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 Saturday Retreat

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. 

I'm celebrating it with a morning retreat, for reading, writing, and working in the garden!

Agenda Today: 

1. Read "Root and Ritual"

2. Make a talisman

3. Planting

Good Friday

Permelia and Madeline, our first duck ladies

Today is Good Friday, when we mark Jesus’ death and burial. This morning I remember again that the soul's "dark night" is a part of the human condition. I reflect on desperation and despair. 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.

Agenda today:

1. Darkness to Hope Meditation

2. Read "Root and Ritual

3. Bake hot cross buns

Maundy Thursday

Tumeric = gold, onion skins = red-orange, red cabbage = moss green.

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.

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. Dye eggs
5. Take a bubble bath
6. Go to the garden tonight to pray

First week of spring

Spring is here and I am finding ways to celebrate - doing fun things with the grandkids, and spending time in the garden (when it's not too wet).

Agenda:

1. Read "A Comfort of Crows"

2. Sew a rainbow

3. Walking with vigor

4. Practice gratitude

Full Egg Moon and Holi

The full moon of March is the atcha-uyu or "Women Dig Camus" moon by the Kalapuya of my area, and the Egg Moon by others, 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! The March Full Moon is a good time to ponder ​t​he wholeness of life.

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.

Today is also Holi, 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. Take a vision walk

2. Celebrate strength

3. Make Malpua
4. Have a color celebration

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

Nowruz

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.

Agenda Today:

1. Prepare the sabzeh

2. Dye a few eggs

3. Make Koloocheh Cookies

4. Set up a haft sin

5. Nowruz Ceremony

Spring Equinox

Spring equinox occurs this evening at 8:06 p.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. Spring cleaning and decorating

3. Plant my straw doll

St. Patrick's Day, Fifth Sunday of Lent, and First Quarter moon

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. 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.

This is also the fourth week of Lent. My theme this year for Lent is Down-to-Earth Simple Living: I've been easing back to the basics of living my life: Eating, playing, home and garden, family and art. At Lent I allow myself to be slow, simple, and thoughtful. I spend time each day in focused study and prayer. This Lent, I plan to continue to explore my relationship to the natural world, the cycles of the seasons, and down-to-earth living, with the simplest of actions.

And 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. Prayer of St. Patrick

2. Journal queries

3. Simple steps plan

4. Make a full effort plan

5. Wear the green
6. Plant peas and onions
7. Enjoy hot Irish coffee

Sabbath for the Cusp of Spring

Today is the start of my sabbath - for a couple of days at the end of my week I step out of the fray, and regroup. We are on the cusp of spring, and I want to take time to prepare myself - body, mind, and spirit.

My perfect sabbath is a celebration, a holiday. I keep it holy with my attitude: I don't rush, complain, or worry. Everything I do has a flavor of peace. I schedule some work, but 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.

1. Brainstorm for Spring

2. Practice a Reverent Way of Being

3. Make bread

4. Plant greens and milkweed

Farvardegan

Today is the start of Farvardegan, which means “days of remembering the Fravashis" (guardian angels). It's a ten day Zoroastrian festival that 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. Plant the sabzeh
3. Welcome the angels
4. Offer thanks
5. Recite prayers

Ramadan

Sunset photo by Brayden

Tonight is the start of Ramadan, an Islamic holy day that marks the discovery of the Qur’an by the Prophet Muhammad.

The Islamic calendar is totally lunar, so Ramadan is a few weeks earlier each year, at the sighting of the thin crescent moon, hopefully at sundown tonight.

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. Daily prayer for Palestine

3. Simple sunset ceremony

New Budding Moon and Fourth Sunday of Lent

Tonight is the new moon; the Chinese call the second new moon the Budding Moon. As we cycle nearer to spring, I can feel my energy growing and swelling like the buds on the trees!

 

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.

If at all possible, I schedule a day of retreat on the new moon, or near to it: I do less talking, less business, and more personal thought and action. I had a peaceful retreat day yesterday. (Today is going to be very social!)

This is also the fourth week of Lent. My theme this year for Lent is Down-to-Earth Simple Living: I plan to ease back to the basics of living my life: Eating, playing, home and garden, family and art. At Lent I allow myself to be slow, simple, and thoughtful. I spend time each day in focused study and prayer. This Lent, I plan to continue to explore my relationship to the natural world, the cycles of the seasons, and down-to-earth living, with the simplest of actions. 

