All Hallows’ Eve (Halloween)

We who live in the Northern Hemisphere have begun to experience the shortening days and lengthening nights. Tonight is marked traditionally by the feast of the ancestors, which is connected to the diminishing of sunlight at least since the time when Celts lived all over Europe, but it could be even an earlier occurrence.

One thousand years ago, as people in the countryside kept celebrating the feast of Samhain, the monks of Cluny decided to christianize it, creating the double feast of All Hallows (Nov. 1) and All Souls (Nov. 2), which in some parts of Europe still resist consumerism and have retained the family spirit.

Independent of one’s religion, this time now is a time for introspection and shadow work. A time to hear what one’s ancestors have to say.

This year in particular I feel the weight of darkness, not so much as “dark night of the soul” but as “dark night of our species” and “dark night of democracy.”

Matthew Fox started to talk about the latter at least one year ago, reluctantly adding it to the list, in the book about MAGA as Antichrist. All three dark nights, of course, are deeply connected.

Even if our soul is not affected by personal tragedies right now, it feels deeply — unless we block it out — the pain of the Earth, its creatures, and especially our fellow human beings who are tortured, maimed, left bereft, deprived of their livelihood, etc., etc.

If, instead, you are experiencing a dark night of the soul, I urge you to find companionship in your friends, and if you know of somebody who is suffering deeply, I urge you to become a companion to them at this time. This time of the year is when feelings become much more deep and tender for many of us, and we ought to be closer to each other.

In his precious book Christian Mystics, Matthew talks about the Cosmic Christ as “light of the world” in ways that seem to me very appropriate for this time that we are living in. This is what he writes:

What does it mean to say that the Christ is the light of the world? First, it means that there is light in the world. That is important information – sometimes we are in a place that seems complete darkness (…) At such times, it is very helpful to know that, despite appearances, the Christ — who is everywhere and in everything just as photons of light waves are present in every atom in the universe — is present as light in the deepest, most innermost center of things.

And he continues: If we open ourselves to the depth in all things, the light of God shines through us. (…) Further, to affirm the light does not mean to deny darkness. It is not to live a life of superficial positivism. (…) Depression often occurs when darkness takes over and light seems banished. In these moments, we need to remember that there is light in the world, a “light that darkness could not overpower”(John 1:5). We breathe this light in and out every moment of every day.*

*Quotes from Matthew Fox, Christian Mystics: 365 Readings & Meditations, 6-7.

Banner Image: Graves decorated for Ognissanti (All Saints Day) around the church of San Gallo abbey in the Moggio Udinese commune, Canal del Ferro / Friuli-Venezia Giulia / Italy / EU. Wikimedia Commons.

Queries for Contemplation

How do you plan to celebrate Halloween and its season?

Related Readings by Matthew Fox

Christian Mystics: 365 Readings & Meditations

One River, Many Wells: Wisdom Springing from Global Faiths

Natural Grace: Dialogues on creation, darkness, and the soul in spirituality and science (by Matthew Fox and Rupert Sheldrake)

Original Blessing: A Primer in Creation Spirituality

A Spirituality Named Compassion: Uniting Mystical Awareness with Social Justice