Five years ago a tradition began here at Earthaven, the tales of which are likely to be told for generations to come. This alternative to Halloween is an annual tradition now. Mana McLeod, resident and creator, calls it The Elementals Walk.

Mana drew inspiration for the walk from her alternative education in the Netherlands, where theater is deeply valued. She recalls one particular event in elementary school that sparked it all. There were theater pieces scattered throughout the woods. Fast forward more than thirty years, that spark is a full-on flame once a year for Mana’s two boys and the 25 other children in the village.

The Elementals Walk has evolved from its modest beginnings with a few parents and some characters. These days, it’s more like a production (though mostly done behind the scenes to keep the magic alive).

Five staple characters grace the night, with a small team of other individuals who set up luminaries to light the path. There’s the Earth Troll, Water Fairy, Fire Spirit, and Air Weaver, each with its own flare.

The character known as Grizelda creates the backdrop for the whole evening, which begins with her mysterious emergence as the children huddle in anticipation. With her scarlet finery, box lantern, and scroll, she is the keeper of the story of how the elementals came to be. Grizelda’s calm, steady presence ushers the kids into an otherworldly realm, where they stay mesmerized for two hours.

The Elementals Walk is quite the contrast to the Halloween of our larger culture. The children stay connected to their bodies, to their gratitude, and to mystery in a way that feeds more than their appetite for candy.

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The air is brisk and cool, the leaves turn the beautiful shades of autumn, the summer is gone and the season calls us inward. It is time to prepare for winter—not only physically for the cold but a slowing down in other ways too.

We are approaching Halloween, All Hallows Eve, a cross-quarter holiday between Fall Equinox and Winter Solstice. In many cultures, this is the most sacred of days. All over the world people honor and communicate with the dead at this time, as it is said that the ‘veil between the worlds’ of the living and the dead is at its thinnest.

The Celts celebrated their new year, called Samhain (pronounced “Sow-in”), on the eve of November. They believed the spirits of the dead walked the earth on this night. To protect themselves, people would wear masks or cross-dress to trick the wandering dead.

Trick-or-Treating has its roots in a medieval custom of the British Isles called “souling.”  Dressed in masks and costumes, the poor would go about offering prayers to a family’s departed relatives in exchange for soul cakes (little oatcakes or square pieces of bread containing currants) or a handout of apples, nuts, or copper coins. The more gifts they received, the more prayers they would promise to recite to expedite the passage of the deceased souls from limbo to heaven.

As we have grown up disconnected from our ancestors and our grief, many of us have made an effort to incorporate these elements into our lives. To that end, we hold a Samhain Ritual and Ancestor Feast at Earthaven each year. We bring pictures and mementos of our ancestors and beloved dead to the altar. We also bring a potluck dish from our heritage for the feast. While we feast, we give toasts and tell stories about our ancestors and loved ones who have crossed over.

Of course we also have our share of fun at Halloween! The kids trick-or-treat around the village in a big group and our Halloween costume party is one of the best of the year.

As the days grow darker, we remember that we are in the ‘cauldron’ of the year, the dark time of change, until the sun is reborn at Winter Solstice. Encourage yourself to slow down. See what changes are afoot. As the veil between the worlds grows thinner and thinner, take a look around. Who knows what you’ll see?

Kaitlin Hetzner is a ritual and ceremony leader at Earthaven, organizes special womyn’s gatherings under a Red Tent, lends a terrific hand to our office and administrative work, and just became a Full Member!

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