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The world does not encompass the image of the rose.
The imagination does not encompass the rose.
Of the garden of the soul messenger is the rose,
And the rose is the epitome of beauty.
Even if the whole world
Is full of thorns all around,
A heart that feels love
Will always be a field of roses.
Dschelaleddin Rumi, 1207-1273, Persia
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In many cultures, the rose is an image of love. In Greece, it was considered a remnant of the dawn on earth that arose when Aphrodite was born from the foam of the sea. Its thorns are an image of the pain of love. Aphrodite is said to have injured herself on a rose thorn while trying to save her lover Adonis, and to have coloured the white blossoms red with her blood.
The gardens of Sammatz are now filled with our summer favourites – the roses. This year they seamlessly follow the wonderful tulip blossom and delight with their scents from delicate to intense. Every day a little more colourful, you can now watch the lush green gardens wonderfully develop into their full rose-blossom splendour.
In mid-June we therefore celebrate a festival in honour of the roses. On Sat, 17 & Sun, 18 June from 11 am – 5 pm, we will introduce you to the essence of this special plant family and help you find the perfect specimen for your garden! Let’s go to the Rose Festival at Michaelshof!
Garden tip: Especially in the Arena, you can see not only the impressive wild roses but also many magnificent paeonias in pink, yellow, white and purple with their expansive blossoms.
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SUMMER ON THE FIELD:
Our salad got company!
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Early summer is also slowly arriving in our vegetable and medicinal plant field. Since a few weeks we have started our morning medicinal plant harvest again and many young people are helping us.
Every morning from 8 to 9 a.m. we fill the large wooden baskets with hand-picked leaves and flowers in bright colours and then bring them to the ‹Eichenhof›.
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There everything is then gently dried and processed either into the delicious Michaelshof teas or in our natural cosmetics.
This is not only the most beautiful way to greet the new day, but also great for the plants. Because the morning and evening hours have a special healing power – medicinal plants that are harvested early are more effective. Flowers and vegetables also stay fresh longer if they are harvested early in the morning.
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Next door, the vegetable field has been bustling in recent weeks. The season is now in full swing! You can also see that our propagation greenhouse is emptying, while the field continues to fill up with small Demeter plants – celery, leeks, cabbage, pumpkins and many more – which are now able to grow outside. Our delicious Ruthje tomatoes have also been planted in the foil tunnels and are being lovingly tended.
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Tomaten-tip: our tomato gardeners swear by the natural treatment with horsetail tea, i.e. Equisetum. The practice is very common within Demeter gardening and keeps harmful fungal diseases away from the tomato plants.
Here’s how it works: Pick about one kilogram of horsetail, mix it with 10 litres of water and let it stand for 24 hours. The mixture should then be boiled for one hour and then poured through a sieve into the desired containers. Now the equisetum can be applied to the plants in a ratio of 1:10, i.e. 1l tincture, 9l water – we recommend once a week.
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Every year again:
The Michaelshof Garden Paradise
Have you ever wondered how our gardens stay so beautiful? In summer there’s really a lot to do, from weeding and planting to watering and planning for autumn. So every day from 8-12.30 a.m. and from 2-5 p.m., our large garden team with team leaders from Michaelshof, many students and some volunteers swarm into the gardens and get to grips with goutweed, sorrel, dandelion and the like.
For a few weeks now, and always during the warm season, our garden paradise has been activated. This paradise is quite an earthly affair: many community members get together every day from 6pm to 8pm and weed the ‘heavier spots’ in the gardens. Often under the spell of the setting evening sun and in a relaxed after-work mood, the extra effort is easy to endure. It is a benefit for the gardens and certainly for the good spirit that sustains and enlivens the community.
Wanna join us? You don’t have to live in Sammatz to come to the garden paradise: just call (05858 97030) and sign up for the evening. We are there!
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DER WAGEN IN LÜNEBURG
Interview with Malte B.
