Remember. Remember?

All those celebrations with the dead.

Today, Nov 5, marks the mid-quarter day on the 364- and 360-day calendars of the Fixed and Wandering Years. In the image below, it is represented by the large purple circle just down and right from the central blue circle on Dec 21.

It falls about midway between the Equinox and the Solstice, and among other things, represents the shift from the shortening days of Autumn to the long nights of Winter.

There are a number of traditions, beyond the attempt to bomb Parliament (‘member?). Halloween, the Days of the Dead and Remembrance Day are all ceremonies for the Dead, Ancestors, the Spirit World. They span a 13-day period from Oct 30 to Nov 11, with the middle date occurring today, Nov 5.

Another tradition, one that we would do well to revive, is to move indoors and tell stories through the Winter. While media provide us with an abundance of stories, sharing stories with one another is a richer experience, provided the stories are of a type. Properly done, this would be the equivalent to the school period. Some traditions begin with the first snowfall, however, given the uncertainty of the weather in future, today is also a good demarcation, as we descend into darkness, and gather to share a little light.

The opposite end of this is Feb 5, equivalent to Groundhog’s Day, when the hibernators look outside through blinking eyes and decide whether to go back to bed or not.