Hosting a Community Spiral Walk

Step-by-step Guide to help you hold this magical tradition

I first came across the tradition of the Spiral Walk in my Waldorf parent-and-child group fourteen years ago. The spiral is a beautiful symbol of the journey inward - to find our inner light and carry it even through the darkest of times. It is a Festival of Light that we can choose to integrate with a nature-based spirituality or our own spiritual belief system. From my experience well over a decade, I can confidently say: this tradition is not just for the children. It is deeply moving and profound for every adult who participates too which is why I began to offer Spiral Walks to my parent-and-child families and our extended community of family and friends.

You can see a video example of an outdoor spiral I created here.

When I first hosted our own outdoor spiral walk I knew I wanted to share the planning and process step-by-step so that if anyone felt inspired, they would know how to hold their own memorable and reverent day each year.

In Advance of the Event

Choose the Location and the Date

• Select an open, quiet, grassy or flat area in a space that is dark. The location should allow everyone to move comfortably around the spiral without feeling crowded.

• The Winter Solstice is a perfect time for this gathering but you can plan at your discretion.

• You’ll ideally want to choose a time where it’s dark - from 5pm onwards where I live.

Gather Supplies

• Evergreen Boughs: Collect enough to create a wide spiral pathway. You can cut them from your property or purchase them at gardening centres or where you buy Christmas trees. If you don’t live in an area where there are many evergreens consider how you could create the spiral with local flora or other natural things like stones, driftwood, fallen branches etc.

• Center Candle: Choose a large, stable candle (the “mother flame”) to serve as the source of light at the spiral’s center. Place it on a small stool or table.

• Tealight Candles in Glass Votives: One per participant, held in small glass jars or votives to ensure safety and easy handling.