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Michaelshof has been selling its own products and organic fast food at Lüneburg’s weekly market since the end of 2020. In the interview with Malte B. we look back over the years.
Anna: Malte, what excites you most about our market cart?
Malte: First of all, simply that it is a completely different feeling to sell at the market. By now we have regular customers who come almost every week to buy bread, cheese, preserves and vegetables from Michaelshof. People know each other personally and appreciate each other, which is great fun.
Anna: And do all of them already know Michaelshof?
Malte: Some have been to Sammatz many times and then buy from us in Lüneburg; others first come to Sammatz through the market wagon. Direct marketing is definitely a big topic at the market. It is not an everyday experience that our customers have the opportunity to visit the cows from which their cheese comes or to meet the farmer.
Anna: You are also one of the cheese lovers at Michaelshof, right?
Malte: Sure, it’s just great! And at the market you also have the time to let people taste it, so that everyone finds their favourite cheese.
We even have regular customers who eat our cheese despite lactose intolerance. In Bergkäse, for example, there is virtually no lactose left due to the long ripening period, and the other varieties are also especially digestible because they are made from raw milk.
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Anna: You also have a snack bar on the wagon – advertise its menu a bit!
Malte: Super tasty organic fast food from Michaelshof – burgers, fries and currywurst, maybe more soon. This is a wonderful opportunity for all working people in Lüneburg to enjoy a meaningful and delicious lunch – we are the only food stall with organic quality.
Anna: I can only agree! I am a big fan of the vegan burger myself. What other tip would you like to give our market visitors?
Malte: Don’t miss the fresh vegetables! The season is starting and we always bring freshly harvested vegetables from the same morning to Lüneburg on Wednesdays and Saturdays.
And for those who like variety, there’s the famous Saturday bread, where our experimental bakers try out new recipes – your feedback flows into product development.
Anna: Thank you for the insight and have fun next time in Lüneburg!
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Michaelshof up-to-date – all opening hours at a glance!
Arche-Hof:
Mon-Sun 9.00 – 19.00
Café:
Mon-Fri 8.00 – 18.00
Sat 8.00 – 18.00
Sun 9.30 – 18.00
Farm Shop:
Mon-Fri 9.30 – 12.00
14.00 – 19.00
Sat, Sun & holidays 10.00 – 19.00
Der WAGEN in Lüneburg:
Wed & Sat 7.00 – 13.00
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What we really wanna show you!
Greek mountain tea
With the weather in northern Germany, we haven’t quite reached sunny Greece, but nevertheless the delicious Cretan mountain tea grows here (yes, this beautiful plant really exists!). Known for its intense, slightly tart and refreshing taste, we all love it.
Fancy some mountain tea? Then come to our shop or to the Michaelshof-Onlineshop! If you prefer it brewed and cooled, we also recommend the Bergtee von Aroma Olymp – sugar-free and super delicious.
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Honey from Sammatz
Since last year we have been producing our own blossom honey in Sammatz. The bees reside under tall trees near the forest lake. In the last few weeks three colonies swarmed out and we were able to settle them safely in new hives (that’s what the bee boxes are called); the swarming colonies are always an impressive sight! We will be harvesting any moment, so you can soon buy this year’s Sammatz blossom honey in the farm shop and at the market wagon in Lüneburg. Only while stocks last!
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Events & Seminars in June
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Sat 03 June 7-10 pm
Insect Walk – Moths & Small Butterflies
Every day we are surrounded by thousands of insects, whose secret activities usually escape our notice. Together we will get to know the most successful hunters in the animal kingdom, highly efficient pollinators, colourful beauties, cheese lovers and copycat artists. An adventure!
Around 3600 native butterfly species already make it clear: this walk can only give a tiny insight into the world of long-distance flyers, mine builders and hummingbird butterflies. We want to put the spotlight on these mostly crepuscular and nocturnal animals and awaken your enthusiasm for the diversity between caterpillar and butterfly.