Agenda Today:

1. Simple steps plan

2. Choose a month theme

3. Set intentions

4. New moon altar and meditation

March Retreat for Creation

March 2022

The month of March is filled with a riot of color and activity. It’s a fresh, youthful, quick-flowing month - the start of something new. In March I do the work; I tend and nurture my family, my garden, and my projects. March is a month for being a physical creature; for feeling all sensations, and being really present in my body - playful and young-in-spirit.

In the winter I dreamed dreams and made plans, but as spring approaches, it's time to get into action. Today I have a wide-open day to fill with the work of creating my vision here on the earth.

Agenda:

1. Retreat day plan

2. Read "The Creativity Book"

3. Analyze my New Project

4. Plant greens

International Women's Day

International Women's Day has been observed since the early 1900's as a day to celebrate the achievements of women, and take steps to increase gender equality. It's all about unity, celebration, reflection, advocacy and action - globally and locally.

No one government or group is responsible for International Women's Day, so several themes emerge each year.

The United Nations theme is:

Invest in women: Accelerate progress
Achieving gender equality and women’s well-being in all aspects of life is more crucial than ever if we want to create prosperous economies and a healthy planet. However, we are facing a key challenge: the alarming $360 billion annual deficit in gender-equality measures by 2030.
Join us on March 8, 2024, for International Women’s Day under the theme 'Invest in women: Accelerate progress”, and take a stand with us using the hashtag #InvestInWomen.

The International Women's Day web page 2024 theme is: 

Inspire Inclusion.

When we inspire others to understand and value women's inclusion, we forge a better world.

And when women themselves are inspired to be included, there's a sense of belonging, relevance, and empowerment.

Collectively, let's forge a more inclusive world for women.

Read more about a definition of what it means to inspire inclusion here.

Agenda Today:

1. Read the UN Secretary General's Message

2. Read this post- Twelve small actions with big impact for Gender Equality

March Garden

March is when the gardening season increases in intensity. I will prepare my garden beds, and plant seeds indoors and out. Right now, it's still too cold to plant outside, but I have lots of preparation work to do!

Agenda:
1. Read "A Comfort of Crows"
2. Duck friendly garden plans
3. March tasks
4. Plant indoors
5. Prep the beds

Hina Matsuri

Hina Matsuri is a Japanese festival that falls every year on March 3. It began in ancient times as a Shinto effigy ceremony to prepare farmers for the planting of spring crops: They would rub their negative energy off onto a doll, then float it down the river.

Today girl's set up displays of dolls, have a tea party, and - yes - some people still send dolls down the river.

Agenda today:

1. Make hina dolls and paper boats
2. The hina-okuri ceremony

3. Prepare garden beds for planting

4. Make hishi mochi and have a tea party

Third Quarter Moon and Third Sunday of Lent

Today is the third Quarter moon. This waning 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, renewal, and self-care.

This is also the third week of Lent. My theme this year for Lent is Down-to-Earth Simple Living: I plan to ease back to the basics of living my life: Eating, playing, home and garden, family and art.

At Lent I allow myself to be slow, simple, and thoughtful. I spend time each day in focused study and prayer. This Lent, I plan to continue to explore my relationship to the natural world, the cycles of the seasons, and down-to-earth living, with the simplest of actions. 

Agenda Today:

1. Read and journal

2. Simple steps plan

3. Renewal plan

4. Evaluation House

5. Monthly journal brainstorm

6. 

Oatmeal Apricot Breakfast Muffins

World Day of Prayer

The World Day of Prayer takes place every year on the first Friday in March. Women in the United States and Canada first formed this event after the devastation of World War I, when they were convinced that world peace was tied to world mission. Each year, Christian women from all over the world join together to plan and organize events, and suggest a theme and focus.

This year the theme was set by the women of Palestine:

“I Beg You… Bear With One Another in Love”

Ephesians 4:1-3

This program calls us to bear with each other in love, despite all difficulties and oppression. The program was written by a group of ecumenical Christian Palestinian women, who hope to inspire other women around the world to bear with one another in love during troubled times. 

Agenda today:

1. Read Ephesians 4:1-7

2. Eleonor's story

3. Prayer for Palestine

4. Prayerful Action