I'm starting to see why church was so boring...
In the pagan tradition, All Hallow's Eve is the new year - a time for rethinking the year gone by, burning away past haunts, and inner rebirth.
Scott's good friend, a practicing pagan, invited us to his celebration of said event. To be honest, it was more of a spiritually inspiring experience than most other religious events I've attended. I was introduced, and we sat around eating, drinking chocolatinis, and having discussions on politics, birth, building hobbit holes, etc. Everyone wrote down on a small piece of paper the negative aspects of their lives that they desired to let go of - things to release from our psyche, from our decision making, from our spirits as a whole, These papers were then burned in a bonfire along with incence and pine branches.
The ritual in itself was nothing ostentacious or elaborate, but the essence of the people participating were what made it feel all the more joyful and, I'll say it, beautiful.
What I was most struck by was Eric, Scott's friend, as he pulled out his tarot cards and did a reading for everyone... he looked at every one of us and, without talking with us for any length of time, or even knowing us well, could give every person there advice with the kind of open understanding that you only find in a few rare, wise, inconspicuous sages.
Traditions like palm reading, tarot cards, hell, even praying to a god, are not magical or meaningful in and of themselves, but rather are tools to understanding that allow our minds and souls to grasp beyond our supposed reality and provide for positive change.
So, here's to new beginnings. I hope you all have many.