Since we are rapidly approaching the third harvest festival of the
year, I thought that I would kick off the season with a meditation.
Traditionally, Samhain was considered to be a time when the veil
between the worlds was thin. (Hence the food offerings left on
doorsteps for wandering dead/ ancient ancestors in Celtic countries.)
Single candles shone in windows to guide lonely travelers. Apples were
buried at crossroads for those souls unfortunate enough to have died
without offspring. Men wore women's clothing and vice versa to avoid
the gaze of the evil eye.
It was a night of magic and chaos where the dark side of the
human soul rose to the surface. If we all have the face of
the Stranger within, as Camus and Billy Joel both insist, it seems to
me that Samhain allows the Stranger to wear our face for a night. Like
the Lord of Misrule in Medieval times, this ability to turn ourselves
and indeed---the world---topsy-turvy is a tremendous gift.
Why not invite the Stranger in a little early this year? Having
eaten my asparagus (every damned bite) and minded my manners this year
(almost nauseatingly well), I'm looking forward to the rising
darkness.
Happy Halloween.
