The True Meaning of Halloween (Samhain)

Halloween is an anticipated event on each year’s calendar. Kids in neighbourhoods around the world, giddy on sugar, dash from house to house, yelping trick-or-treat while the bigger kid in all of us dons a crazy costume and prepares for a night of fun-filled havoc. However just like many complain that the true meaning of Christmas is forgotten, do people know the true origins behind Halloween?

Halloween, also known as Hallows Eve or Samhain is viewed as a New Year by many pagans. It is also believed that this is the time of the year when the veil between the physical world and that of the spiritual realm is at it’s thinnest. Thus this is the best time of the year to contact people that have passed away. The tradition of dressing up originated from the idea that as the veil was thin, ghosts and unwanted spirits could come back to our world. Dressing in scary costumes was believed to make spirits feel comfortable and unlikely to haunt or terrorise you, believing you are one of them.

Samhain, meaning “summer’s end” is the name of the traditional Celtic or pagan festival. The name Halloween comes from when on May 13, 609 A.D., Pope Boniface IV dedicated the Pantheon in Rome in honour of all Christian martyrs, and the Catholic feast of All Martyrs Day was established in the Western church. Pope Gregory III (731–741) later expanded the festival to include all saints as well as all martyrs, and moved the observance from May 13 to November 1. This holiday is now known as, All Saints’ Day. As Samhain was still a widely celebrated festival at the time, All Saint’s Day incorporated some of the traditions of Samhain. The evening before was known as All Hallows’ Eve and later Halloween. Over time, Halloween evolved into a secular, community-based event characterized by child-friendly activities such as trick-or-treating many know today.

As witches this is an ideal time to contact great spirits. The focus is not on using an Ouija board to contact a passed relative or friend but rather to tune into the spirits of the Long Dead. This includes old masters and leaders, archetypal entities and great people who have served the land. You can also connect with your guides at this time. This can be done easily done by a simple meditation or prayer or you can create your own more elaborate ritual. Perhaps ask them to visit you in a dream. Drinking nutmeg with almond milk before bed may assist your dreams to be more vivid. Other foods related to clear or lucid dreaming include beetroot, orange and other fruit juice, cheese, mustard, fish ice cream, popcorn and taking a supplement containing 100 to 250 mg of vitamin B-6 just before bedtime. Eating or drinking anything disruptive to your sleep cycle, such as caffeinated drinks and difficult-to-digest foods, is likely to have an adverse effect on dream content.

Samhain can also be a time of healing and to let go of anyone who you may still be holding on to emotionally. Complete the following either inside your magic circle or just as a simple meditation.

Take a small candle. It may be white, black or another colour you find appropriately represents the person. Relax, take a few deep breaths and then light the candle. Reflect on the great memories you have of that person, see their beauty shining in the flame of the candle. Smile, cry, do whatever comes naturally. Once you feel that you have connected to the person’s energy it is time to let them go. Maybe visualise them floating or walking away towards light or into a field or forest. Feel the emotions attached to them leaving your body. Feel free from any angst or pain you have been experiencing. When you are ready to complete the release, blow out the candle.

If needed you can do this activity several times until the candle has totally burned out. Doing it during a waning moon is better after the Samhain. Note that the focus is not to forget about the person, but rather to release the negative emotions that are holding you back from moving on with your life. You will always have the beautiful memories. Another version of this ritual can be done with a crystal, feeling it’s energy, then sending your love and emotions into the crystal, then burying it in a special place, returning it to the earth.

Other ways you can observe Samhain include:
- Wearing colours such as black, brown, gold, orange, red, silver and/or yellow.
- Meditate on the energies of the animals associated with Samhain such as bat, cat, crow, jackal, owl, robin, scorpion and stag.
- This is one of the best times for scrying and divination. If you use a divination technique utilise it at this time. Otherwise go and get a clairvoyant reading. It’s a great time to get guidance as you start a new year.
- Eat foods such as apple, nuts, pomegranate, pumpkins, squash and tubers.
- Spoil yourself with a nice cider or wined (mulled).
- Burn incense or oils with the fragrances of almond, benzoin, cinnamon, myrrh, passionflower, patchouli, pine and/or sandalwood.
- Meditate or carry bloodstone, carnelian, garnet, hematite, jasper, jet, obsidian, onyx, pyrite and/or smoky quartz
- Plant an apple, hazel, oak or pine tree while setting your goals for the upcoming year.
- Follow some of your New Year’s Eve traditions such as set goals, change habits and cleanse clean the house. If you have a house fire burning, let it go out totally and then light a new one, symbolising a new start.