November 1, 2005

Bide One's Time

Halloween and the End Times
By Lee Prosser

It is the season of the ancient Pagan holiday, Halloween, and by whatever name you call it, it has been around for a long time. The Witch community in its various forms celebrate it in a joyful manner, respecting what it means to them. Children and adults from other settings celebrate it as a festive time of weird costumes and candy-gathering -- as the time for tricks and treats. Whatever reasons this time is celebrated, it is celebrated.

Halloween is like any holiday. But what about the End Times? Is not the End Times a time for celebration?

We live in an era of diminishing returns, an era where the rich get richer and the poor get poorer. Yes, it is strange times we live in. Earthquakes, floods, terrorist attacks, crime, and horrors spill out at us from the media on a moment-to-moment basis, unrelenting! 

In the United States, paranormal activities and investigations grow in popularity as does the rush of television and theater movies on the topic. Paranormal television shows such as The Ghost Whisperer and Medium are just two examples of the supernatural in the mainstream. The various Christian sects gather and comfort each other with tales of the End Times, and that we are now living in these End Times, and of course, the End Times are coming to get us each with a personal encounter, and so, there you have it.

Would it not be feasible that many who talk the good talk and make the good talk about the End Times we live in, simply turn it into a holiday celebration? So many give the End Times such a feel of authenticity, perhaps it is time to turn it into a day and night of celebration, perhaps it could be registered on calendars for sometime during the month of November. Maybe a week before Thanksgiving? Think of the intriguing activities that could be played out on End Times Day, and the paranormal activities and strange predictions that could be aired on all the radio and television stations. Of course, such a day of celebrations would be more amendable to the American sector of the world as all the retail outlets would be scrambling about for sales of costumes and books and whatever caught one's fancy!

And what kind of costume should be worn on End Times Day -- what would you wear?
If you were very brave, you could walk naked into any End Times Day party wearing only a dab of catsup on your head and proclaim you were coming disguised as a wild wiener in search of fellow End Times Day hotdogs! That would be something, would it not! Just a simple, direct costume suggestion for the diehards, but I am sure you could come up with your own paranormal approach to End Times Day. Celebrate with a End Times speaker who could hold your group spellbound with tales of the coming end and how and why, then that speaker could say there is no such thing as the paranormal or the supernatural, but rather, only the End Times agenda.

There is so much to consider here. But first, celebrate and respect the history of Halloween, if you wish. Pick up a book from your local library and read about the history and background of Halloween, and learn about it. There are so many books available to give you free information, you will find them easily enough. Then, not far away, seek out the books on the End Times and construct your ideas for the coming of End Times Day and how best it can be observed. Really, the truth be known, when it comes to the End Times, everything is in the observing. 

Observe. Smile. Celebrate. It is the time to be merry in more ways than one. And best of all, relax and enjoy. There is always time for a few seconds for relaxation and enjoyment among your peers! 

Share a cup of coffee with a ghost, take time for the pause that refreshes, and come to know what a day of celebration can offer you, by whatever name it comes! Celebrate and listen to the sounds of the music voiced by the followers of the coming day of reckoning!

Happy Halloween. Happy End Times. 

May all of the holidays you recognize and celebrate be filled with joy, humor, and truth. Who could ask for anything more? Amen.

Lee Prosser is Ghostvillage.com's book reviewer and a regular contributor. "Bide One's Time" is Prosser's twice-monthly column on his supernatural musings.