A bit of fun...

Why I celebrate Halloween: It's the one holiday we encourage ourselves to look into the darkness and drag our fears into the light and hopefully see them for what they are: An opportunity to be brave and reclaim our power over them.

Shelley's "Frankenstein" explores the folly of men pretending to be God. Stoker's "Dracula" reveals the horror of those who live by taking from others. I can't imagine a world without Poe, and his willingness to expose the monsters within. We prevail when we choose good over evil.

The early history of Samhain, what would later become Halloween, was a celebration of the end of the harvest and the end of the year as well as the beginning of a new year. Leave in the past what no longer brings life and love. Welcome the opportunity to start fresh with the old and withered swept away, making room for the new.

For the record, I don't do scary. Growing up in it means it isn't entertainment for me. Dress up is fun. I've always had a fondness for jack-o-lanterns, the cheerful flame flickering inside. Not to mention my love of pumpkin, cinnamon, nutmeg, ginger, and cloves. The promise of cooler weather, a definite bonus in the desert. The changing color of the leaves, which people generously share through pictures. The prelude to the coming triad holidays of Thanksgiving, Christmas, and New Year (gratitude, giving, and starting anew). Enjoy the day. Indulge in a treat. Laugh.

Some of my favorites to fit a Halloween mood:

Most people will recognize this piece of music but may not know the name. From Carmina Burana ~ O Fortuna by Carl Orff performed by André Rieu:

https://youtu.be/EJC-_j3SnXk   

Ride of the Valkyries by Richard Wagner

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=XRU1AJsXN1g

Gustav Holst's Mars from The Planets

https://youtu.be/Jmk5frp6-3Q

Hall of the Mountain King (Peer Gynt) by Edvard Grieg

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=kLp_Hh6DKWc

Toccata and Fugue in D Minor by J. S. Bach needs to be heard as an organ piece.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ho9rZjlsyYY

Night on Bald Mountain by Mussorgsky:

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=iCEDfZgDPS8