The Mystic's Wheel of the Year...
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±±±±±±±±±±Year 2008
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2005 Jewish - Kabbalah Holidays* 1/1: Day to meditate for peace throughout the world. [World Peace Day; Universal Hour of Peace: 7:00-8:00 a.m. EST.] * 1/4: Day ethnic discrimination was outlawed world-wide (1969); day to mourn all manifestations of racism. [Convention on the Elimination of All Forms of Racial Discrimination: signed/adopted 3/7/1966; entered into force 1/4/1969.] [Text of Convention] [For more information, see Anti Racism Information Service website; Human Rights Watch website.] * 1/11 eve: Rosh Chodesh--Jewish women gather to celebrate the feminine aspect of the one universal Deity. [a/k/a Rosh Chodesh Sh'vat, Rosh Chodesh Shivat, Rosh Chodesh Shivath, Rosh Chodesh Shevat] * 1/12: Day genocide was outlawed world-wide (1951); day to mourn all victims of genocide. [Convention on the Prevention and Punishment of the Crime of Genocide: signed/adopted 12/9/1948; entered into force 1/12/1951.] [Text of Convention] [For more information, see Prevent Genocide International website.] * 1/16: World Religions Day--Day to contemplate all religions as different paths to the one universal Deity of many names and aspects. * 1/24 eve to 1/25 eve: Tu B'Shevat--Jewish Festival of Trees, celebrated with tree plantings and orchard blessings. Originally honored Old Canaanite-Hebrew Goddess Asherah. [a/k/a Tu B'Sh'vat, Tu B'Shivat, Tu B'Shivath, Tu Bi Shevat] * 3/1: Day the production and use of landmines was outlawed world-wide (1999); day to mourn their victims. [Protocol on Prohibition or Restrictions on the Use of Mines, Booby-Traps, and Other Devices a/k/a Convention on Landmines a/k/a Mine Ban Treaty, amending the 1980 Convention on Prohibitions or Restrictions on the Use of Certain Conventional Weapons Which May be Deemed Excessively Injurious or to Have Indiscriminate Effects: Treaty signed/adopted 10/10/1980; entered into force 12/2/1983; Protocol signed 12/3/1997; entered into force 3/1/1999.] [The U.S. and Israel have not ratified the Protocol.] [There are between 60 and 70 million landmines in the ground of 70+ countries. Landmines maim or kill approximately 26,000 civilians each year, including 8,000 to 10,000 children. In the name of YHVH, and for love of YHVH, Jews should renounce the production and use of landmines, and should demand removal and destruction of all existing landmines.] [Text of Convention] [For more information, see International Campaign to Ban Landmines website; Adopt a Minefield website.] [Text of United Nations Charter, chapter V, article 26] * 3/8: International Women's Day--Day to mourn victims of gender-based oppression and misogyny (past and present), make peace, and celebrate women's empowerment. [For information on International Women's Day, see United Nations website; A history of International Women's Day.] [* 3/12: Day Pope John Paul II, in the name of the Catholic Church, asked Deity's forgiveness and apologized: to Jews for anti-Semitism, to Muslims for the Crusades, to peoples of other religions for forced conversions to Christianity, to Christians of other denominations for intolerance to them, to dissenters for the Inquisition, to women for their humiliation and marginalization, and to the poor and the powerless for indifference to them (2000).] [On the first Sunday in Lent in the Jubilee Year, as part of the liturgy of the Mass inside St. Peter's Basilica, at the Vatican, Pope John Paul II made this public confession with the aid of seven cardinals and bishops. The Pope also forgave the sins of other religions against Catholics and other Christians.] [* 3/16: Day Pope John Paul II expressed remorse for the failure of Christians to prevent the murder of six million Jews during World War II (1998).] [This was expressed in "We Remember: A Reflection on the Shoah".] [Pope Pius XII, who became Pope in 1939, was silent about the Nazi persecution of Jews, other than a 1942 Christmas message that acknowledged that "hundreds of thousands of persons...because of nationality or race, have been consigned to death".] [Pope John Paul II also expressed sorrow for the suffering of Jews at the hands of Christians in a note left at the Western Wall in Jerusalem on 3/26/2000. However, Pope John Paul II planned to beatify Pope Pius XII, until protests dissuaded him. And, in spite of protests, he beatified the anti-Semitic Pope Pius IX on 9/3/2000.] * 3/23 eve to 3/25 eve: Jewish fast of Esther and fest of Purim--Recalls a planned massacre of Persian Jews and their deliverance by Queen Esther; time