So here's the short of it, 
Happy Samhain (Halloween)!

And here's the long.

Before there was a Halloween there was an old Celtic Holiday called Samhain (pronounced sow-een or shav-nah depending on who you ask). It's the start of winter and the new year in the old Celtic Calendar.  Lots of the Celtic traditions resonate deeply with me - perhaps there's some genetic memory of those ancient celebrations.  This was the night of the first fires to mark the change of seasons.  To the ancient Celts, fire was a symbol of holiness, divinity, truth, and beauty.  The bonfires would have been lit on every hilltop in the countryside to honor the Gods and Goddesses, to usher in the light of the New Year, to purify the ritual space and to ward off evil. The fire was also used to guide the souls of the dead home as this was the time when the thin veil separating this world and the other world was lifted and communication with the dead was possible. All manner of creatures, fairies, demons were abroad on this night!

This must have been an amazing holiday.  There were two major holidays this one - the winter one, and Beltane - the summer one.  Lots of historians think this was the most important. It was the culmination of the harvest season, and getting the storehouses ready for the winter.  They also believe that the Celts understood that in the darkness of the winter, new beginnings are born.  So tonight, ancestors are honored and divinations for the new year are performed.

The Celts extinguished their home fires and Hearth fires were lit from the village bonfire to ensure unity, and the ashes were spread over the harvested fields to protect and bless the land. I love the idea of bringing home the fire to protect and warm my family from the same bonfire that every other member of the community got their fire start!

So here's a traditional Samhain blessing from my heart to yours.

May the ancestors deliver blessings on you and yours...
May the new year bear great fruits for you...
May your granted wishes be as many as the seeds in a pomegranate...
May the slide into darkness bring you light...
May the memories of what has been keep you strong for what is to be...
May this Samhain cleanse your heart, your soul, and your mind!