Autumn 2024
During her most recent workshop with us, Anna Rainville shared this message about the season. It is a beautiful invitation to us all.
“One feels a shift in the seasonal mood when the light changes and each day grows darker earlier than the day before. While a feeling of reflection might live within, the outside world roars with a busyness that challenges Nature’s call for quiet and peace. Ways to keep our children (and ourselves) calm during these weeks is worthy of consideration.
Here is a verse for adults by Rudolf Steiner that has been meaningful to me.
Quiet I bear within me
I bear within myself
Forces to make me strong.
Now will I be imbued with their glowing warmth.
Now will I fill myself with my own will’s resolve.
And I will feel the quiet pouring through all my being
When by my steadfast striving I become strong
To find within myself the source of strength
The strength of inner quiet.
Autumn days and nights lead toward the Winter Solstice and welcoming the light. There are many ways to prepare. Beautiful religious traditions abound. Remember to step outside and let Nature be a quiet teacher. Taking time to reflect is a gift to oneself. For children, this is the time of year to practice the art of anticipating something or someone. A recently labeled anticipatory anxiety in children and adults is a serious dilemma. Building a healthy sense of anticipation can perhaps be addressed through the patient arrival of objects to a simple garden scene. Families and schools like to make a space on a table or ledge where each week something from the four kingdoms will appear in the scene.”
Building a Winter Garden such as this one can start simple, building upon it through years it can blossom into a vibrant yet sincere expression of this anticipatory journey.
We invite all of you to join Cynthia Aldinger this year on an Advent Journey of videos and messages for contemplation.
Her journey is not only welcoming to those that celebrate Advent and Christmas, but to anyone and everyone. Her journey offers a template to preface any Festival of the Light’s Return.
Anna also offered this song and game that I find holds a beautiful gesture of welcoming that we also wish to embody this season. (If you do not have the music, you can create a tune with just a single or couple pentatonic notes repeated through the song.)
Softly, Softly
Softy, softly, through the darkness snow is falling;
Swiftly, swiftly, all about the winds are blowing.
Open up the door, I pray, ’Tis so dark and cold the way.
Clearly, clearly, up above the bells are calling;
Brightly, brightly, deep within a star is glowing.
~P. Patterson, from Winter published by Wynstones Press
For a kindergarten circle game, Anna gives this suggestion:
“The children stand in a circle. A traveler or two walks around the outside and then knocks on the shoulder-door of a child on the song’s third line. The circle raises their arms to form arches and the traveler(s) duck under while someone is ringing a little bell. Inside the cozy circle the children can extend their right arms to the middle to make a star or cross their arms over their chests to feel the glowing star within.”
I will do it this way, as a modification for younger ones (I have six 3-year olds in my group):
My co-teacher and one older child will form an arch/door, and I will lead the children hand-in-hand walking round our rug as we sing the first two lines. We will come to knock upon the door and walk under together, a few bells ringing in children’s hands, and (perhaps repeating the fourth line until we) come to form the circle again with arms crossing at our hearts to end.
Blessings to you all in this season of the Coming Light!
