Transmitting from the Mojave Wilderness in Joshua Tree, California, now is the time for Desert Oracle Radio, the voice of the desert.

Night has fallen on the desert in this beautiful and haunting time of year.

When here in the northern hemisphere, days are short and nights are especially dark.

In the old Celtic lands of Europe and the British Isles, it is a time when it is said that we can reach through the veil that usually separates us from the other side.

Astronomically, it is the darkest time of the year.

And if you love the season but are put off by the cheap, loud vulgarity of modern Halloween, take heart.

The old Halloween marks the cross-quarter day,

midway between the equinox and the solstice.

For the Celtic tribes, this was the beginning of the season.

And over the centuries, we've messed with the calendar here and there. Seasonal to Gregorian, to Julian, what used to be October 31, is now

November 7, the true cross-quarter day, right in the middle between autumn equinox and winter solstice.

Maybe that's why we have Election Day at the same time of year.

It is a scary time.

At one time of year, we suddenly realize people we've long fought dead are actually sort of barely alive.

Sort of held together with the devil's magic and duct tape.

Lumbering about, terrifying the children,

running for re-election in our district, it's terrifying.

The druids may have put particular importance on this particular cross-quarter night because of the annual

culmination of a cluster of stars we call the Pleiades, or seven sisters.

Which a thousand years ago would have happened at midnight on the old calendars October 31.

Ancient cultures around the world thought the Pleiades were very important.

There in the old religion of the Greeks as the seven daughters of Atlas

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