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:

shifting...

Images from our Story Starters deck. We have a few left! Grab yours here.

Shifting. Subtly. Can you feel it?

You would never know it if you were looking only at daytime temperatures....it's still oh-so-hot here. Surely we're still in the middle of summer, yes?

And yet...in the mornings, it's cooler. Just a bit. But noticeable. The air smells different. The early morning sky is again dotted with hot air balloons.

My children are noticing it too....pants. (pants!) Long-sleeve shirts. Of course, they come off by 10am, but still....it's in the air.

The farmers know too. Our farmers market is bursting (!) with their harvest. There is SO much work for them to do at this time of year.

My garden knows. Drooping sunflowers. Drying echinacea. Chilies turning red.

The creatures know. Baby birds have long since left their nests. Many creatures around our house seem to be waiting. As if they know .... not quite yet ... but soon.

I noticed myself moving things around on our little nature table yesterday. Pulling off some summery bits & pieces (but not all! No, I'm not quite ready to completely let go yet). This morning I was looking through our Story Starters deck for autumny images to replace them with. 

What are you noticing? What's shifting where you are?

xo - Robyn