September 2017...* 8/21 eve to 9/20 eve: Elul--Jewish month of self-reflection, peace-making, and renewal. Elul-Rosh Hashanah Truce (through Yom Kippur).
* 8/25 to 9/5: Ganesha Chaturthi--Hindu festival honoring God Ganesha (son of Goddess Parvati and God Shiva) as the Challenger - creator and remover of obstacles.* 8/31 eve to 9/3 eve: Eid al-Adha--Muslim festival of sacrifice to Allah for the good of all.* 9/2: Mindfulness Day--Zen Buddhist day for being mindful that harm to the Earth and sentient beings results from ignorance of interdependence.* 9/2 eve to 9/3 eve: Old Greek festival honoring Athena Polias and Zeus Polios as protectors of city and state.* 9/4: Labor Day--Day to reflect on the sacredness of all work and the value of ethical, meaningful employment.
* 9/6 (3:03 a.m. EDT): Full Moon (Harvest Moon).* 9/6 to 9/14: Navajo Sing--Festival in thanksgiving for the harvest. Estsanatlehi/Changing Woman is believed to represent life, and is manifested in the harvest.
* 9/8 (OC 9/21): Birthday of Blessed Mary, catalyst of liberation and redemption.* 9/8: Death day of Mother Ann Lee (1784), mystic and founder of the Shakers, who worshipped with ecstatic dance and song, and believed Deity to be Father, Son, Mother, and Daughter.* 9/9: Christian feast of St. Joachim, father of Blessed Mary and grandfather of Blessed Jesus; guide of grandfathers and elderly men.* 9/14: Birthday of Margaret Sanger (1883), non-violent advocate for education, autonomy, and responsibility concerning sexuality, reproduction, and birth control.* 9/17: Christian feast of St. Hildegard von Bingen (d. 1179), mystic who sang praises to the Holy Spirit as Grace (Caritas) and Wisdom (Sapientia). She recognized the Holy Spirit to be the feminine aspect of the Holy Trinity, and found Her everywhere in Nature.* 9/19: Appearance of Our Lady of La Salette, Mother of the Harvest (France 1846).
* 9/20 (1:30 a.m. EDT): New Moon.* 9/20 to 9/23: Iroquois Squash Ceremony--in thanksgiving for the squash harvest.* 9/20 eve to 9/22 eve: Rosh Hashanah/Jewish New Year (Year 5778)--Commemorates Creation of the World by Elohim, the one universal Deity; begins ten days of self-examination and penitence for harm done.* 9/20 eve to 9/30 eve: Muharram/Muslim New Year (Year 1439) & A’ashurah. The Five Pillars of Islam are confession, prayer, alms-giving, fasting, and pilgrimage.
* 9/21 to 9/30: 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.* 9/22 (4:02 p.m. EDT): Autumn Equinox--Marks the beginning of Autumn and point of equal daylight and darkness; celebrates the bounty of Mother Earth with feasting and aiding those in need.* 9/22: Old Slavic Dozhinki--At the end of the grain harvest, God Jarilo betrays Goddess Morana, and he returns to the realm of the dead. Morana’s anger and sadness causes the world to become dark, cold, and dead.* 9/22 to 9/23: Coya Rayni--Inca festival honoring Moon Goddess Quilla; focus is on purging sickness and evil.* 9/23: Beginning of Libra (the Scales of Lady Justice).* 9/23: Taoist festival honoring the Shen of Winds, West, and Autumn; thanksgiving is made for the harvest. Taoists believe the unity of Yin (Eternal Feminine) and Yang (Eternal Masculine) make up the psyche-matter-energy of the eternal all-encompassing Ch’i.
* 9/23 eve to 9/24 eve: Feast of Old Greek Deities Aphrodite and Hermes--Day to honor the divine feminine and divine masculine in harmony.* 9/25: Old Egyptian festival of Neter Amen-Ra-Atem, the Great God, and Neteret Amenet-Rait-Mut, the Great Goddess.* 9/25: Day Pope Francis called for Christian evangelizing to focus on service to humanity - rather than conversion (2014).* 9/28: Birthday of Confucius (K’ung Fu-Tzu) (551 BCE). He taught that societal harmony could be realized when individuals acted with loving care for family, concern for friends and neighbors, benevolence to strangers, and respect for all.
* 9/29: Feast of Michael, Angel of Protection, and Uriel, Angel of Justice.* 9/29 eve to 9/30 eve: Yom Kippur/Day of Atonement--Jewish day of fasting, prayer, reconciliation, making reparation for harm done, and helping those in need.* 9/30: Christian feast of Hagia Sophia (Holy Wisdom), Soul of the Universe, and source of faith, hope, and love.* 9/30: Birthday of Jalal ad-Din Rumi (1207), Sufi saint and poet. He believed the soul to be one with Deity, and thought ecstatic experience of Deity could be attained with music, whirling dance, and chanting Deity’s holy names.Excerpted fromTHE MYSTIC'S WHEEL OF THE YEAR 2017A Multifaith Calendar Reflecting Eco-Egalitarian Spirituality© 2016 Marija Miovskiwww.WheeloftheYear.com
