Brian gives an introductory talk on the twelve senses as described by Rudolf Steiner. This is the first of a cycle of talks.

Gospel Reading: Matthew 4: 1-11

Dear Community of Christians,

If I am late for an important appointment, caused by my own typical tardiness, am I not tempted to use traffic, or a phone call, or something as an excuse? Or do I choose to tell the truth and talk about my slothfulness? How many times do we get in such a situation and every time anew we have to decide, shall I speak the truth, or shall I find another white lie? Sometimes the excuses sit so deep within us as a kind of sickness, we don’t recognize our white lie as dishonesty. Here our honest self-reflection is not sufficiently developed. We must become aware of the betrayer working in us. Human intelligence is intensively used by the tempter. The temptation we face today is the possibility and the apparent advantage of speaking half-truths. Since it is not a lie, and it is not the truth, it is a twisting of realities. As individuals we have a hard time seeing through, and are often unable to resist, and oppose, the sickness of half-truths.

Further, human intelligence is today transferred into machines, into electronic devices. And the machine, according to our common thinking, cannot be wrong. They tell us the “truth”, because faults are eliminated in advance. But the machine can not tell us the truth, only facts, as truth is a moral quality. 

What influence on reality does these half-truths and white lies have? How do they penetrate our social and personal lives? Is there a connection to the physical body, to the environment, and to the spiritual world? There must be a consequence.

We have to ask ourselves, what actually happens to these powers of lies that have been spoken daily and received by the etheric world?

We can experience in our social life that lies poison the atmosphere of a community. If we continue to think along these lines, our personal life-forces, our social life, our political and spiritual lives will also be attacked by it and become seriously sick.

​Where is the healing medicine and how can we use it? The medicine is our inner counsellor with a clear voice. If we are willing to listen, we can withstand and bring the forces of truth to inner growth, to all levels that are sick in these times.

Dear Community of Christians,

​Every child brings an enormous wealth with them when they are born. What these, and every one of us have gathered in terms of experience and knowledge is the treasure of past lives. This wealth is then included in the stream of earthly development and also becomes a part of earthly material wealth. This process in life, to live with this inherited wealth, which also becomes earthly richness, has the effect that we have to come back again and again to live here. Because there is still so much to transform and fulfill.

The rich youth of the Gospel had a clear consciousness of what his earthly-eternal task was, and, how to fulfill it. As a human being bound to time, he was challenged to shape his soul, and his higher, spiritual nature. What this meant for him, and how we also have to fulfill this task as humans, shows why the wealth is needed and part of us. This wealth has made possible the development towards an “I am” filled human being. And it forms the basis for going on to the eternal fulfillment until the time when the more-earthly wealth becomes a burden. “Sell all your goods and give the proceeds to the poor, and you will acquire a treasure in the spiritual worlds; then follow me!” This he was told. And he was very sad.

Why would we then have to gain all the wealth, when we have to get rid of it? Can it be that the accumulation of wealth, spiritual and material, is old and no longer relevant?

What Christ brought into the world is new. Incomparably new. It is the immeasurable love, the human–divine love. It seems that is the most difficult task for humans to fulfill. It includes the love towards enemies and even for the evil beings. Will we ever achieve that? In our time, when we are confronted with evil, with the darkest powers, this strength is most needed for human beings, and it shows how infinitely difficult this task is. Can we ever achieve this? The gospel says it will be possible “through the power of God”. It will then develop towards a new wealth, the eternal life. 

A Slideshow of art created at a workshop hosted by Alan Potter

Gospel Reading: Matthew 8: 5-13

Dear Community of Christians,

The lack of sun powers for the human being, especially for his physical body, means a susceptibility to different diseases. Everyone knowns that autumn and winter is the time of colds and dis-ease. In the past, many people have called Raphael as a spiritual guide to help and heal. He is the archangel of Spring, when his healing powers weave and work in nature. And Raphael’s strength is working with the uplifting forces during the becoming year. 

When Christ healed the leper with his outstretched hand, with a light, delicate touch, it was his infinite compassion and love for human beings, a power unimaginable for us, that radiated from him. This power of heart lives and is present over the last two millennia. There are different examples of the working of this love. The most impressive one is the story of Holy Elisabeth that confirms this infinity of love in a wonderful way. She once met a man with leprosy on her walks. Her Christian compassion and love for the human being was so big that she decided to take the seriously ill man back to the castle, and laid him in her own bed, to the horror of the court. There he was healed by the holy lifeforces and penetrated with her love.

​In a time when we speak almost only about illness or sickness, are we not called, at this very moment, to strengthen our trust in the ever-present love-forces of Christ in our hearts, and towards working with the  healing forces of Raphael in nature? 

To find ways to culturally reach out at this difficult time, The Christian Community in Ireland has launched a Patreon with talks, interviews, art, festival activities, sermons and regular updates. This month on Patreon we are launching with:

RED STREAM
Weekly Sermons from Rev. Ute Koenig (text)
Updates from Christian Community Ireland (text and photos)

YELLOW STREAM
The Anthroposophical Christmas Tree (video) -  symbols and health and safety
Earth Candles for Candlemas (video) - festival guides with Monica Hannaford
Slides of the Artistic Work - Rudolf Steiners Artistic and Architectural Impulses (video slideshow)

BLUE STREAM
Interview with Alan Potter on Rudolf Steiners artistic and architectural impulses (audio with slides)
Circle of Senses, Circle of Stars: A talk with Brian Walsh on the twelve senses as described by Rudolf Steiner (coming 18th February - talk with slides).

FINDING THE RIGHT GESTURE

It didn't feel right adding a paywall to things like sermons and other aspects of the free cultural/ spiritual life. We rely on donations to enable us to do our work. In the same way as we encourage people to give as they can, we want to encourage those who like what we are doing to support this work however they feel able. While money enables our work, we feel no one should be excluded for a lack of money so after considering the matter carefully we have decided to create content on the understanding that people are good, and will support our work if given the opportunity.

You can access our patreon at:

Making Earth Candles for Candlemas