December Universal Human Rights Month Advent is a four week period of purification in preparation for spiritual rebirth.  On the first Advent Sunday the first of four outer candles (the one to the east)  is lit in a magic circle of greenery.  This “circle cross “ is a symbol of the Earth, esoteric ruler of Sagittarius.  On Christmas Eve the fifth candle is lit in the center.  Four elements combine to become a fifth: Divine Spirit.

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1  Greek festival of Poseidon, the god of earthquakes, of the sea and of rebirth, Bounding bush ceremony-Cherokee (dancing from Midnight to Sunrise), Wuwuchim-Hopi ritual of emergence begins at Sunset and last 8 days, Day of Pallas Athena or Minerva- maiden Goddess of knowledge and truth, St. Eloi. St Eligius

2 Hari Kugo-broken needles festival in Japan (women’s crafts and tools), All Patron Goddesses of Japanese Craftswomen, St. Bibiana.

3 Cybele Bona Dea Roman festival of the good Goddess of Justice for Women. It's traditionally celebrated only by women, Ceres, Feast of Fauna-Goddess of fertility- Greece

4 Festival of Pallas Athena, the Roman Goddess of wisdom and of the arts (Pallas was her female lover who died and she revered her so, that she put her lover’s name with hers), Ritual of Thoth invoking the power of Ra; the Great ones  banish the enemy (shadow) of Seth, St. Barbara/ Lady of Amboto (Basque) brings storms to clear away psychic discord, St. Osmund. Minerva, Chango(Yoruban God of Lightning Bolts)

5 Poseidea Festival, Lucina(Goddess of Light)  Sinterklass Faunus and Fauna

6 Thor, Festival of Nicholas, an aspect of Odin, leader of the hunt, who rides the heavens on a chariot drawn by reindeer. Nicholas has become the contemporary Santa Claus, children put wooden shoes out to be filled with gifts In gnostic tradition it is a day to attain a higher spiritual dimension through frequent sex. Birth of Amitabha- comic Buddha of compassion, First feast of St. Lucia. Feast of Osiris, Sixth day of the moon/month is dedicated to the mothers

7   Demeter, Haloia of Demeter St. Columbia patron of Scotland (telepathic communication with animals), Mevlana in Turkey (whirling dervishes), St. Ambrose.

8 Today is sacred to Astraea, the Greek goddess of justice. Feast of Kore, Poseidea-Greek festival of Poseidon, Conception of the daughter Goddess, Mahayawa festival of Buddha’s attaining Nirvana, Festival of the Mayan Mother Ixchel-Mexico, St. Anne’s immaculate conception of Mary, Hari No Kuyo-Japan (woman’s day of rest, recreation), Birthday of Amasatru, Sun Goddess- Japan. Festival of Neith(Ancient Egyptian Earth-Goddess of the Delta)

9 Dionysia-Greek festival of Dionysus, Feast of St. Sirius, Feast of Tonantzen-Mexican , Mother of Health (Virgin of Guadeloupe).

10 Lux mundi, the Roman festival of the light of the world, and of the French goddess Liberty, Day of the going forth of Hathor (the white Goddess brings life, stability, well being, Day the Universal Declaration of Human Rights was adopted, and fundamental rights were recognized world-wide (1948). Moon Festival Inuit feast to Sedna, sea and underworld Goddess to appease soul of killed seals.

11 Gaia, earth festival honoring Goddesses and Gods of the natural world, Bruma - Roman Goddess of the Winter Season, Arrianhod, The Snow Queen Goddess, Yuki Onne

12 Coatlique, Tonantzin, The Black Madonna, Zorastrian Fire Festival, First Appearance of Our Lady of Guadalupe, Mother of God and Mother of the Oppressed, at the former shrine of Aztec Moon Goddess Coatlicue (Mexico 1531). Pilgrimage to the mountain shrine sacred to Tonantzin, Aztec Goddess of corn, Earth and sky. (or) First Appearance of Our Lady of Guadalupe, Mother of God and Mother of the Oppressed, at the former shrine of Aztec Moon Goddess Coatlicue Masa’il Baha’i feast of Questions. Hari No Kuyo, Isis, St Lucy's Eve

13  Festival of Demeter, 2nd festival of St. Lucia (Lucy),  Swedish “Queen of Light” and Sun Goddess dressed in white and crowned with candles. Koto-Hajime Japanese beginning of things, house clearing, decorating for the new years. Ides of December, Runic half-month of Jara begins The rune Jara is of completion and union between spiritual and temporal elements. Feast of Belisama, A Day of Demeter- Greece, Hawk maiden begins her dance of rebirth dedicated to Spider Woman.

14 Day of offering in the desert, noon ceremony of reunion with the Sun; grape juice is shared. Halcyon Days- a time of tranquillity (seven days before and after solstice should be calm and peaceful-pay attention to dreams).

15 Alcyone, festival of the Greek goddess Alcyone, the first of fourteen halcyon days, when peace reins. Consualia-Roman winter sowing festival, Soyal, Festival of Navidades, Hope festival of new life, 8 days of fasting, concentration, silence to prepare for the return of the Kachina Spirit guides. Shivaratri new moon preparation.

16 Festival of Sapientia/ Sophia, the goddess of wisdom. St. Januarius. Las Posadas Athena, Kista, Maat, Minerva, t he Shekinah, Spider Woman(Hopi Tribe), Hawk Maiden(Hopi Tribe), Posadas, Soyal Ceremony

17 Roman festival of Saturnalia- a time of sexual license, extravagance and general debauchery when wisdom will probably cease to be commonly found (origin of carnivals). Festival of Rhea-Greek-Aegean.

