Why Michaelmas?

The temperature of the air is dropping and sunlight grows dimmer each day. Nature is showing her annual signs of decay. The light-filled warm summer adventure already feels like a dream.

As night becomes longer than day and darkness overpowers the light, we are called back to face the outer realities of our lives: places to be, things to do, rules to follow, bills to pay, the morning and evening traffic slow-downs, re-establishing connection with school friends and work colleagues, the first sniffles of the school year, meetings and camping trips and gatherings and birthday parties… all over which we do not have full control.

We may sometimes feel powerless, unintentionally evoking an inner darkness of doubt, anxiety, antipathy, and fear as a natural reaction.

A dragon is on its way; its a time for Michaelmas!

The festivals in Waldorf schools are learning opportunities not just for children, but for people of all ages. The Michaelmas festival gives us the courage to face our inner darkness of doubt, antipathy, apathy, and fear. Even more importantly, like St. Michael’s sword meeting the dragon, it calls forth our inner light of truth and the power of cosmic love to lead us through the darkness.

By restraining our impulsive reactions to outer phenomena and consciously transforming these forces into compassionate action and sincere communication, a light of clarity and renewed connection may shine forth. Human beings have the power to transform the dragon (our unconscious instincts) into love-filled and intentional actions.

This becomes particularly clear when our children go through puberty and meet the world and all it has to offer in their teenage years. Can they overcome their impulses and find their own truth? Will they be able to follow their conscience and make good decisions?

The Michaelmas festival is our annual prayer that when the time comes to make their own decisions, our students can call forth their own “Michaelic sword” and guide their inner dragons to meet challenges wisely.

This is also good work for all of us!

Let us practice kindness, empathy, and compassion every single day. When our light is shining in the darkness, our children will learn the most. If each of us takes up this intention, our community will become a source of love and light in the earthly darkness of this season, and all seasons.

Chiaki Uchiyama is Cedarwood’s Pedagogical Director, and teaches the Japanese language program to our middle school students. Born and raised in Yokohama, Japan, Uchiyama Sensei moved to the United States in 1997 and taught Japanese language at Cedarwood for 20 years before becoming the Pedagogical Director in 2018. Although she misses the fun of teaching Japanese language to the children, she finds infinite satisfaction and fulfillment in supporting our students, teachers, administration, parents, and the whole school community.