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Candlelight Vigil for the Dead

By

The Christian Community
San Francisco 

Saturday, November 14th 6:30pm
Candlelight Vigil for the Dead
Vespers Service


In memory of…
We gather with those who have crossed the threshold.
We light a candle and sound out their name. 
We enkindle in our thinking heart-the conscious conviction that we share our life with those who walk in the world of Spirit.

We close with a Vespers Service.


If you are unable to attend please email the name(s) of your beloved who have crossed the threshold, we will light a candle and their name(s) will be spoken.
christiancommunitysf@gmail.com

Rev. Michael Latham

The dead can feel an inner uneasiness when they cannot know what is happening down there. But this feeling can be removed if we send them nourishment. We, the living, must ourselves bring about the opportunity for the dead to perceive us. Now consider that we can easily, so to speak, ignite spiritual life in our soul through a thought. It is an important positive thought when we know that the dead person is there, within reach for us, when they have passed through the gate of death, because that is a thought that can never be brought about by dealing with the sensual-physical world. In our soul life, we should clearly carry the conviction that the dead person lives.

R. Steiner 13 April 1913, GA 150

Ninetta Sombart
Angel of Death

Inspirations of Mani for the Future of Christianity and the Redemption of Evil

By

Biodynamics, the Vortex, Digestion & Mani

 November 7
3 pm ET – 2 pm CT – 1 pm MT – Noon PT – 8 pm UK – 9 pm CET

Donna LaPre

Description: All magic occurs in a vortex”, Steiner said. What does this mean in relationship to Manichaeism, and then, to Biodynamic agriculture and human digestion? Let’s explore these interstices

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Bio: Once having gone to school for art (painter), the plant kingdom for the last 33 years has been Donna La Pré’s canvas & laboratory, but above all, higher education. She applies Goethean observation & rhythmic methods to the products created from her Biodynamic farm in the Blue Ridge of Virginia. Occasionally she gives classes & talks on Biodynamics, Elementals & Color.

Presentations are free, but a $15 suggested donation per presentation or $150 for the entire webinar will help to support this program and provide for a speaker honorarium.  

Please type “Webinar on Mani” or presenter’s name
 on the first line of your payment application.
 
To make your payment, please, follow the link DONATE

Or use Zelle to threefoldmankind@gmail.com

Join Zoom Meeting

https://us06web.zoom.us/j/81259450439

Meeting ID: 812 5945 0439

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Zoom Talk – Community in America and its role in the development of the Consciousness Soul. Karl Fredrickson

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Zoom Talk – Community in America and its role in the development of the Consciousness Soul. Karl Fredrickson.

November 4, 6 PM PST

What Weaves Between Us As Americans? The Spirit of Community in America in Light of the Consciousness Soul

From Benjamin Franklin to Walt Whitman, Jane Addams to the Nashville Sit-Ins, the question keeps arising: What brings health to community life? As Alexis de Tocqueville saw on his trip through pioneer communities in 1831, Americans have a marvelous ability to come together–despite having no “common bond”–to build associations in a spirit of mutual cooperation, such that “feelings are renewed” and “the heart is enlarged.” We will look together at some of those moments in our history when the community impulse has shone most brightly and hold them as a mirror to our situation in 21st century America. To help us find our way we will draw on the insights of Rudolf Steiner when, at the end of the Great War in 1918, he spoke on the needs and challenges of the social life in the age of the Consciousness Soul.

You can hear some of Karl’s favorite stories that focus on community at his Youtube channel: youtube.com/kfredson/playlists, as well as in his book, Stories from the American Journey: Men and Women Whose Lives and Deeds Express the Ideals of a Nation.

6 pm Pacific Standard Time – On line only

Admission
$10 – Non-members
$5 – Members
no charge – supporting members
Admission can be paid at  Faustbranch.org/donate

Join Zoom Meeting
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Meeting ID: 840 0500 2729
Passcode: 948299

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Karl Fredrickson taught history at Green Meadow Waldorf School for 36 years and is the author of Stories from the American Journey: Men and Women Whose Lives and Deeds Express the Ideals of the Nation. When not hiking in the NY/NJ highlands he can be found writing and lecturing on historical and anthroposophical themes. Karl lives with his wife Renate in the Radburn community in northern New Jersey, close to the Threefold Community where they continue to be active. His recent talks on Community Life in American History can be found on his Youtube channel. youtube.com/@kfredson/playlists .

