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Archive for the ‘Halloween’ Category

Ever Wondered Where Going Door-to-Door Saying Trick or Treat on Halloween Came From?

Halloween is my favorite holiday hands down.  One of my favorite things is having all the kids dressed up in their adorable costumes coming to our door saying ‘Trick or Treat’.   We almost always go all out decorating our house for Halloween so the kids love venturing up the driveway just to see the decorations including the spiders on the doorbell and skeletons coming up from the ground.  They always know they’ll get a good treat at our door too!  In fact, my husband is at Wal-Mart right now stocking up on Halloween candy.  Last year, we had nearly 300 kids stop by our door and I expect even more this year.

Apparently the tradition of dressing up in costumes and going door-to-door to beg for treats goes back to the Middle Ages.  The costumes are said to be a Celtic tradition which placates evil spirits.  The handing out of food originated in Britain and Ireland where poor people would go door-to-door on November 1st. They would be given food in exchange for their prayers for dead souls on November 2nd. This practice was known as ‘Souling’.  The practice of trick or treating in America is believed to date back to the early 1900’s and it became a more widespread activity in the 1930’s.   Whatever the origins, I am glad that this is one tradition that has caught on for the long term.  Happy Halloween and be sure to check out these Halloween safety tips to keep your pets, children and yourself safe this year!

When I think of Halloween, images of ghosts and goblins immediately come to mind.  Although my 7 year old son loves the goulish side of Halloween, my soon-to-be 3 year old gets spooked pretty easily.  So this year our Halloween decorations focus more on non-scary images, and I thought I would share some tips for an un-scary Halloween Party – perfect for younger crowds.

1. Celebrate the Season:  Take advantage of the fall harvest and have partygoers bob for apples.  Make sure to have plenty of towels on hand!
2. Have a Pumpkin Toss:  Select some small pumpkins and mark off a place in the yard where it’s OK to make a mess.  Have participants choose their pumpkin, mark it with their name and see how far they can throw it from the starting line.  I recommend separate pumpkins for each guest just in case they go “splat!”
3. Decorate in Black and Orange:  Hang crepe paper in the doorway, light the path to your house with friendly jack-o-lanterns, and utilize balloons for decorations.  If you don’t have helium balloons, hang some balloons down from the ceiling and let others float around on the floor.
4. Create a “Friendly” Witch’s Brew:  Using a large black cauldron, flavored drink mixes and dry ice (if available), give each child an ingredient to pour into the brew while you stir it together using a large ladle.
5. Don’t Forget the Candy:  Have a large bowl of candy or a Halloween Treat Basket on your table for the kids to nibble on.  Bake sugar cookies in advance, and have colored frosting on hand.  Give each child a cookie, some frosting and a bunch of candies (red hots, candy corn, M&M’s, etc) so they can come up with a unique Halloween cookie creation!

With this simple tips, you can host a fun Halloween party with no need for scary parts!

Once there was a young man named Kowashi, who lived with his old mother in a small Japanese village at the foot of the mountain. They were happy, respectable people and lived their lives in the simple, good way.

There was just one thing the young man used to wonder about. His mother used to be a gentle, sweet little woman. But when she got to be about eighty years old, he began to notice that she had long, sharp, pointed teeth. She used to eat her fish, tail, eyes, and all; she even seemed to enjoy crunching up the raw bones.

One night a fish peddler of Kowashi’s village was walking home through the mountain pass after . a day’s work at the market. He had not sold all his fish that day. And those left over were in the fish basket which he carried on a pole over his shoulder.

He was not afraid of night robbers, because it was a bright moonlit night and he could see every stick and stone in the path.

Suddenly he was set upon by a whole horde of cats. They smelled the fish in his basket and were determined to get it.

He fought them off with the long pole. And he fought so smartly that finally the cats gave up the fight. Then one of them said, “Go call Old Woman Kowashi.”

“That’s funny,” the peddler said to himself, for young Kowashi and his mother were his neighbors in the village.

So the man quickly climbed into a pine tree, wondering what would happen next.

