Halloween’s a scary time, which is no surprise, as the morbid side of life can be seen all around us. It’s creepy because the holiday is decorated with death—and there’s a small part in all of us that really likes that unnerved feeling we get after a good scare.
But we see death in more than just the holiday: It’s also a major theme that characterizes the fall. It’s represented in nature by fallen leaves, withered plants, the absence of songbirds, and the arrival of cold weather. It’s the death that comes before renewal.
People take notice of this natural shift and give death an elaborate welcome.
We personify death by painting our faces white and splattering fake blood on our clothes to make ourselves look like the victim of a gruesome homicide. We dress up like blood-sucking vampires and decaying corpses that were resurrected by radioactivity. We adorn our houses with death by decorating our front porches with skeletons and ghosts and staking cardboard headstones into our front lawns to evoke the foreboding feel of a graveyard.
It’s a scary time. Attendance to haunted houses and horror flicks are still more examples of our attraction to the sinister.
For some people, death’s a celebration, as partiers around the world enjoy Dia De Los Muertos on Oct. 31 and Nov. 1 and 2 to honor the deceased. Part of the festivities is parading through crowded streets in remembrance of dead relatives whose lives and deaths made our lives possible.
Some people refrain from participating in this season’s dance with mortality. I suggest you don’t. I suggest you go out and get scared. It might do you some good to allow yourself to feel fear in a situation that you know is only temporary.
Your heart rate will rise.
The hairs on the back of your neck will stand up.
Your adrenaline will begin to flow.
You might even break out in a sweat, feeling like you just ran a mile through a haunted graveyard being chased by the Headless Horseman.
Take advantage of this season’s acceptance of the fearful. Challenge yourself to the Mid State Scare haunted house in Arroyo Grande, open Oct. 31, Nov. 1, and Nov. 2. You can even go all three nights for three different mind-chilling shows: CarnEvil on Friday, Blood on the Bayou on Saturday, and Scream in the Dark on Sunday.
When you put yourself into a safe state of fear, the results can be rejuvenating. I’m not saying you have to walk down a deserted alley at 2 a.m.: an artificial simulation can do the trick just the same. Many people profess that the most invigorating moments of their lives were when they felt like they were on the verge of death.
Allow me to take some of the mystery out of death.
And, I don’t mean death in the sense that your heart stops beating, and you release your last breath; I’m talking about the broader picture, that metaphysical dark side of the circle of life. It’s here, all around us at Halloween, and it’s important to pay attention to.
Death can be good for your health. It’s good for the Earth, and it’s good for you.
Autumn is a symbol for dying. It’s the preliminary stage when things are winding down before winter. This symbolism can be applied to your life. You can use the trees as inspiration for letting dead leaves fall from your life.
This major component of nature can also be applied to the smallest pieces of the day, to the simplest interactions between people. It can be applied to your attitude.
The fall season ushers in change. It’s a good time for people to change. It’s a good time to get fit and shed extra pounds like the trees shed their leaves. And I’m not just talking about physical pounds. I’m talking about emotional pounds, too, and getting emotionally fit.
If there’s something in your life that’s not worth hanging onto any longer, let it go. This is the time to look inside yourself and examine what’s worth holding onto and what’s not.
Maybe there’s a project you’ve been meaning to do but haven’t found the time to do it. It’s weighing on your mind. Let it go. Leave it behind like the maple tree discards its little solar panels. New ideas will grow again. Maybe there’s a habit you’ve fallen into that’s not doing you any good, like anger. Make an effort to let those feelings go.
The Earth’s tilt is moving farther from the sun, bringing darker days and colder weather. Fall reminds us of the freshness of life. It’s a favorite season for many people because the colder air gives them the sense of a fresh beginning. Renewal isn’t always an enemy. This season reminds us of that. Happy Birthday, Death!
Contact Staff Writer Aaron Salazar at asalazar@santamariasun.com.
This article appears in Oct 30 – Nov 5, 2014.