Tradition holds that the barrier between realms is weakest tonight. Which makes sense after a fashion. Persephone is traveling betwixt the lands of the dead and the living tonight. The souls are starting to return- for only a handful of nights, but they are coming. The time of living, warmth and sun is gone.
The dark season is upon us. Everything feels death walk by, and shivers at its approach.
The wheel has turned, and 'tis best to be ready for it, no?
I have a preference for the aspects of this holiday that show respect for the harvest and for the dead. Its a time to remember what we've lost and count our blessings for what we still get to have. Its the turn of the wheel of the world, and sometimes we humans forget that.
The wheel of the world is going to turn, and we can't stop that. Death is still a force we have to reckon with. The Pain and the Cold is coming, and we can only keep it at bay, we can't silence its howls. So, deep inside our minds we fear it.
The horrific part of it all, is that even if the monsters aren't real, Death still is. Every second on Earth is fleeting, and Halloween is the call of Death's season.
It used to be that there was only one season humans kept track of: Winter. We had no word for Spring or Autumn. Only for winter and sometimes the not-winter. Winter was the harshest times for our ancestors, and words like Autumn and Spring are waaay younger.
But, you can look at our stories and see the lessons told before. Most often, a heroic conquers death and returns from the underworld with its secrets. You can survive it, we're told, and the monsters of human starvation, disease and cold kept away for another year.
Then heroes die. And we are reminded, the wheel of the world turns.
As the Starks say, "Winter is Coming."
And I would dare you to look into that dark cold chill, into the burning cold eyes of Death. Then embrace it. Life tastes so much sweeter with it instead of without it. Death isn't a ending.
And the wheel of the world turns...
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