Editor’s note: The following article was originally written by Eric Francis for StarIQ. It is published here as part of Planet Waves’ Days of the Dead celebration, and to point you in the direction of the Planet Waves archives, containing thousands of articles and horoscopes written by Eric, only available with a subscription to Planet Waves Astrology News.В
Dear Friend and Reader,
These darkening days of autumn are a mysterious time, marking the waning year and filled with a sense of the inevitable. Those who follow astrology know this is the season of Scorpio, the sign associated with the death and transformation that leads to change, renewal and regeneration of life. At the center of this season is Halloween, the modern version of the ancient Celtic holiday Samhain (pronounced sa-wane).
It may seem like a coincidence that the scary costumes, candle-lit walks to old cemeteries and, for the faithful, the vigils inviting the spirits of ancestors home for All-Hallow’s Eve align with the astrological sign of the mysteries of death.
But when you consider, in the words of Donna Henes in her book Celestially Auspicious Occasions, that Halloween’s symbols—”the ghosts, masks, fires and food—are the same as they were thousands of years ago in ancient Egypt,” it’s clear that Scorpio is part of an unbroken chain of tradition through cultures worldwide.
From the temples on the Nile millennia before the birth of Jesus, through the rise of the Christian movement with its co-opting of local religion, its crusades and inquisitions; from ancient Aztec cultures to Mexico, Spain and Portugal of recent centuries, and even through to modern-day marketing culture, the traditions of Halloween carry a common signature, an identifying mark.
Even skeptics who are paying attention must make note that there is something inherent and natural about this time of year for these symbols to arise from the collective consciousness in so many cultures.