Floating lanterns

Coming from a different continent to spend a year on the campus of the Goetheanum, showed me that one of the most outstanding impression from living in Dornach all year round, is to look out from the same window of the Studentenheim, to the surrounding scenery and experience the changing seasons in the most tangible way.

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Theoretically, we learn from the concept that the earth is breathing out during summer and breathing in during winter. What does it really mean? For me, as someone who spend most of the years in my life living in a country near the equator, the word "season" is something I would relate to fashion clothing collections rather than time of the year which is, by the way, an exact translation from the German word, "Jahreszeit".

In the full peak of summer, one can sense the exhalation of the earth through the outgrown plants in the garden, the rise in temperature and the impressive length of daylight. While in the depth of winter, things seem to go the other way around. Not only is there the drastic drop in temperature, but also the length of the daylight shortens so much that the night seems to be longer than the day. This automatically shapes and changes one's lifestyle and activities to the indoors.

What continues to impress me the more I observe humanity, is our resilience and continuous striving for balance. During wintertime when the natural light is limited, mankind seems to find ways to strive to ignite the outer and inner light. On a personal level, more candles are lit and indoor activities that bring the light of consciousness such as reading are becoming part of seasonal life. On a social level, we have festivals relating to light, regardless of which part of the world the culture may be based upon. For example there is Advent in Europe, Diwali in India and Lantern floating in northern Thailand.

Having floated a few lanterns myself in the north of Thailand, this activity may have lasted for just a moment in time but stayed with me as a long lasting memory until now. The wondrous gaze that each person beholds, looking upwards as they let the lanterns go from their hands, joining the others as they light up the whole sky.

How about you? How do you experience festival regarding light in your region? What is it that continues to keep lightening up within you?

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