I love October and Halloween. I love the encroaching dark and the reminders of death. Not because I'm morbid or have a death wish, but because I know death will bring me over the threshold into God's house. There's judgment and reckoning on that side, too, but at least I will finally see my Lord face-to-face. This time of year reminds me that death isn't an ending. It's a transition. I used to have an "guilty pleasure" relationship with Halloween because I grew up Evangelical. But when I became Catholic, I realized Halloween is the vigil for All Saints' Day and that, among other things, deepened my understanding of the holiday, which in turn deepened my love of the entire season of autumn.
As a child I enjoyed the fun of Hallowe'en, but after living in a place where spiritual warfare was sometimes palpable, I began to see only evil in it. I still prefer to celebrate "95 Theses day" on October 31 and All-Saints day on November 1.
As I learn more about Mexican culture in my Spanish lessons, I am learning to appreciate Día de los Muertos, a joyful time to remember those who have gone on before. Remembering seems to be an appropriate activity for autumn.
That is interesting. I feel like the past few years, I've become more aware of "spiritual warfare". I think it's everywhere, and some people can sense it more than others.
I am pretty perceptive when it comes to the spiritual realm. I can't really explain it, but I get a heaviness in my chest and it seems like the sky darkens when evil is around. I don't count on feelings, but when it happens, I am reminded that the physical and spiritual realms are only separated by perception. The first two chapters of Job illustrate part of the overlap between realms. Paul wrote to the Ephesians that "we do not wrestle with flesh and blood, but against the rulers, against the authorities, against the cosmic powers over this present darkness, against the spiritual forces of evil in the heavenly places" (Ephesians 6:12, ESV).
So, yes, spiritual warfare is everywhere, whether or not we can sense it. Maybe that's a good focus for October and interacting on cultural fascination with the macabre as the seasons change.
I loved dressing up for the ‘Great American Candy Exchange.’ My birthday is a few days after Halloween and I always thought of myself as a spooky baby, rather than a Thanksgiving baby.
There have been times when my love of creepy and scary was at odds with my faith, but I now see it more as a chance to peel back the shiny layers of life and dip my toes into the macabre, the ancient, and the unknown. I like creepy stories because I can return to the real world, tucked warm in my bed, and enjoy that knowledge of safety and security.
I’ve always loved October and the ushering in of autumn. I like decorating for the season and enjoy it so much more since becoming a mother. We do celebrate Halloween, my children love to trick-or-treat! 🎃
I absolutely adore October—the drawing within, the darkness, the honoring of the unseen. It breathes permission in my toxically positive upbringing and allows my body to return to what is natural, what is yes.
I love everything about October except Halloween - that I could take or leave. I think that may be an uninformed opinion, though, since all I’ve been taught of Halloween is consumerism (although fun as a child) and an uncertain sense of forbidden from evangelical culture. My husband loves Halloween, and I usually let him run the show; maybe this year I’ll learn a different persecution from you!
Oh beloved, you KNOW I'm here with bells on for it!! 😂 Hallowe'en has always been my favorite holiday; as a kid, it was a sentimental love for its mystery...but the more I've learned about its theology, the more profound and (paradoxically) life-giving it has become.
I have a bit of a thorny relationship with October. I love the weather and the turn of the season, but there’s a body memory component that is really rough. Some of my worst episodes of depression have occurred in October, so I feel like sometimes I spend the month looking over my shoulder to make sure nothing’s coming. And yet I relish the crunch of leaves and the coming crispness and making soup… Its such an odd internal mismatch and depends on the year.
Halloween is strange, for me—the date itself is my birthday, which meant we didn't really celebrate the costume holiday growing up (my dad joking referred to it as Reformation Day instead, given the 1517 date of the 95 theses). And once I learned more about the folk-Celtic origin's of Hallow's Even, where the earth and the sighe become porous and passable, the occasion started feeling like an odd, dark new year. It's a new year in my life and a new season on my body (most of the places I've lived have had mild Octobers but then bitter Novembers), which honestly has little to do with Halloween as we Americans celebrate it. Part of the fun is to figure out our own family traditions, likely centering around autumn more widely and coziness together more specifically.
