Michaelmas: A Festival of Courage

Many Waldorf grade schools share common elements in their Michaelmas festivals including a pageant in which the archangel Michael saves a village full of costumed children from a fierce dragon. While this festival is often observed by elementary and middle schools, Michaelmas also holds a special place in the hearts of high school students, one that is deeper than just the students’ cherished memories of wearing red, singing, and cheering for Michael in their grade school years.  At the same time, finding the developmentally appropriate expression of the festival can be a challenge for teenagers.

One reason for this is that real courage can be a thorny attribute to contemplate in the context of a festival celebration. While most of us readily honor others for their courageous deeds, we are rarely willing to ask for the sorts of trials and tribulations that would require us to call upon our own courage. Consequently, at Michaelmas, we can find ourselves looking out admiringly at the courage of others, while simultaneously hoping for paths that are largely free of obstacles. For this reason, Michaelmas is a particularly important time of year for introspection.

Ancient wisdom and spiritual traditions tell us that the festivals of the year originated in the distant past when humans experienced a real connection with the cosmos. Rudolf Steiner, the founder of Waldorf education, called the first celebrations “festivals of giving by the divine to the earthly.” In many ways, humans still desire to observe festivals as gifts from the divine, but Steiner also advised that as humans evolve, so too must these festivals. What was once gifted to us by spiritual forces must now be achieved through our own will and action. In other words, at Michaelmas in particular, we must actively pursue the attribute of courage.

How can Waldorf schools support teenagers in this pursuit? First and foremost, the adults in the community can model and encourage small acts of courage, such as offering a sincere apology or speaking a difficult truth with kindness and generosity. These acts should be deeply personal for each individual student, but might include offering a kind word to a classmate who might be unwilling or unable to reciprocate, sitting with a new student at lunch, or even having the courage to sit alone in a gesture of open invitation. Success with these smaller deeds prepares students for life's more difficult challenges: taking personal responsibility for one’s actions and choosing to embrace life even in the face of loss and defeat.

If, at Michaelmas, we can proactively seek opportunities to practice courage, the festival’s mood will shine out into the year and its other festivals as it ought, making courage not merely a trait to celebrate annually, but a way of living.