Maidyozarem and New Peony Moon

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.

Maidyozarem, the first Gahambar of the Zoroastrian year, means "mid-spring", and it celebrates the creation of the sky, heaven, the stars, and the hot nebulous cloud of the fire of the Universe. It takes place each year from April 30 through May 4th.

Beautiful peonies growing in my neighborhood.

Also, the moon is new again! 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 (and we have a wedding on the horizon this May!)

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 this week:

1. Retreat Day
2. Choose a month theme
3. Set intentions
4. New moon altar and meditation

5. Recite prayers

6. Make Kachumber Salad

Earth Week Sunday

 This is the last day of Earth Week.

Agenda today:

1. Monthly journal brainstorm

2. Surrender, rest, recuperate

1. Watch videos

2. Write about my Earth Quaker ideas
3. Plan some actions to take

4. Ground in the earth

Earth Week Saturday and Third Quarter Moon

This week is called Earth Week. I plan to post an agenda of activities for each day, to show my dedication and love for the earth.

This is also the April Third Quarter Moon: This waning moon energy is yin - quiet, internal, heart-driven, intentional Being-ness. At this phase we can ease off a bit on actively pursuing goals, slow down, go within, and attend to inner work and self-care.

 

Agenda today:

1. Renewal plan for next month

2. Evaluation House

3. Plan some actions to take

4. Ground in the earth

Earth Day

This week is called Earth Week; I plan to post an agenda of activities for each day, to show my dedication and love for the earth.

Agenda today:

1. Watch videos

2. National Climate Prayer

3. Ground in the earth

Earth Week Thursday

This week is called Earth Week. I plan to post an agenda of activities for each day, to show my dedication and love for the earth.

Agenda today:

1. Write about my Earth Quaker ideas

Earth Week Tuesday

This week is called Earth Week. I plan to post an agenda of activities for each day, to show my dedication and love for the earth.

Agenda today:

1. Watch videos

2. Write about my Earth Quaker ideas
3. Plan some actions to take

4. Ground in the earth

Earth Week Monday

This week is called Earth Week, April 18 - 24 this year. 

The first Earth Day was April 22, 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, I lead an Earthcare support group at my Quaker Meeting, and I work with other climate activists to help change the way we use carbon in our community.

This week I plan to post an agenda of activities for each day, to show my unity with the earth.

Agenda today:

1. Watch videos

2. Write about my Earth Quaker ideas
3. Plan some actions to take

4. Ground in the earth

Easter

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 Easter falls 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. Egg hunt

Great Eggy Saturday and Full Hare Moon

Today is Great Saturday or Holy Saturday, the day between Jesus' death and his resurrection. In the Church, it's celebrated with watchful expectation and funeral hymns.

This is the day that our family usually dyes eggs, but because we have a big party today we dyed early. 

Eggs universally symbolize birth and potential. For Christians, at Easter, eggs stand for hope and spiritual rebirth.

And tonight is the full moon; this one is called amanta kotantal or "Time for pounding camus" by the Kalapuya of my area, and the Hare Moon by others, because it's the month when rabbits leap and play and mate.

Carmella and Toffee

We are now at the peak of the strong-energy yang phase of the waxing moon, and will soon begin the shift to the quiet-energy yin time of the waning moon. 

Agenda Today: 

1. Take a vision walk

2. Celebrate balance

3. Gratitude practice

4. Eggs

Good Friday and Passover

Today is Good Friday, when we mark Jesus’ death and burial.

And 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. Darkness to Hope Meditation

2. Reflect on freedom

3.  Passover blessing

4. Bake hot cross buns

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, 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

A Simple Palm Sunday

Today is Palm Sunday. This week before Easter is known as Holy Week, and it begins on 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. Add to my altar
3. Palm Sunday Prayer
4. Set up my egg tree
5. Make Figgy Pudding

First Quarter Moon of April

Photo by Alan Gillespie

At the First Quarter Moon we are one-quarter of the way through the moon cycle. The moon is waxing - growing in light and energy, creating a time for decisive action. Kiki Ely, in her book Living Lunerly, says, "A good way to remember this is by looking at the perfect line of shadow down the moon's center: this is the moment to draw a firm line, boundary, or decision in your life and stick to it."

I use this April quarter moon's energy to be centered in myself.

Agenda:
1. Journal queries

2. Make a full effort plan

3. Write a mission haiku

4. Practice visualization

2022 Lent Calendar, Week 6

My theme for Lent this year is Rooted in awareness of Creation and Creator.

At Lent I allow myself to be slow, simple, and thoughtful. I spend time each day in focused study and prayer. And I choose something to temporarily reduce or cut out of my life, as a reminder that what I truly need is the nurturing of Spirit (I try to choose something to fast from that is a good symbol of how I am trying to grow). And I also observe Lent as a time of creative action, acting on what I learn. I've identified these types of actions I want to take in these last two weeks of Lent:

• Tending my garden (and letting it tend me);
• Building habitat for plant and animal people (and sanctuary for ourselves);
• Supporting and working directly on campaigns to defend the environment;
• Educating myself (growing in knowledge);
• Witnessing to others with writing, talking, and artwork.

Ramadan

Last night was 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 last night.

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 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.

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. Practice a daily garden prayer

3. Enjoy Iftar

Sleepy New Moon Garden Retreat Day

Today is my New Moon retreat day - I'll do less talking, less business, and more personal thought and action. To honor the birthday of Hsi Wang Mu, the Great Yin, I will spend today in yin mode, not doing, but rather being: Relax in my home, drink water, read a book, daydream, go for a walk, take a bath, take a nap, linger over dinner, and go to bed early.

But mostly I'll spend the day in our garden!

Rather than set an agenda, I'm going to catch you up on our huge garden project. We have four areas that we are working on, and I'm going to spend some time in each today:

1. The Duck Yard:

We fenced the ducks in to their new yard last month, after the apple tree came down, and moved the coop a little away from the back porch to help to keep the straw out of the house. My daughter and I took a grafting workshop two weeks ago and grafted five new baby apple trees from scions from our old apple tree. I hope at least one of them lives.

And last week we built a new grape arbor! We got most of the wood from Bring Recycling for $20. Now the grape will shade those west facing studio windows, for my afternoon painting classes.

2. The Veggie Beds:

Onions to the left and (possibly) spinach to the right.

Last month we moved all the dirt around into new beds, and sculpted out paths, then filled the paths with wood chips. 

We've got tiny peas up, and onions in - that's about it, so far. Today I hope to dig out a snowberry (which is moving to the from yard)  and put in a rhubarb or two.

3. The Family Zone:

Our small patch of lawn is healing from duck abuse, and we had a family get-together there last Sunday evening, with birthday cake and champagne. I hope to sit there later (if the sun comes out) and read a book.

4. The Sanctuary Garden:

Wall blocks arrived Monday!

Our front yard is the biggest project now. I'm putting in a retaining wall planter for small trees and shrubs to buffer from the street, and a small patio near the house (which will have a couple chairs, a table, and a tiny fountain!)

Today I hope to get part of the wall built.