February 2010...
* 1/29 to 2/6:
Navajo Sing. * 1/31 eve to 2/2 eve: Imbolc/St. Brigid’s Day. * 1/31
eve to 2/3 eve: Mid-Winter/Groundhog’s Day/Candlemas. * 2/1 to 2/14:
Old Greek festival of God Dionysos, in which vines were pruned and
sprinkled with wine, accompanied by ritual singing and dancing. * 2/1 to 2/28:
February dedicated to Old Roman God-Goddess Februus-Februa - purifier and
protector of the home. Homes were cleaned and blessed, offerings of reparation
were given, and peace was made. * 2/1 to 2/28: Ethnic Equality
Month--Time to honor all peoples and their positive traditions; time to meditate
on the equality of all peoples, on the respect due to them, and on
God-Goddess manifesting as African, Asian, Oceanic, Middle Eastern, European,
Hispanic, and Native American. * 2/2: Yoruba/Santeria feast of Oya,
Orisha of Death and Rebirth. * 2/2: Death day of Marija Gimbutas (1994),
archeologist who studied Old European Goddess-God spirituality. * 2/3:
Setsubun--Shinto rite in which good fortune is invoked and evil exorcised.
Shinto try to live in harmony with the cosmic forces of the Kami. *
2/4: Vigil for true peace, religious tolerance, and equal rights for all in
Sri Lanka - following its 26-year civil war. * 2/6: Mindfulness Day--Zen
Buddhist day for being mindful that you, and all that is, are in the process of
transformation. * 2/6: Day to mourn all the women and children who have
been subjected to female genital mutilation. * 2/7: Baha’i feast honoring
the one Deity as Mulk - Sacred Dominion. Baha’is believe in the oneness
of all humanity. * 2/7: Birthday of Frederick Douglass (1817),
non-violent advocate for the rights of African Americans. * 2/10 to 2/16
(OC 2/6 to 2/12): Carnival/Meat Fare--Christian time of feasting, dancing, and
revelry. * 2/11: First appearance of Our Lady of Lourdes, Lady of
healing waters (France 1858). * 2/11: Day the first woman was consecrated
an Episcopalian bishop in the U.S. (1989). * 2/11 to 2/12: Mahashivaratri--Hindu
fast, night vigil, and feast for God-Goddess Shiva-Shakti (union of
Will and Power), who dances to create, destroy, and re-create the
Universe. Tantric Hindus believe Shiva is within all men and Shakti
within all women. * 2/12: Birthday of Charles Darwin (1809), biologist
and evolutionary; day to meditate on the unity of science and spirituality. *
2/12 eve to 2/15 eve: Old European Lunar New Year--Celebration of the
Triple Goddess (Goddess of the Moon and the Seasons) being transformed from
the Crone into the Virgin; celebrated with ritual bathing of
divine images. * 2/13 (9:51 p.m. EST): New Moon. * 2/13: Sojong
Day--Tibetan Buddhist day of fasting, confession, and reparation for harm done.
* 2/13 to 2/15: Lupercalia/St. Valentine’s Day--Old Roman festival of
God-Goddess Faunus-Fauna; merged with the Christian feast of St.
Valentine - celebrating love of all kinds. * 2/14 eve to 2/15 eve:
Remembrance day for Rabi'a al‑bint Isma'il 'Adawiya (717‑801), Sufi saint and
preacher; she loved Deity passionately. Sufis seek Truth through love, wisdom,
and action. * 2/14 to 2/17: Hsih Nien/Suhl/Tet--Chinese and East Asian
Lunar New Year (Year 4708: the Tiger). * 2/14 to 2/28: Losar/Tibetan
Buddhist New Year (Year 2137: the Iron Tiger) & Monlam Chenmo/Great Prayer
Festival--Commemorates miracles performed by the Buddha. Rituals, dances,
and sculptures are offered to drive out evil spirits and to protect and benefit
all sentient beings. * 2/15: Nehan--Zen Buddhist celebration of the
Buddha’s paranirvana (483 BCE). * 2/15: Birthday of Susan B. Anthony
(1820), non-violent advocate for the rights of women and African Americans. *
2/17: Toshigoi--Shinto rite honoring the Kami and offering prayers
for a bountiful rice harvest. The Kami are manifestations of the one
universal, primordial and eternal, immanent and transcendent Deity, Kuni-Tokotachi-no-Kami.