Inspirations of Mani for the Future of Christianity and the Redemption of Evil

By

Troubadours and Cathars of the Languedoc. Through glimpses from a study-tour to the Pyrenees and a Concert with Eurythmy. Part 2: The Cathars

 October 31
3 pm ET – 2 pm CT – 1 pm MT – Noon PT – 8 pm UK – 9 pm CET

Carol Holmsen

Description: Zoom talk with PowerPoint about the Troubadours and Cathars of the medieval Languedoc with illustrations, pictures and musical clips. Facts and romanticized fiction. Why a presentation about the troubadours and the Cathars in a webinar series about Manichaeism? Who were the Troubadours and the Cathars? What was Courtly Love? Examples of several Troubadour songs. What were Cathar beliefs? Were they connected with Manichaeism? What was the Albigensian Crusade which led to the demise of the Cathars and the decline of the Troubadours?

This presentation is seen through the “lens” of a Concert with Eurythmy of Troubadour Music with a section on their neighbors and contemporaries, the Cathars, as well as through glimpses from a study-tour to the Pyrenees with Roland van Vliet in 2015. The 1987 series of Concerts with Eurythmy about the Troubadours and Cathars in Languedoc in the 1200’s was held in Norway. In the first part of this presentation, an attempt will be made to take a deep dive through immersion into the poetry and music of the Troubadours and the framework of ideas behind them. In the second part of this presentation, the story of the Cathars, who they were, what they believed, how they lived and their tragic end will be presented.

Bio: Carol Holmsen has worked in the teaching and health fields and has a background in eurythmy, curative eurythmy, nursing, rhythmical massage, homeopathy, English and literature. Author, translator, sheep-keeper of Old Norwegian short-tailed sheep, and a weaver.

Presentations are free, but a $15 suggested donation per presentation or $150 for the entire webinar will help to support this program and provide for a speaker honorarium.  

Please type “Webinar on Mani” or presenter’s name
 on the first line of your payment application.
 
To make your payment, please, follow the link DONATE

Or use Zelle to threefoldmankind@gmail.com

Join Zoom Meeting

https://us06web.zoom.us/j/81259450439

Meeting ID: 812 5945 0439

One tap mobile

+13126266799,,81259450439# US (Chicago) +13092053325,,81259450439# US

Threefolding as a Path for Peace

By

Threefolding as a Path for Peace

Sunday, November 15, 2026

10am Pacific Time / 1pm Eastern Time / 7pm Central European Time
3 hours — Keynote speakers and discussions
30 minutes — Planning for the future (optional)

With daily news about wars, where are the realistic discussions about how to create sustainable peace? 

Please join us on Sunday, November 15 for a rare opportunity to hear highly qualified speakers discuss both the underlying causes of war and the practical steps that we as individuals can take to shift the current dynamic toward peace.  We also want to hear your thoughts and responses during and after the conference. 

Our website, anthroposophysocial.org/global-threefolding, has been updated with a detailed program, speaker bios, a video about the motivations for members of the planning group, and ways to stay connected after the conference.  We have tried to keep our costs as low as possible so that the conference can be affordable to all.

We hope that you—and your friends—come away feeling inspired!

How to read Steiner by comprehending his style of writing

By

Jan-Willem Pieterse

How to read Steiner by
comprehending his style of writing

Friday, November 6 – 7, 7:31 PM

Resource Center for Nonviolence 
612 Ocean Street, Santa Cruz

Friday evening, Nov 6, 2026, 7:30-8:30 Introduction into Steiner’s style of writing allowing to present something new. Saturday , Nov 7, 2026, 9:30-12:00 and 13:00-15:30 (1:00-3:30pm) Workshop where we together discover the organic structure and its doings.

Jan-Willem grew up near Amsterdam. As a late bloomer he discovered his talent with fixing things, pursuing an EE degree which soon migrated into optical engineering. Balancing academic dryness, he explored esoteric interests and found anthroposophy. He ‘temporarily’ came to the US in 1986. Married with 2 kids and a decent library.

Inspirations of Mani for the Future of Christianity and the Redemption of Evil

By

Apostle of Light: Rembrandt and Mani

 October 24
3 pm ET – 2 pm CT – 1 pm MT – Noon PT – 8 pm UK – 9 pm CET

Cyril Coetzee

Description: This lecture proposes two hypotheses: Firstly, that the work of the painter Rembrandt is profoundly connected, not only to the spiritual impulse of Rosicrucianism, but also to Manichaeism, and secondly, that Rembrandt, as an individual, may indeed have a karmic/historical connection, of some kind, to the individuality of the 3rd century prophet and painter Mani. The lecture explores some of the Art Historical and Spiritual Scientific evidence to support these two hypotheses.

The lecture begins with a discussion of Rudolf Steiner’s key ideas about Rembrandt with regard to his supreme status as a pioneer of the culture of the Consciousness soul age, of the mission of Middle Europe, and of the mystery of the Ego as a fulcrum between East and West, as expressed in his Art- Historical lectures. Consideration is given to Steiner’s evident claim that a portrait of Christian Rosenkreuz was painted by Rembrandt and to how these ideas may support the above two hypotheses.