In the moonlight the man could see the path and all the cats and their shadows as plain as day.

Soon one of the cats said, “Here she comes.” Another said, “Here comes Old Woman Kowashi.”

The man looked. And what he saw was a big tough old gray cat coming through the pass.

“He won’t give us the fish!” all the cats said together.

So the big gray cat climbed up into the fish peddler’s tree. The peddler was lying stretched out along a branch. The cat crawled out along the same branch until she came close to him – eye to eye!

Inch by inch she came nearer. Each of her sharp claws looked six inches long.

What could he do?

Suddenly he remembered that he had his fish gaff with him. (A fish gaff is a heavy barbed hook with a wooden handle, used for hauling heavy fish into a boat.)

Quickly he grabbed the fish gaff and gave the big gray cat a whack on the head.

Just about then the sun peeked over the horizon, It was morning, and all the cats vanished instantly. One minute they were there, and the next minute they were gone – just like that.

The fish peddler climbed down from the tree and hurried home. And that morning he went and told young Kowashi the whole story.

The young man listened and nodded his head.

He was thinking about how his mother had changed, and how her teeth had gotten so pointed. And just this morning he had noticed a deep gash on her head.

Now he asked her how she had cut herself, and she glared at him with baleful eyes and snarled, baring her long pointed teeth.

So young Kowashi suddenly understood: a cat witch had taken his mother’s place! Quickly he seized the witch, drew his long sword, and cut off her head at one stroke.

Then he looked down, and what lay at his feet was a bloody old gray cat.

Not long after this, Kowashi discovered that the wicked cat witch had killed his real mother and buried her in the garden.

October is the time to think of the beloved dead. Visit the cemetery if possible to honor the graves of those departed. Alternatively, find a quiet place outside, close to the earth, and meditate for a few minutes upon those dear ones who have died: think over each loss experienced this past year whether from death or separation. Allow the tears to come and gently comfort yourself with warm memories of fond times. Learn to express sadness and grief! Remember it was the tears of Isis that started the annual life-giving Nile floods.

In Sicily, legend has it that the dead leave their tombs during these days, raiding the best pastry shops to bring children special treats such as these Dead Man’s Cookies.

Dead Man’s Cookies (makes about 5 dozen)

These cookies are eaten in Italy on All Soul’s Day, when they are shaped to look like fava beans, a symbol of the dead in ancient
Rome. Recall the May ritual to the dead spirits, the Lemuria, where beans were used to propitiate the dead.

“The grappa [an Italian brandy] in this Venetian sweet gives the cookies a distinct and slightly bitter edge. The same cookies are made in
Rome without pine nuts or grappa by reducing the almonds to a fine powder, adding at tiny bit more butter, and flavoring them with cinnamon.”

• 1 1/2 to 1 3/4 cups blanched almonds
• 1 1/2 cup sugar
• 1/4 cup unbleached all-purpose flour
• 1 1/2 tablespoons pine nuts, coarsely chopped
• 1 tablespoon grappa
• grated zest of 1 lemon
• 1 tablespoon butter
• 1 egg
• 1 egg yolk
• 1 egg white for glaze

In a food processor fitted with the steel blade or with a sharp knife, chop the almonds into fine grains, but not a powder. Move them to the bowl of an electric mixer or to a large mixing bowl and add the sugar, flour, pine nuts, grappa, lemon zest, butter, egg, and egg yolk. Mix on the lowest speed in the electric mixer or stir together by hand. The dough initially seems very dry, but does eventually smooth out and come together. If you are really having trouble, add egg white, a teaspoon at a time.

Butter and flour baking sheets or line them with parchment paper, Divide the dough into several pieces. On a lightly floured work surface roll each one into a long narrow log about ¾ inches wide. Cut into 1-inch segments, about the size of a fava bean. Roll each one slightly to smooth out the edges, and then press a small indentation in the center, so that the cookies really do resemble the fava beans. Set on the baking sheets. Whip the egg white until it is frothy and brush a little bit on each cookie.

