Last Friday was Good Friday, as it is commemorated in most of the Western Christian traditions, where Easter is celebrated the first Sunday after the full moon of Aries – this year, Thursday, 6 April). Sri Kumar explained that the esoteric Passover took place directly before the Aries New Moon and it was calculated according to the lunar calendar. Therefore, Good Friday should be celebrated the Friday before New Moon as long as the festival still falls in Aries, otherwise, as this year, on the last Friday in Aries – this year, 14 April.
A moment of sunshine before rain – the Bernese Alps seen from my room – just before starting the journey to Einsiedeln
Like the last years, we did a “cleansing ritual” at the Paracelsus Centre of WTT in Einsiedeln on the “classic” Good Friday, being a festival here in Switzerland. And, also like the last years, we were two persons going.
The Paracelsus Centre is in a house at the place where Paracelsus is said to be born, next to the old “Devil’s Bridge” across the Sihl river. At our arrival we saw the effects of the land slide on other side of the bridge which recently happened besides the bridge directly below the barn of the farmhouse. There were fortification works going on. There is no danger to the bridge and the house of the Paracelsus Centre; they are built on rock.
We cleaned, washed, vacuumed and put everything back together again. Outside was also a cleaning ritual – it was raining when we went to Einsiedeln, a famous old pilgrimage centre.
Our Good Friday ritual also included lunch at the “Tulipan” opposite the monastery church, where many people, especially Kosovars, streamed out and into the restaurant as they do every year. Afterwards, we also visited the monastery church with the Black Madonna.
Later, back in the Paracelsus Centre, we read Sri Kumar’s lecture on Good Friday (PDF). And we also contemplated the pictures and descriptions of the “Way of the Cross” series in 14 + 1 tables I had painted 40 years ago. You find them here and also in my book on “Paintings” (PDF 2013), p 89ff.
Just as we finished reading, bright sunrays pierced through the dark clouds and lighted the room for some minutes – a magic moment. We concluded the stay with the evening prayer before driving home again.
