Hallows: Endings and Beginnings
Sunday, October 31, 2010
Endings are delicate things. This is because, in our path, endings are beginnings. We celebrate, at this time, the ending of a year of great upheaval, challenge and even trauma. The environment has been tough for many of us, but we must not lose the lesson.
At our Hallows ritual last night, our priestess spoke of these lessons: the idea that they we must take care not to treat them too superficially. We must not fall into the trap of naming them and then trying to forget them (tempting as it is!) Instead, we must look at them as cut grass that can be plowed back into the Earth to make the soil richer. This takes work. Reflection, introspection and meditation are our tools.
And yet, we must not dwell on them too much either. For this will bind them to us and impede us from moving on. This delicate balance is all about going inward, going deeper, and then letting go. In many ways, this is a healthy grieving process, which we pagans do at this time of year. By exercising this balance, we make grieving a practice.
As we move into the Celtic New Year tonight, I invite all of you to allow your lessons to transform you as you begin a new cycle of spiritual development and learning. At the end of the day--or the end of the year--we must remember that ultimately, we are our own priests and priestesses.
Bright Hallows Blessings,
Lord Peregrine
At our Hallows ritual last night, our priestess spoke of these lessons: the idea that they we must take care not to treat them too superficially. We must not fall into the trap of naming them and then trying to forget them (tempting as it is!) Instead, we must look at them as cut grass that can be plowed back into the Earth to make the soil richer. This takes work. Reflection, introspection and meditation are our tools.
And yet, we must not dwell on them too much either. For this will bind them to us and impede us from moving on. This delicate balance is all about going inward, going deeper, and then letting go. In many ways, this is a healthy grieving process, which we pagans do at this time of year. By exercising this balance, we make grieving a practice.
As we move into the Celtic New Year tonight, I invite all of you to allow your lessons to transform you as you begin a new cycle of spiritual development and learning. At the end of the day--or the end of the year--we must remember that ultimately, we are our own priests and priestesses.
Bright Hallows Blessings,
Lord Peregrine