Halloween 2020: Get in Witch, We’re Going Nowhere
It was a dark and stormy night… all winter getaways were cancelled, trick-or-treating was pretty much illegal, and who the f*ck knew what to expect from Christmas?!
One day we’ll tell the kids about 2020, and it’ll be no more than a creepy old story.
But for now, even if you haven’t had a direct brush with the virus, your life has probably been turned upside down. We’re living in a weird new reality, where having a pint with a mate feels like a matter of life and death. It’s scary, and it bloody sucks.
It was one thing when we could enjoy socially-distant picnics in the sunshine, but the nights are darker, the days are colder, and one by one the trees are losing all their leaves. It feels like Mother Nature is trying her hardest to remind us that all things come to an end…
Which means there’s really only one thing for it; we’ve got to embrace a little darkness if we’re ever going to banish the end-of-summer dread. If the Big Gal in the Sky has a message to send about putting this whole year behind us, then I’m definitely ready to listen.
Brits have a long history of associating winter with endings – and death. The Celts believed that on 31st October, the boundary between our world and the spirit world became thin. On this night, they’d light big bonfires and commune with ghosts to tell the future; marking the end of summer with a big, spooky knees-up.
If you ask me, there’s magic to any festival that honours the departed (and relies so heavily on tea-lights for its personal brand). Whether it’s ghosts, or just the threat of endings themselves, at Halloween we welcome in what scares us - and then banish it again with the power of cosiness.
This winter, I suggest doing a little witchcraft to really get into the spirit of the season. We’re expecting a full moon on Halloween, which only happens roughly once every 19 years! It’ll also be the second full moon in October, making it an even witchier - and super rare- blue moon. That’s one hex of an invitation to cast your spells.
Being a witch in 2020 is all about creating rituals that make you feel better, recognising your power, and setting good intentions. The best part? You don’t have to really believe in magic to bewitch your life.
For followers of Wicca, the cycles of life are symbolised by the three-part Goddess; Maiden, Mother and Crone. If winter was a Goddess, she’d definitely be the Crone.
Though she’s an elderly woman close to death, the Crone is a badass. The poster girl for embracing endings, she embodies freedom gained through wisdom and personal growth. She has hindsight on her side, and is the part of you that has learned (probably the hard way) what you really need to thrive.
With a little Crone energy to guide you, winter is the perfect time to reflect on what has served you well this year, and what might still be holding you back.
You’re in the midst of grieving life BC (before coronavirus), but there’s probably plenty of stuff you don’t miss too – like saying yes to social occasions you didn’t want to go to, or always letting that rude colleague interrupt when you’re talking... There’d be absolutely nothing wrong with letting those things die.
In tarot, the Death card is not necessarily a harbinger of doom. He might seem sinister, but this spooky little skeleton babe is just here to give you a heads up when it’s time to kill a certain situation, habit, or belief.
Usually, the death card will also depict a sprouting plant or rising sun. Why? Because endings are an opportunity for transformation. When you accept closure, you create space to evolve.
Maybe you’ve been hanging on to a dress that doesn’t fit you anymore, and feeling bad about yourself every time you try it on. Maybe you’ve fallen back into old patterns of negative self-talk. Or it could be a person you can't shake, whose presence in your life is hurting rather than nourishing you.
Well, take it from this witch; the Death card has been dealt, baby.
Witchcraft is about balance; it is transferring energy from one place to a more useful one. Just like the seasons; some things need to end to make way for what’s new. One day, you’ll look back on this year and see what what was lost, but hopefully you’ll be able to recognise how far you've come too.
There’s nowhere to actually go this Halloween, but there’s always space to grow. So, whatever is stopping you from getting what you need right now; bury that toxic sh*t with 2020.
Title image by Liv Talbot, an illustrator, cat and book enthusiast, based in Leeds.
Of course, not everyone is fortunate enough to lean into candle-burning and tarot to avoid hard times this winter. If you can afford to, please support charities like Crisis, The Trussell Trust and Shelter to help ease poverty, homelessness and hunger over the harshest months.
