THE AGE OF CHRIST

THE AGE OF CHRIST

July 25, 2023 | NEWS

July 25th is called ‘The Day Out of Time’ according to the Mayan science of time. It’s Moon Calendar closes 13 moons of 28 days = 364 days. But the galactic year contains an extra day, the 365th day, which is the last day of the Mayan calendar. And as this day is thus free of time, it’s said to be charged with spiritual energy and with an atypical opening of ‘energy portals’, which allows a more intense connection with the spiritual world. It is thus celebrated by people of all cultures who recognize the importance of a natural reckoning of time. Now if you’re open to the idea, it is kind of interesting that a unique event happend 78 years back on this special day out of time!

WEDNESDAY JULY 25th 1945

The unique event encompassed a lecture held in a small historical theatre called ‘Diligentia’. To give you an idea of the scenery, this building is located in the old center of The Hague, the Netherlands. At this moment of time when the lecture was given, almost three months had passed after the end of the second world war (Dutch liberation day is on the fifth of May).

At the time there was no internet, nor television, nor a local radio broadcasting station (as during the war, free speech and music was forbidden). And the population on top of that had sufferend from prolongued hunger and starvation during the long cold ‘hunger winter’ and the horrors of the war. Yet more than 700 people had gathered to attend a lecture held by Dutch author Jozef Rulof.

Jozef Rulof
(february 20, 1998 – november 3, 1952)

A HISTORICAL BUILDING

Not everybody could fit in the Diligentia theatre, a historical building constructed in the 16th century, which only had the capicity to hold 500 people. Thus there was a long cue outside of the building, spilling over into the wide avenue. This street is called ‘Lange Voorhout’.

The way Diligentia looks now in this day and age.
(Source picture: Joris, CC BY-SA 3.0
https :// creativecommons .org/licenses/by-sa/3.0
via Wikimedia Commons. The picture is altered to make its appearance neutral).

Actually, because the lecture took place in this building, where theatre Diligentia is still housed today, it is interesting to first elaborate a little bit more on this venue for it’s historical perspective.

In 1793 Diligentia was called the ‘Society for the Practice of Experimental Philosophy’, later it became the ‘Society for Physics and Literature’. In 1953 the designation ‘Royal’ was granted. The building was originally a Patrician house from around 1645, with a building from 1561 behind it. The associated ‘Coach house’ was on the Hoge Nieuw street.

A ‘Coach house’ is a building in which carriages are kept, often belonging to a country house, a castle or as it is here to a city house. These often have stables or stables attachted to the Coach house.
(source: https :// nl.wikipedia.org/wiki/ Koetshuis)

In 1805, the sixteenth-century building and the outbuildings behind it on the Hoge Nieuw street, were demolished. The current building was then erected on this spot, which was given the name ‘Diligentia Society’. A second society named ‘Concert in Diligentia’ was founded in 1821 for larger musical performances, although concerts were given earlier.

Illustration of the Lange Voorhout street
in the year 1756, The Hague, Netherlands.
(Source: Antiquariaat Mefferat-de Jonge)

In previous centuries, horse-drawn carriages drove here where the nobility resided in the elegant ornamental city buildings on either side of the broad avenue, with a lane and stately trees in the middle.

857 LECTURES

But back to the lecture given by Jozef Rulof in Diligentia, it was the first of many to be held afterwards. 857 lectures to be precise! So let’s share first a little bit more of Jozef’s background. These also took place in other venues and cities in the Netherlands and abroad. The latter included those held in the United States of America to which Rulof travelled several times, such as in the Carnegie Hall in New York, and the Hotel Barbizon-Plaza Art Gallery where he exhibited a few of his many paintings.

There was also an event in New-Hope for the benefit of a cancer control fund, and then Philadelphia (televison broadcast), and New Jersey (radio station), Herald Tribune (newspaper), the city Rochester, and Solon in Florida (where his brother Hendrik resided who owned a large hotel, Rulof held an exhibition there too).

Carnegie Hall in New York, where Jozef Rulof held a lecture advertised here in the building’s poster boards.

14 BOOK TITLES, 27 BOOKS

Jozef Rulof wrote 14 book titles, but a few of these consist of three volumes, resulting in a sum total of 27 books. There’s also a large book as a catalogue with many of his paintings depicted. This book is assembled by others, but it’s a wanna have and thus makes the colletion into 28 books.

READ THE BOOKS ONLINE

Here you can read the books online in several languages: Nederlands (Dutch), English (English), Deutsch (German), Espano (Spanish), Francais (French) and Portugues (Portugese). It takes about a year to read all 27! The physical books can also be ordered online. It is predicted that in the future, all peoples will have these books on their bookshelves.

A VIEW INTO THE HEREAFTER

It should be mentioned that it is recommended to read Jozef Rulof’s books in the following order that they have been written. This is because there is a slow build up of information which enters ever deeper layers, that can be better understood when one follows Rulof’s own gradual development therein.

Thus it is best to start with his first book: A View into the Hereafter. This book is of such an incredible depth and beauty with profound revelations, that after reading it, many find their lives changed forever. And those 700 attendees in Diligentia had read this first book, and some of his other books.

One can download it as PDF for Computer or with E-READER for Mobile and Tablet:

A View into the Hereafter
(Click on link to open PDF on computer)
Here the layout of the text is fixed, best viewed on a computer screen.

A View into the Hereafter
(Click on link to open E-reader in ePub format for either Computer, Mobile and Tablet)
Here the layout of the text is not fixed, so the line length adapts to the width of your reader. If you wish to read an ePub on different devices such as Mobile and Tablet you will need a free ePub reader, like Calibre.

