The constellation Aquarius is called ‘The Man in the Heavens’. The Masters of Wisdom recognised him as the archetype of man and called him Manu. The Heavenly Man has descended into the forms of the many human beings. As Manu, he leads mankind to perfection in accordance with the spiral movement of evolution. Master EK describes this development as spirally moving hieroglyphs.

In Aquarius it is recommended to meditate upon the glittering body of the Heavenly Man and how the stars of the constellation emanate forth the light of spiritual realization. Within us, the light pours down through all centres from the point of Aquarius at the top of the forehead.

The picture shows the light streaming down from the head of the Heavenly Man. A spiral comes forth from his heart. The background of the picture shows the hieroglyphs of a piece of the Tabula Smaragdina (Emerald Tablet). In this text Hermes Trismegistos taught the relationship between man and the Heavenly Man with the words “As above, so below”.

The predominant colour of the painting is between deep blue and violet. It is described as the colour of Aquarius. The actual colour appears as colourless to the human eye, since the human eye cannot recognise this colour. At the upper left corner, you see the stars of the constellation Aquarius and on the right side the Aquarius glyph.

The symbolism of Aquarius is visualised in the eleven Aquarius paintings done between 2010 and 2020. For detailed detailed descriptions please see the ludgerphilips.org website.

A friend just shared this beautiful “Hogmanay“, a Scottish word for New Year Celebration. It is a drone ballet filmed due to Covid19 restrictions on locations in the Scottish Highlands and partly placed into shots taken around Edinburgh. The Hogmanay is a farewell to the old year and a welcome to the new one, accompanied with poetic words spoken in Scottish and Gaelic and subtitled. Sublime!

Already in the past, I had blogged about drone ballets such as “Weightless“.

Once a month I am meeting via Zoom with the Anima team to discuss the development of the Anima channel. Two days ago, we exchanged about activities that can offer to the Anima community the role of participants and not only that of spectators.

This is a most fundamental issue, especially in spiritual development. Anima is giving in a free and modern way information and inspiration about spiritual topics to an interested community via the web & social media. The team is now reflecting on how to take up suggestions from the community to introduce meetings and do meditations, as a step to a deeper interaction. We discussed different challenges and how to deal with them. One was continuity and how much the team can integrate in their already high level of ongoing activities.

In general, it takes a very long time for people to come from being a spectator and information consumer to an inner commitment – “yes, I feel this is good for me and I will commit myself to this direction”. And later, to commit also to some activity, and again much later to take over a responsibility. There are many mental barriers to overcome – “I cannot; I have no time; I have not the needed skills; I’m not good enough; I don’t want to get into conflicts…”

It might take months or even years from feeling an impulse to taking a step of going deeper and to find the right direction. At least, this was my experience. How to get into an involvement with a group can go through much “trial and error”. Waiting for the right thing is fine but being ready inwardly finally needs to express into some action.
To find one’s place is a process of inner searching, orienting and following impulses. It is not someone else telling me, please do this or that. I have to do it myself, because I feel the impulse within. Even if someone proposes or asks me to do something, there needs to be the inner readiness.

I very slowly, over 2-3 decades, came into communication activities and responsibilities, via lot of translation work. It was a good mental training. The commitment grew and expressed in an increasing number of communication and coordination activities, mainly via the web. I had to learn many skills which were not there at the beginning, but I needed them for the work.
Although there were impulses from the outside, the decisions were to be taken inside. Looking back, it seems like an organic growth, but I didn’t experience it like this for a long time. It was a slow but consistent development.

But if you want to grow spiritually, it is essential that “you put yourself into the fire”. Staying outside means, remaining cold or lukewarm. You need to kindle your fire and keep it burning. This way, you are going ahead and you are also giving warmth to those around.

