Emma is pictured above in a recent street performance: ‘This was promoting growing and harvesting our own food – even if all we might have is a window box.' Photo: courtesy of Emma Salt
Eye - 3 January 2023
From Naming of days to A celebration!
Naming of days
Eye is always keen to learn, and one reader has shared further subtleties about a recent story.
Barry Williamson, of Chorley Meeting, writes: ‘Eye 20th of the 1st month 2023 refers to the Quaker practice of eschewing naming after pagan gods days of the week.
‘George Fox, however, claims a scriptural authority for so naming of the days. In his Epistles (XLVIII, Works 7:63) he writes: “And, my dear brethren in the covenant of life, keep to yea and nay, and (call the days,) First-day, Second-day, Third-day, Fourth-day, Fifth-Day, Sixth-day, and Seventh-day, as they were given forth, and called by God in the beginning.”
‘It is true though that early Friends did reject naming months of the year after pagan gods, preferring first-month, second-month and so on.’
Thank you Barry, for shedding further light!
A celebration!
Eye’s mailbag has been brightened by sunshine from a Friend in Forres who sent a glimpse into her life as a Quaker.
Emma Salt writes: ‘I was brought up as a Quaker and eagerly went to all the Young Quaker events across the country, and then in California when I moved there as an exchange student in the mid-nineties.
‘I found back then that young Friends were so expressive… and we always came home with multi-coloured hair, tie-dyed clothing and a few more answers to the universe, life and everything. If anything, being a young Quaker nurtured the joy in finding my individual style and happiness and gave me confidence to be myself.’
Emma is pictured above in a recent street performance: ‘This was promoting growing and harvesting our own food – even if all we might have is a window box. So I am dressed as a flower pot. I also do very serious acting, honest!’
Nettles for roses
A botanist Quaker from Leeds
Would never tell flowers from weeds.
For he claimed ‘that of God’
Was inside every clod
So it’s nettles for roses he breeds.
Alec Davison
Eye invites you to colour to your hearts content!
A space to express yourself, an opportunity for a child in your life to bring some personalised sunshine to the page, or something that helps you to centre down – Eye hopes this latest experiment brightens your weekend.
