June 2016...
* 6/1 to 6/30: June dedicated to Old Roman Goddess Juno - partner of Jove (God of Happiness), protector of marriage and family, and punisher of abusive and adulterous spouses.
* 6/4 (11:00 p.m. EDT): New Moon.
* 6/4: Mindfulness Day--Zen Buddhist day for mindfully seeing the interdependence of all things at all times.
* 6/4 eve: Old European feast of the Triple Goddess (Goddess of the Moon and the Seasons), marking the transformation of the Virgin into the Mother.
* 6/4 to 6/7: Iroquois Strawberry Ceremony--in thanksgiving for the strawberry harvest. Iroquois consider themselves kin to all of Nature.
* 6/5 eve to 7/5 eve: Ramadan--Muslim month of purification by self-reflection, fasting from sunrise to sunset, peace-making, and helping those in need. Ramadan Truce (through Eid al‑Fitr).
* 6/6: First appearance of Our Lady of the Miraculous Medal, Compassionate Mother who answers all pleas (France 1830).
* 6/7 eve to 6/8 eve: Feast of Old Greek Goddess Athena - as protector and defender.
* 6/7 to 6/15: Vestalia--Old Roman festival honoring Goddess Vesta. Women made food offerings at the sacred hearths of home and temple.
* 6/8: World Oceans Day--Day to recognize the world’s dependence on the oceans for food and medicine; day to advocate for the sustainable management of all ocean resources and for an end to the pollution of the oceans with toxins and trash.
* 6/10: Day Alcoholics Anonymous was founded (1935); day to begin/celebrate recovery from alcohol and drug addiction.
* 6/11 eve to 6/13 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 Elohim.
* 6/12: Day Tibetan Buddhists meditate on Bodhisattva Goddess Red Tara, protector against evil and harm.
* 6/13: Old Egyptian feast of Neteret Hathor, Goddess of Love and Fertility.
* 6/13: Christian feast of St. Anthony (d. 1231), guardian of the poor and the powerless, and guide of social justice activists.
* 6/15: Suijin Matsuri--Shinto rite honoring the Kami of Water.
* 6/15: Wind Power Day.
* 6/18 eve: Vigil for lost fathers; night of mourning and healing.
* 6/19: Fathers’ Day--Day to give love and thanks to all fathers; day for all fathers to celebrate fatherhood and contemplate their sacred duty to provide for the physical, intellectual, emotional, and spiritual needs of their children.
* 6/20 (6:34 p.m. EDT): Summer Solstice--Marks the beginning of Summer and the longest day and shortest night of the year; celebration of the light with dancing around a bonfire.
* 6/20 (7:02 a.m. EDT): Full Moon (Berry Moon) (Zodiac Blue Moon).
* 6/20: Old Slavic Kupala--Goddess Morana and God Jarilo marry, bringing peace and ensuring a good harvest.
* 6/20: Solar Power Day.
* 6/20 to 6/21: Inti Rayni--Inca festival honoring Sun God Inti.
* 6/20 to 6/21: Feast of the Great Spirit/Great Mystery that encompasses Mother Earth and Father Sky - honoring Deity as Orenda (Iroquois), Wakan Tanka (Lakota) & Awonawilona (Zuni).
* 6/20 to 6/23: Lakota Sun Dance--Festival of prayer, fasting, dancing, and healing in honor of Sun God Wi; offerings are also made to Maka/Mother Earth and Haokah/Father Sky. Lakotas believe all Deities are aspects of Creator Takuskanskan.
* 6/21: Beginning of Cancer (the Crab/Scarab).
* 6/21: Taoist festival honoring Shang-Ti/Heavenly Emperor, Father of Justice and Law, and manifestation of the Te (Virtuous Inner Power). Also celebrates the peak of the masculine Yang half of the year and the Shen of Fire, South, and Summer; prayers are made for strength and maturity, and offerings are made to the ancestors.
* 6/24: First appearance of Our Lady of Medjugorje, Queen of Peace, Mother of All Peoples (Yugoslavia 1981).
* 6/24 to 6/27: Zuni Corn Dance--for fertility and rains to aid the maize, bean, and squash crops. Prayer sticks are planted in the fields.
* 6/30: Oharai/Grand Purification Festival--Shinto rite exorcising evil from the world.
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Excerpted fromTHE MYSTIC'S WHEEL OF THE YEAR 2016A Multifaith Calendar Reflecting Eco-Egalitarian Spirituality© 2015 Marija Miovskiwww.WheeloftheYear.com
