In my spare time, I have written a substantial amount of poetry and, as a continuing student of Scottish Gaelic (Gáidhlig), I have inevitably learned about the culture as well as the language as I have written poetry in the language.
In addition to the deference to my Irish and Scottish ancestry, I want to support, if not save, endangered cultures and languages as well as endangered plants and animals; I figured that Gaelic was a place to begin.
And what a world that learning a language uncovers! Legends and origin stories, gods and heroes that are equal to those of Ancient Greek Mythology, among others, it's an experience to view the world through such a particular window...!
Learning about Samhain, the original Irish and Scottish version of Halloween, has been enlightening about the original context of the holiday. It is effectively El Día de los Muertos combined with a harvest festival and New Year's eve; it's the end of summer and the bright half of the year, a time of transition where the veil between worlds is thin and undefined, and the one time of year that the spirits of the dead can return to earth, enemy spirits as well as departed loved ones. Anything could happen.
Hence wearing disguises to dodge hostile spirits, ritual bonfires for cleansing, going house to house, all manner of divination games to predict the future, and dancing, feasting, and delicacies. One last hurrah before the cold, dark half of the year.
As well as the art projects that I create for my own art gallery and works of art inspired by the likes of Sandro Botticelli's "Birth of Venus" and "La Primavera", poetry has allowed me to expand not only on what a painting depicts but also to raise awareness to issues that matter.
Among them include the increasingly urgent need to address the climate crises and the need to take climate action against global warming. And all of this comes at a monumental moment in history, not just for the United States, but for everybody, for the natural world.
Sporadically over the last fifteen years, I have written Scottish Gaelic poetry to compose Samhain prayers, as a means of hopefully communing with my departed loved ones and seeking their advice. That they might have any wisdom or insight for us. In such uncertain times, I seek their consolation if not their counsel. My most recent one still rings true two years after I composed it.
In the middle of chaos and uncertainty, may we find some sort of resolution...!
Oidhche-Shamhna Shona Dhuibh (Happy Samhain Night to You)...!
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