Born Free Method: The Podcast Edmund Knighton, PhD (Part 3) - The Holy Nights, Advent, and the Pursuit of Spiritual Freedom
Edmund Knighton, Ph.D., is a seasoned educator, clinical psychologist, and somatic movement practitioner whose multidisciplinary career spans more than three decades. He has engaged through various capacities with Waldorf education for over 35 years, once even serving as the president of Rudolf Steiner College. Drawing on the teachings of Rudolf Steiner, the channeled material of “Ra” from the The Law of One, and somatic/transpersonal psychology, Edmund offers consulting for individuals, organizations, and families (including my own) committed to holistic growth.
You won’t find Edmund on social media, but you can reach out to him by email: Fifthwanderer@gmail.com if you ‘d like to have his support in your home.
In Part 1 of this series with Edmund, we discussed some of the basics around Steiner’s philosophy, the Waldorf pedagogy, a 3- and 4-fold approach to human wellbeing, and we started our venture into autism.
In Part 2, we dove deeper into “autism” but also offered an invitation to consider the extrasensory gifts displayed by many “autistic” children. We also covered vaccines.
In this 3rd part, we will discuss the significance of the Holy Nights, a time of spiritual reflection and preparation leading up to Christmas as well as the days that follow. Edmund explains the Advent spiral and how such practices foster a deeper connection with nature and a sense of freedom. Edmund emphasizes that love can be experienced in both contentment and suffering, and that freedom is a practice developed through challenging experiences.
00:11:30 - How to connect to your heart, darkness retreats, the value of stillness and silence
00:24:00 - The 4 weeks leading up to the advent are dedicated to the mineral, plant, animal, and human realms, in that order. Christmas Eve (the first holy night) is the beginning of the Waldorf advent, an invitation to open and conduct a personal and interpersonal inventory of where you can refine your life. There is also an important connection to the Zodiak during these Holy Nights. The magical number 12.
December 24th - Adam and Eve day, celebration of Adama, the first human, neither male or female, opportunity to reflect on just being
December 25th - Birth Of Jesus, Christmas day, Angels take a step back as the guide to give human beings more freedom
December 26th and beyond (the Holy Nights) - move through the hierarchies, starting with the angels, then to the archangels, and so forth.
January 5th - The final Holy Night
January 6th - The Epiphany (which coincides with orthodox Christmas, but they aren’t the same)
00:46:10 - Studying the spiritual sciences requires us to ask: is this insight leading me closer to or further away from freedom? A lot of criticisms of Steiner’s way of speaking are due to the ways that German people in authority spoke back then along with customs of Victorian times. Is perfection possible?
00:59:55 - What is the purpose of the procession through the Holy Nights ritualistically and how do many Holy Nights practices fall short? It’s the path to freedom (e.g. becoming an ethical individual) through moral imagination, moral intuition, and moral inspiration beyond the 12 senses. This is actually the summation of child development in Steiner’s view.
01:10:00 - Celebrating Christmas with reverence
01:17:00 - Why are the Holidays so stressful? (beyond the obligations, familial stuff, etc.) It’s a part of the spiritual restlessness of this time of year. This is related to bloodlines: you have chosen your family and those with whom you are close as a means of stimulating spiritual growth.
01:26:10 - How do we expand our experience and skillset around the application of love? Love has far greater applications than many of us have been told. Even hatred is an effort to communicate love, albeit an intense and unskillful effort.
Join Edmund alongside Jared Pickard at their upcoming “Being Human” online event, a 12-week cooperative practice rooted in the work of Rudolf Steiner. You’ll be learning directly from Edmund, Asha Nayaswami, Gabby Reece, Eben Britton, Joel Salatin, and more! This cohort begins February 5th. Go HERE for more information!
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References from the conversation:
* Beginner’s guide to Jung’s depth psychology
* More insights on the weeks preceding the advent
* A deeper look at the 12 Holy Nights
Related episodes:
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