Those who have known me a long time know that since I was a small child, Halloween has always and will always be my favorite holiday. Not only is it a time for fun, mystery, fantasy, princesses, scary lil ghouls and goblins; but it is also a very important spiritual holiday as well. Samhain or Oct 31st-Nov 1st is the Celtic New Years, arguably the most important Sabbath on the Pagan Wheel of the Year. Samhain, Halloween, All Saint's Eve, All Hallows eve, what ever name you choose to give it is not truly the way it has been portrayed in the wonder that is Hollywood. Samhain is our New Years. It is the Gaelic festive that marks the beginning of the dark half of the year and the end of the harvest season. (As most people know most ancient peoples of the world lived and died by the wheel of the Year cycling through the harvest seasons) It is the time to prepare for the Winter ahead and to look onward towards the eventual spring.
Samhain is traditionally a time when the veil between the worlds is thought to be especially thin. This makes it the perfect time to honor those who have past on (to heaven, to a new lifetime, to the happy hunting ground, so on and so forth). We give thanks to the love and the teachings that those people have blessed us with. Some also believe that is also a good time to try and contact those who have crossed from this world, however if this is possible or not depends on the personal belief system of the person you ask. However don't expect a actual Pagan to whip out a Ouija Board and magic wand to conjure up a spirit lol that my friends is more fiction than reality.
But what reality is to me is enjoying Samhain for the beautiful festival that is honoring the ones we have lost, admiring the ever turning wheel of the year, being in awe of the blessings God (Allah, Yahweh, Pan, Goddess, Ra, Diana, Zeus, or whatever Divine you worship) has granted you and your family and of course the fun of dressing up or just watching the smiles of children participating in trick or treating. So my friends have fun this year while out and about celebrating Samhain/Halloween be it at a costume party, a gathering or just taking the kiddies out to beggars night. And remember this little tidbit you just learned, perhaps make a goal for the year to come or just whisper a prayer to an ancestor, or loved one you lost.
Much love and light to you all, my family, friends, and my readers!!
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