Last Monday, Winter Solstice, getting up like every day around 20 to 5, taking a shower, doing some asanas and preparing for breakfast. But the solstice energy was already very much in my awareness, a very special moment of the year. At the longest night, in the Northern hemisphere, when the Sun enters Capricorn and is about to begin its seeming northern journey until Cancer., it is helpful to lift oneself up from matter to spirit.

The morning meditation was the WTT group gathering via Zoom – a new ritual since the beginning of the “Corona age”. This morning with a nice solstice video presentation prepared by the Spanish communication team.

After breakfast, when I was about to leave the apartment, my little granddaughter, who had surprisingly come the night before, came out of the bedroom and asked me, “Where are you going?” “I have told you yesterday that today I will meet with some friends at the Paracelsus centre to celebrate Winter Solstice”. I explained to her that from today on, the darkest day of the year. the days will start becoming lighter again. And that there is a rhythm of the earth, so that we will come again to summer. in six months. “Ah, that’s how it is”, she said with wonder in her words; “see you tonight again”.

I picked up Mathilda at the train station. When we were about to enter the highway, we saw a strong orange light behind the forest. I changed direction and we drove to a little hill behind a nearby shopping mall. There was a breathtaking view of the Bernese Alps – a grand panorama. We greeted the solstice sun and received the golden light into us.

It was a short moment and the colours started quickly fading again when we took the highway. Soon it was grey all around and later foggy. About two hours later we arrived at the Sihlsee near Einsiedeln. Here, winter was still around.

We turned into the little side road and soon arrived at the Paracelsus centre. In the past years, we had frequently met there at winter solstice, but this year, for a longer time, it was not sure if we could do so. The day before, Austria closed its frontiers to Switerland, and so our Austrian friends could not come. Others also had withdrawn due to the present situation. But since the present Swiss regulations allow such little meetings with due hygiene measures, we decided to keep up with the ritual. And two other friends joined us at the Paracelsus centre – putting on masks.

Inside, we arranged a little altar with some fir twigs, flowers and candles. We we started with a small candle ritual and meditation.

It was a special day: 21 years ago, three times seven, in December 1999, the centre had been inaugurated by Master Kumar with a seminar on Paracelsus and his ways of healing. There was much snow around when the entire seminar group came in small batches from Einsiedeln to the centre. It is located above a restaurant, where we took lunch together. Exchanging about it brought back the souvenirs.

Now, at winter solstice, we read about “Sun’s Grandeur” and the ritual of Deergha Tamas (PDF), in the book on “Sun” by Master Kumar, p. 131ff, which is related to the mystery of winter solstice (see also the hymn in Appendix 1).

After the noon meditation, our two friends had to leave already. We prepared lunch and later did a promenade in the nearby area.

The path was full of snow and ice and there was profound silence around. A pale winter sun shone through the trees.

At one place we could see the house of the Paracelsus centre with the bridge.

Later, we did an inventory of the books in the centre and had an exchange. After evening meditation, the journey back home started. There was a strong rain and the lights on the highway were glittering on the street.

When I came back home, my little granddaughter was still awake. My wife told me that she wanted to wait for me. And so I told her about the day before going to sleep.

Capricorn is symbolically represented with the face of a goat (Capra) and the coiled tail of an animal; it stands for Chronos-Saturn, the ruler of Capricorn. The focus and aim of Capricorn is the mountain top. His qualities are a strong, unwavering will, constant diligence, patience, and unceasing striving toward the goal. May the power of Saturn be helpfully at our side so that we may patiently continue our journey on the path upward even through difficult terrains.

The symbolism of Capricorn is visualised in the eleven Capricorn paintings done between 2010 and 2020. For detailed detailed descriptions please see the ludgerphilips.org website.

Since ancient-most times, rituals for the birth of the Saviour have been performed on the winter solstice. The Sun is seen as the Saviour who brings life and consciousness to all living beings. The red rays of the morning sun look like the blood of the Sun and are regarded as ‘the Blood of the Saviour’. The seers say that when this light falls on our body, it is a very good opportunity to heal diseases of the blood and to purify our consciousness, especially in the month of Capricorn.

