MAKE MAGIC
– NOT MISCHIEF–
ON HALLOWEEN
When you were growing up, what did you call the night before
Halloween?
In
our New Jersey neighborhoods October 30th goes by several names, depending on where
you grew up.
·
Mischief Night seems to be most common.
·
But
in some rural areas it’s called Cabbage Night.
·
Around
Paterson it’s called Goosey Night (and it’s listed that
way on the Public School calendar).
·
It’s
Hell
Night around Camden.
·
Gate Night just a little north of me in Rockland County,
NY;
·
Doorbell Night in Connecticut;
·
Hacker Night elsewhere.
·
Other
names include Trick Night, Mizzie (or Mizzy) Night and Mat
(or Mad)
Night.
·
Around
Albany NY they call it Beggar’s Night;
·
In
Detroit it’s famously known as Devil’s Night and, since there’s a
history in that town of setting fires all over the city, a more pacific Angel’s
Night effort is now promoted.
·
Fair and balanced 2012
World Series reporting: San Francisco seems to favor the Mischief Night
designation.
No matter what you
call it,
the countdown to Halloween 2012 is dashing toward the finish line. Although,
for a great many kids, as well as some adults, and certainly for all those
retail establishments that sell candy by the bag, the “observance” has been
going on for quite a while, the day (or maybe days) so many kids (and a good
number of adults) have been waiting for is soon at hand.
So
how about a little Halloween history on the way to some TGIM treats?
Halloween
comes down to us from the pre-Christian era Celtic festival of Samhaim, held October 31, the last
autumn night before the cold and
bleakness of winter.
On
this night, considered the Celtic New Year, the Druids believed that the
supernatural world drew closer to the physical world. That meant human beings
were more susceptible to the influence and power of the unseen. Magic spells
could be cast more easily. Divination was more revealing. Dreams held special
significance.
This
capsule history is spelled out in Sarah Ban Breathnach’s book, Simple Abundance. She continues:
“I believe Halloween
is the perfect reminder that Magic flows through us. Mystery infuses every
encounter of every day. We conjure up the shoe that cannot be found anywhere in
the house, transform leftovers into a feast, coax a bounty from the barren
earth, banish fear, heal hurts, make money stretch till the end of the month.
We do all this and much more. But most (people) aren’t aware of their
tremendous power for good.”
Do you believe in
Magic?
You don’t have to be some sort of Druid or Celtic celebrant. It’s not about some particular occult faith
or any mystical hocus-pocus.
Belief is an informed mental exercise.
►
It’s
about putting trust or confidence in a person or a concept.
►
It’s
about acceptance and conviction about what you understand as a verifiable
truth.
► It’s about having faith in your own ability to get something
accomplished.
►
It’s
about consciously developing a habit that makes things happen.
Anyone can believe in
Magic of that nature.
It’s available to each of us because it’s not just about Halloween-ish trickery
(or “treatery” if that’s a word.)
Magic flows through
us.
What an empowering approach to an occasion that’s become so over-commercialized
and even subject to criticism from some quarters!
As
Breathnach suggests, isn’t Magic what we perform when we create an authentic
lifestyle for ourselves and those we love? Can’t we shape unseen forces with
our creativity … bring into the physical world what only existed in the realm
of unseen beliefs?
And
if this can be done unconsciously, how much more could we accomplish — how much
more success might we experience — if we were alertly aware of our powers,
developed them fully and focused them on creating our desired outcomes?
TGIM ACTION IDEA: Summon the Magical
powers that lie within you (and each of us). Direct them toward making your
desires reality. It doesn’t take some dark art or spell or arcane incantation.
What
would you like to know more about or accomplish? Set your own course of study
and make an earnest effort to know the ideas and ideals that work for you in
the real world.
Of
course –
Be careful what you believe.
TGIM IDEA IN ACTION: Make sure you’ve got
facts (not speculation) and all the facts you need before you settle on a
course of action. Check and double check. Know your sources. Search for
independent resources to verify what others tell you.
And watch out for
tricksters and mischief makers. Don’t be naive and think that with all of
today’s sophisticated means of communication you can’t be duped in the 21st
Century. Realize that, with the profusion of broadcast channels … and the
gazillions of connections of the digitally interconnected world … and the only
slightly more personal relationships created by social media, there are abundant
opportunities to deceive a well as inform.
Added point: In the run up to
this Halloween, consider all the lives you touch in the course of your life.
Sometime in the perhaps-overhyped, candy-fueled course of the day, commit to
using your Magical Powers more wisely and effectively. Stay a thoughtful and
thinking person and you won’t be “tricked” into wrong decisions this or any
other time of the year.
Wishing
you nothing but treats.
Geoff
Steck
Chief Catalyst
Alexander Publishing & Marketing
Chief Catalyst
Alexander Publishing & Marketing
8
Depot Square
Englewood,
NJ 07631
201-569-5373
tgimguy@gmail.com
201-569-5373
tgimguy@gmail.com
P. S. “I am sure there is magic in everything …” observed Frances
Eliza Hodgson Burnett (1849 – 1924). She was a playwright and author best known
today for her children's stories, in particular The Secret Garden and Little
Lord Fauntleroy (which, although an anachronism now, was the Harry Potter of its time and made her
essentially the J. K. Rowling of her day; wealthy, celebrated and influential).
