SACRED THREADS

Ancient traditions .. rituals .. ceremonies .. festivals .. religious practices .. customs .. that have survived through the ages ...

The Hopi and The First Phase of Creation.

In November the Hopi Indians of Northern Arizona celebrate the first phase of the process of creation.

Wu-wu-chim marks the beginning of the Hopi ceremonial year.

Wuwuchim means to generate .. to manifest... The ceremony begins before dawn .. before the lip of the sun touches the horizon .. and returns from the underworld .. to be reborn giving us a new day.

It begins with the New Fire Ceremony ... The red coals from the ceremonial fire are used to light the fires in the Kivas .. the ceremonial underground chambers.

During the ceremony the Hopi use corn meal and ritual smoking as offerings .. to give thanks to Taiowa, the creator ... and the Catsina, the spirits and deities who are under the creator's domain.

As the Hopis give thanks they barter with the gods asking them for bountiful crops .. good weather .. or to help them with their problems.

To make sure that the creator and the deities receive their offerings and their requests .. the Hopis use Pahos...
Pahos is a sacramental object... It consists of a feather from eagle or wild turkey and is attached to a string of native cotton.

It symbolizes the thread that connects the people to the Great Spirit.

The ceremony begins in fire and ends in water.. as the women of the village baptize the men involved in the ceremony by pouring cold water over them.

Wuwuchim is usually celebrated sometime in mid-November.

CALENDAR

November 2008

Saturday, November 1, 2008
Mid-Autumn ... until Nov 6..
All Saints Day..
International Buddhist Film Festival ... Until Nov 9 ... Mexico city..

Sunday, November 2, 2008
All Souls Day.Aztec Day of the Dead.Jnan Panchami Day ..
Jainas celebrate knowledge, education.

Monday, November 3, 2008
St. Martin of Porres .. Feast day ... b. 1579 .. Lima, Peru .. d. 1639.Mystic .. endowed with gifts of aerial flight and bi-location.

Tuesday, November 4, 2008
Baha’i feast honoring the one Deity as Qudrat--Divine

Wednesday, November 5, 2008
First Quarter Moon

Monday, November 10, 2008
Birth .. Martin Luther (1483).

Wednesday, November 12, 2008
Tewa Buffalo Dance ... until Nov 15 Birth ..
Mirza Husayn Ali Baha’u’llah .. founder of Baha’i Faith.

Thursday, November, 13, 2008
Full MoonBirth .. Guru Nanak Dev Sahib .. founder of Sikh Faith.

Friday, November 14, 2008
Leonid Meteor Showers .. until Nov 20 ..

Sunday, November 16, 2008
International Day for Tolerance. (UN) ...
Alan Watts .. d. 1973 (b. 1915) .. Philosopher .. Academic .. Writer .. an important voice who helped introduce Zen Buddhism to the West.

Wednesday, November 19, 2008
Last Quarter Moon ..

Thursday, November 20, 2008
Universal Children's Day.. (UN) ...
Remembrance day for Meister Johannes Eckhart (d. 1328).

Saturday, November 22, 2008
Aldous Leonard Huxley .. d.1963 (b. 1894) .. British Writer .. 'Brave New World' .. 'The Doors of Perception' .. 'The Perennial Philosophy' .. considered the spiritual father of the Hippie movement.

Sunday, November 23, 2008
Native American Zodiac .. Beginning time of the owl people ... when the nights are long and things change .. This is a good time to cultivate concentration, optimism and enthusiasm .. and avoid overindulgence, exaggeration and greed... Until December 22.

Thursday, November 27, 2008
New Moon

Sunday, November 30, 2008
United Religious Initiative Global Assembly ... Mayapur, India ... First Sunday of Advent ..