October 2010...
* 10/2:
Mindfulness Day--Zen Buddhist day for being mindful that fear and hatred of
others results from ignorance of interconnectedness. * 10/2: Feast of the
Guardian Angels; day to honor one’s personal guardian and guide. *
10/2: Birthday of Mahatma Mohandas Gandhi (1869), Hindu advocate for human
rights and self-reliance, who practiced active non-violent resistance to
injustice. * 10/4: Yoruba/Santeria feast of Orunmila, Orisha of
Wise Counsel and Protection. * 10/4: Christian feast of St. Francis of
Assisi (d. 1226), and Animal Blessing Day. * 10/4 to 10/7: Tewa Deer
Dance--celebrating the cosmic duality of feminine and masculine. The Tewa
recognize gender equality and honor both male and female ancestors. * 10/5:
Day honoring Zen Buddhist philosopher Bodhidharma (470-543), who believed one
could attain Buddhahood by realizing one’s own Buddha nature. * 10/5 eve to
10/6 eve: Old Greek festival honoring Gaia and the Nymphs (the
male and female Spirits of Nature). * 10/6: Shiva Puja--Day to fast from
grains (and meat) and make offerings to Hindu God Shiva (the Creator and
Destroyer). Flowers, incense, lamps, and vegetarian food are offered; bells are
rung and drums beaten. * 10/7 (2:44 p.m. EDT): New Moon. * 10/7 eve:
Old European feast of the Triple Goddess (Goddess of the Moon and the
Seasons), marking the transformation of the Mother into the Crone.
* 10/7 to 10/10: Iroquois Squash Ceremony--in thanksgiving for the squash
harvest. * 10/8 to 10/17: Navaratri/Durga Puja--Hindu festival of Great
Goddess Maha Devi as Durga, Protector of the Powerless; celebrates
Her destruction of evil and restoration of cosmic order. * 10/11:
Birthday of Eleanor Roosevelt (1884), advocate for world-wide recognition of the
rights of all. * 10/11: Opening of Vatican II Council, during which the
Catholic Church committed to ecumenism, freedom of religion, and social justice
(1962). * 10/12 (Obs. 10/11): Columbus Day--Commemorates Europeans’
colonization of America (1492); day to mourn Native American victims of conquest
and oppression (past and present), make peace, and celebrate empowerment of
Native Americans. * 10/12: Day the first woman was ordained a Methodist
minister in the U.S. (1880). * 10/12 to 10/16: Zoroastrian celebration of
Divine Spirit Ameretat, creator and protector of vegetation. * 10/13:
Final appearance of Our Lady of Fatima, Lady of Oracles and Miracles
(Portugal 1917). * 10/13 eve to 10/14 eve: Proerosia‑‑Old Greek festival
in which fruits of all the harvest were offered to Goddess Demeter. *
10/14 to 10/28 (I 10/23): Old Norse Winter Nights Feast--The ancestors were
remembered and offerings were made to the Deities (particularly the Norns,
Freyja, and the Disir) to survive the season. * 10/15:
Makahki/Hawaiian New Year. Hawaiians believe the Akua (Gods and
Goddesses) were created by Papa/Mother Earth and Wakea/Father Sky,
who themselves were created from the chaos of Po. * 10/15 to 10/22:
Navapad Oli‑‑Jain period of fasting, recitation of holy scripture, and
meditation on the principles of right knowledge, right faith, right conduct, and
right penance. * 10/16: Baha’i feast honoring the one Deity as ‘Ilm
- Knowledge. * 10/17 (A 11/27): Old Egyptian feast of Neteret Hathor,
Goddess of Fate. * 10/17: Shukaku Matsuri--Shinto rite offering thanks
and first fruits of the rice harvest to the Kami. * 10/17:
Dussehra--Hindu festival recounting the rescue of Hindu Goddess Sita
(avatar of Lakshmi) by God Rama (avatar of Vishnu) from an
evil demon. * 10/18: Day the Clean Water Act was enacted (1972); day to
give thanks for the water we drink. * 10/18 eve to 10/21 eve:
Thesmophoria--Old Greek festival commemorating the transformation of Goddess
Kore (Queen of the Living) into Persephone (Queen of the Dead), when
She eloped to Elysium with Her partner, God Dionysos/Plouton, accompanied
by Goddess Hekate and spirits of the dead. * 10/18 eve to 10/26 eve
(10/22 peak): Orionid Meteor Showers. * 10/20: Day the Granth Sahib (Adi
Granth), the holy scripture of the Sikhs, was recognized as eternal guru (1708).
Sikhs believe the infinite and formless Deity should be sought within one’s
self. * 10/21: Day military attacks on civilians were outlawed world-wide
(1950). * 10/22 (9:36 p.m. EDT): Full Moon (Wise-Crone Moon). * 10/23:
Beginning of Scorpio (the Scorpion). * 10/24: Yoruba/Santeria feast of
Orisha Erinle, Healer of the Sick and Injured. Herbs are used for
healing. * 10/24: Feast of
Raphael, Angel of Healing. * 10/24: Day the United Nations came
into being to facilitate world-wide peaceful cooperation (1945). * 10/24:
Day the first woman was ordained a Presbyterian minister in the U.S. (1956). *
10/24 to 10/30: World Disarmament Week--Time for peaceful activism to
help end the arms race. * 10/26: Mahayana Buddhist festival of
Bodhisattva Tara/Kuan Yin/Kannon; celebrates Her attainment of
Bodhisattvahood. Buddhas and Bodhisattvas are aspects of Adi-Buddha
- the masculine and feminine, transcendent and immanent, omniscient and
omnipotent, primordial and eternal Absolute. * 10/26 eve to 10/29 eve:
Apaturia‑‑Old Greek festival in which newcomers and children were welcomed into
the community. * 10/28: Day the world’s nations committed to
bio-diversity and eco-system conservation (1982). * 10/28 to 11/3: Isia--Old
Romano-Egyptian festival recalling Set (God of Destruction) killing God
Osiris; Goddess Isis mourning Him, resurrecting Him, and
conceiving God Horus with Him; and Osiris becoming Lord of Amenta,
realm of the dead. * 10/29: Lha Bab Duchen--Day Tibetan Buddhists
celebrate the Buddha’s descent from heaven after teaching the Dharma
there. * 10/31: Day to mourn the women tortured and killed as “witches”
because of their independence, wealth, wisdom, or religion. * 10/31 eve:
Halloween--Night that the dead return to visit their families; celebrated by
children, dressed as spirits, going door to door for treats. * 10/31 eve to
11/2 eve: Old Sumerian fast recalling the descent of Inanna (Goddess
of Life) to the Underworld. Ereshkigal (Goddess of Death and Rebirth)
detained Her until She agreed to have Dumuzi (God of Life and Death)
remain there each Winter. * 10/31 eve to 11/2 eve: Samhain--Old
Celtic/Welsh New Year and feast of Cerridwen (Goddess of Death) and
Beli (the Holly King - God of the Waning Sun). * 10/31 eve to 11/7 eve:
Mid-Autumn/Day of the Dead/Hallowmas--Festival marking the transformation of
life to death - the end of the agricultural year, departure of migrating and
hibernating animals, and decay and death of vegetal and animal life. Observed by
remembering departed ancestors and contemplating one’s own mortality.
* * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * *
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
