Year Three...
...of a Nine Year Novena
Dear Friends,
Two years ago, my friend Sam Guzman—who some of you may know from his offerings at The Way of the Heart—suggested to me that we are living in a significant time period, between the Divine Mercy eclipse on April 8, 2024 and Easter, 2033—the 2000 year anniversary of the Mystery of Golgotha. He noticed that this was a nine-year period, and that the number nine is significant in Catholic mysticism and sacred practice—particularly in the Novena, a nine-day prayer towards a specific devotion or request. He characterized the nine days between Ascension and Pentecost as the archetypal Novena, during which the disciples felt the emptiness of the loss of their Lord, and found the fulfillment of this emptiness on Whitsun, with the descent of the Holy Spirit via the Virgin Mary.
He brought to me the image that in these nine years, perhaps we are living in a kind of extended version of those nine days of absence between Ascension and Pentecost, and that we could collectively turn our hearts and minds to some spiritual content that could carry us through this time.
I suggested to him that we work with the Nine Beatitudes, another archetypal ninefoldness from the Gospels. I have taken excerpts from Valentin Tomberg’s “Lord’s Prayer Course”, as well as his later work Thy Kingdom Come, and divided them into nine meditations for each of the nine beatitudes (81 meditations total). The rhythm within each year that Sam suggested we work with is that of nine successive “First Fridays” (the origin of this devotion is described fully here): a new meditation will be sent out on the first Friday of the month.
In the first year of 2024-25, we focused on the First Beatitude: Blessed are the poor in Spirit, for theirs is the Kingdom of Heaven (see here, where you can find links to all nine meditations from this period). During the second year of 2025-26, we focused our heart, mind and will on the Second Beatitude: Blessed are those who bear suffering, for they shall be comforted (see here, where you can find links to all nine meditations for the 2nd Beatitude). Now, during the third year of 2026-27, we will focus on the Third Beatitude: Blessed are the meek, for they shall inherit the earth.
Robert Powell has described the journey of Christ’s Ego through the nine Hierarchies to the Earth, and then further, into the sub-earthly layers—a process which has taken place over the course of the past 160+ years in relation to the rhythm of Jupiter. We might imagine this nine year period from 2024-33 as a concentrated version of that longer journey. We might call to mind that this Third Beatitude is related to the third layer of the sub-earthly, the “air Earth.” Christ penetrated this layer between 1957-68. It is the mirror reflection of the sphere of Archai above the human being, in which Christ dwelt between 1896-1908: the whole historical drama of these years could live within us during this year (2026-27), as well as the significant spiritual developments that unfolded during this time through individuals like Rudolf Steiner and Peter Deunov. Christ will reascend through this sub-earthly sphere between 2111-23; we also turn our intentions to this future blessing for humanity.
The first step in our meditations on the Third Beatitude comes from Robert Powell’s translation of the Lord’s Prayer Course, available on the Sophia Foundation’s website as pdf (soon to be available in a single volume in print from the decades-long labor of James Wetmore!).
Many blessings to you all,
Joel Matthew Park
Let our meditative work be like a lemniscate (a figure 8). The middle of the figure 8 is the 12-petalled lotus flower (the heart chakra). The top of the figure 8 is the 8-petalled lotus flower, and the bottom is the 4-petalled lotus flower. Morality streams from the 12-petalled lotus flower in the region of the heart into the 8-petalled lotus flower, streaming above to the Father. And then again through the heart down below to the 4-petalled lotus flower in order to fulfill and to unite with the Mother (Life) and to fertilize her with thoughts, to beget from the Spirit. Thus one comes to a twofold stream of prayer: the Our Father directed above, and the Our Mother directed below; the first revivifying death and the second spiritualizing life.
This lays the foundation for the entire work. It is a matter of activating this twofold stream of prayer: the Our Father from the heart (12-petalled lotus) above via the crown chakra (8-petalled lotus) directed to the Father, and the Our Mother from the heart down via the root chakra (4-petalled lotus) directed to the Mother. The 8-petalled lotus, related to the planet Saturn, is the lotus flower of death, and the 4-petalled lotus, related to the Moon, is the lotus flower of life. Here the words, “Our Father, who art in heaven” are complemented by the words, “Our Mother, thou who art in the heart of the earthly realm.”
Rudolf Steiner once had a conversation concerning Shamballa with Countess Johanna von Keyserlingk. There Rudolf Steiner referred to the golden land of Shamballa at the heart of the Earth. To reach this kingdom of the Divine Mother, however, one has to pass through demonic influences. According to Rudolf Steiner: “If one passes through them together with Christ, then the demons are unable to harm one, but otherwise they would be able to destroy one! However, they are able to become our helpers. Yes, this is so. The path is right, but it is very difficult!” This is a reference to the nine sub-earthly spheres inserted between humanity and the kingdom of the Divine Mother. With the nine Beatitudes spoken by Christ at the Sermon on the Mount, nine formulae were given to humanity containing the Christian impulses to counteract the demonic influence of each of the nine sub-earthly spheres. Armed with the nine Beatitudes the means are given for passing through the demonic influences together with Christ. In fact, the nine Beatitudes are part of the School of the Greater Guardian, Jesus Christ.
“Hallowed be thy name”: the spiritualizing of our three bodily sheaths, our three soul natures, and our three spiritual members is the hallowing of thy name. Not only do we lift up our souls to God but the name will be said. The nine Beatitudes are an indication that each spiritualization of a part of the human being is a blessing (Beatitude).
The nine members of the human being:
the three bodily sheaths: physical, etheric, and astral bodies
the three soul natures: sentient, intellectual, and consciousness souls
the three spiritual members: manas, buddhi, and atma
Third Beatitude: Blessed are the meek, for they shall inherit the earth.
The mastering of the astral body. In meekness to behold one’s own life-tableau. Also at the Last Judgement we shall have to be able to do this.
Then we shall “inherit the earth.”
Luke 2:9-15:
Glory (head) – Peace (heart) – Good Will (will) in connection with Buddha.
Buddha possessed pure meekness, which is temperance.
Mastering of the will (temperance).
[This is in the sense of the first of the four Platonic Virtues: Wisdom, Courage, Temperance, and Justice. Wisdom is achieved through the 1st Beatitude, exemplified by Zarathustra. Courage is achieved through the 2nd Beatitude, exemplified by the Virgin Mary. And now we come to Temperance, exemplified by the Buddha. Elsewhere in the Lord’s Prayer Course, Valentin Tomberg associates Wisdom with the Crown, Brow, and Larynx chakras, and with the three priestly vows of Obedience, Chastity, and Poverty respectively. These three vows, when practiced together, become Wisdom. See the 4th, 5th, and 6th Letters from Meditations on the Tarot for a fuller investigation of the three vows. Courage is associated with the Heart chakra, and Temperance with the Solar Plexus chakra—JMP]