Bonfires dot the rolling hillsides.
Figures dance around and around
to drums that pulse out echoes of darkness;
moving to the pagan sound.Somewhere in a hidden memory
images float before my eyes
of fragrant nights of straw and of bonfires,
dancing till the next sunrise.I can see the lights in the distance
trembling in the dark cloak of night.
Candles and lanterns are dancing, dancing
a waltz on all souls night.Figures of cornstalks bend in the shadows
held up tall as the flames leap high.
The Green Knight holds the holly bush
to mark where the old year passes by.Bonfires dot the rolling hillsides.
Figures dance around and around
to drums that pulse out echoes of darkness;
moving to the pagan sound.Standing on the bridge that crosses
the river that goes out to the sea.
The wind is full of a thousand voices;
they pass by the bridge and me.- copyright Loreena McKennitt
A gorgeous song that rarely fails to leave me moved. While it speaks to the Christian holiday known as All Souls’ Day, as a Wiccan I cannot but associate it with Samhain and the thinning veil that I believe allows those I love, who live on in spirit, an easier time at connecting to me.
Since Samhain is also closely linked time-wise to the passing of my mother to cancer 11 years ago (yesterday) I cannot but think of her, at least a little, when I hear it as I believe hers to be one of those voices on the winds around me, even if I don’t hear her. While I believe in reincarnation I also believe that each of us chooses the timing of that return to the physical realm. I believe with all my heart that my mother resides in the Summerlands, she was too stubborn to be elsewhere. She was not ready to die, cancer took that choice from her. She was terrified of death, and fought for every last breath at the very end. I know that she was worried at what her leaving would mean for my father, for me, for Miss Artistic who was not yet 3. If I know my mother, she is doing what she can from the other side to help me each and every day, even if I don’t feel her.
I credit her with acting to help Princess Nibbles survive a precarious birth. I can tell you that when Miss Artistic ran away it was only 8 hours or so after I called upon my mother and my ancestors that she was back in my arms. Will she still be in the Lands of Summer when it is my time to cross over? I hope so. For all of the friction we often had between us I long to be held again in the arms of my mother.
Will I too watch and wait for my own children? I imagine I would. If for no other reason, I cannot imagine leaving before the movie was over, without knowing how they turn out, without seeing how the story ends.
Blessings
Mama Kelly
PS Forgive me if I sound a little morose. I have mentioned before that October is a hard month for me. While it holds the blessings of Princess Nibbles birthday and the festivities of Halloween it also holds the “anniversaries” of many things I’d rather forget.
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