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 for the writer in me that feels compelled to provide examples, here are a few options:
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.
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.
