"Soul Seasons" by Penni Sparks

The glorious colors of the changing leaves, every year, stir my soul, and yet, being a summer sun-lover, I confess, I experience a certain seasonal dread. Each fall I sense with the dimming sunlight, an inwardly dimming soul-light, which, if I allow it, can entrap me in a state of hopelessness and a sense of some lurking fear, like a dragon in my soul. 

 

As we enter the coming of winter and add the ghost-voices that tempt us into a state of dread and depression that the ‘holidays are coming,’ we have the makings for a time of year that is challenging for many families.

 

I remember the overwhelming darkness, loneliness, and shame that often caught my attention when I was struggling through the early years of parenting, so this time of year often reminds me to be grateful for the amazing gift I found hidden in the dark night of my soul.  The gift was the gift of a new perception.

 

When I choose to look at my life with inner soul-eyes, I am more sensitive to perceiving the truths selflessly displayed in nature and her ways, and I am better able to read the secrets that can inspire me to the soul-truths within.

 

With this new perception, I am better able to keep my soul-seasons in check. I can anticipate the burgeoning growth hidden in a bleak winter mood, and I can know, with utter confidence, that just as every spring, light overcomes the darkness – every year – I too, will see the light, if I choose to look for it.

 

I can choose to live in the ongoing progression of the seasons in my soul any day of the year.   Living in to this true imagination, I feel less ‘victimized’ by outer circumstances, and I can free myself once again to be myself, to be of service to others, in any situation, no matter what the weather. 

 

No matter where you live, an increasing darkness is daily swallowing up the light.  Every ancient and modern culture has its own celebration at this time of year of the ultimate victory of the light in the darkness.  The word advent actually means ‘the arrival of something awaited,’ and that spirit of eager anticipation of the light overcoming the darkness can be celebrated any time the soul enters into seeming darkness. 

 

Whether your family celebrates the glorious victory of the light in Christmas, Hanukkah, Kwanzaa, the Winter Solstice, or the unquestioned beauty of the full moon on fallen snow, may your spirit be filled with child-like anticipation of the coming of the light into the darkness, whether it be outside or inside your home or heart. 

 

Light is always more powerful than darkness.  We see proof of that every time we turn on a light switch.  Provided sufficient power is present to illuminate the bulb, the darkness must give in.   

Are you taking the time to maintain a sufficient supply of energy to cast away soul darkness? 

 

Your children are watching you, from your insides out.  Your job is to show them how one human being lives, season to season, year after year, wrestling fearlessly and freely with darkness and knowing, with inner confidence, that the power supply of a well-working soul life will always be ample to cast away the deepest shadows.

 

May your holidays offer you something awaited, a new surge of inner power, and may you have an ample supply of love and light to offer all you meet.

Penni Sparks is the teacher of Live Oak's Class of 2013.

Little Pumpkin Patch: A Mini Version of Live Oak's Annual Pumpkin Path

On Friday, October 22, Live Oak Waldorf School's seventh grade class created a magic kingdom for the preschool and kindergarten children of Live Oak.

Little ones. ranging from ages 3 to 6, were greeted by helpful fairies who guided them through an enchanted forest. On their journey, they visited with mischievous gnomes, a brave knight who had just tamed a dragon as well as a welcoming royal fairy court.


After the magical walk, the tykes were treated to popcorn and fresh apple juice. One of the highlights of the festivities was to help press the apples into juice using an antique apple press. After snacking and playing in the pumpkin meadow, children were allowed to choose a pumpkin to take home with them.

This is the second year this class of adolescents has offered this event to their younger schoolmates. From assembling costumes, to creating magical scenes, to offering a wholesome skit, to pressing apples and making popcorn, this event was certainly a festivity to remember!


Additionally, Live Oak Waldorf School will host it's annual Pumpkin Path on Saturday, October 30, beginning at 5:00 pm. This event is an offering for the whole community and is so popular it sells out every year.

Photos courtesy of Casey Spencer
Top - Bodhi Bockhorst peers into a gnome home
Above, Left - Mischievous gnomes, Clay Vaughn, Andy Wilcox and Sebastian Johnson, throw acorns at the woodcutter
Above, Right - Fairy Queen, Jane Mulder with fairies Katie Sykes and Claire Rowland assist Spencer Freedman to make fresh-squeezed apple juice
Below - Fairy Kalina Fudge and Elf Jacob Locke assist little visitors to the magic realm in making juice

Live Oak Waldorf School hosted its 25th Pentathlon

The fifth grade Waldorf curriculum includes the study of early civilizations.  Ancient Greece, with its appreciation of balance and harmony, its movement toward modern thought, and its worship of fallible Gods, is a beautiful compliment for the fifth grade youth moving into adolescence. 


