What Are You Celebrating This Week?
By Donna DeNomme, MA, RScP
During a time when boundless candy populates the shelves of just about every store you walk into, we automatically think of “Trick or Treat!” It’s a time where many of us dress up in costumes, attend special gatherings, or go door-to-door with the kids. Or perhaps you decorate your house in a spooky manner for the little ones who ring your doorbell.
Or you might just turn off your porch light, keep your house dark, huddle in the back and hope to miss the whole thing!
Deeper roots of this holiday began with an ancient Celtic festival known as Samhain which took place in England and Ireland more than 2,000 years ago as a celebration for what was their new year. Festival goers wore painted masks and elaborate costumes to scare off nasty spirits.
Instead of donning a mask or costume to handle negative energies, what can you do?
- Pick up some “Smudge in Spray” or a nice black tourmaline stone to wear as a necklace or in a medicine pouch
- Do a Clearing Process
(stay tuned for an upcoming blog post about this process) - Meet with a skillful practitioner to ask the spirit to move-on
All Saints Day, a Christian sacred holy day, was moved from May 13th to November 1st as a way to take the place of Samhain. The night before (October 31st) was considered All Hallows’ Eve – a holiday to honor dead family members, martyrs, and saints. Eventually, All Hallows’ Eve became known as Halloween. It’s been less than a hundred years that Halloween as we know it has been celebrated.
Much older, “The Day of the Dead,” or Dia´ de Muertos, draws on ancient Aztec roots, and is celebrated in Mexico and the U.S. between October 31st and November 2nd. Believing that the dead would be insulted by mourning or sadness, this is truly a “Celebration of Life” with food, drink, parties, and beautiful altars constructed in celebration for those who are no longer with us. There is a sense of recognizing death as a natural part of the human lifetime; understanding that the dead remain an essential part of the greater community. Many believe these dead relatives even join in on the celebrations!
A simply decorated space can honor a loved one no longer with you:
- Place a photo of the deceased
- Include treasured objects gifted to you
- Favorite foods or drink
- A candle of whatever color you choose or their favorite color
- A bell or other sound-maker like a metal drum or sounding bowl
- Write a card or journal entry remembering what is precious to you about this person.
Remember many traditions believe that the veil between worlds is thin during this time, so your thoughts, your words, your intentions may be felt by the person you are remembering. And, of course, we do these things for the living, too. It is healthy and life-affirming to remember those who have passed―and how they lived.
I would also like to propose an alternate practice this week. For those of you who’ve released a relationship or a career path; perhaps even if you’ve released a practice or behavior that no longer serves you, this might be a powerful time to honor that which has gone.- You would create a sacred space in whatever way is meaningful to you
- Remember what was valuable for you
- Remember why you “let it go”
- Give thanks for the changes you have embraced; the life you have created
Whatever you do this week, if this is a special time you celebrate, I hope it is a good one!
Donna DeNomme is a conscious energy teacher, shamanic healer, and ceremonial facilitator. As a Master Success Coach, Donna has assisted clients since 1987 and was voted Colorado’s “Spiritual Health Guru” by the prestigious 5280 magazine for her innovative healing practices.
Donna offers psychic readings and empowerment sessions through For Heaven’s Sake. She is the award-winning, internationally published author of Turtle Wisdom: Coming Home to Yourself (series), Ophelia’s Oracle, 8 Keys to Wholeness, and As You Feel, So You Heal: A Write of Passage available at For Heaven’s Sake bookstore.