Samhain or Happy Halloween

Today, let's all have some fun!  Here is the story of Samhain or Halloween (as you might know it):
Samhain was a Celtic holiday (the Celtic New Year) that included celebrations, bonfires, guising, divination, and represents the final harvest of the year.  It also marks the end of Summer (the season of Light) and is the beginning of Winter (the season of Darkness).  The eve of Samhain (Oct 31st) was the time where the souls of Purgatory walked between realities.  A table setting was placed for the deceased of families at the tables; candles were burnt in windows so the souls should find their way home and food was put out so souls who had no home should have food while they continued their journey to heaven.    The Catholics joined the partywagon around the 8th century and called the holiday All Saint's Day (later All Soul's Day); membership was low and this attracted more pagans into the Church...Bonfires and festivals marked the holiday of Samhain.  Bonfires symbolized the 'light in the dark' and also served as part of a cleansing festival to mark the New Year.  The custom of costumes and masks came from the peasants attempts to emulate the evil spirits, and drive them out (give 'em a bit of their own medicine!).  Large turnips were hollowed out and evil looking faces carved to scare the evil spirits away.  In the 16th century, children dressed in masks and costumes and went from door to door offering songs and entertainment in return for food, treats and coins (hence...trick or treat!).  Fruits of the harvest (mainly apples) and nuts were used to determine a future spouse or the future of a marriage. Egg whites were used to determine the number of children to be born in a family.

Here's Your Healthy Tip of the Day:  No matter what you do for Halloween, have fun and don't eat too much candy!!  I'm off to Salem to play games, sing songs and talk to toads, so there will be no blog tomorrow.  Happy Halloween, Happy Samhain, and if you see any dead people, be nice to them!

Be Whoever Your Want To Be In Life

It's October and it's time to think about what we want to be for Halloween.  Halloween is my favorite holiday; no stress of whose relatives you don't want to see, no bad food you are obliged to eat....it's just a fun day to dress up and be whoever you want to be and go to parties.  In reflecting on who I am going to 'be' this Halloween, I thought about how many people go through life wishing they 'could have been' this or 'could have done' that.  Life is full of possiblities and YOUR life is a blank canvas.  It can be whatever you want it to be; YOU can be WHOEVER you want to be.  Of course, there are certain limitations....not all of us are smart enough to be rocket scientists, but we can be aeronautic mechanics.

Here's Your Healthy Tip of the Day:  Today, sit down and think to yourself and write this down..." I am the Possibility of Being.............".   You fill in the blank.  Will you be the possibility of being Kind, A Good Person, A Banker, An Artist, Compassion?  Once you have written down WHO you are as a Possibility, then commit to BEING that person.  I have always committed myself to being the possibility of Greatness.  Whenver I have decided to do something, I make a plan, stick by it, and achieve major results.  Defeat is never in the game plan.  What will you commit to today?

Happy Halloween!

Holy Cow!  Can you believe it's the end of October and my favorite holiday of them all?!!  I just love the creativity and imagination that goes with Halloween.

Here's Your Healthy Tip of the Day:  Have a Happy Halloween!  Try not to eat all the kids' candy (don't say the dog ate it) and have lots of fun.  And, let's not ever forget our favorite Witch of Wall Street who has been haunting the streets downtown for months; I've heard of mysterious disappearances of cookies and hot dogs!!!