St. Patrick's Day and Chaharshanbe Suri

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.

Chaharshanbe Suri, the Festival of Fire, is part of the ten day Zoroastrian festival, Farvardegan, which concludes with Nowruz, the Persian New Year, on March 21. On this last Tuesday evening of the year, Iranians jump over bonfires.

Agenda:

1. Read the Sweet Spot

2. Family and community brainstorm

3. Synergy and hope plans

4. Prayer of St. Patrick

5. Plant peas and my straw doll

6. Enjoy hot Irish coffee

7. Make Ajeel

8. Build a fire and JUMP!

Family Love and 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. (Those expectations are loosening as I age and I find it easier and easier to let them go.) 

Agenda this week:

1. Read a novena

2. Read "Perspective"

3. New narrative for the week

4. Card-writing practice

5. Proaction and reciprocity plans

Third Sunday of Advent

We made it through the second week of advent. It was a pretty calm and enjoyable time with the grandkids: We made fudge, set up the snow scene, and made a piñata together. This next week will be more of the same - cookie making, a gingerbread house, and building excitement for a piñata party! (A-1 is really liking the wooden calendar with doors - he finally understands the count down of days.) 

Agenda:

1. Read "The Art of Simple Living"

2. Ducks in a Row calendar

3. Plan activities for family fun

4. Advent wreath ceremony

Chinese New Year's Eve

Tonight is Chinese New Year's Eve. In China, New Year's evening is called Ch’u-yeh, the "evening of discarding", because we can finally be done with the old year, and with winter.

This last day of the year is busy for Chinese families, because it’s the last chance to complete preparations and be ready to start the year fresh. When the running around is done, the family spends the rest of the day at home together -- family connections are the big theme for this holiday.

Agenda:

1. Read "Mindfulness-Based Emotional Balance Workbook"

2. Thanksgiving ceremony

3. Welcoming ceremony

4. Have a family open house

Family Love and 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 "Soulful Simplicity"

4. Self-care plans

5. Check in with my family

6. Card-writing practice

Third Sunday of Advent and Full Cold Moon

We made it through the second week of advent. It was a pretty calm and enjoyable time with the grandkids: We made cookies, set up the snow scene, and made a piñata together. This next week will be more of the same - lots of cookie making, a gingerbread house, and building excitement for a piñata party and Christmas party at the end of the week.

And tonight is 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. 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. But today it's time to CELEBRATE!

Agenda:

1. Read "Active Hope"

2. Take a vision walk
3. Celebrate Grace

4. Plan activities for family fun

5. Advent wreath ceremony

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

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

Chinese New Year's Eve and the New Holiday Moon

Tonight is Chinese New Year's Eve. In China, New Year's evening is called Ch’u-yeh, the "evening of discarding", because we can finally be done with the old year, and with winter.

This last day of the year is busy for Chinese families, because it’s the last chance to complete preparations and be ready to start the year fresh. When the running around is done, the family spends the rest of the day at home together -- family connections are the big theme for this holiday.

Tonight is also the new moon. This first new moon of the Chinese year is called the Holiday Moon, because it's the start of a month-long holiday season in China. The new moon is 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:

1. Retreat Day

2. Choose a month theme

3. Set intentions

4. New moon altar and meditation

5. Thanksgiving ceremony

6. Welcoming ceremony

7. Have a family open house

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

Thorrablót

Winter- acrylic on canvas

Thorrablót (pronounced THORR-a-blote) is a mid-winter festival celebrated in Iceland and Norway. Thorri is the name of the fourth month of winter in the old Icelandic calendar, and a blót is a feast.

Thorri might have been named for Thor, the Norse god of thunder, or for a legendary King of Norway. Now in Iceland Thorri is known as "King Winter", and is depicted as an old grey man, kind to some and harsh to others. All of wintertime is referred to as "King Winter" in Iceland and in Norway ... I guess with a winter as exceptional as theirs it’s not surprising that it has a personality!

The Thorrablót can happen any time in the next several weeks. In Iceland and Norway this is the coldest part of winter- no thaw yet in sight. Here in our valley we are also experiencing a cold spell, with snow predicted, so this is a good time for a King Winter Feast!

Agenda:
1. Gather family and make a toast
2. Have a pickle feast
3. Play Kubb
4. Help those with no homes

Chinese New Year's Eve and New Holiday Moon

Tonight is Chinese New Year's Eve. In China, New Year's evening is called Ch’u-yeh, the "evening of discarding", because we can finally be done with the old year, and with winter.

