Classes 1- 5 and 12 Advent Spiral

Mon December 2, 2024
Monday morning

Why Waldorf children walk the Advent Spiral: The pupils’ journey reflects the human experience at this time of year: harvesting inner light as we enter a time of darkness, which along with reverence and wonder may be the most important attitude that we can help our children to cultivate.

We gather the bright rays of the sun in summertime, which warms our hearts well into the autumn. Then, at Martinmas, we craft lanterns to lovingly shelter a spark of light, to brighten the darkening world.  How lucky we are to live in a place where the darkness makes the light so bright! And as we move into Advent, this light can be kindled into a flame, going forward with hope to welcome the light of the sun after the winter solstice.

On the first morning of Advent at school, the youngest pupils of Class 1 and their Class 12 buddies, as well Classes 2 & 3 together and Class 4 separately, experience the Advent Spiral Garden.  Into a darkened spiral of evergreen boughs (a symbol of life everlasting), they bring their light.

As many of the children will have experienced in their Spiral of Light celebrations during their Kindergarten years,  each child carries an unlit beeswax candle held within a red apple and slowly walks into the centre of the spiral.  Here they light their own candle. Turning to walk back out of the spiral, each child carefully placed the kindled flame upon the side of the path, to light the way for others.

Slowly, the darkened garden becomes filled with beautiful light.  Here, a metaphor for life can be seen, a picture of how we each strive to kindle and carry our own inner light, to then place it in the service of others, lighting the way in the darkness.

Here we stand, at the beginning of Advent.