Calendar of the Moon
19 Duir/Skirophorion

Day of the Warrior of the Open Hand

Color: Red
Element: Fire
Altar: Upon a red cloth place a single black candle, a folded sash of any color, a yin-yang symbol, and a single flower.
Offerings: The exercise for that day's Gymnastika should be tai ch'i or some other martial art.
Daily Meal: Spare, nutritious, high-protein.

Invocation to the Warrior of the Open Hand

Not every warrior wields a sword.
Some would stand forth
With only their bodies between
Their souls and the challenge,
For a weapon sometimes invites an enemy.
On this day we honor the warriors
Who make their bodies into their weapon,
One which cannot be taken away
Save by the will of the Gods.
We honor also those who take
Words or deeds as their weapon,
And who fight on invisible battlefields
Waging peace against the tide.
We honor their courage,
We honor their spark,
We honor their persistence,
We honor their discipline,
We honor their conviction.
May we learn from their path
How to tame our own strengths
Into more honorable tools.

(Those in the House who have martial arts training should step forward and face the rest, and bow to the assembled, who bow back in return out of respect. Each then comes forth and bows before the altar, and then leaves in silence. The evening's work should include meditation upon the nature of the Peaceful Warrior, and how each relates to that way of being in the world.)

[Pagan Book of Hours]