Free admission, donations welcome
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Sun 04 June 6-9 am
Bird Walk – Elbtalaue
Join us for a walk through the wonderful birdlife of the Elbe floodplain. Together we will look at all the small and large, rare and common species of this fascinating landscape and get an insight into their busy activities at this beautiful time of year.
A mating snipe, a singing bluethroat, whinchat or stonechat, or a watchful red-backed shrike on its perch: with a little luck we will get to see all these bird species.
Free admission, donations welcome
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Sat, 17 June – Sun, 18 June 11 am – 5 pm
Rose Festival
Why does the rose radiate magic and warmth like no other flower? Its blossoms have a lightness of their own, its variety of shapes is unmanageable and yet always ordered by the same geometric principle. Their fragrances range from shy delicacy to beguiling heaviness – there is hardly a flower or fruit aroma that cannot be found in a rose blossom. Their growth is often hard to tame. All this reminds us of human characteristics. This may explain why their blossoms have always been considered a symbol of love and beauty.
Look forward to
* Wonderful blooming & fragrant roses
* Sales of old and new rose varieties
* Music in the gardens
* Delicious food & children’s programme
Free admission, donations welcome
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Sat 24 June 9.30 am-5 pm & Sun 25 May 10 am-1 pm
Annual Festivity – Johanni
When the fireflies fly, it’s Johanni time! The summer solstice festival marks the peak of light in the year. In ancient religions, people felt that they were in the bosom of the Godhead, looked upon by heavenly powers, when they were out of themselves at the height of summer. Is there something similar for us today?
The feast of St. John is one of the least cultivated annual festivals; no Christmas tree, no Easter bunny shows us how it should be celebrated. So much the better! Together we will feel our way towards a new togetherness that finds the right balance between sun-on-the-skin feeling and inner presence.
We celebrate St. John’s Day with a walk through the elements, with stick bread at the St. John’s fire and folk dancing together in the open air. On Sunday we listen to the birds on an early morning nature walk. After breakfast under fruit trees, we meet for a contemplative talk. If you want, you can also bake bread with us; the golden grain has absorbed the summer sun particularly deeply. Will you join us?
Free admission, donations welcome (plus meals)
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Sat., 24 June 7pm
Concierto Internacional – Music & Surprises
We invite you to a concert of a different kind – because we don’t know yet who will perform. We will be inspired by the international, creative flair of Michaelshof and its residents! Throughout the year, we have talented musicians on site who pick up their guitars every free minute and jam away. We offer you a colourful mix of classical, pop and folk music, or maybe just nonsense. Great fun last year – now back in the programme!
Come along to a relaxed concert for everyone!
Free admission, donations welcome
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About the truth
The feast of Pentecost, which we celebrated last weekend, was inspired for us by the ideal of truth.
As we all know, truth prevails when what we think corresponds to reality. When we think about doors and tables, this often works (frighteningly often it doesn’t), but what about the less ‘tangible’ things, like feelings, God or the concepts themselves? Can we also talk about truth in terms of a spiritual world? That would be exciting; to be on the path to a truth together – from different directions – instead of ‘tolerantly’ allowing everyone their own truth.
What does ‘truth’ mean in my and your everyday life? Is it the absence of lies? That still seems to be fairly easy to master. But what about, for example, the many daily ‘well-intentioned’ errors – what do they mean for the world? Doesn’t truth also mean that one should know what one is talking about?
To what extent do we have this claim on ourselves? Do we take responsibility for the many things that we inwardly hold back so wonderfully or that we don’t even want to know about? The corners of our soul life that embarrass us, where we get upset with ourselves or others, for example, while on the outside we look quite friendly and understanding? This kind of truth has a lot to do with our emotional life. It would make us shout for joy much more often, or even sometimes end in outbursts of anger. It could motivate us to share an uncomfortable but important truth with our friends as well as to accept it with gratitude.
