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Easter review…
…impressions & thoughts
Christianity traditionally celebrates the death and resurrection of Christ at Easter. This reflects a primordial event that is repeated everywhere where life and development prevail – in nature, in history, in the course of life, in our own souls. Who hasn’t experienced low points, sometimes only small ones, sometimes similar to an abyss, where you stand and don’t know what to do next? And then there is a ray of hope that you didn’t expect. And life goes on, often brighter and richer than before.
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We observe something similar in nature: autumn and winter bring death, while spring brings the resurrection of life. Just as no plant can blossom anew if it does not retreat into ‘death’ in winter, all resurrection always leads through death beforehand. Every person learns this in the course of life, regardless of their faith. But you shouldn’t just ‘go round in circles’.
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Isn’t our life more like a spiral that takes us past familiar problems again and again, but always leads us a little further? The life of Christ is the great archetype of this.
Holy Week has a special atmosphere for us – as if nature is also holding its breath for a few days before spring continues in all its fullness. Then we do the work at Michaelshof that needs to be done ‘around’ nature. We do the spring cleaning (outside and inside), tidy up, sand figures and much more. Our gardeners get all jittery, because the growing and sprouting continues in the greenhouse anyway!
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On Easter Sunday, this mood gives way to a strong revitalising force and nature shines in the most joyful festive mood. So Easter morning gets off to a lively and energised start, because as well as experiencing the power of resurrection, there was also plenty of action on offer! The café was wonderfully busy, the Arche-Hof was well visited, and the greenhouse was filled with happy people planting.
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The Easter afternoon is always a special moment for the Sammatz children when they set off with their friends for a second Easter egg hunt. In the picture you can see a visibly happy Easter walk group – a colourful mix of Peronnik and village kids.
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After an eventful day at all corners of Michaelshof, we continued our lovely tradition and met up with the whole community, the volunteers and our guests for a cosy get-together. A huge ‘potluck’ (everyone contributes something to the international buffet) including stick bread, fire bowls, music and lots of good humour brought everyone together again in the evening! A wonderful end to Easter!
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Daffodils…
…beauty and hope for the soul!
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Did you know that the daffodil symbolises hope and, in particular, the hope of resurrection? The daffodil is therefore an image of eternal life and accompanies the Easter event every year with its magnificent blossom in March and April.
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At the moment, the cheerful yellow daffodils lend our gardens a very special magic at Easter time, which can be felt everywhere in Sammatz. Their curled heads in white, yellow and orange stretch out expectantly towards us in every conceivable colour and you can’t help but be delighted by the very special atmosphere of the daffodils.
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Why don’t you turn your visit to our gardens into a discovery walk and count how many different varieties of daffodils you find – you wouldn’t expect how many there are!
‘If you have two loaves of bread, sell one and buy daffodil flowers for it; for bread is food only for the body, but the daffodil nourishes the soul.
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Speaking of which: how about a relaxing holiday in April or May surrounded by daffodils and other early bloomers? Book your room now at the Michaelshof guest house and experience spring nature up close. From mid-April, the wonderful yellow daffodils are joined by tulips in every imaginable colour…
Your holiday experience at Michaelshof is complemented by delicious food of the best organic quality from our café or the farm shop. And: there is definitely no shortage of beautiful day trip destinations in Wendland. Just contact us, we will be happy to plan the perfect holiday in the countryside with you!
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News from the Ark Farm
– Shop relocation & lamb happiness
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Fun (or not so much fun) fact: In March, we moved our entire farm shop for the second time this year. Following a smouldering fire in January and the spontaneous move next to the café, we were able to move back to the Arche-Hof after renovating the old shop. So once again we had to pack all the products, including the stock, into boxes and put them back in their new place one by one. The cheese and bread counters and all the shelves were moved to their new location with the help of our strong gardeners’ team. Without the many tireless helping hands of the community, we would not have managed this move so quickly and smoothly. Many thanks to all the hard-working helpers!
We are delighted to be selling our products again amidst the bleating of sheep, the smell of hay and in the direct neighbourhood of the bakery and dairy! See you soon in the farm shop!
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The first lambs tumbled out at the end of February and melted the hearts of the stable team and the rest of their visitors with their fluffiness. In the meantime, the lambs have grown up nicely and are enjoying the spring sunshine and extensive stroking.
