Happy Hallowe'en!
Hallowe’en night is upon us...
The Wheel of the Year comes full circle as we reach Samhain, when the veil between the realms of the living and the dead is at its thinnest, its most porous, when that sense of magic and mysticism make it feel it's possible to conquer time itself...
Here in Wales, tonight is Nos Galan Gaeaf, Winter's Eve. Much like its Gaelic equivalent, it marks and celebrates our entry into the dark half of the year, between the Autumn Equinox and the Winter Solstice. Tonight is essentially the end of the Celtic year, as the old year succumbs to death, beginning a new one some time before Yule brings the first glimmer of rebirth.
All across the globe, from a time far before we were all connected, first by conquest, then technology, cultures have marked this time of year with their festivals of the dead. With Christianisation, these Pagan festivals became the triduum of Hallowtide: All Hallows' Eve, or All Saints' Eve, succeeded by All Saints' Day and All Souls' Day. Nevertheless, it retained its aura of rememberence and deference to the dead.
As the centuries went by, our fears of death and darkness buried the festival's spiritual heart deep; today, we celebrate through metaphor and horror fiction, the mirror we hold up through which to view our troubled world.
As you gaze into that glass, what moves behind you? Might you see the face of one you love, now or from the past or future? Or might something else lurk in those shadows...?
For, we all must remember one thing. Tonight, more so than any other night, we are never alone...
Follow me on Facebook
Follow me on Instagram
Follow me on Threads
Follow me on Twitter
The Wheel of the Year comes full circle as we reach Samhain, when the veil between the realms of the living and the dead is at its thinnest, its most porous, when that sense of magic and mysticism make it feel it's possible to conquer time itself...
Here in Wales, tonight is Nos Galan Gaeaf, Winter's Eve. Much like its Gaelic equivalent, it marks and celebrates our entry into the dark half of the year, between the Autumn Equinox and the Winter Solstice. Tonight is essentially the end of the Celtic year, as the old year succumbs to death, beginning a new one some time before Yule brings the first glimmer of rebirth.
All across the globe, from a time far before we were all connected, first by conquest, then technology, cultures have marked this time of year with their festivals of the dead. With Christianisation, these Pagan festivals became the triduum of Hallowtide: All Hallows' Eve, or All Saints' Eve, succeeded by All Saints' Day and All Souls' Day. Nevertheless, it retained its aura of rememberence and deference to the dead.
As the centuries went by, our fears of death and darkness buried the festival's spiritual heart deep; today, we celebrate through metaphor and horror fiction, the mirror we hold up through which to view our troubled world.
As you gaze into that glass, what moves behind you? Might you see the face of one you love, now or from the past or future? Or might something else lurk in those shadows...?
For, we all must remember one thing. Tonight, more so than any other night, we are never alone...
Follow me on Facebook
Follow me on Instagram
Follow me on Threads
Follow me on Twitter
No comments have been added yet.