Rembrandt’s  proposed Manichaean connection is further explored under the following  headings:  Faust, Spiritual Light and Spiritual Darkness ; The Four Ancient Colors; The Rosicrucian Gaze ; The Painter as Spiritual Teacher; Painting and the Bowl of the Holy Spirit; Elchasites and Mennonites ; The Interfaith Circle of Amsterdam ; King Casper at the Nativity ; The Temple and the Christian Knight ; Three Trees, Three Crosses and the healing of the sick ; Self Portraits at the Crucifixion; Realism, Flesh and Flaying.

Bio:  South African Painter, Art Historian and Anthroposophist, Cyril Coetzee (MA Fine Arts, BA hons Literature) began his career as an Art History lecturer at Witwatersrand University. After a few years he became a fulltime artist, specializing in portraits and figurative works.

He has exhibited his work widely and has won several prizes, including the Helgaard Steyn Award for painting. He has painted numerous portraits of prominent personalities including several of Nelson Mandela, one of which was used for the International Postage stamp commemorating Mandela’s 90th Birthday.

He is best known for the 28 square meter Canvas he painted for the William Cullen Archive in Johannesburg, a work which has been documented in a collection of scholarly essays entitled: ‘T’ Kama -Adamastor, Inventions of Africa in a South African Painting’.

He has authored and co-authored several books and academic articles, including: ’The Poetry of Sight: The Art of Harold Voigt’.

Presentations are free, but a $15 suggested donation per presentation or $150 for the entire webinar will help to support this program and provide for a speaker honorarium.  

Please type “Webinar on Mani” or presenter’s name
 on the first line of your payment application.
 
To make your payment, please, follow the link DONATE

Or use Zelle to threefoldmankind@gmail.com

Join Zoom Meeting

https://us06web.zoom.us/j/81259450439

Meeting ID: 812 5945 0439

One tap mobile

+13126266799,,81259450439# US (Chicago) +13092053325,,81259450439# US

Michaelmas Social – 2026

By

Community Celebration

Sunday, October 18, 2.30 – 4.30 pm
Golden Gate Park – Mother’s Meadow

Sponsored by the San Francisco Bay Branch
and the Anthroposophical Society of America

Inspirations of Mani for the Future of Christianity and the Redemption of Evil

By

Troubadours and Cathars of the Languedoc. Through glimpses from a study-tour to the Pyrenees and a Concert with Eurythmy. Part 1: The Troubadours

 October 17
3 pm ET – 2 pm CT – 1 pm MT – Noon PT – 8 pm UK – 9 pm CET

Carol Holmsen

Description: Zoom talk with PowerPoint about the Troubadours and Cathars of the medieval Languedoc with illustrations, pictures and musical clips. Facts and romanticized fiction. Why a presentation about the troubadours and the Cathars in a webinar series about Manichaeism? Who were the Troubadours and the Cathars? What was Courtly Love? Examples of several Troubadour songs. What were Cathar beliefs? Were they connected with Manichaeism? What was the Albigensian Crusade which led to the demise of the Cathars and the decline of the Troubadours?

This presentation is seen through the “lens” of a Concert with Eurythmy of Troubadour Music with a section on their neighbors and contemporaries, the Cathars, as well as through glimpses from a study-tour to the Pyrenees with Roland van Vliet in 2015. The 1987 series of Concerts with Eurythmy about the Troubadours and Cathars in Languedoc in the 1200’s was held in Norway. In the first part of this presentation, an attempt will be made to take a deep dive through immersion into the poetry and music of the Troubadours and the framework of ideas behind them. In the second part of this presentation, the story of the Cathars, who they were, what they believed, how they lived and their tragic end will be presented.

Bio: Carol Holmsen has worked in the teaching and health fields and has a background in eurythmy, curative eurythmy, nursing, rhythmical massage, homeopathy, English and literature. Author, translator, sheep-keeper of Old Norwegian short-tailed sheep, and a weaver.

Presentations are free, but a $15 suggested donation per presentation or $150 for the entire webinar will help to support this program and provide for a speaker honorarium.  

Please type “Webinar on Mani” or presenter’s name
 on the first line of your payment application.
 
To make your payment, please, follow the link DONATE

Or use Zelle to threefoldmankind@gmail.com

Join Zoom Meeting

https://us06web.zoom.us/j/81259450439

Meeting ID: 812 5945 0439

One tap mobile

+13126266799,,81259450439# US (Chicago) +13092053325,,81259450439# US