Darkness and Fire

As the darkness settles in on us in the shift from summer into fall, there is something special about how the darkness draws us together.

The days get shorter, the weather becomes cooler. The leaves turn colors, many plants enter their dormant stage.

The spirit of this season crosses cultural borders. Perhaps it is the signal the changing foliage sends our subconscious, as we celebrate harvests with a festive, yet wistful spirit that prompts Octoberfests, with joy and gratitude for food and drink.

Then we take time at Halloween, also known as Samhain, Day of the Dead, All Souls Night, All Saints Day. The plants at the end of their cycle remind us to take time remember those of our friends and relatives who reached the end of their cycle in this life, on this earth. People of all ages celebrate this crossing, as children do their trick or treat and adults throw costume parties and masked balls.

The wonderful, heartfelt civic holiday of Thanksgiving is a time when family and friends get together to enjoy each other's company. It is the quiet, sweet, relaxed pause between the exotic masked, costumed holidays of Halloween and the hyper-commercialized shopping extravaganza of Christmas.

And all this time, the fires are growing. The fires in our hearts, the fires in our fireplaces, in our candles, our lanterns, our spirits. It is the fire of learning for those who go back to school, the fire of creativity for those presenting new seasons of theatre, music, movies, and books. It is the fire that gives heat and light, within us, without us, among us, around us.