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

Full Blue Moon and Raksha Bandhan

Today is the full moon, called the Blue Moon because it is the second full moon in August.

Actually, the original definition of a blue moon is a fourth full moon in one season, but I'm going with the newer definition - the second full moon in a month - because I don't have any better name for this moon. Both are correct, because it's folklore, and folklore is fluid.

In India, this is also the Festival of Raksha Bandhan, which means “knot of protection.” Traditionally, girls tie a braided thread called a rakhi around the wrist of each brother-- a symbol of a sister's love and prayers for her brother's health and happiness, and to remind him of his life-long vow to protect his sister. Now it is also common for girls to trade rakhis with sisters, and with friends.

Agenda for today:

1. Take a vision walk

2. Celebrate depth

3. Make rakhis

4. Send love and prayers

5. Make Kayla Halwa (Banana fudge)

Designing a practice

I need an artistic practice for the end of summer that will give me a creative outlet without too much pressure. I'm full up with expectations and caregiving; I need something that fills my creativity well without much time or energy.

The kind of filling I need is quiet and contemplative, and also short; projects or art tasks I can complete in half an hour or less.  

A day is an abundant portion of time; I can accomplish great things in a day or I can waste the day, whichever I please. And moments in a day are meant to be wasted - if I want to read a book, I should read! If I want to play a game, I should play!

But by the end of each day I want to feel like I did the work of an artist, teacher, activist, and loving human. I want and need to do something meaningful each day, to move closer to my purpose, because if I fall in to a pattern of wasted days, weeks, months, then I will feel unhappy; working on my priorities fills me and frees me.

Agenda:

1. Read the Creativity Book

2. Interesting art task ideas

3. Starting

First Quarter Moon of August

Tonight 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 August quarter moon's energy to help me to discern my path, and then act on it; this requires clarity.

Agenda Today:

1. Journal queries
2. Read "How to Manifest"

3. Make a full effort plan
4. Write a mission haiku

Finding clarity

Seeking clearness is the last step in a discernment process. Clarity - that feeling that you know what you stand for, you are sure of your objectives, you have set the best intentions, and you understand your next move - is liberating and empowering.

Most of the time we don't wait for clarity; we act on autopilot, or on other's expectations and assurances, or because the situation is urgent. Waiting for clarity seems selfish or exhausting or just impossible. But being clear in your heart that you are on the right path is a wonderful thing to wait for; it's transformative!

Agenda:

1. Discernment

2. Prepare for clarity

3. A clearness meeting

Tending the Land

Tending the land is a problematic phrase for me, as it touches on the concept of stewardship. I have seen stewardship defined as "managing and caring for resources" or "taking care of the things we own and use." In biblical terms, it's defined as "Utilizing and managing all resources God provides" or "managing and utilizing intelligently the gifts that God has given."

This is an important idea when applied to, as our Faith and Practice says, "the right use of gifts given to us - time, ability, money, and our physical selves", but it is not appropriate when applied to nature.

1. On a cultural mandate 

2. Root reading

3. Early Anglo-Saxon preservation

4. Harvest, dry, and braid my onions

5. Unity with Nature