* 10/2: Feast of the Guardian Angels; day to honor one's personal guardian and guide.
[caption id="attachment_6787" align="alignright" width="170"]
Mahatma Gandhi[/caption]
* 10/2: Birthday of Mahatma Mohandas Gandhi (1869), Hindu advocate for human rights and self-reliance, who practiced active non-violent resistance to injustice. Gandhi envisioned a world where women and untouchables would be empowered and respected, and where members of all faiths would live harmoniously together.
* 10/2 eve to 10/3 eve: Old Greek festival honoring Gaia and the Nymphs (the male and female Spirits of Nature).
* 10/4 (8:35 p.m. EDT): New Moon.
* 10/4: Christian feast of St. Francis of Assisi (d. 1226), and Animal Blessing Day.
* 10/4 eve: Old European feast of the Triple Goddess (Goddess of the Moon and the Seasons), marking the transformation of the Mother into the Crone.
* 10/4 to 10/7: Iroquois Squash Ceremony--in thanksgiving for the squash harvest.
[caption id="attachment_6789" align="alignleft" width="209"]
Tewa Deer Dancers ©Chuck Place[/caption]
* 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: Mindfulness Day--Zen Buddhist day for being mindful that fear and hatred of others results from ignorance of interconnectedness.
* 10/5: Day honoring Zen Buddhist philosopher Bodhidharma (470-543), who believed one could attain Buddhahood by realizing one's own Buddha nature.
[caption id="attachment_6790" align="alignright" width="255"]
Durga Puja Navaratri[/caption]
* 10/5 to 10/14: 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. Hindus believe all Gods and Goddesses are aspects of the limitless, attributeless, immanent, and transcendent Brahman.
* 10/10 eve to 10/11 eve: Proerosia--Old Greek festival in which fruits of all the harvest were offered to Goddess Demeter.
[caption id="attachment_6791" align="alignleft" width="193"]
Hajj[/caption]
* 10/11 eve to 10/18 eve: Hajj--Muslim pilgrimage to Mecca to honor Allah.
* 10/12: Fall Migratory Bird Day.
* 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).
* 10/14 to 10/28 (I 10/26): 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 eve to 10/18 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.
[caption id="attachment_6792" align="alignleft" width="200"]
Neter Hathor[/caption]
* 10/17: 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.
* 10/18 (7:38 p.m. EDT): Full Moon (Indigo/Wise-Crone Moon).
* 10/18 (5:48 p.m. to 9:52 p.m. EDT): Penumbral Lunar Eclipse (visible in most of North America).
* 10/18 eve to 10/26 eve (10/22 peak): Orionid Meteor Showers.
[caption id="attachment_6793" align="alignright" width="225"]
Scorpio[/caption]
* 10/23: Beginning of Scorpio (the Scorpion).
* 10/23: Chinese Buddhist festival of Goddess Kuan Yin/Kannon/Tara; celebrates Her attainment of Bodhisattvahood.
* 10/23 eve to 10/26 eve: Apaturia--Old Greek festival in which newcomers and children were welcomed into the community.
* 10/24: Feast of Raphael, Angel of Healing.
* 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.
* 10/31: 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: Samhain--Old Celtic/Welsh New Year and feast of Cerridwen (Goddess of Death) and Beli (the Holly King - God of the Waning Sun).
[caption id="attachment_6795" align="alignleft" width="300"]
Diwali[/caption]
* 10/31 to 11/3: Diwali/Lunar New Year/Festival of Lights--Hindu festival for Goddess Lakshmi (source of health, fertility, and prosperity) and Her consort, God Vishnu (the preserver); focus is on peace-making and new beginnings.
* 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.
Excerpted fromTHE MYSTIC'S WHEEL OF THE YEAR 2013A Multifaith Calendar Reflecting Eco-Egalitarian Spirituality© 2012 Marija Miovskiwww.WheeloftheYear.com