The original Greek Pentathlon, and the virtues formed by training for it, was seen by the Greeks as an oath of good development.  Pentathletes were considered to be among the most skilled athletes; it was an important training for Greek boys (and some Spartan girls) to achieve. 


In the mid 1980's, a teacher named Thom Schaefer started the first Pentathlon event at Live Oak Waldorf School with just one class participating.  Soon several other Waldorf schools began to travel to Meadow Vista to participate in the Pentathlon.  Today the fifth grade Pentathlon has grown to be implemented by many Waldorf schools throughout the nation.

On May 7, 2010, Live Oak Waldorf School celebrated its 25th Pentathlon, welcoming nine other schools to its very own Mount Olympus; Sacramento Waldorf School, Sierra Waldorf School, Camellia Waldorf School, Davis Waldorf School, Blue Oak Charter School, Golden Valley Charter School, John Morse Charter School, Yuba River Charter School and Cedar Springs Waldorf School.


The morning began with a grand and reverent opening ceremony, which included one student from each of the ten schools reading an Ode to the Gods.

"O Zeus, make my feet like your lightening bolt; as you cast it into space all you can hear is a whisper of silence before the fireworks of victory.
O Athena, help me put my best foot forward in words and actions, like you in all your glory.
O Poseidon, help me be  strong in wrestling like a gigantic wave crashing on a huge rock.
O Persephone, may I be kind and welcoming to others in my city-state."

~ Dakota Kier, Live Oak Waldorf School

The residing Gods and Goddesses - Zeus, Athena, Poseidon, Artemis and Apollo - blessed the Pentathletes with words of gratitude and encouragement.

“O mortals of earth and athletes of Greece ! I am Zeus. You honor us greatly with your words! Welcome to Olympia , where your courage will shine, and your skill will be on display for all to see. It has pleased me greatly to watch from Olympus as you have trained for this day. May you bring honor to yourselves, to your families, and to your schools as you compete today. I grant you the power of my thunder and lightning and wish you well."

After singing the Olympic Hymn, the Pentathletes followed the Gods and Goddesses onto the games field.  This year Live Oak sixth grader Zach Casperite, who earned the most laurel wreaths at last year's Pentathlon, ran the Olympic Torch.  His classmate, Claire Rowland, who broke her arm at the start of her race last year, was honored with the lighting of the Olympic Flame.

"Let the games begin!"

Each school had representatives from five city-states of Ancient Greece.  The Pentathletes boasted brightly colored t-shirts - Spartans in red, Athenians in yellow, Thebans in turquoise, Corinthians in green and Delphinians in blue - as they competed against others within their city-state.

Spectators watched and cheered all around the large oval ring that held the bustling events of the Pentathlon:

1. Running - Representing the virtue of Harmony, running requires a balance between the earthly and heavenly realms.  There were two running events at the Pentathlon.
2. Jumping - Representing the virtue of Moderation, the long jump requires one to let go, yet immediately pull in to poise the land with surety.
3. Wrestling - Representing the virtue of Self-Confidence, wrestling requires a balance between the upper and lower part of the body. It also demands an understanding of yourself and your relationship to the other wrestler.
4. Discus - Representing the virtue of Beauty, the discus throw requires a sense of rhythm and uses heart forces.
5. Javelin - Representing the virtue of Justice, the javelin throw requires one to align oneself with the aim of the Gods.

After each event, Pentathletes approached the Gods where a handful were honored with laurel wreaths for placing first, second or third, or for "Beauty, Grace and Style."

All competitors were bestowed with medals at the Pentathlon's closing ceremony; the Gods were pleased with their noble and willing Pentathletes.  Congratulations were in order as proud and weary fifth graders embodied the beauty, grace and style fit for any God, even Zeus!

 


Photos courtesy of Keith Sutter.

Live Oak celebrated May Faire with Grandparents and Special Friends

To welcome the merry month of May, the Live Oak Waldorf School community requested the honor of Grandparents and Special Friends to share in a day of spring festivities.

Dozens of grandparents and special friends of Live Oak students were greeted with corsages and morning refreshments on the crisp, cool morning of Friday, April 30, 2010. 

“Welcome to Live Oak Waldorf School.”

After a brief gathering to welcome the guests, classes made room for their honored visitors to sit and observe their favorite students in action.  Mental math, play rehearsals, singing, drawing and science study were just some of the activities during the main lesson part of the day.

