I am very proud to say that I was invited to participate in the most fantastic Hambox Advent 2008! Every year Lady Hambox gives us 31 days of Holiday Inspiration. There truly is no way to describe it. You must see it for yourself.
Oh my Lordy, it's Holiday Time again. I am here to remind you that in this particularly difficult economic time, it is not only O.K. but joyfully wonderful to make your own gifts this year. In fact, why not start a new trend of making gifts for all the future holidays that will come upon us?
I just read about Brenda Hutchinson's project DailyBell2008. In this year-long project, she honors the sunrise and sunset - every day! - by ringing a bell or many bells. Her blog has wonderful videos of all the different places and ways she has rung her bells, including in the quiet of the Marin Headlands, the wild acoustics of a San Francisco parking garage, recruiting strangers in the local Starbucks, and with a big gaggle of kids and puppies across the street.
She also has a youtube channel where you can see a daily video of her bell ringing.
The various combinations of bells ringing is so beautiful. It reminds me of the wedding of my special friends Chris and Sylvia, where Sylvia and all the women in her bridal party came skipping and dancing down the aisle ringing little bells. It was so quiet and beautiful and yet also raucous and celebratory at the same time!
I also realized that I don't own a single bell!
I have been thinking a lot this week about daily practices and rituals that help me feel closer to God. I decided that chanting (I originally wrote "changing"!) with the sunrise was something I'd like to do - as chanting Hindu prayers and mantras has always been a powerful experience for me. I do find that even with that commitment and intention, I do not end up doing it every day.
So I am in awe of Brenda honoring this commitment she has made to the sun and its movements with such a beautiful and simple act.
What is a simple, spiritual act of honoring that you can do every day?
Finally got a chance to watch What Would Jesus Buy? The Church of Stop Shopping is definitely a sister to the Church of Craft.
Not just at Christmas time, but at all times of the year, it is a powerful choice to not buy, but to make instead. Craftaluja!
The Spring Equinox is approaching. We already are noticing the arrival of Spring around our home. Our bulbs have pushed their way up through the dirt and weeds that I haven't pulled(!) and opened their beautiful little flower-heads. The lambs are frolicking and knocking each other over. The plum trees are bursting with delicate, pink flowers that rain down on me as I walk by.
It makes sense that in some cultures, this is the time that the "New Year" is celebrated. One of my favorites is the Persian festival of Nowruz.
Nowruz (which means "new day") marks the first day of the Iranian calendar, and it is a celebration of new beginnings.
First the home is cleaned thoroughly - spring cleaning! This is the time to get rid of the old things that do not serve, get into all the nooks and crannies and make a sacred space of the home. I've written before about how powerful the experience of cleaning my home can be (even when I don't want to do it!).
The home is filled with flowers, particularly honoring bulb flowers like hyacinth and tulips. And tiny seedlings are started, often in egg shells! I love this idea of growing new little plants in the home in one of the most fertile symbols there is. As my husband and I continue to try to get pregnant, the though of having my home filled with new growth and symbols of fertility is very appealing!
Nowruz is a time for honoring family and ancestors, eating symbolic foods, and bringing in a healthy and prosperous new year. Being an Interfaith Minister, I enjoy learning about the traditions of other countries and faiths and, just as all artists do, interpreting it through my eyes and letting the rich history influence my own spiritual traditions.
There is a great radio piece highlighting Nowruz, where Bonny Wolf visits Najmieh Batmanglij, a Persian cookbook author living in Washington D.C. You can hear it here.
Much more detail about this holiday can be found here, including all the foods that are prepared and their meaning, as well as other objects placed on the table, like a mirror for for "cleanness and honesty," a bowl of water with a goldfish, to symbolize life within life and the sun leaving the sign of Pisces, and a bowl of water with an orange in it, which symbolizes the earth floating in space.
Enjoy the Spring Equinox (this Thursday), in any way that feels right to you. Enjoy!
