CAC Honors August Holy Days and Holidays | St. Clare Feast Day, Dormition of the Mother of God, and Krishna Janmashtami
This August, the Center for Action and Contemplation (CAC) embraces holy days and holidays that invite us to learn from great spiritual teachers.
St. Clare Feast Day: Discovering Mystical Wisdom
On August 11, we celebrate the Feast Day of St. Clare, St. Francis of Assisi’s spiritual and earthly companion. St. Clare let go of her fear of suffering, and any need for power, prestige, and possessions. By doing so, she came to know who she really was in God — the pathway to mystical wisdom.
To honor this feast day, we invite you to embody a prayer practice. We invite you to light a candle, sit in stillness, and pray this blessing from Clare’s third letter to Agnes of Prague:
Place your mind before the mirror of eternity!
Place your soul in the brilliance of glory!
Place your heart in the figure of the divine substance!
And transform your entire being into the image of the Godhead Itself through contemplation.
Dormition of the Mother of God: An Eastern Orthodox Celebration
[Mary] exceeds the grace and worth of all God’s creatures. There is no one greater than Mary, except (in my opinion) the blessed humanity of Christ. —Julian of Norwich, “The Showings”
On August 15, our friends in the Eastern Orthodox tradition celebrate the Dormition of the Mother of God, a holiday that commemorates Mother Mary’s ascension to heaven. Mary embodies many qualities across Christian traditions, including the boundless compassion, Divine feminine wisdom, and the courage to accept our true spiritual calling.
Step deeper into Divine feminine wisdom with this meditation from Mirabai Starr:
Krishna Janmashtami: Commemorating the Birth of Krishna
Beginning on August 16, our Hindu friends start to celebrate Krishna Janmashtami, commemorating the birth of Krishna.
The 2-day holiday of Krishna Janmashtami is celebrated by a vigil and fast on the first day. At midnight, the image of Krishna is bathed and dressed in new clothes. Temples and shrines are beautifully decorated with flowers and leaves.
If you want to learn more about Krishna and the Bhagavad Gita, we invite you to explore this meditation from our archive.
Resources to Bring You Deeper into a Season of Reflection
- Season 3 of Everything Belongs features a chapter-by-chapter exploration of Richard Rohr’s book “The Tears of Things.”
- Enrollment is open for our reimagined online course — Falling Upward: Life As a Spiritual Journey.
- Download your free Reader’s Guide to accompany “The Tears of Things.”
- Explore Engaged Buddhism in this conversation with Kaira Jewel Lingo.