Waldorf schools around the world celebrate Michaelmas. The celebration of this holiday teaches the importance of facing fears and strengthening resolve. Its symbol is used to teach students the importance of using courage to prepare for the colder, darker, winter months as we begin to feel the impulse to turn inward after the long, warm days of summer, and gather up strength and fortitude to face the colder days and long nights of the winter ahead.
Join us as we delve into this story and uncover a shared history worth exploring.
The tale of the archangel Michael and the dragon isn’t just a story we came up with, but it’s a legend that has been with humans for hundreds, even thousands of years. For those of you who are curious about where legends come from, you might find it interesting that the story of this light-being Michael is not only told by the Hebrew and Christian people, but is also part of the Muslim and Baha’i faiths.
We may wonder, why do legends stay alive for so many years, often without being written down, but only passed on from one generation to another? The tales that we still tell hundreds and thousands of years later in different parts of the world remain with us because they are so important and because they share a truth and wisdom that helps humans with life here on earth. Not only are these stories about the world we live in but also about the world inside of us. Each legend carries a seed of wisdom about something that every human experiences in their heart and we have to listen closely to hear that message.
In our Michaelmas play the seed is in plain sight in the words “ we face the dragons out there, and the dragons in here”. Now, I wondered, do we know what it means to face the dragons within? What does that mean? And so, I would like to tell you a story about a human child that had to face the dragon within. This story may be about one child, but it really is about all of us, big and small.
There was a time when a human soul was preparing to come to earth. The Great Mother held the little soul in the palms of her hands, cradling the orb of golden light gently. She asked the soul: “what is your wish for your time on earth?” The soul’s wish was to know the truest of love. The Great Mother smiled and carefully placed the golden orb in a bright waterlily, like a little boat, and whispered: “remember, you already have all that you need for the journey inside of you”. Then, she blew her loving breath on the waterlily, sending it floating down the river of light and drifting over the rainbow bridge where the little soul’s parents were waiting with open arms.
When the child was born, she was beautiful! She smelled like roses, her eyes were like twinkling stars, and her heart was golden.
The child grew up with so much love and kindness, she was adored and cared for with devotion. Every time the little child felt this great love, a flower of light blossomed in her heart and like in a beautiful garden, the flowers kept multiplying with each experience of love. But as the child grew taller, she also got to know other experiences. Sometimes others were unkind, impatient and frustrated with her. And every time the child was affected by hurtful actions, lies and anger, instead of a flower of light, there grew a prickly thistle in her heart.
Over time more and more of these sharp thistles sprouted and a shadow was cast in the garden, a shadow in the shape of a dragon. This dragon kept on growing until the child had almost forgotten all the loving kindness and she herself started to become angry, mean, and impatient and fear grew in her. She feared not only the world around her but even more who she had become. She was afraid of following her dreams and doubted herself and that she was worth anything at all. How had she come to this earth to experience true love and now she had become grumpy and unkind? The child thought that the Great Mother must have forgotten about her and that she had failed her mission.
One night, the human child travelled far. She came to a river of light with water lilies scattered on it like stars in the sky. She went to the water to look at her reflection, expecting to see the grumpy face that she had become, but as she gazed at herself, all she could see was a golden light shining back at her. From a distance came a whisper like the breath of the wind. A hummingbird appeared with beautiful feathers of all the colours in the sky. The hummingbird flew over to the child and whispered in her ear: “You already have everything you need inside of you! Remember why you came here. My child, your life is sacred. Listen to the silence in your heart and you will have the answers.”
When the child woke up, she had new hope and courage! The Great Mother had not forgotten about her! She knew what she had to do, but it was very hard. Every time she was met with disappointment, hate or anger, she took a deep breath, listened to her heart and did her best to respond with kindness. She had to face the dragon inside of her again and again, but every time she reacted out of love, another flower of light grew in the garden and the sharp thistles bloomed in their soft violet blossoms. In time, so many light blossoms returned in her heart that there was no more space for the shadows. The dragon became more docile day by day..
Remember in our Michaelmas play, the Light Being Michael doesn’t slay the dragon with hate or violence. It is with his spear of light that he tames the dragon into defeat.
And so it was with the child. Not only did she heal herself, but every time she met someone else’s dragon with kindness, a flower of light also grew in the heart of the other person.
So, please remember when someone is impatient, unkind or angry, they are also facing a dragon within. That doesn’t only go for you but also the adults. When you meet someone that is having a hard day or acts out of anger and fear, we too need to remember that we all are battling a dragon, so be patient, be kind, be loving and be forgiving.
It is with this seed from our Michaelmas play that I would like to end:
“Iron brings courage,
to face what you fear,
the dragons out there and
The dragons in here.”
Author Berit Strasser.