Spirituality Column: A Week of Weeknights

Photo by Pedro Lastra

Why does a week have seven days? Though it’s an inheritance from human pre-history, surely there’s a better reason than “we’ve always done it this way.” Yes, there is. When our ancestors looked up, by day and night, seven lights moved across the sky: the sun, moon and five planets their unaided eyes could see. No clocks measured time; celestial bodies marked the bounds of life. That was power to respect and honor with names.

Different cultures and languages did so differently, but their systems were much the same. In English, astronomy got mixed with Norse mythology to give us Sun’s Day, Moon’s Day, Tiw’s Day, Woden’s Day, Thor’s Day, Frig’s Day and Saturn’s Day.

But what of the nights? The poor nights have to borrow their appellations from the days. What if nights, too, had names?

Let’s begin with the brightest of the night lights. Though the moon has her day’s name, I say Luna deserves her own night of the week, as well. I nominate Lunight.

Next? Most know the nursery rhyme that sing-songs, “Star light, star bright, first star I see tonight …” Surely we may wish for a Starnight, and grant it to ourselves.

There is a passage saints and poets know called the Dark Night of the Soul. We should respect its fearsome reputation, yet meet it with a will when it comes, for it leads to a new day. In our week of nights, let there be a Soulnight.

At some point, it occurs to every stargazer to look away from the diamonds to the black velvet they appear upon. Without space, where would the stars be? I figure we’d ground ourselves in that question more often if we observed Darknight.

Not everyone gets one, alas, but everyone needs and deserves a night off. We should all be granted a pause to turn toward those we love and live with most. Some call it TGIF, others Shabbat, yet others Jumu'ah Mubārak. However it’s known, there should be a Stopnight.

Actually, the gathering part is important enough that it needs temporal territory of its own. So let’s have a Withnight, too.

One more.

The ancestors might have counseled having Huntnight to honor those who leave the safety of the fire. Anyone who’s kept eyes open for the sake of community and companions could offer Watchnight. And there is something numinous between dusk and dawn to acknowledge with respect. We might nod to it with Mysternight, or Wondernight, or Holynight.

But I think we need a night for Night herself.

Nightnight.

The Reverend Doug Job does interim ministry for congregations in transition and keeps good memories and friends made while serving a church in Cape. At present, he has a pretty good view of the night sky from a hill in Hannibal, Mo. Nocturnally or diurnally, you may share your observations with him at revdarkwater@gmail.com.