Halloween

Halloween is the modern name of the ancient Irish and Scottish holiday of 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.

In the 7th-century CE the Pope established All Saints’ Day, originally on May 13, and in the following century it was moved to November 1. The evening before All Saints’ Day became a holy, or hallowed, eve and thus Samhain became Halloween.

The Reformation put an end to the religious holiday among Protestants, although in Britain Halloween continued to be celebrated as a secular holiday. The celebration of Halloween was mostly forbidden among the early American colonists, until the 1800s.

Agenda:

1. Make paper bats

2. Make a costume

3. Trick or Treats

Self-caring

Self-care is a boring topic. I find it easy to ignore. 

Which is why self-care needs to be a discipline: It takes discipline to do the things that are good for me instead of what feels good in the moment, or just what "needs to get done". Self-care needs doing every day, every week, month in and month out - it’s taking care of myself as a daily practice, so I don't get stressed out, over-committed, over-weight, and over-tired.

Self-care requires tough-mindedness, a deep understanding of my priorities, and respect for myself and the other people in my life. It involves setting boundaries, communicating my needs, and showing up authentically. It involves doing battle with my inner demons — my traumas and addictions.

Of course, with disciplined self care I am able to be a better caregiver and activist for everyone else; I have the energy, health, and focus I need to create transformation in my world.

Agenda:

1. Self-Care Journal

2. My renewal practices

3. Read "Anticancer Living"

4. Stress reduction practice

5. Stop blurting

Preparing for a Simple Halloween

This last couple of weeks we've been preparing for Halloween, with decorations, reading spooky books, and finding pumpkins. 

Our oldest grandson loves Halloween and our younger grandson is just learning all the iconic images and words of the season - pumpkins, ghosts, skeletons, spiders, and bats. His spooky  "o-o-o-o-o-o-o" cracks us all up!

The build up to Halloween is all about shifting to a darker phase of the year; darkness isn't bad, but it can be frightening, and having fun with fear is part of the process, something even a toddler can appreciate.

Agenda

1. Decorate inside and out

2. Carve jack-o-lanterns

3. Read "The Power of Less"

4. The Simple Project List

5. Fall cleaning and gardening

Third Quarter Moon of Late October

Today is 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.

On this late October morning, when the air is cold and our future is uncertain, my focus turns to discipline and equanimity.

Agenda:

1. Read "Comfortable with Uncertainty"

2. How to meditate in ten minutes

3. Renewal plan

4. Evaluation House

5. Monthly journal brainstorm

6. 

Surrender, rest, recuperate

Caregiving

Caregiving is not my forte. I'm not patient with weakness, and I am generally selfish with my time. Also, my Patient is not the best patient! He will be crabby and he will push my buttons. But we love each other and love will carry us through this.

Today, as I wait in the hospital, I'm gearing up for the stresses I will face in the days ahead.

Agenda:

1. Read "Comfort with Uncertainty"

2. Generosity

3. The procedure

4. After-care

5. Caregiver roles

The October Garden

October is often wet here in our valley, and finally the weather is starting to cool off, so I face the challenge of the lure of hibernation: I'd rather not garden in the rain!

But if I can be strong, get on my rain gear, and take a daily tour of my garden, I find many simple things to do, without getting too muddy. The best tip I've read in any permaculture blog Is this: Be consistent with 15-minutes a day, year round.

I try to take a 15-minute walk through my garden each day, and I alternate the front and back gardens so I don't feel rushed. The consistency of the 15-minute daily visit keeps me connected to my garden even when I don't accomplish much. I notice the changes of the season, and how many bees I still have. As Amy from 10-Acre Farm says, "It helps me to enjoy 'being' in the garden, rather than always focusing on the 'doing'."

Agenda:

1. October harvest

2. Save seeds

3. October garden care and bedding down

4. Fall planting

5. Raspberry pruning and thinning

Sabbath for Uncertainty

Today is my Sabbath, and I'm preparing myself for the uncertainty of the coming week. It will be extraordinary; we have never faced this kind of major surgery, nor the unknowns of cancer, and we are finding our balance in chaos.

During this time of 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 the work of intentional Being, rather than Doing. When I slow down I can see what my hard work has produced in the world and in myself, and I have the leisure to notice, absorb, expand, and just BE.

Sabbath Agenda:

1. Simple sabbath plans

2. Read "Comfortable with Uncertainty"
3. Love meditation

4. Monthly receptivity practices

Winter Nights

The Winternights, or Vetrnætr, is a twelve-day festival that begins on a night in mid-October, and marks the end of summer and the start of the winter. The name Vetrnætr (pronounced Vetter-natter) is Old Norse, composed of two words, vetr - meaning winter, and nætr - meaning nights. Vetrnætr is series of feasts and ceremonies (blóts, pronounced bloots) that celebrate the bounty of the harvest, and also honor the Disir, or female ancestor spirits.

Vetrnætr 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. Ásatrú intrigues me, because it would have been the religion of my ancestors.

2022 ofrenda

This month, Winternights festivals are held across Scandinavia, Germany, and New England and are marked by bonfires, tournaments, feasts, and arts and crafts vendors.

Agenda for today:

1. Read Comfortable with Uncertainty

2. Set up my ancestor altar (ofrenda)

3. Disir meditation
4. Make more runes

5. Feast and blót

Full Squirrel Moon

Tonight is the full moon called the Squirrel Moon, because now the squirrels are busily gathering nuts for the winter. This moon is also called Atchalankuaik, the "start getting sagittair roots" moon, by the Kalapuya of our area (sagittair is a potato like tuber). 

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.