From the winter solstice onwards, the sun begins his apparent journey northwards. This time is very suitable for exercises to align to the subtle planes and to elevate us to the supramundane.

To visualize the transparency of subtle matter, I took pictures of a rock crystal in front of a candle flame. I arranged it as a pyramid-shaped mountain top. The pyramid indicates the four cardinal points of the cardinal cross. For the background I worked with the photo of a sunrise Christmas 2017 on the flight from Delhi to Bangalore. For the figure of the meditator on the mountain top I used the bronze figure of a Kashmiri in meditation, by Malvina Hoffman, Museum Chicago (Wikimedia). The rising sun is also in the heart centre of the meditator.

The symbolism of Capricorn is visualised in the eleven Capricorn paintings done between 2010 and 2020. For detailed detailed descriptions please see the ludgerphilips.org website.

Three weeks ago, we had the annual General Assembly of the World Teacher Trust-Global for the year 2019. Normally, a general assembly is a matter of duty for associations. But this is not a “normal” association and the general assemblies neither are. And this year, it was very special, and I’ll tell a bit about it from my perspective.

Just some words about the background for those who are not familiar with the WTT:
The Spiritual Hierarchy is an expression of the one teaching principle in many forms. It includes every Master of Wisdom that guided the humanity on the planet. They are models and we try to live their teachings. There was an impulse received by Master EK (Dr E. Krishnamacharya) 50 years ago. It led to the foundation of the World Teacher Trust (WTT) in November 1971. This organisation is meant to help organising the activities of people who are inspired by the lives and teachings of the great Teachers of Eternal Wisdom. Master EK was the founder, assisted by Master KPK (Dr K. Parvathi Kumar), who is today’s president.

The impulse led to an “offspring” with a focus in the Western hemisphere, the WTT-Global. Its formation took place in Geneva in August 1983. Its seat continued to be in Switzerland. The executive members were always mainly Swiss, especially for practical organisational reasons. I was called into the Executive Board in May 2002. Thus, since 18 years, I am involved in organising and conducting the annual general assemblies.

Since it is a global association, the assemblies also were global – we met at special places in different European countries, in Argentina, Brazil and last year at Mount Shasta in California. It was always in connection with tours and seminars of Master KPK. (When writing “Master”, I must say that I was hesitating for many years to use this term, especially not when speaking to a general public. However, through long observations and experiences, I find it appropriate to use it here.)

In California, it was decided to do the next general assembly for 2019 in Visakhapatnam, India on 31 December 2020, since there would be no more global travels of the Master. And then the pandemia came. But at the same time the virtual collaboration dashed forth, especially with Zoom meetings. An incredible speed-up of global networking took place. In the global crisis, the global distances in a way disappeared.

A year ago it became clear that WTT-Global needed a new organisational set-up. First thoughts were discussed during the seminar January 2020 in India. In the coming months, big challenges came up with the disease of the Master and the passing of Kumari-garu, his wife who was an outstanding being though she kept very much in the background (I didn’t blog about it up to now).

After the return of the Master end of May / June, he quickly took up again the work. We had some Zoom meetings where he explained that the pandemic has caused a lift-up, and we connect now much more effectively through electronic communication. We find group consciousness and connect in our work for goodwill, even for the next incarnations. He proposed that we enlarge the Executive Board and the Advisory Board of WTT-Global by including representatives from every major group and thus form a synthesis of the WTT group.

He outlined the Next Generation project. It was envisioned by Master EK in 1976: This group should be called the “Youth of the Universe” (YOU) in the WTT all over the world. They belong to a generation which has a different way of expression. We should identify these young people, find out what they are doing and what are their ideas – not only about the teachings but their ideas about family, the economics, social and spiritual dimensions. We try to assist them if they are willing to fulfil some ideas coming from the teachings which they have heard, and which they are living.

