Michaelmas: Meeting the Dragon in Today’s World

Michaelmas inspires us to meet our own dragons.

As the days grow shorter, many Waldorf families turn their attention to Michaelmas.

For those new to the tradition, Michaelmas is a festival celebrated around September 29th, honoring St. Michael, the archangel who brings courage, strength, and the will to do good in the face of challenges.

In Waldorf circles, this festival marks a turning point in the year - a time to gather our inner strength as the outer world moves into darker days. Just as nature shifts toward winter, we too are called to look inward, to ask: What is my dragon, and how will I meet it?

Two Ways of Meeting the Dragon

In stories of St. Michael, the dragon is a central figure, and how we think about the dragon can shape the way we celebrate.

Overcoming the Dragon
Some traditions emphasize Michael as the conqueror of evil. Here, the dragon represents all that is destructive: fear, greed, hatred, selfishness. In this telling, Michael defeats and kills the dragon, freeing the land and people from its shadow. The lesson is about courage - facing darkness directly and not letting it rule over us.

Michaelmas can be a time for transformation and facing challenges.

Transforming the Dragon
Others in the Waldorf community lean toward a gentler perspective: the dragon is not annihilated, but rather subdued and transformed. This view sees the dragon as our inner challenges - anger, laziness, pride, or despair - that can, if harnessed, become forces for good. Instead of banishing the dragon, we bring it into balance, learning self-mastery and compassion.

Both perspectives offer valuable lessons for children (and for adults, too). Sometimes we must confront destructive forces directly, with a firm “no.” Other times, we are called to listen, understand, and work with the dragon, recognizing that within struggle lies the seed of transformation.

Michaelmas Messages for Our World Today

Looking around us this year, it’s not hard to see dragons. They may not be literal beasts with scales and fire, but they show up in many forms. You hardly need me to list them for you, but the writer in me feels compelled to provide examples - here are a few:

• Global uncertainty and conflict

• Environmental challenges

• The pull of fear and division in our communities

• Even the overwhelm of modern life

So how can we bring the spirit of Michaelmas into these realities - and into the lives of our children?

• Cultivating Courage: Michaelmas reminds us that courage isn’t the absence of fear, but the strength to act even when we’re afraid. Children can learn that bravery doesn’t only mean big heroic deeds; it can also mean telling the truth, being kind when it’s difficult, or trying something new.

• Facing Our Own Dragons: Each of us can ask: What dragon am I facing right now? Is it exhaustion, discouragement, or maybe comparison? Naming the dragon is the first step to transforming it.

• Working Together: In the stories, Michael doesn’t fight for glory; he acts for the good of the whole community. That’s a message our children deeply need - that our choices and actions ripple outward and can bring light into the world.

• Strengthening the Will: Autumn is a time for establishing rhythms - schoolwork, household habits, even seasonal crafts and cooking. Each small act of discipline builds the inner strength that Michaelmas calls forth.

Bringing It Home

Celebrating Michaelmas doesn’t require elaborate pageantry. You might:

• Tell or act out a dragon story with younger children.

• Bake dragon bread and let the kids “slay” it by pulling it apart.

• Take a nature walk, noticing the shift toward autumn, and talk about the courage we can draw from the turning of the year.

• Invite older children to reflect on their “dragons” and set an intention for the season ahead.

Michaelmas can inspire reflection for parents and children alike.

Ultimately, Michaelmas is less about what we do and more about what we carry: the will to meet challenges with courage, compassion, and light. In a world that often feels uncertain, the image of Michael standing tall with sword and scales can inspire us all - not to escape the dragons, but to face them, and perhaps even learn from them.

A Reflection for Parents

As we move into this season of Michaelmas, take a quiet moment for yourself:

• What “dragon” feels most present in your life right now?

• Does it need to be bravely overcome with a firm boundary, or gently transformed with patience and understanding?

• How might you model that process for your children in simple, everyday ways?

You may even wish to light a candle one evening after the children are in bed, hold that image of Michael with his sword of courage, and ask yourself: What small act of bravery can I carry into tomorrow?

A Reflection for Children

You might ask your child:

• “If you had a dragon living nearby, what do you think it would look like?”

