Ramadan

Tonight is the start of Ramadan, an Islamic holiday that marks the discovery of the Qur’an by the Prophet Muhammad. The Islamic calendar is totally lunar, so Ramadan begins a few weeks earlier each year, at the sighting of the thin crescent moon, hopefully at sundown tonight.

Sunset photo by Brayden

Ramadan is a month of blessing. By night, Muslims read the Qur'an, and celebrate the compassion of God with special prayers. 

By day, they give generously to charities, and observe the discipline of fasting: They eat an early morning meal before the sun rises, then eat and drink nothing until after sundown. 

The Ramadan fast includes abstinence from falsehood and anger, in words and in deeds. It's purpose is to help Muslims to develop self-discipline, a strong spirit, generosity, and empathy. 

Even though I don't partake in a fast, I observe Ramadan in this same spirit, renewing my relationship with God, and exercising self-discipline and generosity. I hope to build my empathy for Muslims as they observe their month-long fast. 

Agenda:
1. Celestial awareness
2. Sunset prayer
3. Practice daily joyful activism
4. Enjoy Iftar tomorrow night

New Peony Moon

Beautiful peonies growing in my neighborhood.

The new moon rises tonight; the Chinese call the fourth new moon the Peony Moon. Peonies are the flower of riches, romance, and honor, called sho yu in Chinese, which means "most beautiful." Their lush blooms are an omen of good fortune, and also foretell a happy marriage.

This is the season of blossoming into abundance; I open myself to the receipt of gifts, and try to be fully awake to all that each moment holds.

Agenda for today: 
1. Journal queries 
2. New moon meditation
3. Prepare for a garden party

Earth Week

Earth Day is on April 22, and this week is called Earth Week. 

The first Earth Day was in 1970 and it still remains a big event in the environmental movement. Interest and participation in Earth Day has increased and spread around the world, with millions of people taking part. 

I do many things everyday in my life to help the earth: I live in a small house; I walk and bike, and work at home; I buy used stuff and buy locally; I use the library instead of buying books; I compost, recycle, and grow my own food, and I work with other climate activists to help change the way we use carbon in our community.

This year, because we are all staying home to stay safe, some of my usual community Earth Week events are cancelled, so I did a search for ideas for environmental activities we can do while in quarantine at home. My old and new favorites are listed here.

Agenda this week:

1. Earth Week petition walks
2. Clean the neighborhood
3. Plant a bee garden
4. Watch Nature Cams
5.  Make Earth Cookies

Songkran

Songkran is the New Year festival in Thailand, officially observed for three days, April 13 - 15, but actually the celebration usually lasts the entire week. 

The word songkran comes from the Sanskrit, meaning "to pass or move into", referring to the passing and moving of the sun from one sign of the Zodiac to another (but it's also taken to mean "moving forward into a better life"). There are in fact twelve Songkrans each year, but this Songkran (sometimes called the Great Songkran) is when the sun enters the sign of Aries the Ram, always near to the vernal equinox.

April is the hottest month of the year in Thailand, and maybe that is why water is a theme for this festival. All statues of the Buddha are ceremonially washed, and then the entire country participates in friendly water fights and street parties that last nearly a week. 

Agenda Today:
1. Clean house
2. Make resolutions
3. Connect with Family
4. Build a sand pagoda
5. Water play
6. Make Thong Yod (Golden Egg Drops)

Easter in Quarentine

Easter is the most important and joyful of all Christian holy days because it marks the resurrection of Jesus. Easter always comes after the spring equinox, when lots of things in nature are returning to life- specifically, on the first Sunday after the full Moon on or just after the equinox. 

The English word Easter comes from the Old English Eastre, which was the name for the spring season.

Easter is the penultimate time of hope, renewal and new life, which is at the heart of the message that Christians wish to proclaim and live in the world. I see this as a reminder to live each day as a new day, and to have faith that the actions I take will have transforming power in the world.

Agenda today:

1. Greet the Easter sunrise with joy
2. Shift towards joy

Maundy Thursday

Maundy Thursday is the day when Jesus and his disciples gathered to share the Passover meal known as the Last Supper. Maundy is an English word that comes from the Latin mandatum, referring to the new commandment that Jesus made on that night: 

“A new commandment I give to you, that you Love one another. As I have loved you so you must love one another.” (John 13:34). 

On this day three important events are documented.

Rooted- acrylic on canvas

First came the washing of the Disciples' feet- Jesus showed his great love and humility by washing the feet of his disciples.

Second was the introduction of the Eucharist.

Thirdly, Jesus went to the Garden of Gethsemani to pray and was betrayed by Judas and arrested.

Agenda today:

1. Show love and humility
2. Eat mindfully
3. Find new clothes for Easter
4. Take a bubble bath
5. Go to the garden tonight to pray

Passover

Tonight is the start of Passover, the oldest of the Jewish holidays. It celebrates the story of how God set the Jewish people free from slavery in Egypt. Passover begins on the fourteenth day of the Jewish month of Nisan, which is the night of the first full moon after the equinox.

Agenda today:
1. Clean the kitchen
2. Reflect on freedom
3. Passover blessing

Full Hare Moon

Tonight is the full moon; this one is called the Hare Moon, because this is the month when rabbits leap and play and mate. And it's this year's largest super moon - try to get outside tonight at 7:35 p.m. to see it rise.

