2018 Lent Calendar, Week 3

My theme for Lent this year is Mindful Contribution. I've been working at being more mindful-- being aware of how my thoughts wander, feeling grateful and savoring life, showing greater compassion, and expressing all of that with kindness, engagement, and contribution. It's a pretty fuzzy effort, easy to forget about or minimize, especially when I get busy.

As a symbol of that goal, I plan to fast from screentime at mealtime. I will eat each of my meals in a more meditative way- saying a prayer, giving attention to the food, perhaps writing a letter or writing in my journal, talking to my family, or reading something contemplative.


I'm also going to continue to explore social justice issues, and take some compassionate actions. I'll do a little study, prayer, journaling, artwork, or action each day... I don't know how this will evolve, but it will be revealed to me, week by week!

February 25, 2nd Sunday of Lent: 
-Prayer of thankfulness for simple food
I've had the flu for 9 days and ate almost nothing. (I lost 5 pounds but I don't recommend the flu diet!) While it's true that Lent is a time of fasting, now I offer my prayer of thankfulness for simple foods-- for a bowl of muesli and a banana; for a chicken sandwich on whole grain bread; for tomato soup and crackers. I savor ever bite and am thankful.

February 26:
-Study compassion
“It is unconditional compassion for ourselves that leads naturally to unconditional compassion for others. If we are willing to stand fully in our own shoes and never give up on ourselves, then we will be able to put ourselves in the shoes of others and never give up on them. True compassion does not come from wanting to help out those less fortunate than ourselves but from realizing our kinship with all beings.”
― Pema Chödrön, Start Where You Are: A Guide to Compassionate Living

February 27:

February 28:

March 1, Full Moon:
-Journal queries
Write about new ideas I have this spring- ideas of change and new beginnings.
What is the hope I feel? 
What is the strongest fear?

March 2, World Day of Prayer: 
-Prayer for Creation

Divine Creator, Spirit in All Things,
Your kingdom is Here, and Now.
Your creativity is manifest everywhere I look on this heavenly Earth.
Nourish us Body and Soul in this earthly Paradise.

Forgive us for not noticing, for overlooking, the tiny, the subtle,
The seemingly insignificant beauty in your Creation.
And teach us how to forgive those who would harm your Great Works.

Make our Loving attention constant.
Deliver us from Ingratitude.
For You are our perfect Guide through the Delights of our sacred Home.

BeFriending Creation Volume 30, Number 2
The bi-monthly journal of Quaker Earthcare Witness

March 3, Hina Matsuri:

- Prepare for the spring planting

Pea Planting Day

Pea Planting Day is a special anniversary for us. 

February 22 is listed on my planting calendar as the first day to plant peas in the Willamette Valley; it also happens that this is the day W and I got engaged to each other, 42 years ago!

Peas are traditionally the first vegetable sown outside in the spring because they will germinate and grow in very cool soil. We plant peas today to ceremonially kick off the start of the planting season, and also to remind ourselves of the beginnings of our relationship; the day we decided to be together forever.

Agenda Today:
1. Plant a prayer
2. Pea Planting Ceremony

Clean Monday

Today is known as Clean Monday in the Eastern Orthodox tradition. The clean originally referred to the purification of the soul for Lent. Today it's customary to clean the house thoroughly, and, in Greece, people go on picnics, eat shellfish, and fly kites!

Agenda Today:
1. Clean House
2. Make Skordalia (Greek garlic-potato dip)
3. Prayer of Cleansing

2018 Lent Calendar, Week 2

My theme for Lent this year is Mindful Contribution. I've been working at being more mindful-- being aware of how my thoughts wander, feeling grateful and savoring life, showing greater compassion, and expressing all of that with kindness, engagement, and contribution. It's a pretty fuzzy effort, easy to forget about or minimize, especially when I get busy.

As a symbol of that goal, I plan to fast from screentime at mealtime. I will eat each of my meals in a more meditative way- saying a prayer, giving attention to the food, perhaps writing a letter or writing in my journal, talking to my family, or reading something contemplative.


I'm also going to continue to explore social justice issues, and take some compassionate actions. I'll do a little study, prayer, journaling, artwork, or action each day... I don't know how this will evolve, but it will be revealed to me, week by week!

February 18, 1st Sunday of Lent and Forgiveness Sunday:
-Journal queries on Equality
Do I regularly examine myself for evidence of privilege and prejudice?
What am I doing to overcome the contemporary effects of past and present oppression?
How do I avoid being drawn into violent reactions against those who are destructive of human dignity? 
Do I reach out to the violator as well as the violated with courage and love?

February 19, Clean Monday:
-Prayer of Cleansing:

I Cleanse My Soul- Author Unknown 

I cleanse my soul in the dews of spring,

Light of mind's refreshing dew

Love of heart's renewing dew,

Life being's restoring dew,

Cleanse and recreate my soul this night.

May the souls of all beings be

Peacefully preserved

From fall of night

Till day's dear light.