I love the stillness and the quiet of fall. The early dusk (which I get very tired of by February) is an invitation in October to sit with yourself, to nest, to find contemplative moments.
I don't have a relationship with Halloween, unless we're talking about free candy bars I can steal from stores handing it out.
But fall? I loooove this season. It's my favorite one next to winter. It is gorgeous outside - the colors and the cool weather. Plus, I'm Canadian so we celebrate Thanksgiving this weekend, right in the most beautiful season to be thankful for.
I've always loved the autumn season. I have an attraction to darkness and the paranormal, possibly due to reading too many Gothic romances as a preteen and a number of paranormal experiences in my formative years. Oddly, I've never thought of Halloween as a way to connect with or honor family ancestors, despite familiarity with Dia de los Muertos (etc), for me it has always been more of a connection with the collective "dead" of all human ancestors.
“I'm so glad I live in a world where there are Octobers."
My son was born just before Halloween. It’s one of my favorite times of the year. My parents used to host a Halloween dinner party for many years. We would go out as a group of kids to trick or treat. Back then our costumes were very DIY, nothing like today where everything can be bought. My mom was creative and helped me put together so many costumes. We also made a lot of our own indoor/outdoor decorations, including a scarecrow we nicknamed “Bob”. I recently found a photo of me with Bob and it really brought back fond memories of that time.
I grew up loving Halloween. I was raised to be very in touch with my Scottish ancestry, and the two go together so well. Ten years ago, however, my dad died on Halloween night (something I'll probably be writing about soon) and my feelings for Halloween took a hit. I've slowly been exploring what I still love, how to shift my ideas and my ways of celebrating it -- an ongoing journey.
I love October and Halloween. I love the encroaching dark and the reminders of death. Not because I'm morbid or have a death wish, but because I know death will bring me over the threshold into God's house. There's judgment and reckoning on that side, too, but at least I will finally see my Lord face-to-face. This time of year reminds me that death isn't an ending. It's a transition. I used to have an "guilty pleasure" relationship with Halloween because I grew up Evangelical. But when I became Catholic, I realized Halloween is the vigil for All Saints' Day and that, among other things, deepened my understanding of the holiday, which in turn deepened my love of the entire season of autumn.
Memento Mori
Yes!
As a child I enjoyed the fun of Hallowe'en, but after living in a place where spiritual warfare was sometimes palpable, I began to see only evil in it. I still prefer to celebrate "95 Theses day" on October 31 and All-Saints day on November 1.
As I learn more about Mexican culture in my Spanish lessons, I am learning to appreciate Día de los Muertos, a joyful time to remember those who have gone on before. Remembering seems to be an appropriate activity for autumn.
Where did you live where there was "spiritual warfare"? I am curious!
Northern CA coast. It was palpable.
That is interesting. I feel like the past few years, I've become more aware of "spiritual warfare". I think it's everywhere, and some people can sense it more than others.
I am pretty perceptive when it comes to the spiritual realm. I can't really explain it, but I get a heaviness in my chest and it seems like the sky darkens when evil is around. I don't count on feelings, but when it happens, I am reminded that the physical and spiritual realms are only separated by perception. The first two chapters of Job illustrate part of the overlap between realms. Paul wrote to the Ephesians that "we do not wrestle with flesh and blood, but against the rulers, against the authorities, against the cosmic powers over this present darkness, against the spiritual forces of evil in the heavenly places" (Ephesians 6:12, ESV).
So, yes, spiritual warfare is everywhere, whether or not we can sense it. Maybe that's a good focus for October and interacting on cultural fascination with the macabre as the seasons change.
I loved dressing up for the ‘Great American Candy Exchange.’ My birthday is a few days after Halloween and I always thought of myself as a spooky baby, rather than a Thanksgiving baby.
