International Day of Peace

The International Day of Peace was established in 1981 by a resolution of the UN General Assembly. In 2001 the date was fixed on September 21. This message came from Secretary-General Kofi Annan on The International Day of Peace in 2005-

“Dear friends around the world- Peace is the paramount United Nations mission. It is the basis of our existence. The essence of our identity. The cause that animates everything we do. September 21, the International Day of Peace, is a day on which we reaffirm our commitment to this quest.... It is meant to be a day of global cease-fire, when all countries and all people stop all hostilities for the entire day. And it is a day on which people around the world observe a minute of silence at 12-noon local time. Twenty-four hours is not a long time. But it is time enough for combatants and political leaders to consider the destruction they are visiting on their people, and on their lands. And it is long enough to look over the barricades, or through the barbed wire, to see if there is another path.”

Peace Day Agenda:

1. Vow: 

"I vow to live in peace and cease all hostilities for this entire day."

2. Journal: 
Consider and list ways I can work for peace this fall and winter. 
How can I teach peace? How can I express peace in my art?


3. Raise Awareness: 
Each year I choose a project to spread the word about Peace Day. One year we made peace flags; one year I invited friends to watch a video about Peace Day. This year we made this poster:

Peace poster by Mia, Neci, Grace, Olive, Viv, and Cynthia

4. Train Myself for Peace: 
I’ve made an ongoing commitment to working at being peaceful myself, in thought and deed. I have taken several Alternatives to Violence workshops, and now I am reading the book Non-violent Communication by Marshall B. Rosenberg. Here is a quote:

"To practice NVC, it's critical for me to be able to slow down, take my time, to come from an energy I choose, the one I believe that we were meant to come from, not the one I was programmed into. I start the day with a remembering of where I want to be."

5. Observe silence: 

At noon today I was just ending an hour of silent worship with my Quaker community. The children all filed quietly in to be with us and we stood and held hands, observing another minute of silence, united, sending our prayer for peace to all who suffer from violence. It was lovely.

New Harvest Moon and Lughnasad

The Chinese call the eighth new moon the Harvest Moon. I found one source that suggests that Lughnasad, the Celtic first harvest festival, may have been held at the August new moon. Today it's usually observed on August 1st, but since I was unable to celebrate it earlier, I'm going to do it now.

Lughnasad (loo-na-sa) is the time to share the products of the first grains- corn, bread and ale- and give thanks and honor to gods and goddesses of the grain harvest- Adonis, Tamuz, Demeter, Ceres, Freyja, Odin, and Lugh (Loo). They are sometimes generous, sometimes not; they are always aware that they will die, and be reborn to another lush summer next year, in the circle of life.

This is a hot, lazy, delicious time of the year; the air is still, and the force of the sun is strong. I have the week off from teaching, so I will spend my days in harvesting tomatoes, carrots, potatoes, beans, peppers, and the first fall kale.

The new moon is my monthly time for “seeding” intentions. I write down what I hope to focus on in the next 30 days or so, and then give my ideas a period of gestation, like seeds in the soil, before I take action. Having this regular time each month to focus my goals has helped to give me clarity of purpose.

Agenda for today: 

1. Altar: Add dried corn, red and yellow flowers, straw figures, fruits, vegetables, herbs.

2. Journal:
How can I be more openhearted and generous?What might give my life more wholeness?What am I hungry for?What are my next steps in life?

Self, Friends and Family, Teaching, Artwork, Writing, Home and Garden, Work/Business, and Volunteer work.

List my intentions for the month of September in these areas-

Today my focus is on harvest, sacrifice, and thanksgiving. This is the time of year I like to begin to keep a Gratitude Journal, to list my daily joys, my bounties, what I have to be thankful for this season, and what nourishes me.
What have I sacrificed this year and what fruits have I gathered? 

3. New Moon Meditation:
Light a small white candle. Center, and feel myself fill with thankfulness for all I have now in my life.

4. Plan:
As the moon waxes, I expand-- plant seeds, make connections, and begin new projects. Today I will plan my first small steps.

5. Make bread:

Make bread- biscuits, muffins, corn bread, a gingerbread man, or popcorn... In ancient tradition, the grains of the Earth are the body of the God, sacrificed at the harvest, ground to flour, baked into bread and then consumed to keep the tides of life flowing. Sometimes the first loaf is made into the shape of a man to represent the God. 

6. Make a new cornhusk doll:

Make a cornhusk doll from fresh husks, thinking about this year’s harvest. Put her on the altar to bring plenty and luck throughout the rest of the year (burn the corn doll at Imbalc). 

Supplies: Corn husks, tub of water, liquid bleach, towels, string, scissors, clipboards, fabric, yarn, clothespins

1- Bleach mildewy husks in a tub of water with 1/4 c. liquid bleach, for 1/2 hour. Rinse and dry on newspaper.