for helping those in need. [Fast of Esther a/k/a Ta'anis Esther, Ta'anit Esther, Feast of Lots] * 3/26: Day production and use of biological weapons was outlawed world-wide (1975); day to mourn their victims. [Convention on the Prohibition of the Development, Production and Stockpiling of Bacteriological (Biological) and Toxin Weapons and on their Destruction a/k/a Biological Weapons Convention: signed 4/10/1972; entered into force 3/26/1975.] [Israel is believed to currently have a biological weapons research program in spite of the Treaty's prohibition. Israel has not ratified the Treaty. On 4/16/2003, Syria proposed making the Middle East a region free of all weapons of mass destruction.] [In the name of YHVH, and for love of YHVH, Jews should renounce the production, acquisition, and use of biological weapons, and should demand destruction of all existing weapons.] [Text of Convention] [For more information, see U.N. Disarmament of Weapons of Mass Destruction website; Biological and Toxin Weapons Convention website; Sipri Chemical and Biological Weapons Project: Biological and Toxin Weapons Convention Mainpage; Chemical and Biological Weapons Nonproliferation Project website; Monterey Institute of International Studies Chemical and Biological Weapons Resource Page; Federation of American Scientists (FAS) Chemical and Biological Arms Control Program website.] [Text of United Nations Charter, chapter V, article 26] [* 4/1: Day that same-sex marriage was first legally recognized (2001).] [Same-sex marriage has been legalized in the Netherlands (2001), Belgium (2003), Spain (2005), and Canada (2005). Many countries recognize same-sex civil unions or domestic partnerships (e.g., Denmark (1989), Norway (1993), Sweden (1995), Greenland (1996), Hungary (1996), Iceland (1996), France (1999), South Africa (1999), Germany (2001), Portugal (2001), Finland (2002), Liechtenstein (2002), Croatia (2003), Israel (2004), Luxembourg (2004), New Zealand (2004), the United Kingdom (2004), Switzerland (2005), Andorra (2005), and Slovenia (2005)). In the U.S., the state supreme courts of Hawaii (1993), Vermont (1999), and Massachusetts (2003) ruled that the bar to same-sex marriage violates their state constitutions. Subsequently, Hawaii has adopted (1998), and the Massachusetts legislature has proposed (2004), a constitutional amendment banning same-sex marriage. The Hawaii and Vermont legislatures were given the option of recognizing civil unions, which Hawaii (1997) and Vermont (2000) both adopted. California (1999), D.C. (2002), New Jersey (2004), Maine (2004), and Connecticut (2005) have also legalized same-sex civil unions or adopted same-sex domestic partnership laws. However, some U.S. states have passed constitutional amendments banning same-sex marriage (e.g., Alaska, Nevada, Missouri, Louisiana, Arkansas, Georgia, Kentucky, Michigan, Mississippi, Montana, North Dakota, Ohio, Oklahoma, Oregon, Utah, and Kansas), and others have statutes or judicial decisions banning same-sex marriage. A federal statute (Defense of Marriage Act -- 1996) bans same-sex marriage under federal law and allows states to not recognize same-sex marriages contracted elsewhere.] [For more information, see the Wikipedia website.] [Congregations of Reformed Judaism and congregations of Reconstructionist Judaism perform same-sex marriage ceremonies. Some congregations of Conservative Judaism also perform same-sex marriage ceremonies.] [For more information, see the Religious Coalition for the Freedom to Marry website.] * 4/7: World Health Day--Day to pray for healing of all those chronically and seriously ill; day to advocate for adequate health care for all. [Day the World Health Organization (W.H.O.) was founded in 1948.] [For information on World Health Day, see World Health Organization website; UN Dag Hammarskjold Library website.] [For information on the World Health Organization, see World Health Organization website.] * 4/22: Earth Day--Day to honor the Earth and to meditate on Deity manifesting as Mother Earth. [a/k/a International Earth Day, National Earth Day] [For information about Earth Day activities, see Earthday Network website; Envirolink website; U.S. government website for Earth Day; U.S. E.P.A. website for Earth Day.] * 4/22: Day the world's nations guaranteed asylum to those persecuted in their homelands on account of their ethnicity, religion, or political opinion (1954). [Convention Relating to the Status of Refugees: signed 7/28/1951; entered into force 4/22/1954.] [Text of Convention] [For more information, see United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees website; Human Rights