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May 1st is the Festival of Beltane in the AJC, along with other churches and religions, notably many neopagan traditions. Beltane is a Celtic holiday marking the beginning of summer and the coming of prosperity. This festival is marked with the lighting of purifying bonfires and, in some places, the dancing of the May Pole.
Coming on the heels of Easter, for me Beltane is about rededication. A few weeks ago we celebrated the resurrection and redemption of the Christ. Seen in terms of our own redemption the Festival of Beltane reminds us of the next step on our path to Gnosis. The Christ is symbolically born-again at Easter in order to be purified and prepared for the coming year at Beltane.
Let us take this opportunity to reflect upon our path and purify our hearts for the journey ahead. Prepare yourself for the coming year by setting goals and working towards them. What do you think is a good way to celebrate this festival? I’d love to hear your methods.
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When:
- Saturday, May 26, 2007, 10:00 AM
Where:
- Universalist Unitarian Church of Haverhill
- 15 Kenoza Avenue
- Haverhill , MA 01830
- 978-376-5921
In May we will be discussing the second part of the Secret Book of John. Please download the .pdf from the Files section of the Meetup group and bring your questions and insights for discussion. Members of the Meetup group get a special MP3 version of the reading that they can listen to on their iPod or whatever you crazy kids use to listen to your music 
Part one of our Secret Book of John discussion ended with the creation of Yaltabaoth the Demiurge (or chief archon, as this text calls him) though the error of Sophia. Thus part two begins with Yaltabaoth creating archons for himself. It goes on to name the archons that he creates and their powers, and ends with the creation of the first perfect man, Adam. Not much goes on to further the action of the story here, but this section is filled with detail and symbol that can be poured over for years. We’re only taking one month, but it’s a start!
We have the UU church again for this month’s meeting so we will be performing the Service of the Logos for the first time. That can also be found in the Files section. Here’s what we need:
- Someone to volunteer to read the reading (Done: Eric)
- Someone to bring coffee (Done: Abby)
- Someone to bring a snack (Done: Pam)
I’ll handle the printed material and the supplies for the Logos Service. Please RSVP either Yes, No, or Maybe. It really helps us plan for our meetings. Please also not the slight shift in the time of the meeting, we changed it in order to give people more time to travel.
And as always, please contact me with any question, comments or concerns!
I thought I’d post some pictures here of the AJC Conclave East. The above photo is, from left to right: Rev. Mr. Anthony Silvia, Bishop +Sean McCann, Fr. Scott Rassbach+, and Bishop +William Behun.
Click here for more pictures.
Due to light attendance at the March meeting we will be doing the reading at the April meeting that we had planned to do in March. Check the Files section to download the March 2007 reading.
When:
- Saturday, April 21, 2007 at 9:30 AM
Where:
- Dunkin’ Donuts
- 727 Main St
- Haverhill , MA 01830
