is hard to do with a person, but it’s just as difficult with a group of people.

In this article, Breaking Up Is Hard to Do, Matthew Paul Turner describes how he has left religious communities.

Leaving a religious community (voluntarily or involuntarily) can be like leaving a family, with all the emotional turmoil that entails. At the same time, much like when someone grows up and does leave the family, it can also be very necessary.

This week is the 2006 Week of Prayer for Christian Unity, a week long time of ecumenical prayer for Christians that embraces the unit between denominations (Jesus Christ as the savior of humankind)and not the divisiveness (celibacy of leaders, abortion, ordination of women). The theme is that there is more that unites Christians than divides them.

Matthew 18:18-20

“Truly, I say to you, whatever you bind on earth shall be bound in heaven, and whatever you loose on earth shall be loosed in heaven. Again, I say to you, if two of you agree on earth about anything they ask, it will be done for them by my Father in Heaven. For where two or three are gathered in my name, there am I in the midst of them.”

Prayers for Unity Week

Today is World Religion Day, a holiday sponsored by the Bahai faith to encourage acknowledgement of the similarities of religious traditions.

Joan Halifax Roshi is a Zen priest and founder of the Upaya Center in Santa Fe, New Mexico.

Ironically, I didn’t meet Joan when I lived in Santa Fe, but when I took a class with her in graduate school on working with the dying. My experience with those who are dying has been limited in some ways to my work as a chaplain-in-training at a hospital outside of Boston. In other ways, I believe we are all dying, all the time, and the sooner we realize this, the easier it becomes to live with ourselves peacefully.

Joan has some lovely reflections on the words we leave with others when we die in When Goodbye is a Gift.

In this article, she writes:

I have often sat by the bedside of dying people with their relatives close, waiting for those “last words.” The threshold between life and death imparts poignancy to the utterances of the dying. Some believe the veil between this world and the next is thinnest at this time, that we can somehow penetrate the mystery of death through their experience.

You may have noticed quite a few new years festivals at this time of year, but not exactly on December 31st and January 1st. For a long time, no one agreed on what calendar to use (and in fact many religions use different calendars than the Gregorian one), but people, including farmers and early astronomers, noted the passage of time by the moon and the stars.

For Mahayana Buddhists, today is the New Year, the first full moon of January. There are other Buddhist new years (Tibetan Buddhists celebrate at the end of this month).

What do Mahayana Buddhists believe?

that any person can potentially achieve Buddhahood, which is when you ascend to the ultimate reality (nirvana);
that Siddhartha Gautama was one incarnation of the Buddha;
that negative mental states must be worked through (karma);
that evil is a result of cravings, attachments, and ignorance; and
that life is suffering, but that intense suffering may lead one to achieve nirvana sooner.

Today is Makar Sankranti, the most auspicious day of the year, a day honoring the movement of the sun from the Sagitarrius to Capricorn sign. Although the festival is celebrated differently all of India, the use of sesame seeds is ubiquitous. It is a holiday that was noted in the Mahabarata, which dates from 1478 BCE to 3106 BCE. Now that’s an old holiday.

Hindus celebrate Makar Sankrani by waking before sunrise, bathing, and worshiping the rising sun. They may ray for knowledge, wisdom, and enlightenment and blessing to live a dynamic and inspired and righteous life.

More about Makar Sankrani

Sikhs celebrate Maghi today, the occasion when more than 40 Sikhs fought for Guru Gobindh Singh Ji during an attack by the imperial army in 1705.

Sikhs often celebrate both “happy” and “sad” traditions in the same way. Maghi is officially a tragic occasion, but is honored with a three-day celebration.

Excerpted from Surf India

On the eve of Maghi falls the common Indian festival called the Lohri when bonfires are lighted in Hindu homes and alms are also distributed. However, the largest assembly, however, takes place at Muktsar (Punjab) where big fairs are organized and pilgrims take a holy dip in the sacred waters of sarovar and also visit several shrines. A mahala or big march of pilgrims from the main shrine to gurdwara Tibbi Sahib, sacred to Guru Gobind Singh, concludes the three-day celebration.