Another project launched is Digital Archives. Its purpose is to collect all the teachings, writings and related videos, audios, pictures that have been gathered in various groups all over the globe. A team is now working to see how the vast material can be stored and accessed via electronic media. I was proposed to coordinate. Another team was formed which is responsible for organizing the Zoom meetings.

It quickly became clear that the general assembly cannot be held in India, and so we decided to do it in Brunnen, Switzerland, the seat of WTT-Global, with a global virtual participation. We had to deal with some organisational and technical challenges but finally we physically met with a small group at a hotel on the borders of Lake Lucerne on 23 November and a much bigger number attending via Zoom. It was a very beautiful day.

As an association, the WTT-Global is a legal person. It is like a personality for expressing the spiritual impulse in the physical. There were legal matters to be discussed for anchoring the activities through decisions by the assembly. This is not a dry matter but in all these matters you feel the living spiritual presence. And this will form the basis for tangible activity in the years to come.

A highlight were again the closing words of the Master, rounding up and giving an outlook: “We’ll continue the work and we tend to be silent relating to this work and enable its permeation as planned in the Higher Circles. Don’t think of our propagating it. … We don’t propagate but we make them available. That’s the way by which truth-seekers will any way find the teachings of the Hierarchy right from ancient most times. And that will continue and we should not do this work with overenthusiasm, which is common with new entrants. It should be done with considerate thoughts, and make sure that it is available to those who are looking for it….
You find so many things happening. This is only highly encouraging for all of us because it is happening. Up to a point we do, later it has to happen. Up to a point we do, later it takes hold of us and leads us into higher realms….”

After the meeting the group gathered for some time in the home at the seat of WTT-Global. There was a magic ambiance – some cheerful exchanges, a short meditation. When we started the journey back, the moon in its 10th ascending phase was radiating from over the mountains and reflecting in the waters of the lake.

Photos from the General Assembly meeting in Brunnen, Switzerland

At one point, the correspondence with my young Indian friend touched the question of ethical issues in microdosing psycho-drugs, esp. Psilocybin. The illustrations are from a walk along the Aare river in the municipality where I am living – not related to the content.

My friend wrote: “I don’t remember if I told you this previously but I started researching on microdosing of Psilocybin to see if it can be used to treat psychological problems like postpartum. It’s a very exciting study and with a lot of luck I’ll probably be able to do a clinical trial to study its performance. Please let me know if you sense any ethical issues with the aim of this study.”

My answer: “As per Psilocybin / ‘Magic Mushrooms’: Microdosing might be an interesting field of research. Here in Switzerland a psychiatrist team officially got permission to experiment with microdosing LSD. (I had done self-experiments with LSD, about 10 trips in 1973-74, before starting meditation; for 3 years at that time, I also smoked a lot of hash – I felt attracted to the Hippie movement and ‘expansion of consciousness’.)
It is difficult to understand the long-term impacts. Depression seems to be a problem related to missing soul contact. I do not clearly know about the subtle effects of psycho-drugs but it seems that they have effects of tearing apart subtle etheric veils.

The brain is the instrument for the soul to incarnate through, built by the Lords of Form (Lunar Pitris), and it took very long to develop the right forms for the souls to enter. When these forms are somehow affected, the expression cannot be stable or is seriously hampered.
If microdosing helps to remove blockages must be studied in such experiments – ask for inner guidance the inner team of healers as per such experiments.
I know from the trance work of my wife that she had success to a certain degree with treating depression – in the process, she is ‘taking the place of the soul’, triggering the soul contact of the patient who is not able to hold it him/herself); but in serious cases it needs treatment with psychopharmaka. It is certainly worthwhile researching if psilocybin opens new vistas.
So I don’t see ethical issues as such but try to stay in inner contact with the processes initiated.”

