Sunday 27 October 2013

Samhain: Celebrating "the Mighty Dead" and pissing off Christians at the same time

Samhain is almost upon us, and over the past few weeks (well, month, really) I've been in a very nostalgic and reflective sort of mood. I get like that this time of year...

My grandmother passed away about 15 years ago, and not a day goes by that I don't think of her. I often catch myself wondering what she would think if she could see certain world events, meet the people that are in my life now, or go on the trips that I've been on. I often take heed of Albus Dumbledoor's advice, "it does not do to dwell on dreams, and forget to live". Thanks to that lovely reminder, I often don't dwell on these things and I usually just let them pass as they come up, but sometimes it's hard not to, especially around this time of year.

I find it interesting that other cultures always celebrate their dead, not just at any specific time of year but all the time, and yet here, once they're gone we seem to forget about them. Now I know, that's certainly not always the case, but by and large I think it's something us North Americans tend to do. Passing by a graveyard, you'll typically see lots of flowers and such decorating the graves of loved ones, but you'll often notice there are quite a few barren, old, and forgotten looking ones too. I think that Samhain reminds us to remember those who have gone before us, and I think it's a very important time of year for that specific reason.

It irrks me when I overhear people at stores saying how they "don't believe in Halloween". I get that many people are religious Christians and that those people think that Halloween is Satan's holiday and that everyone partaking in the events of halloween will enjoy eternal damnation. I'm sorry, but children dressing up in costumes and going door-to-door for candy plays no part in summoning the fallen angel himself. At the same time, children dressing up in costumes and going door-to-door for candy have no part in celebrating their dead relatives, in much the same way that putting up a christmas tree, writing letters to Santa, and giving butt loads of presents to one another doesn't really celebrate the birth of Jesus. Sure there are people that know how these traditions evolved to become what they are today, but the general population don't know these things. They just do it because that's what you do. I'm sure that if I went into a mall at Christmas time and said that I don't believe in Christmas, I would get he dirtiest looks around, but when people say the same thing about Halloween no one batts an eye. I hate the stigma around Halloween, and unfortunately it is what it is. If I went up to those people in that store and told them what Halloween evolved from, I doubt that they'd re-think their hate-on for the holiday because no one takes it seriously. It probably shouldn't bother me as much as it does when I overhear people saying that, but I can't help it. It's like someone is trash-talking one of my most sacred holidays and I get really defensive. I know I shouldn't take it personally, but I sometimes I wish that I had pamphlets made up and ready to go so that I can educate the masses.  Anyway, moving on...

I also find it interesting that Samhain follows closely behind our Thanksgiving, because I notice myself being even more thankful than I normally am for things. Thankful for the people I have in my life, for those that have breezed in and out of it, so to speak, and for those that are no longer on this earthly plane. Not just thankful for people though, but also for my situation in life. I'm not the most wealthy person around, I'm actually quite the contrary, but I have a full-time job and somehow I'm always able to pay the bills on time, and I have a roof over my head. I'm happily married (which is something I never thought would happen), and I have the best friends and family a person could ever hope for. I've seen things that some people never get the chance to see in a lifetime, and I've been places that I never thought I'd get to be in. I have it pretty damn good, and I feel like I owe the universe something for having provided me with this lot in life, but I find myself coming up short with ideas. I typically just send out as much gratitude as I possibly can and hope that it can scratch the surface.

I never used to view Samhain as the actual new year, but for the past couple of years I've been treating that way. It seems as though I become more reflective in the fall, and it also seems as though I get recharged somehow. When September hits its as if I get a breath of fresh air, and the stagnation I'd been feeling all summer clears up. I start looking forward to the projects I'd like to start or the things I'd like to accomplish. It wasn't until the last year or two that I realized this pattern in myself, but now that I have, everything makes more sense to me. Yes January 1st is just the new year on paper, but November 1st feels like the start of a new year to me. I feel like there are other people out there that feel like this but that don't realize it.

So, I leave you with these thoughts, as I hold my glass in a toast to the "mighty dead" (as Christopher Penczak so aptly put it). Hats off to a "New Year", and Happy Samhain everyone!  

Tuesday 1 October 2013

On Religious Differences

Religion fascinates me. That's one of the reasons I ended up majoring in Religious Studies in university (I double majored, English was my other one). Some people that were taking the program with me started to question their beliefs during their studies, but others just found them reaffirmed. For me, the courses I took allowed me to diversify my own beliefs and better understand those of others. It also taught me how to apply the teachings of others to my own practice. 

Christianity. Many pagans would cringe at the thought of sitting through a Christian service, and although I'm not clamouring to go to one, I wouldn't refuse if I had the opportunity. I find it very interesting what is "discussed" during these masses. The ones that I have had to sit through, I've been able to apply to my own beliefs very easily. Perhaps the churches I went to had progressive pastors, but even the talk of sin and sinning was able to be repopulated in my brain to suit my needs. It could also be the fact that I'm inherently critical of just about everything, so I tend to ask a lot of questions before I accept or believe something. I think that humanity as a whole should be more like this but I digress...

What I'm saying is that if you find yourself in a situation where you feel like you can't possibly have anything in common with what's being preached spiritually, think about it for a moment. Try replacing the words with vocabulary that suits your needs (gods/goddesses instead of God), or try taking the overarching theme or issue and see how it applies to what you do. This won't work in all cases, but I bet you'd be surprised at what you can make work. 

Take the idea of original sin, for example. I absolutely hate everything about this concept. You mean to tell me that baby that's been out of the womb for all of 12 hours is a sinner and needs to repent? Yeah right, buddy. Anyway, what I take from this concept is that there is inherent "good" and "bad" or light and darkness in all of us, and the world around us influences us as to how we develop these things. I don't think that anyone is inherently bad, but I do believe that everyone has the potential to be serial killer...it's just how you internalize the world around you that determines the likelihood of this happening. 

What spawned this particular "discussion" is that one of my co-workers is very religious. She was raised a Catholic, and although she's not as "rigid" as her parents, she still goes to church regularly and observes things like lent and ash wednesday. We have meaningful discussions from time to time, and I find that while we have two very different sets of belief systems, we are able to reconcile lots of stuff. She's actually one of the only people that I feel completely comfortable talking about my spirituality to, because I know she doesn't think I'm crazy. It's kind of funny that...