From Shadows to Light: The Journey of Halloween, All Saints' Day, and All Souls' Day
From October 31 to November 2, we can let ourselves be taken on a journey through fear, forgiveness and the rediscovery of Oneness. Have you ever felt the quiet nudge of something more during these days? Beneath the costumes and celebrations, there's a deeper invitation…
Like a wise elder seated by the fire, Holy Spirit uses everything to teach—even the dark corridors of Halloween, the reverence of All Saints’ Day, and the whispered prayers of All Souls' Day. Yes, these are man-made moments on a man-made calendar. But if we know what to look for, we can allow these celebrations take us on a deeper journey. They become like thresholds, guiding us from shadow into light, from the cold hands of fear on Halloween to the warm embrace of knowing on All Souls' Day.
What became All Saints Day and All Souls Day (November 1–2) were already called “thin times” by the ancient Celts, as were February 1–2 (St. Bridget’s Day and Candlemas Day, when the candles were blessed and lit). The veil between this world and the next world was considered most “thin” and easily traversed during these times. On these days, we are invited to be aware of deep time—that is, past, present, and future time gathered into one especially holy moment. We are reminded that our ancestors are still in us and work with us and through us. We call it the “communion of saints.” -Richard Rohr
Halloween
…wild with masks and ghost stories, speaks in the voice of the ego. It tells us stories of false selves, fragile as paper lanterns, flickering in the wind, casting shadows everywhere we look. We mistake the shadows for the real.
But All Saints’ Day?
That’s the bright chant of memory, pulling us back to something much older, much truer. It sings of our original form—divine, whole, not broken into parts despite the appearance of suffering and pain. It is a gathering of the ones who remember that we are not these separate beings but reflections of divine oneness.
And then comes All Souls' Day…
A gentle invitation to see beyond the veil that keeps us dreambound and attached to form and matter. Here, Holy Spirit whispers of forgiveness of the illusion, of a unity that is always present, just waiting for us to open our eyes and see. We think ourselves separate, adrift, but in truth, we are always part of the joined divine mind.
Using the symbols of the world
When we’re unaware of the truth, we anchor ourselves to unreal things. We let the symbols of this world snare us in separation, forgetting the deeper truths. But Holy Spirit? It reinterprets everything. It shows us that fear is nothing but a thin mist, a goblin we chase in the dark. The darkness becomes an invitation for light to break through, for the truth to be known.
These days, then—Halloween, All Saints' Day, and All Souls' Day—can be so much more than we have allowed ourselves to consider. Let them be wild, sacred places, full of Holy Spirit’s teachings. They urge us to journey from fear to love, from illusion to truth. Every step through these liminal spaces brings us closer to the fire at the center of the story—our shared oneness, waiting to be remembered.
As you move through these days, what would it feel like to see the symbols around you with new eyes? To allow your wise inner teacher to guide you through your own shadows and into the light of truth?