Bake cookies at 300 degrees until pale gold in color. 20 to 25 minutes.

Cool on racks.

On October 3, 1931, Universal Studios finished shooting Frankenstein. Some notes about the motion picture that is continually one of the top 100 video rentals:

• After the surprising hit of Dracula earlier that year, Universal wanted another film that would feature the Hungarian actor Bela Lugosi – minus his loopy accent. They bought a theatrical adaptation of Mary Shelley’s novel. (The chief difference is a relatively mute monster; the book’s creature is a gas-bag who has monologues running for pages.)
  • The actor, who saw himself as a romantic lead, hated the makeup and the role. He said, “I was a star in my country… Anybody can moan and grunt.”
  • In the studio cafeteria, director James Whale noticed a fellow Briton: Boris Karloff. (Born William Pratt, Karloff was a black sheep from an unloving family of diplomats. His parents died when he was a child; he was raised by siblings. He took his acting name from a maternal relative.)
• Karloff’s acting, a black-and-white film that was tinted green, and a shocking story (for the time) created a hit film.
• After test screenings, Universal cut one sadistic scene in which the monster, thinking a friendly little girl will float, throws her into a lake. (Ironically, little Marilyn Harris enjoyed being chucked into the water by Karloff. In real life, her adoptive mother – who picked her out of an orphanage for her looks, motivated her acting with beatings and other sadism, writes critic Forrest Ackerman.)
• Karloff said later he got much sympathetic fan mail, especially from children, who said they understood the monster’s feelings.
• Nineteen-year-old Mary Shelley started her novel after hearing a discussion about life between her husband-to-be, Percy Shelley, and Lord Byron. Mary’s mother died 11 days after giving birth (Mary was courted on her mother’s gravestone) and she was raised by a cruel father who barely tolerated her. Critics have noted the parallel between her childhood and the monster’s life. (Sources: Behind the Scenes, The Dead That “Walk, Universal Filmscripts, news services.)

R. Timkin was an elderly man who lived alone. He was a retired Navy man and had spent many years sailing all over the world under the
United States flag.

Every day Eddie passed Mr. Timkin’s house on his way to and from the school bus. On nice afternoons Mr. Timkin always sat on his front porch. At first Eddie and Mr. Timkin just waved to each other as Eddie went by. But after a while Eddie began to stop on his way home now and then to chat with Mr. Timkin. He liked to listen to the exciting stories that Mr. Timkin told about life on the sea and in strange faraway ports. One day Mr. Timkin taught Eddie how to fold a piece of paper and make an airplane. Soon Eddie and Mr. Timkin had become very good friends.

As Halloween drew near, Eddie made plans to go trick or treating once again with his friends Boodles and Anna Patricia and Sidney. On Halloween night, the four children, dressed in their Halloween costumes, met at
Sidney’s house. Eddie, of course, was a sailor, Boodles was a hobo,
Sidney was a ballet dancer, and Anna Patricia was an Indian.

Anna Patricia, the great talker, said, “I’m really an Indian princess. My name is Minihaha.”

“Oh,” said Eddie, who liked nothing better than to tease Anna Patricia, “so you’re a little ha ha. I guess that means we’ll be laughing a lot tonight. ”

Anna Patricia tossed her head and rattled her strings of beads. “I am an Indian princess,” she repeated with great dignity.

“Well, Haha!” said Eddie. “Let’s get moving along. We need lots of time if we’re going to get any treats and do any tricks.”

“Come along, Haha!” said Boodles, as he opened the door.

The four children went outside. Each one had a shopping bag for candy and a UNICEF box for pennies.

“Now,” said
Sidney, “where shall we go?” “Wherever we go,” said Boodles, “I hope we get some peanut bars. I sure like peanut bars!”

“Boodles!” said Anna Patricia. “Don’t you ever think about anything but candy?”

“Sure, Haha!” said Boodles. “Sometimes I think about ice cream.”

