Michaelmas

After the first few weeks of school, and September approaches October, the festival of Michaelmas is celebrated by Waldorf Schools throughout the world. The festival mirrors the rhythm of the arrival of fall, following the autumnal equinox by about a week, when the mornings become more crisp, the sun is setting earlier and the apples in our orchard are ripening. As the outer light fades, and leaves begin to fall, we move out of the world of the senses and begin to come into the interior world, where riches of the life of the soul are cultivated. Coming to an “inner light” can be a time of both testing and transformation. The festival of Michaelmas, which has at its heart the aspects of transformation and courage, can be a moment for all of us to remind ourselves of what it is to be truly human, here and now.  Many of us remember the play performed at Michaelmas, an event that included most of the grade school and high school students. This pageant served our community for years as a representation of Michaelmas.

While the spirit of Michaelmas continues, we as a faculty are taking up the work of creating a new vision of this never-ending, archetypal experience of the cycle of the seasons and the experience of being human in our world today. As the leaves begin to turn and the air starts to cool, we witness the transformation of nature. In that external, sensory transformation we can also experience an inner transformation. As part of this human experience we are carefully considering the universal archetypes and images we are choosing to bring to our students, and which of those will bring meaning and purpose to their futures as human beings.

The human recognition and celebration of the seasonal changes is not unique to Michaelmas. Many cultures recognize this turning point in the year, when after the autumnal equinox the daylight begins to shorten. What is unique to Waldorf Education is how the archetypes and images are brought to our students in developmentally appropriate and meaningful ways. The cultural breadth of humanity that our curriculum encompasses is just one of the ways in which our students are prepared to appreciate and understand others and themselves.

Rudolf Steiner spoke about the “nature-consciousness” that we all experience in the spring and summer, when we are drawn out into the world and the beauty of those seasons. He compared this to an “inner-consciousness” that must thrive in the fall and winter. He felt a true Michael festival called us to feel in our souls the courage needed to maintain a rich inner life, one that cultivates personal responsibility, purpose and understanding. One can relate to the heart and determination it can take to live through the months of fall and winter, when the sun is moving away from us, so to speak. Our task might be described as not falling into the slumber and sleepiness of the longer nights, but to call on our inner strength and initiative to remain “awake” and continue to act through the qualities that make us human - a balance of head, heart and hands.

On Wednesday, September 29,  the students, teachers and staff in grades 1-12 will recognize this transition time with a school assembly.  They will share song and poetry with each other and listen to a brief presentation by College Chair, Nina Churchill. There will be no guests invited this time, but we look forward to coming together for future celebrations. 

Blessings on the gifts of this season. 

The College