Tuesday, October 30, 2007

I'm Going to be a Vortex for Halloween

by Cathy Anderson Corn

A massage client, Ellen, once told me of her daughter Kathleen's homemade Halloween costumes. She'd plan for months and rig up an elaborate rendition, using bolts of fabric and household items. Invariably, no one ever "got" what the costume was and Kathleen would be crushed. For instance, her last costume was a spirit guide. I must admit, I don't know what a spirit guide looks like and chances are, they all look different.

I just think Kathleen's ahead of her time.

Maybe I won't be a vortex for Halloween after all, but that reminds me of our trip to Sedona, Arizona not even two weeks ago.

I'm wondering if the vortex energy can have negative as well as positive effects. As you all recall from Vortexes 101, it's a natural place on the earth where energy is amplified (a beautiful place, uplifting). Suppose what you're amplifying is on the edge, unhinged, dark and brooding. (You mystery writers, get ready to flesh out a villain or two here.)

Diamonds amplify the positive, but also the negative, so you must be careful when you wear them. Can a vortex amplify the negative, too?

We think so. My friend Judy lives in Sedona amidst the vortexes (or vortices, if you prefer). She first noticed trouble when her elderly neighbor Tom began cursing out loud to the plants in his garden. Then he progressed to yelling things like, "I'm going to kill you!" Judy feared he might hurt himself in this unreal state and tried to get him help.

No mental health intervention was available. He could just be arrested and sent to jail. Then he came out at noon one day to hose down his garden, completely naked and ranting. I'm sure you're wondering--how big was his hose? The townhouse association (Wild Turkey Townhouses, no less) got him evicted and Judy says she's seen him in another part of town. Was it the vortex energy?

We laughed at Judy's story until our last night at the motel, when we were awakened by loud banging on our door--at four a.m. Alan responded, and a nicely dressed, heavyset woman, hair immaculate, yelled through the door that we had to evacuate.

"There's cyanide gas. You've got to get out. You'll be killed. I'm from the state police."

By the time we got awake, we spied the manager outside and he confirmed our suspicions: "She's nuts. I called the police." I prefer to call it mental illness, but later we found out she'd banged on doors at several other motels both around us and seven miles away. The police got her into the squad car and took her away.(Was she wearing her diamonds, too?) We hoped she had family to help her with treatment.

So while you're out trick-or-treating and thinking about the new novel, maybe you could throw in a vortex twist or two. Will you dress as an agent? Or maybe your favorite editor? I can't decide whether to be a medium or an Ascended Master. What will you be on October 31st?

6 comments:

Anonymous said...

I've decided I'm going to be a yogi for Halloween: go to my yoga class rather than stay home and dole out candy. The outfit is cheap, easy, and something I already have.

Funny you should mention vortices, Cathy. Saturday I have a rare day without commitments, and decided to visit some vortices on the Castleman River trail. I'll report on "the dark side" when I get back.

And yes, I've noticed that natural majesty does also bring out the (as we say in mental health) "less resourced" end of the population.

Anonymous said...

I'm going to take the risk with the diamond thing. I mean, think of it as a scientific experiment! I'd be doing mankind a favor, right?

Annette said...

Nancy, you are so brave to take on this challenge!

Interesting post, Cathy. A dark vortex. Hmmm. Sounds very Stephen Kingish to me.

Anonymous said...

Tory,
If I didn't have to work, I'd beg to go along on your vortex quest. I'll be waiting for your report.

Nancy,
I'm betting on you in the diamond challenge. You've had years in that amplification field and set a fine example for all of us.

Annette,
The vortex isn't dark, only the poor, weak soul within it. And we all have our dark moments (and months and years). Plus it was the day before my post and I had to come up with something fast.

Anonymous said...

I haven't decided on a costume for tomorrow yet. Like blogging, I tend to wait until the last possible second and hope that inspiration comes. Of course, I could always recycle a costume from past years. I still have my "Recovering Catholic" sweatshirt which, when worn with a plaid skirt, knee socks, and loafers looks a little like my old high school uniform. I've dressed as "The Dreamer" (i.e., pjs and slippers), an ethnic food (pig nose and blanket = pig in a blanket), and my own dead mother (as an experiment the local Dream Workshop did to get in touch with the original focus of the holiday). The worst reaction I ever got, though, was when I wore a skeleton sweatshirt and carried a little skeleton baby. People just turned away.

Anonymous said...

Gina,
I think you could start a service for people who need a costume. You are undoubtedly the Most Original. And that would give you another job to blog about.