[mum21andtwins]

Anyone here pagan and hs waldorfstyle?
Curious to see what festivals you celebrate what stories you tell rhymes verses etc. i find a lot of things are very christian orietated and would love more pagan inspired tales verses etc.

Thanks

 

[Angierae]

We are a blended Pagan/Christian family. We do most of the same festivals, with an Earth centered rather than Christ centered focus. The wheel of the year, and the Saint Days, and Christmas. The only one that I haven't blended well yet is Easter. Still working on that one. But it works really well. I mean, the gnomes, and fairies are already here, the Goddess is welcome, too! Just read the Story of the Root Children--Goddess anyone?

This year my children are very into the Nativity Story (we have a new baby this year, too). Whether you celebrate the human birth of a god-baby son, or the goddess birth to the divine baby sun, its essentially the same imagery. St. Nicholas (Holly King) and St. Lucia (maiden goddess of growing sun). Not doing a lot of verses right now as we are christmas carols all day long!

I have crazy baby on my hands right now, but will post in more detail later! Anything specific you were looking for?

 

[mum21andtwins]

Nothing specific as such I guess I'm after inspiration more than anything else. My family and dh's family are all Roman Catholics on paper, most lacking even the slightest hint of anything spiritual. And I guess that was one thing I allways found lacking growing up routine awareness of nature ritual.
Thanks for that its given me something to ponder on....

 

[bellasmama06]

:

 

[mrsalf97]

I've been wondering the same thing myself.

 

[mum21andtwins]

LOl I'm not alone then.

 

[tbone_kneegrabber]

Ok not to hijack, but what if you are "religious" "spritual" at all?

 

[rainbowmoon]

:

I'm a pantheist (my partner is pagan) and we are using Enki. we celebrate solstice, new years and bdays but that's it. though we do participate in various things for the sake of our Christian family. I tend to shy away from stories,etc. that are religious at this point. when they are older we will teach them about different religions.

 

[pixiewytch]

You may want to check out a book called "Circle Round". It isn't a waldorf book but a pagan family handbook of all the seasons, stories, crafts, and other ideas that are pretty waldorf if you ask me. It is written by Starhawk and someone else I can't remember. Anyway, it sounds like it would be just what you are looking for.

 

[Gizimomo86]

Quote:

Originally Posted by pixiewytch You may want to check out a book called "Circle Round". It isn't a waldorf book but a pagan family handbook of all the seasons, stories, crafts, and other ideas that are pretty waldorf if you ask me. It is written by Starhawk and someone else I can't remember. Anyway, it sounds like it would be just what you are looking for.

I have that book but have yet to dive into it - is it a straight through read? I need to pull it out! thank you!!! I, as well, am trying to put waldorf and pagan ways of living together - so far it goes hand in hand

~Beth

 

[rainbowmoon]

I really love this book!

http://www.amazon.com/Celebrating-Gr...8854199&sr=8-3

 

[Peacemamalove]

Quote:

Originally Posted by Angierae We are a blended Pagan/Christian family. We do most of the same festivals, with an Earth centered rather than Christ centered focus. The wheel of the year, and the Saint Days, and Christmas. The only one that I haven't blended well yet is Easter. Still working on that one. But it works really well. I mean, the gnomes, and fairies are already here, the Goddess is welcome, too! Just read the Story of the Root Children--Goddess anyone? This year my children are very into the Nativity Story (we have a new baby this year, too). Whether you celebrate the human birth of a god-baby son, or the goddess birth to the divine baby sun, its essentially the same imagery. St. Nicholas (Holly King) and St. Lucia (maiden goddess of growing sun). Not doing a lot of verses right now as we are christmas carols all day long! I have crazy baby on my hands right now, but will post in more detail later! Anything specific you were looking for?

We do the same thing...We blend and mix

Keeps life interesting! Even though waldorf is more Christian I think you can take from it what you want. We love the natural simple lifestyle that waldorf brings to our family.