Every weekend, Saturday & Sunday at 12pm & 3pm, we offer lamb petting for children under the supervision of one of our farmers. The kids have the opportunity to get close to the lambs and the mother sheep, stroke them or simply sit next to them in the straw and listen to their contented ‘Bahhhh’. An absolute highlight for the little ones! Just come and visit us!
The farm always becomes an animal kindergarten in spring. A few days ago, the first baby goats were born, and our large cowshed is also home to cute little calves.
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Sponsorships
at Michaelshof – support your favourite area!
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Are you a regular guest at our farm and looking for a way to support Michaelshof? Then why not take out a sponsorship for your favourite area of the farm? From the ark animals to the various garden areas to the energy area and much more, there really is something for everyone.
The great thing about being a sponsor is that (if you wish) you can gain a more in-depth insight into Michaelshof, its projects and its themes and really immerse yourself in the various areas of the community at the annual sponsors’ day in the summer.
By the way: A sponsorship is the perfect meaningful gift for anyone interested in social issues, international affairs, nature and sustainability.
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‹Green Village›
is blossoming!
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The Green Village season is literally on the move! Where there was hardly anything going on in February, March is already much busier. With Easter and the first days of April, things really get going in the green area! The garden team is making the last flower beds and pond edges pretty for the season and the vegetable team is pricking, planting and harvesting for all it’s worth!
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The absolute highlight in the vegetable field: after years of wishing, Daniel has finally realised his big dream – a planting machine! The first test drive was of course very exciting and we first had to get used to the new system. Fortunately, everything worked and the first lettuce plants were sown in no time at all with the help of Sienna, Gabi, Daniel, the trusty Fendt and the new planting machine. Where the three of them would otherwise have spent 40 minutes on a bed, the machine now helps us to have a planted vegetable bed in 15 minutes.
‘And they grow soooo beautifully,’ says Gabi.
But we’ve already harvested a few things from the vegetable patch. In recent weeks, our team has supplied the community kitchen with mizuna and rocket salad (be sure to google rocket soup – super tasty!) and has now harvested the first bright red radishes and strong chives!
We hope for a fruitful harvest season with plenty of rain and sunshine!
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Books have always been important to us at Michaelshof. After all, the opportunity to browse through thousands of years of wisdom is simply a wonderful thing! Lots of people, lots of books, big library! For a long time, there was a small library in the “main house” where community members could read at any time. From art, literature, history and science to Rudolf Steiner’s anthroposophy and current affairs, there really were many genres represented and answers to important questions were waiting in every corner.
When the first volunteers arrived in 2016, we spontaneously needed more living space, which is why the large library quickly gave way to bunk beds for the ‘internationals’. For seven years, the library was more or less packed away in boxes, waiting for its renaissance.
In the meantime, we were able to inaugurate our Youth Hostel, the Blue House, for the volunteers in 2019 and renovate the library rooms in 2022 so that there is even more space for the books. Since then, we have been busy reorganising the old books, including many new book donations from friends and acquaintances, rearranging, shelving and labelling.
In March, the time had finally come: we reopened the library doors! Not only the library organisers Nadja, Asli and Hilke were super happy about it, but also the whole community and the volunteers (we also house many English, Spanish and a few Portuguese books). It’s a great feeling to see people in the bookshelves again after such a long time!
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Michaelshof up to date – all opening hours at glance!
Ark farm:
Mon-Sun 9.00 – 19.00
Café:
From Monday, 8 April extended café opening hours:
Mon-Sat 8.00 – 18.00
Sun & holidays 9.30 – 18.00
Farm shop:
Mon-Fri 10.00 – 12.30
14.30 – 19.00
Sat, Sun & holidays 10.00 – 19.00
Der WAGEN in Lüneburg:
Wed & Sat 07.00 – 13.00
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Events 2024 – finally here!
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The wait is over: our event programme is now available on all channels! You can find it either online on our Event-Homepage, as a flyer on site in Sammatz, at the market cart in Lüneburg and soon also in the surrounding tourist information centres. So go ahead, browse through our programme and enter your favourite events directly into the calendar!
