Who I am.

I write about the landscape of grief, nature, and the wisdom of fools. The author of four books, my essays, poems, and reviews have been published in over 50 journals, including in the Huffington Post and Colorado Review. I’ve won the River Teeth Nonfiction Book Award, the Chautauqua and Literal Latte’s essay prizes, and my work has been nominated for four Pushcart Prizes and named a notable by Best American Essays. My account of hiking in Yosemite to deal with my wife’s death, Mountains of Light, was published by the University of Nebraska Press. http://www.markliebenow.com.

Tuesday, October 27, 2015

Feasting On the Dead

Many religions and cultures have ceremonies in late October and early November to address the growing darkness of the physical world in the northern hemisphere, the coming of winter, and the death of plants and animals. They invite us to enter the sacred space where life and death meet.

In the northern hemisphere, harvest festivals celebrate the crops being brought in. There are celebrations of light with dancing and music. As one season dies it transitions to the next.

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2 comments:

  1. A really great post, Mark. I especially like Samhain and the idea of the barrier thinning between the worlds of the living and the dead. Cheers!

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