The printed books can also be bought by ordering them in your local bookshop or online through the
webshop of the publisher

PEOPLE WANT TO KNOW

Thus most of the people in the audience at Diligentia were curious to learn more about what mr. Rulof had to say. Especially because during the war, life had been very low key for everyone, and there was a lot of suffering and misery.

People wanted to know now: How or What and most of all Why?
Why did we have to suffer through this most horrible war?
But… there were also among the audience those only looking for sensation, because the content of Rulof’s books is rather unusual and for those thrill seekers of course controversial.

OPENING OF THE AGE OF CHRIST

Nevertheless, at this very first lecture that Jozef Rulof held, he introduced:
‘The Opening of The Age of Christ’.
And it probably should be mentioned, there were many bold statements made. Therefore it also should be explained at this point, that the author was inspired to write his books by those who live in the afterlife and who have evolved into a higher state of consiousness and evolution….. So yeah, that’s a bit unusual if you’ve never heard of this before.

And it could be the controversial part right there if you can’t accept we all are born at different times: at different years, epochs and even eras, and there’s such a thing as an afterlife in the first place!

In his books however it is thoroughly explained how Rulof was able to write in such a way, and how he was divinely led to also paint artisticly, hold lectures and much, much more.

Therefore it is stated in his books that his work encompasses spiritual scientific knowledge, which is given to us from the highest authority and mentor Jesus Christ. It is also explained how many people both on Earth and from Beyond are working together to bring about this great work, in order to uplift humanity.

SPIRITUAL SCIENTIFIC SOCIETY THE AGE OF CHRIST

For that purpose, Jozef Rulof also founded
The Spiritual Scientific Society ‘THE AGE OF CHRIST’.
The foundation has been officially registered on the 13th of September 1946 at The Hague in the Netherlands, Europe.

The original document of the registration of the foundation was signed by Jozef Rulof (chair), Leonard Uittenbogaard (secretary), the two witnesses Jan Hendrik Meijer and Johannes Schouten, and Gerard Cornelis Corporaal (civil-law notary in The Hague). Also approved by inspector Smit and a stamp and signature of cicil-law notary J.J. van Heyst or Leyst at ‘s-Gravenhage (The Hague).

The aim of the Spiritual Scientific Society The Age Of Christ has been given to Jozef Rulof by his spiritual leaders. It is formulated in the statutes of the Society as follows:

The aim of ‘The Spiritual Scientific Society,
The Age Of Christ’:

*******

The spreading of the teachings in word and scriptures through the astral Masters by means of their instrument Josephus Gerhardus Rulof -or others designated by those masters’ appointed and build-up contacts-, which has been and will be donated to the Earth,
. . .
And through urging the masses to indeed profess these teachings in The Age of Christ,
which has now started after the most devastating war ever,
. . .
To deliver a fiery and valuable contribution
to the establishment of the Kingdom of God on Earth.

*******

Read that again. Amen!


Also in the statutes one can read the following: 

“The foundation will try to achieve the goal by publishing books, brochures and magazines, organizing lectures, lectures and other gatherings, exhibiting paintings and (porcelain) plates and distributing or selling them, and in general by all lawful means that may be conducive to the purpose of the foundation. 

The funds of the foundation will consist, in addition to the previously described downpayment of  f100,- guldens (previous valuta in the Netherlands), of the proceeds of the books, brochures and magazines to be published by the foundation, of the proceeds of the lectures, recitations or other meetings to be organized by the foundation, the proceeds of the exhibitions of paintings and (porcelain) plates to be organized by the foundation and the proceeds from the sale of paintings and plates, and also in gifts, bequests and/or legacies of interested parties, and from any other income of the foundation. The board decides on the funds.” 

After Jozef Rulof passed over to the other realm, a new board had been formed. Up to today there have been three succesive boards. They have altered the original aim of the foundation, as well as some other aspects in the statutes of the society. They have been succesfull though in running the foundation with its aims. It is predicted in the books however that the society will be managed by the Dutch government in the future.

THE PAINTINGS

Jozef painted hundreds of paintings on large canvasses, but also on small porcelain plates. Below is some footage of an exhibition in 2012 in the city ‘Vlissingen’ in the southern province ‘Zeeland’ of the Netherlands. Among those paintings were 77 paintings that recently came back to the society from several sources in the USA.

(I have attended this exhibition together with friends and the work is truly mesmerizing, very impressive! Even more so when one knows what was behind it all. Also the restauration work has very skillfully been done (as these paintings have been stored in several places for around 74 years, some of these spaces were damp sheds or dusty rooms. Now not even a huge sum of money can buy them, not even for a Rembrandt or Van Gogh!).

‘CENTURY’ OR ‘AGE’?

The Dutch name giving of the Society is:

Geestelijk Wetenschappelijk Genootschap-
“De Eeuw van Christus”.

The Dutch word ‘Eeuw’ has been translated as ‘Age’. However, an ‘eeuw’ stands for a century of 100 years. Interestingly, the English word ‘century’ even stems from the French ‘cent’ which means hundred!

But an age is a certain period of history (such as ‘the Dutch golden age’ spanning from 1588 to 1672, thus not necessarily 100 years, or ‘the iron age’ which has no clear definition of beginning or ending and spans hundreds of years based on archeological finds of primitive wrought iron objects worldwide).

Than also the word ‘era’ comes to mind. Is there a difference between ‘age’ and ‘era’?  They can be interpreted the same, or can’t they?
An era is a set of years which is counted from a particular point in time and covers a span of time defined for the purposes of chronology or historiography. These can be for regnal eras, or a celendar era, or geoglogical eras. For instance: The Christian era is counted from the birth of Christ, on which our current era or calendar is based in the sense of the numbering of all years since.