Carmella and Toffee

April is full-blown spring; the yellows and violets of March explode into all the amazing colors of the rainbow: orange tulips, pink azaleas, lilacs, fresh green, and the 'blue true dream of sky'.

Agenda today:
1. Update my altar
2. Journal queries
3. Practice at my theme of Balance

Palm Sunday

This week before Easter is known as Holy Week. It begins on Palm Sunday, which is the day that Jesus entered Jerusalem almost 2000 years ago. At that time Jerusalem had a normal population of about 50,000, and it at least tripled in size because of the influx of pilgrims celebrating the Jewish holiday of Passover.

Marcus Borg says this:
“On... Palm Sunday, Jesus entered Jerusalem from the east in a procession riding on a donkey cheered by his followers. At the same time, a Roman imperial procession of troops and cavalry entered the city from the west, headed by Pilate. Their purpose was to reinforce the Roman garrison stationed near the temple for the season of Passover, when tens (hundreds?) of thousands of Jewish pilgrims filled the city...

Jesus’ mode of entry was symbolic, signifying that the kingdom of which he spoke was a kingdom of peace. According to the prophet Zechariah, the king entering Jerusalem on a donkey was to banish the weapons of war from the land and speak peace to the nations. The kingdom of Rome on the other hand was based on violence and the threat of violence.” 

Agenda Today:
1. Journal queries
2. Make a palm cross
3. Add to my altar
4. Palm Sunday Prayer
5. Set up my egg tree
6. Make Figgy Pudding

Lent Calendar 2020, Week Seven

My theme for Lent this year is the Road to Resilience. I'm trying to build and strengthen my ability to bounce back from challenges, conflict, and calamity. My goals are:

• Resilience Habits: Resilience has lots of parts - equanimity, flexibility, resolution, tenacity, social intelligence, and optimism to name a few. I want to gradually add in some useful daily habits as a practical way to grow in recilience. 
• Fast from binge eating: I try to choose something to fast from that is a good symbol of how I am trying to grow, and I think my binge eating has a direct connection to feeling overwhelmed by life's challenges. 
• Educate myself: I'm reading the book The Coward's Guide to Conflict: Empowering Solutions for those Who Would Rather Run Than Fight. 
• Inner work: Ground myself in journaling, meditation, and prayer to connect to my core of peace and courage. 
• Take creative action: Take decisive action on adverse or challenging situations as they arise, and use my creative super powers to grow, and make the world better. 

April 5, Palm Sunday-

1. Journal queries: What have I learned so far from my Lenten fast and study? What is the next step to take?

Ground myself in optimistic hope for the future, and become more open to the best actions to take.

April 6-

2. Resilience habits: So far this Lent I've worked on optimism, equanimity, social intelligence, and the habit of courageous persistence and tenacity. This final week of Lent I plan to focus on flexibility - accepting that certain ways I've always done things may no longer work, and that certain of my goals may not be possible. Flexibility will help me to solve problems more creatively, and effectively adapt to new situations.

Since I'm in quarantine at home, I'm going to have to get really creative to practice this skill. Here's my plan:

1. Alter my everyday routine. Routine is important to me, but it's not working right now. I'm simply not following through with my daily schedule. This week I will choose one big thing to accomplish each day and do it before noon.
2. Seek out new experiences. This seems hard to do while stuck at home, but I will try to learn something new every day... Some ideas: Learn one new dance move, try a complicated recipe, and upgrade my computer skills.
3. Practice thinking creatively. I have a few problems to solve this week, so I will make an effort to think about them in unconventional ways, and open to unlimited possibilities.

April 7, Full Hare Moon-

3. Study "The Coward's Guide to Conflict": Read Chapters 17-19 this week. My assignment this week is to understand my unhelpful, irrational thought patterns around conflict... Why am I so afraid of conflict? And why do I exaggerate the stories I tell about conflicts?

April 8, Passover-

4. Take action: I've been vaguely disappointed with myself for a couple weeks now. Here I am with time, stuck at home, and I'm not DOING anything. But I have been doing important work, studying my own strengths and how to increase my resilience, and redefining how to interact socially without actual contact. 

My computer and the internet are great tools for reaching out. Today I'm going to take the first steps towards creating online classes and climate actions that we might continue even when the "stay home" order is lifted. (As well as a virtual baby shower!)

April 9, Maundy Thursday-

April 10, Good Friday-

April 11, Great Saturday:-

April 12, Easter:

Ching Ming

Ch'ing Ming means Pure and Bright. This Chinese festival falls 15 days after the Spring Equinox. 

Ching Ming tea party of 2017.

The Pure Brightness Festival is also called Ancestors Day or Picnic Day, because Chinese families gather today to sweep graves and offer foods- such as steamed pastries, roast pork, tea, and wine- to their ancestors. After the ceremony the family feasts on the offering foods.

Agenda today:
1- Make gold ingots (yuan bao)
2- Make Char Siu (Chinese Barbecued Pork)
3- Make Red Tortoise Cakes (Ang Ku Kueh)
4- Remember and honor ancestors