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Do you celebrate Halloween? There are many Christians today who identify Halloween with devil worship and forbidden paganry. Of course, they are correct to make the connection between this holiday and pagan practices. The thing is that it is almost impossible to find a practice within Christianity that does not have some roots in the pre-Christian past. Christianity itself is rooted in both Judaism and Hellenism. As the faith rolled across empires, the beliefs and practices of the locals were most often syncretized with Christianity. This was not just a matter of Christianity "stealing" the practices of the local people to trick or force them into believing in Jesus. For certain, there was a strong element of imperialism involved; in fact the goal of forcing everyone into Christianity was much more of a power play than it was missionary. However, there was also a natural progression of beliefs and practices melding as more people became Christians. Whether the people were forced into baptisms, forbidden to practice their own religious traditions, or both, individuals would hold on to what was familiar to them. Many of those who were conquered by the Holy Roman Empire were pantheistic, so for them the difficulty would be in accepting the concept of monotheism; it would not have been inconceivable for them to accept another god-form into their belief system. When they incorporated the idea of Christianity into their cultural practices, the end result was a syncretized religious/spiritual tradition. When the time came that older practices were prohibited as "demonic," people would have stopped performing the their traditional rituals or found new ways to continue their practice that were not obvious to those who enforced the law. The celebration we call "Halloween" is an example of this.
Samhain was a Gaelic celebration of the end of the harvest season and the beginning of the darker half of the year. Celebrations began on the last day of the month we call October, and extended into November 1. Cattle was brought down from the summer pastures, livestock were slaughtered, and bonfires were lit. It was believed that dead ancestors returned to their family homes at this time, and family members set a place for them at the table. People dressed up and went door to door asking for food. It is thought that dressing up and mummery were a way to disguise oneself from the Aos Si, supernatural beings that were believed to be able to cross into the earthly realm more easily during this liminal time when the boundaries between worlds is thin.
The church celebrated All Saints Day, also known as All Hallows, on November 2. This was a solemn occastion to honor the lives of the saints and Christian martyrs. In the 9th Century. the church in the British Isles moved All Hallows to November 1, likely in an effort to supplant the pagan celebration of Samhain. November 2 then became All Souls Day, which is dedicated to the faithful who have died (as opposed to the saints and martyrs). The evening before All Hallows, October 31, became All Hallows Eve. This evolved over time into "Hallow's Eve," "Hallowe'en," and eventually, to "Halloween."
Many Christians do celebrate Halloween, often simply as a fun day to dress up, take the children trick-or-treating, and go to parties. Others incorporate it into a sort of trinity of days to honor those loved ones who crossed the thin veil between worlds during the past year as well as the ancestors, saints, and martyrs of the ancient past. The Mexican holiday of Día de los Muertos is a powerful example of the syncretism of ancient traditions of honoring ancestors and the holy days of the church.
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Thin Places
We see a lot of references to the "thinning of the veil between worlds" at this time of year. The "veil" we are talking about refers to the boundary between the physical world we can see and the spiritual world that we cannot. It is the boundary between life and death, the wall between the natural and the supernatural. There are times and places that are believed to be liminalities, when or where we can better perceive that which is not of this world. This belief is not restricted to Halloween. Beltane, the Celtic cross-quarter celebration that takes place at May Day, is also considered a time when the veil is thin. While this concept has existed since before the Celts arrived in the British Isles, the term "thin places" comes from Celtic Christianity.
The idea that there are times or places where one can feel closer to Deity is present in just about every culture. Every spiritual tradition has its sacred places where believers feel closer to God. For instance, Native Americans identify very specific geological locations as sacred, many of which have been desecrated or are threatened with destruction, such as Oak Flat in Arizona. The city of Jerusalem is considered Holy in both Judaism and Christianity. Islam holds the cities of Mecca and Madina as holy places. In these places, the people feel closer to God.
