The Ember months are feelingly the period when evils, sinister adventures skyrocket to the high heavens beyond the ordinary. The period when the gates of hell are flung open to emit its frowsty scums as evident by the brazen rove in social and infrastructural decrepit.
Once again, we're into the month of September; the beginning in the feel of the Embers; the oft taunted period of the year.
September is here. Welcome to a New month. Welcome to the Embers!
Each year, we are presented with a recycle of the months that constitute the Gregorian calendar. These are series of which we are annually inundated with. And for someone within the age of reasoning, these cycles have become clearly ingrained in our minds. So are the Embers.
This new month like its similar kind experienced in the past is a comeback of its latest series, having the same number of days and retaining its slot as the 9th comer.
As associated with every September, it is again a recurrence of tremorous moments that have become our fear and the expectation that is our joy. Being the primer of the Embers that also capture October, November and December, September identifies with ambivalence.
The month of September affords us the time to begin to take stock of all our efforts in the year running and to make good use of the injury time to redress for more results and make ups, as the case may be. We rejoice that providence has led us into the air of the yuletide and consequently a triumph of the year.
But however, at its knock is the apprehension and concern for the myth that has formed around it as the more precarious flap of the year. We palpitate in all our engagements, taking extra measures of carefulness because the evil times have started.
The myth associated with the Embers has left a deep impression in the minds of many. And this has slowly crept into our minds to assume a status of close fact, albeit fictitious.
The Ember months are feelingly the period when evils, sinister adventures skyrocket to the high heavens beyond the ordinary. The period when the gates of hell are flung open to emit its frowsty scums as evident by the brazen rove in social and infrastructural decrepit.
It is assumed that the sky is let loose of its hordes of antagonistic dominions who descend on man with gruesome spill during these periods. The merchants of death and blood sucking demons unabashedly prowl more preferably in this period. How true these assumptions are remains a question unanswered.
Criminality soars, as robbers of highways and the nights pounce on unsuspecting individuals to make up for the fast passing year. Ritual killings and other nefarious moves sweep across. All these believed to be the impulsions of a gushing satanic desire.
It is truthful that crime rates and 'blood spilling and blood sucking' accidents are on the increase this period. But these queasy occurrence are themselves not actions of a far and unreachable elements.
Thus the myths that has become associated with the embers and which has erroneously been given projection even to upcoming generations are all lies which fall short of veracity.
The evil 'dwellers of the cosmos' fly around seeking for who to devour; yes we know. But they by themselves don't rein havoc without our yielding involvement. We are the ones living here; for the exertion of any observable act, it must be through us.
Little wonder when greed and the quest for inordinate ambitions drive one and they become exposed of their nefarity, they never cease to admit acting the bidding of the 'devil'.
Virtually, every disgraceful shortcoming of man has been attributed to the 'grandmaster' and one wonder why the cases in the embers would appear different. Hence, we must flee from their nudges.
We must not let the delusion in the unfounded myths of the embers delude us into living everything to chance since they would be presumably out of our control. Like the others, we make the embers what we want of them.
We must be seen to retrace from the unruly conducts and irrationality that have continued to give the false myths sustaining baits to thrive on.
The ember months are days graciously granted to us; they aren't different from the others, except in names. The onus therefore is on us to make this ember months entirely of different breeds from the stalemated predecessors by, our efforts and commitments to think and act aright.
This myth rather than enervate us must stir in us to challenge its veracity and prove it wrong. We must do this by obeying traffic rules; if you drink and don't drive and vice versa. Don't overspeed and never overtake mindlessly. We shouldn't crave for what we cannot genuinely afford. This leads us to the highways.
With the right values emphasised, we make effort to flee from the impressions from the 'demons' and we would see how the Ember months become their exclusive preserve as often mis-asserted.
As such, the new month demands new assertions and new creation from us; creations that would strike a new feel, something different from the used-to-be life.
The new September requires a new agenda; we must set it correctly. A more secure and Happy Ember Months ahead!
Ahanonu Kingsley, Owerri.