Go back through the 17 years of October posts on this blog and you’ll see a recurring theme: I love our Pagan rites of Samhain, and I also love the secular celebration of Halloween. But the older I get and the more I practice – and the more popular Halloween becomes – the more I see these celebrations as one thing, not two.
It’s only natural. Our late October celebrations began with the ancient Celtic peoples’ observances of the end of summer and the beginning of winter. When the Celtic lands became Christian (more or less) they observed All Saints Day, All Souls Day, and All Hallows Eve, the latter of which retained some of the earlier customs of Samhain. That in turn became the modern secular Halloween. And now, for those of us who follow the Wheel of the Year, we’re observing Samhain once again.
So in October we celebrate shorter days and cooler weather. We carve pumpkins and make corn dollies. We watch horror movies. Some of watch them year-round, but we have better selections in October. We go to Halloween parties and we give out candy to Trick or Treaters. We remember our ancestors – another thing many of us do all the time, but we make a special effort at this time of the year.
For a short time we stop pretending we’re physically immortal and contemplate death and what it means. And while for many of us being a witch is an identity and not a costume, October is a time to revel in the witchy aesthetic.
I see no reason to separate all this into “secular” and “sacred.” They’re all part of what it means to experience October in the modern Western world, especially here in North America. And from all this, I see six lessons of Samhain and Halloween for us all, Pagan or otherwise.
1. Death is always near
Whether you’re watching a slasher movie, communing with your ancestors, or journeying beyond the Veil, our October observances are a strong reminder that death is always near.
Oh, we know death is always near. The news tells us all about cancer and heart disease. Gun violence. War and famine. Natural disasters… some of which are exacerbated by climate change. Have we already forgotten about the worst pandemic in a century? But that’s all something that happens to other people in other places. We’re too busy to think about death.
Samhain reminds us that even if our time won’t come for decades, sooner or later it will come.
This we know: all that lives will someday die.
Knowing that – actually accepting it, not just nodding a vague acknowledgement – we can give this life the priority it deserves. We can use the time we have here – be it long or short – to care for ourselves and for others, to build a better world, and to enjoy ourselves while we’re here. We are here to learn and grow, but we are also here to “dance, sing, feast, make music and love.”
Death is always near, so live now as fully as you can.
2. Our ancestors are still with us
Ancestor veneration is an intuitive and universal practice. Walk into the most devout of Christian homes and you’ll see pictures and other mementos of grandparents, great-grandparents, and relatives even further back. Making offerings to my ancestors is a weekly thing for me – other Pagans have other practices and other frequencies. But at Samhain, we make a special effort to remember and honor our ancestors. And when we do, we find that they are still with us.
Do their spirits return from where ever they are to visit with us? Are they always here beside us and we just sense their presence more strongly at this time of year?
This much we know: that which is remembered, lives.
Our ancestors of blood live on in us. We carry their blood, their genes, their DNA. We compare old pictures with our pictures and we see the family resemblance.
Our ancestors of spirit live on in us too. We carry their thoughts, their ideas, their stories. I am the descendant of James Francis Beckett (my great-grandfather) and I am also the descendant of Ross Nichols (the founder of OBOD). They and many more live on in my actions and in my writing.
Samhain reminds us that those who came before us are with us still.
3. There is more to life than this one world
And if our ancestors live on in us, we will live on in those who come after us. I have no biological children, but I will live on in those I’ve touched and influenced in my writing, in my work, and in life in general.
Is there more than that? I think there is. There is evidence – though none that rises to the level of proof – in past life memories, in the stories people around the world have told about the various Otherworlds, in the implications of animism and the idea that consciousness and not matter is primary to the universe. Mainly, my own experiences of Gods, ancestors, spirits, and the Otherworld convince me that there is more to life than this one world.
But this much we know: some day we will be the ancestors. Let us live so as to be worthy of the honor of those who come after us.
4. Sometimes fear is a good thing
Halloween is the one time our mainstream society says it’s OK to be scared. Horror movies give us the thrill of being scared while being in no real danger.
But at other times society tells us that fear is just our imagination working against us. Would that it was so. There are things that we fear for good reason.
Most humans have an evolutionary fear of spiders and snakes, a fear shared by our primate relatives like chimps and gorillas. That means it’s several million years old. While most spiders and snakes are not venomous, some can be deadly, and the bites of those who aren’t are still quite painful. Our fear helps us recognize real risks so we can avoid them.
We have good reason to fear the outcome of the U.S. elections. Of course, different people fear different things. Some fear a culture that’s becoming more diverse and accepting, while others fear forced conformity and loss of freedom. If we are wise, our fear will motivate us to vote and to encourage others to vote. When good people turn out to vote, freedom usually wins.
5. There are things that wish to harm us
To paraphrase a quote of mixed origins, fairy tales do not exist to tell children that monsters are real. Children know that monsters are real. Fairy tales exist to tell children – and the rest of us – that monsters can be defeated.
We need no Devil to explain evil. Humans are perfectly capable of doing great evil to each other and to the world at large. Terrorism and genocide are running rampant, White Christian Nationalism threatens this country, and a major party candidate for President is running on a platform of revenge and cruelty.
There are also things that wish to harm us that are not of this world. They range from those who simply want to regain a place of prominence that has been lost to the human dominance of the ordinary world to those who, in the words of Morgan Daimler, “seek to unmake all things.”
We ignore those who wish to harm us at our peril, whether those threats are natural or supernatural.
6. There is meaning and power in becoming what some fear
I love the costumes at Halloween. Some are scary, some are sexy, and some are incredibly imaginative. Costumes give us the opportunity to be something – or at least, to pretend to be something – we normally can’t be.
But wear a costume for long enough and at some point it stops being “play dress-up.” It starts being part of who and what we are.
There’s a reason why witchcraft continues to grow in popularity. Some of it is people – mostly young women – who like the “costume” of the witch because of how it makes them feel. But more are the people who seek the skills that witchcraft teaches, who share the outlook on life that witchcraft provides.
Anyone can do witchcraft, although as with all talents, some have more natural ability than others. More importantly, some are willing to put in the work to become a skilled witch, and many aren’t.
Witchcraft is unauthorized magic – magic done for a witch’s own reasons. Like all forms of power, it is neither good nor bad. What makes it good or bad is how it’s used. Some fear power in the hands of people they can’t control…
Halloween and Samhain remind us that there is power in becoming what some fear, in wielding the power others are afraid to seize.
Happy Halloween and Blessed Samhain
For some of us, Halloween and Samhain are less of a season and more of a way of life. But even for us, this is a special time.
Enjoy your Halloween parties and do your best to support Trick or Treating. Watch a good horror movie or read a good novel.
And also, honor your ancestors. Celebrate the final harvest. Contemplate death, and if you have the courage, journey beyond the Veil to get a glimpse of what comes afterwards.
There are things out there that mean us harm. Some are spiritual and some are very, very tangible. Know that they can be defeated with hard work and dedication, and with magic and witchcraft.
Have a happy Halloween and a blessed Samhain.
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