Watch website.] * 4/23 eve to 5/1 eve: Passover/Pesach--Jewish festival recalling their deliverance from slavery in Egypt and celebrating freedom from oppression. [Observed with dietary restrictions, the Seder meal (representing their hardships), and recitation of the Haggadah (relating the Exodus).] [a/k/a Pesah, Feast of Unleavened Bread] * 4/29: Day production and use of chemical weapons was outlawed world-wide (1997); day to mourn their victims. [Convention on the Prohibition of the Development, Production, Stockpiling and Use of Chemical Weapons a/k/a Chemical Weapons Convention: signed 1/13/1993; entered into force 4/29/1997.] [Israel is believed to currently possess chemical weapons in spite of the Treaty's prohibition. Israel has not ratified the Treaty. On 4/16/2003, Syria proposed making the Middle East a region free of all weapons of mass destruction.] [In the name of YHVH, and for love of YHVH, Jews should renounce the production, acquisition, and use of chemical weapons, and should demand destruction of all existing weapons.] [Text of Convention] [For more information, see U.N. Disarmament of Weapons of Mass Destruction website; Organisation for the Prohibition of Chemical Weapons webpage; Sipri Chemical and Biological Weapons Project: Chemical Weapons Convention Mainpage; Chemical and Biological Weapons Nonproliferation Project website; Monterey Institute of International Studies Chemical and Biological Weapons Resource Page; Federation of American Scientists (FAS) Chemical and Biological Arms Control Program website.] [Text of United Nations Charter, chapter V, article 26] * 5/5: National Day of Prayer--Day to pray for freedom of expression, freedom of religion, and separation of religion and government throughout the world. [For an overview of U.S. Supreme Court cases on freedom of religion under the U.S. Constitution, see First Amendment Cyber-Tribune.] [For information on religious freedom in countries around the world, see U.S. State Department International Religious Freedom Report; Oslo Coalition on Freedom of Religion or Belief.] [For the text and more information on the Constitution's First Amendment, see Cornell University's Legal Information Institute website; First Amendment Online website and 1st Amendment.com website.] [For information on organizations that advocate for freedom of religion, see Americans United for Separation of Church and State website; American Civil Liberty Union website; Human Rights Watch website.] * 5/6: Holocaust Remembrance Day--Day to mourn Jewish victims of genocide and anti-Semitism, make peace, and celebrate empowerment of Jewish Americans. [a/k/a Yom Hashoa] [See BBC Analysis: "Genocide Under the Nazis".] * 5/12: Day the first woman was ordained a rabbi in Conservative Judaism (1985). [Rabbi Amy Eilberg] * 6/3: Day the first woman was ordained a rabbi in Reform Judaism (1972). [Rabbi Sally Priesand] * 6/8: Remembrance day for Moses de Leon (d. 1305), Kabbalistic mystic. He ardently loved Einsoph, the one universal Deity, made up of the Tetragrammatan (God-Goddess Yod-Heh-Vau- Heh). [He also conceived of the one universal Deity as the Tree of Life (11 Divine Sephiroth).] [Birthday & death day unknown] * 6/11: Birthday of Mordecai Kaplan (1881), founder of Reconstructionist Judaism. He perceived Deity to be a genderless Cosmic Force of Nature, and promoted a Judaism that recognizes gender equality. [Death day 11/8/1983] * 6/12 eve to 6/14 eve: Shavuot/Feast of First Fruits--Jewish festival of thanksgiving for the first fruits of the grain harvest; originally, loaves of bread were offered to God-Goddess Yahweh (Nehushtan-Asherah). Also commemorates Moses' receipt of the Ten Commandments. [a/k/a Shavuoth, Feast of Weeks, Feast of Harvest, Hebrew Pentecost] * 7/1: Day the world's nations committed to stop proliferation of nuclear weapons (1968); vigil to protest the production and use of all nuclear weapons world-wide. [Treaty on the Non-Proliferation of Nuclear Weapons: signed 7/1/1968; entered into force 3/5/1970.] [Israel has developed nuclear weapons in spite of the Treaty's prohibition. Israel has not ratified the Treaty. On 4/16/2003, Syria proposed making the Middle East a region free of all weapons of mass destruction.] [In the name of YHVH, and for love of YHVH, Jews should renounce the production, acquisition, and use of nuclear weapons, and should demand destruction of all existing weapons.] [Text of Convention] [For more information, see U.N. Disarmament of Weapons of Mass Destruction website; International Atomic Energy Agency (I.A.E.A.) website. For information on Israel's nukes, see Federation of American Scientists (FAS) nuke guide ] [Text of United Nations Charter, chapter V, article 26] * 7/1: Day endangered species became internationally protected (1975); day to celebrate all the world's creatures. [Convention on International Trade in Endangered Species of Wild Fauna and Flora: signed/adopted 3/3/1973; entered into force 7/1/1975.] [Text of Convention] [For more information, see U.N. Environmental Programme CITES website; World Wildlife Fund website; EarthJustice website.] * 8/5: Death day of Isaac Luria (1572), Kabbalistic mystic. He taught of the Shekhina (the feminine manifestation of the one universal Deity) who restores cosmic order. [Born 1534: exact date unknown] * 8/13 eve to 8/14 eve: Tish'a B'Av--Jewish fast day mourning the destruction of the Temples dedicated to God-Goddess Yahweh (Adonai-Shekhina). [a/k/a Tishah B'Av, Fast of the 9th Day of Av] * 8/28: Opening of the Second World Parliament of Religions (1993), attended by members of all the world's religions. A Global Ethic was adopted that condemns hatred, aggression, oppression, and environmental abuses committed in the name of religion. [Text of Global Ethic] * 9/3: Day gender discrimination was outlawed world-wide (1981); day to mourn all manifestations of sexism. [Convention on the Elimination of All Forms of Discrimination Against Women: adopted by U.N. General Assembly 12/18/1979; signed 3/1/1980; entered into force 9/3/1981.] [Text of Convention] [For more information, see WomenWatch: United Nations Division for the Advancement of Women website; Feminist Majority Foundation website; Human Rights Watch website.] * 9/4 eve to 10/3 eve: Elul--Jewish month of self-reflection, peace-making, and renewal. [Jews visit cemeteries and remember their ancestors.] * 9/13: Day Israelis and Palestinians committed to peaceful coexistence (1993); vigil for true peace, justice, religious tolerance, and equal rights for all in the Middle East. [Declaration of Principles was signed by Israel & the P.L.O. on 9/13/1993.] [The History of the Palestinian-Israeli Conflict] * 9/21: International Day of Peace--Day to demonstrate for peace with justice throughout the world. [a/k/a U.N. International Day of Peace] [For more information on the International Day of Peace, see United Nations website; International Day of Peace website; International Day of Peace Vigil website.] * 10/3 eve to 10/5 eve: Rosh Hashanah/Jewish New Year (Year 5766)--Commemorates creation of the World by the one universal Deity, God-Goddess Elohim (Eloh-Eloah); begins 10 days of penitence for harm done. [a/k/a Rosh Hashana] * 10/12 eve to 10/13 eve: Yom Kippur/Day of Atonement--Jewish day of fasting, making reparation for harm done, and helping those in need. * 10/17 eve to 10/25 eve: Sukkot & Shemini Atseret/Feast of Ingathering & Assembly--Jewish thanksgiving for the fruit harvest; originally, a dance procession was made to vineyards and wine was offered to Deity. Also commemorates the years in the wilderness after leaving Egypt. [a/k/a Sukkoth, Feast of Tabernacles, Shemini Atsereth, Shemini Atzeret] * 10/18: Day the Clean Water Act was enacted (1972); day to give thanks for the water we drink. [Pub. L. 92-500, 86 Stat. 896, 33 U.S.C. 1251 et seq.] [Text of statute] [See also EarthJustice website.] * 10/25 eve to 10/26 eve: Simchat Torah/Rejoicing in the Law--Jewish festival celebrating the Torah. [a/k/a Simhat Torah, Simhath Torah] * 11/4: World Community Day--Day for celebrating the unity behind diversity and remembering we are all one people - all children of the one universal Deity of many names and aspects. * 11/9 eve: Krystallnacht--Night of the Nazi attacks on Jewish homes, synagogues, and shops in Germany, beginning the persecution that would end with the deaths of six million Jews (1938); night for meditating on the evil of all religion-based hatred. * 11/17: Fast for an Abundant World Harvest--Day to fast and commit to action to help prevent deaths from malnourishment world-wide. [a/k/a Fast for a World Harvest] [For more information, see the Oxfam America website.] * 11/24: Thanksgiving Day--Day to give thanks for the abundance of our land and for our food, clothes, shelter, and health. * 12/1: World AIDS Day--Day to pray for healing of all those suffering with AIDS and HIV. [For information on World AIDS Day, see World AIDS Day website. For information about the global fight against AIDS, see UNAIDS website.] [For information on HIV/AIDS and Human Rights, see Human Rights Watch website.] * 12/10: Day the Universal Declaration of Human Rights was adopted, and fundamental rights were recognized world-wide (1948). [The U.N. General Assembly adopted the