Samhain and the Veil Between Worlds: What Halloween Really Reveals
- Meli Guidance EN
- Oct 21
- 6 min read
When we think of Halloween, the first images that come to mind are glowing pumpkins, children in costumes, and bags overflowing with candy. Yet reducing this holiday to a commercial tradition overlooks its ancient and profoundly spiritual roots.
Each year, a question arises: “Is the veil between the worlds really thinner at Samhain?” This belief has fascinated people for centuries, nourishing stories, superstitions, and rituals. To understand it, we first need to explore where this mysterious festival comes from.
Samhain: At the Roots of Halloween
Samhain—often pronounced “sow-inn”—is a Celtic festival dating back over 2,000 years. It marked the end of the harvest and the beginning of the dark season.
For the Celts, it wasn’t just an agricultural transition, but a sacred threshold in the year.
Samhain could be compared to a swinging door between two worlds: the world of light and the living, and the world of shadow and the ancestors. The fields lay empty, the cattle were brought back to the barns, and the community gathered around great bonfires that lit up the night.
The Celts believed that during these liminal nights, time and space folded in on themselves. The dead could return to visit the living, and the living could more strongly feel the presence of the unseen. This is where the idea of the “veil between worlds” was born.
Ancient Rites That Still Resonate
At Samhain, several customs marked village life:
🔥 The communal fire – All household fires were extinguished, then rekindled from a sacred communal blaze. This was an fire ritual of purification and protection. Each family carried home a flame to relight their hearth.
🥣 Offerings – Food and drink were left to honor ancestors and appease wandering spirits. Centuries later, these gestures evolved into the candy given to trick-or-treaters.
🎭 Masks and costumes – Disguising oneself as a monstrous or strange figure was a way to ward off mischievous spirits. Today, we keep this tradition alive through Halloween costumes.
🔮 Divination – Samhain was a privileged time to glimpse the future. People threw bones, gazed into black mirrors or bowls of water, or read the flames of the fire. Even popular games like bobbing for apples had divinatory origins (apples symbolized the otherworld and love).
These practices show that our modern Halloween is not so far from Samhain: we still light lanterns (now pumpkins), dress up in costumes, and share food.
The Wheel of the Year: Samhain as Spiritual New Year
Samhain was part of the larger Wheel of the Year, a cycle of eight solar and agricultural festivals:
Yule (Winter Solstice, December): the return of light.
Imbolc (February): purification and seeds of renewal.
Ostara (Spring Equinox, March): fertility and balance.
Beltane (May): fire and union.
Litha (Summer Solstice, June): the height of light.
Lammas (August): gratitude for the first harvests.
Mabon (Autumn Equinox, September): sharing and balance.
Samhain (October 31): the end of the cycle, the entry into winter, the spiritual new year.
Samhain was therefore not only a festival of the dead. It was a passage, a rebirth. Like fallen leaves nourishing the soil, Samhain reminded people that every ending carries a seed of beginning.
Samhain and the Language of Symbols
The Celts lived in a world where every color, plant, and gesture carried sacred resonance.
🍂 Colors – Black and purple symbolized death and introspection, while orange and red evoked the embers of life resisting winter.
🌿 Plants – Mugwort, rosemary, and laurel were burned or worn for protection.
🌬️ Elements – Earth (grounding, ancestral memory) and Air (communication, breath, inspiration) were honored.
These symbols were not mere decorations. They acted as sensory gateways to the unseen, creating a sacred container for introspection and soul connection.
Witches and Samhain: Guardians of the Threshold
At Samhain, some people were believed to sense and cross into the unseen. Often healers, seers, or midwives, these women carried knowledge of plants, cycles, and protective rituals. Over time, this wisdom became linked with the figure of the witch—guardian of the threshold between the living and the ancestors.
As centuries passed, fear and persecution transformed this image into a threatening caricature. From this history arises what many call the witch wound: a past-life trauma that leaves us fearful of embracing our spiritual gifts, intuition, or difference.
At Samhain, reconnecting with the archetype of the witch is not about glorifying fear—it is about healing. It is remembering that beneath the shadow lies immense power: the freedom to be ourselves, to celebrate our gifts, and to turn fear into light.
