November is Remembrance Month

I have always considered the month of November as Remembrance month. We are reminded to reflect on the past with its success and failures, to remember holy persons both living and dead, and on our own personal projects of the past year. It is a time of inner introspection, and what better moment than when the leaves are falling, a temporal reminder that all things change, that mortality is part of the life process and that immortality belongs only to those persons and things that have passed on to the Other World, to other realms not belonging to this earthly plane.

The first of November is officially known as All Saints Day, and is dedicated to the memory of the saints, both living and departed. Originally it was never meant to be connected only with the dead, nor was it meant to negative and/or morbid. It was a happy time when the living remembered the life and example of those who had departed for the Other World, recalling their lives in stories and legends. It also was a time to remember those holy persons still living who, by their lifestyles, example and principles, have affected their personal lives. We all know who these persons are; their charismatic presences illuminate mass populations, exhorting them to put aside life's artificialities and materialistic complexities and follow a simpler yet richer life of peace and personal tranquillity, a way of life many are indeed following, but that the majority of others finds too difficult to seek, unable to resist modern progress. In ancient times the living and dead co-existed side by side; never was there a separation between the two. Samhain was, and still is, that special time in the year in which the shadowy veil that separates the spiritual realm was lifted, when souls of the Other World "descended" to the earth plane to communication with the living on the earth plane. It an extraordinary moment in which time and space has no meaning, when spiritual communication is at its highest level.

In France old customs never fade away; they were just transformed into another format. As pagan practices were considered a little too heathen to the Catholic Church, they were transformed to fit the criteria of the time. Honoring the saints meant those holy persons who had long gone from the earth plane. Honoring the “ordinary” departed, considered by the Catholic Church as sinners seeking redemption, was relegated to the next day, November 2nd, All Souls Day. Thus on these two days the local popular was exhorted to honor their ancestors honor their beloved departed, whether saints or sinners, in cemeteries by placing memorial objects belonging to the departed and autumnal flowers , chrysanthemums, symbols of eternal life, on the graves. By visiting the cemeteries, the people beseeched those who have gone to the Other World, having reached eternal life (hence the chrysanthemums), to pray for them, who are still struggling with the turmoil and strife of early life. In this way the dead in cemeteries are considered as saints, albeit unconsciously, and as such can be entreated to intercede for them. Up until the First World War, it was also a custom to place a candle on the grave to help the soul find its way back through the shadows that connect the spiritual realm to the earthly one. This custom is still practiced in some rural villages. Autumn in many cases is associated with dying and death. Country folk understood the cycle of day and night, light and dark, winter and summer. The cycle of winter, the beginning of a new year, is a time of rest in the shadows of darkness and sleep. It was a necessary part of the great Wheel of the Year, and with patience, perseverance and reflection, the soul will rise from the dark night to the bright dawn of the rising sun as the wheel continues to turns and Imbolc, during the month of February, announces the rebirth of a brand new and brighter season.

It is also a custom in France to visit famous cemeteries, understanding that death is indeed just a door through which a human being can find immortality. There are many such cemeteries all over France; the most popular being in Paris. One of these is the Pere Lachaise Cemetery (you can take a virtual visit here: http://www.pere-lachaise.com/) where the graves of such celebrities as Sarah Bernhardt, Oscar Wilde, Alfred Musset, and even Jim Morrison of the Doors are located. Many of the tombstones are very interesting to see; some of them are veritable works of art. Walking through the aisles, one begins to comprehend the fact that while death can be a terrible loss on the physical level, it is nevertheless an important chain in the cycle of life and living.

November 11th is Veterans Day. In Europe this day is known as Armistice Day. It marks the end of the First World War (1914-1918). In some countries it is a national holiday, giving citizens the opportunity to visit those places where history took place. This year celebrates the 90th anniversary of Armistice Day, and important ceremonies are occurring at present in those towns, villages and battlefields in France and other countries, honouring the war dead, and surviving soldiers, and exhorting the populations never to forget the sacrifice of these foreign soldiers. The history of war is too recent to forget, this being even more so with the Second World War (1939-1945), where ceremonies are held at the D-Day landings in Normandy (D-Day was on June 6, 1944), honoring the foreign soldiers who came to liberate Europe from the Nazis. In both cases all battlefields were left as they were; debris and objects becoming living memorials to the dead. Because there are so many of the population still alive who remember, there will always be a time to reflect on the horrors of war and instil the absolute need to work for peace on this still troubled planet.

Finally we arrive at Thanksgiving Day, celebrated in Canada in October and on the fourth Thursday of November in the United States. On this day we give our thanks for the happiness, success and joys of the past year. We should also take this opportunity to give thanks for the failures and lessons that affected us, for it is through them that we are able to stand up and start over again. This important holiday was especially set aside for us to remember our elders and ancestors, for story telling and recalling the difficulties of the past. It’s important for younger generations to understand that it is the lessons of the past that have brought us to where we are today, and that it is there actions today that will transform the future.

Remembering is part of human heritage. Long before the written word, lessons and principles were taught from memory. Stories and legends were handed down through the centuries from memory, each detail and happening spoken in reverence for those who lived through them. It is through remembrance that the soul carries with it the seeds of the past, plants them in the present and waters them for the future.

©Joanne Pons, October 2008