We will have a special performance of the Gnostic Mass “to Nuit” this day in celebration of the Japanese “Tanabata” Star Festival, held annually on the 7th Day of the 7th Month (July 7th).
“Tanabata celebrates the meeting of the deities Orihime and Hikoboshi (represented by the stars Vega and Altair respectively). According to legend, the Milky Way separates these lovers, and they are allowed to meet only once a year on the seventh day of the seventh month. In present-day Japan, people generally celebrate this day by writing wishes, sometimes in the form of poetry, on tanzaku (短冊 tanzaku), small pieces of paper, and hanging them on bamboo. The bamboo and decorations are often set afloat on a river or burned after the festival, around midnight or on the next day.”
Baptism and/or confirmation available today by advance request. Please email contact@williamblakeoto.org to request either sacrament.
Note: admission fee waived for first-time visitors. If this is your first time at a Gnostic Mass, it’s a good idea to read the ritual ahead of time, so you’ll have some idea of what to expect. You can also watch a video 93 Impressions of a Gnostic Mass, or a video of the full Gnostic Mass.
2:30pm
Please arrive no earlier than 2:00pm and no later than 2:25pm
$10 admission; free for dues-current WBL members.