For the ancient Celts, there were two worlds and two seasons. The world of light and life and the world of shadows and death. Summer was a season celebrated for warmth, growth and sustenance in fruits and grains, but the winter season was feared for its cold, death and deprivation. For the ancient Celts, the world of life and light became imperiled as the benevolent power of the sun's sustaining light dwindled, allowing death to walk the earth amidst the darkness and lengthening shadows. It was a frightening season to witness warmth and light ebb into the consuming shadows.
This season of peril at summer's end to the Celts is Samhain (saa-wen). Samhain was a time for us the living to be on our guard. For as the season of light ended, the world of shadows and death drew close to the world of the living, and if the veil separating the two worlds lifted, as it does on October 31st, ghosts of the dead, spirits of evil, cross over from their shadow world and haunt the living. If one should be accosted by an evil shadow from the other world on the night of Samhain, one would be cursed. It is best to be disguised if one ventures out on Samhain so no ghost will recognize you and curse you.
When the power of the risen Christ was preached in the pagan Celtic lands, the Church baptized this pagan Samhain festival dedicated to the fear of the dead walking among us on Samhain night, and rechristened it to All Hallows Day to be celebrated November 1st, to honor all the departed Christian saints.
The night before November 1st is All Hallows Eve, coinciding with Samhain. All Hallows Eve was a mouthful, so we of the English tongue slurred and contracted the 3-word All Hallows Eve to Halloween. Yet, the pagan heart still beats on beneath the Gospel of Life eternal now preached - for when we think of Halloween, do we not think of ghosts and witches, rather than the memory of saintly Nana walking with Jesus?
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From where I now write, I sit in a resurrected house built upon the once cursed and scorched foundation of a home that was invaded by evil on All Hallows Eve in 2016. Evil beings visited me on Samhain. Wicked ones burst through the locked door of the vacant home of my wife's childhood and with a curse on their lips and malicious intentions in their dark heart they set torched to our home and property on October 31, 2016.
Arson aftermath from Oct. 31, 2016
A night when evil walked among us.
This Samhain I'm going full Celt. On the eighth anniversary of when evil incarnate brought a curse across my threshold, I have resorted to the Iron Age Celtic practice of carving an evil, grimacing face into a large gourd to ward off visits of the wicked and evil spirits from my home and to hold them away from crossing my threshold.
Carving of a Celtic jack-o-Lantern to ward off evil spirits on Samhain (Halloween) |
Halloween and its haunting is on my mind. I have carved a pumpkin to stay safe.
I have taken further precautions. Precautions the ancient Celts did not have. I have loaded my 12 gauge shotgun to further discourage any evil spirits from crossing my threshold.
Fierce Jack-o-Lantern on my porch. 12 gauge inside my door. |
My resurrected house is on a dark, secluded, county road without shoulders and my 1/6 mile driveway approached is barred by a solid steel gate. The weather forecast for Halloween at my place is for temperatures to be around 48 F with rain showers likely during trick-or-treat time. All of this convinces me that I will see neither costumed princesses nor superheroes walk past my lit pumpkin and ring my bell expecting to be greeted with a fistful of candy. No, any soul coming up my drive in the dark has evil lurking in his heart.
I do have some nice bon bons just in case. But if I don't give any away - I have all that is left for myself.
May your Halloween haunts be heartfelt and happy.