Here comes Halloween!

The end of October is almost here, and with it comes that spooky-ooky time of year, Halloween. I use it as my excuse to dress my house with witches and fall leaves and pumpkins, and if I had children, I'd make them make me some chestnut-and-matchstick animals, too! But I won't dress up and I won't give out candy (I admit it, it's because I'm cheap and don't see why I need to stuff kids I see once a year with chocolade I might as well enjoy myself); instead, I will light a candle, play some soft music and listen to the ghosts outside the door.

There are two things one needs to know about me to understand why I love Halloween as a spiritual holiday: one, I am not a party animal, not even when dressed up as Miz Kitty, and two, I am a neo-pagan. Coincidentally, I was raised in Germany, where November 1 is also a religious holiday, All Souls' Day, the Christian church's concession to those pesky pagans who wouldn't be deterred from celebrating the night when the veil between the worlds is thinnest and the dead may well walk the earth.

Depending on whom you read, we're told this used to be the old Celtic New Year, another turn of the wheel. Certainly other cultures have their new year's night associated with ghosts and goblins, perhaps as a chance for a last goodbye or last words of wisdom from a long dead relative, as fortune-telling and communing with the dead are two typical activities. One very nice tradition in a circle I used to go to for a while was the Silent Supper, a ceremony held in total silence, from blessing and invocation to feasting and farewelling. A plate was set aside to remember those who have passed on. The entire event was very touching and peaceful.

My candle, wine and music is the mini version of this ritual that helps me ease into the season of darkness, a kickstart to contemplation, if you will. This year, I will remember my grandparents and great-grandparents whom I was fortunate enough to grow up with, my favorite uncle who always supported my love of books, my younger cousin whom I never got to know well, my aunt's son whom I never even got to meet, Jeremy Brett, one of my favorite actors who brought so much life to the fictional character of Sherlock Holmes, as well as my assorted pets who allowed me to spend time with them for a while. I will express my gratitude for another year without a death in the family. And I will go to sleep knowing that on this special night, we got to share one of the great mysteries of the universe: we are all one.