Thus an era is considered a very long period of time in the history of Earth or of human society, especially as marked by events or developments of a particular kind, into which an eon can be divided into epochs.

An eon or aeon is a period of time too long to be measured (such as the Phaneroxoic eon which is divided into the Paleozoic, Mesozoic and Cenozoic eras). But it can also be translated as era, age, epoch, and eternity. Go figure!

In Dutch language. For ‘era’ or ‘age’ we would use the word ‘tijdperk’. So this can be a period much longer than 100 years.

And thus many readers of Jozef Rulof’s books have been debating over the proper translation of the word ‘eeuw’, although in one of his books in original Dutch language the English naming of ‘the age of Christ’ was included. However, this English naming wasn’t translated in the Dutch name of the society where age is written as eeuw (thus century), which Jozef Rulof founded himself.

So could the Dutch word ‘eeuw’ as ‘century’ than be understood in more than one meaning? The marked beginning of this so called ‘Age of Christ’ can in fact be traced back to the opening date on the 25th of July in 1945. But as we know, Christ lived already longer before that, and came to Earth more than 2000 years ago in order to aid humanity, His Lifetime of which the Bible is still one of its artifacts. Yet this date of July 25 1945 was specifically chosen for the opening of this special century, or the start of this special age. So we probably might take note of that!

Jozef with his books and paintings in New York. His brother Antoon to the far right with wife and kids, and other visitors.

Because due to the drastic changes that have taken place during the last decades, such as in our society, in our technology, in our economy, and in our climate, it looks like we have learned and gained a lot of knowledge, but are we using this vast development for the benefit of all?

Somewhere in Jozef Rulof’s books is written that ‘this century will be remembered by humanity till the end of times on this planet’ (not the actual quote, not sure in which book).
This remembrance might be due to the impact of events and the evolution it’ll bring to our society, to humanity and our planet.

So yeah, in such a case this ‘century’ will have a long lasting effect and thus automatically evolves into an ‘age’ and would last much longer as a vast era, and seen from a spiritual perspective will last ‘ad infinitum’.

Hendrik, Jozef and Antoon

JOZEF’S BROTHERS IN USA

Three of Jozef’s six siblings moved to the USA prior to the war, of which one, Gerrit, died during the war (it’s kind of odd, but while fishing in a small boat, a big fish pulled him under, and he drowned). When Jozef visited his two other brothers in the USA Hendrik and Antoon (also named ‘Teun’), they hadn’t seen each other in 16 years.

It was right after the war and his brothers noticed how emaciated Jozef looked due to the ‘hunger winter’ he and his wife Anna Fuchs (Austrian) just went through. And then gradually his brothers learned about the books he’d written, the paintings he’d made and the lectures he gave, and they were both very impressed.

JEUS INFO

There’s a site where one can read more about
Jozef Rulof’s life and the many events therein. It doesn’t deal though with the actual content or message of the extensive work of Jozef Rulof. But a little bit of visual material can be seen such as pictures of himself, his wife and family members as well as other items such as documents and events and venues, all put in a chronological timeline (best viewed on a computer screen).

This can be helpful to clarify things and to place them in their historical context. The timeline itself hasn’t been translated in English.

The name ‘Jeus’ is a nickname by which Jozef’s mother ‘Crisje’ and his siblings used to call him in Dutch dialect language the ‘Gelders plat’, stemming from the province Gelderland where he was born, south east of the Netherlands.

CONTRIBUTING TO THE CAUSE

Jozef’s brothers in the USA wanted to contribute to the cause and raised money from their own pockets. Teun used all his savings and Hendrik even sold his house together with his vast fruit orchard to fund the translation and printing of one of Jozef’s books ‘Peoples Of The Earth’ in English.

After they had accomplished this, they send the books to ‘all the great ones of the earth’ (as such written). A few were mentioned in Rulof’s books: Harry Truman (33th president of the USA at the time, Winston Churchill (British politician and prime minister of the United Kingdom), the Dutch queen Wilhelmina, and George Marshall (U.S. Secretary of State/Defence, Diplomat, wrote the Marshall recovery plan after the war).

But literally hundreds of books were send all over the world by Jozef’s brothers. They continued doing this after Jozef returned to the Netherlands. So by now, 78 years later, many many people internationally have read these amazing and sacred books.

KNOW THYSELF

Please do not think of this work lightly. One should read the entire book series in order to give an appropriate judgement. It might take time to understand it all and absorb the content on a spiritual level.
It also might be a challenge to understand ourselves more profoundly with the new insights we’ve gained through these books, for as far as we are capable of the mentioned ‘Know Thyself’ therein.

And although the books are written in a very loving language, with the deepest and most profound understanding and compassion for our human consiousness and evolution, it should be mentioned that the information touches ALL aspects of life. There’ll be deep insights in human suffering, including that of our own, which can be confrontational, saddening and scary at times.

For instance, spiritual laws have been explained such as the law of ‘Karma’ and the law of ‘Cause and Effect’. We’re all subject to it.
But there is also an amazing revelation regarding our ‘twin-souls’, as we all have one. Did you know that? It’s ‘the one and only’, but he or she might have been born on the other side of the planet among a different people, and we might not meet him or her for many lifetimes, as we have to serve others because of our cause and effect, which we have created ourselves. But one day those ‘twin-sparks’ will meet again and be united.

So it’s a journey, and we’re all on our way to live forever happily after, by learning more about our true nature and the cosmic laws described in the books, and by just doing the best we can. Like doing the right thing. Right!? But first and foremost:

Our hope is in Jesus Christ the Most High, Our Lord and Savior.