Shadows, Ancestors, and Inner Healing
Samhain was not only a festival of the ancestors. It was also a time when shadow had its rightful place.
The ancestors passed down their wisdom, but also their wounds and invisible loyalties. Many traditions saw this season as an opportunity to acknowledge what weighs on us and to release it.
Looking at your shadows does not mean being trapped in them. It is like lighting a lantern in a cave: suddenly, what was terrifying becomes understandable—and transformable.
Is the Veil Between Worlds Really Thinner?
So, is the veil truly thinner at Samhain?
My experience as a psychic says: no. The spirit world is always accessible. Spirits do not wait for a specific date to make contact.
What changes is us. During Halloween, millions of people think about their ancestors, set intentions, and light candles.
It is as if, collectively, we all turn the radio dial to the same frequency. The station was always there—but suddenly, everyone is listening at once. The message becomes clearer, stronger, more present.
How to Celebrate Samhain Today
You don’t need elaborate rituals to honor Samhain. Simple, intentional gestures are enough:
Light a candle while thinking of an ancestor.
Create an altar with a photo, a flower, a glass of water.
Write a letter to a departed loved one—to say what was never said, or to say goodbye.
Offer food or drink (bread, fruit, wine) as an act of remembrance.
Practice gentle divination: draw a card, ask your tarot, or watch the flame of a candle.
Sit in darkness for a few minutes, breathe, and listen to what arises.
These are all bridges between yourself, your memory, and the unseen.
Samhain as Passage and Rebirth
Samhain is a festival that invites us to:
🌑 Face our shadows
🌕 Honor our ancestors
🔥 Release what no longer serves
✨ Prepare for rebirth in the next cycle
Even if the veil is not literally thinner, what you feel is real. It is your attention, memory, and gratitude that create the field for signs, reunions, and subtle healing.
Halloween is not just a costume party. It is a spiritual invitation to pause, honor your lineage, and embrace your shadows so you can be reborn stronger. The veil does not need to thin for you to feel the presence of the unseen—what matters is your intention and your openness.
Happy Halloween—may this season bring you depth, healing, and tenderness.e.
Samhain & Halloween FAQ
What is the difference between Samhain and Halloween?
Samhain is a Celtic festival over 2,000 years old, marking the end of harvest and the pagan new year. Halloween is its modern evolution, transformed by Christianization and popularized with costumes and candy.
Why do people say the veil is thinner at Halloween?
Because Samhain is associated with introspection and ancestor remembrance. It’s not the veil that changes, but our collective focus, making signs more perceptible.
How can I celebrate Samhain simply?
Light a candle, leave an offering, write a letter to a loved one who passed, or draw an oracle card. Simple yet powerful gestures connect you to your ancestors.
How can I work with my shadows at Samhain?
It is the ideal time to recognize wounds, patterns, or blocks. For deeper guidance, see the Samhain ritual I share in my book Shadow and Light in Magic.
Why carve pumpkins at Halloween? It comes from a Celtic custom: people carved turnips in Ireland and Scotland to ward off spirits. Immigrants in America switched to pumpkins—bigger and brighter. What is the witch wound?
The witch wound is a collective and spiritual memory inherited from past persecutions. It creates an unconscious fear of revealing intuitive gifts, standing out, or fully expressing one’s truth. At Samhain, this theme resonates deeply, as the festival invites us to face our shadows, honor ancestral wisdom, and heal this wound in order to reclaim our inner power.
Meli Guidance is a certified advanced Akashic records practitioner, a past-life psychic and a channelling coach. She is also trained in oracle cards and tarot readings. Her specialty is helping people grow by reconnecting them with their soul’s purpose and life missions. She believes that by remembering our past lives and seeing what our life plan is for our current incarnation, we can achieve our future self’s highest potential. In addition to channelling spirit guides for people from all over the world in English and French, she offers online courses and coaching sessions to anyone who wishes to develop their ability to communicate with the invisible world.
Instagram @meliguidance
YouTube @meliguidance