| Menu | Mithraic Lent | 4020.02 |
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I suggest Western Mithraists could take up the custom of a Mithraic Lent. This would be a period of time in which we would withdraw from our usual dependencies on the outside world. The purpose of the Mithraic Lent would be to test the ability of the Mithraic individual and community to survive when the outside world is hostile. For ancient northern folk, the winter season could be a harsh one, where little food was available. We depended for our survival on what we had stored away during better times. In our modern setting perhaps the Mithraic Lent would be a time when we stopped relying on public shops and supermarkets and tried not to take our piped water supply and electricity for granted. Instead we would rely on food and supplies that we had stored up in previous months. The Mithraic Lent would be a time to challenge those of us living in peaceful urban Western societies where the food never runs short, and the electricity supply rarely falters, to consider how we might manage if one day life takes a turn for the worse. How would be eat if the shop shelves ran empty? What would we drink if water didn't come out the tap? How would we cook and keep warm without electricity and gas on supply? How do we manage if the air is not safe to breath? Dealing with these issues once a year would perhaps make us better prepared for future eventualities. Provisionally I suggest that the period of the Mithraic Lent should last from the 1st February, marking midwinter and celebrated as Mithraic Candlemas Day until the 20th/21st March, the date of the Spring Equinox, celebrated as Ostara or the Mithraic Easter. NB This is a period of about 50 days - a bit longer than the Jesuchristian Lent's 40 days. |