New Age Spirituality identifies certain places where they feel there are vortexes of energy that create a feeling of well-being and closeness to Spirit. Sedona, Arizona is one well known place said to be at the center of a vortex. These vortexes are identified around the world and many are ancient holy places. From Stonehenge to the Pyramids, from Mount Rushmore (Tunkasila Sakpe Paha, or Six Grandfathers Mountain, to the Lakota) to Machu Picchu, there are places where visitors are met with a sense of "otherworldliness," or the sacred. These are liminal places, where the veil between the worlds is thin.
The times of the year when the seasons change are also liminal places. They are thresholds through which we pass from one season to the next. As such, they are times when we can stand with one foot on each side of the shift; each side of the veil, as it were. These times when we can reach across time and space to feel close to loved ones who have left this world, when we can open our hearts and sense the imminent presence of Deity, are times of celebration. However, we need not wait for the shift to occur. We can find our own sacred space and time.
Meditation and prayer are ways we can create thin spaces in our lives when we need them most. There may be a place where we enjoy going for "alone time," in or near our home. There may be a time of day when we feel more at peace and connected with Spirit. This is the best time to go to the place we have found, the best time to stop our daily routines and spend some time with God. Where and when are your thin places?
Sedona, Arizona
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Ghost Stories in the Bible
There are at least two ghost stories contained in the Bible. One is from the Hebrew Bible and comes from the historical text of 1 Samuel. The other is in the New Testament, in the Gospel of Matthew. Some people refer to the story in which Jesus walks upon the water as a sort of "ghost story," as the disciples confuse the very real person Jesus with a ghost coming out of the mist. However, this story only reflects the fact that they had a belief in ghosts. This is illustrated as well in the Lukan story of Jesus joining the disciples after his resurrection, in which they mistake him for a ghost and he illustrates that his hands and feet are quite corporeal. Too often, Christians declare that the belief in supernatural beings (other than God and/or "the devil") is somehow "demonic," and they conveniently forget these rather prominent stories from scripture. These verses come from the New Revised Standard Version (NRSV).
1 Samuel 28:3-19: Now Samuel had died, and all Israel had mourned for him and buried him in Ramah, his own city. Saul had expelled the mediums and the wizards from the land. The Philistines assembled, and came and encamped at Shunem. Saul gathered all Israel, and they encamped at Gilboa. When Saul saw the army of the Philistines, he was afraid, and his heart trembled greatly. When Saul inquired of the Lord, the Lord did not answer him, not by dreams, or by Urim, or by prophets. Then Saul said to his servants, “Seek out for me a woman who is a medium, so that I may go to her and inquire of her.” His servants said to him, “There is a medium at Endor.”
So Saul disguised himself and put on other clothes and went there, he and two men with him. They came to the woman by night. And he said, “Consult a spirit for me, and bring up for me the one whom I name to you.” The woman said to him, “Surely you know what Saul has done, how he has cut off the mediums and the wizards from the land. Why then are you laying a snare for my life to bring about my death?” But Saul swore to her by the Lord, “As the Lord lives, no punishment shall come upon you for this thing.” Then the woman said, “Whom shall I bring up for you?” He answered, “Bring up Samuel for me.” When the woman saw Samuel, she cried out with a loud voice; and the woman said to Saul, “Why have you deceived me? You are Saul!” The king said to her, “Have no fear; what do you see?” The woman said to Saul, “I see a divine being[a] coming up out of the ground.” He said to her, “What is his appearance?” She said, “An old man is coming up; he is wrapped in a robe.” So Saul knew that it was Samuel, and he bowed with his face to the ground, and did obeisance.
Then Samuel said to Saul, “Why have you disturbed me by bringing me up?” Saul answered, “I am in great distress, for the Philistines are warring against me, and God has turned away from me and answers me no more, either by prophets or by dreams; so I have summoned you to tell me what I should do.” Samuel said, “Why then do you ask me, since the Lord has turned from you and become your enemy? The Lord has done to you just as he spoke by me; for the Lord has torn the kingdom out of your hand, and given it to your neighbor, David. Because you did not obey the voice of the Lord, and did not carry out his fierce wrath against Amalek, therefore the Lord has done this thing to you today. Moreover the Lord will give Israel along with you into the hands of the Philistines; and tomorrow you and your sons shall be with me; the Lord will also give the army of Israel into the hands of the Philistines.”
