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Soon our school will be celebrating Michaelmas. For many of you, this may be the first you have heard of this festival — I know I didn't know about it until I became involved with Waldorf education. It is one of the biggest festivals celebrated in Waldorf schools, and Waldorf schools seem to be one of the few places it is even celebrated. It falls on the 29^th of September each year and is generally associated with the fall equinox and the beginning of autumn.  As J. Fleming from Shining Mountain Waldorf School explains, “Saint Michael is an archangel mentioned in the Bible, Apocrypha and Koran.  He appears as a spiritual figure and protector of humankind, inspiring strength, courage and will throughout history.”

The story of Michael taming the dragon is one of courage. As summer comes to an end and days grow shorter and colder, we need to gather courage to get through the dark and cold days.  Stories and verses for the students share the message that they have the ability to stand in equanimity in the face of life’s challenges.  That every moment is one of decision in how they act.  That they can choose to act with courage, imbue all they do with care, and call on their own inner will to persevere.

We have all sorts of dragons in our lives — things that distract us from our goals and intentions. One for me would be the internet as it is so easy to spend countless hours on, and it can easily eat up a lot of time, leaving me feeling as though I did not get everything accomplished that I wanted to. So, like Michael taming the dragon, I try to find the right balance to keep the tool useful and not a negative influence. The same can be said for television, sweets, etc. 

Michaelmas is a time to reflect on the courage and dedication we need to do those tasks that sometimes seem greater than us — parenting, teaching, managing a household, or a difficult task ahead at work — and to remember that we can shine our inner light and courageously do what is right, even if it is hard.

This year, due to pandemic restrictions, our Michaelmas for our kindergartens and grades 1-8 will be celebrated in the classrooms with the teachers and students, but you can bring parts of this enchanting festival into your own home by singing along to some Michaelmas songs from our sister school, Cincinnati Waldorf, and taming your own dragon with our delicious dragon bread recipe!

DRAGON BREAD RECIPE

2 1/4 teaspoons yeast
3 3/4 cups flour
3/4 cup warm water
2 eggs
1/2 cup oil
1/2 teaspoon salt
1/4 cup sugar

Mix together the yeast and warm water. Let it rest. In another bowl, mix eggs, oil, salt, and sugar. Add flour. Add yeast and water mixture and mix until blended. Knead the dough on a floured surface until it’s firm and smooth, then round it into a bowl coated in a little oil. Turn the ball over once to coat both sides of dough with oil. Let the dough rise in a warm place until it has doubled in size. Now place your dough on a greased cookie sheet and shape it into a dragon. You can use scissors to cut legs, a mouth, scales, etc. Poke in almonds for teeth, or dried fruits for spikes, if you wish. Cover and let your dragon bread rise again for about 30 minutes. Bake at 350 degrees until done.