When The Veil Is Thin
Strange are the ways of this world, they say.
Since my intense awakening and initiation phase which began with meeting the other me in another body, back in 2016, I see this world with my new found eyes, the one they call, The Third Eye.’ And no wonder this world has turned more wondrous than it ever was, for me. It’s so intriguing to find, we overlook such obvious themes as mere cultural beliefs, myths and traditions while the truth stares us in our face.
Come September, and we begin inching towards winter in the Northern Hemisphere. Darker, colder times when the days grow shorter and the nights longer. And in between the the Fall Equinox and the Winter Solstice we celebrate a chain of festivals re-iterating the same theme of Light and Dark, Spirit and Matter, Endings and Beginnings. There is such incoherence yet such a cohesive pattern reflected through these festivals celebrated in different parts of the world by different cultures, nations and religions.
The Navratri and Durga Puja in India celebrates the victory of Shakti, The Godess who kills the Demon, Mahishasura. The Dassehra, celebrates the victory of Lord Rama over Ravana, by throwing an arrow at the idol of the ten headed Demon made of fireworks, again the victory of Light over Dark. And then as we inch closer to the new moon night, we celebrate Deepavali, the festival of lights and firecrackers.
But hey, wait!
Right then, we also worship Goddess Kali, who lives in darkness, in shamshaan (the Hindu graveyards where the dead are burnt in Holy Fire.) She embodies the dark, fierce version of Shakti, ruthlessly slaying demons and wearing a garland made of their heads. With Kali Puja we enter the theme of Ghosts and Spirits as people believe they are found in graveyards and shamshaans, aren't they? The evening before is celebrated as Narak Chaturdashi or Bhoot Chaturdashi. Narak, the Hindi word for Hell and Bhoot, for ghosts!
So, to ward off Ghosts and celebrate the death of Narakasur, the devil from Hell, candles and diyas are lit. Of course, this has rung a bell already. Didn't people light bonfires and wear costumes to ward off ghosts to celebrate the Celtic festival of Samhain, when spirits walk the earth, marking the end of the harvest season and the beginning of the “darker half” of the year? They would leave food outside their houses for ghosts and spirits that night. And then, the evening before was marked as “All Hallows Eve” now popularly celebrated as Halloween. Through all the costumes and masks and pumpkins, do we not acknowledge the presence of spirits around us? Close on the heels we have the Christian Missionaries acknowledging the mingling of the living and the dead on ‘All Souls Day.’The cycle closes with Bonfire Night in the UK where people celebrate with bonfires, candles and fireworks.
My point in writing this article is not to point out the similarities in these festivals but to point out the reason behind those...
THE WISDOM OF THE ANCIENT HUMANS we so easily undermine these days.
Those we term as ghosts are none other than spirits. And who are we? Are we not spirits too, only in the garb of matter, that which we call the physical body? We exist not only in this physical body, but in our subtle bodies too. We are spirits too.
WE ARE MULTIDIMENSIONAL BEINGS.
And we have Darkness inside of us as well as we have the potential to hold Light. We can’t disown our own shadows. As Carl Jung had rightfully pointed out, we need to be whole even if we are not perfect.
We need to integrate our SHADOWS and let our inner LIGHT illumine us.
A Tiny Candle Has The Power ‘N’ Light
To Fight The Darkness Of A No Moon Night
- PARIJAT
