Holy Nights & the Zodiac
I hope you are all finding quiet moments to breathe between the bustling business this time of year. I always have to remind myself that underneath the commercialism that has taken such a strong hold of this winter month lies the fundamental human longing to connect. This longing for connection sometimes saddles us with packed social schedules, all in the name of celebrating “the holidays.” In our school community, we look for ways to celebrate festivals as a practice for marking the passage of time. We reflect on the circular nature of time, and the moments throughout the calendar year when we can practice traditions from the past while planting seeds for the future. In this way the cycle of the seasons becomes a spiral, always bringing us back to familiar moments with a new perspective. By celebrating festivals throughout the year, we create the opportunity to mark the passage of time in community. We have already experienced this together this year by gathering at the winter market. Next week we will find togetherness in the solitary practice of walking the winter spiral at Hawk Creek Farm. No doubt you all have family traditions to look forward to in the weeks that follow.
The faculty and staff of Golden Bridges have a tradition over winter break that comes from our roots in anthroposophy, which is the philosophical worldview that informs the Waldorf curriculum. Each year, we observe a time of contemplation known as the Holy Nights. These nights, which span from December 24 to January 6 are seen as a time for reflection on the past year and preparation for the year to come. The winter solstice on December 21st, which marks the longest night of the year, invites us to pause and turn our thoughts inward. Rudolf Steiner, the founder of anthroposophy and Waldorf education, recommended letting this pause extend for three days and then begin the meditative practice of marking the Holy Nights. The darkest part of the winter season is conducive to inner stillness, reflection, and anticipation. These three qualities hold the possibility of insight into our own authentic needs and aspirations. By intentionally aligning our meditative practices with the cycle of the seasons, we have the possibility of strengthening our connection to the rhythms of the natural world.
The work our faculty and staff will undertake over the winter break is a prime example of the unseen and seemingly indirect ways that we engage with our dedication to our students. This year, the College of Teachers is offering our colleagues meditative material to work with during the Holy Nights in correlation with the twelve Zodiac signs. As Steiner described in a lecture from 1911, “Only when we let ourselves be inspired by the wisdom that works through the forces of the universe, symbolically presented in the twelve signs of the Zodiac, will the human beings find their own liberation so that thoughts for the future may be permeated with fullest confidence and richest hopes.” Inspired by this quote, we are reflecting on the symbolism of the Zodiac signs and their influence on our lives throughout the year.
In practical terms, the meditative practice of the Holy Nights encourages us to think back on 2024 in a systematic way, one month at a time, starting with December on the night of the 24th and ending with January on the night of the 5th. Engaging through meditation can look any number of ways: artistic activity, journaling, walking, soundbathing, and any manner of reflection that is right for each individual. After taking some quiet time away from the, dare I say it, chaos of our lives, the first thoughts that we have when we wake up in the morning hold the possibility of coming from a truer place than our late-night or midday frenzy. By creating meditative space one day, we open possibilities for insights the next morning. These insights can bring us clarity to set intentions for the coming year. When we gather as a community of educators in 2025, we will share inspirations according to our comfort level, with no expectation of disclosing more inner truths than we feel comfortable with.
As Waldorf teachers, we believe that exercises like meditation during the Holy Nights elevates our work in our profession. We invite you, as adults who are also raising children, to think with interest about this curious practice. What I have shared is doubtlessly the most esoteric ideas I have offered in these Pedagogical updates this year. Observing the Holy Nights can be as simple as lighting a candle when you read your child their bedtime story, remembering that their teachers are hard at work in a very abstract way. You could ask your children what they remember from this month on the 24th, and continue to call up memories from the year in reverse order together. The children do not need the lengthy and lofty explanation I’ve shared with you; they can enjoy the experience and the time to connect with you.
If you yourself are curious to explore the reflective practice of the Holy Nights for yourself, I will have some of the journals from the College of Teachers to share with you at pick up next Friday. They are designed as an open-ended invitation to look back on your year; there is no wrong way to use them. So, whether you take up this practice yourself, share it with your children, think of our staff, or just survive the break from school, I hope you each find one moment to look back at 2024 and one moment to look ahead at 2025.