Margreet Otto Wilschut

Copy & paste this link for family and friends:
https://margreetotto.net/en/the-age-of-christ/

Below are copies of the original document of the founding of the Spiritual Scientific Society “The Age of Christ”. These consist of 1 cover page and 4 document pages.
(I requested these in person from the Chamber of Commerce on July 19th, 2007).

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FREE AT LAST

FREE AT LAST

May 5, 2021 | NEWS

Today the 5th of May was Liberation Day in The Netherlands. And yesterday I watched television with my mother at Remembrance Day on the Dam Square in Amsterdam. We had done the same the previous year, and both times it was a virtually empty Dam because of the alleged pandemic that is rife worldwide. Hence it gave a strange feeling, because many of us in The Netherlands don’t feel that free anymore, compared to, let’s say, just over a year ago.

Yet again, it was a special event, registered with beautiful camera footage, with an overview of part of the center around the Dam, filmed from a high point. And even a rainbow broke through the dark clouds and gave its edges a beautiful multiple coloured ‘silver-lining’. Had never seen it before this way! It felt as special, almost as a sign from above, as far as I am concerned: for the whole of the Netherlands, and perhaps even for the whole world…

However, for my mother and me it was doubly special, because we remember her father and my grandfather in particular. Sadly neither of us have known him.

A few days before, on April 29th, my mother had found his photo and farewell letter on the internet. This was already special itself, because that is also his birthday. And so we discovered that even though it is 80 years later, the loss is still there. Especially for my mother (and her brother). Because well, on December 29th, 1942, their father was executed in the Veluwe (a national park), after he had been in prison in Scheveningen for a year. Because he was in the resistance. And the farewell letter he was allowed to write that day for his wife and children, well it is truly heartbreaking!

And so I discovered for the first time today that this prison where he was located is called the ‘Oranjehotel’. Because that’s what it was called at the time, although it was far from being a hotel. You can read more about this here:  https://www.oranjehotel.org/en

What is special to me, is that I dreamed about him 10 to 15 years ago. He appeared in my dream, I didn’t recognize him (because I have not known him), but I knew he was my grandfather. And he showed me how he was persecuted. About five or seven men stood side by side against a wall. And opposite them was just as many soldiers, so it was one on one. I saw the scenery from behind the soldiers, so I looked at the wall. And when the command was issued, all the soldiers fired at the same time, and I saw the men collapse in front of the wall. After that, my grandfather said that he had not been scared at all, and that it was over very quickly.

What I find special is that I can deduce from his farewell letter, which I only saw for the first time last week, that he was indeed not afraid! He was more concerned about my grandmother and his children, than he was about himself. However, you can see his sad look from the photo.
I can imagine though that he was not afraid. Because perhaps he was even relieved at his forced surrender to the inescapable, after a year of imprisonment in horrible conditions. And also: for nothing! He had done nothing but defend his freedom and that of his loved ones.

After he was shot, the letter was delivered to my grandmother along with his bloody clothing. What a drama. And what a mentality to hand it over to her like that. And to shoot people like that in cold blood. How would those soldiers feel who simply obeyed orders? Did they feel just a little bit of conscience? Did they realize that they were not only taking the life of my grandfather -then 28 years old-, but also the father of his children, and the husband of his wife, and the grandfather of his four grandchildren? Probably not. But it has such a long term impact.

At the bottom of this article the (now yellowed) letter (front and back), and directly below the letter typed in text. Reading that over, I thought, he was murdered 80 years ago, but in fact freed as well. Freed from imprisonment which was a spiritual torture. And who knows, maybe his execution at the time went pretty much as in my dream. Dreams are false, but still!! And perhaps my grandmother joined him many years later when her time had come too. That is why I am posting this article on Liberation Day.
Free at last!

Letter from Gerardus Wilschut:

                    Tuesday 12/29/’42
My darling
my dear guys (children),
It is Tuesday ± ten o’clock and I
just heard our verdict will be carried
out this afternoon at two o’clock.
My dearest darlings! My final thoughts
are with you.
I almost don’t know what to write,
but I hope Lida, that you
will overcome this major setback soon.
Darling, take good care of the children.
Search over time a good father for them.
Say, Lida, make sure to not have false hope
that I still may be alive, because
child (darling), that is not true, though!
When you receive this note, I’m no longer there!
For me this is not so bad but for you

(other side of letter)

it is worse. Yes my darling
1942 has been a bad year for you,
but I hope the new year will be better
for you and the children. (Gerard wrote this on the 29th of December, 2 days prior to the new year)
Be strong! Do well in the rest of your life.
Bye my darling, bye dear Patie, bye dear Bjoukje.
Lida greet all of mine. Your sisters and brothers
and also your mother, my mother,
my Sisters and Brothers,
All brothers-in-law and cousins.
Lida my darling!! In my thoughts I give you
a very last hug, from your loving husband Gerard.
I hope you will be able to read this,
for myhand trembles a little.
Now byebye Lida, bye sweetheart,
             bye dear Patie and Bjoukje

 

 

 

Margreet Wilschut

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BEAUTIFUL EASTER!

BEAUTIFUL EASTER!

April 4, 2021 | NEWS

It was a lovely day for my grandchildren to seek the chocolate easter eggs!

I’m not sure who had more fun, if it was me or them!
The easterbunny had put them in my fruit trees as well.
My 3 year old grandson was very quick to find them!
And my granddaughter (just one year) also!
She already walks herself… But mum & dad help sometimes!

