Sunday, October 30, 2005Trick or TreatThis is the time of year when the veil between the living and the spirit world is at its most thin. The time when the spirits of the dead - both benevolent and malicious - come out to play. This is the transition time between the goddess of summer and the god of winter. Our clocks are changing, our rhythms are upset.This is a time of change, of movement between the worlds. Who are we to think we are safe from it? Who am I to think that once again I'm immune from the spirits prowling the earth? I am battling with my demons these days. Battling against sadness, battling against the grief of lost relationships, battling against fatigue. On Halloween night, tradition has it that we dress up in scary costumes. In Celtic times, this was to frighten off the ghouls so our souls would not be possessed. People wander around the neighborhoods, loudly scaring off the spirits, so they can wake up the next morning purged and free from eternal darkness for another year. Jack, an Irish legend has it, was a drunken scoundrel who one day tricked Satan into climbing up a tree. He made a deal with the devil, promising to let him down from the tree if he never again lured Jack into temptation. Jack, when he died, was admitted to neither heaven nor hell, but was given a single burning ember to light his way through the cold darkness of eternity. He put it in a hollowed-out turnip to keep it burning longer. I love to trick the devil and think I've won. I love to think I can work around the clock, put things off until the last minute, cheat the process. And, for a time, perhaps it works... but eventually I'm left, literally "burning the candle" - wandering through a nighttime of exhaustion, unable to rest, unable to settle down. We have other ways of tricking the devil. The custom of trick or treating came from offerings proferred to the evil spirits, placating them so that they would not inhabit our homes and our hearts. Fires were built on tops of hills so the spirits would not lose their way. Households would burn a fire that would stay continuously lit until spring returned. The Celtic society was one of strict order and structure. In order to stay psychologically sane, they allowed this period between October 31 and November 2 to be one of chaos and unrule. Like Mardi Gras, there is a time and place to let down the hair, break down the barriers, forget the daily constraints. It's healthy. It's necessary. So let's get out our scariest masks and say boo to the demons that wander the world at this time of the year. Let's rattle our swords and make lots of noise. Let's also play trick or treat with our demons. Let's nurture and feed them, give them lovely treats and placate them into submission. Let's make friends with them in the hopes that they will soften and leave us alone. Let's build ourselves an internal fire to keep the light inside us burning bright. It's time to change into a period of introspection and darkness. Let's greet these upcoming months with the knowledge that we will find gaiety within the nights, and celebrate the light that will once again return. # posted by Katherine Doughtie Nolan @ 4:53 PM  
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