All Souls Night

Standing on the bridge that crosses
The river that goes out to sea
The wind is full of a thousand voices
They pass by the bridge and me
— Loreena McKennitt, from All Souls Night

I have long identified with the lyrics above; they speak for where I stand in life . . . between two realms.

The lyrics are from a classic song off the album The Visit, which won Loreena McKennitt a Juno Award in Canada. It is one of my favourite albums of all time, along with the next album she gave us, The Mask and Mirror.

Today is All Souls Day, the climax of the time of the Great Passing when some believe that the veil between the physical and spiritual realms is at its thinnest, and some of those who have passed over can, perhaps, return for one more dance.

Tonight I will light candles in tribute to those I’ve known who have passed on. And, of course, I will play this song by Loreena . . .

Shall we dance?

All Souls Night

Bonfires dot the rolling hills
Figures dance around and around
To drums that pulse out echoes of darkness
Moving to the pagan sound.

Somewhere in a hidden memory
Images float before my eyes
Of fragrant nights of straw and of bonfires
And dancing till the next sunrise.

[Chorus:]
I can see lights in the distance
Trembling in the dark cloak of night
Candles and lanterns are dancing, dancing
A waltz on All Souls Night.

Figures of cornstalks bend in the shadows
Held up tall as the flames leap high
The green knight holds the holly bush
To mark where the old year passes by.

[Chorus]

Bonfires dot the rolling hillsides
Figures dance around and around
To drums that pulse out echoes of darkness
And moving to the pagan sound.

Standing on the bridge that crosses
The river that goes out to the sea
The wind is full of a thousand voices
They pass by the bridge and me

Photo from http://weadartists.org/india-beauty-of-water