“Look,” said Eddie, “are you and little Haha going trick or treating or are you just going to stand there talking about food? We’ll never get anything if we don’t go soon. Remember, we’re not the only kids out tonight.”

“Where shall we go first?”
Sidney asked. “Let’s go to Mr. Timkin’s,” said Eddie. “He’s a friend of mine. He was a Navy man.”

“Oh, I know who Mr. Timkin is,” said
Sidney.

“I see him sitting on his porch. He always waves to me.”

“Okay, Eddie!” said Boodles. “Is that why you’re dressed up like a sailor? I hope he won’t give us hardtack or bully beef.”

“What’s that?” Anna Patricia asked.

Boodles laughed and said, “It’s the grub that sailors always get in sea stories, and it doesn’t sound as good as peanut bars!”

Eddie led the way to Mr. Timkin’s house.

They climbed the steps onto the porch, and Eddie rang the bell. Soon footsteps sounded inside the house.

“He’s coming!” said Anna Patricia.

“Yeah, I sure hope he has peanut bars for us,” said Boodles.

In a moment, the porch light was turned on, the door opened, and Mr. Timkin appeared in his bathrobe. When he saw the children, he cried, “Oh, Halloween! I forgot all about it! Seems I can’t keep track of the days. Being all alone, there’s nobody here to tell me. Probably miss Christmas if somebody doesn’t tell me in time.” Then he threw up his hands and said, “I haven’t a thing to put in your bags. I’m sorry.”

“That’s all right,”
Sidney said. “Do you have any pennies for our UNICEF boxes instead?”

Mr. Timkin felt in his pockets. “Not a cent,” he said. “Not a cent to put in your boxes. I just forgot about Halloween. I’ll do better next year if someone will just tell me.”

Then Mr. Timkin held his hand out to Eddie and said, “I’m glad you’ve joined the Navy, Eddie.”

“Sure!” said Eddie. “Someday I’ll be Admiral Edward Wilson.”

“Says you!” said Anna Patricia.

“Haha,” said Eddie, “I’ll be an admiral before you’ll be an Indian.”

Mr. Timkin laughed and closed the door.

As the children left the porch, Anna Patricia said, “Now we have to playa trick.”

“Yes, a trick!” said Boodles and
Sidney.

“He just forgot,” said Eddie. “If he had remembered, he would have had something ready for us.”

“That isn’t any excuse,” said Anna Patricia. “If I forgot to do my homework, I wouldn’t be forgiven and neither would you, Eddie.”

“I know a good trick,” said
Sidney. “My cousin told me about it.”

“Well, what is it?” said Boodles.

“You take the gate from the fence and hide it.

It’s a great trick.”

“Let’s do that!” Anna Patricia cried.

Eddie looked out toward the street. “I don’t see how we can take his gate away, when he doesn’t even have a fence.”

“Oh!” exclaimed Eddie’s three friends.

“We’ll think of something else,” said Anna Patricia.

“We could upset his rubbish cans,” said
Sidney. “That’s another good trick.”

“Great!” said Anna Patricia. “Let’s do that.” “We’ll have to find the rubbish first,”. said Boodles, as they all ran off the porch.

They went completely around the house, but they couldn’t find any rubbish cans.

“Oh, shucks!” said
Sidney. “Rubbish must be in the garage.”

“Too neat!” said Anna Patricia. “That’s what this guy is, too neat.” “I know a good trick,” said Boodles. “What is it?” asked Anna Patricia. “You push the doorbell,” said Boodles, “and then you put a pin in it. The doorbell goes on ringing and ringing. It’s a good trick.”

Anna Patricia squealed. “Let’s do it!” she cried.

“It sounds great. Who has a pin?”

“Not me,” said
Sidney.

“Gee!” said Boodles. “I thought girls always had pins. How about you, Eddie? Do you have a pin?”

“What would I be doing with a pin?” Eddie answered, “Sailors don’t carry pins.”

Anna Patricia pointed to Boodles’ tattered jacket and said, “You look as though you were put together with pins, Hobo. Can’t you find one?”

