𝐋𝐮𝐱𝐞 𝐒𝐥𝐢𝐦 𝐒𝐭𝐨𝐫𝐞 𝐎𝐟𝐟𝐢𝐢𝐜𝐢𝐚𝐈

Celtic Mysticism and Music

The First Oratory Retreat, Halcyon Days Celtic Mysticism and Music

May 1 is May Day or Beltane, a date with a host of holidays in its history. "The Celts of the British Isles considered it the day that divided the year in half, between light and dark, with May Day marking the return of life and fertility. Ancient Romans devoted the day to celebrating Flora, the goddess of flowers. (The SALT Team*)

A local UU congregation is celebrating and weaving together the deities of Norse mythology, along with ancient Greece's Athena, the Mayan goddess Ixchel, Lithuania's Laima-Dalia, ancient Egypt's Neith, and Spider Woman of the Diné tradition this Wednesday, [as] weaving and spinning are seen as sacred work of women, [who] weave lives and fates and entire worlds. This year for Beltane, they are honoring the Earth as they dive into how to weave a small part of this worldwide and generations long tapestry. from Unitarian Universalist Society of Amherst (UUSA)

"In the mid-nineteenth century, the international movement for workers’ rights — including the movement for the eight-hour work day — claimed May 1st as Labor Day. After the 1894 Pullman Strike, President Grover Cleveland officially moved Labor Day to September in order to disassociate it from May Day’s historic connections to the rights of workers. Today May 1st is still a day of rallies and protest in many parts of the world, and in 2006, May Day demonstrations returned to the United States, calling attention to the rights of immigrants." (The Salt Team*)

May 3 is Good Friday for many Orthodox Christians in Europe, Africa, and Middle East. The Orthodox Church calculates the date of Easter (and thus Good Friday) according to the Julian Calendar — as opposed to the Gregorian Calendar instituted in 1582 to incorporate advances in astronomy and timekeeping.

And on a lighter note, May 4 is Star Wars Day, a fan-created play on the famous Star Wars phrase, “May the Force be with you”: “May the Fourth be with you.” Not to be outdone, other fans of the franchise celebrate the beloved villains of the saga, the Sith, two days later, calling it: “The Revenge of the Sixth.”"*
*SALT is an Emmy Award winning production company dedicated to the craft of visual storytelling.

Sound & Spirit, May 2024 https://wix.to/6loz37U

Early Christian Mystics I: Practices for Finding God https://www.hartsne.org/event-details/early-christian-mystics-i