Halloween and Waning Crescent Moon

Halloween is the modern name of the Irish and Scottish holiday originally called Samhain (pronounced Sow-win), a Celtic-Gaelic word meaning “summers-end”. It begins at dusk on October 31, and marks the doorway to the dark half of the Celtic year, the opening of a new cycle.

The early Gaels believed that the border between this world and the otherworld became thin on Samhain, and so spirits of the dead could visit the living.

We are also at the waning crescent moon, the final phase of the Chrysanthemum Moon cycle. The next new moon, in four days, will be the Kindly Moon cycle. At the new moon I'll set my intentions for the month ahead.

But right now, at the waning crescent, it's time to evaluate and brainstorm, find purpose, and surrender. I'll open to curiosity and attention, contemplate what I might want in the 30 days ahead, and rest up for the move back into yang-action mode. These next few days are a chance to look back and look forward, and think about the big picture of my life.

Agenda:
1. Evaluation House

2. Monthly journal brainstorm

3. Surrender, rest, recuperate 

4. Plan a costume

5. Carve a pumpkin
6. Make Soul Cakes

7. Have a silent meal

Third Quarter Moon of October

Today's waning third quarter moon energy is yin - quiet, internal, heart-driven, intentional Being-ness. The focus for the next few days is on renewal, cleansing, and self-care.

Agenda:

1. Renewal plan

2. Self-care routine

3. Cleansing

4. Prepare for Halloween

Waning Gibbous Moon and Halloween Week

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.

The waning gibbous moon is a time to practice opening to receive blessings, feeling and expressing gratitude, and generosity with giving (towards others AND with myself).

The is also the start of a week of celebrating Halloween with a one-year-old! I plan to do something new each day, and post an update.

Agenda today:

1. Journal queries

2. Gratitude journal

3. Generosity practices

4. Halloween decorations

October Sabbath

Today is my Sabbath. In the best world, everyone would have one whole day each week to spend as we want; to stay in bed, read a good book, take a slow walk or do a crossword; one whole day to do no work, run no errands, send no emails, and clean no toilets! And why don't we? Mostly because we don't make it a priority.

A sabbath day was originally a day of renewal, and rest from work, kept on Saturday by the Jews and Sunday by most Christians. And, of course, when religious people got involved, the day got bound up with "shall and shall nots". Keeping the day holy became a lot of work, and people were arrested if they didn't do it right; enforced rest is not usually very relaxing or renewing!

In the modern world we have swung the pendulum too far the other way, escaping religious rules and adopting the rules of progress, where no day is holy - only the dollar. 

Keeping a sabbath day is a personal thing. For me, it's a day with a slow pace. I don't pack it as full. I schedule some work, but it has a flavor of rest to it - it's work I find fulfilling, or uplifting. Simple is a great word to describe my ideal activities for the Sabbath: Simple tasks, simple foods, and an undemanding schedule.

Keeping a sabbath starts with a little simple discipline: I prepare for my sabbath by finishing business on the day before; getting all possible deadlines finished, shopping, and "un-fun" chores. I practice the discipline of saying no to requests that seem like work, and yes to sabbath-like activities.

My perfect sabbath is a celebration, a holiday. I keep it holy with my attitude: I try not to rush, complain, or worry. I open myself to the Spirit of Love, and schedule activities that are celebratory in nature - cooking soup or baking bread, planting bulbs or harvesting, painting or sewing, a meal with friends or family - simple, prayerful tasks that celebrate the season or the act of creativity or the joy of community.

Sabbath Agenda:

1. Writing

2. Zoom worship
3. Zen housework and yard work
4. Sewing

Full Squirrel Moon

The squirrels are creating great entertainment these days for my dog Sadie!

Tonight is the full moon called the Squirrel Moon, because now the squirrels are busily gathering nuts for the winter. 

We are at the peak of the strong-energy yang phase of the waxing moon, and will soon begin the quiet-energy yin time of the waning moon. But today it's time to CELEBRATE! The full moon is a time of fruitfulness, creativity, and completion, and also strong (sometimes overwhelming) emotion. This month I feel thoughtful, withdrawn, and a little tense, and I want to acknowledge and embrace the whole spectrum of my emotions.

Today I will celebrate how far I've come this month and give thanks for the lessons learned and the blessings received.

Agenda for today:
1. Journal queries

2.  Full Moon ceremony

Winter Nights

The Winter Nights, or Vetrnætr, is a twelve-day festival that begins on a night in mid- to late-October. (The exact dates vary with the regional weather; in northern areas it tends to be held earlier.) The name Vetrnætr is Old Norse, composed of two words, vetr meaning winter, and nætr meaning nights.

Winter Nights is celebrated by the Ásatrú; Ásatrú is an Icelandic name, taken by the modern-day Norse and Germanic people who worship the old northern gods (such as Thor, Odin, and Frey) and goddesses (such as Freya and Frigg).