Such a train of thought would show us relatively quickly how often we are actually secretly lying to ourselves. (Reality check: we all do, every day, inevitably.) How often do we think we are acting out of love for the other when, in reality, our self-interest prevails at that moment? Maybe it would be better for my friend if I were to speak my mind honestly for once, instead of secretly holding a grudge?
Doesn’t that also have to do with truth? We think so! – In all kinds of life’s contexts, but also when we’re all by ourselves. So let’s get started… – because it begins in everyday life!
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Anthroposophy – about a visit, book & film tip
Last week we had a visit from long-time NDR editor and author Wolfgang Müller from Hamburg and his friend Andreas Bracher from Vienna. During a tour of Michaelshof followed by a discussion about the book ‘Zumutung Anthroposophie’ (Anthroposophy as an Imposition) we were able to exchange ideas with the two historians who are both enthusiastic about anthroposophy. Wolfgang Müller’s book with the ingenious title captivated many of us, both those who already know anthroposophy and those for whom it is still completely new. In it he takes up many topics from the public debate, describes Steiner’s life and explains why he is perhaps not a storyteller after all. Really lively and honestly written, we warmly recommend the book – especially to those who have quite a lot of questions about anthroposophy.
Here you can shop the book.
And for all those who prefer to watch films instead of reading: have a look at the new movie ‘ZUSAMMENSPIEL – Anregungen zu einer Sozialen Dreigliederung des öffentlichen Lebens’. A young team has set itself the goal of presenting social threefolding in a documentary. Not easy, considering how diverse this social idea can be understood. An exciting approach – have a look!
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Like many of us, she came to Sammatz in the early 90s through the Jeanne d’Arc Seminar. There were all kinds of things to learn and above all many opportunities to come out of one’s shell – Hilke’s performance of “You make me feel like a natural woman” with a leek microphone at a seminar show remains unforgotten.
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She quickly realised that anthroposophy and the Michaelshof were completely her thing; to commit herself to it with all her strength and without much discussion was natural to her. It is this quiet, capable and, in a certain sense, as unobtrusive as radical commitment of a whole series of ‘old’ community members who have left their mark on the place.
For example, when Hilke was just as dedicated a lab technician in the Sammatz photo lab Farbglanz as she has been since 2013 as an educator in the Peronnik children’s home, where the mother of two now runs a residential group and is also active in the Peronnik organisation. She also enjoys working with her sister Anke, who brought her to Sammatz. Together they are simply a legendary and somehow inseparable pair of siblings. Life partners know a thing or two about it 😉
Hilke’s great love has always been current affairs and journalism. In the early years this led her to the Michaelshof Pressespiegel, to the Goetheanum magazine and to Georgia. And today? The interest is unbroken; that’s why she’s now also working our library and archives.
With her work at Michaelshof, Hilke provides space, a healthy framework and a loving everyday life with the Peronnik kids, but also with staff and international volunteers.
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+++ NEWSTICKER +++
Impressions from everyday life in the community…
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On the Flachsenberg, the first work on the exterior design has already begun and the residents are very happy!
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For all tulip lovers, here are a few more impressions of the tulip blossom
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Unusual sights from May: an Oskar completely engrossed in the tulips and Lena with at least a life-size tiger!
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Our Angler red cattle are now back in the pasture every day, love the fresh greenery and also the little walk there.
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And last but not least, a few impressions of us – community life can be soooooo nice!
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For our team, we are looking for committed and dynamic people who like to take on responsibility and enjoy country life. Is a meaningful activity more important to you than a “9 to 5 job”? Then you’ve come to the right place!
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We’re looking for skilled workers or interns in the following areas:
Social
- Teacher
- Educator / Social worker
Office:
Hands-on:
- Gardener
- Construction worker
- Janitor
Your qualification is not listed, but you are still interested? Just give it a try!
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Last but not least, here are the cutest piggies far and wide who love to cuddle with each other.
We wish you a super-good June, lots of sunshine and many positive thoughts!
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