11/27/2012

Full Moon in Gemini and Partial Eclipse


Blessings of the upcoming Penumbral Lunar Eclipse on November 28th at 6:43am (PST).  May all the changes it brings be gentle and beneficial to you!

Celebration of Loy Krathong


The word Loy means "to float", and Krathong are the creations of flowers, banana leaves, candles and incense pictured above.  Participants launch these vessels thanking the Goddess of the Waters and seeking forgiveness for any wrongs of the past year.  This celebration is held on the evening of the Full Moon of the 12th Thai lunar month.  (November 28th this year.)  You can read more about this Thai festival here:



(Photo copyright Autan)

11/20/2012

Ancient rock sculptures discovered in Maharashtra, India


Quote from the news article:
"There are more than 60 big and small images of Mother Goddess, birds and animals, found in a single location of around 20,000 square feet, considered one of the biggest such concentration anywhere in the country. . .The most striking carving is of a 15-foot tall Mother Goddess with all the internationally known symbols indicating her status."




(Photo copyright IANS news service)

11/19/2012

Thanksgiving Prayer to the Earth


Iroquois Prayer of Thanks
 
We return thanks to our mother, the earth,
which sustains us.
We return thanks to the rivers and streams,
which supply us with water.
We return thanks to all herbs,
which furnish medicines for the cure of our diseases.
We return thanks to the corn, and to her sisters, the beans and squashes,
which give us life.
We return thanks to the bushes and trees,
which provide us with fruit.
We return thanks to the wind,
which, moving the air, has banished diseases.
We return thanks to the moon and the stars,
which have given us their light when the sun was gone.
We return thanks to our grandfather He-no,
that he has protected his grandchildren from witches and reptiles,
and has given us his rain.
We return thanks to the sun,
that he has looked upon the earth with a beneficent eye.
Lastly, we return thanks to the Great Spirit,
in whom is embodied all goodness,
and who directs all things for the good of all.
 
Traditional Iroquois



(photo of reconstructed Iroquois longhouse, by Crawford Lake Conservation)

11/12/2012

Enrollment Reminder

 
To be included in our December 1st enrollment, please have your applications in by Sunday, November 25th.  This will be the last enrollment this year and will resume again on February 1st, 2013.  Thank you - we look forward to hearing from you!
 

11/08/2012

Fuigo Matsuri (Bellows Festival)

 
Hettsui-No-Kami is the Japanese Goddess of the cookstove, also referred to as a kamado. Kamados (like the photo above) were used for cooking beginning in the Kofun period, around 250-538 C.E., and the name literally translates to "place for a cauldron."  They were made from the earth and fueled either by wood or charcoal. 

Hettsui-No-Kami's Shinto festival is held on November 8th.  Ask Her blessings on your hearth and home today!



You can find more Goddess festivals on our site:  In Her Name