There are both male and female protectors (dharmapāla). Protectors are very extensive. They can be dharma protectors or worldly protectors. Your teacher is a dharma protector. A worldly protector can be someone who protects your country. There are protectors of your family and your beliefs. There are your personal protectors. There are guardian protectors who give you guidance. There are many of them. There are guides for food, for a journey, for your health, and during war. All these guides are like guardian angels.

Day of the dakinis, "those who fly in space." The dakinis symbolize the female energy of enlightenment and are the inspiration of the great yogis. On this day, female energy is at its peak.

Guru Rinpoche day: Guru Rinpoche or Padmasambhava is the Buddha who established Tantric Buddhism in Tibet. At the esoteric level, he is the essence of all buddhas and masters. He is the Buddha of our troubled age, dispelling all negativities, and as such he occupies an important place in the hearts and in the practice of the Tibetans, particularly those of the Nyingma school.