• “What dragon do you think lives inside of you? Is it a dragon of fear, or of grumpiness, or maybe of not wanting to try something new?”

• “What would it feel like to be brave in front of that dragon?”

• “Do you think your dragon needs to be tamed, like a pet, or defeated, like in a knight’s story?”

Encourage your child to draw, tell a story, or act it out - it doesn’t need to be serious or “right.” The goal is to help them imagine courage in a playful way that they can carry into real-life challenges.

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About the Author

Robyn Beaufoy is Waldorfish’s CEO, and a course instructor for some of our courses - Waldorf Art for Beginners, Weekly Art Foundations, and Simple Season. You’ll find her intuitive touches and influences throughout everything Waldorfish offers! Robyn has been in the world of education for over 25 years, with an MA in Education and a certification in Waldorf teaching - she also homeschooled both of her children. In 2012 Robyn co-founded Waldorfish.com, creating it with the vision of making Waldorf inspired-art and pedagogy more accessible, joyful, and doable for homeschoolers all over the world. 

Doing it Your Way: Celebrating Michaelmas!

Happy fall! (Well, almost. Can you tell we’re just a little excited for the change of seasons?)

Fall is a wonderful time to enjoy the change of seasons, and celebrate Michaelmas!

In our part of the world, this season brings with it the start of a new school year, and with that, a new routine, curriculum, social group, and so many other things! It’s certainly a time of excitement.

It can also be a time where things feel challenging, and possibly, as though they haven’t quite fallen into place yet. 

So, it can feel like a lot when we remember that Michaelmas, one of the major festivals for the year, is just around the corner after school begins! 

But there’s no need to worry – Michaelmas (as with all festivals, in our opinion, click here for more on that!) does not need to be complicated, and should not induce more stress in your daily life.

It’s hard not to get caught up in the FOMO for this particular festival, especially when some Waldorf schools and families dedicate a large amount of time to building elaborate dragons, or baking all day, or...or...or! 

Fall pumpkins: a wonderful subject for your next watercolor painting!

But before you find yourself spiraling, take a minute to ask:

• What is meaningful to MY family?

• What would feel sincere to us?

• And above all: how can I make this festival feel special in a simple, doable and enjoyable way? 

In a nutshell, celebrating Michaelmas is about standing up for what’s right, taming the “dragon” within, and choosing to follow the path of light, joy, and goodness, even in the most difficult and challenging of circumstances. 

With that in mind, we’ve got some resources for you, to help you design your Michaelmas celebration in a way that fits your family best. (Just click the links below!)

For some, making wooden swords is a Michaelmas tradition!

Dragons for Michaelmas

Building a dragon is a popular activity to celebrate Michaelmas, so we’ve put together some inspirations for you! Perfect for little and big hands alike. 

On Dragons and Making Swords

What exactly is Michaelmas, and how does it apply to raising children in our modern world? Enjoy this piece written by our guest writer Christy Corp-Minamiji, and discover how Michaelmas can lead us to talking with our children about the dragons we encounter in our everyday lives. 

In Praise of Balance

The title speaks for itself: we are all about building a festival life that’s in balance, and truly meaningful experiences that work for you and your family. This blog post is the perfect place to go if you need a little encouragement, inspiration, and permission to keep it simple! 

Head to our Pinterest board for Michaelmas and Autumn seasonal inspiration!

Michaelmas Pinterest Board

Dragon bread, dragons, swords: our pinterest board has it all! 

Festival Life in 2020

It’s safe to say that our lives aren’t quite back to the “normal” we knew before 2020, and we’re all still trying to find the best and most doable ways to make festival life work in these new times. Be sure to check out this blog post by our guest writer Cristina Havel, and find some inspiration for how to make Michaelmas and other festivals feel special, even in trying times. 

Enjoy!

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About the Authors

Robyn Beaufoy is Waldorfish’s CEO, and a course instructor for two of our courses - Waldorf Art for Beginners and Weekly Art Foundations. You’ll find her intuitive touches and influences throughout everything Waldorfish offers! Robyn has been in the world of education for almost 30 years, with an MA in Education and a certification in Waldorf teaching - she also homeschooled both of her children. In 2012 Robyn co-founded Waldorfish.com, creating it with the vision of making Waldorf inspired-art and pedagogy more accessible, joyful, and doable to homeschoolers all over the world. 

