I know I have been championing everything October from beers to books to horror movies since late September. At this time I must take an aside to recognize an individual who has given October an extra special flair: Harry Houdini. Harry Houdini died on October 31st, 1926. Sure, focusing on someone's death first may seem a little morbid. Okay, it's very morbid. But Houdini's death becomes more symbolic in the context of the day that recognizes that our mortality is fading like drops from a Chinese Water Torture cell.Hopefully, everyone knows that Houdini was the greatest escape artist ever. David Blaine, Doug Henning, and Chris Angel owe a debt of gratitude for Harry doing it first. And best.His escape abilities aside, Houdini became the skeptic's skeptic as he debunked frauds that would pop up in the name of good old-fashioned street magic. Focusing his investigations on spiritualists and mediums, Houdini did his best to rid the world of the charlatans that preyed on people during their vulnerable time of grieving.In a public statement to put an end to the charlatans once and for all, The Great Escape Artist promised that if there was life after death, he would find away to shake off the chains and make contact with his wife, Bess. He shared with her the phrase "Rosabelle believe." When he dies he would contact Bess via s'eance and share the phrase that only the two of them knew.Unfortunately, Houdini died from a ruptured appendix, a wound aggravated by a stunt. And would it be coincidence that he would die on the one day of the year when the veil between the living and the dead was lifted? Houdini had it planned out well. S'eances were held every year on his death. But there was never an answer from the other side. To this day magicians hold their annual commune with the dead every Halloween night. Of course there has not yet been an answer from Harry. Yet.Some see this as a sign that there must not be life after death; otherwise, the world's greatest escape artist would have found a way out of the cuffs of mortality and sent back word to we, the living.I like to think that old Harry is building up the drama by making us wait until our tension is at its highest and we are sure of certain peril-just like a great showman.Keep rising from the graves of ignorance, my Zombies. And keep listening for Harry...
Source: pagan-space.blogspot.com