There have been times when my love of creepy and scary was at odds with my faith, but I now see it more as a chance to peel back the shiny layers of life and dip my toes into the macabre, the ancient, and the unknown. I like creepy stories because I can return to the real world, tucked warm in my bed, and enjoy that knowledge of safety and security.
I’ve always loved October and the ushering in of autumn. I like decorating for the season and enjoy it so much more since becoming a mother. We do celebrate Halloween, my children love to trick-or-treat! 🎃
I absolutely adore October—the drawing within, the darkness, the honoring of the unseen. It breathes permission in my toxically positive upbringing and allows my body to return to what is natural, what is yes.
I love everything about October except Halloween - that I could take or leave. I think that may be an uninformed opinion, though, since all I’ve been taught of Halloween is consumerism (although fun as a child) and an uncertain sense of forbidden from evangelical culture. My husband loves Halloween, and I usually let him run the show; maybe this year I’ll learn a different persecution from you!
Oh beloved, you KNOW I'm here with bells on for it!! 😂 Hallowe'en has always been my favorite holiday; as a kid, it was a sentimental love for its mystery...but the more I've learned about its theology, the more profound and (paradoxically) life-giving it has become.
I have a bit of a thorny relationship with October. I love the weather and the turn of the season, but there’s a body memory component that is really rough. Some of my worst episodes of depression have occurred in October, so I feel like sometimes I spend the month looking over my shoulder to make sure nothing’s coming. And yet I relish the crunch of leaves and the coming crispness and making soup… Its such an odd internal mismatch and depends on the year.
Halloween is strange, for me—the date itself is my birthday, which meant we didn't really celebrate the costume holiday growing up (my dad joking referred to it as Reformation Day instead, given the 1517 date of the 95 theses). And once I learned more about the folk-Celtic origin's of Hallow's Even, where the earth and the sighe become porous and passable, the occasion started feeling like an odd, dark new year. It's a new year in my life and a new season on my body (most of the places I've lived have had mild Octobers but then bitter Novembers), which honestly has little to do with Halloween as we Americans celebrate it. Part of the fun is to figure out our own family traditions, likely centering around autumn more widely and coziness together more specifically.
I love the stillness and the quiet of fall. The early dusk (which I get very tired of by February) is an invitation in October to sit with yourself, to nest, to find contemplative moments.
I don't have a relationship with Halloween, unless we're talking about free candy bars I can steal from stores handing it out.
But fall? I loooove this season. It's my favorite one next to winter. It is gorgeous outside - the colors and the cool weather. Plus, I'm Canadian so we celebrate Thanksgiving this weekend, right in the most beautiful season to be thankful for.
I've always loved the autumn season. I have an attraction to darkness and the paranormal, possibly due to reading too many Gothic romances as a preteen and a number of paranormal experiences in my formative years. Oddly, I've never thought of Halloween as a way to connect with or honor family ancestors, despite familiarity with Dia de los Muertos (etc), for me it has always been more of a connection with the collective "dead" of all human ancestors.
“I'm so glad I live in a world where there are Octobers."
My son was born just before Halloween. It’s one of my favorite times of the year. My parents used to host a Halloween dinner party for many years. We would go out as a group of kids to trick or treat. Back then our costumes were very DIY, nothing like today where everything can be bought. My mom was creative and helped me put together so many costumes. We also made a lot of our own indoor/outdoor decorations, including a scarecrow we nicknamed “Bob”. I recently found a photo of me with Bob and it really brought back fond memories of that time.
I grew up loving Halloween. I was raised to be very in touch with my Scottish ancestry, and the two go together so well. Ten years ago, however, my dad died on Halloween night (something I'll probably be writing about soon) and my feelings for Halloween took a hit. I've slowly been exploring what I still love, how to shift my ideas and my ways of celebrating it -- an ongoing journey.
Liking your poem, S.E., but feeling bad about those sodden feet! Am a fan of those fall festivals and fragrances.