Halloween Spirits & Children

I love Halloween, always have. Favorite Holiday.

As I got beyond the spooky – dress up – trick or treat – aspect of it during my childhood, I started delving into it on a deeper, more spiritual level, just as I hit high school.

My Celtic background stoked those mystical fires.

And the Celts have this holiday covered.

Do you know that there is actually a “Samhain Cheat Sheet” provided by the Irish Pagan School if you are new to Celtic Samhain practices.

But I digress.

Back in Riverdale, my family went all out when it came to doing up the house for Halloween.

https://www.facebook.com/100091444194790/videos/358310823300145

But as I now live in a much more rural area, I’ve scaled down my outward approach to the day.

https://www.facebook.com/100091444194790/videos/541813455265313

Nonetheless, yesterday was a very meaningful Halloween.

After my morning rounds, where I wished all of my creatures a Happy Halloween, I drove up to Loveland (yes, aptly named, I mention the town in TCS) to my favorite NoCo Bagel Shop – Einstein’s Bagels.

On route, I was waiting at a light just before Eisenhower (https://spacedoutradio.com/nordics-greys-and-a-united-states-president-the-greada-treaty/) Blvd., and a cool dark car pulled up beside me. I felt drawn to it – I thought, at first, because my preternatural peripheral vision had noticed there was an attractive blond woman driving. But my eyes were actually drawn to the white symbol on the passenger door.

With the word “Always” in cursive white, beside it.

Now the Celts have a similar symbol, the Triquetra, that, in pre-Christian times, represented Land, Sea and Sky.

But has since been co-opted by St. Patrick’s lot to represent the Holy Trinity. Petey Sheridan, you may want to fire this client. Daniel Webster couldn’t get me into Catholic heaven.

However, I had seen the circle in the triangle somewhere before, so I did a little research when I got back, and Voila!

https://shunspirit.com/article/triangle-with-circle-inside-symbol-meaning

It has many meanings in spirituality and mathematics. The symbol represents balance, harmony and the cycle of life. A theme that carried on throughout the day.

It also represents everything from body, mind and spirit to unity, balance and transformation.

It is a symbol often used as a protective amulet.

But the really interesting thing was as the mystical car pulled away, I glanced at its licence plate and it said “HP MuM.” Unfortunately, by the time I could grab my camera, she was too far ahead to get a clear shot without me joining my ancestors.

But I swear on my testicles that Harry Potter reference, right down to the British colloquial “Mum” appears on that license plate. Magic, anyone?

Well, then, I was almost giddy when I arrived at Einstein’s Bagels and found that the always friendly staff were dressed for the Holiday. So, I snapped a photo with them.

That is Katrina (or Kassie) on the far left. She wants to be a writer, so I gave her my ten second spiel on how to approach doing it – don’t worry about spelling, rules of grammar or punctuation, it’s all about the strength of the story, so just sit down and write like you are talking to your best friend – and then, when she asked, I agreed to read whatever she was writing. Pay it forward.

That’s Dominic in the back, not certain of the costume, giving the thumbs up. At some point he may actually read the copy of TWA he received during one of my earlier visits. But then again he is a dude, and most dudes don’t read.

However, if I ever want to reach the JK Rowling level of cult following, I need to bring the youth into the demographic fold. Boys and girls. Pandering is essential. They get it.

Back at Casa Claire, I spotted Claire and Honey out back, sleeping and nuzzle grooming, wanting to be rested and pretty, just in case any children (and their parents) came by for tricks or treats.

And while Lisa and I waited to see what happened on that end, I spent some time with my recently transitioning outdoor/indoor familiar,

Smokey, in my favorite recliner.

And then children actually arrived to honor the ageless and wonderful Halloween tradition and deliver us from countless candy calories Lisa and I would have otherwise added as we consumed those sweets over the winter. Included in this gaggle of kiddies are my three grans. That’s Scarlett, the taller one second from left. A witch of course. Their excitement and energy was contagious. This is what brings the joy to the holiday.

