Apr 28, 2023·edited Apr 28, 2023Liked by Silvio Castelletti
Thanks for sharing these wonderfully weird and personal stories that highlight the mystery of life, death and the in-between. As the old bard said, "There are more things in heaven and Earth, Horatio, than are dreamt of in your philosophy."
Amazing way to touch on complicated and sometimes ineffable subjects, Silvio! This dance between the dead, alive and everything that happens in between is fascinating. It made me remember playing ouija with some friends, and listening to exorcisms stories from catholic priests when I was young, and how that was always intriguing and definitely shaped part of my outlook in life.
Loved all the stories and meanderings on the topics, and laughed at imagining the death answering “if I told you, then I’d have to kill you” 🤣🤣
What a beautifully haunting story, Silvio. It gives me the chills yet touches my heart. As much as I don't like scary films, I do enjoy enjoy stories of the supernatural. Reading your pieces made me reconsider my fearful refusal to think about ghosts or messages from the dead.
I frequently listen to scary stories on the podcasts "Spooked" and "Radio Rental." Both are wonderfully produced, and I bet the producers are always on the lookout for new stories :)
Every time I read one of your stories, when I reach the end I metaphorically close a book. Each one elicits ideas and suggestions but I never write or comment on them right away. I leave them there hours or days. Then maybe I forget to write down what I thought (maybe it doesn't even have much value) but I always take something with me after reading your words.
This time, however, I want to note something I thought about when I read that we think "that the dead become similar to God": we are looking for messengers, right? After all, we think God is time and we want to know what the future will be like. God is all time, therefore also the past and the future, but when someone dies (and therefore becomes definitively past) we place him in the future. That's it, I had never thought of that.
Wow, Silvio. Just wow. I need to sit with this essay more. I don’t believe in paranormal activities or things like Ouija boards. But your writing is now making me reconsider this position.
Other than that, you are such a fantastic storyteller. It takes a lot to write about losing a best friend so early in life. So thank you for that as well!
"Once, Carla told me that when we shiver for no apparent reason someone’s there with us, keeping us company. " --- awwww this is so cute! Love how you told the story and shared the musings and everything in between. Life is what happens before we die, and there are so many parts of it to unpack and immerse ourselves in.
Also the secret agent energy hahahaha "“if I told you, then I’d have to kill you” love the humor!
Silvio, an excellent contribution to the long tradition of which these lines from Hamlet are a highlight:
"To grunt and sweat under a weary life,
But that the dread of something after death,
The undiscovered country from whose bourn
No traveler returns, puzzles the will,
And makes us rather bear those ills we have,
Than fly to others that we know not of?"
And so is your essay--it's another highlight! The wonderfully evoked family atmosphere and personalities, the clever reasoning of your precocious young self, and the touching way you blend your grandfather's death with the death of your friend and your Aunt's yearning made me think of yet another highlight, James Joyce's "The Dead".
I really appreciate the generosity with which you share these affecting episodes from your life and the virtuosity with which you express both the events themselves and your thoughts and feelings about them.
Regarding the voices themselves, Tai's quote--also from Hamlet--is exactly right, and all we're likely to know while on this earth.
Thank you so much, Chris. Beautiful words and thoughtful comment, with the richness of those highlights. I always learn so much when you come comment. So happy to see you here (been waiting impatiently for you next piece btw). This is the first time I openly talk about these experiences. Writing brought them to the surface of my conscience and it really feels liberating. I haven’t had any of such experiences for so many years now but I’ve always been fascinated by the sense of mystery that only thinking about them brings about. Thank you again for your thoughtful words.
Thanks for sharing these wonderfully weird and personal stories that highlight the mystery of life, death and the in-between. As the old bard said, "There are more things in heaven and Earth, Horatio, than are dreamt of in your philosophy."
Amazing way to touch on complicated and sometimes ineffable subjects, Silvio! This dance between the dead, alive and everything that happens in between is fascinating. It made me remember playing ouija with some friends, and listening to exorcisms stories from catholic priests when I was young, and how that was always intriguing and definitely shaped part of my outlook in life.
Loved all the stories and meanderings on the topics, and laughed at imagining the death answering “if I told you, then I’d have to kill you” 🤣🤣
What a beautifully haunting story, Silvio. It gives me the chills yet touches my heart. As much as I don't like scary films, I do enjoy enjoy stories of the supernatural. Reading your pieces made me reconsider my fearful refusal to think about ghosts or messages from the dead.
I frequently listen to scary stories on the podcasts "Spooked" and "Radio Rental." Both are wonderfully produced, and I bet the producers are always on the lookout for new stories :)
Every time I read one of your stories, when I reach the end I metaphorically close a book. Each one elicits ideas and suggestions but I never write or comment on them right away. I leave them there hours or days. Then maybe I forget to write down what I thought (maybe it doesn't even have much value) but I always take something with me after reading your words.
This time, however, I want to note something I thought about when I read that we think "that the dead become similar to God": we are looking for messengers, right? After all, we think God is time and we want to know what the future will be like. God is all time, therefore also the past and the future, but when someone dies (and therefore becomes definitively past) we place him in the future. That's it, I had never thought of that.
Straight up chills! Amazing story. How can I do one of these recordings and listen to the voices of my grandparents?
Wow, Silvio. Just wow. I need to sit with this essay more. I don’t believe in paranormal activities or things like Ouija boards. But your writing is now making me reconsider this position.
Other than that, you are such a fantastic storyteller. It takes a lot to write about losing a best friend so early in life. So thank you for that as well!
"Once, Carla told me that when we shiver for no apparent reason someone’s there with us, keeping us company. " --- awwww this is so cute! Love how you told the story and shared the musings and everything in between. Life is what happens before we die, and there are so many parts of it to unpack and immerse ourselves in.
Also the secret agent energy hahahaha "“if I told you, then I’d have to kill you” love the humor!
Silvio, an excellent contribution to the long tradition of which these lines from Hamlet are a highlight:
"To grunt and sweat under a weary life,
But that the dread of something after death,
The undiscovered country from whose bourn
No traveler returns, puzzles the will,
And makes us rather bear those ills we have,
Than fly to others that we know not of?"
And so is your essay--it's another highlight! The wonderfully evoked family atmosphere and personalities, the clever reasoning of your precocious young self, and the touching way you blend your grandfather's death with the death of your friend and your Aunt's yearning made me think of yet another highlight, James Joyce's "The Dead".
I really appreciate the generosity with which you share these affecting episodes from your life and the virtuosity with which you express both the events themselves and your thoughts and feelings about them.
Regarding the voices themselves, Tai's quote--also from Hamlet--is exactly right, and all we're likely to know while on this earth.
https://silviocastelletti.substack.com/p/voices-from-somewhere/
Thank you so much, Chris. Beautiful words and thoughtful comment, with the richness of those highlights. I always learn so much when you come comment. So happy to see you here (been waiting impatiently for you next piece btw). This is the first time I openly talk about these experiences. Writing brought them to the surface of my conscience and it really feels liberating. I haven’t had any of such experiences for so many years now but I’ve always been fascinated by the sense of mystery that only thinking about them brings about. Thank you again for your thoughtful words.