Halloween has not been so much fun for me in recent years. I enjoy helping my kids (who have never worn a purchased costume) decide what they will 'be' this year, but finding ways to recreate the Halloweens of my memory get harder and harder, and I mourn that they and their contemporaries will likely never know the magic there was in trick-or-treating without visible adult supervision, or tasting the cider at a near stranger's house without jeopardy. I find it a loss that in some communities the only place to trick or treat at all is at the mall. I am saddened that the mystery and creativity of costuming has primarily moved toward cloned recreations of bloody horror movies.

Most of all, I am troubled that there are those who would like to see the secular Halloween disappear completely, because they cannot understand the distinction between it and such religious celebrations as Samhain, El Dia de los Muertos, or, for that matter, All Souls Day. I feel sorry for those who wish to strip themselves of everything that is not fundamentalist Christian - taking that road will soon find them without much at all, as Christian and pagan symbolism have walked hand in hand since Christianity first began. The spiritual elements of Halloween are worth looking at, and those who would cower under their beds at what they perceive to be different and therefore 'evil' instead of learning and understanding miss the entire point of the holiday that I knew and loved as a child.

Please don't get me wrong. There are good and worthy reasons not to celebrate either the secular or the spiritual side of Halloween, and good alternatives to those elements which don't feel comfortable. But to insist that no one celebrate in a manner with which you disagree is just plain wrong, in my opinion. If you are Christian and wish to not participate in those elements which have spiritual overtones, that is fine...but don't insist that the 6 year old in a construction paper witches hat is 'serving the devil', or spread lies and misinformation about the pagan faith. And if you are pagan, and wish to focus primarily on the spiritual elements and on remembering those who suffered during the witchhunts, that is also also fine...but again, the 6 year old is not trying to persecute or stereotype you with her construction paper hat. Don't confuse the secular Halloween with the spiritual one. Whatever roots there might be within it, it has evolved into its own holiday, and if the 6 year old can keep that in mind, so can you. And please don't stick filth like the latest Jack Chick hate-spewing comic in her bag to make your point!

Now I'll step down from my soapbox a bit, and offer a few links to browse, whether you are in search of some silly fun, something spooky or something with deeper meaning, may you have a Happy Halloween!

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