 

 

TREE OF THE FAMILY

TREE OF THE FAMILY

November 19, 2020 | TREES

Family Tree…

In the Dutch translation of the bookseries ‘The Ringing Cedars Of Russia’ the words ‘family tree’ are introduced with the meaning of a real tree, a physical tree so to speak, or in proper English I guess, ‘a tree of the family’. This tree is planted by members of the family on their family-ground. It is in honor of all generations of the family who have lived and live there and the future generations. While translating this article from Dutch to English, I got a bit puzzled about translation issues (as usual).

This is because the Dutch language hasn’t the same meaning for ‘family tree’ as it is in Russian language, nor in English language. In English, ‘family tree’ refers to ‘pedigree’, but in Dutch the words do literally mean ‘tree of the family’ but which is written with the words ‘family tree’.

The word for pedigree in Dutch is ‘stam-tree’, where ‘stam’ stands for both ‘trunk’ of a tree and a ‘tribe’ of people. Now I understand both refer to the lineage of a family, but I have to confess this translaton issue got me puzzled!

Tree of Life

My intent however is to continue this article about the physical family-tree, or to write it in proper English that special ‘tree of the family’, which I will refer to from now onwards as such. In the Dutch version of this article the word-combination ‘family-tree’ is still used.

For variation we might want to call such tree also a ‘tree of life’, if we feel like it? I’m not sure if people use this terminology for the tree of the family that has been planted in honour to their ancestors, descendants, current habitants and future newborns, but it sounds nice for the time being!

…

‘stam’ is ‘stem’ or ‘trunk’ of a tree


…

Related to this, I have to say one more thing about the Dutch translation of ‘Family Tree’. As stated earlier, instead of  ‘family’ we use the word ‘stam’. But the second word of this terminology ‘family tree’, has the same meaning in Dutch. Our word for ‘tree’ however is… ‘boom’.
Yes, it’s true! But don’t you worry, we pronounce the two ‘oo’s differently.

Such as how you would pronounce the first ‘o’ of ‘motivation’. Just make the Dutch two ‘oo’s sound as the first ‘o’ in this example. ‘Boom’! There you have it. Anyhow, that’s enough Dutch for today I guess!

Double Meaning

But the meaning of ‘pedigree’ for which we use our own Dutch word, made me contemplate about the double meaning of family-tree. Lets define them for a while as ‘pedigree’ and ‘tree of life’.
For instance, can we see the physical family-tree, also ‘the tree of life’, as a symbol for the connection with our ‘roots’, of our heritage? That is in fact again a concept that refers to it, compare the tree’s ‘roots’, and our roots to the ‘trunk’ as a ‘stam’ or ‘tribe’ of the tree! (stam stands also for ‘stemming from’).

Thus could we also metaphorically view the root system of the tree as our ancestors? And the fanning out branches of the tree, can they symbolise the future generations? After all, two children from just one family will branch out in adult life in different directions, because they have partners from other families with which they get children theirselves.

…

…

Ambience Image

Above this article is a picture of a number of tall Conifers. I could not see from a distance exactly what kind it is. It could be a Thuja Cedar. These are widely cultivated in the Netherlands. It is the only conifer and pine species that has fanning leaves that are spread over the entire branch.

But I found the scenery pleasant as it shows how an evergreen tree remains beautiful and green in the midst of winter. And the picturesque bridge with white railing, for example over a ditch or brook, I also find a welcome addition on my family ground. I can imagine that my tree of the family will look something like this on my estate in the distant future.

Ode to Evergreens, Fruit & Flowers!

But as you can see on the same picture, there are plenty of bare branches from the other trees, the right one being a pear. There was still one pear hanging in there (mid-November). But I have depicted here a pear tree from my own yard though, which I have planted four years back, as a witness of love.

But I don’t like to look at these naked branches for 6 months of the year! Thus those trees will not be my main view in wintertime. Therefore I’ll put them at the back of my house. In spring and summer time, when all my fruittrees will bloom with vigor and splendance, I’ll spend my time there on a terrace with surrounding rose arbors. There I’ve said it. This bush is even flowering in a heart shape. Can you see it?

***

***

And for those who want to know, a great part of my family ground is reserved for a tree nursery (basically fruit & nut trees and conifers), flowering crops such as sunflowers and other flowers, but also hemp for the building of houses, or any other crops of my choice (which might alter every year) such as pumpkins or grains. But I’m wandering off topic.

Contemplation

There are now millions of people who have read the above mentioned book series (translated into more than 23 languages). So they have undoubtedly also thought about which tree of the family they want to plant in their family domain! And many have already been able to realize this. When I started to think about it myself, I came to the conclusion that I would prefer to have a tree of the family that also remains green in the winter.

So I started to think about Conifers because I wanted to know which tree of those evergreens would be suitable for that. But that appeared to be a comprehensive task. And so I even came to write an online article series about it. However, as an introduction to newcomers, I will place below a number of reasons why I might choose this tree species as the literal family-tree.

Next, other tree species are named below that I think could also be suitable as a tree of the family, or the tree of life if you will. Pondering about this, I might even pick one or more family trees as I would love other types of trees as well. Also my descendants consist of international lineage, thus might deserve more trees for this special purpose.

…

…

Long Lifespan

One of the properties that people like to see in a tree of the family, is that it can grow old and can therefore last for several generations. Conifers are certainly eligible for this. These have a very long lifespan, with some claiming that under the right conditions the trees can live up to 1,000 years. Even among the Conifers, there are forest giants in America that are estimated to be about 2,000 to 2,800 years old, and perhaps even older?

