Welcome to our Calendar of Events. This space is updated frequently, and has the most up-to-date information on current events at SHARANYA's sanctuary, and in the community. To see images from some of our past events, click here.

We welcome you to worship, meditate, attend classes and participate in other events at our sanctuary. Let us know if you'd like to help out at a puja, learn more about our tradition, or have ideas to share with us.

Puja Dates and Locations 2008 Aug 31 Sept 28 Oct 25 (Sat) - 5th Annual Kali Puja Festival Nov 30 2009 Jan 25 Feb 22 Mar 29 Apr 26 May 31 June 14 July 26 Aug 30 Sept 26 (Sat) - 6th Annual Kali Puja Festival Oct 25 Nov 29 Dec 13 Past Events: 2007 Nov 10 - 4th Annual Kali Puja NOTE: All Kali Puja celebrations take place on a Sunday, except for our Annual Kali Puja Festival, which is held on a Saturday. All pujas are at the Cultural Integration Fellowship (CIF) in San Francisco. Click here for directions.

Ongoing Open Community Puja - Devi (Goddess) Worship Our ongoing puja, or worship ceremony, is held in our sanctuary space located in San Francisco. We are dedicated in our worship to the Goddess Kali in Her myriad forms, and as She is expressed through the world's various traditions that honor the Dark Goddess, the one who holds the wisdom of the full spectrum of human beingness. Ceremony is held in the Sha'can tradition and lead by one of our Rashani (ordained priestesses). This puja infuses methods and practices from East and West in order to create a sacred space for worship and opening on the path of the bhakta, or devotee of the Divine. What to bring... Offerings for the main altar are welcome. It is customary to bring flowers, fruit, wine, or sweets and to refrain from wearing black to our public rituals. If you wish to wear a special color for Kali, we invite you to don red, a color associated with Her power and the energy of creation. You are also invited to bring an object you would like to have blessed. A sliding scale donation of $11-21 is suggested to cover the cost of the space, puja supplies and prasad (blessed food); however, no one is ever turned away for lack of funds, and any donation is happily accepted. An R.S.V.P. is requested if you would like to participate. All ceremonies begin at 5:30 p.m. No one is admitted after 5:45pm. Ceremony usually ends at 8:00pm. Call for information, including location and directions to events around the Bay Area: (415) 505-6840, or email us at info@sharanya.org. Note: Pujas are preceded by our teaching circle, Daughters of Kali. Subscribe to our Newsletter for updates on open circles and other news! New! Temple Etiquette and Good Things to Know for Puja!

NEW for 2008: If you are not in the Bay Area and/or cannot attend the monthly meetings, please stay tuned for our unveiling of an online series of classes that you can work through independently or with your current worship circle.

Learn Sanskrit!

We are now offering introductory Sanskrit classes/study groups, for those who wish to learn the devotional language of Kali Maa. The focus is on learning vocabulary and grammar in order to facilitate eventual readings of the scriptures in devanagari. Classes meet once a month at 11:00am on the day of puja. Cost is $45 for the hour. For more information, email sanskrit@sharanya.org


Monthly Calendar

All Full and New Moon dates are based on Pacific Standard Time, and festival dates are based on Sha'can tradition observances.

2008 - July

*Guru Purnima (7/18) Honor your teachers on this full moon night by lighting a candle and dedicating your spiritual practice in thanksgiving for the gifts with which they have bestowed you. Remember not only your human teachers, but also your animal and spirit guides.

*Community Kali Puja (7/27) Join us for an evening of transformative and heartfelt devotion in San Francisco! See above for details. If you can't join us physically, join us in spirit by lighting a candle and practicing this month's mantra (5:30pm - 8:00pm).

*Daughters of Kali Open Circle (7/27) Come to an open circle to learn more about our year-and-a-day training program, Daughters of Kali. The circle is FREE and open to everyone.

2008 - August

*Lammas (8/1) The first of three harvest festivals in the Celtic tradition, it commemorates the self-sacrifice of the god Lugh for His people. Celebrate by feasting on seasonal fruits and corn dishes.

Amavasya (New Moon) (8/1) in Leo, 3:22 am (PDT)

Purnima (Full Moon) (8/16) in Aquarius, 1:20 pm (PDT)

*Raksha Bandhan (8/16) This is a festival celebrated throughout India (though sometimes by different names) that honors the sacred bond between brothers and sisters. The celebration involves sisters tying a thread, usually decorated, around their brother's wrist. The thread is a symbol of her love. The brother in turn promises to protect his sister and gives her a small gift. This is a time to celebrate those who are not only brothers and sisters by birth, but also those who share our most treasured values and heart's desires.

*Independence Day (8/15) While this isn't a Holy Day per se, it is a very important date in Indian history. Join in remembrance of those lost during the fight for freedom, honor the memory of those who made it possible, including Bapu (Mahatma Gandhi), and celebrate all that you love about Indian culture. Jai Bharat Mata!

*Krishna Janmashthami (8/24) Today we honor Lord Krishna's birthday. Celebrate Shyama (Black) Krishna in resonance with the Black Goddess Kali by chanting, "He Krishna Karuna!" to the Compassionate Krishna.

*Amavasya (New Moon) (8/30) in Virgo, 12:58 pm (PDT)

*Community Kali Puja (8/31) Join us for an evening of transformative and heartfelt devotion in San Francisco! See above for details. If you can't join us physically, join us in spirit by lighting a candle and practicing this month's mantra (5:30pm - 8:00pm).

*Daughters of Kali Open Circle (8/31) Come to an open circle to learn more about our year-and-a-day training program, Daughters of Kali. The circle is FREE and open to everyone.

2008 - September

*Purnima (9/15) Full moon in Pisces, 2:13 am (PDT)

*Autumnal Equinox (9/22) Celebrated in nearly all indigenous cultures, the Autumnal Equinox is a time between light and darkness. In Neo-Paganism, it is typically a festival of the Lord of the Vine and the second of three harvest celebrations.

*Community Kali Puja (9/28) Join us for an evening of transformative and heartfelt devotion in San Francisco! See above for details. If you can't join us physically, join us in spirit by lighting a candle and practicing this month's mantra (5:30pm - 8:00pm).

*Amavasya (New Moon) (9/29) in Libra, 1:12 am (PDT)

2008 - October

*Purnima (10/14) Full moon in Aries, 1:02 pm (PDT)

*SHARANYA's 5th Annual Kali Puja Festival (10/25)This is the big one! Come share in a special celebration of the Divine Mother on the night of Kali Puja during Navaratri, the Nine Nights of the Goddess.

*New Moon (10/28) in Scorpio, 4:14 am (PDT)

*Samhain (10/31) Also known as Halloween, Samhain is the Celtic celebration of the Underworld, the beloved dead, and all witchery. It is believed that the veil between the worlds is thinnest on this day, allowing us do delve into deep divination, the dark gods, and the faery realm.

Notes *** A Blue Moon is the second full moon in a calendar month; a Black Moon is the second new moon in a calendar month. Both are considered particularly auspicious for ritual work in the Craft tradition.