The Astrology of Halloween

Nowadays most of us think of Halloween in terms of costumes, scary movies, Halloween parties and trick or treating. What may surprise many is that the origins of this is custom can actually be traced back several thousand years. Halloween is a time of the year when paranormal activity is thought to be heightened. Let’s examine how the astrological influences on October 31 might contribute to this.

Why is Halloween Celebrated?

The Halloween tradition is believed to hark back to age of the Celts, an ancient society that existed over two thousand five hundred years ago, in the areas of the present day British Isles and northern France. For the Celts, the New Year began on November first, as this day marked the end of summer and the harvest. In this age, these shortening, autumnal days were a time of year that was associated with death.

The Celts believed that on the night of October thirty-first, just before the New Year, the veil between the realms of the living and the dead is lifted. On this dark, ominous night, those who had died in the year gone by, were believed to return to walk amongst the living.

To mark this event and the onset of winter, the Celtic people engaged in the Pagan ritual of ‘Samhain’ pronounced as, ‘Sow-In’. The Druids would build bonfires, around which people would gather to burn crops and make animal sacrifices, in order to garner protection from the Celtic gods against evil spirits.

Even with the spread of Christianity and the waning of Pagan beliefs, the tradition of ‘Samhain’ was never forgotten. We now recognise this as Halloween, minus the sacrifices.

The Connection between Halloween and Astrology

According to Vedic astrology, supernatural activity is more likely to occur during waning Moon periods. Every year there is a fifteen day period that is reserved for making offerings to the dead known as, ‘Pitra Paksh’ and more commonly referred to as, the ‘Shraadhs’. ‘Pitra Paksh’ takes place during a waning Moon phase and it is believed that during this period, benevolent energies make way for lost, departed soul or those stuck in purgatory. That is, this is a time reserved for fulfilling the needs of the departed who will otherwise drain good fortune and progress from the living, until their wants are met. As explained in our article, ‘King Charles. Horoscope, Astrology Predictions for the Future’ this is not an auspicious time and may affect King Charles’s rule, as this was prevalent during his accession to the throne.

As the period for ‘Pitra Paksh’ depends on the Moon’s orbit, the period during which it takes place, changes from year to year. Hence, this does not coincide with Halloween and it usually occurs around September to November. Halloween on the other hand does have a specific date and this date may fall during a waxing or waning period of the Moon. In the case of the 2022 Halloween, a New Moon occurs on October 25 and a period of the waxing Moon will then run until the full Moon on November 8. Halloween will be on the 7^th day of this waxing Moon period. As far as Moon phases are concerned, this is a perfectly fine, if not relatively favourable day.

Halloween occurs during the period for the Sun sign of Scorpio, the eighth sign of the zodiac. Scorpio is ruled by Mars, which belongs to the group of planets led by the Sun. The Sun aligns with positive energy and benevolent powers and hence Mars is not thought of as a malevolent planet.

The date on which Halloween occurs is the 31^st. The number ‘31’ represents the malefic Vedic planet ‘Rahu’. This does cast a somewhat inauspicious and ominous shadow over this day. ‘Rahu’ and ‘Ketu’ are twin planets that belong to the demonic realm. ‘Rahu’ is associated with chaos and turmoil and is also referred to as the dragon’s head while ‘Ketu’ represents the dragon’s tail.

Despite the influence of ‘Rahu’, all of the remaining factors that generally prevail on Halloween suggest that astrologically, there is nothing too adverse about this day.

Will this Year’s Halloween be Unlucky?

The compound date for Halloween 2022 is, ‘2’. This number represents the Moon, suggesting that there is nothing overtly inauspicious about this day.

If we run the numbers for this year’s Halloween through our ‘Lucky Number Calculator’, we get a ‘Destiny Number’ of 5 and an ‘Ultimate Number’ of 3. These are again perfectly respectable numbers that represent the planets Venus and Jupiter, respectively. Both these planets are the spiritual masters of the two groups to which planets belong. Hence although there is a spiritual quality to this day, this is of a positive nature. The horoscope cast for Monday, October 31 2022 is shown below.

