Halloween & Spirit Connections
Recently I have seen some information going around saying that Halloween is evil or is the holiday of the Devil and I want to set the story straight, because Halloween is a holiday to celebrate the dead, to celebrate those loved ones who have crossed over. This loved one could even be Jesus. If you feel a strong connection to Jesus, he was once in human form and now is in the spirit realm helping to bring hope and answering prayers. I mention Jesus not to bring any specific religion into the article but to show that feeling a connection with Jesus can be similar to the connection you may feel with a loved one who has transitioned to the afterworld. Halloween is a day to set out pictures, prepare favorite meals of those who have crossed over and remember the good times you had with them. Halloween is a day to honor those who once walked the Earth in human form but have transitioned to the spirit world.
Is there an afterlife?
Most ancient cultures throughout the world have pondered what happens after death. Do we continue on in some way? Do we die and that is the end of everything we know to be “real”? Is there an afterlife? If so, are we able to communicate with those in the afterlife? The answers to these questions have different opinions. I have my own idea as to what the answers are, but I have no way to prove that without a shadow of a doubt, because I base my answers off of the experiences I have had in my human form. I believe yes, we continue in some form. We transition from a human form to an energetic body or Light Body, and I believe it is most definitely possible to communicate with souls who are no longer in physical form. These are my beliefs; my opinions, and you may feel there are different answers to these questions and that’s okay. However, even if your opinions differ from mine, I encourage you to keep reading the article to open yourself up to the possibility, of learning something that you perhaps didn’t know before now. If you do believe there is an afterlife, I also invite you to continue to read for I believe this article will be thought provoking and I too plan to learn something new.
Celtic Traditions
The origins of Celtic Halloween can be dated back to 2,000 years ago when Samhain (pronounced sow-in) was celebrated by the ancient Celts. November 1st marked the new year for the Celtics. They were celebrating the end of summer and the beginning of winter. The night before, October 31st, was the day they felt the “veil” between our physical reality and the afterworld thinned, making it easier to connect with the spirit realm. Now, is there any science to back up this belief, maybe not but, I believe because it is a belief that has been passed down for so long it makes is so, because thoughts and intentions manifest our realities. The veil is an energetic cloak that is thought to keep us from having a strong connection with the spirit realm. People who are mediums, channelers and psychics already have a thin veil. However, I believe this veil is a limiting belief that we as a species have put on ourselves through programming, thoughts and intentions. We believe there is a veil, so there is one. I don’t believe Halloween is the only time of year where the veil is thin. I believe that we can intend to have a connection with the spirit realm any time of year. We just have to set the intention and practice making these connections. We all have the ability to be connected to the spirit realm.
The druids and Celts believed that the priestesses and priests were the ones in the community who had the strongest spiritual connections and on Halloween could make predictions about the coming year. This gave them hope for the future and helped them mentally and emotionally get through the long, dark winter. On the night of Samhain, they put out their hearth fires and as a community would build a big bonfire. They would dress in costumes and dance around the fire and tell each other their fortunes. At the end of the night, they would re-light their hearth fires from the fire of the bonfire, to bring them protection through the winter. Eventually the Roman empire conquered most of the land of Celtic traditions and the Romans incorporated their traditions, with Celtic traditions creating, All Saint’s Day. Which was a celebration to celebrate saints and those who had crossed over as a church sanctioned holiday. There is much more to learn about the Celtic Halloween traditions and you can read more about it at this link Halloween: Origins, Meaning & Traditions - HISTORY
Día De los Muertos
Día de los Muertos or the Day of the Dead is a tradition that dates back to the Aztecs. It is a celebration of those who have crossed over. This holiday is honored from October 31st to November 2nd. Those who practice this tradition build ofrendas or offerings in their home to honor their ancestors and loved ones who have crossed over. Day of the Dead is celebrated over a two-day period and November 1st is the day designated to celebrate the children who have crossed over. November 2nd is the day that all adult souls are able to return to the living world. Ofrendas typically include bright colored flowers such as marigolds and strong scents to help lead the dead back to their family. They also set out pictures, meals, objects to represent the four elements and make sugar skulls, which is an important part of the ofrenda. Sugar skulls are decorated in bright colors and are set out to represent their loved ones. Make your own sugar skulls by following this recipe here The Easiest Sugar Skull Tutorial-Great For Kids! - ¡HOLA! JALAPEÑO (holajalapeno.com)
The face painting traditionally seen during Día de los Muertos is called La Catrina and has a similar look as decorated sugar skulls and represents the connection to your departed loved ones. Monarch butterflies migrate back to Mexico during Día de los Muertos and they have been thought to be the souls returning back to them. The Day of the dead used to be a month-long celebration but when the Spanish conquistadors conquered Mexico, they changed the tradition to correlate with All Saints Day.
