The Ludi Romani

I see the better things, and approve; I follow the worse. — Ovid As we continue through the harvest festival season, and the time of year when the ancestors are remembered, we come on this date to the opening day of the Ludi Romani, also called the Ludi Magni which were held to honor the … Read more

Om Shri Ganeshaya Namah!

Please do not offer my God a peanut.— Apu, from The Simpsons Today is Ganesh Chaturthi, the festival that celebrates the birthday of the great Hindu God, Ganesh. Also known as Ganapati and Ganesha, He is the son of Shiva and Parvati. He is the Lord of success, destroyer of evils and remover of obstacles. … Read more

September’s Astrological Gifts

So long as men worship the Caesars and Napoleons,Caesars and Napoleons will duly rise and make them miserable.— Aldous Huxley, novelist, visionary (1894-1963) We welcome September, the month in the northern hemisphere where the harvest time is well underway. Now we gather the gifts of what we have sown throughout the year, and there is … Read more

The Whole World is NOT Watching, but Should Be

This is America, not Beijing. This is not being shown on the mainstream news, but it is happening. These folks are protesting — but they are not violent, they are not terrorists, they are exercising their First Amendment rights. You know. Those freedoms and rights that some people say we are fighting our wars to … Read more

Paryushana

I grant forgiveness to all living beings.May all living beings grant me forgiveness.My friendship is with all living beings.My enmity is totally non-existent.Let there be peace, harmony, and prosperity for all.— from the Kalpa Sutra, holy text of JainismDepending on sect and location, the practitioners of Jainism are now ending their most important religious period … Read more

Let Freedom Ring

This will be the day, this will be the day when all of God’s children will be able to sing with new meaning “My country ’tis of thee, sweet land of liberty, of thee I sing. Land where my fathers died, land of the Pilgrim’s pride, from every mountainside, let freedom ring!— Dr. Martin Luther … Read more

Sacred Waters

Decuman’s Well at the church in Watchet Deep well, clear water,May you hear this prayer from your sons and daughters:As you swell,Go deeper,And sweep our grief away.— Nancy Conescu Today is the feast day of the Celtic saint, Decuman. Decuman is said to have been born of noble parents from Rhoscrowther in Pembrokeshire, Wales, where … Read more

Women’s Equality Day

We ask justice, we ask equality, we ask that all the civil and political rights that belong to citizens of the United States, be guaranteed to us and our daughters forever. — Susan B. Anthony, Declaration of Rights for Women, July 1876 Today is the 88th Anniversary of passage and ratification of the Nineteenth Amendment … Read more