For future Halloween plans!
By: Amy Smith
Tags: Halloween, All Saints Day, Christianity, Holidays, Samhain

For future Halloween plans!

Im posting this for many reasons. And here is my list of reasons.

1) To show that no one tradition or religious group stole nor borrowed any tradition to add to their own by making a whole new tradition or holiday.

2) To show my fellow Christian's that you All can relax and enjoy Halloween for what it is without worrying about it being the day of Satan. Why would you give the enemy that much credit?

Everything that makes up our modern day Halloween? It's a perfect blend of everything from the past, (as far back as recorded), drawing from every tradition that believed itself to be truly original, and much of it was natural so to speak, along with additional views and beliefs that were necessary to be included by the Christian movement.

Halloween, simply put, is translated into meaning "Saint's Evening". We will come back to that but first let's take a look at past traditions and how they are still thriving today.

Samhain:

Celebrated on October 31-November 2

It marked the "summers end". As they didn't feel inspired to note Autumn or "Fall". But the end of summer, begining of winter.

This "Darker Half" of the year that approached as the seasons transitioned made the ability to sense & interact, many times even see, spirits and or fairies during this time where the veil was wanning to the thinnest.

These spirits, entities, fairies were seen as deities or many times lesser deities of nature, and since fear was heavy on humanity's mindset at this time we everyone was a farmer and held crops. They were seeking with heavy eyes as a means to make any sort of deal, pact or exchange with these spirits that made themselves known at this time. These exchanges were made in hopes to be blessed with abundant crops and that the harsh winter wouldn't essentially cause their death by keeping them from seeing the sun return to them once more with life, warmth and a promise of regeneration and finally rebirth.

With that said, Samhain wasn't entirely ever truly seen with a positive lens. It was a desperate time and any hope the people held was all dependent upon spirits of mischief.

This among other facts of the holiday no matter how you see it can and will always have the ability to be seen with the modern lens of "Trick or Treat?".

Before we go further I want to longer here for a moment & say that if we are all honest regardless if you or I are religious, no matter if we aren't one bit spiritual, and also no matter if we are pagan, christian, satanist, etc, this far when taking all into consideration. We all can agree on the fact that the feel in the air during this time is noticably different. Even if it doesn't stay cool or it's already cold depending on where we are?

The chill in the air during this time has a certain bite to it. A thin chill so to speak. If you dare pay closer attention one could even sense the giggle, the playful season approaching, however we can also note that we can also feel a dread approaching.

And as we sense these spirits so to speak we can also sense another side, another set of emotions passing us by as they take leave.

Which would be the summer spirits or fairies if you will.

The temperamental, hard working, heated, argumentative even, and perhaps with high libido that is nearly an end or a restful sleep in the air.

No one can deny these vibes. Whether you see them as spirits of nature, or the ambient energy of our own motions in mid transition as well as the animals as our habits change with the seasons? It's truly all interconnected and is easily viewed as the same.

It is worthy to mention; Jack Santino, a folklorist, writes that "there was throughout Ireland an uneasy truce existing between customs and beliefs associated with Christianity and those associated with religions that were Irish before Christianity arrived".

I believe this statement says much of what I believe the holiday is about while looking through the lens of "the big picture". Halloween, whether in the past when the movement and awareness of Christ began or thereafter til now? There has always been a sense of an uneasy truce felt in the air amongst the other natural spirits we feel on this night and a few nights after. And I would say this truce is felt on every holiday from Halloween through all other holidays (past and present) all the way up until the following Halloween in the future.

Halloween, up until this moment, and in this blog entry, it has essentially stated that the traditions that were seen as a holiday in the past were mere natural occurrences that humanity took witness in whether we benefited or not. We took part in and we will always take part in the comings and goings of all things whether felt and unseen or seen and known.

In this sense?

I feel like all religions, traditions, views and beliefs were brought together on All Saints Eve. Whether we saw it as Samhain, Halloween, Saints Eve, or Devil's Night? We each took art in this celebration by chosing to seeing the truth of what was before us, behind us and moving us.

Which was and always will be the combination of the realm of the dead, whether those that have passed on are saints, martyrs, or those in Hell or Hades, maybe even in pergutory and walking the Earth--we all honored and honor them whether silently or aloud.

We each also continued to take part in old traditions such as dressing up as devil, witch, angel, or zombie. This tradition is a recognition of the fact that we each are all the same. We are all children of the night. Children at heart. And we each wear a mask whether it's Halloween or not. Though on every other day we are usually wearing our most personable, percieved to be civilized mask. Most of all of us never want to show the wrong sinful face (no matter if you call it sinful, dark half, shadow self) especially when we aren't in control of the reveal!

We put our best face forward and most days we are so caught up in the comparison and competition of who is the smartest, fastest, most forgiving, or most bravest, most honest, or most real and genuine, or even worst the most superficial, etc. Every other day of the year we are lost in the game of life trying to survive and we trick ourselves into believing we are doing the right things.

On Halloween? When we put on our costumes it is as if we are being honest for the first time in the year however it's happening towards the end and just before we rest our sunshine face. We are released from our busy spring and summer and told to rest within our fall and winter. Usually our emotional states are influenced also during this Darker Half of the year.