Though its practice was interrupted, Ásatrú has been reconstructed as closely as possible to the original religion of the Northern European people, based on the surviving historical records.

Winter Nights marks the end of summer, the start of the winter, and the beginning of a new year. It celebrates the bounty of the harvest, and it honors the Norse Goddess Freya- goddess of the harvest, artistic endeavors, and passion- and also the Disr, who are the ancestral mothers.

Agenda this week:
1. Set up my ancestor altar (ofrenda)
2. Disr meditation
3. Make more runes
4. Throw the runes
5. Make eplekake (Norwegian apple cake)
6. Feast and blót

October 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 four days, at the full Squirrel moon of late October, 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. 

The waxing gibbous moon is a time for reevaluation, refinements, and creativity.

Agenda:

1. Journal queries

2. Creative visualization

First Quarter Moon of October

Photo by Alan Gillespie

 At 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 remain flexible, use my obstacles as fuel for growth, and show full effort for priorities.

Agenda:

1. Journal queries

2. Make a full effort plan

Ayathrem

The Zoroastrian community honors the six seasons of the year by celebrating six Gahambars - the word gahambar means "proper season". Each of these six festivals is celebrated for five days, and each honors one of the six material creations: The heaven, water, earth, flora, fauna and man.

Ayathrem is the fourth Gahambar, celebrating the creation of plants, the time to sow winter crops, and the season when the herds come home from pasture. It takes place each year from October 12th through the 16th.

Agenda:

1. Recite prayers
2. Make Aash-e-Reshte (noodle soup)
3. Sow fava beans

Indigenous Peoples' Day

Happy Indigenous People's Day! Some people celebrate the second Monday in October as Columbus Day, but many of us prefer to honor instead the people who were here in the Americas for centuries before Columbus "discovered" it. 

Many cities are finally making the name change official, adopting Indigenous People's Day to celebrate the people and their culture, and also to reflect on their ongoing struggles in this land. The celebration today includes powwows, drumming, dancing, Native American foods and crafts.

Agenda:
1. A note about appropriation

2. Talking Stones Appreciation Ride

3. Drumming

Waxing Crescent Moon of October

Now the moon is waxing 

Photo by Alan Gillespie

until it's full again; it's building light and building energy. Astrologists say that it’s important to expend your energy now to honor this cycle of expansion; also, let the brighter moon shine a light on challenging areas in your life to aid personal expansion.

In these first days of the waxing crescent moon, I'll tap into this metaphor and give attention to my own growing energy, take first steps towards my intentions, and find my motivation to follow through with persistent action.

Agenda:

1. Plan first steps

2. Mindfulness

3. Walking Meditation

New Chrysanthemum Moon

Endurance- acrylic and collage on canvas.

Tonight is the night of the new moon. The Chinese call this ninth new moon the Chrysanthemum Moon. The chrysanthemum is a symbol of long life and endurance because of its ability to withstand colder temperatures. According to Chinese scholars, it shows the virtues of one who can endure temptations and maintain grace.

The new moon is the start of the lunar cycle, a time of high energy and clear thinking. Historically, the new moon is when women took time to be alone; it's a time to retreat, set intentions, and initiate something new.

Agenda for today:
1. Journal queries

2. Retreat Day

3. Pick a theme

4. Set goals and intentions

5. New moon altar and meditation

6. Fall cleaning

Mehregan and the Waning Crescent Moon

Mehregan (pronounced ‘meh-re-gahn’), is an ancient Persian festival, older even than Zoroastrianism, that began as a feast for the sun god/dess, Mehr.

Mehr (also known as Mithra) is responsible for knowledge, love, friendship, promises, and the light. The word "mehr" in Farsi means kindness.

When Zoroastrianism took hold in Persia, in around 1400 BCE, Mehr was reduced from a God to an angel, but the festival of Mehregan remained. Now Iranians celebrate it usually on October 1st or 2nd, as a day of thanksgiving and the start of the second half of the year (Noruz, in March, is the start of the first half). People decorate their houses, put on new clothes, and visit their relatives and friends, wishing each other a good harvest, long life, and happiness.

And today's waning crescent moon is the final phase of the Harvest Moon cycle. The next new moon, in four days, will be the Chrysanthemum Moon cycle. At the new moon I'll set my intentions for the month ahead.

But right now, at the waning crescent, it's time to evaluate and brainstorm, find purpose, and surrender. I'll open to curiosity and attention, contemplate what I might want in the 30 days ahead, and rest up for the move back into yang-action mode. These next few days are a chance to look back and look forward, and think about the big picture of my life.

Agenda Today:
1. Journal queries

2. Evaluation and Inspiration House

3. Review my purpose

4. Review my priorities

5. Surrender, rest, recuperate

6. Make Aash-e-jo (barley soup) with lamb
7. Set the table
8. Fire