"Thin Times"....

One thing I forgot to mention about All Saints' Day is the Celtic concept of 'thin times'.

The ancient Celtic people believed there were times in the year when the barrier between the living and the dead became 'thin' and spirits could pass back and forth. One of the 'thin-est' times of the year is this time--late October and early November. During this time, Spirits from the other side would come calling on the living and the living had to be careful not to slip through the 'thin-ness'.

When Christianity came to Europe, it only made sense to use this time of year to celebrate All Saints' Day (yesterday) and All Souls' Day (today). And on 'All Hallows Eve' (from 'hallowed'--holy...a reference to the saints) Saints might come calling. Treat them well.

Obviously, that's where Halloween came from--'hallows eve'.

Lots of stuff to unpack in all that which I'm not going to unpack right now.

I just notice that this time of year--days still a tad warm, nights plunging into chill, the shrinking of daylight...it is a 'thin time'.

Ponder how living in 'thin times' gives us access to the spiritual life in a powerful way.