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Hallowe'en: The ending and the beginning
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By:
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doanart
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Mood:
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full of life
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Date:
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10/31/2008 10:21:37
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Music:
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The Killing Moon by Echo & the Bunnymen
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 Over
the past year year, much of my art has focused on exploring our
relationship with the natural world. As a result, I have discovered
both fascinating things about the earth and frightening things how we
treat it. We have come to a time where we face the very real
possibility of global catastrophe because of our collective disregard
for the earth and the cycles of nature. Many of us (including myself)
are starting adjust our lifestyles by reducing waste and conserving
energy and I believe it is a step in the right direction. However, in
addition to these efforts, I have decided to go a bit deeper. I chose
this Halloween to begin relating and connecting to the earth by
following the seasonal and lunar cycles. I believe by tuning into the
cycle of the earth, I will find myself becoming more psychologically
aware of the needs of the earth as well as more harmonized with the
energy of seasons. I suspect that by having been separated from these
natural rhythms and cycles, I have also become disconnected from the
earth, from others and myself as well.
The reason I chose
Halloween to begin this new way of being in the world is that
traditionally it is the time when the world (the Northern Hemisphere)
enters the dark of the year. This is not regarding the sun’s cycle,
which is followed by the solstices and the equinoxes, but rather the
seasonal cycle. Halloween marks the time when autumn turns into winter.
The leaves have fallen from the trees, most of the harvest has been
gathered, any blackberries left on the brambles are no longer good to
eat, and frosts get heavier and colder. In the Celtic world-view this
time marks the end of the old year and the beginning of the new. The
ancient Celtic and the Hindu systems (and I believe many others as
well) understand that the dark precedes the light, so a time of
darkness must begin a natural cycle. Consider that many of the popular
holidays and festivals are celebrated on the eve (Christmas Eve, New
Year’s Eve, All Soul’s Eve, etc.).
I am going to experience
the energy of the season, by using this time to celebrate the end of
the yearly cycle and the beginning of the next. It will be a time to
reflect on all the things that I did and did not like about the past
year and decide on what should be changed or implemented to benefit the
new year.
In ancient tradition, this transition from the old
year into the next existed outside of time. I believe this came from
following a lunar calendar in which there were a few extra days (five I
believe) that didn’t quite fit into a annual system. Those remaining
days where held over for this time of year where chaos was given time
to rule. People played pranks, dressed up, and generally acted silly or
crazy. I suspect this is partly where the tradition of dressing in
costumes and celebrating “cabbage night” may have originated. Another
belief at this time was that the line that separated the physical world
from the Otherworld disappeared. People could commune with their
ancestors and those who had passed on before them. By honoring and
giving thanks to those who helped to shape them and gave them what they
had, they could better understand their own lives.
So tonight
at 5:55pm EST (the time of sunset where I live) I will light a candle
and take a moment to reflect on the past year, give thanks to those who
came before me, and acknowledge the changes that I will need to
implement in order to make the coming year beneficial for all who share
this beautiful place we call home.
Happy Hallowe’en, All Soul’s Eve, Samhain, Autumn into Winter, etc.
DoAn
(Moon Phase: waxing crescent)
(Pictured above "Autumn Abstract", 5 x7, watercolor. Prints and greeting cards available by clicking here.)
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DoAn
Art is a sponsored project of Fractured Atlas, a non-profit arts
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All
artwork and text © Copyright 2005-2008 DoAn Art (Antony Galbraith)
unless indicated otherwise. All Rights Reserved. Any downloading,
copying or use of images on this website is strictly prohibited without
express written consent by Antony Galbraith.
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