No matter what you call yourself…ghost hunter, paranormal investigator, etc… October is THE unofficial month long holiday of anything paranormal.
By Rebecca Nidey
Everything I Need To Know I Learned In A Haunted House
Anyone in the “business” knows that ghosts don’t become more active just because it is close to Halloween, but it is the time when they come to the forefront. Whether it is all the eerie movies and television shows, the decorations, the costumes and any of the multitudes of other indications, unless you live in complete solitude you know that it is the season of scares. If you have read any of my previous columns, you know that I feel that paranormal research and history walk hand in hand. Because of that, I decided to look into the history of some of the special days of October.
The most obvious choice for the “big day” in October is Halloween. All Hallows’ Eve is the day before All Hallows’ Day…the start of the triduum of Hallowtide…a time dedicated to the remembrance of the dead. History indicates that Halloween is the Christianized version of Samhain (pronounced sow-in) which is a Pagan High Holiday celebrating the harvest. Samhain is the start of the dark half of the year.
The word Hallowe’en dates back to around 1745 and means holy evening. The Old English term for it is “ealra halgena maessedaeg,”All Saints’ Mass Day-which became All Hallows’ Eve around 1556. During the time period of Halloween/Samhain, the veil between the world of the living and that of the spirits is reported to be at its thinnest and it is supposedly much easier for those who have departed to visit us. According to legend, it is said to be easier for the Fairie folk to visit this world also. Because flames, smoke, and ashes are deemed to be protective and cleansing, bonfires are often lit during this time of year.
The most well-known of the symbols of the season is the Jack-o-Lantern. Long ago they were used only as symbols of harvest and turnips were used. Later, when many of the Celtic people immigrated to the United States, gourds and pumpkins were used because of their softer surface. They were said to have represented the souls of the dead and are now used to symbolically frighten away the evil spirits said to wander during the dark hours of this time of year. The practice of wearing costumes goes hand in hand with the use of the Jack-o-Lanterns, most especially the scarier ones. By wearing these facsimiles, we are trying to frighten the creatures which frighten us and laugh at those same fears or poke fun at Satan.
Closely following Halloween are the Christian holidays of All Saints’ Day (November 1) and All Souls’ Day (November 2). November 2nd is also the Spanish celebration of Dia de los Muertos or Day of the Dead. When the Spanish started their conquest of the Americas, they tried to convert the indigenous people of the area to their Catholic faith. Just as the Pagan and Christian holidays of Samhain and All Hallowe’en merged, so did All Souls’ Day and Dia los Muertos. Although the Day of the Dead had originally been celebrated during the 9th month of the Aztec calendar (about the beginning of August), the Spanish moved it to coincide with All Souls’ Day in order to make it more acceptable to the natives.
By celebrating the Day of the Dead, the participants honor the dead and death. They felt that only in death can we become fully aware. The sugar skulls used in these celebrations symbolically honor the dead and have the double meaning of death and rebirth. The symbolism of the skulls is shared with many other religions representing the human sacrifices that were once used and the passage from life to death. On Dia de los Muertos the time is spent on family picnics near gravesites. Favorite foods of the loved ones are eaten in their honor and their plots are cleaned and decorated with marigolds, candles, bottles of tequila, and toys. Often, altars are also built in homes to provide a place of remembrance of the deceased. They are surrounded by flowers, food and pictures of those who have passed and their favorite music is played.
Now, I would like to discuss some of the dates in October that are more significant to me. One of the dates is Halloween, October 31. Sixty years ago (yes, I am actually revealing my age) on a chilly and snowy day, I was born in a small town called Oblong, Illinois. I often joke that I was born to be ghost hunter! One year ago, I requested that I be allowed to start writing a column for Bellesprit magazine and our owner/editor, Belle Salisbury honored me by allowing me to do that. For this, I would like to thank Miss Belle from the bottom of my heart. Nine years ago this month I officially joined the Crawford County Illinois Ghost Hunters Society, becoming a member of their investigative team. This has brought me many hours of learning, joy and a multitude of new friends (living and in Spirit). For this, I want to thank our founder and lead investigator, Jason Snider, and all the other members of the team from the past and the present. They have taught me more than they will ever know. It is amazing that the study of death and the dead can make a person appreciate life so much more!
The date that is by far the most important in this month is October 17. Ten years ago on that date, in 2004, my mother died on a Sunday afternoon. If you ask just about anyone that is in the paranormal field, as either a participant or an observer, what made them choose it, you will get the answer that My mother (father, grandparent, child, friend……..) died and it made me want to explore whether they were still with me. Although I had experienced other deaths in my life before that time, the death of a parent always stings the worst. It opens a million and one questions and you start to seek answers. Even after ten years, I am still looking for answers and even more questions have sprung up since then. The more I live, the more I want to explore whether (as I firmly believe) the spirit lives on after the death of the body. In that decade, I have seen more deaths, comforted more loved ones, and grieved myself. What started as a quest to answer questions for myself has become one to answer some for others also. Every time we do an investigation, do historical research, run an EVP session, or any of the other aspects of ghost hunting, we are seeking to answer questions even as we open up more. We are exploring the days of our lives and our deaths because we all live and we all die.
On just about every monument and stone you will see in a cemetery, there are the date of a person’s birth and the date of their death with a dash in between. I would like to challenge you all to make that dash…the days of your lives…as full and significant as you can, no matter what the dates of the beginning or the end are. This month’s column is in honor of my mother, Dorothy Kline Nidey, who guided me through the first half century of my life. May I continue to honor her name through the rest of my life, no matter how long or short it is.
About the Author:
Through her work on the investigative team for the Crawford County Illinois Ghost Hunters, Rebecca Nidey has an understanding of the paranormal, spiritual, and metaphysical worlds and how they work together.
Rebecca has trained in the Healing Touch technique (a form of energy healing). She is a certified Psychic Medium trained by Belle Salisbury, and she is a certified Paranormal Researcher.
Rebecca is the associate editor for Bellesprit Magazine and also writes a column titled Everything I Need To Know I Learned In A Haunted House. She has been a co-host of several radio programs for the Haunted Voices Radio Network and HeyZ Radio Network highlighting the Paranormal, metaphysical and literary fields.
To learn more about Rebecca or to schedule a reading you can contact her at https://www.facebook.com/rebecca.nidey.