Eid al-Adha concludes the annual hajj (pilgrimmage to Mecca) and is the most important feast of the Muslim calendar. Eid al-Adha lasts for three days and commemorates Ibraham’s (Abraham) willingness to obey God by sacrificing his son.*

Muslims believe the son to be Ishmael rather than Isaac as told in the Old Testament. Ishmael is considered the forefather of the Arabs. According to the Koran, Ibrahim was about to sacrifice his son when a voice from heaven stopped him and allowed him to sacrifice a ram instead.
The feast re-enacts Ibrahim’s obedience by sacrificing a cow or ram. The family eats about a third of the meal and donates the rest to the poor. The sacrifice is a metaphor for the kinds of sacrifices we must make in order to choose the correct way of life.

*Three religions that are considered western (Christianity, Judaism, and Islam) all draw to some degree from what is often called the Old Testament.

Eid al-Adha

Today is Epiphany, a holiday that has a number of different meanings. Western Christians (Protestants and Catholics) honor Epiphany as a celebration of the three wise men, but it’s considered a fairly minor celebration compared to Christmas.

But for Eastern Christians, Epiphany is also known the feast of Theophony, one of the great feasts of the Eastern (and especially Greek Orthodox) Church, a celebration of the manifestation of the trinity.

Why does this holiday carry two different weights? It is a long story involving the combination of pagan (and I mean “pagan” in a good way) holidays with Christian and the separation of the Eastern and Western Churches. I know this separation may not mean much to most people, but let me tell you, for my Greek relatives, it sounds like the greatest event of the past 2000 years (other than the Armenian holocaust, but that’s a completely different story).

I think often we hear “Don’t complain,” “Suck it up,” and my favorite, “Get over it,” when we voice a concern, particularly anything that troubles us deeply.

But I’m particularly fond of the lament, one of at least four types of psalms. Laments describe the physical or emotional anguish of the lamentee (a word I may have just made up) and the silence of god. I would expect that no one told the lamentee to get over it. Laments were a valuable type of prayer.

Many (at least 70) of the psalms, including psalm 22, are attributed to David, around 1000 years before the common era and birth of Jesus of Nazareth. Like all powerful writing, you will probably notice that some of these words, particularly the verse line, are familiar. The new testament gospels used parts of the psalm 22 to describe Jesus on the cross.

My God, my God, why have you forsaken me?
Why are you so far from saving me,
so far from the words of my groaning?
O my God, I cry out by day, but you do not answer,
by night, and am not silent.

Yet you are enthroned as the Holy One;
you are the praise of Israel.

In you our fathers put their trust;
they trusted and you delivered them.

They cried to you and were saved;
in you they trusted and were not disappointed.

But I am a worm and not a man,
scorned by men and despised by the people.

All who see me mock me;
they hurl insults, shaking their heads:

“He trusts in the LORD;
let the LORD rescue him.
Let him deliver him,
since he delights in him.”

Yet you brought me out of the womb;
you made me trust in you
even at my mother’s breast.

From birth I was cast upon you;
from my mother’s womb you have been my God.

Do not be far from me,
for trouble is near
and there is no one to help.

Many bulls surround me;
strong bulls of Bashan encircle me.

Roaring lions tearing their prey
open their mouths wide against me.

I am poured out like water,
and all my bones are out of joint.
My heart has turned to wax;
it has melted away within me.

My strength is dried up like a potsherd,
and my tongue sticks to the roof of my mouth;
you lay me in the dust of death.

Dogs have surrounded me;
a band of evil men has encircled me,
they have pierced my hands and my feet.

I can count all my bones;
people stare and gloat over me.

They divide my garments among them
and cast lots for my clothing.

But you, O LORD, be not far off;
O my Strength, come quickly to help me.

Deliver my life from the sword,
my precious life from the power of the dogs.

Rescue me from the mouth of the lions;
save me from the horns of the wild oxen.

I will declare your name to my brothers;
in the congregation I will praise you.

You who fear the LORD, praise him!
All you descendants of Jacob, honor him!
Revere him, all you descendants of Israel!