Boodles looked at the lapel of his old jacket.

“What do you know?” he cried. “Here’s a pin.”

The children ran up to the front door, and
Sidney pushed the doorbell button as Boodles put the pin in the crack. “Beat it now!” he said to his friends. “Beat it!”

The children ran off the porch and down the steps. At the foot of the steps, Anna Patricia tripped and fell. When she hit the ground, one of her strings of beads broke and the beads scattered all over the ground. As Eddie helped her up, Anna Patricia cried, “Oh, no! I’ve broken my mother’s string of beads, and I’ll never find them in the dark. Oh, what will I do?”

Just then Mr. Timkin answered the ringing bell. “What’s the matter out here?” he called.

“Anna Patricia fell down,” said Eddie.

“Oh, did she hurt herself?” Mr. Timkin asked. “No,” said Eddie, as loud as he could above the ringing bell. “She just broke her mother’s beads.”

“Eddie Wilson!” cried Anna Patricia. “How do you know I didn’t hurt myself? My leg hurts. Maybe I broke it.”

“You’re standing on your legs,” said Eddie, “so I don’t think you broke it.”  

“Well, I broke my mother’s beads,” said Anna Patricia, “and I can’t find them.”

Then Mr. Timkin said, “If I can stop this blankety-blank bell from ringing, I’ll get a flashlight and I’ll help the little girl find her beads.”

As the children watched guiltily, Mr. Timkin examined the doorbell and easily pulled out the pin. Now there was quiet again. Without saying a word, he disappeared and soon was back with the flashlight and a paper bag. He flashed the light all around and helped the children hunt for the beads. As they found them they put them into the paper bag.

When all of the beads were recovered, Anna Patricia said, “Oh, thank you, Mr. Timkin. I never could have found them without your flashlight. ”

“Glad to help!” Mr. Tirnkin was laughing as he looked at the children. “That was a good trick you played on me. I used to stick pins in bells when I was a kid too. Serves me right for not having anything for you on Halloween. But you come back later. I’ll see if I can find something in my freezer. Maybe I have something there that I can give you.”

“We’ll be back, Mr. Timkin,” said Eddie.

“Come on,” he called to his friends, “we better go see what stuff is left.”

The children needed no urging, and they quickly ran off to make more calls. All of them were uneventful, and they gathered their treats without any further problem. About an hour later, they were back on Mr. Timkin’s porch. Boodles rang the bell, but this time he did not put a pin in it.

A few moments later Mr. Timkin opened the door. “Well now,” he said, “if you children will come into the house, I think I have something for you.”

The children entered the house, and Mr.

Timkin led them to the kitchen. On the table there was a beautiful chocolate cake covered with chocolate icing and decorated with nuts. Mr. Timkin pointed to the cake and said, “My daughter baked that for me some time ago. I decided to put it into the freezer and keep it for some special occasion, and tonight is a very special occasion.”

Soon Mr. Timkin had cocoa ready to pour into five mugs. Then he cut five large pieces of cake, and the children sat down to a real party. At last Mr. Timkin said, “Must be nearly your bedtime.”

“Guess so!” the children agreed.

“It’s been a wonderful Halloween!” said Anna Patricia.

“Best chocolate cake I ever ate,” said Boodles. “It was a great Halloween!” said
Sidney.

“Thanks for the treat.”

When Eddie thanked Mr. Timkin, he saluted him, and Mr. Timkin returned Eddie’s salute with a flourish.

Outside Anna Patricia said, “I’m glad we didn’t play a bad trick on Mr. Timkin. He’s such a nice man.”

“He’s a great guy!” said Eddie. “I wish I could have served on the same ship with him.”

October 4, 1957, saw the dawn of the space age. As the wire report from Moscow stated, “Russia announced today it has sent the world’s first artificial moon streaking around the globe 560 miles (900 kilometres) out in space.” It was the height of the Cold War; the world was electrified. In fact

• Some Western experts said the satellite couldn’t be seen from Earth
  • It was visible as a dull-red orbiting dot,
  • but was often confused with its brighter launch rocket);
• It would last for years in orbit
  • It lasted 92 days
• It was spying on and mapping the Earth
  • It couldn’t do either
• Space travel by humans was still a long way off
  • It was only three years away

Obviously nothing much has changed in fifty years; you can’t believe nothing you hear in October.

