New Year's Eve

Tonight is New Year's Eve - a big night for many people. W and I have made our annual trek north to see family for the New year's weekend.

Agenda today:

1. Christmas retreat

2. Kwanzaa principles

3. Read from "Wheel of the Year"

4. Celebration goals

5. Resolutions

6. Make noise!

Sixth Day of Christmas

This is the sixth day of Christmas, and time to wrap things up for this old year! Today I have time to myself, and the energy to sink into revery, and begin to bring thoughts of the New Year into focus.

Agenda today:

1. Christmas retreat

2. Kwanzaa principles

3. Read from Root and Ritual

4. Service and activism goals

Fifth Day of Christmas

This is the fifth day of the twelve-day festal tide - a sacred, festive season. I have a day to myself, but lots of activity on my schedule, followed by a train trip north, so I plan to be present in the moment and take it one thing at a time.

Agenda today:

1. Christmas retreat

2. Kwanzaa principles

3. Light a candle for unity with nature
4. Read "The Comfort of Crows"
5. Earth care goals

6. Make end-of-year donations

Fourth Day of Christmas

This is the fourth day of the twelve-day festal tide - a sacred, festive season. My retreat today will again embrace the disposition of a toddler and a pre-schooler ... a busy kind of retreat, with lots of short projects and (hopefully) a long nap!

1. Christmas retreat

2. Kwanzaa principles
3. Light a candle for health
4. Read "Root and Ritual"
5. Plan physical nurturance habits
6. Plan New Year's resolutions

Third Day of Christmas

This is the third day of the twelve-day festal tide - a sacred, festive season. As the week goes on it gets harder to maintain a Sabbath mentality, especially since we are caring for two grandsons. But maintaining a peaceful and joyful attitude in the midst of chaos is a valuable practice!

Agenda:

1. Christmas retreat
2. Kwanza principle

3. Light a candle for learning
4. Read "It's a Meaningful Life"

5. Plan learning habits

6. End of year work list

Full Cold Moon and Second Day of Christmas

This is the second day of the twelve-day festal tide - a sacred, festive season. In some old traditions, this whole season is seen as a sort of Sabbath: Prepare ahead of time and then spend the Twelve Days doing as little work as possible; rest, reflect, and find peace within.

This is also the start of Kwanzaa, a seven-day African-American cultural holiday - an American holiday inspired by African traditions. The word kwanza is Swahili for “first”, as in "first fruits", because in some parts of Africa this is the season for first fruits harvest festivals. Kwanzaa is a time of thanksgiving for the earth, but also a time to honor ancestors, and a time for African-Americans to celebrate their heritage and learn about African traditions and values.

And it's the Full Moon of December, sometimes called the Cold Moon (for obvious reasons), but it is also called the "Not Bad Weather Moon" by the Kalapuya of my area, and that's generally pretty accurate. 

Agenda:

1. Christmas retreat

2. Kwanzaa principles

3. Light a candle for spiritual growth

4. Spiritual reading

5. Plan spiritual habits

6. Take a vision walk

7. Celebrate Stillness

First Day of Christmas

 Today is Christmas, but only the first day of Christmas (what Norwegians call 1. juledag). This is the start of the twelve-day festal tide adopted by the Christian Church: In 567 C.E. church leaders proclaimed the days from December 25 to Epiphany as a sacred, festive season.

Now my preparations are finished, and I can relax with my family, do a puzzle, eat, drink, and generally wallow in joyful abandon.

In some old traditions, this whole season is seen as a sort of Sabbath: Prepare ahead of time and then spend the Twelve Days doing as little work as possible. It's a good time to rest, reflect, and find peace within.

Agenda:
1. Christmas retreat

2. Light a candle for Love

3. Love reading

4. Plan love habits

5. Put Baby Jesus in the manger

6. Open Gifts

Christmas Eve and last Sunday of Advent

Tonight is Christmas Eve, and the last Sunday of Advent. Advent is nearly over, and Christmas is upon us. Today I will tie together some loose ends (finish one gift, final wrapping, bake bread), and settle into the grace and mystery of Christmas.