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Primeval Trees

Another reason to choose Conifers is because the original varieties are hardly available in the Netherlands anymore. This also includes Pines. During excavations in the vicinity of Utrecht, tree remains of pine species that are estimated to be 1.2 million years old have been found. These were found in soil layers of the ‘Tertiary Upper Pliocene’ or ‘Quaternary Lower Pleistocene’.

However, there are still primeval forests in other parts of the world which trees can also thrive in our climate zone. One of these is the Siberian Pine, or ‘Kedr’, as they call it in Russian language. My choice in terms of the special tree of the family might therefore be a pine, the more this was also the source of inspiration for the aforementioned book series!

Life Force

Also, pine seeds taste great, and people enjoy walking in a pine forest. Could the latter be because of the blissfully scented air from the trees? Is this due to the tree resin that spreads through the “breathing” wood, the trunk, the branches and its elegant longleaves?

The pine cones also have a special geometric shape. Can that actually contribute to the liveliness of such a forest? And if these trees are on your estate, they undoubtedly also contribute to the dynamics of nature on site. To me they resonate with the wonderful life force of nature that we are all connected to.

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Pine Cones

For example, I wondered if pine cones affect the gusts and eddies of the wind because of their geometric spinning shape? Perhaps an unusual thought, but according to the ‘Jain 108 Academy’, pine cones have a golden ratio code of 8:13. That is the Living Mathematics of Nature.

And according to others, the geometric shape of a pine cone vibrates at an oscillating frequency of 33Hz. (see picture above). Well, I can’t check if it’s all true, because I don’t have much knowledge in that area. But it is interesting, isn’t it?

Thus besides the wind picking up on these pine-cones frequencies, as we may call them, rainwater might also be structured by it, as it flows through the wooden cone blades. Interesting thought right? The activated rain then drips onto the soft mossy forest floor, and this may also activate certain energies and exchange nutrients.

Nature’s Memory

Can these primeval trees also bring back memories of the land of times gone by? Or about how nature functions? This can be enhanced, for example, by seeds from trees that have been growing in the same area or land for centuries. After all, these are still genetically intact and have been formed as reproduction information carriers for centuries. Perhaps they have also absorbed the interstellar configurations of our firmament. Well, these thoughts would make you lyrical, wouldn’t it?

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beautiful blossoming tree in spring
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Order of Magnitude

But oftentimes people are only interested in the conifer around Christmas time, more in particular as a Christmas tree. And these are usually spruces (the ‘norway spruce’ and the ‘silver fir’), which are cut down after their first twenty years of life. And then there is usually no cone growth to be seen.

That is why people do not always make the link between the Christmas tree and the different types of pines that exist in nature.
But the 6-foot Christmas tree (or smaller) is pretty much the tip or peak of the giant trees they can grow into if given the chance. An order of magnitude that used to be seen in our forests.

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ginko biloba
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Various Tree Species

Thankfully, people have different preferences for trees as their ‘tree of the family’. It is good to embrace biodiversity as well! Here in the northern hemisphere with a moderate climate one can choose from a number of nut trees and several fruit tree species. Also, the characteristic shape of a tree or leaf may be preferred (such as that of the ginko biloba tree in the photo above).

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decorative willow
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Many also opt for the longer life of such a tree, sometimes several hundreds of years. Some of these trees have beautiful green foliage in the spring and summer, with lovely ocher and reddish brown hues in the fall. Examples are the oak, the walnut tree, sweet chestnut and the birch and beech. A number of these can also provide us with a rich harvest stock and long-lasting winter food, such as walnuts and chestnuts.

Many people will also choose to plant multiple varieties. And the choice of a physical family tree for one or the other can therefore always be made at a later stage.

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young oak,
probably 20 to 30 years old
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Emotional and Practical Value

Sometimes people also prefer a tree as a family-tree because it has a certain history. The tree could, for example, have been planted by a beloved grandparent. Or there is already a beautiful mature solitary tree on the estate, such as an Oak. The family may not even know who planted it. That can also be nature itself, for example a squirrel planted an acorn!

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ages old oak
probably 200 to 300 years or older

However, due to its imposing size, such an Oak can be suitable, for example, to place a terrace with some chairs underneath or to set up a few benches for recreation. The large canopy of such a tree then provides shelter from the hot summer sun. But any grazing cattle can also stay underneath.

What also sometimes happens is that if such a tree comes to the end, due to age or if it is blown over by a storm, the family then places a new tree on or near the same place where the old tree was. And this tree sapling may have come from the nuts or seeds that the old tree has produced.

It is also possible that young seedlings have sprung up around the tree spontaneously, which the family can then further nurture until full growth, sometimes by moving them to a suitable piece of soil.

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walnut tree
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Tree of Life for Humanity?

Pondering about the idea of the Earth Hectare Grid, wouldn’t it be nice to have a ‘tree of life’ dedicated to humanity? I do not know how and where such tree should be planted though. It might be even in the form of an art project.

I came to this thought because my successors have quite an extended family worldwide (both in Asia and more countries in Europe, while we have lived in America as well). But we weren’t all born on the same land and haven’t lived on the same land, the latter only temporarily. Does that make one family branch less or more worthy than another? No! All heritages should be honored and acknowledged on one’s Family Domain.

Surprising Outcome

Because once we’ll start following the branching roots and the branching branches of every human being, the outcome is surprising. We’re all intertwined, like we all breathe the same air! Does this mean that all peoples must move across the planet and that the sovereignty of individuals and nations must be abandoned? I guess that’s a no also!

What I’m saying is that we can embrace our differences in landscapes, climate zones, peoples, tribes, languages, food, histories, cultures, etcetera. Because how boring would it be if every human being and every country would be the same? The world is a place where life can be celebrated because there is enough room and wealth available to all of us, with great splendor in diversity. We’ve got to make it work, right? But how?

