hallows eve

The History of Halloween – A Spiritualist’s View by Kristian von Sponneck, Psychic Medium & Psychic Entertainer

Every year, as the nights draw in and October turns cold and whispering, people light candles in pumpkins, dress in costumes, and celebrate what we now call Halloween.
For most, it’s a night of fun, mystery, and a little mischief.
But beneath the masks and modern traditions lies something far older — a night steeped in spiritual significance.

As a psychic medium and Spiritualist, I see Halloween not merely as a festival of fright, but as a quiet reminder of the eternal connection between the living and the Spirit world.

In this post, I’ll explore where Halloween truly came from, how it evolved, and what it means from a Spiritualist’s point of view — one rooted not in fear of death, but in understanding that life and consciousness never truly end.

1. The Ancient Origins – Samhain and the Turning of the Year

Long before Halloween, there was Samhain (pronounced Sow-in), the ancient Celtic festival marking the end of the harvest and the beginning of winter.

The Celts believed that at this liminal time — when one season died and another was born — the veil between the worlds was at its thinnest. The dead could visit the living, ancestors were honoured, and the natural world entered its sacred rest.

Bonfires were lit to protect the community and guide spirits safely home. People left food and drink outside their doors as offerings — not out of fear, but out of reverence. Samhain wasn’t morbid; it was spiritually intelligent. It recognised that life and death are two halves of the same cycle.

As a medium, I find that idea profoundly moving.
The Celts weren’t afraid of Spirit — they understood that the physical and spiritual worlds overlap in moments of stillness, change, and darkness. Halloween is simply our modern echo of that understanding.

2. From Samhain to All Hallows’ Eve

When Christianity spread through Europe, the Church reinterpreted many pagan festivals into new religious forms. Samhain became known as All Hallows’ Eve — the night before All Saints’ Day (November 1st), when all holy souls were honoured.

The day after that, All Souls’ Day (November 2nd), commemorated the faithful departed. Together, these observances created a Triduum of the Dead — three days dedicated to the remembrance of souls who had passed.

So while the costumes and trick-or-treating are much later inventions, the spiritual intention remained:
To remember, to pray for, and to honour those in Spirit.

It was never truly about horror or fear — it was about connection and continuity.
In that sense, the Christian festivals and the older Celtic ones shared a sacred truth: that death is not the end.

3. The Journey to America and Modern Halloween

When Irish and Scottish immigrants brought their Samhain and All Hallows’ traditions to North America in the 19th century, they mingled with local folklore and became the foundation of modern Halloween.

The carved jack-o’-lantern began as a carved turnip in Ireland — representing a spirit trapped between worlds — and evolved into the glowing pumpkins we know today.

The tradition of dressing up in costumes came from the idea of disguising oneself from mischievous spirits wandering during Samhain night. Over time, it became playful rather than protective.

By the 20th century, Halloween had transformed into a secular celebration — a night of imagination, community, and storytelling. Yet, beneath the commercial layers, the ancient essence remains: a collective acknowledgement of mystery, mortality, and Spirit.

4. The Spiritualist Movement and the Continuity of Life

In the mid-19th century — around the same time Halloween began spreading through the modern world — Modern Spiritualism emerged, beginning with the Fox Sisters in Hydesville, New York.
Their table-rapping phenomena sparked a movement that sought proof of the afterlife through communication with the dead.

To Spiritualists, the veil between worlds is not seasonal — it’s constant.
Halloween, however, remains a powerful symbolic reminder that the two worlds are closer than people realise.

Spiritualism teaches:

“There is no death — there are only transitions of consciousness.”

So, when others speak of spirits “crossing over” on Halloween, a Spiritualist might smile quietly and think: They’ve always been here. We simply pay more attention this time of year.

5. Why Halloween Resonates Spiritually

From a Spiritualist view, Halloween is not a night of ghosts and ghouls — it’s a night of remembrance, reflection, and awareness.
It encourages people — even those who don’t consider themselves spiritual — to confront the mystery of mortality.

In a world often obsessed with youth and permanence, Halloween whispers a timeless truth:

The unseen is real. The dead are not gone. The spirit world exists all around us.

That’s why, as a medium, I find this season so powerful. Energy feels closer, quieter, more reflective. Whether that’s collective intention or cosmic rhythm, it doesn’t matter — the result is the same: humanity remembering its spiritual nature, even through celebration.

6. Light and Darkness – A Balance, Not a Battle

Many people misunderstand Halloween as “dark.” Yet the darkness of October isn’t evil — it’s necessary.

In nature, nothing grows without periods of rest and decay. The falling leaves and the dying year remind us that death is simply transformation.

For Spiritualists, darkness is not the opposite of light — it is its complement.
It is the background against which Spirit’s light shines more clearly.

When we light candles in pumpkins or windows, we’re performing an ancient act of spiritual symbolism: bringing illumination into darkness, hope into endings, and remembrance into mystery.

7. The True “Spirit” of Halloween

To a Spiritualist, Halloween can be observed in quiet contemplation as much as in celebration.

It’s a time to:

Honour ancestors and loved ones in Spirit.

Reflect on the cycles of life, death, and renewal.

Light candles in remembrance rather than fear.

Celebrate connection — between people, worlds, and energies.

You don’t need séances or rituals to connect; simple thought and love are enough.
Spirit doesn’t require invitation through ceremony — only through awareness.

So when you think of someone you miss on Halloween night, when you feel that soft shift in atmosphere or that unexplainable warmth around you — recognise it.
That’s Spirit, drawn by love, not darkness.

8. The Spiritualist Church and Halloween Today

Most Spiritualist churches don’t “celebrate” Halloween in the commercial sense, but many hold Services of Remembrance or Spirit Services around this time — evenings dedicated to love, healing, and messages from the other side.

These gatherings are not about fear but faith.
Faith that the soul continues. Faith that our loved ones are never truly gone. Faith that the light of Spirit can be felt in every season, not just October.

Halloween becomes, therefore, not a night of the dead — but a celebration of eternal life.

9. The Medium’s Reflection

As a working psychic medium, I often feel that the world unconsciously remembers its spiritual roots each October.

Even through costumes, laughter, and pumpkin lanterns, people are — in their own way — acknowledging the unseen.

It’s the one night of the year when the world collectively admits that there might be more to existence than what meets the eye.
That, to me, is something worth honouring.

Whether you spend Halloween at a party, by candlelight, or in quiet remembrance, remember that its origins are sacred. Beneath the fun lies an ancient human truth: that we are eternal beings, connected by love, and that death is not the end but a doorway.

10. Returning to the Spirit of Samhain

Modern Halloween may sparkle with novelty and sweets, but its heart is still Samhain — the turning of the year, the honouring of Spirit, the acceptance of change.

It’s a time to pause, breathe, and remember that endings are beginnings in disguise.
That’s the message Spirit whispers every October: Life goes on, even when forms fade.

So when you see a candle flickering inside a pumpkin, remember what it really symbolises — the eternal flame of Spirit shining through the temporary shell of matter.

The History of Halloween A Spiritualist’s View, Final Thoughts: Beyond the Masks

Halloween is, at its core, a spiritual mirror.
It reflects our eternal curiosity about death, but also our enduring connection with the afterlife.

From a Spiritualist’s view, it’s not about fear, but familiarity — a seasonal reminder of what mediums experience every day: that love and consciousness persist, and that the world of Spirit is never far from reach.

So this Halloween, light your candle with meaning.
Smile at the mysteries.
And know that somewhere — just beyond perception — Spirit smiles back.

You may like my last post, click the following to read The Different Ways Spirit Communicates with Mediums

The History of Halloween – A Spiritualist’s View