 1924, Steiner founded the General Anthroposophical Society, which today has branches around the world. Patsy Scala is the vice president and a director of the Center for Spiritual and Cultural Unity in Syracuse, NY, a not-for-profit organization and resource for those in search of a complete life in body, soul, and spirit. A former vice president at Merrill Lynch, Patsy retired in February, 2007, after twenty-seven years with the firm. Her first book, Seven Steps to Everyday Mysticism, was published in 2002, and she has spoken extensively in Unity churches on Creating Prosperity in Your Life. A student of Anthroposophy, Patsy is a member of the Anthroposophical Society in America, as well as the First Class of the School of Spiritual Science. She lives on Mystic Mountain in New Woodstock, New York, with her husband Joseph and their dog Muffin. Her daughter Laura lives in Buffalo. Patsy enjoys hiking, boating, gardening, long walks in nature, snow shoeing, and, of course, writing.

When asked how one might find a way into Christianity, the Benedictine monk Brother David Steindl-Rast advised, "Meditate the sacred year." In the same vein, when asked what a lifetime's study of Anthroposophy had given him, the English philosopher Owen Barfield replied, "I now have some idea of the reality of the living year." For readers who like to chew meditatively on poetry, Weekly Meditations will put them firmly on the path to realizing both of these great realities. Rudolf Steiner's weekly verses allow attentive readers to follow the course of the year in body, soul, and spirit. In addition, from the perspective of one who has sought to live inwardly with the sacred, living year, Patsy Scala's poetic reflections, which arose from her deep practice of the verses, provide an accessible and complementary guide to one's daily practice. Weekly Meditations is a book to keep handy and reread throughout the seasons of the year.

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