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50 Newsletters…
…50 impressions of Michaelshof
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It gives us great pleasure to tell you about our community life every month, to present the latest projects and to bring you closer to the spirit of nature.
We sent out the first Michaelshof newsletter on 8 September 2020 – a lot has happened since then. Not only has our readership grown, but our community has grown as well. We have celebrated, made friends all over the world, seen nature and many new projects flourish.
After sending out 50 newsletters, we would love to hear from you about what interests you most about life at Michaelshof. What do you like reading the most and what do you sometimes skip? What are you looking forward to every month and what information has excited you the most in the last four years? Please feel free to send us an email and give us feedback on the Michaelshof newsletter!
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Autumn mood…
…Michaelmas time!
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At Michaelshof, we can still enjoy the gloriously plump dahlias in the dahlia garden, the beautiful grasses in the arena, the Mozart roses at the Waldsee and many other plants that provide colourful, cheerful spots of colour in the flowerbeds. Nevertheless, it cannot be overlooked: After summer had magically conjured up an almost endless abundance of blossoms, shapes and colours, autumn is now persistently claiming its right. Flowers wither and the trees gradually shed their leaves. Nature, the blooming life, retreats more and more into the earth. We humans often feel this as well. We notice that we are now thrown back on ourselves again, into our own inner being.
Sometimes we can feel a bit queasy at the thought of this seemingly dark season approaching. So, after the long sweet summer lethargy on cloud nine, it’s time to roll up our sleeves and get active ourselves!
Nothing is more important now than our own inner activity: to ignite the light within us and let it shine where it can get dark outside and sometimes even inside us.
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At this time of year, we celebrate ‘Michaelmas’ with the children and show them the image of Michael, the archangel who shines brightly in a golden yellow glow and fights with the dragon. The dragon is known to represent everything dark, fearsome, evil par excellence. Michael, on the other hand, represents the light, the divine, the figure of light who defeats the forces of darkness with his iron flashing – sometimes fiery glowing – sword.
What a powerful image!
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Children know that this is the time for tests of courage! And so they prove their courage to each other by taking on various tasks on Michaelmas.
We as parents and caretakers are always proud of our children, cheer them on and, of course, want them to be brave. But are we adults brave too?
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Do we fight our inner dragon, that is to say our own fears, idiosyncrasies or complacency, dishonesty, which like to make arise in us at this time of year? Do we even see our dark spots? It is often difficult to discover them on our own. In addition to a handful of good friends, it also takes courage. The courage of our soul.
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It can be really difficult to truly admit what unkind feelings we harbour! Admitting them, talking about them, showing our weaknesses to others – these are the tests of courage for adults. Ridiculous, you might think, considering that all our friends already know about our weak points anyway and are usually completely annoyed that we are constantly trying to cover them up. 😉
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So: being brave pays off twice over! How liberated it feels once you’ve managed to overcome yourself, when everything is on the table! As if the soul has suddenly been given wings! It feels quite light where it was so heavy and oppressive before. So why these salami tactics and secrecy? Get to the heart of the matter! We just have to DO it, just like children do when they balance on the wobbly beam. Because courage, you learn quickly or not at all, as Rudolf Steiner says.
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Gonzalo from Argentina
Volunteer-Stories…
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Hi everyone, I’m Gonzalo and I’m originally from Argentina. If I had to describe my arrival in Sammatz in one word, it would be ‘uncertainty’. In 2021, between the pandemic and personal problems, I was at a point in my life where I didn’t know what I was doing and why. I had always wanted to travel and see the world, so I decided to take a trip to get away from the familiar and open myself up to new things. As I was thinking about where to go, my brother, who was travelling the world at the time, told me about this curious farm in Germany and suggested that it might be a good place to start. Even though I didn’t speak German or English, I decided to give it a try.
Those who know me now wouldn’t believe it, but I used to be very reserved and shy, sociable only as much as necessary. When I arrived at Michaelshof, I was surprised at how well I was received, both by the Sammatz community members and by the other volunteers.
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They all made me feel welcome from the start.
During my first week, I ‘accidentally’ ended up in the bakery, where I became enthusiastic about making bread, something I had always been interested in but had never done. Since I planned to stay for three months, I had set my mind on learning as much as possible about baking. These three months then turned into three years.
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Now, in my third year in Sammatz, I would like to try something different to baking and have decided to have a go at café cooking (having worked in almost every other area here). And that’s something I love about this place: the opportunity to change jobs if you don’t like it anymore or want to try something new.