What is the grace of Christmas? It's an experiential thing. We don't need faith that the sun will rise because we have experienced it. Even in the darkest of times, this season of Light and Love will deliver its grace.

This is a good day to take a deep breath and go back to the source, back to the Spirit that brings me to this place of light and grace; back to living in Spirit, being Spirit. I remember then that happiness comes in calm simplicity, and awareness in the moment. I experience Spirit through my breath, and with each sensation, sight, sound, smell, and taste. I only need to be fully awake to the ordinary miracle of Being, and keep my focus on the Spirit of Love that guides me.

Agenda Today:

1. Read a novena

2. Plan ways to give attention to God

3. Inner Guide trance

4. Make Danish Prune Bread

5. Advent wreath ceremony

Seeds in Winter (Unity Art for Pollinators, Part 3)

I've been seeking unity with pollinators, and this week I finally planted seeds.

The darkness of winter is important for seeds. They need dormancy before they can germinate. Dormancy is a protective mechanism that prevents seeds from sprouting too early. Some seeds stay dormant for years waiting for the right survival conditions, and only a complete set of favorable environmental conditions will cause them to begin growing. The seeds of some plants germinate only when triggered by very specific light levels.

Agenda:

1. Read a novena

2. Read "Nature's Best Hope"

3. Light a candle for Unity with nature

4. Plant some seeds

5. Bee art

6. Donate to bees

Alban Arthan

Alban Arthan is the Celtic and Druidic name for the Winter Solstice; it's Welsh for Light of Winter.

The Winter Solstice was never a one day festival - three days seems to be the minimum. The sun appears to stand still for three days, then days begin to noticeably increase in length (and we all sigh in relief). 

Alban Arthan is a celebration of the strengthening sun, and the central theme is renewal; we leave the past behind and greet the new. The world is undergoing constant change and we must change and adjust, too, in order to be able to survive.

From A Druid Way: "One link between the objective and the subjective is awen, inspiration, the flow of spirit, which lets us evoke in others an echo of our original experience. Let the echo be strong enough, let our understanding of this thing called being human, and our skill in working with it, run equal to the task, and music, image, voice, story, object of craft can all serve to unite us in the experience of mystery. An echo from outside awakens a resonance within us." 

Agenda today:

1. Read a novena

2. Druid peace prayer 

3. Light a candle for Integrity

4. Watch Hogfather

5. Hang our stockings with care

Solstice

The winter solstice occurs tonight at 7:27 p.m. Pacific Standard Time. In the Northern Hemisphere, the December solstice happens during the coldest season of the year, when the sun is at its lowest angle and is seen for its shortest period. This is the turning point, the moment of new beginnings - the darkest time, with the brightest hope.

We need to believe in these little myths - that the sun is returning and hope is reborn - so that we can continue to believe in the Big Myths, like justice, mercy, democracy, freedom - "That sort of thing".

“Humans need fantasy to be human. To be the place where the falling angel meets the rising ape.” ~Terry Pratchett, Hogfather

 

And tonight is known as Modraniht, or Mothers Night, by Saxon Pagans. On this first night of Yule the early Germanic and Scandinavian tribes paid tribute to the ancestral mothers who protected and watched over the family, helped with childbirth, and healed illnesses.

Agenda today:

1. Read a novena

2. Light a candle for Discernment

3. Plan a Spirit Guide trance

4. Make candles

5. Mother's Night fire and prayer

Prepare for the Solstice

Tomorrow is the Winter Solstice, and the start of winter. This a good occasion to honor the sun, and remember that in spite of our technology, we are still dependent on the sun for life. Our world does revolve around the sun!

