Holy Nights: Joan of Arc Her Gifts for Our Time - Video
A year ago today, January 6, 2021, Epiphany, this film was being shown as as part of a beautiful, long prepared honoring festival by Hazel Ginsberg and the group in Chicago for Joan of Arc (who was born on Epiphany). Due to health concerns I was unsure of being able to present live for the event so I made this film instead. Now I am most grateful it came into being. With the voice contributions of my young friends, Kai Seal and Joseph Sesserman it was created in many intense hours over the Holy Nights last year. We feel the effort was blessed. With an odd juxtaposition, this film was being shown for a group particpating in several countries at the same time the capitol was being stormed in Washington, DC. Joan and her magnificent deeds need to be known everywhere now. Nowhere in history do we have more valiant bravery demonstrated or the extraordinary capacity to do the impossible against all odds. We can be further filled with great admiration when we realize Joan had clairvoyant vision and could sense the treachery and betrayal that awaited her for her courage and mission to literally change the world. Her deed was to separate the unholy alliances of the elite who ruled Europe and England and France. The countries were separated to take up the tasks of our age of the Consciousness Soul (1413) and our modern times. A heaven sent emissary, Joan’s spiritual guides sustained her, Micha-el the great Archangel who guides our current age of freedom, cosmopoltian awareness, acceptance of diversity and service to the higher good. Her guiding saints, Catherine and Margaret gave her compassionate solace from the spiritual world amidst the staggering challenges she faced. We know her exact words because her greatest fear came true, she was betrayed, captured, sold to the English and put to trial. They were recorded for posterity. Some of her most inspiring words she gave in the course of her victorious sacrifice for humanity “I was born for this!” We can resonate with the issues of Joan’s day. While the royal elite indulged themselves in a bubble of decadent privilege, the peasants lived in near starvation. The land was lawless terrain with robber bands terrorizing the population when they travelled. For over 100 years they suffered and word spread among the people that France would “be lost a woman saved by a maid.” Joan was hailed by multitudes of the common people who loved her and looked to her for salvation Everything about her biography is unexplainable with earthly materialistic conjecture. It can only be appreciated with a spiritual picture of aid from higher sources. Brilliant in military strategy, sublimely adroit as she countered ruthless interrogation in trial courts mean to destroy her, as a child she was just a simple unlettered peasant girl. Born to pious and poor parents, she was diligent in her duties to mind the flocks, to card and spin the wool to serve their modest household. More serious than her playmates, her inner life was deep and rich. She spend hours daily in mass at the nearby church, and daily fell to her knees in the fields as the church bells rang out Angelus, praying to the holy mother and for the welfare of those less fortunate than herself. It would be a vengeful church Bishop who would later try to condemn her to death as a witch. In the trials, through repetitious torturous interrogation, she fell ill and was tricked into signing a confession recanting her testimony. But she re aligned and made her triumphant ascent back into the spiritual world. Surely there were vast heavenly legions to welcome her magnificent deeds for humanity… thus she remains in our world culture even in our times in vibrant and beloved remembrance to this day. She stands for the courage and inspiration that we, too, may be instruments for the holy good to come into the evolution of humanity. Even if ours are small un remarked deeds to change, together may we have the courage and spiritual faith to help change the course of history for our time. Joan of Arc reminds us that we, too, chose to be born for our time. Nancy Jewel Poer, January 6, 2022 Holy Nights...
