The Cycle of the Year as a Breathing Process of the Earth

Presenter: Laura Radefeld

After the burning of the first Goetheanum, Rudolf Steiner spoke for the first time about the breathing of the earth, the spiritual course of the year, and the Imaginations of the Festivals. He also spoke for the first time about the importance of the Michaelmas Festival, urging that we take the force of spiritual knowledge into the will-forces which he also calls the Michael force. Rudolf Steiner spoke about the Michael Festival as one of soul activity and of courage. He continued to speak on this theme for the rest of his life. His final address included the Michael Imagination.

We will look at Michaelmas within the cycle of the year, its importance to our pedagogy and to the health of our school community by working through a few excerpts from this lecture series, and artistic work designed to illuminate what Rudolf Steiner was bringing to us.