August 2010...
* 7/14 eve to
8/19 eve (7/28 peak): Delta Aquarid Meteor Showers. * 7/29 eve to 8/17
eve (8/12 peak): Perseid Meteor Showers. * 7/31 eve to 8/2 eve:
Lughnasadh--Old Celtic/Irish Feast of Goddess Tailtiu and God Lugh
(Deities of Sustenance and Light). The Celts would throw seven sacred
woods into a fire in honor of the Gods and Goddesses. * 7/31 eve to 8/7 eve:
Mid-Summer/First Harvest/Lammas--Festival of thanksgiving for the first of the
grain harvest; celebrated by offering the first fruits of the grain harvest and
prayers for sustenance for all. * 8/1: Baha’i feast honoring the one
Deity as Kamal - Perfection. * 8/2 (A 9/12): Old Egyptian festival
of Neteru Amen (God of transcendent powers) and Hapi (God of the
Nile River); offerings were made to ensure the needed flooding of the Nile
River. * 8/2: Feast of the Black Madonna. * 8/3 eve to 8/9 eve:
Panathenaea--Old Greek festival of Goddess Athena - as daughter of
Wisdom (Goddess Metis) and font of reason. * 8/4 to 8/7: Zuni
Corn Dance--in thanksgiving to Mother Earth, the Kokos (Nature
Spirits), and the Corn Maidens for the maize harvest. * 8/5: Death
day of Rabbi Isaac Luria (1572), Kabbalistic mystic. He taught of the
Shekhinah, the feminine manifestation of Ein Soph, the unknowable
infinite being that created the Universe. Because the Shekhinah has
become separated from Ein Soph, there is chaos and injustice in the
world. But the Shekhinah will restore cosmic order with the reunification
of the Godhead. * 8/6 (OC 8/19): Transfiguration Day--Christian feast
celebrating the revelation of Lord Jesus as the Cosmic Christ and
friend to all humanity. * 8/6: Day to mourn those harmed by the atomic
bomb attacks on Japan (1945); day to advocate for world-wide prohibition of all
weapons of mass destruction. * 8/6: Day the Voting Rights Act became law
(1965) - register to vote! * 8/6 to 8/7 (A 9/16 to 9/17): Old Egyptian
festival of Neter Thoth, God of Knowledge and Wisdom. * 8/7:
Mindfulness Day--Zen Buddhist day for being mindful that desire for power over
others results from ignorance of interdependence. * 8/7: Gaia
Consciousness Day--Day to meditate on Mother Earth as a living planet. *
8/8: Vigil for democracy and respect for the human rights of all in
Burma. * 8/9 (11:08 p.m. EDT): New Moon. * 8/9:
World's Indigenous Peoples' Day--Day to celebrate the
empowerment of indigenous peoples world-wide; vigil for justice and respect for
the social, cultural, and political rights of all indigenous peoples.