Obon Festival
Obon Festival is Japan’s version of Halloween. It is a three-to-ten-day celebration that occurs in mid-July or mid-August, depending on the region of Japan you are in. This is when they believe the dead returns home to re-commune with their family. They hang red lanterns to lead their ancestor’s home. They clean and decorate the gravestones of their loved ones to show their respect. They will decorate the gravestones with flowers, food, purified water, and incense. They also commune with their loved ones to update them of major life events that have occurred during the previous year. There are usually public festivals filled with dancing, celebrations and will start and end with a large bonfire. Many Japanese people are allowed to take 3-10 days off work to celebrate and honor their loved ones.
Common Halloween symbols
Jack-o-lantern: The Celtics used to carve faces into vegetables that were available during Samhain to ward off evil spirits. By the time this tradition made it to the United States pumpkins were used because there are so many during the season of Halloween. But they have the same sentiment, although most people may not be aware that the purpose of the jack -o-lantern is to ward off unwanted spirits.
Spider: When you see a spider during Halloween it is thought to be your loved one returning home. Spiders also represent making connections and during Halloween in particular, spirit connections. They also represent the thinning veil that occurs during Halloween.
Ghosts: is another representation of our loved ones returning home and being able to see them during Halloween.
Costumes: were traditionally used as another way to ward of negative spirits during Halloween. In modern American society it’s just a fun thing to do, to create silliness and light heartedness.
Candles/Lanterns: are used to help lead your loved ones back home.
Bats: are nocturnal and represent change, transformation and they can be associated with the underworld. It’s no wonder that the sun is in Scorpio during Halloween. Learn more about the Zodiac sign Scorpio here Scorpio, Friend or Foe? (oraclebyolivia.com)
Black Cat: got a bad reputation when there was fear surrounding witches and they thought witches could shapeshift into a black cat. Because there was fear surrounding the witch, this fear was then associated with black cats. The truth is black cats are actually good luck and represent prosperity coming your way. They also represent divine feminine energy of connecting with your intuition and during Halloween, being able to connect more deeply to the spirit realm.
The name Halloween came about when the romans mixed their traditions with the traditions of the Celtics. The middle English word Alholowmesse meant all saints day and because the holiday was moved to the night before the traditional Samhain of November 1st it was sometimes referred to as All Hollows Eve and eventually turned into Halloween. In America when customs of Europe started to become known in Maryland and some of the southern colonies, an American version of Halloween was born. Trick or treating came about when we borrowed the traditions from Europe of going from house to house asking for money and food. By the twentieth century a lot of traditional aspects of Halloween were not used because American community leaders, wanted to make it a family and neighborhood party day. During the 1920’s and 1930’s there was a lot of vandalism happening during Halloween and was eventually turned into a holiday that was geared toward young children, who dressed in costumes and trick or treated for treats. It is estimated that Americans spend 6 billion dollars each year on Halloween.
We can see from these three traditions across the globe that what we know as Halloween is celebrated in similar ways. It is meant to be a day to remember our loved ones who have crossed over to the spirit realm. This Halloween set out photos, make sugar skulls, reminisce, and carve pumpkins or do whatever is tradition for you and your family, but remember to say “Hi” to the spirit realm. Halloween isn’t intended to be evil, there may be people who put not so good intentions into the season of Halloween, but it was only made evil through their intention because Halloween is a day to celebrate and honor the dead.
Check out my Pick a Card Reading for Halloween to help you navigate Halloween this year
Happy Halloween!