Maidyozarem

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.

Agenda: 

1. Read "The Book of Doing and Being"

2. Studio brainstorm

3. Recite prayers

4. Make Kachumber Salad

e. A Beltaine Fire

1. Read "The Book of Doing and Being":

I'm reading from this book by Barnet Bain (2015), subtitled "Rediscovering Creativity in Life, Love, and Work". This is a book of creative perspective, to help jiggle me out of the straight line way I usually think into something new: Use the exercises with consistency in order to stay focused on my destination. Practice will ground me and allow my ambitions to take root and grow.

Chapter 7 is The Four Anesthetics, about roadblocks to creative flow. "...we become inwardly immobilized when we are distressed or overwhelmed." He describes the substitute feelings we shift to in order to numb more powerful emotions: Self-pity, blame, guilt, and control. When you feel blocked, you can do his practice for  Recognizing the Anesthetics, and identifying the real underlying fears that they mask. The writer claims that when I identify the real fear, it will dissipate - that hasn't been my experience, but I will read on!

The next section is about the Creative Power of Intention and Attention. Basically, he says that when we notice where our attention is going, we will be able to see what we intend to do, be more responsible, and avoid roadblocks. He gives a vivid example of his attempt to control and manipulate a horse into lifting her leg for him, which did not work. "Suddenly I understood that my ability to connect, to interact, to create, was being influenced by habituated internal forces - such as trying to manipulate. .. The natural world is not responsive to controlling manipulations."

2. Studio brainstorm:

At the end of March I brainstormed some goals for Grandma Earth Teacher and Dragonfly Studio. My world has taken a turn, so I need a redo. 

I want to continue to heal my studio space and my Creative Light, and dream up some 

possible hands-on projects to support my work on my nature-culture blog:

Studio: The top priority is to clear out and clean the studio so I can access my supplies and so I know what and where my tools are. 

• Start with the cabinet space and label everything in nice-looking boxes.
• Also clear out the big painting storage shelf, and give away about half.
• Take the studio one section at a time, strip it clean, and repaint. Start with the door area and tool rack. 

Grandsons: Keep the table clear and set out painting and construction projects (big motor, process oriented). Tip - plan a project I can work on at the same time.

• Bottle-cap snake
• Mosaic stone for Mom (need yellow and black for batman symbol)
• Godzilla clay play
• Stamping, painting

Unicorn projects: 

• Mosaic for Ezra
• Pretty boxes, paint tool board shapes
• Finish Blue Mason Bee flag: Take pleasure in sewing! Add his name with stamps.
• Earth coat sleeves.
• Sewing: Native flora and fauna flags
• Sign-making: "Free native plants"
• Earth stencil poster with bling
• Butterflies: Print some new photos and work on bathroom butterflies with the goal of toning them down a bit, and finish what I started!

Doing the smallest thing is a great way to make courageous creative work less frightening; also finding the "minimum effective dose", the amount of work that keeps me challenged and joyful, and if I keep at it will get me to the finish line on time.

3. Recite Prayers:

The first four days of Maidyozarem are devoted to services, and reciting prayers. Zoroastrians turn towards a flame while praying, which symbolizes the fire of creation and the spiritual flame within each of us -- and so I stand before a candle flame to recite the Ashem Vohu (invocation of Asha) from the Avesta (Zoroastrian Book of Common Prayer).

The Ashem Vohu is a prayer with universal appeal. The word Ashem has many meanings: Law, Order, Beauty, Truth, Righteousness, Purity, Freedom. This one word expresses Divine truth, purity of body and mind, and all the beauty of nature. It's a central idea in Zoroastrianism.

This prayer is like a mantra, to be chanted slowly. To hear it recited, go to this link.

ashem vohû vahishtem astî

Truth is the best good. 

ushtâ astî

It is happiness.

ushtâ ahmâi hyat ashâi vahishtâi ashem.

Happiness is to one whose truth (represents) best truth.

4. Make Kachumber Salad:
Ingredients:

Served here with rice and roasted garbanzos

• 1/2 white or red onion
• 1 large cucumber
• 1 medium tomato 
• ½ c. white or red wine vinegar 
• 1 Tbsp. lemon juice 
• ¼ tsp. cumin powder 
• salt (to taste) 
• pepper (to taste) 
• cayenne pepper (to taste) 

1. Chop the onion. Peel the cucumber and slice in ¼" pieces. Soak in vinegar in the refrigerator for one hour.

2. Cube the tomato. 

3. Combine lemon juice, cumin powder, salt, pepper, and cayenne in a small bowl.  Add to the marinated onion and cucumber, along with the tomato. Toss the ingredients to mix well. 

4. Serve the salad immediately or refrigerate for awhile to allow the salad to marinate longer.

5. A Beltane fire:

In some places, May Day celebrations still begin at sunset on April 30. May Day Eve is called Beltane or, in Germany, Walpurgisnacht, named for the English missionary Saint Walpurga (ca. 710–777).

One year I managed to collect oak, grape, birch, fir, apple, and hawthorn
from our yard in preparation for a fire. (I couldn't find the hazel, rowan and willow, so wisdom, 
life and death were unrepresented.)

Beltane means "fire of Bel"; Bel is a Celtic Sun God. On Beltane the Celts would build two large Bel Fires, lit from the nine sacred woods: 

• birch for the goddess
• oak for the god
• rowan for life
• willow for death
• hawthorn for purity
• hazel for wisdom
• apple for love
• grapevine for joy
• fir for immortality

The Bel Fire was an invocation to Bel, asking him to bring his blessings and protection to the tribe. 
It celebrated the return of fruitfulness to the earth. The ashes were smudged on faces and scattered in the fields, to heal and purify.