* 8/9 to 8/15: Iroquois
Green Corn Ceremony--in thanksgiving for the maize harvest. * 8/10:
Remembrance day for Nicholas of Cusa (d. 1464) - Christian mystic who believed
all Creation to be the unfolding of Deity. * 8/10 eve to 9/8 eve:
Elul--Jewish month of self-reflection, peace-making, and renewal. * 8/10 eve
to 9/9 eve: Ramadan--Muslim month of purification by self-reflection,
fasting from sunrise to sunset, peace-making, and helping those in need. The
Five Pillars of Islam are confession, prayer, alms-giving, fasting, and
pilgrimage. * 8/11: Christian feast of St. Clare of Assisi (d. 1253),
guide of environmentalists. * 8/12: Day Pope Pius XII proclaimed the
theory of evolution to be consistent with Catholic teaching and Christian faith
(1950). Pope John Paul II concurred. * 8/13: Birthday of Lucy Stone
(1818), social worker and non-violent advocate for women’s rights. * 8/15:
Kaza Matsuri--Shinto rite honoring the Kami of Wind. * 8/15 (OC
8/28): Assumption Day--Christian feast commemorating Blessed Mother Mary
rising into Heaven and being crowned Queen of Heaven and Earth. * 8/15:
Day India was partitioned into India and Pakistan, and Kashmir joined India over
Pakistan’s objection (1947); vigil for true peace, justice, and religious
tolerance for all in South Asia. * 8/15 eve to 8/16 eve: Feast of Old
Greek Goddess Artemis - as defender of rights and liberties, and punisher
of rapists and oppressors. * 8/17: Vigil for peace, justice, religious
tolerance, and respect for the human rights of all in Indonesia. * 8/17:
Birthday of Rabbi Zalman Schachter-Shalomi (1924), founder of the Jewish Renewal
Movement. * 8/19: Vinalia--Old Roman festival of thanksgiving for the
first of the grape harvest; celebrated by offering the first fruits of the grape
harvest and prayers for sustenance for all. * 8/19: Dakas’ Day--Day
Tantric Buddhists make offerings to the Dakas and Father Tantra; day to unite will and
power to manifest positive social change and environmental healing. * 8/19:
World Humanitarian Day--Day to honor humanitarian workers world-wide,
particularly those who have lost their lives in service to others; day to aid
those in need of food, medicine, and shelter due to natural disaster, disease
outbreak, civil unrest, or poverty. * 8/19
eve to 8/20 eve: Remembrance day for Khadijah bint Khuwaylid (d. 619
or 623), Mother of Islam: first convert to Islam, partner of Prophet Muhammad
in monogamous marriage, mother of Fatimah, and liberated businesswoman. *
8/20: Baha’i feast honoring the one Deity as Asma’ - Sacred Names.
* 8/20: Birth of the White Buffalo (1994), signaling the return of
White Buffalo Woman (manifestation of Star Goddess Wohpe) who gave
the sacred peace pipe to the Lakota people. * 8/21 eve to 8/22 eve: Old
Greek festival honoring Athena Polias and Zeus Polios as
protectors of city and state. * 8/22: Christian feast of Our Lady,
Queen of Angels. * 8/23: Beginning of Virgo (the Grain Maiden/Man). *
8/23: Feast of the Furies--honoring Nemesis and the Erinyes,
Old Greek Goddesses who punish murderers, abusers, and exploiters of others. *
8/24 (1:05 p.m. EDT): Full Moon (Harvest Moon). * 8/25: Old Roman
festival of Goddess Ops, Lady of the Cornucopia, Bounty of the Harvest,
and Sustainer of Life. * 8/25: Birthday of Kenneth Patton (1911), who
believed Unitarian Universalism to encompass all world religions, not just
Christianity and humanism. U.U.’s believe reason, conscience, and experience
reveal one’s spiritual path. * 8/26: Day the U.S. Constitution’s 19th
Amendment went into effect, recognizing women’s right to vote (1920). * 8/27:
Birthday of Rabbi Yisrael Ben Eliezer (Israel Baal Shem Tov) (1698), Kabbalistic
mystic and founder of Hasidic Judaism. He believed that the whole Universe and
all things are manifestations of Deity and that nothing can be separated from
Deity. * 8/27: Birthday of Mother Teresa (Agnes Gonxha Bojaxhiu) (1910),
Catholic nun who served the poorest of the poor and saw Deity in each person. *
8/28: Day of Rev. Martin Luther King, Jr.’s peaceful march on Washington,
D.C., for recognition of the rights of African Americans (1963). * 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. * 8/29: Day Against Nuclear Tests--Vigil
to demand that no nuclear testing be done, to ensure a safer, more peaceful
world. * 8/29: Birthday of Henry Bergh (1811), non-violent advocate
for animal rights; day to advocate for laws protecting animals from abuse. *
8/31: Remembrance day for Tahirih (d. 1852) - feminist, poet, scholar, and
preacher of the nascent Baha’i Faith. Baha’is recognize gender equality.
* * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * *
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
