A Labyrinth is many things. It is both a physical and a metaphysical path - and it can also be interpreted as a path to a path (a physical route to a spiritual experience).
For those of you who know us, you may know that I (bobbi) come from El Paso, TX, the very western tip of that great state, and one of the many cities in the US that borders Mexico (in our case, Juarez).
Born and bred in El Paso makes one very aware of the Hispanic culture, and one of my favorite things about this time of year is The Day of the Dead, or El Dia de los Muertos. The skeleton face make-up, brightly colored altars, flickering candles and bowers of marigolds everywhere make the celebration a fun and beautiful celebration, but what I truly love about the day is what is honors – those we love who have gone into another world, one that we cannot access, but one that is believed to be slightly closer to us on this particular day.
Of course, Americans celebrate this philosophy in a slightly different way, the fun, spooky Halloween tradition, also one of my favorite holidays. However, as much as I truly love Halloween, I do find the remembrance rituals of Day of the Dead touching and healthy, and significantly more personal. Halloween honors the general idea of the ‘other world,’ while Day of the Dead commemorates loved ones who have journeyed there.
I
encourage you to look into this visually stunning yet emotionally moving
festival, and perhaps take a moment to remember loved ones in the early days of
November. Fall seems to be the
right time to connect and reflect. Candles, be they the pumpkin orange of our
American sensibilities or the pastel votives of the Mexican ceremonial altars,
offer beauty, light and calm as the days get darker and the weather colder.
In our house, this time of year is known as the beginning of the “holiday corridor” – from fun, festive Halloween to the restful beauty of Thanksgiving to the crazy yet delightful Christmas holidays.
A good time to connect with Spirit and Self, since so much of our lives is taken over by cooking, shopping, socializing; family and friends. These are good things, wonderful things, but only if we have the presence and energy to enjoy them. Otherwise what should be occasions of joy and connection become heavy burdens. Take time for yourself as you prepare for these sacred yet hectic events.
For me, November is also about writing, and I will be participating in National Novel Writing Month (nanowrimo.org). As I plan my life for the next month around writing a 50,000 word novel, a friend sent me an encouraging note with Nora Roberts’ famous quote (in writing circles anyway): “I can fix anything but a blank page.”
A
good reminder, and easily tweaked into a spiritual message. The path doesn’t matter, really, as long
as you have a path. If it doesn’t
work for you, evaluate, adjust, repeat, but always move forward – have the goal
in mind, and the goal is, finding yourself closer to Center, to Self, to God.
There’s no better time than the present, no matter what the present looks like. Light a candle. Take a breath. Fall into the beauty and love that is all around you. Be at peace.