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The Switchover
Oct. 31st, 2010 10:22 am
If you're a Changeling freak, you'll know that today is the day the Seelie Court traditionally hands over the reigns of power to the Unseelie Court. Since the rise of High King David and the establishment of Concordia, however, this day has largely taken on a symbolic role. Fae -- regardless of Court affiliation -- drop whatever discipline they can impose on themselves and revel in their darker natures on this day. Even trolls can be found doing things they would never dream of doing any other day of the year.
Of course, things *actually* happen today as well; the Mists are especially thin on Samhain, so kinain and those with any sort of touch to the Dreaming might notice your seeming slip a little bit. Don't be alarmed if this happens; they won't remember a thing when the sun comes up tomorrow. Unless they do -- and then they're a problem you're responsible for until the following Beltaine.
If you're *not* a Changeling freak, then this is the perfect day to watch movies as scary as you can stand them, hand out candy to costumed strangers, or celebrate in a myriad other ways you may find appropriate. :D Any way you want to, have a wonderful Samhain.
On a related note, I've rediscovered my love for 'fake' mythology. One of the things that White Wolf was very, very good at with the Old World of Darkness is reinterpreting holidays, modern sites of power and (in only some cases) historical events to allow for supernatural creatures. This gave the presence of vampires, werewolves and faeries a kind of weight they wouldn't have had otherwise, and made it easier to buy into the world. When I was in high school, I even remember 'celebrating' some of the Kithain holidays with my friends. My first introduction to a lot of the old pagan holidays, rituals and beliefs were in Changeling: the Dreaming. Sad, I know. I'm sure a lot of people are apoplectic at this point. :D
As part of our Horrorfest this weekend, I caught Book of Shadows: Blair Witch 2 for the first time yesterday. It had gotten such horrible reviews when it came out, and I was such a big fan of the original, I refused to see it up until this point. One of the reasons I remember the original so fondly is the ingenious way they spun a plausible-sounding history/mythology around the Blair Witch. It was one of the first movies where the 'culture' surrounding it was just as interesting (and in some cases, more so) as the movie itself. Ultimately, though, the movie was a nice commentary on the hysteria surrounding The Blair Witch Project and the phenomena of inventing a mythology that catches onto the public consciousness. Just how valid is a culture that's completely made up?
I think the movie ultimately falls into the camp that people can't just make up their own reality. That perceptive filters, no matter how many people adopt them, will always be trumped by actuality. It doesn't have the time or inclination to investigate the worth of these filters, though. No, you can't change your reality by believing things will be different. What you change is your ability to deal with things and the way you react to them. Perceptive filters (mythologies you subscribe to, religious beliefs, personal philosophies) give you the tools to play the hand you're dealt to the best of your ability.
Where people fall into trouble, I think, is forgetting what perceptive filters are (ways that you interpret reality, not necessarily reality itself) and mistaking them for the end itself. In my opinion, if what you believe makes you a better person, more able to deal with your life than otherwise, then go for it. We all need some kind of distortion, I think. But we should also be aware that the way we see things might not be the way things actually are.
So, I guess that what Samhain has become for me, to tie this all together. I enjoy looking at the things people believe and why. I love looking at the things I believe (am I really in tune with Rabbit in some way?) and reviewing why I believe them and what that belief gives me. Am I a better person for believing this? If not, what should I do about that? It's something I'll be thinking about between movies today. Well, that and how much I miss Changeling.
Of course, things *actually* happen today as well; the Mists are especially thin on Samhain, so kinain and those with any sort of touch to the Dreaming might notice your seeming slip a little bit. Don't be alarmed if this happens; they won't remember a thing when the sun comes up tomorrow. Unless they do -- and then they're a problem you're responsible for until the following Beltaine.
If you're *not* a Changeling freak, then this is the perfect day to watch movies as scary as you can stand them, hand out candy to costumed strangers, or celebrate in a myriad other ways you may find appropriate. :D Any way you want to, have a wonderful Samhain.
On a related note, I've rediscovered my love for 'fake' mythology. One of the things that White Wolf was very, very good at with the Old World of Darkness is reinterpreting holidays, modern sites of power and (in only some cases) historical events to allow for supernatural creatures. This gave the presence of vampires, werewolves and faeries a kind of weight they wouldn't have had otherwise, and made it easier to buy into the world. When I was in high school, I even remember 'celebrating' some of the Kithain holidays with my friends. My first introduction to a lot of the old pagan holidays, rituals and beliefs were in Changeling: the Dreaming. Sad, I know. I'm sure a lot of people are apoplectic at this point. :D
As part of our Horrorfest this weekend, I caught Book of Shadows: Blair Witch 2 for the first time yesterday. It had gotten such horrible reviews when it came out, and I was such a big fan of the original, I refused to see it up until this point. One of the reasons I remember the original so fondly is the ingenious way they spun a plausible-sounding history/mythology around the Blair Witch. It was one of the first movies where the 'culture' surrounding it was just as interesting (and in some cases, more so) as the movie itself. Ultimately, though, the movie was a nice commentary on the hysteria surrounding The Blair Witch Project and the phenomena of inventing a mythology that catches onto the public consciousness. Just how valid is a culture that's completely made up?
I think the movie ultimately falls into the camp that people can't just make up their own reality. That perceptive filters, no matter how many people adopt them, will always be trumped by actuality. It doesn't have the time or inclination to investigate the worth of these filters, though. No, you can't change your reality by believing things will be different. What you change is your ability to deal with things and the way you react to them. Perceptive filters (mythologies you subscribe to, religious beliefs, personal philosophies) give you the tools to play the hand you're dealt to the best of your ability.
Where people fall into trouble, I think, is forgetting what perceptive filters are (ways that you interpret reality, not necessarily reality itself) and mistaking them for the end itself. In my opinion, if what you believe makes you a better person, more able to deal with your life than otherwise, then go for it. We all need some kind of distortion, I think. But we should also be aware that the way we see things might not be the way things actually are.
So, I guess that what Samhain has become for me, to tie this all together. I enjoy looking at the things people believe and why. I love looking at the things I believe (am I really in tune with Rabbit in some way?) and reviewing why I believe them and what that belief gives me. Am I a better person for believing this? If not, what should I do about that? It's something I'll be thinking about between movies today. Well, that and how much I miss Changeling.
