Spiral Of Light Festival
Share your light and belong with us.
In mid-winter, a special ceremony takes place in the Waldorf Community. It is a ceremony that began as a community celebration in which the individual reaffirmed his/her deepest spiritual commitment and offered his/her individual light to illuminate the whole community. The simplicity, beauty, and symbolism of the ceremony touch the hearts of all who participate.
The Ceremony
A large spiral of fragrant forest greens is built, making a pathway leading toward a center, wherein stands one large glowing candle, surrounded by beautiful crystals and stones of the earth, and plants of the region. Some ceremonies also include images of the animals from the region in beautiful paintings or artworks of felting, etc.
These recognize the three kingdoms of the earth into which each human (the fourth kingdom) is born. When walking the spiral, the person holds an unlit candle. Walking in solemn reverence, the person contemplates his/her meaning and purpose in life. Then, upon lighting the candle at the center of the spiral, the person turns around and exits the spiral pathway. Along the return path, the person places their lit candle along the spiral to represent their light in the greater community.
Throughout the ceremony, a gentle musical accompaniment is playing, usually a harp. This can be a profoundly moving experience for both children and adults, held in reverence and with great inner quiet. As we adopt this ceremony, it serves to remind all who participate in it, that we humans need to walk a noble path and receive light at the core of our being to walk into our community, and give our light away. It asserts that the light of the whole community is much brighter than that of an individual.
Each person who chooses to walk this path of individuation for the sake of community is free to associate his or her own spiritual understandings with this simple ceremony. Essentially, all that is asked of any who participates is to freely enter and impart reverence to this time together.