Right now my kiddos can not wait for Solstice!! But the do "Christmas" with the rest of my family~

 

[audreyhorne]

we are a waldorf-inspired pagan family, and we use a lot of the suggestions, crafts, celebrations of the wadorf curriculum and re-interpret them to meet our needs and to suit our beliefs and traditions. we often find ourselves celebrating the holidays and festivals of many traditions with friends, and just as they come to our home for candle making and solstice bonfire, we go to latke parties and christmas feasts and diwali kirtans with them. my children know a little about lots of festivals, know songs and foods and traditions that go with them, and i really like that waldorf has started to acknowledge and celebrate a wider variety of festivals and feasts, not only chritstian festivals. i also have to second the recommendation of "circle round"(try and get the cd that goes with it, such great songs!) and "celebrating the great mother", both have been terrific references for our family.

 

[mum21andtwins]

Thanks for the booksuggestions I know my library wont have them so fingers crossed santa brings me book certificates

 

[weliveintheforest]

Your library might order them in for you, the ones I've used here in BC will buy books if people suggest them. You might also be able to do an inter-library loan.
Then you could at least read them before you buy.

We have so far been celebrating even the Christian based festivals, but we talk about them in more symbolic terms. St Nicholas day was about kindness and giving, not god and a pope, kwim? And of course the solstices and equinoxes are already pretty pagan

 

[mum21andtwins]

Quote:

Originally Posted by weliveintheforest Your library might order them in for you, the ones I've used here in BC will buy books if people suggest them. You might also be able to do an inter-library loan. Then you could at least read them before you buy. We have so far been celebrating even the Christian based festivals, but we talk about them in more symbolic terms. St Nicholas day was about kindness and giving, not god and a pope, kwim? And of course the solstices and equinoxes are already pretty pagan

I'm in the UK and interloan is pretty difficult here. I had a look online and doesn't look like any o the libraries have this thanks for the suggestion though!

 

[paakbaak]

oh i love this, feels good not to be the only one!
we are just starting to implement more waldorf in our lives, my son will you to a waldrof preschool in a fe months, but we are pagan but i love traditions...
christmas, for example...we are decorating with leaves and branches and anything we can find. we live in chile so it`s hot hot hot summer in christmas! but we`ll make the most of it, it`ll be an interesting christmas! anyway, i never put any religion into it, just traditions, and festivals and changes of season

 

[SkyMomma]

Another Pagan family with children involved with Waldorf! I find the nature based activites & overall spiritual focus, particualrly for early childhood, has been a good fit for our family. Certainly much more so than the less overt but still deeply christian focus of public schools. I'm not sure how I'll feel as we think about the elementary school curriculum, tho'. For now, my 5yr old is bringing home questions about advent & Jesus...no problem for us--we talk alot about bringing light & hope into the darkness, the birth of the "son of god" & the rebirth of the sun, and the ancient tales of the God that dies & is reborn. We talk about the holly king & the oak king. We talk about the sacred light, of the life represented by evergreens & our solstice tree. I find this time of year wonderfully easy to hold our pagan traditions hand-in-hand with the greater community's celebrations. All these beautiful "christmas" traditions that are really pagan! FOr example--(for those who don't know,) the 'Christmas' tree is a completely pagan tradition & was outlawed by the Christian church for many years; the outfit St. Nicholas wears is based on the old stories of the Holly King (note the crown of holly in the old English images).

Just a quick note to the PP who wrote about Easter...In our house we celebrate Ostara, the spring equinox. We plant bulbs, do prosperity magick, make pussywillow crowns, color eggs. The Ostara or Eostre (the spring Goddess that the word Easter was taken from) bunny brings a basket full of those very pagan images of rebirth, like eggs & bunnys. I mean really, the whole bunny thing has absolutely nothing to do with anything Christian & is a pagan spring fertility symbol (LOL). Forgive the snipe--but I love the idea of all these little christian children reveling in the sex symbol of ancient pagan times! Go Peter cottontail! (Sorry about the aside).

Regardless, there are still moments when I find myself uncomfortable with the Christian symbolism or language that Sky comes home from school with (St. Michael was really big in our house after michaelmas), but overall I find that the school's approach is more symbolic than literal, & I can work with that.

Blessings all! Great to know you're out there!