Agenda today:

1. Read a Novena

2. Light a candle for Simplicity

3. Daily love journal

4. Say a prayer of thanksgiving and aspiration

5. Paint a plum tree calendar

6. Make lemon sun biscuits

First Quarter Moon of Advent

Tonight is 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 Today:

1. Read a novena

2. Read "Root and Ritual"

3. Daily love journal

4. Light a candle for Purpose

5. Make a full effort plan

6. Write a mission haiku

Family Joy

During this week of Advent my theme is "family love and joy". Of course, the joy of the season is spontaneous and un-planable, but I do these three things to create the right conditions:

My children painted these plaster houses when they were young.

• Take the time to consider what my friends and family will want most this season. In other words, I become less self-focused and more generous in all ways. 
• Be respectful, flexible, patient, and kind (no matter how stressed I feel).
• Take care of myself so I can be calm and present for the spontaneous joy when it arises.

These are obviously year-round aspirations, but I need a daily reminder now, because, somehow, everything seems more important: I have expectations (both of myself and others) about how things should go, and that never works.

Agenda this week:
1. Read a novena

2. Daily love journal

3. Read "The Simpler Life"

4. Light a candle forJoy

Third Sunday of Advent

We made it through the second week of advent. It was a pretty calm and enjoyable time with the grandkids, with a few decorations or candles added each day, an outing to shop for gifts, a trip to the holiday market, and making a piñata together.

This next week will be different: We have several family gatherings, and lots of projects to finish before the Christmas weekend. My focus will be on maintaining calm in the chaos!

Agenda:

1. Read a novena

2. Light a candle for Love

3. Daily love journal

4. Advent wreath ceremony

5. Plan activities for family fun

Las Posadas and the Christmas Novena

Tonight is the start of Las Posadas, a nine-day Mexican celebration that begins on December 16 each year. Posadas is Spanish for "lodging", and the nine days represent the nine months of Mary's pregnancy.

Tonight is also the start of the Christmas Novena in Italy. A Novena is a Catholic ritual, a prayer repeated daily for nine days. It can take place at any time of the year, but one of the most observed is the Christmas Novena, recited or sung during the nine days leading up to Christmas day. Las Posadas comes from that same tradition.

Agenda:

1. Listen to novenas

2. Light a candle for Equality

3. Set out our crèche

4. Have a Posadas procession

5. Pinata party!

A Swiss Christmas

My theme for this week of Advent is "Striving to find unity and peace with all the people of the world". 

One way I love to do that is by learning about the traditions and beliefs of people throughout the world. In years past I've studied Mennonites, the Netherlands, Norway, Italy, and Mexico.

This year I decided to learn more about the advent customs in Switzerland, the ancestry of my mother's grandfather, Noah Hunsberger Jones. His earliest ancestors in this country were English Quakers (hence the name Jones) and Swiss-German Mennonites, both of whom left Pennsylvania for Canada after the Revolutionary war.

Agenda:

1. Research a Swiss Christmas

2. Light a candle for Unity

3. Read Heidi

4.  Make Basler Leckerli cookies

5. Plan a fondue party!

Create Inner Peace

This week of advent my theme is "Striving to find unity and peace with all the people of the world". One way I do that is to create and retain inner peace. Right about now, as the holiday energy builds and social demands increase, I need to review practices that help me to maintain an even-temper, patience, and grounded-ness.

Agenda:

1. Prayer for the light

2. Read "Discover Inner Peace"

3. Light a candle for Peace and Equanimity

4. Daily equanimity practice

5. Daily love journal

Witness for Peace

Quakers are led by Divine guidance to cherish peace, and to testify against all wars and the use of violence.

Our Faith and Practice says: 

"Our peace testimony begins with opposition to war and is a positive affirmation of the power of good to overcome evil. ... We work to change those elements which violate our conviction that there is that of God in everyone."

By testimony we mean a call to bear witness, by our words and actions, to our ideals.

