Yesterday was Día de los Angelitos, in the Spanish tradition, the "Day of the Angels." As the legend goes, the veil separating the living and the dead becomes thin allowing our dear departed loved ones to reach out to us. Is it mere folk lore, fantasy, fairy tale, or, might there be some substance to the legend?
Yesterday morning, gazing up into the sky during my morning walk with Jake, my yellow lab, I saw what to me felt like formations resembling my two angels, brother Mark and Lori's husband, Kent Parko. What I saw was more symbolic than some photo image, but when the clouds crossed I strongly felt the presence of these two dearly loved but now departed souls.
That same morning my sister, Lori, feeling the stress and pressure of a long series of days having to gear up for performances, forced herself to the gym and while there experienced an unexpected sense of peace and tranquility after gazing into the eyes of her brother, Michael, who was also there. For her, it was as if Mark or Kent or both had reached out through Michael's eyes to hug her.
As the legend goes, if you put up an altar, light candles, display flowers & pictures, and have some of their favorite food items on plates, our Mark loved Hershey Bars, all this serves as an invitation for their spirits to visit and connect. Lori had done all that the night before while preparing for our North Shore Library seminar on the Celtic Samhain, Halloween, The Day of the Dead, and All Saints Day, and how Celtic lore was added to our novel, Hazel Moon. For Lori, it seemed as if the spirits of her beloved Mark & Kent did reach out to her.
Of course Día de los Angelitos followed Halloween on November 31st and today is Día de los Muertos or the "Day of the Dead." Last night Lori and I put on the seminar at the North Shore Library. I'd prepared by researching all the legends and lore surrounding Halloween for the many cultures who celebrate this time with a holiday tradition.
I began talking about Celtic legends then, Lori went over to her Day of the Dead altar and explained the various items on the table and their significance.
Lori took some time to explain the inspiration of her husband's new wave band, Take Me, which led to having a band be the center of the action for our novel, Hazel Moon.
I, then, added more material about the background for Celtic lore, in particular, the Salmon of Knowledge legend.
When it was time for a reading from Hazel Moon we chose the Salmon of Knowledge scene and read it together, alternating roles.
During a lengthy Q&A we were able to share many more details about how the passing of our brother Mark and Lori's husband, Kent, led to writing our novel as a celebration of their lives and how our characters embody elements of all the people and activities in our lives which we dearly cherish.
The hour allotted to our seminar passed quickly and it turned out to be an inspirational, refreshing, and informative experience for all who attended!
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