Happy Hallowe'en, dear S&P-brains!

It has happened again -- HALLOWE'EN!!!

I hope every one of you are enjoying this, our favorite day and night of the year, in any and every way that is important, meaningful, traditional and right for you.

I have been quite noticeably absent from this ol' homely house, and I apologize... but it seems every time I have tried to get back in here on a regular basis, life hands me another distraction or dilemma.

No complaint, no excuse, just life. You all know how it can be.

I really do hope to be able to be here on  regular basis, because I miss it, and all of you, and it was one of the most beloved 'things' in my life for a good long while. It will be that again, and hopefully sooner than later.

Until then, though, I thought I could be forgiven for re-posting what I feel is one of my better scribblings on the walls of this spooky public house, concerning our blessed, hallowed All Hallow's Eve, from a few years ago. It says what I feel, and I feel like every Hallowe'en is part of the same long, wondrous day and night, like we're just picking up from where we left off the year before. So why should I try to re-word or re-write it?

Enjoy, and celebrate!

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It is here.

Our day, and most thrillingly, our Night.

It is the New Year celebration of an ancient world, and an ancient celebration of what has come and gone, what may lie ahead, and what our place will be in whatever comes.

It is the birthday of childhood fears, but the anniversary of casting those fears away, all at once.

Even as it changes with time and tide, it has never disappointed.

It calls us to come out and play again, to talk and laugh and scream and chase and run as the children we still are, will always be, no matter how we try to hide it.

It sets the sun a pumpkin orange, carries leaves on a woodsmoke wind to tap our windows, scratch our memories, to tickle and reawaken our love -- our need -- for the Tall Tale, the Scary Story, the Fright.

It is yours, and it is mine, and it connects us across miles.

It does not teach us to fear -- we already know fear quite well. It doesn't say 'See? Here are horrors you wouldn't know but for Me.'

No. Like all Fantasy, which is itself a child of our darkest primal nights, it does not teach children that there are dragons. They already know that.

                                             It just shows us all that dragons can be slain.

It is our secret satisfaction at the puzzle unsolved, our continuous joy at the Great Mystery, for it is the stating and confronting of our most primal fear... and because it is the facing of our own death, it boldly and blessedly reminds us to live while we are alive.

                                         It is Hallowe'en.

It is today, and tonight. God, what a gift.

The Skull & Pumpkin wishes all of you a meaningful, magical, 
and mystical Hallowe'en, wherever you may be.

A toast, raise them up high now:

DUMDUMSHREKPOP!