This is why we each, pagan, witch, satanist, atheistic, agnostic and or christian should realize what Halloween truly is all about. A blessing in disguise!

A revealing of the truth of who we really are, what the nature is around us, and what change really is. How the transition from Summer to fall truly means. And how it is on All Hallows Eve where we truly are united on a level where as we aren't on the following holidays even on Christmas.

We simply haven't spotted it yet. It is subtle yet so very loud!

Again the theme, trick r treat. This speaks on everything about us that causes us to bicker, fuss and fight. It's nearly as if the holiday itself was planted and expanded by a more just, wise and over seer God who is truly much more benevolent than any other lesser deities, spirits or fairies we as humanity saw as normal and natural to pray to by offering something that was demanded of us by some less than powerful and malevolent deity.

If we (who believe in deities in any way shape or form) must give something oof ourselves or something that belongs to us in exchange for some deity or entity to protect our crops, our homes, our families etc due to the change of the season that is felt from our very home on earth?

That deity isn't benevolent and isn't powerful. No deity needs something from us in order to promise to protect us. However a wise and just deity?

Will do what he can to his fullest power to protect and care for us in whatever way we ask for. The only catch? We must also protect ourselves and be as wise as we can by learning how to be wise from a wise deity.

Humanity doesn't learn how to get long on the most contraversial of holidays however you spend it. There is still a sense of unity that exists and many times we spend out holidays fighting against that natural sense of unity that is demanded of us even compelled.

Halloween is here to remind us that we all start from the same place. We are all fallen. We all have secrets. We all have gambled with what's sacred. We are all corrupt in some way. We are all capable of being monsters. We can be angels one day and monsters the next and many times no one can tell except on Halloween, so to speak. Except when that veil is the thinnest.

When that murky fog of corruption thins itself out, ya know the moments when suddenly truth is clear and you cant imagine how you didn't see it before?

These moments? That is Halloween. The so called Devil's night, where yes he too is revealed and can be seen the most clearly if wished for, but at a equal and more powerful level?

The Saints who have departed? The martyrs? Whom come from all of our families regardless of division and percieved truths?

Those blessings in our lives and the spark within us that is ready to do the work to shine blamelessly with our own saint flag flying high!

It is only when we allow the darkest most fearful possibility to enter our lives and relate to another human being do we realize our true potential in being the person we know we are meant to be beneath all of our inequities.

We may be the devil's children and Satan himself may be the true God of their world and heir of this earth. Whether we believe it or we pretend.

Trick or Treat

It is only at the blackest night can a star shine bright for everyone to see.

Come together at our worse. And stay together. We are never at our best unless we are clear about our weaknesses. Only then can we build one another.

From Halloween we then approach all the rest of the holidays and traditions. Hand in hand. No matter our differences.

So you see my fellow people.

Everyone is able to celebrate their own tradition during every holiday as do others.

If the holidays hold everyone's sacred tradition? This means there is reason for the tradition and perception behind it. However the perception beyond the holidays? Should be studied for the rest of the days of the year not only one day or a few of the year.

This is what traditions are here to teach us.

We take our big lessons from these days and apply it to the rest of our years. And every year we build more and more layers with each perception and experience we gained...only to realize the over seer who have built all of it?

That is for you to witness when the time comes.

Trick or Treat?

We each hold the answer. One and both. And know the repercussions.

Think it to be a child's holiday? Or a day of commercial consuming of candy and bullshit?

What happens to our children? Happens to us and vice versa. Family. Unity and division. Darkness and malvolant intent is out there. That's more important than you think. Because it proves the existence of Light, Goodness and Truth beyond your comprehension.

So no matter your stance?

Lighten up. Know you're moved by the season, spirits and forces no matter the strength of your stance. No matter the stillness of your stance.

A fearful christian who hands out bible scripture on Halloween? Your choice. But know that you are here to be a silent protector and a tender to the darkness more than you are here to oppose it or blatantly teach it words it already knows and didn't invite. Know when to spread scripture and when to not.

We all know Halloween is coming. And it isn't even the devil's night. It is the Saints Evening.

Enjoy our holidays see Christian's. Without Christianity the veil everyone sees whether pagan, witch, friend or foe? They wouldn't be able to see even the slightest as well as they do now if it weren't for the light of Christ. They do not have to fully believe such as you to see. However they must in order to see Christ as we do.

But Halloween isn't a day for pushing scripture. It is want to blend in by our true nature's. To do the opposite as we normally do.

Push scripture to the accusers on the rest of the days of the year. But from Oct 31-November 2?

Be and know we are all one of them and they are one of us. There isn't any us versus them.

Same goes for all of you pagans, witches and satanists! Do not support division if you don't like division. Do not confront if you do not lie confrontation. Do not assume that since you do not understand or it once hurt you that means you've seen the truth of it.

Halloween is about allowing yourself be surprised by whatever you receive by using wisdom to know it could be a trick or a treat but you're going to find it, face it and accept ythe fate of your choice.

Trick or Treat!

Spend your future Halloween to the fullest unlike you ever did!

God Bless you all!

Amy

The ‘Make Believe' Catholic

Podcast coming soon!