Agenda:

1. Read "First Things First"

2. Take a vision walk

3. Celebrate synergy

Indigenous People's 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. Skywoman falling

2. A note about appropriation

3. Land and people acknowledgement

4. Drumming

Simple Synergy

Synergy is all about teamwork, but I only have control over myself. This fall I'm approaching synergy like a dance, and I'm making up the steps as I go along. What do we need from our teams and how do I ask for the best kind of help? And what are the top priority projects I'm called to work on?

I continue to build my inner wisdom, and take persistent right action on the work I'm called to. For this, I need discernment (insight and clarity), equanimity, and centering in chaos.

 Agenda:

1. Read "The Power of Less"

2. Simple goals for earthcare

3. The Simple Project List

4. Fall cleaning and gardening

5. Inner synergy for birds and fish

Ayathrem and Retreat for Puttering

Ayathrem is the fourth Gahambar celebrated by the Zoroastrian community, who honor the six seasons of the year with 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 celebrates 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.

Also, I'm having a rare unscheduled day, mostly alone - a mini-retreat, and I hope to take some time to just putter.

Agenda:

1. Read "Comfortable with Uncertainty"

2. Recite prayers
3. Putter in the garden (and plant garlic)

4. Make vegetable soup

First Quarter Moon and Navratri, Part 3

Navratri continues for the final three nights. The nine nights of Navratri are broken up into sets of three, and during each a different aspect of Shakti is meditated upon. For these final three nights we honor and thank the Divine Mother as Saraswati, who is "the essence of self". Saraswati’s wisdom and knowledge leads to enlightenment, happiness, and peace.

Photo by Alan Gillespie

And this is 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. 

I use this October quarter moon's energy to build my inner wisdom, and take persistent right action on the work I'm called to. For this, I need discernment (insight and clarity), equanimity, and centering in chaos.

Agenda Today:

1. Morning meditation and mantra

2. Journal queries

3. Make a full effort plan

4. Practice visualization

5. Add to my altar

First Things First

First Things First is my mantra this fall and winter. No matter what happens going forward, we are going to be under enormous stress, and I need to get a grip. 

That first week after the revelation of my partner's illness, I was able to extract myself from a few responsibilities, but, as the initial shock wore off, some have crept back - because I feel guilty for not helping where help is needed, and also I feel out-of-the-loop and cut off from my familiar inner circle. I need to re-focus each week on my top priorities - Serving my Family, and Leading on Earthcare, and find ways to gracefully release most everything else.

Agenda:

1. Simple goals for earthcare

2. The Simple Project List

3. Read "The Power of Less"
4. Fall cleaning and gardening

Navratri Continues

Navratri continues tonight with the visit of Lakshmi.

The word navratri means nine nights; These nights are broken up into sets of three, and during each set we meditate on a different aspect of Shakti (the universal principle of energy and creativity, Mother Earth, and the feminine power in each of us) - first the Goddesses Durga, then Lakshmi, and then Saraswati.

Each of the three goddesses signifies a stage of the spiritual journey we all go through: Durga’s strength and energy creates an opening, Lakshmi’s success and fortune nurtures growth, and Saraswati’s wisdom and knowledge leads to enlightenment, happiness, and peace. Tonight we honor and thank the Divine Mother as Lakshmi, the Goddess of success.

2021 rangoli

Agenda Today:

1. Morning meditation and mantra 

2. Make a new rangoli design
3. Add to my altar

Retreat for Synergy

I'm exploring and celebrating synergy today - the ability to seek unity, embrace teamwork, live holistically, and work tirelessly towards a better end. Synergy is the eternally active primal force of creation: No matter what the conditions are, they will change.

I've temporarily simplified down to the two essential priorities in my life - family and earth care - so today I'll set some intentions and make some plans for how to create synergy for those priorities.

Agenda:

1. Read "First Things First"

2. Team synergy plan

3. Practice the Stoic Art of Inquiry

4. Earth Care intentions

5. Synergy Walk

Autumn Navratri

Navratri is a Hindu holiday during which we honor and thank Shakti, the Divine Mother, in all her forms. Shakti is the universal principle of energy and creativity, Mother Earth, and the feminine power in each of us. 

The word nava means nine and ratri means nights; the festival lasts for nine nights, symbolic of the nine months in the womb.

Navratri is celebrated at least twice each year in India - in the spring and fall - because these are times when nature and people undergo great changes. Autumn (Sharad) Navratri begins on the day after the rise of the new moon in late September or early October.

The nine nights of Navratri are broken up into sets of three, and during each a different aspect of Shakti is meditated upon - the Goddesses Durga, then Lakshmi, and then Saraswati. Each of the three goddesses marks a stage of the spiritual journey we all go through: Durga’s strength and energy creates an opening, Lakshmi’s success and fortune nurtures growth, and Saraswati’s wisdom and knowledge leads to enlightenment, happiness, and peace.

 
Agenda for today:

1. Morning meditation and mantra

2. Make a rangoli design / seed medallion

3. Make potpourri

4. Set up an altar for Mother Nature

New Chrysanthemum Moon and Rosh Hashanah

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.

Tonight is also the first evening of Rosh Hashanah (Roash hah-shah-nuh), which falls at or near the new moon of late September or early October. The observance begins at sundown tonight and lasts for two days, but it's actually the start of a ten-day period called the Days of Awe that ends with Yom Kippur.

Rosh Hashanah means “Head of the Year”; it’s the Jewish New Year for the Spirit. The focus of this festival is repentance for wrongs you have done, and reaffirmation that you will take the honorable path in the future.

Agenda for today:

1. Journal queries

2. Choose a month theme

3. Set intentions

4. New moon altar and meditation

5. Make challah

6. Share a Seder

7. Retreat Day

Mehregan

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.

Agenda Today:
1. October thoughts

2. Journal queries

3. Read "Comfortable with Uncertainty"

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