February 20:
February 21:
February 22, Pea Planting Day:
-Plant a prayer
“When it comes to the practice of heart prayer, give up all concerns about success or failure. What you are doing in these times is planting prayer within yourself so that it will be there the rest of the day. It is very much indeed about planting a seed in the ground. You just put it there and let it take its natural course. Don’t keep digging it up to see how it is growing. Don’t try to manipulate or control it; just notice it, appreciate it. Entrust its care to God.” – Gerald May, The Awakened Heart

February 23:
February 24:

First Sunday of Lent and Forgiveness Sunday

Today is the first Sunday in Lent, and also Forgiveness Sunday in the Eastern Orthodox Church. It's officially the last day of the Maslenitsa festival in Russia. Lent starts tomorrow, on Clean Monday, in both the Russian and Greek churches. 

Agenda Today:

1. Contemplate the testimony of equality
2. Journal queries
3. Go to a Racism Workshop
4. Ask Forgiveness

5. Make Tyropita (Cheese Pie)
6. Have a fire

Chinese New Year of the Dog

This first day of the Chinese New Year is called Yüan-tan, the "Day of Origin". This one day determines the luck for the entire year, so Chinese people are careful to use their best manners and to remain honest and peaceful. 

They spend the first days of the year making visits to friends and relatives: Parents and grandparents receive the first visits, and so on, until by the fourth day very casual friends may drop in. The fifth day is reserved for visits to people who live further away.

Visitors greet each other with kind words to help encourage a year of prosperity. The most common greeting is:

Gung hay fat choy 

(Pronounced "Goong Heyy Faat Choy")

Congratulations, may you be prosperous!

2018 is the year of the Dog. A Dog is loyal and amiable, but also cautious and prudent. The Chinese regard it as an auspicious animal. If a dog happens to come to a house, it symbolizes the coming of fortune. People born in the year of the dog are straightforward, genuine, and persistent. They are intensely protective of their friends and family, and good at helping others find and fix their bad habits.

Agenda for today:

1. Eat jai for breakfast
2. Give gifts
3. Make and give hóngbāo (money packets)

Nirvana Day and New Holiday Moon

Today is Nirvana Day, the celebration of Buddha's death at the age of 80, at around 487 BCE. It's celebrated in East Asia on February 15th, or on February 8th by some people.

And tonight is Chinese New Year's Eve. In China, New Year's evening is called Ch’u-yeh, the "evening of discarding", because we can finally be done with the old year, and with winter. The last day of the year in China is busy, because it’s the last chance to complete preparations and be ready to start the year fresh. When the running around is done, the family spends the rest of the day at home together. This holiday, more than any other Chinese holiday, stresses the importance of family connections. 

AND tonight is also the new moon; this moon is called the Holiday Moon in China, because of the New Year Festival. Normally the new moon is on the first day of the Chinese New Year, but because the moon is new tomorrow in China, we celebrate a day late here in the U.S.

Agenda for today:

1. Read the Buddha's teachings
2. Buddhist prayer of Five Contemplations
3. Thanksgiving ceremony
4. Welcoming Ceremony
5. Make a prosperity tree
6. Prepare a family feast

Lent calendar, Week 1

My theme for Lent this year is Mindful Contribution. I've been working at being more mindful-- being aware of how my thoughts wander, feeling grateful and savoring life, showing greater compassion, and expressing all of that with kindness, engagement, and contribution. It's a pretty fuzzy effort, easy to forget about or minimize, especially when I get busy.

As a symbol of that goal, I plan to fast from screentime at mealtime. I will eat each of my meals in a more meditative way- saying a prayer, giving attention to the food, perhaps writing a letter or writing in my journal, talking to my family, or reading something contemplative.


I'm also going to continue to explore social justice issues, and take some compassionate actions. I'll do a little study, prayer, journaling, artwork, or action each day... I don't know how this will evolve, but it will be revealed to me, week by week!

February 14, Ash Wednesday: 
-Set my intentions for fasting
-Make pretzels
-Mealtime prayer: (YouTube video.)

God bless to us our bread,
And give bread to all those who are hungry
And hunger for justice to those who are fed.
God bless to us our bread.
~words and music by Osvaldo Catena

February 15, Nirvana Day:
-Read the Buddha's teachings
I read from my favorite Buddhist author, Pema Chodrin. She has a book that's entirely about the impermanence of life called Comfortable with Uncertainty: 108 Teachings on Cultivating Fearlessness and Compassion. 

February 16, Chinese New Year: 

-Buddhist prayer of Five Contemplations:
This food is the gift of the whole universe—the earth, the sky, and much hard work.
May I live in a way that makes me worthy to receive it.
May I transform my unskillful state of mind, especially my greed.
May I take only foods that nourish me and prevent illness.
I accept this food so that I may realize the path of practice.

February 17:

-Visit the Asian Celebration and feed the Lion Dancer

Ash Wednesday and St. Valentines Day

Ash Wednesday is the first day of Lent, a 46-day period of preparation for the joyful Easter celebration. The word lent comes from the Anglo Saxon word lencten, which means "lengthen"; it refers to the longer days of spring. 

Lent is about mortality and transformation; death and rebirth. Marcus Borg says "It means dying to an old way of being, and being born into a new way of being, a way of being centered once again in God."

