The Spiritual Meaning of Halloween: Choosing Light When the Veil Is Thin

The spiritual meaning of Halloween goes far beyond ghosts or discordant energies trapped between worlds. As boundaries soften, we can choose our focus, a sacred act. In the recently published best-selling self-care book, The Wellness Universe Guide to Complete Self-Care: 25 Tools for Transformation by Anna Pereira, I wrote about my experiences with recurring nightmares in Chapter 10, Face Your Demons, Reclaiming Sacred Power. The more I tried to resist them, the stronger they became — a reminder that what we focus on determines what we align with, especially when spiritual doors are open.

Autumn carries a particular magic — an earthy scent rising from the soil that just bore our harvest, a sense that the seen and unseen are closer than usual. Many feel this is the time when the veil is thin, a moment of deepened intuition and connection. Halloween first began as Samhain, a Celtic seasonal marker of the end of harvest. This sacred time served as a celebration to reflect on and honor the cycle of life, death, and one’s Ancestors. They wore costumes not to glorify darkness, but as a symbol of protection during the long nights ahead.

Over time, that sacred observance blended with All Hallows’ Eve. Eventually, it became the commercialized Halloween we know today — a mix of spooky fun, justification for binging unhealthy amounts of processed sugar, and extravagant ghoulish decor that may soon rival Christmas displays in scale and creativity. There’s nothing inherently wrong with it. Especially if these seasonal activities keep you joyful. The challenge arises when frightful festivities become macabre fascination or a celebration of darkness, without understanding or consideration for their impact.

In contrast, others — like my sister, who sees Halloween as entirely evil — reject the day altogether, believing that any association with spirits or the unseen is spiritually dangerous. Yet this, too, is a choice born of belief and focus. Neither path is “right” or “wrong”; each reflects what the individual aligns with, consciously or not.

The truth is, the veil may be thin, but discernment is everything.

This time of year invites us to ask: What am I attuning to? What energies am I feeding with my focus? The spiritual world, like the physical one, responds to our vibration. When we approach it through curiosity, reverence, and Light, it mirrors those frequencies back.

We can choose to make Halloween a sacred season of connection — shifting from ghoulish or grotesque, to higher guidance, ancestral love, and intuitive clarity. Or not. The difference lies in intention. Whatever you choose, find joy in the season’s creativity without succumbing to the heaviness that naturally comes with playing in the dark. Recognize when your attention or participation in activities begin to feel burdensome. There comes a time for many of us when the cult classics lose their appeal because you no longer like how they make you feel.

The polarities of Light can be seductive, so cunning that we often don’t notice when small compromises slip in. I say this not to stoke fear or plant a belief that suggests you are vulnerable to lurking monsters seeking to steal your Light. What I am suggesting is that whatever we entertain, we choose, at least for those moments. If you open a doorway energetically, shut the ones that don’t support you.

If you wish to honor a lighter spiritual side of this season, try:

• Lighting a candle in gratitude for the guidance that surrounds you.
• Spending a few quiet moments each evening connecting inwardly, asking for wisdom from your ancestors and guides
• Setting the intention that any spiritual doorway you open is protected, peaceful, and aligned with your highest good.

The Spiritual Meaning of Halloween: What Do You Believe?

What you believe drives your experience. If you’re inclined to assign meaning, whether to Halloween or to any part of life, choose meanings that support your true desires.

Halloween doesn’t have to pull us into darkness. It can remind us that Light always exists — even when surrounded by shadow.

When the veil is thin, we have energies knocking on our sensitivities. Be intentional in what you choose to commune with. The adrenaline rush that comes with entertaining the darkness is an enticing path this time of year. Honoring higher guidance, beloved ancestors and the supportive energetic connections that nudge closer to us at these times — those are sacred ones.

So whether you celebrate playfully with costumes and pumpkin carving, binge-watch Supernatural while also consuming bowls of Reese’s and Sour Patch Kids or quietly with candlelight and prayer, remember: your energy, shaped by your beliefs, and your focus direct the experience. Choose to keep your vibration high, your focus clear, and your heart attuned to Light.

After all, when the veil is thin, what we see most clearly is often what we already carry within.

Halloween’s Energy: Choosing Light or Fear

Darkness in all its forms serves as a partner to illumination, helping us see its role in growing us into more spiritually aware and empowered beings aligned with higher truths. Ignorance, moral corruption, and the mistreatment of any part of life are blinking neon billboards that challenge us to trust in higher guidance to comfort and lead us. The meaning we assign to anything IS what it is! So, whether it’s Halloween, which shows us darkness, or the outside world on a regular Tuesday morning, remember your choice.

Halloween’s spiritual significance highlights the energy of introspection, remembering your past, honoring your shadow, and transformation. During the inward journey of the approaching winter, you may reveal areas still in need of illumination for transmutation. As the veil thins and the nights grow long, may you choose Light — within and around you. Every thought, every focus, is an offering. Let yours be one of peace, awareness, and love.

Choosing Light doesn’t mean abandoning traditions you enjoy. Simply check inwardly to know what brings you elevated feeling states — even if that’s a giant, bloody skeleton on your lawn. I’ll be making severed-finger and cockroach cupcakes this year: severed-finger because, really, it’s a cookie plus a cupcake (double dessert!), and cockroach cupcakes in honor of my unexpected summer activities.

As you move through this season, take a moment to reflect on what you’re choosing to align with — fear or faith, distraction or awareness, shadow or Light. Your energy shapes your experience more than any outside force. If you feel called to explore this deeper — to live from that higher awareness — you’re welcome to explore my  Coaching Services and Metaphysical Services.