Warmth and light

Today we had a small celebration for Martinmas. It is a day which originated in France and spread though out Europe. It is a story of St. Martin who met a poor beggar at the city gate. He was shivering with cold and St. Martin took his sword and split his cloak in two, giving half to the the beggar. He gave compassion, warmth and hope to the beggar; as we can have warmth and hope for the cold, dark winter to come. Martinmas can also be seen as the end of Autumn turning into winter.
It is celebrated in Waldorf traditions with a lantern walk and singing. A lantern is typically made out of paper or beeswax for the children. There is a wonderful Waldorf community in town hosting a lantern walk tomorrow night. Kelwyn is very sensitive to his night time routine, so I do not think we will make it this year. Any changes seem to throw him off and cause him to not go to bed well. So we lit our own lantern and gave thanks for the light to shine our way through the darkness, and enjoy the last glows of the autumn sun.
We may feel that we are giving protection to our own little 'flame' that was beginning to shine..., so that we may carry it safely through the dark world. It may only be a small and fragile light-but every light brings relief to the darkness.
All Year Round