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If I had to describe my current situation in Sammatz in one word, it would be ‘quiet’. Here I was able to develop, get to know myself better, work on my mistakes, and build friendships that I can no longer imagine being without. There are so many things I could tell you about this place, but it is definitely better if you see for yourselves!
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From the life…
…of the Selma Lagerlöf School
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Do you remember the Selma Lagerlöf School, or ‘the Selma’ for short, a special school with a focus on emotional and social development that opened its doors in our neighbouring village of Wietzetze a good three years ago? Since then, it has been thoroughly inspected by the education authority and has now been a state-recognised private school since the beginning of the year – yay!! Reason enough to present it in more detail here. Selma aims to be a special school. It was founded on the site of a former farm to meet the needs of our Peronnik children, but also for ‘external’ children with special learning and life issues. So, what is it that makes it different or special? We asked…
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‘The mix of different structural elements and teaching methods, adopted from the classical and Waldorf schools, is what makes it special,’ says headmistress Gisela Kunert. ‘And we believe that school should be fun!’ This is done, for example, in the morning circle: for half an hour, the entire school community, young and old, comes together, sings and makes music, celebrates birthdays or annual festivals and listens to exciting lectures. Till Eulenspiegel stories and fairy tales are just as much a part of this as biographies of literary and musical greats (Goethe, Beethoven, Mozart…). But also stories of personalities who, despite their difficult fate, show a lot of courage, personal commitment or fighting spirit, such as the American track and field athlete Wilma Rudolph, who, despite suffering from polio, later set world records as a sprinter. The most fidgety children become as quiet as mice when she tells them such fascinating stories.
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Another special feature of Selma: three days a week, there are projects at the end of the school day. These are learning opportunities in the arts or crafts, which the students can choose freely. This means that new, diverse groups are constantly being formed with students from different years, starting in grade 5.
The children work on topics that they have chosen themselves and that they enjoy.
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And they go wherever the learning process is taking place: sometimes in the forest (mushroom picking, geocaching or building a hut), sometimes in the garden (gardening, chopping wood for the winter or apple picking, etc.), sometimes in the kitchen (baking, cooking, etc.), to Frau Baumgart’s sewing room, and to the Elbe (e.g. for wildlife watching or local history) – a kind of flying classroom with a changing cast. The students love it!
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It is important to Selma that the students learn with their heads and hearts, with their hands and feet, with as many of their senses as possible, and that they come together in a creative, socially healthy (and healing) process.
If possible, each child should be able to learn in their own way and at their own pace.
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We think Selma has become a really cool school! Keep it up!
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Klaus, a tall, dark haired, gangly lad, came to the Jeanne d’Arc Seminar at Michaelshof 30 years ago. Since he wanted to become a Waldorf teacher and was able to learn a lot about anthroposophy there, it was a wonderful match. However, contrary to his original intentions, Sammatz did not let him go. He stayed and started his professional life right away. After working for a good ten years at Phoenix, a social therapy facility for adults with mental illnesses in the neighbouring village, he discovered his passion for children at Peronnik, our children and youth homestead. There he has been caring for a wide variety of children for almost 20 years now with his level-headed, loving nature. Klaus is the epitome of calmness, with a fine sense of humour and an incredible (and for this job, absolutely positive) phlegm. He gives these sometimes very lively children a sense of home and acceptance. He gives them a framework in which they can, as best as possible, regain their trust in life, in themselves and in their own abilities.
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Klaus is also a true nature lover. When he goes on holiday with Peronnik in the summer, he is the one who spends the night in the hammock outside under the open sky. Klaus has only known for about three years that he not only likes to encounter nature, but also finds it ultimately fascinating when viewed through a lens. Since then, his passion for photography has gripped him immediately and very thoroughly.
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Since then, he has used every free minute to grab his camera. The results are quite impressive: the mood from the gardens and surrounding nature is rather calm, with a poetic undertone. Sometimes, however, we also learn from his photos that a black roe buck – one of those rare specimens that can only be found here in northern Germany – lives right in our neighbourhood. Or we can experience at first hand, how a raccoon mum raises her young hidden in an old hunter’s stand.
Sometimes you can also see Klaus in our gardens behind a camera lens, looking for an interesting photo motif. He likes to photograph animals, flowers, and occasionally community members, simply everything that moves and lives. Klaus has also been doing product photography for six months now. Specifically, this means that he tries to present the products manufactured in Sammatz in the best possible light so that they sell even better in SAMMARKET, our online shop…
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Thank you, Klaus, for your valuable commitment, your versatility and your many years of service! Perhaps we will see more of you in front of the lens in the future?