* 2/17 to 2/18 (A 3/30 to 3/31): Old Egyptian festival of Neteret
Bastet, Cat Goddess who fosters domestic harmony. * 2/17 to 2/25:
Iroquois Mid-Winter Ceremony--for continuation of all life-sustaining things.
Iroquois believe Awenhai/Sky Woman created the Sun, Moon, and Stars from
Her body. * 2/17 to 4/1 (OC 2/15 to 3/27): Ash Wednesday (fast day) and
Lent--Christian time of purification by self-reflection, peace-making,
reparation for harm done, and helping those in need. * 2/18: Death day of
Michelangelo (1564), painter of the Sistine Chapel (where Our Father is
shown embracing Our Mother while reaching out to humanity). * 2/18:
Birthday of Ramakrishna Paramahansa (1836), Hindu mystic who fervently loved
Great Goddess Maha Devi - Mother of God, Mother of Nature, Elemental
Matter, and Cosmic Power. He recognized Her immanence in all, and knew Her to be
a manifestation of the one universal Deity. * 2/19: Beginning of Pisces
(the Fishes). * 2/19: Day the President ordered the internment of loyal
Japanese Americans during World War II (1942); day to mourn Asian victims of
internment and exclusion (past and present), make peace, and celebrate
empowerment of Asian Americans. * 2/19 eve to 2/20 eve: Feast of Old
Greek Goddess Artemis - as creatrix, midwife of birthing creatures,
protector of the young, and punisher of child abusers. * 2/22: Caristia--Old
Roman festival for renewing family ties and patching up quarrels. * 2/24 eve
to 2/27 eve: Anthesteria--Old Greek festival honoring Dionysos as
Plouton, God of the Dead, and welcoming the visiting dead from Elysium. *
2/24 eve to 2/28 eve: Jewish fast of Esther, Shabbat, and fest of
Purim--Recalls a planned massacre of Persian Jews and their deliverance by Queen
Esther; time for helping those in need. * 2/25 eve to 2/26 eve: Mawlid
al-Nabi--Day commemorating the birth of Muslim Prophet Muhammad (570). He
conceived Deity to be a compassionate, genderless unity. * 2/25 to 3/1:
Holi--Hindu festival celebrating the courting of God Shiva by Goddess
Parvati, and the efforts on Her behalf by Kama (God of Love) and
Rati (Goddess of Passion). Shaivas are devoted to God Shiva in all
His aspects. * 2/26 to 3/1: Ayyam‑i‑Ha--Baha’is prepare for the Fast with
festivities, gift-giving, and helping those in need. * 2/27 eve: Vigil
for lost children; night of mourning and healing. * 2/28 (11:38 a.m.
EST): Full Moon (leaf/Seedling Moon). * 2/28: Children’s Day--Day to give
love and thanks to all children; day for all children to celebrate their youth
and contemplate their sacred duty to learn all they can, to aid their parents
whenever needed, and to become responsible adults. * 2/28: Old Slavic
Velja Noc/Great Night/New Year’s Eve--Spirits of the dead visit their living
relatives, overseen by Veles, Lord of the Dead. Morana and
Jarilo are born of Solntse (Goddess of the Sun) and Perun (God
of the Sky). * 2/28 to 3/7: Navajo Sing.
* * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * *
Permission to use and distribute these excerpts is granted for non-commercial purposes, provided the following information is included:
Excerpted from
THE MYSTIC'S WHEEL OF THE YEAR 2010
A Multifaith Calendar Reflecting Eco-Egalitarian Spirituality
© 2009 Marija Miovski
www.WheeloftheYear.com
