Thinking Michaelmas Together

On April 4, 2009, the Eastern Regional Council met in Spring Valley with representatives from regional branches and organizations. The idea of celebrating festivals along a common theme arose during planning for the 2009 Annual General Meeting conference, which will be held the weekend immediately following Michaelmas Day this year.

Like the adage “think globally, act locally,” the idea of embarking on a common theme during a festival holds the possibility for local institutions, branches, and communities to connect across geographical distances. Might we share our thoughts and plans for this year’s Michaelmas celebration and perhaps discover some common threads that weave in response to the needs of our time?

While seeking a theme to bridge multiple activities, we took note of the General Anthroposophical Society’s theme for 2009/10: Heart Thinking as Organ of Perception for Development and Metamorphosis. There are two late-summer conferences planned in Spring Valley: Inner Transformation and Social Renewal with Gary Lamb, August 8-11, and The Portal of Initiation and Its Relationship to Goethe’s Fairy Tale, August 12-16. The Annual General Meeting conference October 2-4 is titled Creating Living Connections: Christian Rosenkreutz and the Social Impulse.

One bridging thought might be the theme of point and periphery, expressed by the fact that only through the transformation of the individual can the world be changed. Conversely, self-transformation becomes spiritual egotism unless it is performed in service to the whole of humanity. We transform ourselves in service to the world to transform the world.

Rudolf Steiner speaks about the importance of renewing the festivals. Particularly, he tells of how a renewed Michaelmas celebrated in a way that speaks to the whole human Gemüt would be the solution to the social problems of our day.

How can we find a way to help one another, regionally and nationally, to develop such a festival celebration?

How can we bring the spirit of that celebration to the Anthroposophical Society’s annual meeting in October?

Jordan Walker for the AGM Conference Planning Committee, Spring Valley.