31/10/2025
Due to ongoing long term health issues I’ve been quiet, so apologies. However, today I feel compelled to write and ask the question “What does Halloween mean to you?”
The majority of people think of it’s as ghosts, ghouls, trick or treat, Bob apple, spending a small fortune and jumping on the commercial bandwagon and that’s ok. Also, dressing as scary, ugly, grotesque witches, which traditionally was to mock the many women (and men) that were labelled as witches and evil wrong doers by the majority of society. Most were gentle, honest, kind and humble souls who used their knowledge of the natural word, herbs, the Luna cycles, the seasons and their knowledge of natural healing to help others. Some were healers, some were midwives but they were wise and there were many fitting those criteria’s hidden away in a lot of villages. These people and their skills were very much needed by the poor who had no means of payment for ‘professional medical’ help, if indeed there was any and we now know through history that things didn’t end well for these ‘witches’ They were forcibly removed from their homes and became part of what we now know as the witch trials of 1612. They were imprisoned, tortured and put to their deaths for their ‘crimes and evil wrong doings’. Today, when I see an ugly and grotesque looking witch costume, I can’t help but think of those poor poor souls who lost their lives because they simply tried to help others.
Halloween or what I and many other pagan followers alike, call Samhain, pronounced Sow-in is an ancient Celtic festival marking the end of harvest, the beginning of Winter and time of the dark. It is also a time to remember the dead and honour our ancestors. It is also considered (our) the witches new year. Spiritually, it’s the time of year when we can connect with our ancestors as the veil that separates our world and that of the dead is at its thinnest. This is the time of year when you may have vivid dreams about loved ones that have passed or dreams about people you don’t know but are some how familiar. These are your ancestors and there are MANY!!!
Now let me put that into context and explain why there are so many.
In order for you to be born, you needed
2 parents
4 grand parents
8 great grand parents
16 second great grand parents
32 third great grand parents
64 fourth great grand parents
128 fifth great grand parents
256 sixth great grand parents
512 seventh great grand parents
1,024 eighth great grand parents
2,048 ninth great grand parents
Today, for you to be born from 12 previous generations, you needed a total of 4,094 ancestors over the last 400 years or there abouts. So…….
Let that sink in and think for a moment…
How many struggles? How many battles? How many difficulties? How much sadness? How much trauma? How much happiness? How many love stories? How many expressions of hope for the future? …. did all of your ancestors have to undergo for you to exist now? Remember. we carry them all in our DNA.
Let that sink in, honour them and thank them for who you are today. 💜