For he has not despised or disdained
the suffering of the afflicted one;
he has not hidden his face from him
but has listened to his cry for help.

From you comes the theme of my praise in the great assembly;
before those who fear you [e] will I fulfill my vows.

The poor will eat and be satisfied;
they who seek the LORD will praise him—
may your hearts live forever!

All the ends of the earth
will remember and turn to the LORD,
and all the families of the nations
will bow down before him,

for dominion belongs to the LORD
and he rules over the nations.

All the rich of the earth will feast and worship;
all who go down to the dust will kneel before him—
those who cannot keep themselves alive.

Posterity will serve him;
future generations will be told about the Lord.

They will proclaim his righteousness
to a people yet unborn—
for he has done it.

for the Middle Ages was The Book of Hours. It’s a set of devotional prayers to Mary.

I went to an exhibit about the Book of Hours at the Getty today. Apparently there are thousands of books of hours that exist from Medieval days and rich people can buy pages or the entire book (and apparently then they take photos of them that are not in the public domain, because I can’t find one illustration for this). Other than a calendar, prayers for every three waking hours to Mary (and some before 6 a.m.!), the book of hours could contain several pslams and a litany of prayers for the dead.

If you owned only one book in the middle ages, this was it! Take that Publisher’s Weekly!

Often I become tethered to semantics because I believe words are important. What is spirituality? What is a philosophy? What is a religion? Is a religion the same as a way of life? If religious practices are fully integrated into one’s life will a religion then become a way of life? Is that then more of a philosophy?

Buddhanet has some answers to the question: Is Buddhism a Religion?

To many, Buddhism goes beyond religion and is more of a philosophy or ‘way of life’. It is a philosophy because philosophy ‘means love of wisdom’ and the Buddhist path can be summed up as:

(1) to lead a moral life,
(2) to be mindful and aware of thoughts and actions, and
(3) to develop wisdom and understanding.

from A Five-Minute Introduction to Buddhism

I might be hard pressed to identify the most misunderstood religion in the United States, but Wicca/Neopaganism would be a top contender. Many Christian sources in North America link Neopaganism to Devil-Worship. This is wildly incorrect.

The Wiccan religion, also known as “The Craft,” “Wicca,” “Benevolent Witchcraft,” and “The Old Religion” is a diverse and decentralized religion that is part of contemporary Paganism. Today, there are thousands of individuals and groups practicing various forms of the Wiccan religion and other Pagan paths throughout the United States, Canada and around the world.

There are many forms of the Wiccan religion. Hereditary, Shamanic, Gardnerian, Alexandrian, Celtic, Traditionalist, Dianic, Faerie, and Eclectic are just some of the variety of Wiccan traditions, or paths. In addition to Wiccans, Contemporary Paganism includes Pantheists, Goddess spirituality folk, Druids, Animists, Gaians, Eco-feminists, and other Nature Spirituality practitioners. Within most Wiccan and other Pagan traditions, there are a variety of types of groups as well as individual practitioners. Groups differ widely in size, structure, purpose, orientation, symbology, ritual practices, and other ways. There is even more variation among those practicing Wiccan/Pagan spirituality on their own without being part of a group that meets regularly. Some Wiccan and Pagan traditions are initiatory; others are not. Initiatory practices vary from tradition to tradition and include initiations by deities and spiritual helpers through dreams and vigils/vision quests, self-initiations, and initiations by teachers and groups.

Although there are many differences, there are also some spiritual practices and philosophies that Wiccans and other Pagans tend to have in common. They love and respect Nature and seek to live in harmony with the rest of the ecosphere. Many have personal communication and friendships with various animals, plants and other lifeforms. They honor the cycles of Nature. Many do rituals at New and Full Moon times and also at the eight seasonal Festivals, called Sabbats, spaced six to seven weeks apart throughout the year and coinciding with the Solstices, Equinoxes and midpoints between, usually called the “Cross Quarters.” Samhain, popularly known as Halloween, is the New Year in most Wiccan traditions.

excerpted from Selena Fox at Circle Sanctuary

History of Wicca

Graphics courtsey of Abby Willowroot and the Goddess Project

Gantan-sai or Shogatsu is a New Year’s festival celebrated in Japan. The holiday lasts seven days and involves praying for renewal of the heart and of health, including visits to shrines.