The major characteristics of this chart are:

1. An exalted, although retrograde Jupiter occupies the 4^th house and is the ruling planet of the ascendant.
2. The prevalent Moon sign on this day is Capricorn, which is ruled by an exalted Saturn.
3. An exalted, but combusted Venus occupies the 11^th house and rules over the 6^th house.
4. A neutral ‘Ketu’ and debilitated Sun are in conflict in the 11^th house.
5. The constellation for Halloween is ‘Uttarashadha’.

The interpretation of this chart is that this is a mostly favourable day. Jupiter is a benevolent, progress and spiritual planet. As this planet rules the ascendant, it will impart these qualities on this day. Hence this is a day favourable for gaining spiritual knowledge and for engaging in philanthropic activities. The message that this horoscope chart conveys for this year’s Halloween is, on this day our emphasis should be on giving back to those who are less fortunate than ourselves. There you have it, the stars have spoken, make of it what you will.

Which Countries Do and Don't Celebrate Halloween?

Given its Pagan origins, Halloween is essentially a European tradition. Irish immigrants carried their Pagan beliefs to the United States, leading to the birth of modern Halloween, around the middle of the 19^th century. Since then, the practice of observing October 31 as Halloween has spread globally and today, in addition to western cultures, it is also quite prevalent in East Asia and Africa. Halloween isn’t perhaps quite so big in the Islamic world or in India/South Asia.

In Latin America, the 1^st and 2^nd of November are regconised as the ’Day of the Dead’ or Día De Los Muertos.

Why is a Pumpkin used on Halloween?

This began with the Irish tradition of carving out demonic faces from turnips and calling them ‘Jack-O-Lanterns’. The objective of this novel use of an otherwise unremarkable vegetable, was to scare away the ghost of ‘Stingy Jack’. Now before you jump to conclusions, this is not a reference to anybody’s uncle. This is in fact, a reference to the legend of Jack and goes something on the lines of Jack making a deal with the devil, so as to escape from being sent to hell.

The legend and tradition travelled with Irish immigrants as they reached the shores of America. However it appears that in this new world, turnips proved to be somewhat elusive, so the inventive Irish turned to the more readily available pumpkin for recourse. For its part the pumpkin hasn’t looked back since. In fact come Halloween and they stare straight at us, through their hollowed out eyes.

Good Luck Charms to get for Halloween

Although from an astrological point of view, there is nothing too sinister about this year’s Halloween, it’s never a bad time to get a good luck charm for protection. These are some amulets that both take into account the horoscope chart for Halloween 2022 and also have protective properties.

• Protection Amulet for Evil, Black Magic, Enemies

‘Kali’ or ‘Mahakali’ is the fearsome and righteous goddess who destroys evil. She is depicted as having a ferocious appearance. Her hair is long, unkept and flowing, her complexion is dark and she wears a garland strung from the heads of decapitated sinners. This amulet of ‘Mahakali’ vanquishes any form of negative energy, black magic or evil that might come out to play on Halloween.

• Talisman Locket for Protection

Halloween might not put us at added risk from enemies, but if you tend to attract the evil eye, other people’s jealousies or are otherwise plagued by enemies, this amulet is your antidote.

• Amulet to Remove Bad Luck

‘Durga’ and ‘Kali’ are the same goddess, but ‘Durga’ is her calmer, more benevolent form. She is kind to anyone who worships her. Acquiring her good luck charm brings protection from all forms of misfortune.

• The Protection Key Ring

If you are prone to accidents, consider attaching your keys to this good luck charm for protection. This amulet is formed by a trilogy of divine symbols that will make sure that you remain protected from any form of misfortune, as long as you have this nearby.

• The Pendant for Health, Harmony and Good Luck

It is believed that prolonged ill health could be a sign that a person is under a malefic influence. This good luck charm is an amulet for good health and good fortune. This is to be worn around the neck like a locket and doing so will protect the wearer physically, spiritually and emotionally. Also, the influence of this amulet will bring the blessings of Saturn, the ruling planet of the Moon sign for Halloween.

Our Conclusions for Halloween 2022

To borrow a quote from the late JFK, astrology suggests that at least in the case of this year's Halloween, "We have nothing to fear but fear itself." The stars and planets have given us the green signal to go ahead and have fun, celebrating all the best traditions of this occasion.