Contact:
Brenda Hammond 613-425-0505 brenda.hammond@rogers.com
Current activities:
The most recent
anthroposophical event in Ottawa has been our monthly Sunday morning reading to
the so-called dead. This is carried by a core group of Society members, with
other friends joining in from time to time.
We gather in
Sylvie Richard’s old stone farmhouse, a sociable place that has a history of
spiritually-focused meetings. Once a candle is lit, we spend some moments
connecting with specific souls who have crossed the threshold. Then we hear two
Steiner verses and go into the reading of the lecture, each of us in turn
taking a few paragraphs. We began with the Gospel of St. John, and are now
half-way through the Gospel of St. Mark.
After this is
done, we sit quietly and share what or who has come up for us. We end with
hearing the verses again, and the candle is extinguished. The mood then is one
of quiet satisfaction and gratitude for the connection.
Dedicated work
continues in the School for Spiritual Science, held in a light-filled room of
the kindergarten at the Ottawa Waldorf School on the last Sunday of the month,
except for June and December. From time to time we gather in the Hammonds’ home
for a less formal meeting. There, we begin by enjoying a pot-luck meal together
(and isn’t it magic how what people freely bring most often works out so
perfectly?). This gives us the chance to share questions, insights,
difficulties and so on; and also to consider our responsibilities as
anthroposophists. On the 16th June we will complete the cycle of
Nineteen Lessons. Yes, we need to mark the occasion with some sort of
celebration!
In general,
anthroposophical life in Ottawa continues to be somewhat fragmented. Even
though there are various on-going study groups (and surely other activities of
which the writer of this communication is unaware) most of these are outside
the auspices of the Society. For instance, Hamo and Brenda attend a fortnightly
group where the majority of participants come through Rudi Verspoer’s Heilkunst
initiative. Long time and serious work continues amongst those who were
initially inspired by and gathered around the late Charles Ferlan.
Owing to
unforeseen circumstances, our anticipated spring Grassroots conference has had
to be postponed. This usually provides the opportunity for the wider community to
come together. We hope that, in future, the Confluence of Three Rivers Branch
will expand and be able to provide more such opportunities.
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