Happy Halloween 2022

Date: October 31, 2022Author: joanneriley 0 Comments

Happy Halloween, all souls day, all saints day, day of the dead, and Samhain!! This is my first newsletter for Halloween and I’m very excited about it. The Inspiration was from my sister, Donna, who has a great Podcast (you can listen to it here!) about joy and she interviewed a fellow in Mexico about how they find joy in celebrating their loved ones who have passed on. 
 

In Mexico it’s a 3 day celebration and they have parties at the grave site, make beautiful bright colored art and have rituals around the celebration of the dead.
 

“In Guatemala, people fly kites at the Barriletes Gigantes Festival, or Giant Kites Festival. These kites can take months to build and may be as big as 65 feet across! You can write a note to your ancestor and tie it to the kite’s tail for your ancestor to read in heaven.

In the Philippines, people cook their deceased loved one’s favorite foods for a feast with friends and relatives. Many visit their ancestors’ tombs, light candles, and even spend the night there.

In Hungary, many people keep the lights on in their homes for the duration of the night and leave food on the table in memory of their loved ones.

In Poland, traveling home for All Souls’ Day can be a must—similar to Easter and Christmas. Families visit the cemeteries where their ancestors are buried and set the night aglow with a veritable bonfire of candles.

In Peru, people share a loaf of t’anta wawa with a friend or relative. T’anta wawa is a sweet bread baked into the shape of a doll or small child.” 

In Ireland, “there are many rituals associated with Samhain today. These include dancing, feasting, taking nature walks, and building altars to honor their ancestors. There are many parts to the altars Wiccans build. To symbolize the end of the harvest, they include apples, pumpkins, or other fall crops”.

I love all the rituals and traditions! Enjoy thinking of your loved ones who have passed over and what they brought to your world. Maybe even share that with your kids or grandkids….
 

Speaking of energetics, souls and deaths, many more people are dying either in their own homes or homes of their loved ones instead of in the hospitals.  In my belief this shows a really good sign for our society. It’s not easy to take care of your loved ones at that time,  a lot of help is required. Luckily this is available by many avenues. To come home and then go home, as they say, seems just like a natural process.

My father died in his own home surrounded by all his children and his wife. Although it was a little sad it was really the most beautiful way it could have happened. Also, my friend had her father die in her dining room because he needed a bigger space than his own home.    He was hospiced and her home could afford that. It was really so lovely. He had a beautiful view out the window from the hospital bed. She got private help to assist her and it was a really lovely transition, that I got to be a small witness to. I had an amazing client who had a fatal disease and we were lucky enough to decorate that type of room for her as she dreamed her way off the planet. We had hand-applied authors’ names and leaders written on the walls so she could think of their work as she could no longer read but had them in her head. It was one of the most honoring projects I have done in my many year career. Although it’s a little heart wrenching, it’s also such a wonderful way to serve. It’s an energetic effort that we can do for the people we love if possible.  

This process begs the question: How do our homes, processes and rituals need to accommodate this trend?  How does that affect those still living in the space after the transition? These are the things that fill my thoughts, here are some things others have done…

*Space and energy clearing either by a practitioner, IE Feng Shui or other energetic healers

*Clearing with crystals 

*Invite a religious practice in IE a blessing of the space

*Redecorate the spaces, sometimes it’s the best time to change things you wanted to anyway

*Change nothing until you are ready, 

*Make thoughtful changes incorporating plants and animals to bring new energy

As always, if you are inviting changes into your home or getting a new one we would be delighted to be a part of the process. 

Enjoy the season!!

 Joanne and All of us at The Interior Edge