Fast away the Old year passes, Fa-la la-la la la-la la la! Hail the New, ye lads and lasses! Fa-la la-la la la-la la la! Many thanks to the School of the Seasons for much of this lore. Blessings to you, Waverly FitzGerald, for your faithful, invaluable service to us for these many, many years, … Read more
Then for the teeming quietest, happiest days of all!The brooding and blissful halcyon days!— Walt Whitman Alcyone (“al-SIGH-ah-nee”) was the daughter of Aeolus, King of the Winds, and the wife of Ceyx, King of Thessaly. Alcyone and Ceyx (pronounced “SEE-ecks”) loved each other devotedly and were never willingly apart. Nevertheless, a time came when Ceyx … Read more
Doing good to others is not a duty, it is a joy,for it increases our own health and happiness.— ZoroasterThe Autumn Equinox is celebrated by cultures and traditions around the world. In some places, this is the Taoist festival honoring the divine principles of Wind, West, and Autumn. Rituals held at this time celebrate the … Read more
Tolerance is the homage which the finite mind pays to the inexhaustibility of the Infinite.— Dr. Sarvepalli Radhakrishnan (1888-1975) On this day in 1888, Sarvepalli Radhakrishnan was born. He was an Indian philosopher and statesman. He was widely admired as a master of the English language, a spellbinding orator, a dynamic leader, and a generous … Read more
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
As you have sown, so shall you reap.— Marcus Tullius CiceroAccording to Dan Furst’s Hermes World Calendar, in the Zoroastrian calendar of ancient Persia, the day before the Sun exits Leo and enters Virgo is considered the climactic moment of Solar radiance and power, and is celebrated as the first day of the New Year. … Read more
Every man is a quotation from all his ancestors. — Ralph Waldo Emerson On the Indonesian island of Bali, today is one of the most important holidays of the year. Galungan commemorates the triumph of good (Dharma) over evil (Adharma). It is based on the myth of the demon king “Mayadenawa.” Mayadenawa was very cruel, … Read more