Note that those baby buts are all safely sitting on bales of Claire & Honey’s highest quality hay – grown and delivered by my good friend Tom Connolly, and configured on this flatbed tow by my creative neighbors Drew and Kelly. Claire made sure she added a little bit of magic to the warmth of the hay bales.

But the day when we connect with those on the other side of the veil wasn’t over until this mystic could provide what my chosen brethren back in NYC would refer to as a mitzvah.

Synchronicity would bring me back to the aptly named Loveland. And it would involve a child.

The opportunity presented itself when I spotted the following posting on the Nextdoor App.

So, I clicked on JM’s post and it opened onto this:

Sorry, there is some overlap, but read on.

After reading her the post, Lisa suggested I honor their request and stop by and pay them a visit.

Well, I typed the address into my GPS and hopped into my trusty Toyota RAV 4, and made my way north to 912 East Kelly Drive, in Loveland.

As promised, the lights were on

There I introduced myself to the lovely mother, Kathy (who answered the door), then Patrick, the father who penned the post, and I believe another of their daughters? (or friend?) a lovely young woman named Kai-Lynn (forgive me if I got the name and relationship wrong). I am certain I got the lovely right.

The warmth and love from these people was palpable, but the pain remained masked just under the surface. They mourn the way the Irish do, simultaneously with a smile and a tear.

They were authentically welcoming. They offered me some candy (I took a Hershey’s bar).

I explained that I had seen their touching post and just wanted to come by and offer my condolences.

After a shared exchange of polite pleasantries, I offered them an inscribed copy of TWA with the caveat that it may provide a few smiles they were seeking, and Patrick – a big fellow – generously offered his broad back for me to lean on as I inscribed it.

Now I cannot imagine the pain this family was suffering from their relatively recent loss of their teenage daughter, Alyssa Serenity, to suicide. I also cannot begin to fathom the despair this poor young girl was suffering when she decided to cross the veil before her time. Before she really had the opportunity to explore the beauty of the transition she was embarking on into adulthood. It’s tough being a teen in today’s world.

Given how thin the veil was yesterday, I could feel the daughter’s love around this beautiful family as they continued to mourn her loss in as positive a way as they could. By opening their hearts and their door and giving to others on this night and contributing to the joy of other young people and their families. A generous act of service. Pay it forward.

I struggled with the decision of whether to add this last entry to today’s blog, but I’m hoping that by including it in my small platform it may reach someone who may be suffering, or trigger a timely second glance by someone who can recognize the signs in another before it is too late.

So, if any young person who is suffering in silence reads this blog, reach out. Friends, teachers, family. A kind eyed stranger. You are never alone. There is someone out there who wants desperately to help you carry your burden while you live, rather than suffer carrying it alone after you have passed.

As a father and a writer, I will add that Patrick’s selfless post was as fine a piece of prose as I have read in a long time. It was pure emotion that touched the heart. You cannot fake that. You would not want to.

And his primary motivation was his love for his wife. Full stop.

There’s a sign by a church in Loveland that sits directly across Route 287 from a large cemetery. It took me awhile to figure out the meaning behind the message. I finally got it yesterday.

It says something like “Don’t be our neighbor.”

So, my fine, five readers, love your kids and grandkids, nieces and nephews, and any family member or friend or even stranger who could use a kind word. Lots of people will suffer in silence until that suffering just gets to be too unbearable.

Let’s try not to let that happen.

Now, today is All Saints Day and tomorrow is All Souls Day for us (even Lapsed) Catholics.

The Spanish call these two days Día de Muertos. November 1st is focused on the passed children Día de los Angelitos. https://www.goodhousekeeping.com/holidays/a40545924/when-is-day-of-the-dead/

So, today, let’s keep those children who have passed, like Alyssa Serenity, in whatever prayers we share with our Creator. And if you are lucky enough to have your children still within physical reach, give them an extra hug, and let them know they are loved. If they are somewhere else, modern technology will shorten the relatively long distance with a call or some facetime. It is the thought that counts.

Now I’m going to go cuddle some kitties and make my rounds.

And no matter what else we get up to on this fine Friday, let us make today a great one.

I was blessed in this magical day to have had the opportunity to have heard its call.