October marked the end of the growing cycle, now completed with the harvesting of the grapes and the making of wine. It was vintage time for ancient Roman farmers, time to clean and fumigate the wine cellar. Early October was a busy time as the farmers gathered in the olives and bunches of ripe grapes. The grapes were then mounded in large batches on special pressing floors in the rural villas, where the pressed juice was then stored in large holding vessels called doliae as next year’s wine.

Modern Ritual to Experience Nature and Oneness

Find a secluded place outside to meditate on a quiet October day. perhaps the sacred spot in your garden or a special retreat known only to you. Let all of your senses take in the beauty of nature. Think deeply on these thoughts as the Buddhist monk which that Hanh teaches us to honor this feeling of oneness and connection with nature and the divine:

Contemplate a leaf, with its rich red or golden color as it hangs on the branch ready to fall to the ground at the slightest breeze. Consider that the leaf had been a mother to the tree. During the spring and summer, the leaf had worked to nourish the tree. Yet when it falls to the ground, as it must. and returns to the soil of Mother Earth, it continues to nourish the tree. Be comforted in the knowledge the dying leaf will again return to the branch of the tree, soon, next spring.

Modern Ritual to Honor Departed Ones

The final solemn days of October provide an opportunity to reconnect with those who have gone before. We already celebrate Halloween with images of ghosts, goblins, and skeletons connoting the season of death and endings. This is also the time to visit the graves of one’s ancestors and bear flowers or small offerings to the dead spirits.

Faith and Commitment

The unsettling time of October, the period of death and separation, can be bridged. Hope can be kindled during this somber dark time. Yet, faith and belief in the divine are required, and spiritual commitment is critical. For Apuleius, a Roman author of the second century C.E., and for many Romans, true belief was in the divine goddess Isis. With her, there was no dark abyss, no empty void.

When Grandmother Eiler was young she had a cow of her own raising, of which she was very proud. One evening at milking time, a certain woman passed through the barnyard, stopped, and looked the cow all over. “I was foolish enough to tell her all about the cow, how gentle she was, how much milk she was giving, and all that, and she said I certainly had a fine cow. Well, the next morning that cow couldn’t stand on her feet, and there she lay in the stable till father came home from the mountain, where he was cutting wood. He said it was all plain enough, when I told him everything, but he wondered I hadn’t had better sense. However, he knew just what to do. He rubbed the cow all over with asafetida, saying words all the time. And the next day, when I went into the barn, there she stood on her four legs, eating like a hound. Witches can’t stand asafetida.”

It was this witch-woman who, going to a neighbor’s one day on an errand, prolonged her stay without apparent reason, till it was almost night. Though she was very uneasy all the time, and kept saying there was sickness at home and she ought to be there, still she didn’t go. Finally, it was discovered that the broom had fallen across the door. When it was taken away, she fairly flew. Of course, this looked very suspicious. But, not to be rash in their judgment, the people of the house sought further proof. So, the next time she came, salt was thrown under her chair, and there she sat, as though bound until it was removed. Then, as her visits were now considered undesirable, nails were driven in her tracks, but the place in the ground marked, in case the footprints became obliterated. It was soon known that she was laid up with sore feet, which refused to heal until the nails were dug up.

Miss K’s father, when a youth in Germany, had a friend whose rest was disturbed by nightmares. At last he concluded that a witch was troubling him, and proceeded to entrap her by stopping up every crevice and keyhole in the room. (Mindful of the fact, of course, that “for witches this is law-where they have entered in, there also they withdraw.”) The next morning he found a beautiful girl cowering in the cupboard. He put her to work as a servant about the house. But eventually, thinking her reformation complete, he married her and lived happily for several years. Sometimes, though, she would sigh, and say she longed to see beautiful France again. One day she was missing, and her little child, just tall enough to reach the keyhole, told how she had removed the stopping for her. She was never seen again, having of course “taken French leave” through the keyhole. The same story is told of a miller in Frederick County. He, too, domesticated a witchmaiden, having caught her in the same way. But, years after, he incautiously opened the keyhole, and found himself a grass widower.

