"Welcome Halloween Darkness"

The moon is bright, partially obscured by shadow-clouds.  In the
darkness below, the "nearest kin of the moon, the creeping cat…"
looks up. Something has broken the sacred darkness.

Fire.

Fire is at the beginning and the end of it all.  Fire signals life
and hope and warmth and comfort. Fire gives light and reveals the
things that lurk in the darkness….the things that use the darkness to
creep close enough to pounce.  Fire harnessed and controlled by man.

It's Halloween.

Man celebrates. It's our nature. Man creates. This too, is our nature.

The feast of Samhain (Sow-In) is upon us once more, as is the Roman
feast of Pomona, both which call to mind bonfires and the harvest,
cool nights a-coming and hopes for life after the dark cold winter to
come.

It's Halloween.

Nights of Divination and Supplication…nights of spirit contact and
shudder-filled dark shadows filled with the possibility of ancestors
long dead coming back to visit are upon us.  Lock windows at night,
and leave out some food….they may be hungry after their long journey.

The decent to Avernis is easy
The gate stands open night and day
But to retrace one's steps and return to the upper air…
That the toil, that the difficulty.

The Fairie Kingdoms are preparing for their yearly move…best not to
watch.  Infants in their cribs are to be monitored closely for fear
that a changeling take their place.

It's Halloween.

Our world today is a different place now.  Human monsters dominate
our landscape of fear and our collective unconsciousness is filled
with images of terrorists, death, corrupt politicians and soulless
monsters who hurt children. 

This is exactly the reason that trick or treat in this day and age is
so important…the time that neighborhoods are meant to bond.  Light
that fire. Spread the joy. Hear the screams followed immediately by
laughter…of children living the magic time and making memories. 
Memories of Halloweens long ago that we all have…don't we?

The pumpkins are ripe to bursting, each one possessing a face.  Our
hand merely gives it the face that it was always meant to have, Jack
O' the Lantern guides us to make each grinning death's head a reality.
Colors that dominate …orange and black….the grave black to remind us
of our mortality and the color of fire to warm our bones.  

We take this time to view the effigies of death and decay…to wonder
out loud without saying a word of our fate once the coffin lid
closes.

It's Halloween.

We all possess the `spooky gene' and this is, for many of us, just
another night in the greasepaint…thinking thoughts of dark fantasy
and escape.  But to the average human….the majority of humans…
Halloween is the ONE NIGHT to stretch one's being to the limit, to
examine the possibilities and take a "walk on the wild side."

Welcome the night and accept the darkness.  It's always there but
most of the time we don't consider it.  Not seriously anyway.  It's
healthy, it's natural, it's comforting, it's twisted, it's looking
death in the face and laughing,  it's creepy, it's desirable, it's
kinky, it's delicious, it's flirting with the grave, it's filling,
it's fun.

It's Halloween.

Candy corn and sweet smells of hot chocolate breath inside a latex
mask with eyes aglow with the fire in one's soul.  Any age can
play….all are welcome. 

It's Halloween.

HAPPY HALLOWEEN
Prof. Griffin
The Midnight Shadow Show.