2- To make the head & body: Pick out 6 nice pieces of husk, and dip them in warm water to make them pliable. 

Arrange the 2 biggest pieces with narrow tops together and back-to-back (curving to outside). Add other 4 more pieces in the same way. Tie them tightly 2” from the top.

Wrap the top part with strips of husk until it is round like a head. Fold husks down over it making the face smooth and pretty. Tie at neck. 

3- Make arms: Dip 3 long, thin pieces of husk in water, tie together at one end, and braid. Insert under neck.

4- Chest: Pad the chest with husks and tie at the waist with string, raffia, or yarn.

5- Legs: Braid 3 long pieces and tie at both ends (use a clip board to hold). Insert the leg pieces then wrap with raffia to form hips. 

6- Clothing: Shape, trim, and pin. Dress with scraps of cloth.

7. Harvest Meal:

I plan to celebrate with my family and friends, with homemade bread, corn, potatoes, apples, berry pies, hard cider and beer.

Full Red Moon

Tonight is the full moon, my monthly time for action and release: I look again at the “seeds of intention” I planted 2 weeks ago at the new moon and decide on my next steps to take, I take those steps, then I release my expectations in order to clear space for new ideas and new intentions.

This full moon is called the Red Moon, because as it rises it often appears reddish through any sultry haze - and in our valley, a sultry haze is the norm!

This is a time of lush abundance. My garden is producing at its fullest, and I am bursting with love and good intentions. I am challenged to gather the fruits of the season and share them. I am challenged to take action on the work that I have been called to do, and to move forward with integrity, toward my soul's purpose.

Agenda for today:

1. Altar:

Each month at the full moon I put a motto or quote on my altar, to ponder. This month:

“If it is not right do not do it; if it is not true do not say it.” ― Marcus Aurelius, Meditations

I also add new candles, in colors that symbolize what I want to focus on. I add a red candle, for action and integrity.

2. Journal:

Review the intentions I set 2 weeks ago, at the new moon. Review also the goals I set at the beginning of the year.

Do these aims all still seem vital? What are my next steps? How can I best bring some of my goals to completion?

3. Practice at my theme:

My theme this month is integrity, the quality of being whole and undivided, and acting promptly on my principles. My integrity builds my reputation with others and also cultivates my self-respect and self-esteem.

Do I keep my word, follow through with my responsibilities, speak truth, and show loyalty? What can I improve?

My intentions:

• Continue the discipline of healthy diet and exercise I have begun.
• Study non-violent communication skills.
• Practice being less judgemental.
• Choose to be unruffled and calm.
• Show more care for my home and garden
• Train Sadie to come when called (at least some of the time!)

4. Take Action:

The full moon is a time to celebrate life, stay up late, see friends, exercise harder, and be more creative and outgoing. The crazy full moon energy builds and builds; it’s best to acknowledge it so it doesn’t throw me off balance. This surge of energy allows me to take action on intentions I set two weeks ago.

Summer Solstice

The season is turning, and I feel this transition from spring to summer is a monumental one. Summer is a time of abundance on earth, a celebration of outward joy in the fullness of life.

Today the sun exerts its maximum energy on our part of the earth; the powers of outward physical expression are at their greatest, and the powers of inner contemplation are at their lowest. And of course, just as we reach the point of maximum yang energy, yin energy is reborn and begins to gain strength: The next days will each be a little shorter again, until the winter solstice in December.

I make a point this week to celebrate things I love most about summer: 

• Sleep in, and revel in the more flexible schedule. 
• Spend as much time outside as possible- do some gardening, eat my meals outside, and just sit outside and soak it in.
• Eat strawberries.
• Take afternoon naps!
• Pick bouquets of flowers.
• Go for evening walks in the warm night air. 

If I celebrate the start of summer with enthusiasm I will help to make the rest of the summer richer and more wonderful, and I will reconnect myself to the great cycle of the seasons and the rhythms of nature.

Agenda for the Solstice:

Journal:

Visualize and write about the ideal summer.

What amazing things do I want to accomplish?

Plan a party:

Get together with friends for at least part of my celebration, because everything is more real when shared with friends.

Make a new solar disk:

Each year at the solstice, I make a sun mandala of grapevine with two cross arms. The outer circle represents the wheel of the year, and the arms of the cross symbolize the four seasons. I hang it high in my apple tree to remind me of summer all year long.

Build a Solstice Eve Fire:

Our ancestors lit fires on the eve of the solstice, maybe to symbolize the sun's power. It’s traditional to start a solstice fire with oak and fir: Oak is the tree of power, symbolizing the energy of the sun. Fir is the tree of immortality, symbolizing the rebirth of the sun. We collected a fir cone and an acorn from trees in our neighborhood.

We also took down last year’s battered solar disk from the apple tree and burned it.

Make flower crowns:

A fun way to celebrate!