Michaelmas Time: Kindling the Spirit

Ahead of the Michaelmas pageant on Friday, September 29, second grade teacher Mia Terziev shared these beautiful reflections on the meaning of the festival and the spirit of the autumn season. We hope you will hold these thoughts in your heart and mind at the Michaelmas pageant next week.

At the beginning of the year in second grade, we heard the story of Saint George, who, with the courage and strength of the Archangel Michael, defeated a fearsome dragon that had destroyed the land and killed animals and people. This selfless act, and the courage with which George faced the dragon, is true inspiration for the students. The timeless archetypes of courage overcoming destruction, good conquering evil, and love replacing fear are encompassed in this powerful story—soul food for the second grader, who is beginning to experience the feeling of separation from the oneness of early childhood. We want to help the developing child create an inner picture that can live and grow within them, throughout their life; a picture of the human being who is able to overcome fear. But, it is not only the second grader who needs this picture. In these uncertain times, we all do.

In the cycle of the year from spring to autumn it is easy to feel connected with nature, with the light and warmth and beauty of the outside world all around us. We can be deeply affected in our souls by these external forces—they can lift us up and give us inspiration for growth and activity, make us feel happy and productive. When the season changes in autumn, the outside world provides less and less light and warmth. From this moment, the darkness of night grows longer. Our inner lives are now in opposition to nature. But, there is beauty, there are riches, there is a life beyond nature's cycle of death and decay. When nature turns towards her great sleep, we do not want to mirror in our souls the cold and ice of winter. We must kindle the forces of light and warmth within ourselves.

At this turning point in the year, the moment between midsummer and the winter solstice, we can look up to a being who stands for inner light and inner warmth, for inner forces of the soul that cannot be affected by the dark and cold outside. A symbol of this resistance against inner coldness and darkness is the Archangel Michael, the fighter against the dragon.

The traditional picture of Michael fighting the dragon represents the opposition between the spiritual and material tendencies in the human being. Michael wants us to awaken to our inner light, our inner strength and courage to overcome the one-sided nature of materialism. We have the freedom to kindle this inner light—our eternal nature—in times of darkness. This is not an easy task, especially in the winter when nature grows cold and dark.

The Michaelmas festival plants a seed in our souls, a picture of courage and strength, that can take root and grow through the autumn and winter. We can return again and again to the symbols this festival presents and benefit from their abundance all winter long.

Can we use the image of Michael conquering the dragon to inspire our daily striving against negative thoughts, self-doubt, unhealthy activities, etc.? Can we find the courage to let love overcome fear and anxiety? Can we see the shining rays of Michael's sword in the winter's darkest days? This is our Michaelmas Challenge.

To read more about how our students prepare for the Michaelmas pageant, click here. We hope to see you at the Michaelmas festival on Friday, September 29.