My daily riverside pilgrimages are becoming colder and much more colorful. Good apple doughnut weather …
Flowers left by an unknown third party among the riverbank stones.
The Duende skull is now placed on the right side of the vanitas shrine, facing left – “looking into the past” from the Memoria perspective – and is dressed seasonally in its ivy and dried leaves. I’ll see the flowers again in about six months.
New additions to the shrine this year include an empty bottle of “Freakshow” wine, two small symbolic souvenir boxes from the Musee Patamecanique and a black wooden ring wrapped in colorful wool – a remnant of our “bell cannot be un-rung” art piece from last year’s Mystery School event at Sky Meadow. Dried petals from Bristol, Rhode Island and the Chapel of Sacred Mirrors in the Hudson Valley – saved from our recent anniversary vacation – have been added to the memorial bowl.
Our annual Memoria shrine, currently featuring photographs of 18 deceased friends and family members with a scattering of dried leaves and flowers representing their thoughts, words and deeds in life.
My one concession to the “cute fear” of mainstream Halloween – a lifesize, DIY quasi-bunraku-style Duende puppet, whose role is to hand out candy on the big night. The puppet is attached by struts extending from its feet to the operator’s shoes and from its lower back to the operator’s hips; most of the weight is borne by a shoulder harness and it can extend its arms to offer candy from its bowl.
Seen here en route from our very condo- and apartment-heavy block, which attracts few if any trick-or-treaters, to one of the more kid-friendly streets a few blocks away. Note to future self; walking the puppet those several blocks is a younger man’s game.
We gave away several pounds of candy to kids and adults alike. “That’s so cool!” and “Awesome!” were very typical responses to the Duende puppet. Then stowed the puppet in our car – strategically parked nearby – and hopped a train to the Haunted Halsted Halloween Street Parade, where we thoroughly enjoyed the creativity of costume and presentation.
In all we gave away 12 pounds of candy. There are many worse ways to spend a cool Autumn evening than momentarily brightening the lives of innumerable strangers, especially under present circumstances.
At midnight on November the First – when, according to mythopoetic tradition, the Veils between the Worlds are at their thinnest – I performed my annual reconsecration ritual, beneath a certain tree, beside a certain river. Poetry was spoken, the Shadow Dance performed, incense and candlewick burned, water poured and honey tasted. The ritual itself has been very gradually and organically elaborated since 2020, in response to inspiration and changing circumstances.
This was the first time I’ve used a candle during the ceremony, due to the fact that the near-full moon was invisible behind clouds.
Still upcoming – delayed by other events – is our annual visit to the National Museum of Mexican Art’s Día de Muertos exhibition, followed by traditional burritos de chorizo con queso at Taqueria El Mezquite.
‘Tis our favorite season for a reason …