12 Days of Trial (or Thorns) – (May 20 – May 31) Focusing on tragic errors of the past. American Memorial Day falls during this Dozen.
~ 1st Day / Lucifer’s Day – (May 20) Marking the anniversary of the First Council of Nicaea in which the Josiac error of conflating the Logos and God was repeated. This is also the traditional feast day of Lucifer Calaritanus, one of the principle proponents of this error against Christian monotheism.
~ 2nd Day / Constantine’s Eve – (May 21) The traditional feast day of Constantine who supported Christianity politically after a vision allegedly aided his bloody power struggle for control of the Roman Empire. This is a day to contemplate errors of superficiality without substance.
~ 3rd Day / Constantine’s Day – (May 22) The anniversary of the death of Constantine, who was baptized on his deathbed by Unitarian bishop Eusebius. This is a day to contemplate finding subtance after superficiality.
~ 6th Day / Attacks on Reason – (May 25) Commemorating the Scopes Trial and Edict of Worms.
~ 9th Day / Attacks on Innocence – (May 28) Commemorating the Jacksonian Removals.
~ Tribulation Thursday – The Ultimate Thursday, for commemorating the trials and tragedies on the path to success.
~ 12th Day / Godiva Day – (May 31) the Christ-like story of Lady Godiva reminds us that pattern of trial and sacrifice are engineered into the workings of the world.
12 Days of Unity (or Buds) – (June 1 – June 12) Rose symbolism: just as the rose has a sweet scent and thorns, these 12 Days are to remember the rewards and perils of belief.
~ 1st Day / Feast of Justin Martyr – (June 1) Celebrating the earliest Christian apologist, whose doctrine of the Logos explained that the Son is clearly subordinate to the God the Father.
~ 2nd Day / Zealous Errors – (June 2) To remember with humility that evil acts are often committed in the name of good. Among such acts falling on this day are the Arian Vandals’ pillaging of Rome, the beginning of guilty verdicts in the Salem Witch Trials, and the start of the Reign of Terror in the French Revolution.
~ 6th Day / Conviction Day – (June 6) To commemorate those who stand up boldly for their convictions, such as Patrick Henry and Robert Kennedy, both of whom died on this day.
~ 7th Day / False Conviction Day – (June 7) To remember that often our bold convictions may be misplaced. The seige of Jerusalem (during the 1st Crusade) occurred on this day.
~ Unity Thursday – The Ultimate Thursday in the Dozen, for officially commemorating the rewards and perils of belief.
~12th Day / Criticism Day – (June 12) To remember the perils of moral criticism and resistance. On this day in 1775, a general amnesty declared in Massachussetts excluded Sam Adams and John Hancock, who were to be hanged for their resistance to the Crown. This was also the traditional feast day of John of Sahagún who was persecuted, and possibly murdered, for his criticism of the wealthy and powerful. Also on this date, Nelson Mandela was sentenced to life in prison in 1964 for resisting Apartheid, and Ronald Reagan spoke at the Brandenburg Gate demanding the destruction of the Berlin Wall in 1987.
12 Days of Reconciliation (or Flowers) – (June 13 – June 24) To commemorate the growth and transition enabled by bringing together seemingly opposed entities.
~ 1st Day / Marriage Day – (June 13) The day Martin Luther and Katharina von Bora wed in defiance of the celibacy rule of the Catholic Church. Also the first day after interracial marriage bans were declared unconstitutional in the United States in 1967.
~ 2nd Day / Flag Day – (June 14) To honor the reconciliation of the many into the one, as the many states represented by the stars and stripes are joined in the Republic.
~ 3rd Day / Feast of the Bolt – (June 15) This is the feast day of St. Vitus who protected against lightning, and the anniversary of Benjamin Franklin’s famous experiment proving that lightning is electricity. A day to meditate on the lightning imagery in Luke 17:22-24, and the universal material applicability of abstract and spiritual ideas. Some events on this day that exemplify this are the signing of the Magna Carta by King John in 1215, which instantly spread new legal rights throughout his kingdom, and the appointment of George Washington as commander-in-chief in 1775, which instantly established his authority throughout the Continental Army.
~ 4th Day / Moral Economy – (June 16) Commemorating Abraham Lincoln’s “House Divided” speech on the division driven by economic and moral interests. Also the birthday of Adam Smith, whose moral and economic theories were based on the reconciliation of moral ends and selfish economy.
~ 9th Day / Transition Day – (June 21) Commemorates the birthday and transition of Reinhold Niebuhr from pacifist to Christian Realist. This is the day on which to meditate on the reconciliation of peace and war in justice, and the development of naive, immature idealism (which blindly opposes others) into a mature, balanced morality. This is also the Summer Solstice, marking the transition of the year from youth to maturity.
~ Rose Thursday – The Ultimate Thursday of the Dozen.
~ 12th Day / Feast of John the Baptist – (June 24) Celebrating John the Baptist, who marked the transition from the youthful religion before him to the mature religion of Christ after.