Ganesh Chaturthi

Ganesha, the elephant-headed son of Shiva and Parvati, is one of the most beloved of all the Hindu gods. He is the god of wisdom, beginnings, and success. His birthday festival, or chaturthi, begins on the fourth day of this waxing moon and lasts for 10 days.

Hindus believe in one God who has many symbolic forms. Ganesha is worshipped as the Lord of Beginnings and the Lord of Obstacles, both of a material and spiritual order. He can remove obstacles, or he can place obstacles in the path of those who need to be slowed.

I plan to use Ganesha as a focus for my meditation for the next 10 days, give attention to my obstacles, and find a way forward through them.

Agenda for this week:
1. Journal about my obstacles
2. Make a clay Ganesha
3. Make a Success Altar
4. Ceremony for beginning and success

New Harvest Moon

Tonight is the new moon. The Chinese call this eighth new moon the Harvest Moon, for obvious reasons!

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

2. Choose a month theme

4. Set intentions

5. New moon altar and Harvest meditation 

End of Ghost Month

Today is the last day of Hungry Ghost month. On the last day of the seventh lunar month, before the next new moon, the gates of hell close up again. Asians celebrate this day in a variety of ways - they might burn paper money and clothing again, and taoist monks might chant to drive the ghosts away or release them; and the Toucheng Ghost Grappling Competition is held in Yilan's Toucheng Township in Taiwan(!)

 

Today:

1. Release my hungry ghosts

2. Read about China's hungry ghosts

3. Read Testament of Devotion

4. Make a floating lantern

Art and Healing

Making art has been healing for me. I've used it throughout my life to explore my grief and my hopes. 

Lately I've been wondering how I can use art to help heal the rift in our (human) connection to the Earth.

Agenda:

1. Read "Healing with the Arts"

2. Weekly lesson

3. Guided meditation

4. Medicine art

Earth Sabbath

Today is my sabbath, and I'm giving attention to my leadings as an Earth-Quaker, a marriage of my Quaker spirituality with my nature religion leanings. The Light of Truth is leading me to remember the earth and all of Creation in everything I do. This year I've been trying to discern and define what that means to me: 

• First, I hold that the Earth and every part of Creation is a living, spiritual being, and has "that of God" within it.
• We (humans) are a part of nature, not separate.
• We must give the earth and nature a voice in our circle, and listen as best we can to what they are saying, so that we will be better able to discern God's will. We can do this as individuals and as a community.
• Our testimonies of simplicity, integrity, equality, and stewardship all require us to take action for the earth and for nature - to restore, protect, and heal our connection.

Today:

1. Read "The Earth Path"

2. Set a sacred intention

3. Share an Earth circle and a land acknowledgement

August Third Quarter Moon

The August Third-Quarter 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. Review my Purpose

4. Read "The Earth Path"

5. Monthly journal brainstorm

6. Surrender, rest, recuperate

Down to Earth

It's harvest season, when most gardeners find that they have too much of something. (I've got a bumper crop of cucumbers this year, and collards.) Meaningful work of any kind leads to a meaningful harvest, and that leads naturally to sharing the riches.

I could write about generosity, and creating a delivery system for the harvest of your soul, but I've been getting pretty heady the last few post, so here's one to bring us all down to earth.

Agenda:

1. My garden progress

2. Study permaculture - prune my plum

3. Make dill pickles

Earth-Quaker Leading

I have a leading; a leading is a Quaker term that means I'm called by God to do something. My leading is personal and specific and mind-boggling: I'm called to find spiritual unity with Nature. 

Unity is how we Quakers talk about our process of community discernment: In Meetings for Business we take a step beyond consensus to find spiritual unity. We have an immense belief in the reality of continued revelation - that God will give us new Light if we wait for it. God leads everyone present in unity. 

My inner voice keeps saying, "Why would we not invite Nature to be present?"

I hold that the Earth and every part of it is a living being, a spiritual being; and also that we humans are an integral part of Nature. Seeking unity with all of Creation puts us back on equal footing. 

How could this kind of Earth Unity be practiced by a community of seekers? 

Howard Brinton explained that since there is but one Light and one Truth, if the Light be faithfully followed, unity will result. He stated that the nearer the members of a group come to this one Light, the nearer they will be to one another, “as the spokes of a wheel approach each other as they near the center.” 

I believe that if we allow Nature to be a spoke on our wheel, to have a voice in our circle, and we listen as best we can to what she is saying, we will be better able to discern God's will.

