Sharing the Music of What Happens
By Mary C. Daly, RSM
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“So, Finn,” said the Celtic warriors to their leader, “What do you think is the best music in the world?” “The best music,” he said, “is the music of what happens.”
And so we launch the prayer series on the Celtic Year to listen deeply to that music as it happens in the unfolding seasons of the year. The Celts, like many indigenous people, had a sense that the world that struck their senses was imbued with and could lead them to the knowing of a deeper reality. It was a sacramental outlook, letting what struck their senses open a deeper world. The early Christian monks successfully suggested to them that the reality at the heart of it all was the Judeo-Christian God, that it was the Three in One Trinity. The Christianity they embraced was able to incorporate many of the traditions of their culture.
Mercy by the Sea offers this new series to help us see life through the Celtic spirit, seeing life in a deeply creative way as holding the presence of the Divine. We have fallen out of belonging with ourselves, one another and creation. Gathering helps us cultivate a sense of communion with ourselves, with others, and with the natural world, living more in harmony with cosmic forces as sacred moments. The Equinoxes and Solstices along with the cross-quarter days midway between them gives us a rhythm to align with, to be aware of. There is a wisdom in the ebb and flow of the cycle that is offered to us – these are threshold times inviting us to see, hear, live more whole-y and holy. Come join us:
Celtic Prayer Service
February 1, 5:00 to 6:00 p.m., Imbolc is the celebration of returning light and re-awakening energy of spring, also honoring Saint Brigid and Candlemas. Register here.
March 19, Spring Equinox recognizes night and day when light and darkness are equal.
April 30, Bealtaine represents the gateway to the bright half of the year, the beginning of summer and expansiveness within us and within the natural world.
June 20, Summer Solstice marks the triumph of light over darkness, the complete blossoming and fruition of the seeds sown.
August 1, Lughnasadh inaugurates the harvest season, the successful outcome of the working relationship between the people and the land.
September 23, Autumn Equinox celebrates the completion of harvesting, a time to give thanks.
November (date TBD), Samhain initiates the beginning of the Celtic Year. This time of darkness and season of non-doing is a time dedicated to connection with our ancestors, those who have journeyed before us.
December (date TBD), Winter Solstice begins the journey of continual sinking and letting go, deeply surrendering to the Holy present in the darkness.
To register for the Friday, February 1 gathering, please visit: www.mercybythesea.org or call Guest Services at (203) 245-0401 ext. 114. A free-will offering is appreciated.