Trimonthly Triquetra: Mid-October 2024

 

THE TRIMONTHLY TRIQUETRA

Compiled & Edited by Rob Chappell (@RHCLambengolmo)

Editorial Associate: Sabrina Saelind

Editorial Assistant: Jessica Breckinridge

Vol. 0, No. 4: Mid-October 2024

 

 

“October Tales: Part 2”

 

Editor’s Note

                Every October, our blog presents a series of tales and related poems. With the approach of Halloween, we have a spooky tale, a seasonal reflection, and some delightful poems by our talented writing staff about the month of October.

 

"The Ethereal Veil"

By Kassandra Tel’Thalion, Staff Writer

On hallowed Halloween night,

The veil between thins, breaks and bends.

Whispers stir, shadows move, and wind

Caresses flesh, as spirits rend.

Awe and wonder now arise

In hearts that feel the world unfurl –

Numinous, eerie, yet divine

On this magical night of Halloween.

 

"Reclaiming Childhood: Embracing Whimsy and Wonder through Halloween Disguises”

By Jessica Breckinridge, Staff Writer

                There is something enchanted about the idea of dressing up in a costume for Halloween, something that takes us back to a time of make-believe and imaginative play. As children, we loved to dress up as favorite superheroes, mythical creatures, and fairytale characters. These costumes allowed us to temporarily shed our everyday identities and become something magical or fantastical for a day.

                But the joy of wearing a costume on Halloween isn't just about transforming into someone else for the day. It's about reliving the pure, unrestrained, giddy, and unadulterated fun of childhood during those hallowed October evenings and nights. As we grow older, the pressures and responsibilities of adult life can make us forget the simple, carefree joy of being able to pretend, to play, and to let our imaginations run wild. But when we slip into a costume on Halloween, all of that comes rushing back.

                Remember the excitement of getting dressed up, the anticipation of trick-or-treating with friends, and the thrill of going house to house in your neighborhood, collecting candy and showing off your disguise? Those memories never truly leave us. Dressing up for Halloween isn't simply about being someone else for a day. It's about reconnecting with the whimsical, imaginative world we inhabited as children, seeing the world through a childlike lens, and embracing the power of our own creativity and playfulness.

                In a way, dressing up for Halloween is a creative act of self-care - an opportunity to cast aside inhibitions, embrace the unknown, and engage with the world with a sense of openness and vulnerability. By donning a costume, you are also shedding your adult anxieties and worries, at least temporarily, and stepping into a realm of childlike wonder and freedom. In a sense, every costume carries its own set of meanings and associations. Each one has the power to transport us into a different time, place, or mindset. Whether it's a pirate costume, a princess gown, or a classic monster outfit, the costume we choose can say a lot about who we are, how we view ourselves, and how we wish to be perceived.

                Halloween, with its emphasis on costumes and playful transformation, serves as a yearly reminder of the importance of embracing our inner child. It encourages us to take a break from the responsibilities and constraints of adult life, to revel in the joy of pretend and make-believe, and to remind ourselves that life can still be whimsical, magical, and exciting, even as we age.

 

The Editor in his favorite Halloween costume – a NASA astronaut – from 10/31/1979, when he was 12 years old. (Digital image created by the Editor.)

 

“The Ghost of the White Snake: Part 1 of 2”

By Josie Kincaid, Staff Writer

                Long ago, during the Han Dynasty, there lived a Chinese man, who was both a farmer and a woodcarver by trade. He was skilled at many things - he carved beautiful images at night and toiled in the fields by day. But he also had one big flaw: an excess of pride.

                One day, the man was walking through a nearby village, and he heard two villagers talking. "Do you know," said the first villager, "that a White Snake Maiden lives at Liuli Lake?"

                "A White Snake Maiden?" asked the second villager. "No, it can't be true!"

                "Yes, it's true," the first villager replied. "She is one of the Eight Immortal Beauties of the Dragon Palace. She is immortal, and has lived at Liuli Lake for thousands of years."

                "Immortal?" said the second one. "No, I don't believe it. There is no such thing. Even the Buddha will die someday, and he was a god among men. No, these stories about the White Snake Maiden are simply stories. They're just fables."

                The first man shook his head sadly. "Sad to say, no, it's a real story! She is immortal, I tell you. The legend goes that years and years ago, a man named Xu Xian drowned at that lake. After he drowned, the White Snake Maiden appeared to him in ghostly form and promised to grant him his life back, if only he would marry her," the first villager said.

                But the second villager shook his head. "And after he married her?" he asked.

                "Well," the first villager said, "the White Snake Maiden gave birth to a son...and the man and woman and their child lived a happy life together at the lakeside. But the man soon forgot all her kindness, and took other women to his bed."

                "What happened then?" the second villager asked.

