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Death Rituals and the Thinning Veil

Death Rituals and the Thinning Veil
Death Rituals and the Thinning Veil

Posted by Theresa Koch
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There are many cultures around the world that choose to celebrate the dead during the end of October and the start of November.

In the western world there is All Hallows Eve and in Mexico, there is the Day of the Dead. The ancient Celtics celebrated Samhain and the Ancient Egyptians were also believed to have celebrated The Beautiful Feast of the Valley around this time too.

From an astrological perspective, the end of October and start of November is also when the Sun moves into Scorpio, the zodiac sign associated with death and rebirth.

Furthermore, from a numerology perspective, transitioning from a number 10 month to a number 11 month also signifies a time of heightened sensitivity to the spirit realms and to higher levels of consciousness.

It definitely seems that there is some significance to this time of year when it comes to honoring the cycles of death and deceased loved ones, and being able to access the spirit world with greater ease.

Many of these ancient celebrations include the belief that on October 31st, the veil between the living and the dead is at its thinnest. This belief is observed during the Gaelic festival of Samhain and also the Day of the Dead, which roots go all the way back to the time of the Aztecs.

Samhain translates to “end of Summer” and was a celebration of the end of the year. For this reason, many rituals were conducted that incorporated the theme of death and rebirth, and in fact, many of these rituals have been integrated into what we now celebrate as Halloween.

Part of these death rituals during Samhain involve putting out food for departed souls and having feasts to honor the spirit world and thank them for the harvests of the year.

The Day of the Dead celebrations in Mexico are also a time of year where it is believed that departed loved ones can return to Earth to deliver blessings to their family.

Feasts are had and families create special altars with their loved one’s photographs as they celebrate their arrival back to Earth.

There are similar festivals such as these all over the world, but it is interesting to note that many of the festivals celebrating death in the Americas are around October and November, however in Asia almost all of their celebrations are around August and September.


It does seem that there could be many times of year where the veil is thinnest between this realm and the spirit realm. It may also be that location can play a factor in how easy these different realms are to access.

While many people still celebrate festivals like Samhain and the Day of the Dead, there are also many people that don’t. In fact, the Western world is really one of the only cultures that don’t celebrate death.

Even Halloween, which developed a lot of its roots from Samhain, has been watered down and has become a day focused on candy and costumes, rather than celebrating the idea of death.

Death in the Western world unfortunately still remains a very taboo topic, and the idea of putting out food for loved ones, or celebrating their return to Earth is not one that is widely accepted.

However, there is a growing consciousness towards the unseen worlds, and also a growing need for healthy attitudes around death.

Celebrating death is also about celebrating life, and honoring and giving thanks to the departed souls who touched your life and to the life you are blessed to be living.

If you have death rituals in your culture, this may be the perfect time of year to embrace them and begin introducing them as part of a yearly spiritual practice. If you don’t, consider adopting some traditions or ideas that resonate with you.

Here are a few ideas:

  • Light a black candle to help honor the darkness that is part of the cycle of life
  • Clean and release things from your space/closets that you no longer need
  • Write down what you want to release from your life and burn it in a bonfire
  • Cook your deceased loved one’s favorite meal or light a candle in their honor
  • Give thanks and gratitude for the gift of being alive
  • Meditate and connect with your spirit guides or loved ones in heaven

Celebrating death is something we need to get comfortable doing, so why not use this time of year to honor and remember the cycles of life and death. After all, it’s the circle of life, and it moves us all…

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