Michaelmas 2011

Slowly we are incorporating some new celebrations into the wheel of our year.  This year I decided to add in a touch of Michaelmas to our home.  I have only just read a few things about this celebration and so feel very insecure and a bit skeptical about how I want it to be seen in our home.  The Christian based holidays that are celebrated in the Waldorf schools have caused me a bit of conflict as I don't necessarily want to identify as Christian and don't want just Christian lore to be part of our home.  That being said, I read an amazing article over at Natural Kids Team Blog that I highly recommend. Julie seems to have been going through something similar, with perhaps a bit stronger definitions of her conflicts than I have.  She wrote a great post with some really cool links.  One of them was through International Association for Steiner/Waldorf Early Childhood Education.  The article is called Festivals.  Please click on the link and check it out. It is about the way Steiner viewed the year and how, for children, we incorporate fables and celebrations around the energy each time of year possesses.  I can't tell you how much this article resonated with me.  All of the festivals we celebrate as a family are really tied into the seasons and nature, so for me to find a way to incorporate what I perceive as "Christian" celebrations into our yearly wheel, then yahoo!  A lot of families just incorporate the equinox (Sept 21st) in with Michaelmas (Sept 29th) and it is a week long celebration.  I think we will have a harvest week when Narina is a bit older, but for now small celebrations were perfect for us. 

What I learned about Michaelmas this year is that St Michael, or Archangel Michael as I am used to calling him, was the one who cast Lucifer out of heaven.  What he represents is protection of spirit, protection of divinity and the weigher of love in your heart when you die.  His earthly counterpart, St. George, was the slayer of dragons (dragons representing the people against the progression of the church) and he represents courage and martyr sacrifice.  This is such a small summary and longer articles can be found here:

The Magic Onions wrote a Discovering Waldorf post on Michaelmas
Waldorf Journey wrote a great article giving a few different perspectives on the historical points of St Michael and St George 
Treasure Mountain wrote a great story about the Star Child that is perfect to introduce small children to AA Michael

How we celebrated Michaelmas this year was more subtle than literal.  Big changes have been happening energetically with both Narina and myself.  I have realized some of my own dragons that need to be slayed.  The fear of my upcoming birth, my lack of control over Narina's birth that needs to be confronted.  With Narina, she is coming into her own so completely. Where normally she is reserved, I see her speaking out, running out, and practicing using her will.  She is becoming powerful and this reflection is heartwarming (when I have had enough sleep to not take her "no Mummy, I will not!" personally).  We are getting shifting towards a big change that is only a few months away and for both of us that means courage.   Today I talked to Narina about how special it was for me to see her play with the kids in our playgroup without me while I went to the toilet.  She has developed a comfort, perhaps courage, recently that I want to foster.  I also read her the story of The Paperbag Princess by Robert Munsch.  The story is of a girl who outwits a dragon to save a prince and all the prince can say is that she is dressed like a slob.  Her retort is clever and empowered.  I love this book because it involves a girl with a dragon, the dragon doesn't get slayed, just outsmarted, and the girl doesn't wind up with the prince, she revokes him for being a jerk.  A perfect story for our fist Michaelmas.

Along side that, a local woman gave us some beautiful Michaelmas daisies and I needlefelted a dragon postcard to put on our nature table.  I also have some cards, much like tarot cards, of angels and there is a beautiful picture of AA. Michael.  Narina asked me at our meals who it was and we talked about St Michael within the stories I have mentioned above.

I hope that you have had a special day today.  I am looking forward to examining more of what I need to work through this season.  It is a powerful one and probably one of my favorite times of year.  I welcome the challenge and the journey inwards.