Matthew 17:1-3: Six days later, Jesus took with him Peter and James and his brother John and led them up a high mountain, by themselves. And he was transfigured before them, and his face shone like the sun, and his clothes became dazzling white. Suddenly there appeared to them Moses and Elijah, talking with him.
Ghost Stories from Other Traditions
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I believe in the supernatural. I just thought I'd get that right out there. I believe that there is much more to this world than that which we can see. This belief of mine is informed by both my personal experience as well as tradition and scripture. Scriptural evidence includes not only sacred texts, but also written and oral tales about the experiences of others. Like the Wesleyan that I am, I use my reason to bring these together with what I know of the natural world, and I am left with a belief that there is much in the universe that cannot be proven scientifically. At least, not yet. There are scientific theories of the universe that allow for the possibility of alternate realities existing alongside ours. Perhaps one day we will understand more.
I think the law of conservation of energy, that energy cannot be destroyed but transforms, is supportive of the idea that we – some essence of us – continue to exist after we die and leave this mortal shell. The energy that animates us, which I call our souls, continues on somewhere. Where that somewhere is has been explained by religion and superstition since humans suffered their first loss of loved ones. We will all have a different version of the afterlife. Do we go immediately to some heaven or hell? Are we reborn into new bodies as our souls become better? Do we simply slip out of these vehicles and merge with the Light of Eternity? Is there some time where we are between the physical and the ethereal when we can interact with the living in some fleeting way? I certainly don’t have the answers, nor does science. Science may be able to tell us what happens with our organic bodies and the systems within, but they cannot explain where the energy that made us living, thinking, loving creatures goes when the electrical and mechanical systems fail. Maybe it’s one of these things. Maybe it’s something altogether different. Or, maybe it’s some combination of these. I know what I believe. You know what you believe. Let’s talk about it. I will put this up as a topic in our Facebook Discussion Group. If you aren’t a part of the group, feel free to join. There is a link at the bottom of this newsletter.
We return to the park on Sunday, November 14 at 10 a.m. Skyline Park 655 S Crismon Rd, Mesa, AZ 85208. The topic for discussion will be "Those Who Have Gone Before." We will join in a short service of remembrance and a guided meditation and prayer. If you come, please bring something to sit on and a bottle of water. We do have some chairs, but not many. I look forward to seeing you soon!
As usual, for those who cannot make it due to distance or other reasons, a review of the conversation will be posted at my message blog sometime shortly after the meeting. You will be invited to share your thoughts on the subject in the Discussion Group.
Until then, go forth and "be excellent to each other!" Have a wonderful month!
Bright Blessings,
Rev. Suzy Cherry, Parish Priest/ess
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Brigid's Hearth is an outreach project of Brigid in the Desert UAIC. We seek to meet the needs of the poor and working poor who receive assistance from food banks and crisis organizations. While food banks are able to provide food staples to those who struggle to make ends meet, there are a number of items that are often forgotten. At Brigid's Hearth, we collect these items and provide them to local non-profit organizations for distribution. If you live far from the Phoenix area, please donate to organizations in your area. we do not seek any special recognition from the organizations; however, we would like to keep track of donations on behalf of Brigid. Please send a list of items donated to Pastor Suzy at the email below. To see what we collect and how to donate, click on the picture to the right.
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Statement of Ministry
Brigid in the Desert has its roots in progressive, inclusive Christianity. Into that, we bring complementary teachings and practices from other traditions. In this way, we seek to learn the teachings that bring us together across traditions while continuing to honor the rights of others to practice and believe in their own way.
We acknowledge the value of respectful and compassionate ecumenical, interspiritual, interfaith, and multicultural dialogue, and seek to live our lives according to the spark of the Divine within ourselves.
As a resource for Life Event Celebrations, Brigid in the Desert offers services to those who are spiritual as well as those who are not, because in our own spirituality, we recognize the value of each and every person on this earth. We value the lives of all sentient beings, and honor them as they are in this world. This includes the LGBTQIA, Autistic, and other Neuro-Divergent communities.
We invite you to join us in our online discussion on Facebook. If you prefer, you are welcome to simply follow along at one of the links below.
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