She answered: “For a while, I had the feeling of the presence of an inner guide. It was not the / a Master, maybe an elder helper. In the Tibetan’s books it is described that elder disciples help the younger ones from inside; this reminds me of a message Master KPK sent us recently. He said that seniors help juniors. The way your wife has a team of inner doctors helping, I hope I’ll get a team of pharmacologists, clinical researchers, statisticians and neurologists to help me advance my research on psychedelics.
I was repeatedly thinking of this ‘joke’ in my mind and then a thought came out of nowhere. It said, ‘Wisdom wasn’t given to Madam HPB for free. She had to take a very tough training before becoming capable of receiving all that wisdom’.
This thought felt like a gentle slap in my face. I understood that I should first be worthy of guidance to receive it and this totally makes sense.”

The fire sign of Sagittarius is related to focused alignment. The Sagittarius energy teaches us to direct all forces to a noble goal. It is considered a very spiritual time and is a highway to the Light. Lord Krishna says in the Bhagavad Gita, “Among the zodiacal signs I AM Sagittarius. Among the moon phases I AM the eleventh moon phase”. The eleventh ascending moon phase in Sagittarius is the climax, where the gates of heaven open for the experience of the cosmic consciousness. It is called the Day of Synthesis, of Narayana. This year it starts Tuesday 24 November at 10:12 am CET.

The symbolism of Sagittarius is visualised in the eleven Sagittarius paintings done between 2010 and 2020. For detailed detailed descriptions please see the ludgerphilips.org website.

In the correspondence with my young Indian friend we spoke about the demise of Sri Kumar’s wife during his stay in hospital in April (I did not blog about it) and she asked: “Will another Master in human form guide us after him”?

I replied: “Hierarchy is always guiding the earnest seekers. Master Kumar and the Tibetan Master said that there will be a new phase of the work of Hierarchy starting in 2025. There was a first phase of externalisation of the work beginning with H.P. Blavatsky, then a second phase with Alice A. Bailey / The Tibetan Master. For about 50 years, roughly from 1975 to 2025, there are Master EK and Master KPK as major exponents of the third phase, and then, with the new revelation going on, we will see…. Now, we are preparing for the transition, in many ways.”

She answered: “You are right about the revelation of a new phase in 2025. Even exoteric astrologers are predicting some majors paradigm shifts after 2024. I am very excited to see what will happen.”

My reply: “Over the last decades, there were often speculations / prognoses about great paradigm shifts – they came but not necessarily like expected, like 2012. Before, I “survived” several announced global catastrophes – but as the Masters say, we don’t know what Hierarchy does to prevent most of these.

But for 2025 and beyond, I feel an intense global boiling point rising, also in the more silent spheres of consciousness awakening. The last 50 years, which I consciously witnessed, were already a great speed-up. Here, vegetarianism and veganism have become part of mainstream trends – in the 70s people in my family thought us crazy and neglecting health when my friends and I started with vegetarian diet experiments, leaving away all meat and more.

As per expectations of catastrophes, I mentioned my 2008 blog-post about “Dealing with Prophesies” and wrote that I have survived a number of announced global catastrophes (she asked for a list – I don’t give it here…).

I don’t deride it. Hollywood has visualised many such scenarios…
It says that Spiritual Hierarchy is working hard to divert impending dangers and many seeds of disasters have been eliminated on the subtle and causal planes so that they did not manifest on the physical plane. And we, ignorantly, feel safe, happily playing our lives without any thought of what has been around.

At the same time (at the moment of writing) the protests of “Fridays for Future” are going on, with “Extinction Rebellion” or youth protests warning of global warming and flooding coastal countries and causing desertification.

I keep things which I cannot understand in my ‘inner broom closet’, trying not to judge but also not to close my eyes.

This post is again illustrated by photos from the excursion to the Creux du Van near Neuchâtel – not related to the content – showing groups of beech trees standing closely together like families and looking like one tree.