                "The White Snake Maiden discovered her husband's transgressions," the first said, as the other man nodded. "And she became furious, and the three of them were doomed never to see each other again. The White Snake Maiden was separated from her husband and their son forever. She had broken the laws of heaven, and was cast out of the Dragon Land, and she was made a snake, with a lifespan of a thousand years!"

                "Is there any more to the story?" the man inquired.

                "Yes," the first villager replied. "The man died soon after. And the White Snake Maiden never stopped mourning the loss of her husband and son. She has lived at Liuli Lake ever since, and she roams the hills nearby every night with a lantern in her hand, weeping and searching for her husband and child. That's how she got the name 'Ghost of Liuli Lake'."

                "What kind of a ghost is she?" the man inquired.

                "Oh," the first villager sighed. "She's very different from the usual ghosts. For instance, she has no skeleton. All of her bones can move at will, which means she can make herself look like anything...a man, a woman, a snake...or even a fierce beast!"

                "But her favorite thing to do," said the first villager, "is to pretend to be a woman. She will dress herself in fancy clothes and jewelry, and lure young men to the lakeshore with her beauty - and then she'll drag them to the bottom of the lake and they'll drown!"

                "Her other favorite thing is to wander through the nearby villages and steal food and riches from the wealthy landowners and peasants alike in the village. They call her 'The Ghost of Liuli Lake' because of her beautiful white gowns and long, braided hair. The long locks of white make her look like a white apparition as she walks, like a floating cloud...

                The second villager nodded, listening intently. "I hear," he added, "that even in the daytime, she still appears as a beautiful, pale woman. They say that the only way you can tell she's a ghost is because she has a snake wrapped around her arm, and her eyes are like snakes. They are a bright, glowing yellow!"

                The first villager nodded grimly, shaking his head. "Yes, that's how you can tell it's truly the White Snake Maiden," he said. "The rest of the time, she can mimic human beings so completely that you wouldn't know she was actually a snake. She can mimic their voices, and look like anyone they've ever seen. She even cries tears so real that it would fool even the Buddha!"

                "And the very worst thing," the first villager continued, "is that she has a poisonous snake as a pet, who follows her everywhere she goes. Its venom is so potent that one bite from it can kill ten men! It is the true guardian of the lakeshore..."

                "It sounds," the second villager said, "as if there's truly no way to combat this ghost, and she will continue to roam the lakeshore and the forests forever! There's no hope for anyone who encounters her on the lake at night!"

                "Yes," the first man nodded, "that's why I stay inside at night! I keep my doors and windows locked tightly, and I even keep the fireplace burning, just in case she tries to sneak into my home... But there's one more thing they say about her."

                "What?" said the first man. 

                "They say that the White Snake Maiden has an evil sense of humor," said the first villager. "She enjoys toying with people, pretending to be friendly so that they'll let their guard down...and then she attacks them, or leads them to their doom..."

                The first villager sighed, shaking his head again. "Oh, yes! She's done that many times...she likes to use her bewitching beauty, and her sweet, seductive voice, to charm poor, trusting men, and lure them to their doom. She knows that men are attracted by beautiful, well-dressed women...and she takes full advantage of that!"

                "Yes, that's right," the first villager agreed. "She preys on their vanity, and their lust! And she seems to hate married men the most. She's forever trying to lure married men into her embrace!"

                "What happens if a man actually succumbs to her evil powers? Does she kill him?" said the first villager. 

                "Oh, no, no, nothing quite that direct," the first man said. "She finds it more amusing to slowly lead him to his eventual doom by pretending to be a helpless, grieving woman in need of comfort and protection. Soon, the poor man finds himself enraptured by her, thinking only of her...and she slowly, but surely, drains him of his life force...

                "Exactly!" nodded the first villager. "And because of her immortal nature, and her shapeshifting abilities, she can seduce one man after another...and she enjoys this immensely, and has been doing it for over a thousand years!"

                "One more thing you should know... She's a very clever woman. Even more so than her powers of seduction, she has powers of trickery and deception, that would fool even the gods themselves! She'll spin webs of lies that are so seductive and convincing, that even the wisest man would find himself enmeshed in her trap!"

                "And," added the first man, "she has a very special interest in young men who are studying poetry and literature. She can quote from nearly every book written during the dynasty!"

                The first villager shook his head slowly. "It's absolutely true, she is a very cultured lady indeed! She knows all of the works of poetry...but she has a particular weakness for the famous poet Du Mu, who lived during the late Tang Dynasty!"

                "In fact," said the first villager, "she has actually memorized every verse and every poem that Du Mu ever wrote! She's crazy in love with him, and her entire mind is filled with love of him and his poetry!"

                "But that isn't the worst part," the first villager said. "Every night, she goes to a spot overlooking the lake, and takes her lute...and she practices singing the lines of Du Mu's poetry, as she plays the accompanying music. It's not only her mind that's filled with poetry - her voice is, too!"

