mindaTHINK: Easter Season/Counting of the Omer

In the Jewish faith, there is a 49 day period of counting, of rememberance, of growth, between the 2nd day of Pesach and the Shavuot. Pesach (PAY-soch) being the celebration of the exodus from Egypt after generations of slavery, and Shavuot, or Pentecost the celebration of the giving of the Torah or Law by God to Moses. This 49 day period is called the Counting of the Omer and begins April 19, ending June 9, 2008.

In the Christian faith, there is a 49 day period of counting from Easter Sunday, the day Christ arose from the dead and Pentecost, the day God sent the Holy Spirit to comfort and guide those who believe in Christ's resurrection. This 49 day period is called the Easter Season and begins March 23 ending May 11, 2008.

My religious heritage finds its roots in Judiasm and its branches in Christianity, and I wanted to pay respects to both of those. Therefore, I took the 26 days difference between the timing of these two 49 day period's start dates and I arrived at the date April 5, 2008.

Back in February I decided to begin a 49 day journey on April 5 to commemorate, celebrate and document my spiritual journey so far. On every day from April 5 through May 24 I will be making a journal filled with artwork and words that will in the end be a document of what I believe and how I got to this point.

I want to do this as a legacy for my family, a way of giving them my insights and testimony on my journey toward God. Its something very personal and is not intended to convert you to my beliefs.

I am led to post some of these pages and encourage others to join me. It is clear to me too that I do not wish to make this exclusive. I believe that regardless of what your beliefs are, whether based in Christianity, Judiasm, Buddhism or an avoidance of all religions of any sort, it is important to get down on paper what it is you believe and how you arrived at such a belief, as much as you can say. This spiritual legacy may very well be the most valuable tool my family will have to understand me at the very core.

So every so often during the 49 days of my journey I will post a topic. I would love to know you are joining me, so feel free to post a comment on any topics that you participate in, and if you post your page for that topic anywhere, send me a link.