The end of October brings us to Samhain (pronounced ‘Sow-en’). A seemingly strange word, it comes from two old Irish words meaning ‘summer’s end.’ Samhain is more popularly known as ‘Halloween’ – the eve of the Christian festival All Hallows, or All Saints.
Hallowe’en falls on 31st October and is the most important night in the neo-pagan calendar – as darkness seems to take over the world with the shorter days and weaker sunlight the night is charged with superstition. This has led to countless customs in the efforts of humans to survive the darker forces of nature.
The somewhat questionable practices of mischief and ‘trick- or treat-ing’ have their roots in the creating of fantastic and hideous lanterns, carved with faces and lit with candles – all designed to look as scary as possible in order to ward off evil spirits. Samhain and Hallowe’en fires would be lit on hilltops to honour and invoke the sun’s power and to guard against the coming darkness. Death and the absence of light are two of the most embedded fears we experience; keeping them at bay for as long as possible has become a lifelong goal for many.
But Hallowe’en has another important purpose too. It was Jung who said about shadow, that ‘one does not become enlightened by imaginary figures of light but by making the darkness conscious.’ In other words, Hallowe’en is a good time to take a hard long look at our fears and doubts, to recognise and acknowledge them before allowing the light of All Saints, the feast that comes hot on the heels of Hallowe’en, to illuminate them.
The last day of October has been called ‘the gateway to the darkest months of winter.’ One writer has said of this night, ‘The spirits within the shadows of our minds, and those without, in the shadows of the night, were thought to be abroad. It is a time for attending to our fears, including that of death, and for remembering our loved ones. It is a time for journeying within, seeking wisdom, however hidden or feared, and seeking too the paradoxical way of peace.’
