Editor’s note: the following piece, written by Eric Francis, was originally published on Friday, Nov. 2, 2007. It is now part of the Planet Waves archives, which contains thousands of articles and horoscopes written by Eric over the last decade. It is available for your browsing pleasure with a subscription to Planet Waves Astrology News.
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Dear Friend and Reader:
THESE NIGHTS of mid-Scorpio are when the veil between the worlds is the thinnest. They are theВ Days of the Dead: All Saints’ Day, All Souls’ Day, Dia de los Muertos, and Dia de los Angelitos; with special days designated to honor the unbaptized, small children, those who died violently, and of course, our ancestors.В
When our world is closest to the astral world, these souls can come visit; and we can visit them, honoring our predecessors in our hearts, and also with a simple ritual such as bringing gifts to a cemetery. In American culture, we call the whole business Halloween. That is an adaptation ofВ Samhain, the high sabbat of the witch’s calendar. This is related to Beltane in May — the holiday of abundance, sex and passion.
I try to get to a cemetery every year, but my days are packed right now, and I didn’t know when I would have time. But I woke up Thursday morning (honored as New Year’s Day in theВ Celtic calendar, but this has been questioned) with instructions for a mission I had not planned. This was going to the Revolutionary War cemetery at the Old Dutch Church down the street from my house and making my offerings there. In particular, it wasВ George Clinton, the first and longest serving governor of New York State and finally vice president of the United States, whose grave I needed to visit. Clinton also served as county clerk of Ulster County, where I live, a position he held for more than half a century during his long life of public service. He then served as vice president under two of our most venerated presidents, Thomas Jefferson and James Madison.