With the changing leaves of Fall, a strange sense of comfort and chaos fills the air. From lighting pumpkin-scented candles to telling ghost stories, it’s a season that can’t decide whether to heal or haunt us. Perhaps that’s why the months of October and November feel so special, as it’s the only time when the spooky and sacred share the same light.Â
Fall is faced with layers of superficial and basic jokes. It’s filled with trends of “Basic Girl Fall” or “Christian Girl Autumn” and hallmarked with a plethora of pumpkin spice lattes and Bath and Body Works trips, but when you look beyond those basic symbols, the season garners a deep sense of spirituality.Â
In the Catholic tradition, Nov. 1 and Nov. 2 mark All Saints’ and All Souls’ Day, which honor those who have died and the Saints of the Church. These days, remember all those who are now in Heaven and Purgatory. Halloween also takes on a new tone when looking at it through a religious lens, as it can be called All Hallows’ Eve. It is a solemn holiday and vigil to All Saints’ Day. All Hallows’ Eve marks a period of reflection on life, death, and special prayers for those who have died. Halloween also has a Celtic tradition, which welcomes the harvest at the end of summer, where many would have bonfires and wear costumes to ward off evil spirits.Â
Halloween in the modern day is normally depicted as a night of terror and fun with candy, ghosts, and goblins, but one can’t discount the intense spirituality of the holiday. Halloween can be both solemn and carefree, but it’s important to understand all historical aspects of essential holidays that make the season of Fall, well, Fall.Â
Aside from religious spirituality, Autumn comes with such intense rituals like Sunday journaling, listening to music in wired headphones, baking sweet treats, and walking under the bright, orange leaves. Many rewatch the domestic spirituality in “Gilmore Girls,” which finds intentionality within the mundane, which turns into a type of secular holiness. We create small acts of beauty and devotion towards ourselves and loved ones. In the Fall, we learn to respect the little things and notice the best and sacred moments in everyday life as the sun sets each day.Â
But once the sun sets, the creatures of the dark stir. Many take Autumn as a time to flirt with the uncanny and supernatural, a notion which Hollywood takes full advantage of. Horror movies like “Halloween,” “The Exorcist,” or “Hereditary” highlight people’s desire to explore the known through the unknown. This desire to understand the unknown leads many, including the characters of these films, into dark moments of fear and death, but through catharsis and life transitions do they understand the true meaning of life and death. Lighter dramas like “Practical Magic” have the same effect and let us explore femininity, spirituality, and rebellion through fear and catharsis. The difference in fall-themed films reflects the dichotomy of the season as a stark contrast of reverence and irreverence. Â
Fall stories hold such contradictions within each other, but highlight the importance of transition. We can look at the season as changing from tanks to sweaters and black coffee to pumpkin spice everything, but we miss the essential aspect of readying our mind for change. The world is shedding its leaves, and through that, we understand that life and death coexist with each other. We breathe through the cold air, allowing grief to dissipate with the help of friends, family, nostalgia, and cinema. As at the end of every horror movie, the final girl gets rescued and finds a new way to live, and so can we when we embrace the greatness of Fall.