I suppose what really unites us is our innate nature of being human, and our innate design to live in nature. Can we consider ourselves as a one human family in this way? Who knows, once we realise this, Peace on Earth might appear on the horizon. Thus let us wish each other the very best. After all, it is up to all of us to remember who we are.

Yours sincerely,

Margreet Otto, Wilschut, van Egmond, de Goede.

Margreet, with my maiden name Otto, my mothers last name Wilschut,
followed by the surname of my father’s mother ‘van Egmond’, and the surname of my mother’s mother ‘de Goede’.

Because since this is an article about the ‘Tree Of The Family’, I would love to elaborate on the historical meanings of my names. These are insights I got when doing the ‘name practise’, of which I’m planning to share more about later. But for now and brief:
Margreet is ‘Pearl of the Sea’, Otto is both ‘eight’ and ‘essence of the rose’, and Wilschut is ‘protecting of wildlife’.

Then ‘from Egmond’, this is a village on the north-west coast of the Netherlands, close to where I live, and ‘the Goede’ stands for ‘the Good One’.

Blessings to you all!

APPLE SAUCE

APPLE SAUCE

November 1, 2020 | FRUIT TREES, NEWS

Early october I harvested some fruit from my fruit trees that I had planted 2 years ago at a very young stage. I had planted them with my grandchildren in mind. I did so in the hope that one day, in a far away future, they would be able to pick the apples and pears from it.

I planted grapes too and different berry bushes. Till my amazement I could harvest together with my son and grandson a few apples from the appletree the same year! It was nothing but a miracle. Not knowing that another year later, this year, I was able to harvest an apple for my 2nd grandchild as well! That is the apple I’m holding here. What a blessing to have a wish come true so fast twice!

Family Estate
Another wish is to have the fruit trees replanted on a hectare of land, which will be then my ‘kin-domain’. In Dutch language the word for kin is family. For us, family is both regarded as a so called ‘household family’ (gezin), and as the extended version of everything related to it, such as relatives (verwanten en aanverwanten), and also our ancestors (voorouders en stamboom) and future generations.

But kin in Dutch means chin. Thus we call such hectare of land a ‘family domain’, or family ‘estate’ as I call it also (In Dutch: familie ‘landgoed’ = land + good). Because it is for my children and grandchildren to live happily on such land, when them and God willing. Who knows, there might be even more generations to come.

The Painting
The picture you see above this article, is me with an apple in front of a painting in my livingroom. The painting has been there for almost two decades. I made the picture the same day that I had harvested the apple together with some pears. All of a sudden I saw a striking resemblance with the apples and pears on the painting. They looked exactly the same! And this brought back memories as well. I herited this painting from my grandmother, who had it in her livingroom for many years also.

 

Apple Sauce
Two weeks after I harvested the apple in particular, I made apple sauce from it at my son’s house. Then my son fed his son and daughter the apple sause, and I made a picture of them eating it. For future reference, heheheh.

For your information: my granddaughter at the age of 7 months ate the whole plate, and my 2 ½ year old grandson fed part of it to a great dinosaurus in some sort of teddybear style, a toy almost as tall as himself. The innocent look in my granddaughters and grandson’s eyes, oh my! And what a cutiepies both my grandchildren are. It was all good.

Memories
Back to the painting. I vividly remember how I as a child would look at the painting, and actually like it a lot. It hang above the sofa, and I remember a niche in the corner of the wall which was colored a bright orange. There were also aimed a few nice spots on it, I’m not sure if there was another painting in it, or if it had been removed later.

Obviously I remember this because it was quite unusual to have such colors in the house back in the days. But my grandma’s boyfriend was an interior architect and loved bold color combinations and modern design. In fact, he was way ahead of his time!

The Painter
My grandma told me how her second husband made the painting. They had very little budget to do so (a few years after the 2nd worldwar there was still a lot of austerity). So he portrayed the fruit that was with them on the fruit bowl. And he also chose the pink and purple flowers my grandma used to have in her window sills for many years.

Last Dollars
They spend literally their last dollars* on the paint and the canvas. (*Dutch valuta back then: ‘Guldens’, now Euros). They had no money left for a fancy frame, which still has a gray base paint today. (I hope one day to put it in a beautiful mother-of-pearl frame, which would suit the painting well). My 2nd granddad made more paintings of which a few are still in the family, and a bit of poetry. But I wasn’t very close to him, because we lived two hours drive away and in that episode I didn’t visit them often.

More Details
If the bottle on the painting is filled with water or wine, I can’t remember, although I remember asking my grandma about it. But the curtains behind them he just made them up, she told me. And interestingly, the violets flowers depicted were of a different quality compared to how we see them today. I think they were called African violets and had thick leaves with a velvet texture. She took care of them for many years. Watered them every day. My grandma loved flowers a lot, just like I do.

And if their apples and pears tasted as good? I think yes. Many of those were still organically grown on the country side in those times. But mine were homegrown from my yard and tasted absolutely fabulous!

Loss
My grandma wasn’t actually very fortunate in life, because she lost her first husband during 2nd worldwar while he was 28 years young. He was assassinated by German soldiers at the time. They arrested him I think two weeks after my mum was born. OMG, at least he has kept her in his arms! But after his arrest, they put him in prison for one year (in Scheveningen) and then shot him somehwere in a national park and forest (called the ‘Veluwe’).

Resistance
It was because he and also my grandma were in the resistance. A huge movement against the german invasion and occupation. Well, we know now what happend to millions of people in this war! And as we all know, at the time, nobody knew it was going to be so bad.

