A Moment of Silence
In Preparation for Hallowtide
Good morning, all, and Happy Friday!
I’m writing a brief personal note out of respect and admiration. We’ve entered my favorite month of the year, and have begun our progression toward Hallowtide, the three day celebration of Hallow’s Eve, All Saints Day, and All Souls Day.
Hallowe’en, Keats’ birthday, is said to be the night of the year where the veil between the spiritual and material world is thinnest. We will light gourds to protect us against evil during this dark night as we welcome the souls of all the dead to commune with us in the symbol of the Harvest, where the material is shorn in preparation for time to come.
In this age, this time has become a boon for secular and neo-pagan celebration. If your neighborhoods are like mine, there are skeletons, pumpkins, ghosts, and witches adorning the yards. It is my thought that in this culture which has largely divorced itself from the Liturgical year, this is a time where people take solace in enjoying a month to take on costumes and personae, publicly declaring our love for the cathartic terror of horror films, and generally embracing the dark as a site of generativity.
As it is said Form is Emptiness, Emptiness is Form. I revel in playing with these ideas, and use this time for reflection and contemplation. It is my intention to pray the Rosary more frequently this month, and to attend confession and reconciliation.
Prayer and Meditation
Prayer and Meditation are cornerstones for those who participate in a recovery group known as AA. I do consider my writing here to be a form of meditation, and (while I believe the AA idea of meditation to be more of the Western variety synonymous with contemplation and reflection) I consider silent meditation to be synonymous with prayer. The aspiration is communion with forces of reality not regularly available to the “conscious” propositional mind such that we may see a larger picture, more attuned to the genial powers of source, and cleanse the mind to act better now and in the age to come.
I wish you all the very best. Thank you for reading, and please enjoy this moment to reflect on your own place in the cosmos and its relation to mine, as well as that of all your fellow readers.
Affectionately,
Aaron