Dear Reach Editors,
At a recent retreat for the Mountain Desert District of LREDA, my colleagues encouraged me to send you this simple ritual that we use at Christmastide. It is called the Advent Spiral, used in Waldorf Education around the United States. This is a special "gathering in the light" ceremony for any child or young person in the R.E. Program. It is done in a darkened room, where a spiral of pine boughs has been made. Around the spiral are luminariums, and at the center is a chair. In the chair sits the "angel", a young person dressed in angel-like clothes. He or she holds a lit candle. The Children are seated in chairs in a long row, and each one has an apple with a candle inside. Before they begin, the leader (for example the teacher or the DRE) opens with a short "prayerful" word of welcome. When it is each child's turn, he or she stands at the start of the spiral and says his or her name. The name is repeated by the leader, and as the child begins to walk around the spiral to get his or her light, the congregations sings:

Sarah is walking to get her candle light C A D C A A G G A A F
All the Stars are watching o'er this wondrous sight C C A D C A G G A A F
Slowly she will make her way G G C C A A C
To the light that shines today G G C C A A C
And carefully she'll guard it C C C A D C A
Through the winter's night. G G A A F

(Obviously, I lack skills in musical notation - this is note for note note. If it's too obscure, feel free to call. ) The congregation repeats (or hums ) the song until the child has a lighted candle and returns to her seat. At the end of the ceremony, the teacher or DRE may say a blessing for all. For example: May each of us remember the light we hold and carry it safely through the dark times.

This is how I planned our Advent Spiral this past December.

1. Booked the space on the calendar.
2. Placed an item in the newsletter the month before, explaining the occasion and dress requirements for both the participants and the spiral makers (its formal). Asked one class teacher for each class participating to be present that evening.
3. Found volunteers to make cookies, hot cider and (of course) coffee. Found a volunteer "angel". This is usually a young or older teen. (From experience, I'd suggest finding someone willing to take the role seriously, who can sit up straight, and not be distracted.) <
4. Sent flyers home with the children in R.E. the two Sundays before the Advent Spiral, with the same information as was in the newsletter.
   5. That day, a volunteer cored the apples, rinsed them in lemon juice, and placed the candles within.

That evening:

1. Made luminariums using tea candles floating in colored water (green works great), inside mason jars. (try not using the aluminum casing the candles come in - they tend to sink.) I filled the jars up to the top before lighting the candles, and then removed a bit with a baster, so that the candle light was now shining through the glass.
2. Volunteers prepared the treats.
3. As the children arrived, I had them meet with their teachers in the R.E. classroom, so that the parents and older children could prepare the spiral. (We did it for friends and family only, as our small hall is not big enough for the entire congregation to attend.) The teachers review what will be happening so the children are prepared.
4. At the appointed time, I called the families and friends into the Sanctuary and led them on a guided meditation - preparing them to create a sacred space. When we had finished we went back into the small hall, and using only hand signals (no voices), we made the spiral and placed the luminariums. Then the families and friends took their places. I called the children, gave them each an apple candle, seated them and then we started.