Holy Halloween!

 This week, as I'm thinking about getting out the Halloween candy for trick or treaters and carving my pumpkin, it dawned on me that I really don't know much about the history of Halloween.

I've always enjoyed seeing the little children in their costumes as they come to the door for treats and I had plenty of fun when my own kids were small. I know that it falls on the eve of All Saints Day and is supposed to be a time when the ghouls roam or something like that, but I admit, the details are a little fuzzy.

So, I did a little research and found out it really has a fascinating history. Halloween comes from an ancient Celtic festival called "Samhein" meaning summer's end, when they believed the dead could walk among the living. Christianity eventually adopted this tradition, as it did many pagan ideas. In the 8th century, Pope Gregory lll established November 1 as All Saints Day and the night before became "Hallow" or holy, hence Halloween. Rather than being a time when ghosts and ghouls roamed loose, it was meant to be a time to honor and pay respects to the dead. 

It is believed that the tradition of trick or treating began in the United Kingdom when people went from house to house asking for small loaves of bread in exchange for prayer as a way to celebrate this holy day. It seems to have made its way to America in the 1800's, when Scottish and Irish communities brought the tradition of "souling" and "guising" (the practice of dressing in costume and begging for treats) and made it a tradition that has been popular ever since.

I guess I now have a new perspective on Halloween after learning all that history. I like the idea of honoring those who've passed on, spending some time in prayer and then just having some good old-fashioned fun!

 

Finding Unity

 I'll be honest, this election has been causing me a great deal of anxiety. Our nation is so divided, I wonder how we will ever find unity.

                                       

Despite all the negative talk and hate filled rhetoric, we are all just people, who want very similar things for our lives: basic necessities met; a happy, loving family; a fulfilling job or cause; and a clean, safe place to live. We want to be free and not have our rights taken away. We are spiritual beings as well, who deserve to worship in the way that feels right to each one of us. We want religious freedom, because that's what our nation was founded on.

When I'm walking in the park or through the grocery store, the people I see are just human beings going about their daily lives. I don't know whether they vote blue or red-they're all just people to me. I imagine that's how God sees them...right through the nonsense to the basic humanity.

We exchange pleasantries: smile, politely hold the door for each other and abide by the rules of civility most of the time. I may be surprised to find out someone's political views differ from my own because I wouldn't have expected that of such a kind person (I confess to a bit of judgment there!) Maybe they felt the same.

I feel that it's really sad the way politics tears us apart and can cause people to say and do things that go against the basic rules of society and sometimes, against their own conscience. They listen to everything they're told by a person in power, without fact checking or sitting with it to see if their own God-given inner guidance tells them what's right. History tells us that this is how evil gets a foothold. We are at such a time again and need to heed the warning.

Given this, can we ever find unity? Yes, I believe love is the answer. Personally, I consider myself to be a follower of Jesus: he had some pretty good ideas and showed us how to find unity, if we will only listen and follow his teachings. If we follow him, we can't go wrong, because he said that love is the most important thing. Love, above all else, something that all religions teach as a central tenet: "Love your neighbor as yourself". Keep being kind, show people respect and agape love and eventually, after the dust of this contentious election has settled, we will (hopefully) find our way to unity. 

 

The Stir of Autumn Air

 Stepping onto my deck this morning, I feel a stir of air; the movement and change of the seasons. The relentless rain, aftermath of the devastating hurricanes that hit the Southeast recently, has finally stopped and the air smells freshly washed. Gone are those soft summer mornings that caressed our faces before the blast of the day's heat. Now there is a chill to the air and the leaves have a slight orange tint at the tips, the beginning of nature's cycle of displaying beauty, letting go of decay, resting and then renewing each spring.

The change is welcome, as nature's cycles always are; a reminder that even though nothing stays the same, there is a pattern and a purpose to all of life. We too, are creatures of the earth and Jesus taught us to learn from observing nature. If we don't accept the cycles and changes in our lives and learn to let go of our expectations for things to stay the same, we will stop growing. Just like the trees, we can learn to let go of what has decayed in our lives, take time for rest and introspection, then move on to a new beginning.  We can begin to practice this each day; a continual process of examining, letting go, allowing for renewal and beginning anew.

We can allow every morning to be a new gift...just as our physical bodies have shed old cells and generated new ones overnight as we sleep, our spirits can accept the gift of a new day as a fresh start. We can forgive what needs to be forgiven; make amends; let go of guilt, shame and regret; shed unhealthy habits, start something new.   

A Prayer for Autumn Days
By Joyce Rupp

God of the seasons,
there is a time for everything,
there is a time for dying and a time for rising.
We need courage to enter into
the transformation process.

God of autumn,
the trees are saying goodbye to their green,
letting go of what has been.
We, too, have our moments of surrender,
with all their insecurity and risk.
Help us to let go when we need to do so.

God of fallen leaves
lying in colored patterns on the ground,
our lives have their own patterns.
As we see the patterns of our own growth,
may we learn from them

 

 God of misty days and harvest moon nights,
there is always the dimension of mystery
and wonder in our lives.
We always need to recognize your power-filled presence.
May we gain strength from this.

God of harvest wagons and fields of ripened grain,
many gifts of growth lie within the season of our surrender.
We must wait for harvest in faith and hope.
Grant us patience when we do not see the blessings.

God of geese going south
for another season, your wisdom enables us
to know what needs to be left behind
and what needs to be carried into the future.
We yearn for insight and vision.

God of flowers
touched with frost and windows wearing white designs,
may your love keep our hearts
from growing cold in the empty seasons.

God of life,
you believe in us, you enrich us,
you entrust us with the freedom to choose life.
For all this, we are grateful.

 

 

Calm My Worldly Worries

 "The world is too much with us...getting and spending, we lay waste our powers; little we see in nature that is ours; we have given our hearts away, a sordid boon...for this, for everything, we are out of tune".  William Wordsworth wrote these words in 1807 and they are true, even more so, today. 

There is so much to worry about in our world today that if we don't take the time to tune it all out for a bit and find a way to center ourselves, we can easily become overwhelmed and anxious.

Personally, I find it very centering, when I'm feeling out of sorts, to go for a long walk in the woods.  There is something so soothing and restoring about being amongst ancient trees; walking on the mossy, leaf covered forest ground; hearing the sounds of birds and small creatures; and breathing the softly scented air. It seems easy to connect with our Creator God and find strength when I'm in nature.

There is actually scientific proof to back up the benefits of walking in the woods. In Japan, "shinrin yoku", or "forest bathing", first became popular in the 1980s as a way to deal with the stress caused by the rapid advance of technology. Researchers in Japan found that walking in a natural forest environment has profound physical and psychological benefits for those who make it a regular practice. It can improve sleep quality, mood. ability to focus as well as stress levels and is actually prescribed for a host of ailments, including anxiety and depression.

So, on this morning, when my first glance at the news sets my heart to racing, I will relax, say a prayer and visualize myself walking in the woods. Then, when I have finished my work for the day, I will set out into the forest to breathe deeply and immerse myself in the beauty that is there, just waiting to be given; a gift for all who ask.