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Jan 1, 2010, 1:23am

LaSpirits Message Board :: Mysterious, Dark, & Unknown :: The Occult :: True Meaning of Halloween

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Topic: True Meaning of Halloween (Read 257 times)

Brad-LaSpirits
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True Meaning of Halloween
« Thread Started on Feb 29, 2008, 10:26pm »

All Hallow's Eve, Hallow E'en, Halloween, Day of the Dead, Samhain. By
whatever name it has been called, this special night preceding All
Hallows day (November 1st) has been considered for centuries as one of
the most magical nights of the year. A night of power, when the veil
that separates our world from the Otherworld is at its thinnest.

As ubiquitous as Halloween celebrations are throughout the world, few
of us know that the true origin of Halloween is a ceremony of honoring
our ancestors and the day of the dead. A time when the veils between
the
worlds were thinner, and so many could "see" the other side of life. A
time in the year when the spiritual and material worlds touched for a
moment, and a greater potential exists for magical creation.

Ancient rites

In ancient times, this day was a special and honored day of the year.

In the Celtic calendar, it was one of the most important days of the
year, representing a mid point in the year, Samhain, or "summer's end".

Occurring opposite the great Spring Festival of May Day, or Beltain,
this day represented the turning point of the year, the eve of the new
year which begins with the onset of the dark phase of the year.

And while celebrated by the Celts, the origin of this day has
connections to other cultures as well, such as Egypt, and in Mexico as
Dia de la Muerta, or the day of the dead.

The Celts believed that the normal laws of space and time were held in
abeyance during this time, allowing a special window where the spirit
world could intermingle with the living. It was a night when the dead
could cross the veils and return to the land of the living to celebrate
with their family, or clan. As such, the great burial mounds of Ireland
were lit up with torches lining the walls, so the spirits of the dead
could find their way.

Jack-o-lanterns

Out of this ancient tradition comes one of our most famous icons of the
holiday: the Jack-o-lantern. Originating from Irish folklore, the
Jack-o-lantern was used as a light for the lost soul of Jack, a
notorious trickster, stuck between worlds. Jack is said to have tricked
the devil into a truck of a tree and by carving an image of a cross in
the tree's trunk, he trapped the devil there. His pranks denied him
access to Heaven, and having angered the devil also to Hell, so Jack
was
a lost soul, trapped between worlds. As a consolation, the devil gave
him a sole ember to light his way through the darkness between worlds.

Originally in Ireland turnips were carved out and candles placed inside
as lanterns lit to help guide Jack’s lost spirit back home. Hence the
term: Jack-o-lanterns. Later, when immigrants came to the new world,
pumpkins were more readily available, and so the carved pumpkins
carrying a lit candle served the same function.

Festival for the dead

As the Church began to take hold in Europe the ancient Pagan rituals
were co-opted into festivals of the Church. While the Church could not
support a general feast for all the dead, it created a festival for the
blessed dead, all those hallowed so, All Hallow's, was transformed into
All Saints and All Souls day.

Today, we have lost the significance of this most significant time of
year which in modern times has turned into a candy fest with kids
dressing up as action heroes.

Many cultures have ceremonies to honor their dead. In so doing, they
complete a cycle of birth and death, and keep in line with a harmony
and
order of the universe, at time when we enter into the cycle of darkness
for the upcoming year.

As you light your candles this year, keep in mind the true potency of
this time, one of magical connections to the other side of life, and a
time to remember those who have passed before us. A time to send our
love and gratitude to them to light their way back home.

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Brad Duplechien
Director/Founder of LaSpirits
bduplechien@laspirits.com
www.laspirits.com
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drake
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Re: True Meaning of Halloween
« Reply #1 on Oct 28, 2008, 7:47am »

Brad, a great thread! My hat's off to ya Lad! I've never read it put any better anywhere. I'll be lighting my bonfire Friday night and will throw the bones of a wild hog into it to thank the earth for her bounty. I'll also leave rum cakes and mead on the hearth to welcome my ancestors on this special night. We really do need to learn and teach our children the true meaning of our holidays and customs. Too many of them have been overtaken or changed by greedy department stores and power hungry church leaders. Once again, a great post!

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