The Spiritual Odyssey
by Christopher Coffey
In this blog post, Christopher, one of the current Seminary students, shares from his biography and tells of his journey toward Seminary studies.
When I was a child, my family (shortly after I was born, I was adopted) regularly attended a Baptist Church in Dalton, Georgia. I don’t hold any memory of either of my parents speaking to me about God or attempting to impose religious teachings on me. The memories I revisit that held a spiritual significance for me include spending time in the natural world, experiencing the silence of the church sanctuary at night, and resting in the comfort and quiet of the church library when service was in session. A couple of the children at the church said that angels dwelled in the steeple. This possibility of seeing and maybe even speaking with angels arrested my imagination. When the sanctuary was empty, I quietly entered, climbed one flight of stairs, and rested on the pew directly below the steeple door, waiting to surprise one of the angels as they were leaving the church. The other place in which I experienced a divine presence was the natural world, especially the woods around my family’s house and the green pastures of my grandparent’s farm.
Christopher, back when he taught at The School of Living Arts
My adolescent years consisted of depression as well as disappointment and frustration in my education. I felt a persistent boredom in my classes and was rarely engaged by my teachers. My saving grace was tennis and basketball. I played tennis for my first two years of high school and basketball for my last two years. When I was in sixth grade, the doctors said that I could no longer play basketball because of a potential heart problem called Marfan Syndrome. After the end of my sophomore year, doctors at Johns Hopkins released me to play basketball again. My final two years of high school were focused on playing basketball. I received a scholarship to play at Martin Methodist College in Pulaski, Tennessee, in the fall of 2000.
During my freshman year of college, I fell into a deep depression, quit the basketball team, and stopped attending classes. I slept all day, but, at night, I started visiting the library to read. I was disappointed with my education and realized if I were to ever understand the world, I had to take charge of my own educational journey. Above all, I longed to understand the world, the great ideas about the world, and who I was in it. Eventually, I dropped out of college, returned home, and began working with a construction crew. At night, I continued to read.
Around the time I turned twenty, a childhood friend invited me to an Easter play put on by a church in the countryside. What struck me the most about the play was the crucifixion and resurrection of Christ. I could not stop thinking about the wounds of Christ after the play ended. That evening, in my room, I felt the presence of Christ Jesus enter my heart. I kneeled and surrendered my life to God. Soon after this transformative event, I joined a Pentecostal Church. The pastor of the church introduced me to Saint Augustine, the Desert Fathers, and Martin Luther, as well as many Christian Classics on prayer and the devotional life. Soon I began preaching in the church and felt a strong call to enter the ministry. However, I wanted to finish school and decided to return to college.
At 21, I decided to move to Murfreesboro, Tennessee, to become a member of a charismatic church and attend Middle Tennessee State University. I was drawn to the passion and knowledge of the church leaders. They demonstrated a sound understanding of scripture and appeared fearless when it came to sharing the gospel of Christ with others. I experienced, at first, that the members and leaders of the church knew their mission: to make disciples of every nation. There was a strong will to convert the lost. Initially, this attracted me. However, soon I realized they were abusing their authority and was led to go in a different direction. For some time, I was angry with God and even attempted to prove that God did not exist in a manifesto. After two weeks I realized that my attempts were in vain – I could not deny that I experienced Christ Jesus when I was 20, that I was in a relationship with Him, and that my life began to transform. I crumpled up the manifesto and disposed of it. I decided to leave the church and focus on completing my college education. After my second year in Murfreesboro, still undecided concerning my major, I discovered literature and poetry and decided to major in English.
Left: Christopher wrestling with Daniil in Speech Class; Right: Christopher at the backyard of the Seminary
When I was 28, I had an encounter with a dear friend that changed my life. At this time, I had questions about my future. He asked me: “Have you ever heard of Waldorf Education?” I replied: “Yes, but only a little.” A few weeks later, snow was falling, as we traveled to Louisville, Kentucky, to visit the Louisville Waldorf School. When I walked into the school, there were wet-on-wet watercolor paintings of an inverted tree hanging on the wall. Suddenly, I heard the words: “I want to be a Waldorf teacher.” I looked around the room and realized I was the one who had spoken those words. Soon after my visit, I enrolled in Waldorf training at Kentahten, right outside of Louisville. Rudolf Steiner and Anthroposophy began to enter my life. One year after attending Kentahten, I began to attend the year-round program at Antioch University.
After graduating from Antioch, I traveled to Charlottesville, Virginia, for a teaching internship, and then one year later I moved to Asheville, North Carolina to teach at The School of Living Arts. I taught for seven years in Asheville and then moved to Chapel Hill, North Carolina. In the summer of 2021, I visited Spring Valley with my partner and met with a Christian Community priest, Anna Silber. Our conversation was about the Christian Community and becoming a priest. It held great significance for me and led me to begin the Distance Learning Program in the fall, taught by Patrick Kennedy and Jonah Evans. While in Chapel Hill, I began teaching the 7th grade class at the Emerson Waldorf School in 2022 and carried them through 8th grade. In April 2023, I experienced a stirring within myself to attend seminary. In June, I wrote to Patrick Kennedy and told him that I wanted to come to The Seminary. I knew that my teaching as a Waldorf teacher was complete and that a new journey was to begin.