Allhallowtide

At the end of this month comes a day that for some is the best holiday of the year! The one day of the year where it is ok even acceptable to dress up like someone we are not.

Yep. Even a monster.

The trick or some may say the treat comes in knowing the difference. Knowing the differences.

Knowing it when you see it. Or for some of us ghouls or goblins.

Feeling it when you know it. A feeling of dread. Lock step with the feeling of euphoria sometimes. Helplessly and oftentimes repeatedly forcing down into our core our caricatured monsters, deeper and deeper until the only way out is up and out.

Or choosing to express ourselves as a favorite cartoon character, our favorite super hero, our favorite sports star. Or even a sports car. Trick or Treat. Trunk or Treat. Treats and gore galore. Spooky ghosts and wicked witches, gorey make up that looks like stitches.

We can all choose to be someone we are not. Change for a day. Change for better. Change for worse. Imitating and acting as if we are someone we are not. Imitation is the sincerest form of flattery. Even better than playing dress up. During the trick or treat ritual, there is the social ritual of walking outside, and going door to door. Knocking on doors to receive treats for our troubles.

Did you know? Allhallowtide is actually a day that is one of a trifecta of days dedicated to remembrance. It is not just a cacophony of costumes and candy, and parties and gore. Allhallowtide exists as a way for human beings to celebrate being alive while remembering those who have gone before them.

The difference between a soul and the soulless is what makes the monster come alive.

It really does make one think about how to live a life of reverence. A good life. Not of a monster. Why we choose to live and leave that for the rest of the 362 days that we are alive. To remember for some is a monstrous feat. For others, having buried what one remembers is a monster deep down just waiting to come out for a day or three. To give the buried hollowed feeling a breather. We are all capable of behaving like a monster. We are all be capable of learning and practicing forgiveness as well. We can all look at things in a different way, so long as it is productive and helpful to our fellow man. Even our most monstrous fellow man.

Allhallowtide, Hallowtide,Allsaintstide or the Hallowmas season is the Western Christian season encompassing the triduum (a period of time encompassing three days.) of All Saints Eve (Halloween), All Saints Day (All Hallows’) and All Souls Day, as well as the International Day of Prayer for the Persecuted Church(Observed on the first Sunday of November)(wk)

This remembrance time begins on October 31 annually. Allhallowtide is a time to remember the dead, including martyrs, saints, and all faithful departed Christians.

All faithful departed Christians.

I do not know about you but what I hear is:

Religion does matter. Being kind and good to one’s fellow mean matters. Even if and when the monster in you and your belly grumbles, stumble and mumbles. It is speaking to you to: Let it go. Let it out.

Go ahead. Purge it out. It really will make you feel better. More important once the monster is out, it will not have the chance to burrow deeper into your soul.

Whatever it takes.

We are given our days to spend as we see fit. A gift really. To share the best even if and when we do not feel like it. We are given a new opportunity each and every day, including the designated three days of opportunity one of which is to dress up as another a superhero, or a cartoon character, a sports car.

The present date of Hallowmas (All Saints Day) and thus also of its vigil (Hallowe’en) was established for Rome perhaps by Pope Gregory III and was made an obligation through out the Frankish Empire by Louis the Pious in 835. (Wk)

Elsewhere, other dates were observed even later, with the date in Ireland being April 20. in the early 11th century, the modern date of All Soul’s Day was popularized, after Abbot Odil established it as a day for the monks of Cluny and associated monasteries to pray for the dead.(wk)

How do you like them apples of evolution? Crunchy and crispy to me. Making noise—a cacophony of “Love thy neighbor as thyself.” Sounds good to me. An obligation to love one another is what I hear. A religion with the belief in a future judgment, a resurrection of the dead or a purgatory often offer prayers on behalf of the dead to God.

Purgatory is a desperate place of indecision, of being “on the fence.”

Take a stand. That way on judgement day, we will know crystally clearly who and what we believe in. Crunchy and crispy and noisy enough for me to digest. After consulting my inner monster of doubt of course. And there are always various paths to take. Different roads to travel.

There is one definitive requirement. And it is important to have one. What?..

A Soul.

Otherwise we are all just blowing smoke.

A wise person once shared with me that you have to make a decision. Even if it is a bad decision, at least make one. And then suffer the consequences. Of our own actions. Practice makes perfect. As mentioned, there are many paths. However mixing them up is not always the way to go. Because the heart cannot see what the head sees. And the Soul is invisible. It floats freely of time, like a

Hummingbird.

Tiny but with strong and powerful wings. And if you are fortunate enough to have a visit from a hummingbird. You are blessed. A tiny being that flies by your ear so quickly and noisy enough to let you know they are present. And then off they go. Spreading their tiny bits of wisdom hoping you hear and heard.

Paths to walk include Buddhism, Christianity, Hinduism, Islam, Judaism, MadaeismBahai Faith, Taoism. Salutational— to welcome the spirits of the deceased, or to remember their names. In addition, African Traditional Diasporic Zoroastrians. (wk)

All Souls Day also know as Commemoration of all the faithful departed and the day of the dead. Is a day of prayer and remembrance for the faithful departed which is observed by Roman Catholics and other Christian denominations annually on Nov ember 2. Adherents of the All Soul’s Day traditions remember deceased friends and relatives in various ways on the day through prayers, intercessions, alms, and visits to the cemeteries. Staunch believers, people commemorate the poor souls in purgatory and gain them indulgences. Beliefs and practices associated with All Souls’ Day vary widely among Christian denominations.(wk)

Poor souls. Good souls. Rich souls. Weak souls. Reap what they sow. Make it stick, not sticky. Remember those you may want to forget and just breathe a sigh of relief that your inner monster is not really real. Through belief and practice you can control when you fear it begin to rear its ugly head.