A family celebrates Shogatsu here.

A Hajj is a pilgrimage to Mecca that all Muslims are required to perform at least once in their lives. The Hajj is one of the five pillars of Islam. This year, the Hajj can be performed around January 18.

Su’ad Abdul-Khabeer, a twenty-two-year-old recent college grad, kept a journal of her Hajj, her pilgrimage to Mecca.

Khalid Latif is a Muslim Chaplain at New York University and is also performing a Hajj this year.

What is a Hajj?

I find it fascinating how interpretation seems to be just about everything with sacred writings. The Muslim Women’s League has an interesting position paper in which they discuss various interpretations of these verses from the Qu’ran:

Men shall take full care of women with the bounties which God has bestowed more abundantly on the former (men), than the latter (women) and with what they may spend out of their possessions. (4:34)

and

Men shall have a benefit from what they earn, and women shall have a benefit from what they earn. (4:32)

Women in Society: Economic Rights

I was at the Skirball last night, which got me thinking about humanism in general, and humanistic judaism.

Humanistic Jews affirm that:

Human beings possess the power and responsibility to shape their own lives independent of supernatural authority. In other words, not all Humanistic Jews believe in a God: Your own beliefs are up to you.A Jew is a person who identifies with the history, culture, and future of the Jewish people.

Judaism is the historic culture of the Jewish people.

Jewish history is a human saga, a testament to the significance of human power and human responsibility.

Jewish identity is best preserved in a free, pluralistic environment.

The freedom and dignity of the Jewish people must go hand in hand with the freedom and dignity of every human being.

excerpted from Humanistic Judaism on Religious Tolerance.

“Matunda ya kwanza” is Swahili for “fruits of the harvest.”

Seven Principles of Kwanzaa

Umoja — Unity
Kujichagulia — Self-Determination
Ujima — Collective Work and Responsibility
Ujamaa — Cooperative Economics
Nia — Purpose
Kuumba — Creativity
Imani — Faith

Kwanzaa Primer
An interview with Maulana Karenga, founder of Kwanzaa

Ha! This is fun. Many Hanukkahs with friends during my childhood helped out with this quiz.

Put on Your Yarmulka, Here Comes Hanukkah

I’m celebrating Winter Solstice this year (tomorrow, December 21), more out of a theological alignment than a religious conversion. The UU church I grew up in always celebrated St. Lucy (Santa Lucia) on Christmas in a melding of the two traditions.

Here’s one ritual suggested in from Celebrating the Light

Seeds of Light
1. Place a large candle unlit in the center of the table or floor.
2. Sit in front of it, or if doing this in a group, have everyone sit in a circle around it. Everyone present should have their own small candle.
3. Turn all lights out. Experience the feeling of sitting in utter darkness–the silence, the stillness, the inwardness. If children are present, have them say out loud what it feels like (soft, scary, cold). Ask them to imagine what life would be like without the sun, and share their answers aloud.
4. Now consider all the gifts the sun brings us. Again, if children are present, have them call out what comes to mind.
5. Contemplate how the seed of light is even now being born within the womb of darkness. (An adult can explain to children how the wheel of the year is now turning towards the light.) Light the central candle with a taper.
6. Now each person in turn lights their taper from the Sun candle and wishes out loud for three things they would like to have happen in the coming year: make a wish for yourself, a wish for someone you know, and a wish for the planet.
7. Now the room is filled with light and warmth. Finish the celebration with seasonal song, circle dance, or food.
8. At the end of the gathering, individual candles can be snuffed out with the reminder that the flame continues to burn brightly within our hearts. If possible, let the central candle stay alight throughout the night (with obvious safety precautions!) to welcome back the Sun.

May peace and plenty be the first to lift the latch on your door and happiness be guided to your home by the candle of Christmas.

– Irish Blessing

Celebrating Solstice
Light Born out of Dark