October 31st and November 1st marks the end of the summer and harvest and the beginning of the dark half of the year or, the plunge (into darkness). This Witch's New Year or Day of the Deadis when the veil between the world is the thinnest and easiest time to commune with spirits according to Celtic tradition. These types of pagan traditions which my family brought over to Canada from Scotlandgot us tried as Witches in the 1700s.
This year I had a bonfire and performed other Scottish traditions such as making jack-o-lanterns to ward off evil spirits, have an ancestor alter and guising aka trick-or-treating. I was a tiger and my son a green dinosaur/lizard, and he enjoyed getting candy and dressing up; it was my first time going in a long time. Of course we through in a few modern traditions such as watching "scary" movies to distract from the real horrors taking place in the world.
The Saturday before Hallows' Eve, we attended a special lockdown protest to honour the dead: the vaccine-injured and those who died of COVID when they could have been saved with Ivermectin or an appropriate pandemic response.
This October we've been very busy preparing our lives for winter. We took advantage of the Farmers' Market and our own garden this summer, so we've been canning and preserving food all autumn so far. It does feel in tune with the season to prepare for winter, but it's important to appreciate the beauty this time of year has to offer until the sun returns in the spring. The colours at this time of year can be stunning.
