Waning Gibbous Moon

Photo by Alan Gillespie

Now the moon is waning - getting smaller - until it is new again. During the waning moon, the moon's energy changes, and we move gradually into the yin phase - slow down, go within, and focus on inner work. I back off a bit on actively pursuing my goals, and allow the ease of being a loving, thoughtful person to carry me towards my dreams. 

• Waning gibbous - Receptivity, generosity, gratitude

At the gibbous moon, it's time to practice being open to receiving blessings, feeling and expressing gratitude, and being generous with giving (towards others AND with myself).

Agenda today:
1. Journal queries

2. Generosity practices

3. Gratitude journal

Holi

Holi is a Hindu holiday that falls on the day after the full moon in March each year. It marks the end of winter in India. Holi is sometimes called the Festival of Color, because on Holi everyone in India throws paint at each other! 

To prepare, folks buy gulal, which are powdered paints in rich colors of pink, magenta, red, yellow and green. Three days before Holi, families get together to sprinkle a little of the gulal powders on each other, to share love and blessings. 

On the day of Holi the whole country goes wild with people laughing and running in the streets; they smear each other with powder, drench each other with buckets of paint, and spray paint with long pistons (like super-soakers). They also fill water balloons with paint! People often show respect for elders by sprinkling dry powder on their feet. 

By the end of the day everyone is covered with color- old people, children, men, women, rich and poor. Holi creates a feeling of equality in a country with strong disparity.

Agenda Today:
1. Make Malpua
2. Have a paint throwing celebration

3. Spring cleaning

2021 Lenten Calendar, Week Seven

My theme for Lent this year is the Land I Live On. Most of my activism focus is on climate change, and I want to fuel that work with a strong and intimate connection to this land. I want to better understand my relationship to the natural world and the cycles of the seasons, the history, culture, and ecosystem of my valley, the indigenous peoples and how I connect to them, and the responsibility I feel for the land.

Also, because I am caring for my grandson this year, I have a unique opportunity to see the natural world through a baby's eyes, with Wonder and Discovery. I want to re-connect to the awe for Creation that I felt as a child.

 

March 28, Palm Sunday-

1. Journal queries: On Palm Sunday Jesus confronted the Roman domination of Jerusalem. I too am called to speak truth to power and put my faith into action.

Where do I see domination systems today?
What are my intentions for facing them with peaceful actions?

Journal: I have thrown myself fully into the climate justice movement, and that has already required me to speak truth to power, as well as to friends and family. My intentions are to speak with humble and compassionate honesty, from my own experience.

2. Prepare for a clearness meeting: I've been asked to clerk a meeting for clearness on reparations to Native Americans for a Friend. Today I will read the essay and ground myself in our process for clearness.

March 29, Holi-

3. Study Braiding Sweetgrass, section 4: The significance of braiding plaits of sweetgrass into three strands is symbolic of the philosophy and spirituality of the indigenous people. Sweetgrass is a sacred, healing plant to the Potawatomi people and is braided “... as if it were our mother’s hair, to show our loving care for her.”

4. Celebrate equality with color play: Holi is a Hindu holiday that marks the end of winter in India. It's sometimes called the Festival of Color, because on Holi everyone in India throws paint at each other! 

My grandson and I will mark the day with some outdoor paint play. 

March 30-

5. Study Braiding Sweetgrass, section 4: Preserving the relationship between plants and people through ecological restoration is another example of the need for listening to the plants. Kimmerer states in the ‘Umbilicaria: The Belly Button of the World’ chapter, “... lichens are born from reciprocity. ... They remind us of the enduring power that rises from mutualism, from the sharing of the gifts carried by each species.”

March 31-

6. Go to a climate rally: During the national Build Back Fossil Free Week of Action (March 29th – April 3rd), we will have local opportunities to take action. Today I went to a rally at the old Federal Building (my first for over a year!)

April 1, Maundy Thursday-

7. Show Love: 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). 

8. Go to the garden tonight to pray: The Catholic Church has a tradition of keeping a vigil after the Maundy Thursday service, in remembrance of Jesus' important prayer in the garden of Gethsemane on this night. His instructions to his apostles were to "watch and pray", so I will sit in silence and wait for the Spirit to fill me. I will pray for peace in the world, respect for the earth, health for the sick, and comfort for the grieving. 