Caitlin Amajor is Waldorfish’s course instructor for Geometry grades 5 & 6, and Botany, as well as our Administrative Assistant. From a young age, Caitlin has been immersed in Waldorf education, attending a Waldorf school from K-8. After receiving a BA in History, Caitlin gained her certification in Waldorf teaching, and spent seven years as a Waldorf class teacher in the upper grades. With a special fondness for watercolor painting and geometry, Caitlin loves bringing Waldorf education to her students all over the world, and seeing their own individuality and style bloom from the curriculum! 

Celebrating Michaelmas

The seasons are shifting.

For some of us the relief of fall is on the horizon. For others, the arrival of spring has been long awaited.

Last week I noticed that I was craving soup. Like, CRAVING. Never mind that it's still in the mid 90's where we live. For Brian, this seasonal shifting means a trip to our local foothills and his beloved Apple Hill (insert images of apple cider, apple donuts, etc, etc, here). Of course, we're a few weeks ahead of ourselves still, but....it's coming. Can you smell it?

Michaelmas is approaching as well. This brings to mind the year that Brian almost (almost) had our kids believing that he saw a Michaelmas dragon sale going up in the parking lot of a local chain store near us. Think Christmas tree lot, but with dragons of assorted temperaments, colors and sizes. Thankfully our kids (mostly) appreciate our sense of humor. So far anyway.

The change in season brings new opportunities to come together and celebrate! 

Here are two pieces that we love for this time of year.

"Modern parenting seems to dictate that we should protect our children from the bogey and even from knowledge of its existence. But “it is in the world already.” Children know the terrors that lurk under the bed, in the dark, and in the whispers of grownups. 

With fairy tales and golden capes and wooden swords and songs, we stop lying to them. When we show them the monsters and evil hiding in the stories, and help them shape their weapons, when we give them the words to “conquer fear and wrath,” we validate what they already know – that there are dragons." 

On Dragons and Making Swords... read the full piece here

No matter which hemisphere you call home, this piece also offers many ideas for consideration. 

"As a Waldorf-inspired homeschooler, you have no doubt noticed that a healthy festival life is one of the anchors around which Waldorf Education is organized. These rituals and festivals have traditionally contributed to the stability of communities of the past, and now brick-and-mortar schools of current time. They create an opportunity to relate to the seasons, and to each other.

What then, does this mean for those of us who have chosen to leave a local Waldorf school, or, to never attend one at all? What meaning do these festivals, or feast days as they are traditionally called, have when they are practiced in much smaller group settings without institutional support, or even at home within individual families?" 

In Praise of Balance: A Healthy Festival Life ... read the full piece here

Additionally, take a look at our Michaelmas Pinterest board for plenty of ideas, tutorials and resources.

All our best to you,

Robyn & Brian Wolfe

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Related content:

In Praise of Balance: A Healthy Festival Life

As a Waldorf-inspired homeschooler, you have no doubt noticed that a healthy festival life is one of the anchors around which Waldorf Education is organized.

These rituals and festivals have traditionally contributed to the stability of communities of the past, and now brick-and-mortar schools of current time. They create an opportunity to relate to the seasons, and to each other.

What then, does this mean for those of us who have chosen to leave a local Waldorf school, or, to never attend one at all? What meaning do these festivals, or feast days as they are traditionally called, have when they are practiced in much smaller group settings without institutional support, or even at home within individual families?

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If you’d prefer to listen to the audio version of this post, you can do that right here:

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It becomes easy to slip into thinking that our home-grown festivals and celebrations need to resemble what's happening at Waldorf schools - and if they don't, that we are not doing it correctly - that our children will be missing out on something vital. Spend any time at all on social media and this feeling increases exponentially.

How could the pursuit of balance change your home festival life? 

(Initials in parenthesis indicate which author is speaking.)

(RB) For several years in a row I was a single parent. I single-mama'd my way through all the holidays and festivals - most years missing several altogether, especially the first week or two of Advent.  Generally by the time I realized it was underway (usually because I saw someone else's beautiful post on social media) I considered it a major victory if I could slide across the evergreen bough finish line with a lit candle in hand, muttering "...the fourth light of advent, is the light of.....".

