Written by the great Mabel Collins, and published by the Theosophical Society in 1923, "When The Sun Moves Northwards" reveals profound secrets of our journey through both the visible and invisible worlds. Focused on the first six months of the year, "the Six Sacred Months," from Winter to Summer, from nadir to zenith, "When the Sun Moves Northward" details a series of inner initiations, "ceremonies," available to incarnate humans, and in alignment with the turning of the seasons in the natural world. Just as there is an optimal time to plant seeds in the fecund soil of Gaia, there is an optimal time to plant seeds of growth, healing and achievement in the human soul. This is it!
"When the Sun Moves Northward" was a favorite text of the legendary American sages, Joe and Guin Miller. To ride the energy of this time, to harness the power of it, to be in alignment with the Turning of the Wheel in both the visible and invisible worlds, Joe and Guin decided upon a practice to share with each other. During the Lenten Season, starting on Ash Wednesday and ending on Good Friday, every weekday morning at 6:30 am, Joe would read Guin his favorite holy text "Tibetan Book of the Great Liberation" and every weekday evening at 6:30 pm, Guin would read Joe hers, "The Diamond Sutra."
They started off in their living room. After we discovered this was going on, there were many of us huddled together listening, meditating, every morning and every evening. Eventually, the readings moved downstairs to the Lodge's "Buddha Room." This practice went on uninterruptedly until their deaths in 1992 (Joe in August, Guin in November). Our Lodge has kept this practice going every Lenten season ever since. In later years, adapting to the times, we changed up the scheme as needed. But one way or another, for 33 YEARS we have kept the Wheel turning.
Here is the schedule for the 2026 Lenten Sutra Readings:
Friday 2/20, 6 pm: Great LiberationFriday 2/27, 6 pm: Diamond SutraFriday 3/6, 6 pm: Great LiberationFriday 3/13, 6 pm: Diamond SutraFriday 3/20, 6 pm: Great LiberationFriday 3/27, 6 pm: Diamond SutraFriday 4/3, 6 pm: Great Liberation
All 2026 Lenten Sutra Readings will be both IN-PERSON at the Lodge & ON-LINE (via Zoom).
As we get closer we will be posting information for those who want to experience the Readings via Zoom. So check back with Lodge social media or if you're on our email list, look at your inbox.
The images included here are pages from these 3 holy books, "Tibetan Book of the Great Liberation, "The Diamond Sutra" and "When The Sun Moves Northwards," along w/ pages from Joe Miller's oral commentary on the "Great Liberation," the full text of which is included in Richard Power's "Great Song: Life & Teachings of Joe Miller."
