Halloween's ancient roots and rituals

Modern-day Halloween is a contest of costumes and a frantic race for goodies but in ancient times it was a significant marker, a time of celebrating the harvest as a transition into a more introspective season. Today's Halloween is rooted in the ancient celebration of Samhain—pronounced “sow-win.” Traditionally it marks a change of season into the cooler temperatures and lighter Sun of the darker half of the year, when our focus shifts from planting and growing to harvesting the fruits of our labor. Our ancestors recognized the power of reflecting on the past to inform the future.

Samhain is a celebration of the change of seasons, inviting us to not only face but to honor the infinite cycle of existence, birth, life and death. In traditional times, the quality of the harvest weighted heavily into the quality of the winter season for the living. It also highlighted the infinite cycle of life and death.

This time of year sets our spirits on a more inward journey in contrast to the outward busyness of the Summer months. Consciously sitting in the space between what was and what is yet to come puts us in a sacred window of seeing the present in light of the past to discern how our efforts served and didn't. This reflection helps us refine our choices to mature our way of being in the world and nurture a greater positive impact.

Along those lines, Samhain is a time of honoring family, friends and ancestors who have crossed the veil before us. Traditionally, special altars might be created, candles lit, empty plates set at the table for the deceased, and community fires built for this purpose. The altars might contain favorite foods, personal items, flowers and other offerings to captured the character of the deceased loved ones being honored.

At the communal fires, festive rituals and celebrations related to the life-death cycle and the realm of the unseen took place. Stories and songs might be shared to honor the living and the dead. Later, families carried the flames of the fire home to light their own hearths in a simple yet powerful act symbolizing unity and harmony between the individual and the collective, and to honor the infinite and direct line of connection between the living, the dead and the unseen.

For us today, Samhain provides a perfect space within which to reflect on our own lives in light of our mortality. We might investigate past choices, current situations and future dreams. We might consider how our ancestors' lives influenced our own. We may feel called to light a candle in someone's honor, forgive ourselves or a deceased beloved for hurtful actions, or release some burden we've held onto for far too long. We might sing songs that harken cherished memories, write letters that say what we need to say, or simply sit in reverent reflection of how time naturally and continuously rolls into itself as past, present and future.

Whatever you do this Samhain, know that the veil between the realms is especially thin during the time of October 30 through November 2, so our energy can travel more easily into the unseen and vice-versa. Dreams can offer mystical connections with the deceased, and prayers can travel deep into the infinite realm. The light we connect with shines more brightly and the love we nourish is more potent. This is a modern time to have fun, yet it is also a sacred time of reverence to be honored.

Happy Samhain Trails!