Universal Declaration of Human Rights (U.D.H.R.) in Resolution 217 A(III).] [a/k/a International Human Rights Day] [Text of Declaration] [For more information on the history of the U.D.H.R., see Franklin & Eleanor Roosevelt Institute website.] [The U.D.H.R. is generally recognized as binding customary international law. In 1966, the concepts of the U.D.H.R. were expanded and drafted into two binding international treaties with enforcement mechanisms. The Covenant on Civil and Political Rights [text of Covenant] is enforced by the Human Rights Committee [see Human Rights Committee website; University of Minnesota Human Rights Library website] and the United Nations High Commissioner for Human Rights. [See Office of the High Commissioner for Human Rights website; Human Rights Watch website.] The Covenant on Economic, Social, and Cultural Rights [text of Covenant] is enforced by the Committee on Economic, Social, and Cultural Rights. [See Committee on Economic, Social, and Cultural Rights website.] * 12/15: Day the Bill of Rights became part of the Constitution, guaranteeing fundamental rights to all (1791). [a/k/a Bill of Rights Day] [Text of Bill of Rights] [For more information about the Bill of Rights and the U.S. Constitution, see U.S. National Archives & Records Administration website and the Bill of Rights Institute website] [For information on organizations that advocate for enforcement of rights and liberties in the Bill of Rights, see Center for Constitutional Rights website; American Civil Liberties Union website.] * 12/17: Day the Clean Air Act was enacted (1963); day to give thanks for the air we breathe. [Pub. L. 88-206, 77 Stat. 392, 42 U.S.C. 7401 et seq.] [Text of statute] [See also EarthJustice website.] * 12/25 eve to 1/2 eve: Hanukkah/Festival of Lights--Jewish festival commemorating their struggle for religious freedom and re-dedication of the Temple of Jerusalem to God-Goddess Yahweh (Father, Mother, Son & Daughter). Menorah candles are lit. [Also commemorates the end of the olive harvest and the Winter Solstice.] [a/k/a Chanukah, Channukah] * 12/28: Day the Endangered Species Act was enacted (1973); day to mourn those creatures already extinct. [Pub. L. 93-205, 87 Stat. 884, 16 U.S.C. 1531 et seq.] [Text of statute] [See also EarthJustice website.] [The Jewish holy scripture is the Tanak (Hebrew Bible), which includes the Torah (Law), the Neb'im (Prophets), and Kethubim (Writings). Another holy book that reflects Jewish oral tradition is the Talmud. Jews believe that Deity is a unity, but recognize that Deity has many attributes. The Jewish Sabbath (Shabbat) is from Friday sundown to Saturday sundown. On the Sabbath, Jews attend temples or synagogues to hear readings from the Torah. Jews also abstain from labor and use this time for prayer and study of the Torah. Home rituals are also performed. The Four Covenants with God are a foundation of Judaism. Jews follow the Ten Commandments. Beliefs, ritual practice, and the length of Jewish holidays vary between Orthodox Judaism, Conservative Judaism, Reform Judaism, Reconstructionist Judaism, Liberal Judaism, Progressive Judaism, and Humanistic Judaism. The Kabbalah (also known as Kabbalism) is the mysticism of Judaism.] [The Jewish calendar (also known as the Hebrew calendar) year is a lunisolar year. In order to harmonize the lunar months with the solar year, some years (ordinary years) have 12 months, while other years (leap years) have 13 months. The Jewish year and Jewish months begin at, or one day after, the New Moon. Jewish days begin and end at sundown. This Jewish calendar includes all days observed by any Jewish denomination for that holiday. It also includes dates commemorating the lives and teachings of Jewish mystics.] [Please note: Because this calendar is an interfaith calendar, the term "God" is used only when referring to a male Deity. The term "Deity" is used to refer to a gender-neutral Deity or a Deity that encompasses both male and female characteristics.] [Information in brackets is not found in the printed calendar.] * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * About the Feminine Aspect of Deity... Biblical & Apocryphal Sources: Non-Biblical Sources: * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * Permission to use and distribute these excerpts is granted for non-commercial purposes, provided the following information is included: Excerpted from © 2004 Page Two, Inc. For information contact Page Two, Inc.: |
All Gods and
Goddesses The One
Deity The One
Deity Deity is Deity is Deity is Deity is With all
that Deity is Mystery
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