April 2, Good Friday-

9. Darkness to Hope Meditation: This morning I reflect on desperation and despair. I remember again that the soul's "dark night" is a part of the human condition. My capacity to experience despair is a gift; through it I am transformed. Jesus said, "You must be born again." (John 3:7). The ability to shift from despair to hope is how I get the strength to live life whatever the daily deaths I might face.

April 3, Great Saturday-

10. Dye eggs with my family

April 4, Easter- 

Palm Sunday

Today is a Palm Sunday. This week before Easter is known as Holy Week, and 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.

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

Passover and Full Egg Moon

Duck egg in the apple tree nest.

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.

And tomorrow morning is the full moon, called the Egg Moon, because this is the month when birds begin to lay eggs again. The egg is a powerful symbol of hope, new beginnings, and completeness: My vague ideas take a solid shape, enclosed in a perfect shell, and I have created a whole new beautiful thing!

We are now at the peak of the high-energy yang phase of the waxing moon, and will soon begin the low-energy yin time of the waning moon. But today it's time to CELEBRATE! The full moon is a time of fruitfulness, creative energy, and completion, and also strong (sometimes overwhelming) emotion. This month I feel a steady hope as I take my first steps back out into the community after a year of strict quarantine, but I also want to acknowledge how stressful it is for me to take those steps.

Agenda today:
1. Reflect on freedom

2. Journal queries

3. Celebrate strength

4. Spring Cleaning

5. Passover blessing

6. Full moon ceremony

Waxing Gibbous Moon

Photo by Alan Gillespie

The waxing gibbous moon is the not-quite-full moon: Waxing means getting larger, and gibbous means humped or protuberant.

This phase of the moon has the high-energy that provides a push towards completion. In three days, at the full moon, we will turn again towards the yin time of inner activity, so I make an effort in these next few days to finish my tasks that require greater physical effort.

• Waxing Gibbous - Reevaluation, refinements, creativity

Agenda:
1. Journal queries
2. Creative visualization

3. Engage in creative obsession

2021 Lenten Calendar, Week Six

My theme for Lent this year is the Land I Live On. Most of my activism focus is on climate change, and I want to fuel that work with a strong and intimate connection to this land. I want to better understand my relationship to the natural world and the cycles of the seasons, the history, culture, and ecosystem of my valley, the indigenous peoples and how I connect to them, and the responsibility I feel for the land.

Also, because I am caring for my grandson this year, I have a unique opportunity to see the natural world through a baby's eyes, with Wonder and Discovery. I want to re-connect to the awe for Creation that I felt as a child.

March 21, Nowruz -

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.

2. Plant grass under my egg tree: Every year I forget to plant grass until kind of too late, so I'm putting this reminder here!

March 22 -

3. Study Braiding Sweetgrass, section 4: Kimmerer shares the meaning of becoming indigenous to a place, of how the land is the “real teacher”, and the methodology she used with her Ethnobotany students to enlighten them to the fact that “The plants adapt, the people adopt.” She elaborates on the purpose of ceremony and how “... the community creates ceremony and the ceremony creates communities.”

March 23- 

4. Plant kale and bok choy: I've been experimenting with what at Findhord is called attunement, inner-listening, and co-creation, and consists mostly of being quiet and taking time to listen within for direction and guidance, as well as making a mystical connection to the plants themselves. Part of the purpose of attunement is to align with the most peaceful way to accomplish something, and another is to offer myself to service for the earth.

March 24- 

5. Wonder habits - Baby art: We had fun with paint inside a ziplock bag! The result will be a birthday card for Mom!

March 25, Waxing Gibbous Moon -

6. Creative visualization: At the gibbous moon, my last push for action before the yin time of the month, I call on the practice of visualization to help bring my goals to fruition. Today I will shine a light on my Lent intention to forge a strong and intimate connection to this land.

Creative visualization is a technique that uses my imagination to create change. It has three steps:

• First, center and relax each part of my body; count from 10 to 1, then open a connection to Spirit. Feel a soft warmth begin to grow and spread through me, until I am radiating quiet energy. [Sit outside under a tree in the rain.]
• Second, create a clear, detailed picture in my mind, as though the objective has been reached, and put as much positive energy into the image as possible. [Paint a vivid mental image of the earth holding me and caring for me.] 
• Lastly, affirm that this is what I want with a short positive phrase in the present tense; for example, "The earth loves me and I love the earth."