With our events, we invite you to discover Michaelshof in all its facets – community, gardens, ark farm, traditional crafts and much more! The social, spiritual and artistic components are having a space in this year’s programme as well – sometimes serious, sometimes light-hearted and most of the time with a few new impulses for life!
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Sat., 13 April – 11-17
Our medicinal plants – processing and quality
Claudia will take you to the medicinal plant manufactory at Eichenhof. In addition to a walk through the fresh spring nature, we will talk a lot about medicinal plants and their processing. Together we will learn how to make tea and cosmetics and show you exciting experiments within the ‘image-creating methods’, which visualise the quality of organic products. At the same time, we will talk about the healing effects of individual plants and explain what they have to do with the moon, sun and planets.
Admission free, donation requested! Plus lunch: 10€
With Claudia
Registration required
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Sat., 20 April – 11-17
On thinking & the truth – Anthroposophy dialogue forum
Have you only heard about anthroposophy from sarcastic media reports or Demeter products? At the ‘Anthroposophy dialogue forum’ we would like to give you an understanding of what living anthroposophy is really about! We look forward to your questions and are happy to provide you with exciting input.
Today’s focus topic: ‘On thinking & the truth’ – What does thinking have to do with the spiritual world? Is there a universally valid truth or can I simply form my own truth?
Admission free, donation requested! Plus lunch: 10€
With Nadja T., Klara and Hans Michel
Registration required
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Tue., 30 April – 19
Dance into May
As every year, we invite you to join us on 30 April to celebrate May and shake a leg. The ‘Sammatzer Combo’ will provide the atmosphere with live music, while Caro, Antonia and Gisela will teach you the dance steps to traditional dances from all over the world. Important: also suitable for beginners!
Join us and enjoy an unforgettable evening – dancing around the maypole with waving hair ribbons and good humour.
Free entry, donation welcome!
With Caro, Antonia and Gisela
Just drop by!
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Sat., 04 & Sun., 05 May – 11-17
Sammatz Tulip Festival
Tulip time is festival time! After all, it’s time to celebrate the wonder of nature, which comes to life in the rendezvous of these thousands of colourful and cheerfully beautiful plants in the middle of spring!
At the time of the festival, the tulip splendour has completely enchanted the Sammatz Gardens – imposing carpets of colour in the Arena, colourful panoramas by the Waldsee and in many other garden areas. Our tulips come in all sorts of colours – dark red, bright or vibrant yellow and purple, bright orange and radiant white – and sometimes adorn themselves with simple elegance, sometimes with lush petal splendour.
The Tulip Festival is framed by live music, garden tours, inspiring ideas on the Tulip Trail, flower sales, culinary delights and, as always, a wonderful children’s programme.
A festival for the whole family – let yourself be carried away by the good humour of springtime nature!
Free admission, donation welcome!
With Hannah, Klara and Anton
Just drop by!
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Let’s be honest!
What is honesty anyway? Do I really need it outside of witness statements? When does honesty begin? Does it start when I’m already ‘skimming over’ the truth or is it really only when I say exactly what I’ve thought or done? How much does shame play into my decision as to whether or not to tell a little white lie? And what if I have become a master at keeping the truth from myself?
These are all questions that we deal with almost every day. Living in a community also means having to deal with unpleasant truths quite often – about others, or even about myself. But hand on heart, what else is the job of a community if not to ensure honesty on a daily basis, even in the smallest of situations?
To be honest, the first thing you realise is that being honest is more difficult than you thought. For a long time, I didn’t realise how often I avoid conflict situations because I simply don’t feel like telling my colleague or girlfriend the truth and would rather smile tensely than enter into a conversation. But I’m seething inside! Deep down, I’m already annoyed, perhaps disappointed, distancing myself instead of giving the other person the chance to reflect on their behaviour.
It’s really about all the little moments in life. And being true to myself is ultimately the most important thing. That I don’t hide the fact that I’m actually furiously jealous until I’ve built up a huge amount of anger – unhealthy! Or that I gloss over situations that I’m actually so ashamed of that I don’t even want to put up with them. And every day it gets a little harder to tell someone about it. In both cases, I lack the freedom to fight my way out of my unconscious or semi-conscious untruths. But only genuine honesty can help. That can never really hurt me. When dealing with others, there is always the question of tact – when it is appropriate to speak honestly and when it is not.
