Many of you know that Nancy Poer, one of our beloved mentors from Rudolf Steiner College, is recovering from open-heart surgery at their White Feather Ranch, north of Fair Oaks. Unable to present at the recent early childhood conference at RSC, she put in a “cameo appearance” and circulated her inspiring words on “Seeking the Light.” Nancy writes:
Dear Ones,
Blessings on this gathering, on the collective vibrant good of all you create with your striving and work with the children. And please know the importance now, more than ever before, standing in front of them with courage, joy, enthusiasm and the light of your spirit shining about them like benevolent morning sunshine enfolding your brood so the light can quicken in their souls and they feel full of safeness and confidence in the bodies and situations they have chosen for this incarnation.
Nothing is more important than this topic of recognizing, honoring, seeking and loving the light, for it represents the light of spiritual truth and understanding, bringing wisdom and revelation in place of ignorance and materialistic false worlds and entrapment of lower darkened desires driving our existence.
For much of the year we are carried along by the expansion and beauty of sunlight and nature. We can understand in this season, as that all fades away into winter, that we are called upon to shine, out of our own inner power. Michael has guarded the soul process, given us courage and iron in our blood for the task, helped carry us through the time of the thin threshold between worlds… Halloween, All Soul’s and All Saints Day, where we carve our pumpkins and bravely take our lanterns into the night. Thanksgiving is a wonderful holiday, to be fully lived with gratitude for it gives us chance for a soul mood of communal sharing of the earth’s bounty for all we are given, and share as family and community before we begin the winters journey.
Let take our personal journey in the winter darkness of the year, and whatever we can provide for the children very seriously. We are living at one of the most important times in the history of humanity. Rudolf Steiner has shared this as do all perceptive spiritual approaches.It is the time of great decisions that human beings will be making, of resolve to commit to the good or join the false gods of materialism. Of course, being mortal we all have to live and function in a material world and may we do so with good efficiency, and capable management so it doesn’t rule our time and transformative choices we can live out in our personal and work lives.
Mantle yourself, like Mother Mary as you go into this deep and holy night of the year, with the stars of your deepest mantras of protection and revelation. Have them at your fingertips. Lay the mantle gently over the crass and material things assaulting us from all sides. Tame it, keep things simple and beautiful for the children.
Walk with her serene confidence with her Great Secret, she bears within her womb the Light of the World! She is in cold, in poverty, without outer status it would seem. But stars light up for her, Buddha’s great compassionate being shines in the star that will guide the wise men. nature will stand in awe as she literally brings Peace to this earth! She is the honored one in basic world religions of Christianity, Judaism, and Islam (where she is honored more than any other woman.) “Behold! the angels said: “O Mary! Allah hath chosen thee and purified thee- chosen thee above the women of all nations.
Find that pure, longing, innocent childlike wonder space in your own heart, (in most human hearts at this time of year, longing for connection, longing for re connection to the Godhead, to the pure sources of life and goodness that we knew before birth and as innocent babes when we were filled with the highest creative powers of the universe.)
This is the great longing of the human soul in this season. So poignantly sabotaged though crass commercial exploitation and the filling of the longing space with alcohol and frantic activity. Keep a clear view and honor these holy nights, each day as a vibrant seed impulses and prophetic inspirations for the coming year.”
All festivals of Light can be given honor when or if appropriate, Hannakah,the miracle of the lights burning beyond the source of the oils, Kwanzaa,a recently evolved holiday out of African American culture for the Holy nights with candles for reverence and “all that is good”, Diwali,( Hindu, Sufi, etc.) where the lights represent the overcoming of evil with goodness,the comforting luminarias of Las Posadas, the crown of candles for Santa Lucia and more. Obviously we would choose whatever resonates with the cultural situation of the children in our groups.
Think how for all of us, in hearing stories of being lost in a dark forest and coming on the little house with the light shining, a light in the window signaling, “welcoming loved ones awaiting, warmth, food, shelter, safety, life, HOME!” This is what we are nurturing in the children.
The timeless Christmas story represents this like no other and is truly universal. All babies are heralded in the spiritual with angel trumpets, devotion of spiritual beings, much like shepherds and kings bowing down in reverence. As infants we are filled with divinity and innocence. We long for that state of being. Coming to the baby Jesus’ crib we honor the light we had then, still there so deep in the soul, and are filled with hope that the Christ-like divinity and our true selves can be born in us anew.
Waldorf kindergartens are points of light and goodness on the planet, a planet besieged with pain, terrible human and environmental suffering caused by monstrous greed and life destroying policies in food, education, foreign policy, medicine and more. Everywhere that good human beings work to serve LIFE! we are creating the future we want to have. We need strong children, met with awareness of who they are spiritually and their desire to be born in these times of transformation and new waves of consciousness about human life and values. You shine before them!
As a small child in our Presbyterian Sunday school, I learned a song. “A sunbeam, a sunbeam, Jesus wants me for a sunbeam, A sunbeam, a sunbeam, Jesus wants me for his own.
So simple. How I loved it ! It made me want to dance with joy, a sunbeam of light, that was me! It is right there comforting me to this day!
Know how important these songs and verses will be that you give to the children, laying words of hope, of and spiritual truth into their souls..to nourish them for life. And most of all, the light of the warmth of your soul and spirit shining before them.
Blessed winter, Christmas and Holy nights to you all.
Nancy Jewel Poer