March 26-

7. Study Braiding Sweetgrass, section 4: In "Putting Down Roots" Kimmerer states, “Losing a plant can threaten a culture in much the same way as losing a language.” On the basis of Kimmerer’s discussion in this chapter regarding sweetgrass’s decline, how can plants repeat the history of their people? What are some examples presented by Kimmerer that would support her statement, “Reciprocity is a key to success.”?

8. Wonder Habits - Garden with a toddler: Today I got to play with dirt and weeds with my amazing grandson, and we both had a blast and got very dirty! 

March 27, Passover-

9. Reflect on freedom: I honor the start of Passover with some thought and discussion on the themes, and some Hebrew prayers. Passover is about freedom from slavery, oppression, and confinement, but Judaism defines true freedom as the ability to express who you really are. If something in my heart and soul has not had the opportunity to be expressed, then I am not yet free.

What is waiting inside me to be expressed out loud?What projects or images do I need to create to be made free?

Nowruz and First Quarter Moon

Nowruz is the Persian New Year, which begins each year at the time of the spring equinox in Iran, and is celebrated for two weeks. The word Nowruz means New Day in Persian. It’s an ancient Persian belief that creation of the world took place on the first day of spring.

This is also the First Quarter Moon; we are one-quarter of the way through the moon cycle. The moon is waxing - getting larger - until it's full again. Now is the time to show full effort for priorities.

• First quarter (half moon) - Full effort, obstacles, flexibility

Agenda Today:
1. Journal queries

2. Make a full effort plan

3. Prepare the sabzeh
4. Dye a few eggs
5. Make Koloocheh Cookies
6. Set up a haft sin
7. Nowruz Ceremony

Spring Equinox

Spring equinox occurred this morning at 2:37 a.m. PDT. 

The word equinox comes from the Latin words aequus (equal) and nox (night). This is a moment of balance - the sun rises exactly in the east and sets exactly in the west, and we experience twelve hours each of light and dark. From this moment on, we gain more light each day, until the summer solstice.


Agenda Today:
1. Journal queries
2. Plant my straw doll

3. Spring cleaning plan

St. Patrick's Day and Waxing crescent

St. Patrick's Day is an Irish holiday that falls on March 17 each year. In Ireland it’s celebrated with parades, community feasts, singing, dancing, and church services, all in honor of St. Patrick, an English man who lived in about 400 A.D.

St. Pat’s whole name was Magnus Sucatus Patricus. When he was 16, Irish raiders carried him off from England to Ireland to work as a slave. He escaped six years later, traveled and studied for many years, and became a Christian missionary. He returned to Ireland, and grew famous for all the miracles he performed and for converting many Irish people to Christianity.

The Celts brought a new perspective to Christianity, quite different than the Romans; the four major themes of Celtic spirituality are:

• Pilgrimage as a means of discovering your own path to God 
• Monasticism and life in community
• Art and symbolism
• The idea that God is present everywhere

And now the moon is waxing - getting larger - until it's full again. During the waxing moon, energy remains high; I focus on persistent action, and find the motivation to accomplish my priorities and follow through with my intentions: I gather information, study, create, and exercise. 

• Waxing crescent - Growing energy, attention, first steps 

Agenda Today:

1. Prayer of St. Patrick

2. Plan first steps

3. Remember my intentions

4. Awareness Walk
5. Wear the green
6. Plant onions
7. Enjoy hot Irish coffee

Farvardegan and Hamaspathmaidyem

This is the start of Farvardegan, which means “days of remembering the Fravashis". It's a ten day Zoroastrian festival, and it includes the five days of Hamaspathmaidyem, which begin on March 16, and concludes with Nowruz, the Persian New Year, on March 21.

Hamaspathmaidyem is the sixth and last gahambar. This gahamber is the most significant to Zoroastrians, because it's devoted to remembering the fravashis or guardian angels. According to Zoroastrian religion, each of the 6 creations was created during one of the gahambars. Mankind was created on this last one.

Agenda this week:

1. Spring cleaning
2. Welcome the angels
3. Offer thanks
4. Recite prayers

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. Spring Cleaning

2. Make laguna
3. Prayer of Cleansing

4. Write more intentions

Forgiveness Sunday

Today is 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. Journal queries
2. Make Tyropita (Cheese Pie)
3. Have a fire
4. Ask forgiveness and offer forgiveness

2021 Lenten Calendar, Week Five

My theme for Lent this year is the Land I Live On. Most of my activism focus is on climate change, and I want to fuel that work with a strong and intimate connection to this land. I want to better understand my relationship to the natural world and the cycles of the seasons, the history, culture, and ecosystem of my valley, the indigenous peoples and how I connect to them, and the responsibility I feel for the land.

