Halloween, which falls today, October 31, is all things to all men. Celebrated as a time when the veil between the spiritual and the earthly realms can be lifted.

It is enacted in many parts of the Western world, often as a jokey event, most commonly in the United States, Canada, the UK, and Ireland.

The term Halloween, and its older spelling Hallowe’en, is shortened from All-Hallows-Eve, as it is the evening before “All Hallows’ Day” (also known as “All Saints’ Day”).

In some places, Halloween is more often associated with the occult. Many European cultural traditions hold that Halloween is one of the liminal times of the year when the spiritual world can make contact with the physical and when magic is most potent.

It coincides with the Celtic festival of Samhain when the veil between the spiritual and the earthly realms could be lifted. Once it was a floating festival with the actual date depending on astronomical variations. It’s said to be a good time for facing up to whatever you are afraid of.