The consolation in all of this is that those who can face up to their embarrassing points are so much more likeable than people who pretend to be something to themselves and others, but who look completely different on the inside. And that’s why you have friends. After a few years of community life, my friends know me well enough to see through my monkey dance anyway. How cool is it then to stop hiding from the outset and just be honest about who you are at that moment. Simply honest.
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Anton was born in Berlin and has lived at Michaelshof since he was two years old – always, so to speak. So he grew up in the community lifestyle and was surrounded by nature and lots of people from an early age.
The years around 2008 were exciting for the many young people in their late teens who came together at Michaelshof after their school years – Anton, Hannah, Johanna, Jakob, Klara, Antonia and many more. Seminars, getting to know each other personally and a lot of work in gardens and on the ark farm have brought the group together.
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Today, Anton is THE Green Village team member par excellence because he actually knows and loves all green areas. His main focus is on the gardens, where he spends many hours every day.
Sometimes you will find him with a young, international group of volunteers or interns in the middle of the flowerbeds, sometimes he and his special team are busy taking care of as many little things as possible – it’s hard to imagine how many ‘little things’ accumulate every day in 6 hectares of gardens and other areas, all of which need to be dealt with.
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In the warmer months of the year, it is not unusual to see him with Hannah planning and distributing perennials or guiding our guests through the gardens. But the welfare of the ark animals and the biodynamic preparations are also very important to him.
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‘Out in the living earth’ is simply Anton’s element! And: bringing his fascination for the wonders of nature and its smallest beauties to people. He can talk with shining eyes about the roses or perennials, about the specimens, but also about the spiritual world that surrounds us. Because his second great love is people. Understanding and supporting them is important to him, which is why he accompanies many of our volunteers as a mentor on their journey through the Global Village Sammatz.
In fact, Anton is always there when you need him – whether with a few encouraging words or his strong helping hands. Merci!
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Open your ears!
Like every month, we’re taking you into our musical world and linking a few songs from the community: music tips from…
…Hannah: ‘Pentatonix have reworked Kiss from a Rose – wow!’
…Anton: ‘This month I discovered the Italian classic L’italiano by Toto Cutugno.’
…Anna: ‘Beautiful things by Benson Boone – really beautiful and a little melancholic…’
…Aslı: ‘Turkish-Greek sounds by Olmasa Mektubun with Leman Sam have motivated me to learn Greek – you too?’
…Hans Michel: ‘I heard it through the grapevine by Marvin Gaye. Old but gold & above all super funky.’
…Emmanuel: ‘Swedish-English rap by Häxan Karaba!›
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+++ NEWSTICKER +++
Impressions from everyday life in the community…
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…when our troupe around the Newcomer/FSJ/FÖJler-WG is on the road, then a good mood and some form of nonsense is definitely pre-programmed. We’re all having lots of fun with you!…
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…in case there’s anyone who doesn’t know it yet: we love Oskar! Not just the Peronnik kids and Jesús, but actually the whole village…
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…welcome to our community dear Madita! And welcome back to our regular volunteer visitors Diogo from Portugal and Dasha from the Czech Republic…
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…just a normal sewing afternoon with Nele, who can really infect everyone with her passion for sewing…
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…and finally a nice impression of the sunlit cowshed!
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Grund Nr. 9: Spring flowers for spring feelings!
When the long winter is over and the first flowers in the soil appear, our guests know: it’s off to Sammatz! It’s colourful there, one can really experience spring! Young and old alike will be delighted to discover the many rich colours in the midst of healthy nature!
Support next year’s spring and contribute to the 2025 daffodil & tulip season with your donation. Plant joie de vivre with us!
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We are looking for committed and dynamic people for our team who are happy to take on responsibility and enjoy 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:
Social work:
- Teacher
- Educator / social worker
Office:
Hands-on:
- NEW: Service helper in the café am Michaelshof
- Gardener
- Construction worker
- Retailer
- Pharmacist
Your qualification is not listed and you are still interested? Just give us a try!
Send your application with a picture to claudia.brady@sammatz.de – we’ll get back to you!
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Double happiness must be shared!
With cloverleaf & ladybird from the field, we wish you a wonderful April with great nature moments – at home, on the road or simply with us at Michaelshof!
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Best wishes and see you next time from Anna
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