Also, because I am caring for my grandson this year, I have a unique opportunity to see the natural world through a baby's eyes, with Wonder and Discovery. I want to re-connect to the awe for Creation that I felt as a child.

March 14, Forgiveness Sunday- 
1. Change my fasting: On Ash Wednesday I start "16/8 intermittent fasting", eating only between 11 a.m. and 7 p.m. My purpose was to strengthen my discipline, and focus attention on my relationship with the foods of the land.

Unfortunately, it really messed with my blood sugar, and I've walked less because of dizziness. I've decided to go to a sugar fast instead.

2. Journal queries: What have I learned so far from my Lenten fast and study? What is the next step to take towards resiliency? Ground myself in optimistic hope for the future, and become more open to the best actions to take.

3. Offer and ask for forgiveness: A wise man said to forgive our neighbors even when they sin against us repeatedly, even until seventy times seven (Matthew 18:21-22). Tonight I offer this prayer:

I ask for forgiveness from those I've hurt, and I offer forgiveness to those who have hurt me - and to those who hurt the earth. In asking and offering forgiveness, I hope to be able to release this burden of shame, indignation, and fear, and move on with resilience.

 

March 15, Clean Monday-

4. 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.

March 16, Farvardegan- 

5. Give thanks: During this festival, Zoroastrians show love and gratitude to the Fravashis, or Guardian Angels, for all the help they give during the year. They give thanks to two types of Fravashis - those helping Nature and those helping people. Every creation has a Fravashi: They help waters to flow, plants to grow, clouds to go where needed, and the sun, moon and planets to go around in their orbits. They uphold the sky and earth.

Today as I work quietly in my garden, I thank the earth for caring for me, and the angels for caring for the earth.

 

March 17, St. Patrick's Day-

6. Plant onions: In Ireland, St. Patrick’s Day is the traditional day to plant peas and potatoes (or so some people say). I've already got two plantings of peas in, so today I planted my onions. You can see the new onion seedlings to right and left, with small lettuce starts, California poppies, and over-wintered beets.

March 18- 

Tule mat

7. Study The World of the Kalapuya: I've been reading this book all week, as my grandson sleeps in my arms, and I've learned lots of small facts. The band of Kalapuyans who lived near me, and maybe camped in my backyard sometimes, was the Chelamela. They were wanderers, hunters and gatherers, peaceful for the most part. I've practiced with making mats from tule, and rope from leaves, in the manner of the Kalapuyans (with my art classes)... it wasn't an easy life, but they had skills.

March 19-

8. Awareness Walk: This month my focus is on vitality and strength; I will practice this walking meditation most mornings, giving attention to my body, heart, mind, and ki, an Asian concept that translates to "energy, life-force, spirit, or breath." It’s the Cosmic Power that flows out from the center of the Universe and returns back to the center.

1. Physical Awareness: Begin my walk, and concentrate on my feet as they touch the ground, the feel of my muscles, my breathing, my surroundings, the breeze, the sky. Center my weight low and maintain balance as I walk. Continue this for 1-2 blocks. 

2. Heart Awareness: Turn a corner, and focus on my tender heart. Feel it soften and open. Send loving thoughts to my neighbors as I walk by their homes, to my family, to my community, to the world. Become aware of ki as feeling. Continue this for 1-2 blocks. 

3. Mindfulness: Turn another corner, and pay attention to my thoughts. Make an effort to open my mind to the ambiguity of the moment, and my life. Become aware of ki as intuition. Continue this for 1-2 blocks. 

4. Spiritual Awareness: Turn the last corner, and (holding on to the awareness I've raised) speak a prayer out loud as I’m moving; feel the power and energy move through me. Say “Spirit of the Universe, I am open and awake to whatever comes into my life today. I am a limitless being, accepting from a limitless source, in an infinite way. I am incredibly blessed.”

March 20, Vernal Equinox- 

9. Journal queries: Consider the balance in my life.
How well do I balance my physical, mental, and spiritual needs?

How can I balance my personal needs with my commitments to the outside world? 

How do I balance my Being-ness (mindful, compassionate, grateful) with my Doing (engaged, kind,and giving)?

Think also of the balance in the world; meditate upon what this half of the year will bring, dark and light, and how best I can take right action in the world.