It's almost Halloween: beware…
When witches go riding, and black cats are seen, the moon laughs and whispers, ‘tis near Halloween.
The smell of wood smoke, the taste of sharp, crunchy apples, crispy golden-red leaves underfoot mark the return of Halloween, All Hallows Eve or Samhain. On the night of 31st of October, the veil between the dimension of the living and that of the spirit world thins, enabling contact between the two. We take our children out, excited, overwrought with sugar, dressed up as monsters, ghouls, witches and little devils. Many hoping to catch a glimpse of some otherworldly being. But what are these spirits, and why should you beware of who you are inviting to the party?
The Origins of Halloween
Around 2,000 years ago, in Celtic Ireland, a tradition began where families honored the spirits of their dead ancestors. They invited their friendly ghosts to come home and enter the house with them. Of course they had to be careful as they didn’t want just any old wraith crashing the party, especially harmful and unwanted ones. So the people dressed up as frightening ghosts themselves in order to fool the evil demonic spirits into staying away.
Of course, every culture has traditions of honoring the dead and remembering its ancestors. Many of them have come together to form the mish-mash holiday we call Halloween; the time of the dead; the thinning of the veil.
What is the Thinning of the Veil?
And why do we need to be careful when flirting with phantoms? There is no actual veil, of course. Spirits inhabit this world just as we do. We just can’t see them, and the only people who connect with them have a special way of seeing, hearing or feeling their energy — psychics or mediums.
At this time of the year, when most of the world is thinking about the Halloween holiday, it means that an awful lot of human intent is focussed on the spirit world. And we all know that focussed energy is a powerful thing. Just imagine small pockets or vortices of negative energy being brought together by people all calling them closer on one night. As you can see, it might cause a few problems here and there.
We’ve mentioned in other posts about psychic attacks and how ‘dirty’ energy can attach itself to those in a vulnerable situation and/or matching low energy state. It is particularly important at this time of the year that you should take a few precautions. Of course, you and your family should have fun – being happy and being in high energy (spirits) is usually enough to repel any unwanted ethereal guests. However, if your child or a member of your family is fearful or depressed, then it makes sense to just give them an extra layer of protection.
Family Protection on All Hallows Eve
The quickest and easiest way to do this is to build up your defenses throughout the week leading up to Halloween. Simply take a moment each day to call upon your guardian spirits or angels to protect your family and home from harmful energies. There need be no special method of doing it. Simply ask out loud, like this,
“I call upon our protective angels to guard our family and home from negative energy. I call upon our angels to take care of each of us as we go throughout our days and nights.”
If you prefer, you can name them something other than ‘angels’, some people have difficulty connecting protective energy with the beautiful winged figures that populated the Christmas cards of our childhood. Think of them as an unseen, but potent force. An army of goodness, if you like.
Halloween wraps fear in innocence, As though it were a slightly sour sweet. Let terror, then, be turned into a treat…
Some adventurous types, of course, like to take risks by inviting devilish spirits to the party. To flirt with the occult, to rub shoulders with ghouls and ghosts. It’s part of the fun, isn’t it? That’s why the sales of ouija boards and tarot cards increase at this time of year. It's why we cast charms and spells, take part in games that tell the future, or play around with automatic writing and seances. There’s something in us, something primeval even, that makes us want to be scared and to join with the spirits of the dead.
However, negative energy will flow to negative energy and it can bridge small gaps to find a host, hence the ‘thinning of the veil’. Feeling under the weather, having low-level depression, catching a series of chills and viruses can mean that some of that pesky, sludgy, dirty energy has attached itself to us. And, because Halloween is the herald of colder, damper weather, this is the ideal time for unwanted visitors.
Physical protection is vital. Ensure your health is as good as it can be as we approach winter. Make sure your vitamin and mineral levels are sufficient, that you are eating properly. Trash all that leftover Halloween candy; sugar is the worst thing for causing energy spikes and depletion. Get yourself out into the fresh air and breathe in the good stuff while flowing out the bad.
Use some of our suggestions for clearing and cleaning your personal psychic energy. Methods such as visualization and meditations will help. Crystals, talismans and smudging are good methods to keep your space protected against those energy-feeding nasties.
After Halloween has passed, think about preparing your home for the winter holidays. Do a thorough clean and declutter, air out your home, then make sure it is cozy and warm for the coming cold weather. While you must ensure you have good ventilation, you also need to close off any sources of drafts and evil little entities that will snake around your tootsies and make you shiver.
Shadows of a thousand years rise again unseen, Voices whisper in the trees, "Tonight is Halloween!"
~Dexter Kozen
Happy Samhain.
Images courtesy of the Digital Artist