Yesterday we attended the Steiner Advent Fair in Hebden Bridge, starting the season off. It was a smaller than I expected, I think I was remembering one we went to back in Chicago at the Waldorf High School, which was huge. Anyway, my son enjoyed making an angel, which he said was his very own guardian angel (his thoughts) at the kids craft table, while my daughter made off with a soft jingly ball (which I paid for of course). The food (all veggie by the look of it) was really well presented (quiches, pizza, salads, veggie sausage rolls, cakes, scones..) and the little bit that I had tasted great. It did make me feel like my contribution of bulgar wheat salad was a bit paltry by comparison, especially as the food/cafe was the most popular gathering point. I suppose while I expected the whole thing to be bigger, I didn't expect the food to be quite so -well, gourmet, I guess. I'm sure the event was a big success as we were among the first to arrive, with a steady stream of people arriving after us and as we were leaving.
This morning I've been reflecting on how life seems to move in circles and how people often refer to it as spiraling upward or downward, or things coming 'full circle'. Circle of life. Breathing in and breathing out, rising and falling, beginning and ending. I have always been drawn to the spiral image and one of my favourite pieces of jewelery is a hand-made silver spiral ring that I bought on the isle of Skye in Scotland many years ago. The synchronicity of life appeared again when I received an email on Thursday from an old high school friend. I haven't heard from her since we entered our first year in college. Life took us on different paths, to different parts of the country. Nevertheless, she was someone that I have thought about often, and now she has come back into my circle of life so to speak. She is running her own business producing herbal skincare, http://www.heirloombotanicals.com/ which shows me how our paths have led us to similar interests once again. In Steiner education, the spiral is used to represent this time of year, advent and winter. I'm not especially well versed in Steiner, but I can say that I understand it to represent the journey both inward, and outward. The spiral advent festival also represents the coming of the longest night (solstice) and the return of the light that happens with the lengthening of days after the winter solstice occurs. At the moment, I feel connected to everything and that is a wonderful, if not sometimes fleeting feeling, as everyday living often makes us forget the utter simplicity and perfection of this life. But hey, if I remembered these insights all the time then I'd be enlightened.
Well it was the Steiner toddler group again this morning, and I didn't feel quite so peaceful and happy. Having been worked up by my son this morning, it didn't set the tone very well. Of course its not entirely his fault, a good portion of it resides with the way I react to it. The moon is passing through Jupiter and I guess by tommorrow it should all settle down once again and I'm hoping I'll feel something like myself again. This by the way, is our leaf banner that we did last week. My darling daughter didn't want to sit very still today, and sometimes I find I have a real conflict in my head about any sort of 'education' initiative for toddlers. Although Steiner himself advocated play as a means of education, the structure of Steiner education is not entirely all about play. They play for a bit but in the rhythmn of things, they are supposed to also wind down and sit for a story near the end of the session. It seems that most of the kids can do this... not mine, at least not for all of it. But she gets tired which also seems to make it harder to sit still (why do kids do that- i.e. tired but won't give in)So I'm wondering if this is even too structured an approach for her. Everything just seems so organised. I thought the most relaxed approach was what we did back in Chicago when my son was a toddler. A group of four of us got together with our kids and simply rotated houses each week. The kids played in the comfort of a home and we felt relaxed by the safe and uncomplicated surroundings. The issue of toy ownership sometimes came up, but mostly everything went ok. I don't really have any friends here to do that with, and people seem to meet outside their homes in some designated 'playgroup' building. It seems to require alot more effort. Ah well, can I just stay holed up in my house until they are grown???
[A cold November morning on the canal.]
Monday is our Steiner parent & toddler group and although I rarely look forward to getting on the bus, I do look forward to the time there. Its a peaceful little space, where the adults can participate just as the kids do. We generally sit around the table and work on different craft each week, which the kids can join in on if they choose. Today it was colouring leaves through paper and then painting over it with watercolour. The children range in age from roughly 18 months to 3 years, at which time they can then go on to Steiner Kindergarten. Our group leader likes to describe Steiner education as 'old-fashioned' where the toys are simple, such as wooden, or from nature such as pine cones and conkers. The dolls are soft and stuffed with wool, so they are warm and soft to cuddle. Stories are told and songs are song, all following a rhythm of the day and season. It is gently repetitive, so the children learn and come to look forward to it. The Steiner philosophy in a nutshell is 'head, heart & hands', so all three are engaged in the education. After a somewhat stressful weekend partly due to some planetary line-ups, I feel rather relaxed now. Today's herbal tea 'Love' could've had something to do with that, as I enjoyed three cupfuls, made from rosehips, lavender and chamomile.
Yesterday we attended the Steiner Advent Fair in Hebden Bridge, starting the season off. It was a smaller than I expected, I think I was remembering one we went to back in Chicago at the Waldorf High School, which was huge. 