By the way, my grandma never ever spoke one single bad word about the Germans. I asked her about that. ‘How come you’re never upset with them?’. She told me there were many good ones too.

Scenery
My mum was born in Schiedam (the Netherlands) while they were bombarding the nearby city Rotterdam in 1941. My grandma told me that was quite an experience, going through labor while she heard the extreme loud noise of the bombs and missiles being dropped on the city which was close to were they lived. Just to depict some of the scenery here.

Carwreck
My grandma’s 2nd husband (the painter) had a carwreck. He accidentally went up the highway in the wrong direction. He died on the spot or in hospital shortly after. He had negative memories of the war, and had difficulty coping with them. But after the war he had a good position in a company as a cardealer.

Challenges
My grandma told me she cried for two years after his accident non stop, and smoked two packages of cigarettes a day, lighting one cigarette in the living room, while another cigarette was still in the kitchen burning on an ashtray.

Thankfully she quit smoking (from one day to the other) after she realised it wasn’t helping her much. And she no longer wanted to feel pity for herself. (Quite a challenge though).

My grandma’s third partner in life (the architect) to which she wasn’t married, died due to cancer. It was kind of tragic to see him suffer, but also to watch her going through all this sadness again.

Sweetest Grandma Ever
Nevertheless, despite it all, my grandma was the most sweet and loving person on the planet. She would help everybody. For instance, as a single mum of her son (my uncle) and her daughter (my mother), she secretly housed three Jewish people in the war.

I remember her also being very hospitable whenever she received guests for coffee or meals. Her last name was called ‘De Goede’ and this means The Good One. And she truly was. I’ve never met anyone as sweet as her for the rest of my life. Or it should be my mum.

My Grandma’s Answer
One day, when I asked my grandma about it, she told me how she had handled everything. She said she was grateful to have known LOVE. She watched my mother struggle with new relationships after her divorce (I was 4 years old at the divorce). After this we had moved several times, sometimes because of a new relationship, or the ending of it. However, since I always witnessed the demise, I felt so sorry for my mother. I decided to consult my grandmother. She then answered for encouragement: “Margreet, it is better to have been loved and lost, than to have never been loved at all.”

Recognition
With this my grandmother acknowledged that my mother was not loved as much as she deserved. Because at the same time, my grandmother recognized how she was truly loved herself by her three partners in life, although she had tragically lost them all. And I felt very touched by her acknowlegement.

As a child, not having witnessed a good relationship of my parents, and having lived with my mum through other failing relationships (my eldest brother and I lived with her), I felt encouraged by it. Thankfully my mum and dad found their true partners later in life. My dad a year after their divorce -I’m blessed with a great 2nd mom and three halfbrothers as well-, and my mum later on at the age of 70. I now have a new stephdad as well.

Strong Women
I’m sharing this with you also because I’m very proud of the women in my familiy. They have all played a great but yet unseen role in life’s history. A role of lovers, heroines, mothers, grandmothers and great-grandmothers. They loved and were loved, suffered, and sacrificed, but they gave everything to their men, children and grandchildren.

Great Spirits
So yes my dear son, daughter in law (to be), and grandchildren, please remember what my grandma told me, because her great spirit has lived in our family and you are a descendant from her, and from your great grandfather and great great grandfather!

Yes, lets remember my courageous granddad as well, a grandfather I have never known myself (but surely missed), who was the father my mother also never knew (except for the first 2 weeks of her life).

By the way, later on in life, a (small) street was named after my grandfather, for being a hero and victim of 2nd worldwar. If it had been up to me, I would have chosen a large boulevard for them, both for my grandfather and grandmother. On the other hand, many heroes have died unprecedented. Thus to be honored doesn’t say everything. Great spirits never get lost I guess.

I only met my paternal grandparents a few times. The grandfather and grandmother on my father’s side saw me as a baby, but after that I hardly had any contact with them. My grandfather died relatively young and I saw my grandmother again at a later age. We were happy to meet.

My Mum’s Names
Oh and yes, because I have a strong bond with my mother, I also want to tell my descendants that she is named after her three grandmothers.

Her first name is ‘Bieuwkjen’. This is an old Dutch name. It stems from a language area of a northern part in Holland called ‘Drenthe’, where my grandma was born on the countryside.

And my mother inherited that name from her mother’s mother, who had inherited it from her mother and grandmother too! So the great-great-grandmother of my grandchildren also had that name! However, we called my mother by her callsign throughout her life.

The husband of that great-grandmother or the great great one, I can’t remember which one, was a peat farmer. He split through the Drenthe waters on a low barge with loads of peat for fuel. He moved it around with a long pole stick (my grandmother once told me).

And then my mum’s middle name. It belongs to her father’s mother. And unfortunately that mother died at a young age (even before my grandfather was assasinated at the age of 28). Her husband then remarried and that’s how my mother got her third name. This name belonged to her father’s stepmother (so my grandfather’s stepmother). By the way, my grandmother also lost a parent at a very young age. But her mother remarried with a neighbouring farmer and my grandma had many siblings.

Anyway, maybe I will go on with all those names later in bookform, also about my own, because there is much more to tell about them and I also have lots more to share. But for now, it is enough. Otherwise you will still be reading here tomorrow. In any case, there are enough offspring on both sides of te family from my side.

My Answer
That’s why I’m passing it on to you now. Also based on my own experiences. LOVE is the answer. It always has been and always will be. ALWAYS. Please don’t ever forget it.

To have loved and to be loved, to hold children and grandchildren in your arms, these are the most precious gifts there is.

Lover, Beloved, Mother and Grandma, Margreet.

I LOOOOOVVVVVEEEEEE YOU!