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” 🤣🤣
Thank you so much Oscar, for always being here. So glad you liked this piece. There's a big part of my emotional development in it, as you can imagine. :)
😂😂😂 You made me realize how weird that sounds. I think it's the product of growing up in a superstitious, surreal and catholic country 🤷♂️ Fun indeed, though
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 :)
Thank you, Rachael! It's strange, I never really lived them as spooky. Maybe because it were about people I love. I don't know. But I understand they do get across that way. :)
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.
Your words always humble me, Martino. And move me. That my writing makes you think, makes me happy. Thinking is what I write for, and if my writing even makes readers think, planets have aligned and I feel accomplished. Your reflection is precious: this oscillating between past and future in the idea of death is so interesting. You should develop it in one of your pieces, maybe. This may elicit a flood of words and a deep discussion that we'll keep for our chat next time we meet! :)
And so relatable. When I was a teen my dad died in a car crash and we left his Gen 1 Macintosh open with the cursor blinking for months, waiting for him to write us a message.
And yes, I desperately wanted to believe that his absence afforded us an opportunity to peer into the truths of the other side. That he was now omniscient.
Alas, the screen stayed empty, along with my heart I eventually needed to hold that tried so hard to fill with magic instead of grief.
Thank you for sharing that about your dad, Kimberly. It's just so human to cling to these things, desperately looking for a sign, or the truth itself. And whether one believes or not, to me, is irrelevant. Your anecdote is very intriguing; I hope to find it in your memoir, which I will tackle soon. I'm so glad this was so retable to you!
Thank you, Summer! Glad you liked the story. How can you do that. Well, I was always a mere spectator at my aunt's sessions, but I can tell you that the practice was extremely simple: you stayed silent, while the cassette was in recording mode for a while, and (intensely) thought about someone who was no longer with you and wanted to hear from. And when you listened to the blank recording, sometimes you heard (clearly recognizable) voices. Now, back then you'd do this with a normal cassette. Digital wasn't an option. I don't really know whether you can achieve the same with digital recordings. Maybe you can, I've never tried. But if you decide to give this a try, please let me know how it goes. Thanks again for reading! :)
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!
Camilo! Thank you so much for you words! Glad you liked it. I haven't done any of these things in a very long time. I've always done them with someone who would introduce me to them. As these people are no longer in my life, I kind of stopped. :)
"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!
Thank you so much, Helen! Yes, "Life is what happens before we die, and there are so many parts of it to unpack and immerse ourselves in.". So well put. I really appreciate your comment! :)
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."
Thank you, Tai. It is indeed a mystery. One that we’re naturally attracted to, believers and nonbelievers alike. And that quote is so precious.
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” 🤣🤣
Thank you so much Oscar, for always being here. So glad you liked this piece. There's a big part of my emotional development in it, as you can imagine. :)
Oh man, ouija AND exorcism stories? Oscar, your friends sound fun.
😂😂😂 You made me realize how weird that sounds. I think it's the product of growing up in a superstitious, surreal and catholic country 🤷♂️ Fun indeed, though
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 :)
Thank you, Rachael! It's strange, I never really lived them as spooky. Maybe because it were about people I love. I don't know. But I understand they do get across that way. :)
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.
Your words always humble me, Martino. And move me. That my writing makes you think, makes me happy. Thinking is what I write for, and if my writing even makes readers think, planets have aligned and I feel accomplished. Your reflection is precious: this oscillating between past and future in the idea of death is so interesting. You should develop it in one of your pieces, maybe. This may elicit a flood of words and a deep discussion that we'll keep for our chat next time we meet! :)
Shivers.
And so relatable. When I was a teen my dad died in a car crash and we left his Gen 1 Macintosh open with the cursor blinking for months, waiting for him to write us a message.
And yes, I desperately wanted to believe that his absence afforded us an opportunity to peer into the truths of the other side. That he was now omniscient.
Alas, the screen stayed empty, along with my heart I eventually needed to hold that tried so hard to fill with magic instead of grief.
Such evocative writing Silvio!
Thank you for sharing that about your dad, Kimberly. It's just so human to cling to these things, desperately looking for a sign, or the truth itself. And whether one believes or not, to me, is irrelevant. Your anecdote is very intriguing; I hope to find it in your memoir, which I will tackle soon. I'm so glad this was so retable to you!
Straight up chills! Amazing story. How can I do one of these recordings and listen to the voices of my grandparents?
Thank you, Summer! Glad you liked the story. How can you do that. Well, I was always a mere spectator at my aunt's sessions, but I can tell you that the practice was extremely simple: you stayed silent, while the cassette was in recording mode for a while, and (intensely) thought about someone who was no longer with you and wanted to hear from. And when you listened to the blank recording, sometimes you heard (clearly recognizable) voices. Now, back then you'd do this with a normal cassette. Digital wasn't an option. I don't really know whether you can achieve the same with digital recordings. Maybe you can, I've never tried. But if you decide to give this a try, please let me know how it goes. Thanks again for reading! :)
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!
Camilo! Thank you so much for you words! Glad you liked it. I haven't done any of these things in a very long time. I've always done them with someone who would introduce me to them. As these people are no longer in my life, I kind of stopped. :)
"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!
Thank you so much, Helen! Yes, "Life is what happens before we die, and there are so many parts of it to unpack and immerse ourselves in.". So well put. I really appreciate your comment! :)
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.