Summertime invites us to open up the doors and windows of our inner world to the Light and warmth of the Sun, the benevolent cosmic being. The trees are enwrapped in their lush high summer attire, and we too can enjoy the spirit garments woven of Light and Love.

Are you taking time to step out of the air-conditioned cubicles, and notice the Nature? Are you slowing down, and allowing the bright warmth to nourish you? If your lifestyle is too hectic, the summer heat and humidity can become a nuisance, even unbearable. Too much heat on the inside, too much heat on the outside. No wonder things fire up and explode.

We are creatures of Nature and of Spirit. We need to honor their ever-changing flow. The dance of the Universe includes the humans too. But we have free will. It’s up to each one of us to choose to either consciously participate in the creation of cosmic choreographies, or to be a non-enlightened obstacle.

If we opt to develop our own personality in a tightly enclosed, secluded tower, we are limiting ourselves, and cutting off the assistance of the benevolent cosmic forces. Some people are concerned that they may lose their individuality when merging with the Light. In the earlier periods of human evolution, this may have been true. By now, we have progressed to the point where we can strengthen our uniqueness if we become one with our own Highest Self. How?

I’m returning time and again back to the simple, yet powerful I-A-O (pronounced “ee-ah-oh”) meditation, the first exercise for the harmonious movement art of eurythmy, given by Rudolf Steiner in 1912. In the Gnostic text Pistis Sophia, we read that the sounds of I-A-O (“ee-ah-oh”) have been used by the resurrected Christ as an invocation. From Hawaiian shamanism, we learn that ‘IAO is the sacred name for the Infinite Light, the Light of the World. Intrigued? Try the I-A-O movement meditation for yourself. You can get my version in the audio and written formats by clicking here.

What does this exercise do for a modern human being? It strengthens the personal column of Light, through which we connect to our Highest Self, who is one with the Source of Light. As we open up our chakras to receive cosmic support, the Light dissolves the artificial boundaries we created from the lower energies. The towers of fear, the barbed-wire fences of negativity, the dungeons of darkness are thus deconstructed. We can breathe in freedom anew.

We can feel safe, as we stand in our own uniquely colored column of pure Light, protected by the benevolent cosmic forces. We are filled with abundance of Life. All our chakras can fully blossom, and the heart overflows with Love. We are inspired to treat each other with compassion and share genuine warmth with all the creations of our home Emerald planet. The true sense of safety and comfort can thus prevail in the enchanted rainbow web of Life, Love, Light.

I feel enchanted weaving

of spirit within outer glory.

In dullness of the senses

it has enwrapt my being

in order to bestow the strength,

which in its narrow bounds my I,

is powerless to give itself.

~ Weekly Verse 15 by Rudolf Steiner from The Calendar of the Soul
(trans. Ruth & Hans Pusch)

Spirit weaves an enchanted web

of glory in the world of Nature:

Veiled in humble human senses,

I feel the magic, and receive

the gift of true Spirit strength,

unattainable via dense human I.

~ Soulful Spark 15 by Marta Stemberger

People have always sought protection, turning towards the beings of Light. The white marble medallions, which appear on both sides of the main entrance to the castle Otočec, Slovenia, Europe, are one such example. This week’s sparks feature the one on the left side; the identical mirror image is on the right side of the portal. I couldn’t find much info on the origins of the portrait. It’s from the Renaissance period when the castle was under the ownership of Baron Ivan Lenković (d. 1569), the chief commander of the Croatia-Slavonia army under the Habsburg Empire. I thought that perhaps the woman portrayed was his love, but couldn’t confirm it. The only information I was able to obtain from a local is that the image represents a priestess for good luck and protection.

Could these be traces of the Celtic or other pagan past on the Slovene soil? The remnants of the magic of Avalon? Mhm, a castle on an islet on a green river, amidst the gentle rolling hills of Dolenjska region in Slovenia? Yes, Celts had a very strong presence here before the South Slavic tribes arrived in the 5th and 6th centuries AD. I need to do some more research into the mists of the past…

---

Over to you, dear Soulful Reader:

HOW DO YOU CREATE YOUR ENCHANTED WEB OF PROTECTION?

I invite you to share your thoughts + impressions below.

---

Treat yourself to insightful name analysis…

---