In my part
of the world, snow is melting on the ground, but high up on the mountains, it’s
still as visible as if the ground were completely covered. The air has gone
beyond crisp and into downright chilly. This is all thanks to hurricane Sandy,
but I hope it stays this way. Our winter last year was so mild that I fully
expect Momma to take what is hers, with interest.
To some
people, it’s just another day. Or they suddenly realize, hey, it’s Halloween!
In case you were unawares, Halloween is more than just a time for kids to get
on a sugar high while in full costume. Halloween comes from Samhain (pronounced
Sow-en), the last of the harvest festivals and the time when we honor our
ancestors. It’s also the time when the veils between worlds thin and Pagans celebrate
a new year. Our wheel turns again and things begin to change.
You know,
it may seem odd to celebrate a new year on Samhain, at the tail end of October,
but think about it for just a minute. We are entering into the darkest part of
the year and all life begins in darkness. It’s just the order of things. I
learned a long time ago that darkness is not always evil, which is why movies
like Legend crack me up a little bit.
As strange as it seems, new life is nurtured in darkness for a while before it
is ready to meet the light. A new baby is held in the protective darkness of
his mother’s womb for nine months before he is ready to greet the world.
Perhaps that is why I have an affinity with the “dark” goddesses.
I remember
where I was last year at this time and I know I am a world away from that
place. I wonder where the next year will take me. I wonder who will come into
my life and who will leave.
My plans
for Halloween aren’t that extravagant and I pray that this is the last year that
is the case. They’re mostly hampered by the fact that I have to write a paper
tonight. However, my plans include making a Halloween-ish playlist on my
computer, watching some good witchy movies, doing some tarot readings, and
something else that is a little personal, but I’ve been thinking about for a
while. Suffice to say, I need a way to honor my dead and this is the simplistic
approach, but it’s the most ritualistic you’ll get out of me for now.
Everyone,
stay safe, have a good sugar high, remember your loved ones on the other side
of the veil, and don’t forget to howl at the moon. Have a blessed Samhain.
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