18 Our Lady of Solitude, patron of hermits, Mexico.  Eponalia -Celtic Mother Goddess, patron of Horses, Devi (Latvian God),

19 Opalia-Roman festival of Ops (Goddess of fertility), Festival of Tsijolaj (Messenger of the Sun God, Chichicastenango, Guatemala, Festival of Quetzalcoatl, Mayan feathered serpent god. Posadas, Mexico Sankrant(Hindu Goddess)

20  Norse Night of the Mother festival, when dreams are prophetic. Midwinter Eve, Smoking house with sage, cedar, hanging holly boughs, pine wreaths, mistletoe, bathing in herb water, Soyalangwul (Establishing life anew for all the world). Hopi solstice; silence, fasting concentration. Tsao Chun- God of the kitchen range St Thomas' Eve The Mother Night

21 Winter solstice, Yule, midwinter, Angeronalia, Alban Arthuan, Druidic festival of Alban Arthuan, when gifts are bestowed on those less fortunate than ourselves. fourth station of the year is a time of enlightenment, when light is reborn in the womb of darkness. This is the shortest day of the year, Soyal, Hopi Kachina spirit guides return, Awehai Kachina night dances. Birth of Mithras, Persian God of light and guardian against evil. Rhiannon gives birth to the sacred son Pryderi, Isis rebirths Horus, Demeter gives birth to Persephone; The earth goddess gives birth to Dionysus, Amaterasu (Japan) comes out of her cave. Birth of King Arthur The Turning Point. Beiwe/Rohanitza, Hertha,  Rural Dionysia, St Thomas,  Divalia, The Horned God

22 The Celtic tree month of Ruis ends. International Arbor Day. Hopi & Zuni Soyala New Year Festival of purification and renewal. Homes are cleaned, fires doused, and personal restraint is observed. Day of Women’s awakening-Indonesia. St. Catherine of Siena, Demeter, Hopi & Zuni Soyala New Year Festival of purification and renewal. Homes are cleaned, fires doused, and personal restraint is observed

23  Secret of the unhewn stone, end of Saturnalia, Today is the only day of the Celtic calendar not ruled by a tree. Balomain(Kalish Demi-God), Day of Hathor, Roman festival- Laurentina Ceremony (Roman Mother of the Lares)or of the dead and of seed corn, patroness of the year and life to come, Fools Day (England) when the town’s fool sits on the throne and the king goes into hiding as a simulated death. Sanghamitta day in honor of the Buddhist nun who brought a branch of the Bodhi tree to SriLanka where it has flourished for over 2,000 years.  Day of Mistletoes Celtic “day out of time“ between the old and new years.

24 The Celtic tree month of Beth begins- the birch tree is a time of purification and birth, the going forth of the Bab-Mehyet (Dolphin) Modraniht “Night of the Mothers” (Anglo-Saxon), Poseiden II Noumenia-Greek festival hnoring all the Gods and Goddesses, Christmas eve . Adam & Eve's Day

25 Juvenalia-Roman, Celebration of Astarte, Athena, Nut, The goddess month of Astraea ends Happy Christmas, Yule- Anglo-Teutonia festival honorihntg Freyr and Freya (Deities of fertility) and the new born Balder (God of Light) with evergreen, fires and feasting, Birth of Horus, Isis gives birth to the Sun, Dies Natalis Invictis Solis- Birthday of the Invincible Sun, Recording of prophetic dreams during the 12 nights of Yule. Lutzelfrau and Perchta(German Yuletide Witches)

26 The goddess month of Hestia begins, St. Cronos, St. Stephen, patron of stonecutters, Junkanoo mummer parade, Kwanzaa- Umoja 1st of 7 days. First Day of Yuletide, Frau Sonne, Igaehindvo, The Star Faery, Sunne, Yemaya Boxing Day,  Hunting the Wren, , Haloa, Ariadne, Feast of Athena-as protector and defender

27 Birth of Freyja(Norse Goddess of Fertility, Love and Beauty) St. John the Divine (or the Apostle or Evangelist), Kwanzaa- Kuchichagulia. Feast of Aphrodite and Hermes- to honor the divine feminine and divine masculine in harmony.

28 Childermas- Feast of the Holy innocents Bairns day, the runic half-month of Eoh (yew tree) begins The rune of Eoh signifies the dead Today is the least lucky day of year, and no work should be undertaken, Kwanzaa- Ujuma.

29  Kwanzaa- Ujamaa, Evening Ghost Dance Day of Nymphs, Andromeda, Ariadne, Artemis

30  Kwanzaa- Nia.

31  New year's eve, Hogmanay, Asatru twelfth night-the festival of Hogmagog, the god of the sun. At the last minute of the old year, all doors should be opened to release the spirits of the year gone by, Joya E: Buddhist temple bells ring 108 times at midnight, Fire Dance- Samoa, Hestia/Vesta/Vestalia to honor the Goddess of the Hearth fire, Noche De Pedimento wishing night- Oaxaca, Sharaf Baha’i feast of Honor. Kwanzaa- Kuumba, Hecate’s Day . Asatru Twelfth Night St  Silvester's Eve Yemaya, Feast of Father Time- who ultimaltely overcomes us all.