Agenda:

1. Worship in discernment with the Earth

2. Season with nature

3. Take action

4. Read "The Earth path"

Art Retreat

Love poem #1

I've called myself an artist for nearly 50 years now, but right now my feelings about art are like a vortex of chaos, and it's been painful and frustrating. I'm having a lengthy crisis of inspiration with art-making (an old familiar feeling!) and I'm in deep discernment about my painting. 

It's been months now, I stillI don't have a clear idea of next steps, but I trust that light will dawn if I keep faithful to the process. My starting point is the firm belief that art is a healing force in the world.

My mission haiku this month is:

Love poem #2

Take root, grow skyward,

and create love poems to the earth; 

share them on the wind.

A couple of times this week I took a bucket of supplies (watercolors, brushes, paper, charcoal, pens) to my garden, let nature talk to me, and created love notes. 

Today I'm going to dive in and muck around with art.

Agenda:

1. Read "Healing with the Arts"

2. Weekly lesson

3. Guided meditation

4. Medicine art

Hungry Ghost Festival

My hungry ghost altar

Tonight is the Hungry Ghost Festival. The ghosts have been wandering the land since the new moon; by now they must be very hungry, so it's a good idea to offer them food.

In China both Taoists and Buddhists perform rituals to soothe the sufferings of the dead. The Taoist name for the Hungry Ghost Festival is the Zhong Yuan Festival, and Buddhists call it the Yulanpen Festival; think of it as a summertime Halloween celebration!

Agenda:
1. Prepare offerings
2. Family feast
3. Hungry ghost ceremony

Full Red Moon and Raksha Bandhan

Tonight is the full Moon, called akupiu, the end of summer moon, by the Kalapuya of our area, and the Red moon by others, because it often appears reddish as it rises through the sultry haze of late summer - and in our valley, a sultry haze is the norm! One lovely (possibly Native American) explanation for the redness is that the moon is blushing after being kissed by the sun.

We are now 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.

In India, this is also the Festival of Raksha Bandhan, which means “knot of protection.” Traditionally, girls tie a braided thread called a rakhi around the wrist of each brother-- a symbol of a sister's love and prayers for her brother's health and happiness, and to remind him of his life-long vow to protect his sister. Now it is also common for girls to trade rakhis with sisters, and with friends.

Agenda for today:
1. Take a vision walk
2. Celebrate depth

3. Make rakhis
4. Send love and prayers
5. Make Kayla Halwa (Banana fudge)

The Blessed Community

"The relationship between a human and God, between a human and Life, is often called a 'covenant' relationship, which is contrasted with 'transactional' relationships. A covenant relationship centers on acceptance and celebration – be here now. Transactional relationships center on fairness and kindness – do unto others. The quest to bring these two types of relationships into close alignment is the quest for 'heaven on earth,' for 'perfection,' and for 'the beloved community.' This is the central quest of the Religious Society of Friends." ~Mary Klein, Western Friend, July 2021

Today:
1. Read "Testimony of Devotion"

2. Creative visualization

3. Play at the park with chalk

First Quarter Moon of August (on Depth)

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.

August is rich in abundance; so much to do, so much to see! I'm challenged to gather in the fruits of the season, and share them with the world. 

My theme this month is depth and my life path, and I'm moving forward on some big ideas! I use this August quarter moon's energy to help me to take action on the work I'm called to. For this, I need discernment (insight and clarity) and tenacity (firmness of purpose).

Agenda:
1. Journal queries

2. Read "The Earth Path"

3. Life-path discernment process

3. Make a full effort plan

4. Write a mission haiku

5. Give aid to the soil

Lughnasa

Lughnasa (loo-na-sa) is a Celtic festival celebrated in early August, usually August 1st. It's called a cross-quarter day because it falls approximately midway between summer solstice and autumn equinox, marking the end of summer in the Celtic tradition, and the beginning of the harvesting season.

The name Lughnasa comes from Lugh, the Celtic God of harvests, crafts, and the lightening flash, and nasad, which was an assembly or gathering. Lughnasad was a gathering to honor and appease Lugh, so he would hopefully not throw a summer storm temper-tantrum, and ruin the harvest.

Lugh is a master of all crafts, and is known for sharing his knowledge with humans. I feel a connection to Lugh-- he is the image of God as an Arts and Crafts Teacher! 

But he is also the trickster face of God-- chaotic, disorderly, operating outside the framework of right and wrong-- sending lightning at inconvenient moments. This isn't a comfortable image, but I have to face the fact that my spiritual life isn't always comfortable; sometimes what I harvest is tough to chew.

Agenda Today:

1. Journal Queries
2. Make gingerbread
3. Start an Earth-Quaker name tag

4. Play-dough