I started out those years feeling as though I was giving my children a somewhat "less than" festival experience. Thankfully (and a bit painfully) it was also during this time I was reminded that "comparison is the thief of joy". I began to recognize that all the striving to provide my children with an experience as good as their school experience was ultimately only making me feel like I was failing. Clearly it wasn't serving me or them. Eventually I realized there was far more value in doing a few festivals really well each year (i.e., deeply imbued with spirit) rather than trying to cram them ALL in in a somewhat half-assed fashion. Forced march to the May Faire anyone? What feeling exactly am I trying to achieve here?

As homeschoolers we have infinitely more freedom to dance to our own drumbeat.*

This applies no less to our family's festival life than it does to choosing the curriculum we're going to use! When considering the festivals coming up in any given season, we encourage you to start by identifying the overall feeling you'd like to imbue in your children/family with any given season. Then, work backwards from there and....

Ask yourself:

+ which of the festival options for this season will help us achieve that feeling?

+ do we need to do all of them? (seriously. do you?) 

+ is there one that resonates the most with our family's values?

+ how can I keep this simple?

+ what ONE or TWO activities might we do?

Remember, even in Waldorf Schools there is great variation in terms of participation in festivals. 

(CH) Most importantly, don't be afraid to improvise. The first Michaelmas after we started homeschooling, my husband and I were working away from home and 20 minutes from the ocean. It was exciting to have the freedom to take school on the road, but we were feeling the separation from the Waldorf school we had celebrated festivals with over the previous five years. After reading Michaelmas verses together at home we drove to the beach and made a big dragon in the sand. That night we lit a fire and wrote our personal "dragons" down on paper, then threw them into the flames to be slain. 

A message from a Michaelmas celebration. 

Our son, who was 8 at the time, took it all very much to heart. As we wrote our wishes on paper by the fire, we glanced over to find that on one piece he had written: "For those who don't have anyone to help them slay their dragons." He clearly understood that the act of transforming paper into ash was a form of prayer/intention.

Keep it simple, believe in the ritual yourself, and the messages will not only reach your children, they will be mirrored back to you in beautiful and unexpected ways.

Last year we missed Martinmas (a personal favorite of mine) but this year we made lanterns in stages the week before the Feast of St. Martin. On the night of November 11th we made and ate soup together, read Martinmas verses, and walked the dark streets of our neighborhood together by lantern light -- just as children on the streets of many European countries do (lanterns being a sophisticated extension, some believe, of the bonfires that preceded them).

My husband's uncle is a priest with a deep knowledge of the saints, and I sent him a picture of our son walking with his lantern. His response: "Great experience. He is blessed to learn these traditions first-hand." There was no question about how many others were celebrating with him. Clergymen-and-women understand better than anyone what these fall and winter rituals mean. They are taken in community (and what is a more primal form of community than family?) but ultimately, they are solitary expeditions into our most hidden aspects of self.

Simplicity brings joy, light and connection to festival life! 

There is clearly no substitute for the excitement and energy of large gatherings. In their healthiest forms we mirror one another, and we grow. However in some very important ways, the smaller-scale the ritual (and sometimes, the fewer the rituals we engage in) the more direct the experience can be and the more deeply the meaning can resonate. 

Sending love to you all this season,

Cristina & Robyn

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Related content:

Cristina Havel lives in Southern California where she and her husband have worked together for nearly 2 decades. They homeschool their son using the Waldorf pedagogy as a guide and believe in the transformative powers of art and nature.

An early career as a park ranger led Waldorfish co-founder, Robyn Beaufoy, to her love of illustrating and education. Trained initially as both a public school and Waldorf teacher, she has been involved in art + education for over 20 years, including homeschooling her two children. Robyn is currently working as the manifestor of the creative vision held by the Waldorfish team. Working out of the premise that life is short (but sweet!), she empowers soul-filled teachers & families to (re)find their JOY in teaching and making art.

All photos: Cristina Havel

(*We believe Waldorf homeschooling families are uniquely positioned to carry forward a faithful interpretation of Rudolf Steiner's vision for education. Here's an additional post focused on this idea.)