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News from the vegetable patch…
…& from the preserving kitchen
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We have now reached the peak of the harvest season on the vegetable patch – hundreds of kilos of bright red peppers, the first pumpkin varieties such as Rondini, Patisson and soon red cabbage and Savoy cabbage need to be harvested and processed in no time. So, Gabriela and Daniel in the vegetable patch and Marcus and Christian in the preserving kitchen literally have their hands full! Our vegetables set very strict deadlines, because there is always a perfect time to harvest them, which cannot even be postponed by two weeks, even if politely requested. And we don’t want to leave the fruits of our labour hanging 😉
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That’s why the four of them are currently getting a lot of hard-working helpers – as always, our volunteers from all over the world and the many interns on agricultural internships are on board to help with the vegetable harvest and processing. This makes the work much more fun: meeting exciting people while lending a hand and learning valuable lessons!
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Do you want to get involved with vegetables? We offer you the perfect hands-on and experiential opportunities:
* For example, on an individual vegetable tour with one of our experts across the Sammatz vegetable field with tips and tricks for vegetable growing and much more. 1 hour costs €80 for a group (maximum 25 participants).
* And for those who live further away: simply order your box of vegetables full of vitamins from the Sammatzer vegetable patch and have them delivered directly to your home! Order now in the online shop at Michaelshof. We’ll also pack a few grams of country air with it – we promise!
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Michaelshof Up-To-Date – all opening hours at a glance!
Ark Farm:
Mo-So 9.00 – 19.00
Café:
Mo-Fr 8.00 – 11.00
14.00 – 18.00
Sa 8.00 – 18.00
So & Feiertags 9.30 – 18.00
Farm Shop:
Mo-Sa 10.00 – 19.00
So & Feiertags 10.00 – 19.00
Der WAGEN in Lüneburg:
Mi & Sa 07.00 – 13.00
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Sat., 26 October – 12.00-17.00
Autumn farm festival
The agricultural year is almost over and at our third farm festival, we will once again introduce you to another side of our Ark animals! With great activities for the little ones – from petting goats and sheep, grooming donkeys and riding ponies to the Ark Farm Rally – as well as information about agriculture for the grown-ups. Our farmers are there for you and will be happy to answer any questions. During the farm tours, you can learn interesting facts about the history of our Ark Farm and the origin of our old domestic animal breeds.
Look forward to:
- Exciting information about the Ark Farm
- Farm and dairy tours
- Lots of activities for the kids
- Delicious food from the farm
- Pure farm feeling!
Admission free, donations welcome!
With Johanna, Malte B. & Marc
Just come by!
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We are looking for committed and dynamic people for our team who enjoy taking on responsibility and are keen on country life. Is a meaningful job more important to you than a ‘9 to 5 job’? Then you’ve come to the right place!
We are looking for specialists or interns in the following areas:
Office:
Hands-on:
- Gardener
- Baker
- Construction worker
- Horticulture worker
- Wood processing & distribution
- Pharmacist
- Image & text editor
- Printer & laminator
Your qualification is not listed but you are still interested?
Just give it a try!
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+++ NEWSTICKER +++
Impressions from everyday community life…
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…today with our artistic dahlia garden…
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…Jakob at Flachsenberg – both hard working and comfortably chilling…
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…with the question: How many kids fit on an excavator?…
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…two of them fit on a bicycle: Camila & João! And two strong women from the vegetable and farming sector in matching outfits: Gabriela & Lilianne…
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…and a very pretty ladybird on very pretty flowers in a green…
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Reason no. 15: The Selma Lagerlöf School!
Special children need special schools. That is exactly what our small, private special school in Wietzetze wants to be for our kids, as you were able to read in the ‘Selma report’ above. The school is located on the outskirts of a small village, surrounded by forests and meadows, literally where the fox and the hare say good night to each other… In cooperation with our Ark Farm and the many different fields of work in Sammatz, it offers a variety of educational opportunities!
Do you like it? Then support the Selma Lagerlöf School with your donation, its contribution to lived inclusion and many practical learning experiences for the students in Wietzetze.
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…may we introduce: Theo!
Our little Newfoundland dog keeps us busy and is already an absolute fan magnet. He loves bananas and cool water more than anything…
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Best regards and see you next time – Anna and Andrea ❤️
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