Halloween

Growing up in South Africa, and later living in Germany, Halloween was not something I had ever experienced before coming to Canada. Apparently since the early 1990s Halloween traditions have started creeping into many Western European countries, although I understand that Halloween still isn’t that popular in South Africa.

I was more familiar with celebrating All Saints Day (commemorating all Saints and Martyrs) on November 1 and All Souls Day (commemorating all who have died) on November 2. In many European countries All Saints and All Souls is the time people take time to remember their loved ones who have passed on. They make trips to their graves and decorate them with flowers and candle lanterns. Often the family will come together to remember and pray together.

Halloween is believed to have begun in Ireland, dating back to ancient Pagan times. Although it is now celebrated in many countries around the world, each with its own unique customs, the common thread that unites them all is the remembrance and honoring of the dead.

In Austria, people leave out bread, water, and a lighted lamp to welcome returning souls. In Belgium, candles are lit in memory of departed loved ones, while in Czechoslovakia, chairs are arranged around the fireplace—one for each living family member and one for each spirit of the deceased. In parts of Germany, knives are put away to prevent harm to or from visiting spirits. In Hong Kong, October 31 is celebrated as Yue Lan, the Festival of the Hungry Ghosts, when it is believed that spirits wander the earth for twenty-four hours.

In England, Halloween celebrations faded in 1517 with the rise of Martin Luther’s Protestant Reformation. Later, around 1605, a new tradition emerged—Guy Fawkes Day on November 5th—commemorating the failed Catholic plot to blow up the Protestant Parliament. Bonfires were lit across the country, and people carved lanterns from turnips. Children went door to door asking for “a penny for the guy,” collecting money to buy wood for the bonfire on which an effigy of Guy Fawkes was burned.

The custom of “trick or treating” is thought to have originated from the medieval practice of souling. On or around All Souls’ Day (November 2), people would go door to door offering prayers for the dead in exchange for food. This practice, which likely evolved from older pagan rituals dating back as early as the 10th century, sometimes led to mischief if homeowners refused to give offerings—an early version of the “trick” in today’s “trick or treat.”

Over the years I have created a number of different essential oil synergies to use in my diffuser or spray bottle and I will use one of these when I draw cards to help me focus and reflect on where I am in my journey as the seasons change and we experience the thinning of the veil. The Special Halloween Synergy I will be using this year when I pull my cards contains:

• Rosemary – for remembrance (as a nod to All Saints and All Souls Day)

• Black Pepper – for transitions and courage

• Cypress – to ease the pain of loss, for transitions (death) and protection

• Benzoin – for comfort and psychic protection

• and just a drop of Cacao to represent the chocolate so prevalent on this day. 

The video above is the Halloween Spread I pulled for the energies affecting us all at this time. The energies showing up are certainly intriguing and I am looking forward to seeing what additional insights might present themselves when I do my personal reading Halloween.