Mindset

Halloween is a Spirit Festival. Who knew?!

By: Sally Twellman
Date: October 31, 2017

I am a very curious person, and I love to know the origin of things…Why do we do what we do? Why do we eat what we eat? Why do we have the traditions that we have? Are you curious? I believe that curiosity and expanding our minds and our ideas, by learning about new/old/different traditions and ways of living makes life rich and interesting! And Expanding our minds and mindset is the best way I know how to expand my awareness…and expanding your awareness is the best way to create magic and abundance in your life. ✨

So I was really curious about Halloween. ?

Here in The United States, Halloween is a big deal, with lots of parties, costumes, trick or treating and lots and lots of scary decorations of ghosts, witches, goblins and other things that go bump in the night. And it’s this ghost, goblin and witch fascination part that is so interesting to me. Because along with being the commercialized version of Halloween we all know, this week has a lot of cultural symbolism and spiritual/mystical beliefs for many different religions in relation to spirits, ghosts, ancestors and even modern-day witches (Wiccan).

There are so many similarities between so many traditions surrounding Halloween. There is All Saints Day, All Souls Day, Día de Muertos (Day of the Dead), which are all “Christian” celebrations and there is also Samhain, the sacred Celtic Fire Festival, which is still celebrated by pagan and Wiccan religions. ? And this Celtic Fire Festival is actually where we get the majority of our Halloween traditions of carving pumpkins, dressing in costumes, trick or treating and giving away candy.

All of these festivals in some way or another celebrate the harvest, transition from Fall into winter and connection with saints, the spirits of our ancestors and Thinning of the veil between our world and the next world (spiritual realm). The connection between the Old pagan festival of Samhain, and All Saints and All Souls days in Christianity, made sense to me, because when Christianity was taking root in the Roman empire, many of the preexisting religious celebrations were incorporated into “new” Christian celebrations, which helped make the transition more palatable to the people. And they stuck and many are still celebrated today.

But what I found really fascinating, is that the all the way across the ocean from the Ancient Celtic celebrators, the Aztecs also celebrated their ancestors and the “thinning of the veil” at around this time. And this is why Día de Muertos or The Day of The Dead is such a big celebration in Mexico and Central America.

I am curious, how do you celebrate Halloween, Day of the Dead, All Saints Day, All Souls Day or Samhain in your house? Let me know in the comments below, on Facebook or in the Vibrant Warrior Facebook group.

As for me —> we normally have pretty “traditional” American Halloween at our house, with Trick or Treating and Chili and Stew cookout with our neighbors…but my interest has been peaked, so I will keep myself open and curious during this time when the “Veil in Thin between our worlds” is thinnest and will send love and thoughts to my loved ones who have passed on and the angels, saints, and spirits that give me support and guidance throughout the year.

Happy Halloween/Samhain/Day of The Dead,

Sally

P.S. If you don’t really get into all this spiritual stuff and want to go about your Halloween normally in your Ninja costume, that’s cool, I just find this stuff interesting, so please don’t send me weird troll emails or messages ( I see you! ?) This is my blog, I can write about what I want! ? ? ?