This last day of the year is busy for Chinese families, because it’s the last chance to complete preparations and be ready to start the year fresh. When the running around is done, the family spends the rest of the day at home together -- family connections are the big theme for this holiday.

Tonight is also the new moon. This first new moon of the Chinese year is called the Holiday Moon, because it's the start of a month-long holiday season in China. The new moon is 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:

1. Retreat Day

2. Choose a month theme

3. Set intentions

4. New moon altar and meditation

5. Thanksgiving ceremony

6. Welcoming ceremony

7. Have a family open house

Family Joy

My children painted these plaster houses when they were young.

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:

• 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, 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 strict reminder now, because, somehow, everything seems so important: I have high expectations (both of myself and others) and I feel we must get this right.

Agenda this week:
1. Journal queries
2. Check in with my family

3. Read "Braiding Sweetgrass"
4. Card-writing practice
5. Make simple gifts

Lussi Night and Luciadagen

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.

It's hard to sort out all the Lucys: We have St. Lucia, a Sicilian woman in the reign of Diocletian who became a Christian martyr. Because her name means light, she was appointed to be the patron saint for the eyes.

We also have the older Roman goddess Lucina, also the goddess of light, and of childbirth- bringing children to light.

And in Scandinavia, we have Lussi, a female demon or witch accompanied by an entourage of gnomes and spirits called Lussiferda.

Agenda:
1. Lusse-vigil
2. Set out more candles
3. Make Lussekatt (St. Lucia buns)

Third Sunday of Advent

We made it through the second week of advent. It's been a wonderfully calm and enjoyable time, with some busts of social celebration to give it color.

Agenda:

1. Journal queries

2. Advent wreath ceremony

3. Plan activities for family fun

Stir Up Sunday

Today is Stir Up Sunday, the last Sunday before Advent. This is the traditional day in Britain to make the Christmas pudding, and set it aside for Christmas Day so the flavors have a month to develop.

At least, it used to be the traditional day; apparently most families buy a pudding in a tin now. What a shame! As I am mostly of British descent (and also fond of brandy) I think it's worth the effort. And the flaming pudding is an exciting end to Christmas dinner!

This Sunday is when I begin to prepare for the start of advent, a month when we sink into darkness, then return slowly to the light. Many people are rebounding fast from the pandemic, but we are protecting a vulnerable mom-with-child. I plan to use this day to center myself for a holiday that will be prudent and insulated: I want to stir up my feelings about tradition, expectation, love, and family, and come to terms with a low-key holiday season, which will still be deep and satisfying. 

Advent is a time of expectant waiting - for grace, and the joy of the returning Light - and this week I will actively prepare to wait.

Agenda for today:
1- Journal queries

2- Prayer
3- Start the Christmas Pudding

4- Collect greens

Day of the Dead and First Quarter Moon of November

Dia de los Muertos - the Day of the Dead - is a holiday observed in Mexico on November 2. It’s a family time for remembering and honoring dead friends and relatives - a period when the souls of the dead can return for a visit. It’s celebrated with humor, not sadness.

And this 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. Journal queries

2. Make a full effort plan

3. Write a mission haiku

4. Set up an ofrenda
5. Make paper banners
6. Make skeletons
7. Make sugar skulls

First Day of Christmas

 Today is Christmas, but only the first day of Christmas (what Norwegians would call 1. juledag, or "First Christmas Day"). 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 was 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. Love reading

3. Love goals for 2022

4. Open Gifts

5. Put Baby Jesus in the manger
6. Have a feast
7. Christmas pudding

Family Love and 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, 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 strict reminder now, because, somehow, everything seems so important: I have high expectations (both of myself and others) and I feel we must get this right.

Agenda this week:
1. Journal queries
2. Check in with my family
3. Card-writing practice
4. Make simple gifts

5. Take care of myself

Kwanzaa and 2nd Day of Christmas

Kwanzaa is 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.

This is also the second day of the twelve-day festal tide - a sacred, festive season. In some old traditions, this whole season was 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.

Just like in the Netherlands, this year we are celebrating Christmas for two days. (The Dutch call it First and Second Christmas Day.) This morning we will have brunch and a big Christmas fire outside with my children and grandson, to open presents, eat, and drink, and be the crazy people we are. Later, we will go inside with half of my family to do a puzzle and have Christmas dinner together.

Agenda:
1. Kwanzaa principles

2. Journal queries

3. Love Goals for 2021

4. Practice Love with a Christmas brunch

5. Make Advocaat