The season of glitter is upon us. I refer the the fine dust of glitter that sheds from our decorations starting at Halloween, going through Thanksgiving and Christmas and really all the way on through to Valentine's Day. But here's what occurred to me the other day. There’s a bit more to it than glitter and fun.
Halloween is largely about honoring your past, those who went before you. Its roots are Druidic and when the Catholics took it over they carried on the tradition with a set of holy days to give honor to the souls, known and unknown, in heaven. So first, you give remembrance and pay homage to your past, deepening your connection to what has come before you and strengthening your roots.
Thanksgiving is about your present. Being grateful for your bounty. Celebrating the here and now with your friends and family. It is actually, and secretly, considering my love and adoration for Halloween and Christmas, my favorite holiday. First you cook together, then you break bread together, then you lounge around together feeling sated and satisfied. And all along the way you fellowship with people you love. So secondly, you experience your present with love and gratitude, celebrating the here and now and the fruits of your own labors.
Christmas is about your future. It falls pretty close to Winter Solstice - a celebration of the return of the sun and heat and spring and growing things. And what is Christ about if not hope? The blooming of compassion, forgiveness, and acceptance into the world. So thirdly, you celebrate possibility and pour belief into the idea that there is indeed a path that leads to a joyful, meaningful and just tomorrow.
And Valentine's Day, a celebration of love, really brings it on home. Because, in my world, love is not a noun. Love is a verb. Love is action. And so the closing of the season of glitter asks us to actively participate in our past, present and future. It asks us to bring love from our past into our present. It calls us to love more deeply those close to our hearts and to cultivate deeper compassion for those we do not know but who share this wonderful world. Words are powerful and thoughts are important. But actions…actions are are the proof of life. So lastly, at the close of the season of glitter, you have to opportunity to take your past, your present and your hope for the future and manifest, through loving action, the world you wish it to be. Pretty groovy, eh? Happy Season of Glitter!