The Essay Contest

Fred Nakamura was a California nisei who did time in a detention center during World War II as a teenager, and from there signed on to fight in Europe as soon as he was old enough.

Many years later, he earmarked a pot of money to sponsor an annual ESL essay contest at my college. Every spring I have worked there, we have held the contest; we decide on a topic, generally something to do with the immigrant experience or education or the American way of life in general, and give out beginning, intermediate and advanced prizes. The winning essays are often moving and original. We have a beautiful awards ceremony in the college theatre, the college newspaper takes pictures, and I often tear up.

This year, there was talk of not holding the contest. Everybody is stressed out, over-extended and exhausted, Fred Nakamura is no longer living, and nobody can think of an uplifting topic.

I volunteered to coordinate it, without the elaborate ceremony that really is what takes most of the work. I do think that if Fred could slog through Manzinar and World War II, we should be able to slog through funding cuts and a recession.

But we're still having trouble with a topic. Probably about the economic mess, since nobody around here can think about anything else. (They just laid off most of the support staff in disabled students' services, for example, which I actually think must be against the law.) But how to continue the tradition of positive thinking that attaches to the event?

The Ebbing Earth Tide

The Earth Tide that flows at Samhain hardens to a standstill, bringing the time of Death when nothing moves. It is time of resignation, when we understand and learn to live with what we cannot change. At that time, a Witch feels the limits of her power. At the Winter Solstice, the Earth Tide ebbs and softens, and the powers of magic return. At this season, it is possible to move and change the hard things--rocks and bones, pain, anger, time. Like cold clay, you can hold the thing in your hand and let your body heat seep into it, working it, working it, continually, even without thinking as your mind moves to other things. Slowly and inevitably it will soften, and begin to yield to your will.

Awakening

The God is an infant just starting to grow, and we must start growing as well, within ourselves.

The Goddess would still seem to be a sleeping Crone who has left us only Her wisdom. What must we do now? Let us use that wisdom.

We must prepare, not only in our minds but in our skills and tools to be used when the time comes.

We must put into our minds what will have to be done in the future and how to do it ...

This is our part: what is to be must first be foreseen, so that when the Goddess and God are ready, we are ready ...

Dyffd ap Tower