Halloween

Thread originally posted on the Aeclectic Tarot Forum on 29 Oct 2004, and now archived in the Forum Library.

loveinspirit	29 Oct 2004
i know what halloween means for my children Trick or treat lol but for tarot readers is the energy on that day better for reading cards, liked more psyched that the readings go much better, or can you still get the problem reads. i havent contemplated reading on halloween yet, has any one read on halloween and what was the outcome?

Grizabella	29 Oct 2004
For me, reading on Halloween doesn't seem any different than reading any other time that I can remember. It will be interesting to see what feedback others have for this question. I'll make it a point to do some readings on Halloween this time and get back to you.

SeraphSarah	29 Oct 2004
I think the energy is better to read on halloween, b/c the energy that is given off by the people is greater. More excitement. My work closes unfortunatly on Halloween. Because we get people who throw dead aniamls on th edoor and freaks want readings who just want to make fun of us. However, if your in a room full of believers. I just feel the energy highten on Halloween. I just cant expalin it tho...lol

_N_	29 Oct 2004
Halloween is actually based on a Pagan holiday called Samhain (pronounced sow-en). It is believed that this is the time of the year when the veil between the worlds is the thinnest and the ability to gain information easiest. It is a time when one traditionally says goodbye to those who have passed on in the last year. Often, plates were (and are) set at the table for the dead. It is believed that any type of divination at this time will be easier and more powerful due to the thinning of the veil. It is also a good time to ritually cleanze and re-dedicate your divination tools. The actual astrological Samhain occurs on Nov. 6 this year and it has been said that the energy and powers are going to be at the strongest that they have been in many years. Part of this may be due to the fact of the recent lunar eclispe, the fourth in a row of full lunar eclipses and the planetary alignment called a Grand Quintile - five planets aligned last night (Oct 28) in a mathematically perfect five point star - the last time this came close to being perfect was over 2,500 years ago. All that said, this will be my first year to read at this time, I'll let you know how it goes :) N

loveinspirit	29 Oct 2004
hi though no pun intended i have found that the celts start this in england , to me it doesnt matter who really started it, just wondered if you could read better on all hallows eve thanks...

Shmuffle	30 Oct 2004
Well, it really depends on what you believe in, there's no 'real' answer. If someone believes that on Samhain the veil between worlds is thinner and that it's this 'veil' that you reach through when you read Tarot, then that person will say 'yes, you get better readings on Halloween'. If you're like me you'd think there's no blinking difference :P Unfortunately (or fortunately) Tarot readers can't even agree on how the Trumps are ordered, let alone how Tarot works and what would improve your chance of a good reading.

Cerulean	30 Oct 2004
I like the idea of seasonal 'time-outs' that allow us to reflect on our ideas. But seasonally, around the world, you can find a "Day of the Dead" kind of celebration on December 22 for Mexico and in August for the Japanese (related to O-Bon). That's the Northern hemisphere and may be different for those with different seasons in the Southern Hemisphere. So for the region, it might have seasonal and collective cultural aspects that make such beliefs come alive for the people. I think in the case of the Japanese, it was linked to harvest and other seasonal farming holidays and made sense that way. (Please correct me if I am wrong in what you know). I find the Celtic and Japanese seasonal alignments similar enough to Northern Hemisphere alignments with holidays and cultural celebrations in the U.S., so the time out meditational aspect of tarot books and readings work for me. Best wishes, Cerulean

Phaedra	06 Nov 2004
There is a long folk tradition in the US of doing divination on Halloween night. Usually it was about who you were going to marry. For example, one would peel an apple leaving one long continuous peel. You'd throw it over your shoulder, then look at the shap it made when it landed. If you could make out a letter of the alphabet, that was the initial of your True Love's name. Many contemporary Neopagans use the holiday as the start of the new year. Many include divination, perhaps on what to expect in the coming year, as part of their rituals. In Celtic cosmology, the dead lingered near the earth for a year after their passing. On Samhain (which was the Celtic New Year's eve), the boundary between the worlds of the dead and living was thinest. Therefore, it is traditional to speak to the dead this night, especially the recent dead, for their spirits will never be so accessible again. Among those who still follow the Celtic calendar, it is customary to honor one's Beloved Dead in some way on Halloween night, or on the night in early November which is exactly midway between the seasonal markers of fall equinox and winter solstice. So, doing readings on Halloween is certainly a venerable custom. And if it makes you feel more mystic, or otherwise enhances your mood, all the better for the reading, no?

carly	07 Nov 2004
I did my first reading this hallow'een. Not intentionally, it's just that I got my cards on the Friday and actually had time to prepare and do a reading on the Sunday. Anyway, it's been my best reading so far, but that might just be because it was my first...

The Halloween thread was originally posted on 29 Oct 2004 in the Talking Tarot board, and is now archived in the Forum Library. Read the active threads in Talking Tarot, or read more archived threads.