More refreshments – hot coffee, fresh strawberries, homemade cookies and frosted cupcakes – were followed by an assembly which included time for questions and answers about Waldorf education.  Second grade teacher, Rev Bowen, along with sixth grade teacher, Jane Mulder, offered insights and Waldorf-inspired wisdom in response to a variety of questions:

• “Why don’t Waldorf students use text books?”
• “What is the advantage of having the same teacher from first to eighth grade?”

Notably, the time was also filled with parents and grandparents making positive comments about the multitude of academic and artistic gifts Waldorf has given their student. The assembly concluded with presentations from the first and second grade classes.

Students and guests celebrated their time together with the timeless craft of wreath-making. An abundance of greens and flowers were beautifully wrapped with colorful ribbons, then adorned the crowns of young and old. 

Eighth grade parents, whose students were just returning from their long awaited eighth grade trip, loyally served a hearty lunch of baked potatoes, salad and sparkling juice.

As the sun warmed the day, it was clearly time to say good-bye to King Winter.  Though he had enjoyed his extra stay this year – which included an intense hail storm two days prior – he was willing to bid farewell to Live Oak Waldorf School.  Jack Green encouraged him to make his transition; together they welcomed the lovely Mae* Queen.

Festive presentations were offered by the third, fifth, sixth and seventh grades.  Songs and intricate folk dances were performed with joy, reverence and skill. 

The May Faire celebration was rounded off as the fourth grade, dressed fully in white, danced around the May Pole while a band of guitars and other stringed instruments played a merry tune.  Grandparents and Special Friends of Live Oak were bestowed with a scrumptious strawberry shortcake for dessert, thanks to the seventh grade.

From observing students to wreath-making to gathering 'round the May Pole, Grandparents and Special Friends enjoyed a beautiful day as they celebrated May and their beloved students of Live Oak Waldorf School. 


*This year the lovely May Queen was Class of 2007 alumnus Mae Waldron.

Photos courtesy of Keith Sutter.

Students work featured at April's Auburn Art Walk

The mission of the Auburn Art Walk is to "cultivate partnership between businesses and the art community, which promotes established and emerging artists, local commerce, and public access to the arts."

On the evening of Thursday, April 8, 2010, dozens of those emerging artists - forty to be exact - were students of Live Oak Waldorf School. Partnered with Keith Sutter Photography, Auburn business owner and Live Oak parent,  their work adorned the walls and countertops of the spacious downtown studio.

The mixed media exhibit, appropriately titled"Imagination at Play," included a showcase of wet-method paintings.  On display were some soft and flowing images created by Kindergartners, as well as boldly saturated paintings from the skilled hands of eighth graders. The grades between offered a variety of renderings made from colored pencil, charcoal and graphite.  To the average eye, one would have thought M.C. Escher was a featured artist; several eighth graders displayed stunning replicas of his work.

In addition to two-dimensional artwork, the exhibit featured a small herd of hand sewn stuffed animals. Live Oak sixth graders produced their own patterns then used second-hand felted wool sweaters to create their three-dimensional fuzzy friends.  

The Auburn Art Walk, which meandered through several blocks of Downtown and Old Town Auburn, included over thirty venues as well as live entertainment.  A small fifth grade strings ensemble performed some pieces from the front steps of the Auburn Promenade Building.  Class of 2008 alumnus, Kaden Hurst, entertained pedestrians at Central Square with "Object Manipulation."

The first Art Walk of 2010 was a great way to acknowledge many established and emerging artists.  For forty youth, it was also an opportunity to proudly walk through the streets of Auburn while wearing a special badge reserved just for artists.

Featured Artists:
Kindergarten - Alexander Smith, Emily Okunami; First Grade - Elizabeth DeWitt, Benjamin Hughes; Second Grade - Mason Summers, Ari Peterson-Wall; Fourth Grade -Ariana Capel; Fifth Grade - Maddie King, Lauren Kier, Emma Cunningham, Liv Wax, Laura Riccardelli, Clemens Angleton, Crystal Prima Lang, Lauren Hamilton-Kaminsky, Sierra Hickman; Sixth Grade - Landon Wetterstrom, Jacob Locke, Claire Rowland, Katie Sykes, Ace Grunwald, Kalina Fudge, Will Smith, Talia Davies, Waylen Cozad, Izzy Suehead, Zach Casperite, Sebastian Johnson ; Seventh Grade - Abby Richards, Mackenzie Rummel, Hannah Dawber, Hannah Donnelly; Eighth Grade - Emily Richards, Tierra Rain Auchmoody, Malia Krupin, Bryan Sykes, Attar Hunter, Kellen Giuliani, Cassio Mariscotti, Luc Mariscotti