Blog

Some of you may be familiar with Rudolf Steiner’s Calendar of the Soul.  It is a collection of verses, one for each week of the year, that charts the expression of the human being as it progresses with the changes of season.  It is based on the seasonal changes relative to Rudolf Steiner’s Germany, which is similar to our own, but has also been interpreted to fit other latitudes and more temperate regions. No matter where you are located the idea that the universe is imbued with the movement of contraction and expansion, or inbreath and outbreath, and that we experience internally this same movement with each seasonal change can be relevant no matter your location. It can be best to approach the verses, as one would any meditations, not as absolute truths, but rather as questions to explore.  These verses are dense with meaning and can be interesting to ponder on many levels.

There are many translations, the original being written in Steiner’s native German, but below is one translation for December 29 through January 4.   

I give myself to the Spirit’s revelation
And gain the light of cosmic Being;
The power of thought grows strong and clear
And gives my own true self to me;
By thinking’s power the sense of self
Awakens and is freed.

There is a lot to think about in this verse.  What does it mean to give yourself to Spirit’s revelation? What is cosmic Being? But, what seems most prevalent in this verse during that particular time of year is the idea of the true self emerging through clear thought and an awakening and freedom of the self.  There are many moments of rebirth throughout the calendar, and we often think of spring as the biggest one, but there is certainly a strong theme of rebirth that comes during the winter season also.  

As we come into the new year (Gregorian and Lunar) it is common to start thinking about resolutions.  Many of us find the practice of new year’s resolutions frustrating, as failure seems inevitable, but ultimately the impulse behind them seems correct for this time of year, especially if we frame it with Steiner’s words above, of awakening and freeing the self.  To paraphrase Walt Whitman, we are large and we contain multitudes, and perhaps the impulse is not to resolve to be or do better, but to think on which facet of ourselves we need to shine more light.  What part of us has laid dormant this winter and needs to re-emerge?  In what actions do we feel most like ourselves? What part of our character needs more cultivation?  

It is important to note in Steiner’s verse that it is through the power of thinking that our self is awakened and freed.  One way we can choose to interpret Steiner’s phrase “thinking’s power” is the action of reflection.  It is through self-reflection that we are freed.  Taking time to reflect on the self is difficult.  It is difficult to find the time, but it is also challenging to look at ourselves with the eyes of an impartial observer, with both objectivity and kindness. But this is ultimately the impulse of this time of year.  So, as we come into this new time and think on how best to start the new year, we can ponder Steiner’s verse. Let us reflect on who it is we want to be this year, and once we have decided, we are free to become it.  

If you would like to follow the Calendar of the Soul, there are many online resources including an app which supports multiple languages.