Dead Things

Halloween, or Samhain actually means "summer's end" or the end of the harvest time. It's a time when traditionally there would be huge bonfires where people would dress in costume and throw some of their fruitful crops into the flames as a sacrifice to the Gods in thanks for the bountiful season.  People also wore the costumes as a way to honor their Gods, to honor loved ones who had passed, to aid in the release of any souls that were "stuck"  in the earthly plane or that were held in the bodies of animals waiting for a release. Finally the costumes were used to hide from any malevolent spirits that may be lingering about as it was believed- and is still believed by many that this time of year, is when the veil between the worlds of the living and the dead become the thinnest.  November 1st or sunset on the 31st was celebrated as the New Year- the beginning of Winter. So really this celebration was a ritual in cleansing out the old to usher in the new- from Summer to Winter.

Halloween has always been my favorite holiday. Growing up I loved being able to "be someone/something else" for a day. To be transformed, disguised as something maybe I always wanted to be or perhaps something that was the complete opposite of my typical self- or both. I have always loved and been drawn to vampires, horror stories, creepy unsettling movies, and all things unknown, mysterious and seemingly unexplainable. Halloween captures all of those things rolled into one and I adore it.
I was talking about Samhain with my friend Dee at the office today and she brought something up that was obvious, yet I hadn't really recognized. Halloween is really about honoring the dead, holding a place for the dead and then releasing and saying goodbye. This got me to thinking about the word "dead" in a completely different way. Thinking of the dead, not only as loved ones and ancestors that have passed but perhaps parts of ourselves as well. Thought patterns, beliefs, ideas, cultural "norms" we take on, maybe even old past experiences or traumas we may be holding on to can be looked at as "dead" parts of ourselves that we may be holding onto that need releasing.
After having another an amazing session with my sister the life coach extraordinaire this week, I realized that I have a lot more of these "dead things" looming around me than I thought. And I am clearly holding on to them- for no good reason. That's the thing, most of us don't realize- we are holding on to them and that they are taking up space in our lives and possibly having a lot of bearing on how we are living in the world. I want to take this even a step further! What about habits, people, jobs, situations & relationships that "deaden us", keeping us from our reason for living- to be happy and joyful???  What do we want to let go of? What isn't serving us? What is keeping us from being our best selves? What is holding us back from choosing that happiness that is sitting there waiting there for us? Facing some of these things may be scary, of course, but just like Halloween, we'll get spooked at first, but then we'll realize what a silly costume or movie, or haunted house or idea about our selves it was after all and we can say goodbye- for good this time and once released we can make room for things that make us feel alive and passionate!
So, this Halloween, before I get dressed up in my costume, I'm going to write down a list of things, ideas, thought patterns and memories I'm ready to let go of- and then I'm going out on the town and soaking up the wonders and crazy, chaotic, freeing energy that Halloween brings me. And when I get home, I'm going to take that list and burn it. And when I'm washing the make up from my face in the mirror and changing into my pajamas, I am going to imagine that each layer of make up I wash off and every article of clothing I remove, is one of those things on my list that I am detaching from myself, letting out of my brain, my being and giving a final nod to, and then sending away- into the Halloween ether-  into those other realms where they can be released and transmuted back into space- where they will be better served too. And then, when I wake up- I will start another list for next year, lol. Goodness knows I can't get rid of all of my "dead stuff" this Halloween:) Happy Halloween to all!  I hope you have a marvelous one, however you celebrate it:) <3

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