I was just about to shut the computer down, thinking I had little to offer to 'blog-land' this morning.  Just as my finger approached the 'shut down' button, I remembered "It's Halloween". 

Not sure what I can offer in the way of contemplative thoughts regarding Halloween and it's significance, but I am sure it's worth a mention, at least. 

So, I googled "Halloween" and clicked on the Wikipedia site for a "cliff notes' history.  Surprise, Surprise!  There was the word Samhain, which I had seen in John Friend's latest Twitter entry.  What is Samhain (pronounced sow-in)?  It's a Celtic word meaning 'summers end'.  It marks the movement from the lighter half of the year into the darker half.  (All this comes from Wikipedia.)

I've copied part of the Wikipedia entry, rather than try to re-write it in any understandable way:  "The celebration has some elements of a festival of the dead. The ancient Celts believed that the border between this world and the Otherworld became thin on Samhain, allowing spirits (both harmless and harmful) to pass through. The family's ancestors were honoured and invited home whilst harmful spirits were warded off. It is believed that the need to ward off harmful spirits led to the wearing of costumes and masks. Their purpose was to disguise oneself as a harmful spirit and thus avoid harm."

Interesting.  I've never even been curious about Halloween; just thought it was a time to hand out candy (or hide in the darkness, if I hadn't thought ahead and bought any candy -- ahh, the real secrets come out). 

So, now I know.  A time to honor our ancestors - good and bad. 

Hope you have a nice Halloween,