There are rituals that are one in a lifetime (as birth or death), that are almost daily (cooking or working) and that are cyclical, following the year wheel, trailing the seasons. All this world of rituals and celebrations could be weaved in what we call a calendar.
A unique metaphysics informed every culture and society. It is enacted through its religious expressions (rituals & celebrations). When I speak about a new calendar, I speak about a new religious manifestation for Butterfly Communities. In the Living Universe metaphysics, Nature and Life are sacred, Nature is seen as a nourishing Womb. The new religion, through its rituals and art, will enhance and nourish this new understanding. The rituals and celebrations will follow the seasonal cycle of birth / flowering / fruit-bearing / death / return to the bosom of Nature / (and again) birth. The celebrations will be intertwined with the Solar cycles (Winter solstice, Spring equinox, Summer solstice and Autumn equinox) and will match the cycle of human/Nature’s life: birth and childhood / youth / maturity / ripening and death / return to the bosom of Nature.
This calendar divides the year in five seasons:
First season: “the Bosom of Nature”
(circa 25 Nov – 17 Feb) (12weeks+1/2days)
Second season: “the Childhood”
(circa 18 Feb – 28 April) (10 weeks)
Third season: “the Youth”
(circa 29 April – 7 July) (10 weeks)
Forth season: “the Maturity
(circa 8 July – 15 Sept) (10 weeks)
Fifth season: “the Ripening”
(circa 16 Sept – 24 Nov) (10 weeks).
Any division of the year into months, weeks and days will inevitably have a degree of artificiality. I chose this division in five seasons because it seems to me it better follows the cycle of Nature and human life.
The year will start with “the Bosom of Nature”, matching the Winter, when it seems that Nature is searching the power for a new blooming deep inside its roots, where its mystery lies. Then it will continue following the stages of life: Childhood, Youth, Maturity, Ripening and Death.
Also, I give each week an important meaning in the cycle of the year: each week we will celebrate a quality of the Cosmic Dynamic. Celebrating each week a quality of our spiritual Universe, we could become aware of them and evolve towards them consciously. That is why I expanded the last week of the year to 8 or 9 days to have “exactly” 52 weeks for 52 celebrations of our spiritual Universe. The last week of “the Bosom of Nature” will have 8 or 9 days (for a leap year).
In the first season, “Bosom of Nature”, we celebrate the Mystery and Wonder of Life. In this season we have the following months:
Month 11: (Return to) “The Bosom of Nature”. In the following weeks, we are celebrating:
Week 49: the Destruction of what is old and outdated
Week 50: The Death
Week 51: the Return to the Bosom of Nature
Week 52: Resurrection (in this 8 or 9 days week we celebrate Winter solstice too, marking the return of Light and the beginning of a new Life Cycle). After the Winter solstice our year properly starts
Month 1: The Mystery of Life
Week 1: the Mystery beyond the Universe (this week marks the beginning of the New Year, around 24 Dec)
Week 2: the Wonder of Universe
Week 3: the Universe tendency toward holism and harmony
Week 4: the Love as the main quality of Life. (Love as attraction, allurement, gravitation, electric and magnetic forces, intra-atomic forces etc.)
Month 2: The Magic of Life
Week 5: the Potentiality of Life
Week 6: the Conscience of Life
Week 7: the Synergy of Life
Week 8: the Creativity of Life
The second season: “The Childhood”. This season we are celebrating the childhood, the birth, the blooming, the Joyfulness and Playfulness of Life
Month 3: The Blooming of Life
Week 9: the Birth of Life (first day of this month we have the The Blooming of Life Festival to celebrate the children between 0-5 years)
Week 10: the Blooming of Life
Week 11: the Curiosity of Life
Week 12: the Playfulness of Life
Week 13: Love as longing for connection, experience, playfulness. We celebrate the Spring equinox
Month 4: The Joyfulness of Life
Week 14: the Enchantment of Life (first day of this month we have the the Joyfulness of Life Festival to celebrate the children between 5 and 10 years)
Week 15: the Joyfulness of Life
Week 16: the Inventiveness of Life
Week 17: the Innocence of Life
Week 18: the Power of Life
The third season: “The Youth”. This season we are celebrating the Liberty and Courage of Life; the Dignity, Autonomy and Responsibility of each member of The Great Circle of Life. We are celebrating the Evolution. We are celebrating erotic Love.
Month 5: The Courage of Life
Week 19: the Unpredictability of Life (first day of this month we have the The Courage of Life Festival to celebrate children between 10 and 15 years)
Week 20: the Liberty of Life
Week 21: the Courage of Life
Week 22: the Autonomy of each life member
Week 23: the Responsibility of each life member
Month 6: The Love
Week 24: the Intrinsic Value of Life (first day of this month we have the The Love festival to celebrate the teenagers from 15 to 20 years)
Week 25: the Dignity of each Life member
Week 26: the unique allurements of each Life member
Week 27: Love as Erotic attraction. Summer Solstice
Week 28: the Evolution of Life
The fourth season: “The Maturity”. This season we celebrate the Nurturing power of Life, its diversity, resilience, adaptability. (Life creates conditions conducive to Life)
Month 7: the Tenacity of Life
Week 29: the Synergy of Love (first day of this month we have the the Tenacity of Life Festival to celebrate our young adults from 20 to 35 years)
Week 30: the Nurturing power of Life
Week 31: the Imagination of Life
Week 32: the Symbiosis of Life
Week 33: the Tenacity of Life
Month 8: the Openness of Life
Week 34: the Diversity of Life (first day of this month we have the the Openness of Life festival to celebrate our members between 35-50 years)
Week 35: the Resilience of Life
Week 36: the Adaptability of Life
Week 37: the Openness of Life
Week 38: the Connectivity of Life
The Fifth season: “The Ripening”. This season we celebrate the Harmony, Abundance, Wisdom and Blessing of Life
Month 9: the Harmony of Life
Week 39: Love as Friendship. The Autumn equinox. (first day of this month we have the the Harmony of Life Festival to celebrate our elders between 50 and 70 years)
Week 40: the Acceptance of others uniqueness/diversity
Week 41: the Integrative capacity of Life
Week 42: the Harmony of Life
Week 43: the Abundance of Life
Month 10: the Wisdom of Life
Week 44: the Wisdom of Life (first day of this month we have the the Wisdom of Life Festival to celebrate our elders over 70 years old)
Week 45: the Reflectivity of Life
Week 46: the Blessing of Life
Week 47: the Hope of Life
Week 48: the Meaning of Life
It is important that each day to have a meaning for us too:
Day of Life (first day of the week)
Day of Sun/Fire (first second of the week)
Day of Water/Rivers/Lakes/Rain/Oceans (third day of the week)
Day of Air/Wind/Spirit (fourth day of the week)
Day of Earth/Soil/Rocks (fifth day of the week)
Day of Plants and Animals (sixth day of the week)
Day of Humans (seventh day of the week)
Each day, in the morning and in the evening, we celebrate 3 rituals: of the day, of the week (celebrating the powers of Cosmic Dynamic) and of the month (celebrating the special powers of Life)
There will be 8 rituals of passage: We will celebrate them on the first day of each month.
Full Moon ritual: We will celebrate it outside, at the middle of the night. It relates with the Mystery of the Universe and Life and as a gratitude to the Moon.
Other rituals that are performed whenever are needed: Wedding, Farewell, Blessing of the newborn, Death and burial, The healing power of Life, Election, different rituals for different cases of Collaboration (for example a ritual before a Sociocratic meeting etc.)