The Life Map Journey

The Life Map Journey (offered by Rev Reingard Knausenberger)

by Javier Kirigin

During Advent, on Wednesday 10 December 2025, Reingard presented the first of a two-part series on the Life Map Journey based on the work of Jeff and Merle Levin. Reingard emphasised the importance of carrying out this work during this time of year, from Advent through to Epiphany, going through the 12 Holy Nights (the 12 days of Christmas) to consider reflecting on one’s life and priorities, to set the tone for the rest of the new year. Reingard noted that the transition on the 7th Holy Night (31 December), the octave to the midnight of 24 December, and going into the New Year (1 January) is critical because we are more spiritually open at this time, more than at any other, to connect with the cosmos and hence the Divine.*

The introduction reminded us that the human being is actually a spiritual being in a physical body, i.e. it is a nucleus of energy vortices. “When a human being is born, a spirit dies. When a human being dies a spirit is born.” (Novalis) During November, traditionally, Christians remember those who have crossed the threshold, and we connect with the core being that will not die in them, and we realise we are also co-creators of our own life journey and destiny. Then there is a shift as we go into December and January, i.e. through the Holy Nights and into Epiphany. What happens at night when we go to sleep? We actually experience a mini death, and we should be thankful that our soul returns to our physical body. An initiate like Rudolf Steiner can ‘wake up’ where we go to sleep. I would liken this to a small extent, maybe, to enhanced Lucid Dreaming.

During the Holy Nights, we can take our intentions with us into sleep purposefully, knowing that each day relates to a month of the coming year. For example, during the 1st Holy Night, on Christmas day, (the festival of the birth of Christ) we hold our intention for January, on the 2nd Holy Night (26 December) we take our intention for February, and so on until the 12th Holy Night on 5 January when we take our intention for the next December. This precious time gets rounded off in Epiphany with the Revelation of Christ festival and the stepping into the New Year. This period helps us to orientate ourselves in a bigger context.

In the Levin’s Life Map Journey, everything starts with the heart and not the head, as can be seen in the pictorial below. Maybe this is where the term “thinking with the heart” originates: life begins with the forming of the heart.

We realised the heart never stops during a lifetime, flowing blood creates the heart in the womb, it shapes the heart, it is always active. In the Life Map we always begin from the heart centre and write down the core issue and set an intention regarding that topic. I can then decide how long it should take for completion: one hour/day/week/month/year… The Map is then used to guide us in steps to process an issue which needs attention or resolving. One can work with one theme or aspect of life through all stages or go deeper and make an area as detailed as necessary. One can journal, paint or use any art form to help with processing. We can also use “Life Alignment” to balance the energy centres in the body with the help of a Life Alignment practitioner (which some participants accessed during this time).

There are 12 steps in the map starting in the centre of the chart representing the (#1) Heart Space. We take one topic at a time and in manageable bite-sized pieces. Then I write down (#2) where am I Getting Stuck? i.e. where is my energy being channelled? Noting the relevant points without overanalysing but accepting and allowing the ideas to flow and solutions to arise.

In the next step we list the people involved in the particular topic, for example Family (#3) members or work associates, keeping an open mind.

In the same way we continue to list all the points, following each segment of the map: (#4) Health/Healing issues, (#5) Home, (#6) Family Patterns, (#7) Projects, (#8) Challenges and (#9) Work issues. The latter includes work to be done in inner and outer work, e.g. finishing paperwork for tax or expenses or facing fears, anything that would need to generate energy and discipline so it can manifest. The (#10) Protection step refers to protection from someone or something. It is about eliminating negativity, suggesting that protection is from our own negativity and from the negativity of others. In the last numbered field, (#11) Ancestors, we can list the ancestors connected to the story, i.e. those who came before us who can help shift the situation. The quality here is “as above so below” linking different levels of energy, going into past history, aiming for the rising to the highest good of all.

The last two areas are unnumbered and refer to (#12) Support and What Works, the former relates to what support we have to call upon, in order to relieve negativity, and the latter refers to what is already working that can be utilised for action, either in an outer or inner form, like thoughts and feelings that initiate a positive focus. (We were given an actual visual ‘map’ to work from).

The second and final conversation took place on Wednesday, 7 January 2026. This was mainly a sharing of the experience from the last 4 weeks, i.e. from Advent through the Holy Nights into Epiphany. This highlighted the individuality of each one of us, how each made this path their own in imaginative ways. It also highlighted the commonality and interconnectedness of our striving. Most of the participants from the first session in December were present in the second session, but the exercise was also extended to all who could not make it in person and, quoting Reingard, “created a container of companionship from the USA, UK and the south coast of RSA”, with 30 active participants in total.

My personal journey continues after a Life Alignment and conversation session with Reingard. This has brought about many insights and highlighted specific areas to work on, aligning my physical, etheric and astral/subtle bodies. I’m very grateful to Reingard for offering this work of Jeff Levin, which addresses all aspects of life comprehensively. It seemed to remind me somewhat of applied kinesiology to find out where the pain or physical imbalance is located. Then it frees up energy that is locked up. Ultimately, the transformation is very personal, yet group and global. As per the Levin’s, it works with the collective unconscious that manifests in individuals.

*The 12 Holy Nights are decisive for our life and destiny in the whole of the coming year. Within them, we can lay a good seed of future intention. Especially decisive is what we resolve in the New Year’s Night. In the night of the New Year, we are freed for moments by our folk-spirit. What we then think and intend is taken up by the highest angelic hierarchies and carries within it the strength of realisation. (Rudolf Steiner, as expressed to Herbert Hahn and written in his dairy.)