Wednesday, October 31, 2007

The Night of No Time

I didn't realize until recently that Samhain opened a period known as the "time which is no time."

That's sort of a deliciously chilling concept for some reason. It's a factoid I picked up in a lecture by a Wiccan at a Unitarian Church recently, but it prompted me to read a little more on the web.

Read a little further in some of the online texts and you learn that on the opening night of the period "the natural order of the universe disolves back into primordial chaos, preparatory to re-establishing itself in a new order."

Witchies an and goblins and long-leggedy beasties may be scary but the more ancient concepts are a little more world wrenching.

Of course it being the end of the old year, it's also a time of reflection and contemplation, a time to take advantage of the "no time" to view past and future.

Hope that's interesting. Happy Halloween.

5 comments:

Charles Gramlich said...

Kim Stanley Robinson used the concept of no time well in "Red Mars." Since the days are different, they had to leave a period basically blank on the clock and it is a time of revels and revelations. I bet he based it on Samhain.

Sidney said...

That's one of those books I've had for a while but didn't read yet. That's interesting.

Stewart Sternberg (half of L.P. Styles) said...

Happy Halloween, Sid.

RK Sterling said...

Happy Halloweeen, Super Samhain and Delightful Day of the Dead to ya, Sid. :)

Sidney said...

Thanks, hope y'alls celebrations were good!

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