{"id":1516,"date":"2013-10-27T18:07:59","date_gmt":"2013-10-28T00:07:59","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/www.patheos.com\/blogs\/johnbeckett\/?p=1516"},"modified":"2013-10-27T18:07:59","modified_gmt":"2013-10-28T00:07:59","slug":"away-come-away","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.patheos.com\/blogs\/johnbeckett\/2013\/10\/away-come-away.html","title":{"rendered":"Away, Come Away"},"content":{"rendered":"\n<\/head>

\"\"<\/a>
neither land nor sea, neither day nor night<\/em><\/figcaption><\/figure>\n<\/p>

I\u2019m seeing a lot of ancestor-related posts as Samhain approaches.\u00a0 If it weren\u2019t for our ancestors we quite literally wouldn\u2019t be here \u2013 honoring them is right and good.\u00a0 But I honor my ancestors as part of my daily prayers<\/a> \u2013 it\u2019s the first prayer in my afternoon cycle.\u00a0 Virtually all our group rituals include at least an invitation for the ancestors to join us and offerings to welcome them.\u00a0 So for me, Samhain isn\u2019t ancestor time \u2013 that\u2019s every day.<\/p>\n

When I think of Samhain I think of the thinning of the veil between the worlds.<\/p>\n

In my grand model of the Universe \u2013 the constantly revised mental map I use to orient myself and make sense of my experiences \u2013 the veil is less a thing and more a condition.\u00a0 It\u2019s possible to travel from this world to the Otherworld at any time.\u00a0 Drumming, dancing, and ritual can facilitate a meditative journey, as can skilled guides.\u00a0 But at certain times and places these journeys are easier than at others.<\/p>\n

Traditionally, in-between times and places are most auspicious:\u00a0 twilight, seashores, doorways \u2013 neither day nor night, neither land nor sea, neither within nor without.\u00a0 Samhain, which literally means \u201cSummer\u2019s end,\u201d is neither Summer nor Winter.\u00a0 This is an ideal time to journey to the Otherworld to visit with our ancestors, to gather knowledge and wisdom, and to perform divinations.<\/p>\n

But if it\u2019s easier for us to cross the veil from this world to the Otherworld at Samhain, then it stands to reason it\u2019s also easier for beings who live in the Otherworld to cross the veil into this world.\u00a0 That idea is supported by lore and tradition \u2013 much of which has evolved into our Halloween.<\/p>\n

I\u2019ve written before about meeting the spirits of the land<\/a> and last year I reviewed The Fairy Faith in Celtic Countries<\/a><\/em> \u2013 and I experienced the fae first hand.\u00a0 If beings that spend most of their time in the Otherworld (or Underhill, assuming those aren\u2019t two names for the same place) find it easier to visit our world, what might they do?\u00a0 What might they tell us?\u00a0 What might they ask \u2013 or demand \u2013 of us?<\/p>\n

I\u2019m always reluctant to assume that supernatural beings take a great interest in human affairs, and I completely reject the idea that they\u2019re here \u201cfor us.\u201d\u00a0 The gods are not our parents or our therapists and the fae are not waiting around for some human to give treasure to.\u00a0 If you\u2019ve actually read their stories, you know the fae are more likely to take treasure than to give it.<\/p>\n

But we humans dominate this world, and to the extent that the spirits of Nature are connected to it, our actions affect them.\u00a0 What might they say to us, or at least to those of us inclined to hear<\/em> with more than physical ears?<\/p>\n

Away, come away<\/a><\/em>.<\/p>\n

Come away from your antiseptic bubbles and dig in the dirt.<\/p>\n

Come away from your high tech glamours and make your own art.<\/p>\n

Come away from your isolation and greet your neighbors \u2013 all your neighbors.<\/p>\n

Come away from your masters and follow your heart.<\/p>\n

Come away from your arrogance and revere our Mother.<\/p>\n

Come away from your greed and embrace enough<\/em>.<\/p>\n

Away, come away<\/em>.<\/p>\n

May you have a blessed Samhain and may your journeys beyond the veil be safe and prosperous.<\/p>\n<\/body><\/html>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

The lore of Samhain speaks of creatures who cross the veil from the Otherworld to this world. What might they say to us, or at least to those of us inclined to hear<\/em> with more than physical ears?<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1129,"featured_media":1517,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[12],"tags":[197,4,5,188,196,198],"class_list":["post-1516","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-polytheism-2","tag-fae","tag-pagan","tag-paganism","tag-samhain","tag-sidhe","tag-veil-between-the-worlds"],"yoast_head":"\nAway, Come Away<\/title>\n<meta name=\"description\" content=\"The lore of Samhain speaks of creatures who cross the veil from the Otherworld to this world. 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