And today is also Valentines Day, a day for love and romance! It's a very curious and fascinating combination of events.

Agenda for Lent and Valentines Day:
1. Journal queries

2. Fast and simplify my life
3. Send valentines

4. Write a daily Lenten calendar

5. Hang up the Lady Lent

6. Make heart-shaped pretzels

Mardi Gras

Today is Mardi Gras, which is French for Fat Tuesday- also called Shrove Tuesday, or Pancake Tuesday. We've come to the end of the season of Carnival, which starts on Epiphany (January 6) and ends at Lent. Fat Tuesday is always 47 days before Easter Sunday. 

Agenda Today:
1. Make a screen mask
2. Make carnival corn soup with dumplings
3. Housework

Thorrablót

Thorrablót (pronounced THORR-a-blote) is a mid-winter festival celebrated in Iceland and Norway. Thorri is the name of the fourth month of winter in the old Icelandic calendar, and a blót is a feast.

Gray February skies

Thorri might have been named for Thor, the Norse god of thunder, or for a legendary King of Norway, but now in Iceland Thorri is known as "King Winter", depicted as an old grey man, kind to some and harsh to others. All of wintertime is referred to as "King Winter" in Iceland and in Norway... I guess with a winter as exceptional as theirs it’s not surprising that it has a personality!


The Thorrablót can happen any time in the next several weeks. In Iceland and Norway this is the coldest part of winter- no thaw yet in sight. Here in our valley we haven't had a dip below freezing since Christmas, but a dip is predicted tonight, so this is a good time for a King Winter Feast!

Agenda:
1. Gather friends and family and make a toast
2. Have a pickle feast
3. Play Kubb
4. Help those with no homes

Little New Year

Kitchen God I drew a few years ago.

Today is called Little New Year- it falls on the day of the waning half moon one week before the new moon in late January or early February- one week before Chinese New Year! 

It's also known as the Kitchen God Festival because this is the day that the Kitchen God, Tsao-wang, and his wife, leave to report to heaven. In a Chinese home, Tsao-wang's picture hangs in a niche just above the stove. The picture is printed or drawn on rice paper. 

Tsao-wang and his wife watch the daily life of the household and keep a written record of everything that goes on- whether the family is tidy or messy, honest or sneaky, thrifty or wasteful... it’s a little like having Santa watching all year, to see if you’ve been good or bad!

Agenda today:
1. Make window flowers
2. Make nian-gao (new year's cake)
3. Kitchen God Good-bye Ceremony

St. Dorothy Day

St. Dorothy lived in Caesarea in central Turkey, around the year 313 AD. She was tried for refusing to worship idols, and a mocking lawyer asked her to send him fruit from the garden of Paradise. In response to her prayer, an angel appeared and presented three roses and three apples. 

She wrote: 

"And then said the holy virgin with a glad semblant: Do to me what torment thou wilt, for I am all ready to suffer it for the love of my spouse Jesu Christ, in whose garden full of delices I have gathered roses, spices, and apples."

Because of this, she is the patron of gardeners. Also of brides, and brewers.
 

Agenda Today:
1. Make Persian Spiced Apples
2. Garden journal queries
3. Garden visualization & plan
4. Make garden markers
5. Work outside!

Maslenitsa

Maslenitsa actually starts next week, February 12, but I celebrate it now to stay in harmony with the Western Lent calender.

Maslenitsa (масленица) is the oldest of all Russian holidays. It began as a spring equinox festival called Jarilo, named for the Slavic god of the vegetation and spring. Later it became a Christian holiday, starting on the Monday one week before the Eastern Orthodox Lent- the Russian version of Carnival, with eating, drinking, sledding, games, and costume parades. Even though it's now Christian in theory, all of its events still focus on driving away the winter and re-awakening nature.

Maslenitsa lasts one week and ends on the next Sunday with Forgiveness Day.

Agenda this week:

1. Journal queries
2. Make an effigy doll
3. Make blini pancakes
4. House clearing

Prepare for Chinese New Year

Chinese New Year is in two weeks, on February 16th this year, so it's time to prepare.)

In China a whole month is spent in preparations- cleaning, cooking, and decorating the house. All of the things displayed at Chinese New Year are symbols of the ideal life- tokens and reminders of the good things we hope for: Luck, wealth, long life, and happiness.

Agenda this week:
1. Housework
2. Nian-hua and good-luck calligraphy
3. Forced Blossoms
4. Make Jiao-zi dumplings 

Imbalc

Me, adding greens to the Imbalc fire a few years ago.

Imbalc (pronounced Im-molc) is the Celtic Sabbat that falls between the winter solstice and the spring equinox. At this time we celebrate the beginning of the end of winter.

Imbalc means surrounding belly- the Earth Mother’s womb; soon the seeds in the womb of the earth will begin to swell and creative forces will begin to come alive in the world.

Agenda for today: 
1. Creativity Altar
2. Journal queries
3. Seed blessing ceremony
4. Make a Brigid's Cross
5. Make Irish seed cake
6. Housework
7. Have a fire