Tonight She howls, cackles, laments, prays out loud while slapping her thigh as she stirs a pot of metamorphosis all night long.
~ Jennifer Lothrigel 2019 excerpt We'Moon
👻 Halloween is yet another beautiful opportunity to connect and share love with those here in the earthly realm and those who have crossed. It is a time of story telling and creating. More often than not, in our culture today, we think of Halloween as a spooky time of year where little ones travel from house to house gathering treats, as older ones may offer tricks, and Hollywood offers a plethora of gory and enchanting movies and shows to celebrate the season.
🍂 Samhain (pronounced Sah-win), Day of the Dead, All Souls Day, All Hallows Eve, is a sacred time when the veil between the living and dead is the thinnest. From October 31st to sunset on November 1st, our ability to connect with spirit is at its greatest. As the veil thins, it exposes another reality, another dimension to our world and our experiences. Awakening the gift of communication, unveiling the sixth sense, allowing something magical to occur.
🔮 As the veil to the other realms thins, many put on the veil of a mask or costume. Perhaps, as tradition states, a scary costume to scare away the demons. And yet for some perhaps, a costume is meant to unveil a truth about themselves that they are unable to express the rest of the year. What veil are you wearing? What truth will be revealed? As we put on or remove our masks, who are we exposing as our true selves?
✨As we travel back in time, we find this is a sacred time in many cultures around the globe to bring in the harvest, thin the herd for winter nourishment, and honor those who have passed. It is a time to set a place at the dinner table for loved ones and ancestors who have died and eat in silence, with the hope of receiving a sign that they are still with us.
🎃 It was a tradition for the wealthy of the community to invite the people of the community who were less fortunate into their homes and offer sweet cakes and ale in exchange for prayers in honor of the wealthy family’s dead ancestors. Over time, this tradition transitioned into the mainstream practice of handing out candy to children.
In 601 AD, Pope Gregory incorporated Pagan holidays into Christian beliefs to make the transition from paganism to christianity easier, blending concepts and traditions. This opened the door to removing the stigma of paganism being evil, and instead invited the Christ Consciousness into the realm of all celebrations. We can offer that this endeavor can be deemed good or bad, depending on the perspective of the reader. I invite you to welcome the diversity of all traditions and celebrations into your realm of awareness with love and an open mind.
🌬️ Awaken the Divine within as you give gratitude for the nourishment that the Earth provides. Celebrate with a cauldron or teapot of herbal concoctions, carve pumpkins, and eat sweet treats. Howl at the Moon as you hand out candy to children dressed in character. Enjoy the adrenaline of fright as you watch a scary movie or walk through a haunted house. Leave out an extra place setting or more for those you have loved who are deeply missed. Invite in a neighbor to feast at a dinner you have prepared and join hands as you pray that they and their passed ancestors are surrounded in love. Laugh! Pray! Love! Eat! Celebrate! Change!
🧡 Happy Halloween Beloveds!!! 🧡
~ Lanie Jansen