Agenda
1. Journal queries

2. Light a candle for Witness

3. Plan a Quaker Christmas celebration

4. A minute on the Conflict in Gaza

5. Set out more candles

Lussi Night, New White Moon, and Soyal

Tonight is Lussi Night in Norway and in Sweden, and tomorrow is Luciadagen (pronounced LOO-sha-da-gen), or St. Lucia’s Day, or St. Lucy’s Day.

Tonight is also the new moon. The Chinese call the eleventh new moon the White Moon, perhaps because it brings the snow, or perhaps because it's a yin time of year. 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.

And today is the start of Soyal, a Hopi ceremonial period that begins at the new moon closest to the Winter Solstice and lasts for 16 days. Soyal is short for Soyalangwul, which means Establishing Life Anew for All the World. It's a sacred time of peace and preparation for the new growing season.

Agenda Today:

1

. Settle into the Soyal Way of Being

2. Choose a month theme

3. Set intentions

4. New moon altar and meditation

5. Review the Divine Laws:

5. Prayer Candle ceremony

6. Lusse-vigil

Unity with All People

This week of advent my theme is "Striving to find unity and peace with all the people of the world". Each year I look at issues that are relevant to human rights in the world at this time, and challenge myself to work to create the conditions of peace (justice, equality, and freedom) in my family and my community.

Agenda:

1. Read "The Simpler Life"

2. Journal queries

3. Choose next steps

4. Make a piñata for Las Posadas

Second Sunday of Advent and Human Rights Day

Today starts the second week of advent. Advent is a time of vigilant waiting; I wait for something mysterious and unscheduled, with quiet excitement, and expectation. If I fall asleep to this awareness I risk missing the moment of joy, courage, or insight; the gift of grace that has the potential to feed me in ways I need.

Today is also Human Rights Day: The United Nations adopted the Universal Declaration of Human Rights on this day in 1948. The 75th anniversary of the UDHR will be celebrated today, the culmination of a year-long campaign to showcase and increase knowledge of the UDHR as a foundational blueprint for taking concrete actions to stand up for human rights and tackle pressing global issues today.

Agenda today:

1. Mennonite advent prayer

2. Look at Human Rights Day topics

3. Journal queries

4. Advent wreath ceremony

5. Plan activities for unity and peace

6. Take the human rights pledge

A Natural Christmas

My theme for this week of Advent has been "cherish and care for the earth". Each year, this first week, I bring nature indoors, by collecting greens, pine cones, straw, and other natural materials to use for decorations, and for making gifts.

I've been collecting fallen branches of evergreens for the last weeks, and now I will bring them inside to deck my halls. Greens are the first decorations I put up around the house, along with a few candles, to open the door to a little light, and to connect with the earth. Evergreens are a symbol of eternal life, and also symbolic protection against trouble. Today I bring the protective spirit of nature inside.

Agenda:

1. Make a stick tree hanging

2. Dry some oranges

3. Decorate our outdoor tree

4. Make sweet, salty, or spicy nuts

Hanukkah

Hanukkah 2021

Tonight is the first night of the eight day Jewish holiday known as the Festival of Lights. Hanukkah is observed beginning 3 days before the new moon closest to the winter solstice, at the darkest part of the moon phase and the darkest part of the sun phase.

Agenda today:

1. Prepare for Hanukkah

2. Make potato latkes

3. Hanukia Ceremony

St.Nicholas Day and Third Quarter Moon of December

My grandson's first St. Nicholas Day, 2020!

Today is St. Nicholas Day. My theme for this week of Advent is "Striving to find unity and peace with all the people of the world". One way I do that is to try to be in harmony with the people I interact with (especially those who irritate me), and one way I do that is to work at being a kinder person.

Kindness is our outward expression of day-to-day love. You practice kindness with polite language, and other small acts and habits like gracefully waiting your turn, using a friendly tone of voice, offering help, giving a compliment, or a simple smile. I'm not going to bore you with a list of random acts of kindness - you know the drill.

Today is also the 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. Advent Prayer

2. Renewal plan

3. Evaluation House

4. Monthly journal brainstorm

5. Surrender, rest, recuperate