The Journal

Letting the Halloween spirit linger, and not just as leftover candy
By Karen Murray

It seems less fashionable than earlier in the decade to denounce Halloween (and any juvenile observance thereof) as a Satanist trap of some kind, though you still see the occasional naive condemnation of the holiday as dedicated to some ravenous Death God, and a few folks are still probably reeling from the news that 1999 saw the recognition of Wicca by the Armed Forces, a move that some condemned as a sign of the End Times.

This year a Neopagan group (many Wiccans included) met for the third time in Washington to observe Halloween, a small tradition of visibility by people who are neither mainstream religious nor hardcore materialist but find their spiritual instincts best served by reverence for nature and its cycles.

I like the verve, anarchy and inclusiveness of this crowd, who, instead of deflating the demonized Halloween traditions as child's play, have taken to declaring themselves on talk shows and the Internet, explaining the various seasonal festivals they re-create (depending on whether they are Celtic Pagans, Graeco-Roman Pagans or Nordic Pagans - I said inclusive).

Debunking the Satanist accusations (one spokesman refers to Satanism as "a form of Christian Fundamentalism"), they say to our mainstream religions, in effect, "This is our spirituality. It's as sincere and historically rooted as yours, so make room."

These folks like to remark that "organizing Pagans is like herding cats," but some are circulating a letter to the Vatican regarding the Pope's anticipated Millennium Address.

As reported last year in Jewish Bulletin of Northern CA Online, there are rumors of an apology for the Holy Inquisition, a centuries-long [state/Christian church] terrorist operation directed at Jews, heretics and other spiritual nonconformists who were tortured into confessing and judicially murdered by the millions.

Vatican archivists have been at work since the first of the year, presumably deciding how bad this really was.

The Neopagan letter to the Vatican, pushing the envelope, remarks: "early news releases [from the Vatican] concerning this event have not indicated that those accused of being Witches, and those indigenous (i.e. `Pagan') peoples who were forcibly converted by the Church will be included in your apology. ...

In the name of our spiritual ancestors who suffered persecution during the Inquisition, we respectfully request inclusion of Pagans and Witches in your Apology Address."

That's a request with gonads, and who knows?

It might happen.

It would be nice if we could close the century with a commitment to the ending of witch hunts - spiritual, political or cultural.

As the year closes, we are bound to hear the usual calls for extending the benevolence and generosity of the "Christmas spirit" year-round.

Perhaps we can practice up on the spirit of Halloween.

The scary, extravagant or noisy folks out there - whether their nonconformity is sexual, political, chemical, religious or social - may be no more evil than your own children.

In fact, they may be your children.

Trick or treat.

Karen Murray lives in Arlington.
Her column appears Wednesdays.

Contact the Journal:
E-Mail
The Journal
6408 Edsall Road
Alexandria, VA 22312
USA

link to: http://www.illusions.com/halloween/