                The first villager nodded grimly again. "Yes, she is never satisfied...She always wants more and more. Even after a thousand years, she still yearns for Du Mu, and she cannot stop herself from singing the lines of his poetry, over and over again... And she never stops searching for his reincarnation. She thinks that some day, she will find his reincarnation, and he will be hers forever!"

                "And," the first villager added grimly, "if she doesn't find his reincarnation, or if some man refuses to be seduced and tempted by her, then her evil mind and vicious nature and endless greed come out...and she slowly kills the man, or she lures him straight to his doom at the bottom of Liuli Lake!"

                "It's true! It's all true!" the first villager said. "And if you don't believe me, ask the man who lives in the last house of the village on the outskirts of the lake...He can tell you some stories that would turn your hair white!"

                The second villager, who had been listening to the conversation in silence, spoke up at this point. "Oh? What stories are those?"

                The first villager nodded. "Just last month," he said, "a wandering preacher came to the village. He was passing through, and stayed overnight in the house of the man we were just talking about. That night, the preacher stayed up to pray all night long, and he saw the Ghost of Liuli Lake herself!...She appeared in his room in all her glory!"

                "The preacher was terrified, and nearly fainted!" said the first villager. "He saw her clearly, dressed in a gorgeous white gown and with a snake around her arm...and she had a lantern in her hand...but when she realized that the man was awake, she simply vanished!"

                "Even though the ghost tried to seduce the man, and tempt him with all manner of promises of glory and wealth," the first villager said, "he refused all her advances, because he knew of her evil intentions. So then she lost all patience, and turned on him with all her powers, and tried to tear out his soul!"

                "But the man was able to say a few verses of scripture to drive the ghost away..." the first villager said, "And as the ghost fled, she turned around and shrieked at the man's face! Her mouth was as wide as a snake's, and her eyes were glowing yellow..."

                "And the worst part of it is, even though the preacher was able to drive the ghost away from him," the first villager said, "she returned night after night, determined to possess his soul! After almost a month of this, the poor man was losing his mind!"

                "It was so bad, that the villagers felt sorry for him, and decided to send for a monk, who lived nearby," said the first villager. "The monk came, and stayed in the preacher's house for many days, praying every night and lighting incense to purify the house... Finally, after a week of doing this, the man was able to sleep through a whole night, without the ghost appearing in his room!"

                The first villager nodded. "After that," he said, "the villagers put a guard around the house, day and night...But the poor man was so shaken by the experience that he never did any preaching again...And they say that as a reminder, he never sleeps a night through without being awakened by nightmares of the White Snake Maiden!"

                "And now some of the other villagers refuse to walk past the man's house after dark, just in case the ghost comes back to possess their souls as well!" the first villager said.

                To be continued in the next issue!

 

“The Stars of Halloween”

By Skylar Sonnenschein, Staff Writer

The midnight sky on Halloween night

Is filled with stars shining bright.

Orion, his belt made of three stars in a row,

Taurus, the bull, and the Pleiades glow.

The Great Dipper looks on all from high,

As the Milky Way streams by.

On such an evening we might even spy

A falling star zipping through the midnight sky! 😊

 

Skylar, the author of the preceding poem, is observing the stars from her back porch. (Digital image processed by the Editor.)

 

Winged Words of Wisdom

By Viviana Rivera, Staff Writer

"Don't let the noise of the world drown out the whispers of your own soul." – Viviana Rivera

                This quote reminds us to take time for ourselves, to listen to our inner voice, and not let the noise of the world drown out our own intuition and guidance.

                It's easy to get lost in the chaos of life, and to let the outside world dictate how we think and feel. But it's important to remember that we have our own wisdom and truth within us, and sometimes we need to tune out the noise of the world and listen to our own quiet voice of guidance.

 

Sayings of the Stoic Sages

Contributed by Amy Kendrick, Staff Writer

"Fate leads the willing and drags along the reluctant." (Seneca)

                This proverb highlights the Stoic belief in accepting what is outside of one's control and focusing on one's responses to external circumstances. The "fate" referenced in the proverb represents the indifferent nature of events and circumstances in the world; they are neither inherently good nor bad, but simply are. Those who are willing to accept fate and respond to it with wisdom and virtue will be led along a fulfilling path, while those who resist and struggle against fate will be dragged along a difficult and miserable path. This proverb encourages individuals to embrace fate and work with it rather than resisting or struggling against it, which can lead to unnecessary suffering.

 

The Dharma Corner

By Lisa Romenor, Staff Writer

Today's quote is from the Dhammapada, which is a collection of Buddha's teachings. It says:

"It is better for you to conquer yourself than to win a thousand battles. Then the victory is yours. It cannot be taken from you, not by angels nor by death nor by anything else in the world."

                This quote is a great reminder that the most important thing in life is to focus on our own inner peace and development, rather than obsessing over external victories and successes.