Ancient farmers were advised to pick the grapes and press the new wine at the Vindemia, the vintage.

Nine months have passed since we began our journey, pacing the agricultural cycle month by month from the times of new growth to maturity and eventual harvest. We now arrive at October, the month of the fall vintage, when the plump juicy grapes that have ripened on the vine during languid summer days are finally plucked and pressed, producing a frothy deep purple new wine. Now the dappled sunlight is noticeably shorter and the cold dark time of winter rapidly approaches. Life in the natural world this month goes underground as animals hunker down for the long haul, birds retreat to warmer climates, and seeds lie dormant awaiting the period of rebirth. We also beat a hasty retreat into the dry, warm confines of home and hearth, driven inside by chilling temperatures and drenching rains. In some regions, an icy crystal blanket covers the fields and trees at the first frost. October portends the bleak winter season, while nature herself compels us to consider endings and death.

In ancient Roman times, October marked an end to an intensely active period for farming as well as travel, commerce, and military conquest. During this fall month, farmers busily prepared for the coming of winter, making certain of adequate supplies and provisions to last through the dark cold months looming just ahead. Likewise, the threat of snow and treacherous weather brought a halt to much of the travel and trade in the ancient world. In fact, in the earliest days of Rome, military campaigns lasted from March through October, when the Roman soldiers returned to their homes and farms. October was the month when many activities came to an abrupt end. Appropriately, the Isia, the sacred rites to the goddess Isis and her days of mourning for her lost husband, Osiris, were held in ancient Rome during the final days of this month.

Isis was originally an Egyptian goddess worshiped by the people living along the Nile River since prehistoric times. During the second and first centuries B.C.E., however, her cult spread throughout the Mediterranean, reaching Italy, where her popularity grew among Romans of all classes from members of the imperial family to slaves. Her fall ritual, the Isia, which ran from October 28 to November 3, became so popular in the Roman world that it was added to the rustic Roman calendar, the rural menologia, about 40 C.E. Who was this most ancient Egyptian goddess? What does Queen Isis offer?

In the beginning was Isis, Oldest of the Old, Great Lady of Egypt, Queen of Heaven and Mistress of the House of Life, represented by the ankh, her symbol for “life.” In antiquity, this goddess found faithful worshipers among people of all social rank dwelling in such far-flung lands as Egypt, Ethiopia, Greece, Italy, Spain, Germany, Britain, and the shores of the Arabian Gulf and Black Sea. The goddess Isis welcomed all and did not discriminate by gender, social class, wealth, or racial background.
Isis bestowed her love on all peoples and was a goddess of redemption and forgiveness, welcoming those who had sinned equally with the sinless. Isis gave freely of love, pity, compassion, and forgiveness, for she herself had known great sorrow. Isis, the Mother of Life, offered unconditional love.

The worship of Isis brought hope and meaning to many people, as she addressed directly the eternal questions of life and death. Queen Isis sails her sacred ship on a journey to the very borders of the world of the dead. And she returns. Thus, it is also fitting that the Isia was held in late October, a focused period of endings and closure, when the worlds of the living and dead touched and the veil between them was thin. Today we experience this dark magical time as Halloween, All Hallows’ Eve, Samhain, or the Day of the Dead. In antiquity, these days of October belonged to Queen Isis.

The story of Isis is a very old one and has been retold and reshaped over thousands of years by people of many different cultures living in countries throughout the Mediterranean world. This myth of a dying god, a grieving goddess, and a sacred birth is rooted in the natural cycle of the Nile River and the yearly ebb and flow of its life-sustaining waters. It is ultimately a story of faith, hope, and love.