Eurythmy - The Importance of The Calendar of the Soul

Most of us can see and recognize the changing of the seasons. We feel, for example, the shift from summer to fall as cool weather starts to set in. “Autumn, like a lusty king, strides through the fields, bringing a crispy coolness to the air.” I love it! But what if we don’t notice it? What if we live in an area that doesn’t have a noticeable change in weather and temperature? Is it really that important? Can we still be a part of this? How do we do that? What does that look like?

Well, I live in an area, as I laughingly put it, has two seasons, green and brown. The weather is hot or hotter. I say this jokingly. I do experience about a month of cold weather, but that’s it. I used to get so cranky during the shift from winter to spring to summer. And I hated summer! Why? Because I was casually cycling through my year without stopping to take part of the change. Now, weather does have a little to do with the Calendar of the Soul. Those who live in an area that experiences all four seasons have these changes thrust upon them. But the Calendar of the Soul has more to do with the shift of the sun, independent of the weather and temperature. As days grow shorter and the nights grow longer, the sun travels lower across the sky. The first kingdom to notice this is the mineral kingdom. The minerals and rocks began to rest, therefore, the soil is not as nutrient. Which effects the next kingdom, the plant kingdom. As nutrient aren’t as available, the plant kingdom begins to settle in to rest. Vegetables and fruits stop producing; no more buds and flowers. These plants begin to die off. Next, the animal kingdom notices this change. As plant life isn’t as obtainable, some animals begin to prepare for hibernation. Squirrels, for example, collect their nuts and seeds and hide them away for the winter. The great preparation has begun! 

And then what do we as humans do in our kingdom? Well, if we are paying attention, we gather our harvest and can and store our own food as well, making preparations for when food is a little more scarce. In our day and age, humans aren’t as dependent on their own gardens and animals for food like we used to be. So we kind of skip this step in the transition of the year. This is one reason why gardening is so important! It helps us to feel the seasons. 

As you can see, there is a considerable shift happening between the seasons. As the plants die, they give of their life-force and light to whatever is around. If we take the time to walk in nature, we can gather that life-force and light. It can become part of us. We plant it in our hearts and souls as soul-seed. Then, we use it to draw on for strength as the sunlight is in short supply. We carry it through the dark days of winter. And then as spring rolls back around, we go out into nature, whether through nature walks and/or gardening and we give that light back to Mother Nature. Our soul-seed we planted many months ago is now bursting forth and growing! We use of our life-force, by planting a garden and giving it to the plant-seeds. These seeds use this force, along with the gathering of new sunlight to grow, giving once again, back to us. 

This is why I was so cranky! Even though the weather was still warm, my garden stopped producing; no more fruits and vegetables. They could sense the change in the sun.  I would gather the harvest and start the canning and dehydrating process, but I did so mindlessly. Over the last couple of years, I have slowed down. Not only was I getting my hands dirty in the soil, but I took time to truly breathe it in. I made time to just sit in and near my garden. I took time to slowly walk through the woods, all the while gathering life-force. Then reverently, I approached winter. I allowed my physical body to rest. I did not give in to the demands of commercialism, and I did not do as others did. I took time to be still. I stayed under my blankets a little more during the day instead of going out in all the hustle and bustle. I made warm drinks and worked puzzles with my children. We took walks to feel the small change in temperature… to be a part of that. I did not push myself beyond my capacities. I focused on the changes of the earth, and the impact that had on my soul. Winter is for rest of the physical body. Then as spring rolled around, I began moving more, becoming awake physically. Always follow nature! You will not go wrong by mimicking the plant and animal kingdoms!

So what does this have to do with eurythmy? Well, eurythmy is all about exercising and learning to control the etheric body. As the physical body is active and working, the etheric is at rest. And while the physical body is resting, the etheric is active and working. Our days are made for work and sleep. It is important to allow the physical and etheric to function at their proper times. But so are our years! The year is made for a time of rest and activity. If we push ourselves physically when that body needs to be at rest, then when does the etheric work and do its job? And if the etheric can’t work, how do we grow our life-force? We need these moments of physical rest and action, likewise, the etheric needs its time of rest and activation. We must allow it or else our experiences and lessons we gain cannot be imprinted on our souls as they should be.

The earth is not the only thing that has a shift through seasons. We do and should as well, if we allow it. Rudolf Steiner wrote a set of 52 verses, made for the weeks in the seasons of the year. It reminds us of the changes going on with our sun and earth, reflecting what is happening within our souls, our etheric and physical bodies. In my Eurythmy-Inspired Movement classes, I like to read the verse before getting started with class. It helps to open the children up to what is getting ready to be learned. I also prepare exercises and activities based on the Calendar of the Soul. As a world-wide school, we do not always experience the same temperatures, nor do we live in the same climates. Sometimes we have students who live in different seasons! But the good news is, we all experience seasons. So with each of these verses, we are able to find our grounding to give us a springboard to start our day and class time, helping us to open up in our lesson. We use whatever stage the etheric is in and work from there, always feeding the etheric. And by feeding the etheric, we also give life and support to our physical.

Ms. Tiffany C. 

Learn more about Four Fold Enrichment HERE.