Lanterns and Lights
November is a funny month. In Vermont, it was a dark, dreary month in between the color of October and the snow of December. In Texas, November is the first real month of consistent cool weather, and the plum trees finally drop their amber leaves. Here in the U.S., the month is often connected with Thanksgiving — but for us Sparklers … November is the month of lanterns.
November nights are like no other nights. They are long, they are dark, and they have a LOT of magic in them. November nights feel like something might happen. An opportunity. An adventure.
This is at the heart of the traditional Lantern Walk that happens on November 11. It is also called Martinmas in honor of Saint Martin, the soldier who risked his own safety to help a man in need. So as you listen to these stories (especially “The Lantern Prince” and “What Is Precious”), think of the little light you can offer the people around you. There might not be much light coming from your lantern, but it could make all the difference for someone experiencing the many darknesses around us.
As the song goes:
*My lantern, my lantern, shining near and far, shining like a moon, shining like a sun, shining like a silver star.*
About the Author
David Sewell McCann
David Sewell McCann fell in love with spinning stories in first grade – the day a storyteller came to his class and captured his mind and imagination. He has been engaged in storytelling all of his adult life through painting, film-making, teaching and performing. Out of his experience as a Waldorf elementary class teacher and parent, he has developed a four step method of intuitive storytelling, which he now shares through workshops and through this website.
