" This Is Hallowe'en ... "

"Boys and girls of every age

Wouldn't you like to see something strange

Come with us and you will see

This our town of Halloween

This is Halloween, this is Halloween

Pumpkins scream in the dead of night

This is Halloween, everybody make a scene

Trick or treat till the neighbors gonna die of fright

It's our town, everybody scream

In this town of Halloween

Halloween! Halloween! Halloween! Halloween!

In this town we call home

Everyone hail to the pumpkin song"

~ Marilyn Manson ~ This Is Halloween ~

***

Halloween ~ Hallowe’en ~ All Hallows’ Eve ~ All Saints’ Eve ... 

celebrated every 31 of October.

This hallowed evening dates back to ~ 1745, a Celtic festival, marking the end of the harvest season in Gaelic culture.  The ancient Gaels believed that boundaries between the worlds of the living and the dead overlapped and the deceased would come back to life and cause havoc, such as sickness or damaged crops, on Halloween.  

Although, scholars were still divided on the roots of origin, whether Christian or Pagan, during the ancient times, people wore masks and costumes in an attempt to mimic or appease evil spirits.  In current times, the media has popularized the festival, irrespective of region.  It is more about candy and costumes and less and less about anything else ...

Yet the ancient Celtic tribes, worshiped nature and believed in the spirit world.  The Sun, their chief god, was the focus of two festivals ~ Beltane, marking the beginning of summer and Samhain or Saman, marking the start of winter.  The end of summer, Samhain aka the lord of death, becomes powerful over the Sun god.  Therefore, on October 31, Samhain assembles all the evil spirits who had died the previous year and allows them a return home to visit the living.

The day after Halloween, the night of all fires occurs near large stone circles, similar to the one in Stonehenge, England.  The priests offer sacrifices to Samhain to ensure that the sun returned after the winter.  All fires, except the sacrificial one to Samhain, were extinguished.  Called the Vigil of Samhain, the embers from this fire would be used to light the fire in each household.

To appease demons, offerings of food and nuts were provided, believing if satisfied with the treat, he demon would not trick or cast an evil spell on the person ... hence the origin of present day trick OR treat.  

Legends have it that people would wear masks or other disguises to darken their faces, trying to pass unnoticed by the spirits ... 

Ironic how modern day has man wearing masks daily to disguise their true self, taking Halloween to a whole new level ...  Happy Hallowe’en !!!

www.walkstrong.ca

" Close To Me ... "

I've waited hours for this,

I've made myself so sick,

I wish I'd stayed asleep today 

I never thought this day would end,

I never thought tonight could ever be

This close to me ...

But if I had your face,

Then I could make it safe and clean 

If only I was sure,

That my head on the door,

Was a dream

~ The Cure ~ Close To Me ~

***

Gifts come in all shapes and sizes.  And yesterday I received one that would have been very hard to wrap but also one of the most beautiful by far.  Yesterday I gifted with a healing meditation ...

Initially my flight reaction set in and I had visions of an intervention happening with my ego hoping to latch on to whatever it could to control the situation.  But then something amazing happened ... I completely and fully opened myself up to all possibilities.  The intentions were pure, compassionate, loving and supportive.  The intentions were to help relieve the cause of the suffering and not the cause of the illness.  One in the same, perhaps.

The environment was about acceptance to what is & surrender to what is ... 

There are beliefs saying the root of illness is in the mind or consciousness.  Hence by tending to the mind and clearing it of any disturbances, the recovery speeds up.  Meditation is the key to control emotional pollution ...

Personally I was beyond words when my meditation class and teacher expressed how they saw this as a gift, they were honored and felt privileged to take part in the healing.  I was the one that was the recipient and they were the gifter?  Yet within our practice, some of the techniques we learn were being applied ... with no expectations.  

The gift is in the giving ...

Words cannot even begin to describe the beautiful experience that occurred ... powerful yet terrifying ... vulnerable yet protected ... flight yet guided ...

healing healing healing healing healing healing healing healing ...

So so much gratitude for how many blessings I am surrounded by.  Life is perfect as it is, as it is it should be.  

ॐ Namaste ॐ

" Stillness Of Heart ... "

All that I want is

Stillness of heart

So I can start

To find my way

Out of the dark ...

What am I buying?

My soul is crying

Where's the love?

What is this world we live in?

Where's the love ?

We've got to keep on giving

Where's the love ?

What happened to forgiving ?

Anyone ?

~ Lenny Kravitz ~ Stillness Of Heart ~

***

Time, day, seasons, people ... all keep changing.

Stressful because each moment of now disappears in an instant as it arises.  Life sweeps us along from the pleasure to pain cycle as anything that changes is not a reliable basis for enduring contentment and fulfillment.  

This is why many practice Stillness ... a sense of unchanging.

When we practice stillness we find refuge, a place to stand with perspective and wisdom from the noisy race of life.  Fortunately, we already have within us a constant place of calm and well being that contains emotional reactions.  Hence with practice we can find and stabilize a sense of it.  

So how do I practice stillness?  Through true meditation.  An opportunity for me to move towards ultimate matters and allowing it to feed me.  A relief from the noise towards a source of clarity and peace.  A chance to give myself permission for space and to be still.

I intentionally enter stillness with a daily practice of it in the morning, before the day is upon me.  My mind is less active at that hour and the benefits are experienced into the rest of my day.  I begin by choosing a quiet place, sit comfortably upright, and keep my body still with closed eyes.  I let go of any expectations of what is “supposed” to happen.  I simply hold the intention to enter the stillness within me.

The key is to allow the air to breathe you.  

I become conscious of my breath and let go of any tensions in my body purposely as I exhale.  When thoughts or emotions arise, I allow, allow, allow them without resistance.  And I let them subside just as effortlessly.  

I have learned that bodily sensations, discomfort or pain, is my ego’s way of distracting.  But it is also an opportunity to send loving energy to this area, by breathing into it, until this too shall pass.  Soon energy blockage, resulting from suppressed emotions are released.

I become aware of the “animating force that gives life” ... the “inner body”.  And to remain anchored in stillness, I keep attention on the sensations of my inner energy body.  I let things happen naturally, with no struggle.  I observe instead of participate.

From my own practice, I carry this beyond meditation and into my daily activities.  And those times when moments are overwhelming, stressful and simply unbearable, I find my place of stillness to ground, center and anchor myself ... to find my way out of the day.

My goal is to awaken and be present in external circumstances of life, while simultaneously sensing the energy field of my inner presence.

My hope is that this inner presence will guide the everyday events I face and bring healing and a powerful presence into what I do and to all I meet.

Stillness provides scattered and restless energies to settle ... 

Stillness provides a feeling of calm ...

Stillness provides clarity to rise to the surface ...

Stillness speaks ...