ghosts

Halloween is an exiting season for children for a variety of reasons, including play with other children and candy. One thing that has occurred to me is that the holiday can make some unconscious sense to kids as they inherit a world haunted by spooks that were here waiting for them before they arrived. Their family trees may be haunted with neurosis and dysfunction trickling down the generations, possibly originating from people who have been dead for a long time. Issues like were-wolfish rage, vampiric energy sapping narcissism, and spooky irrational behavior lurk in places that are impossible to avoid. Thank goodness there is a time of year that those realities can be playfully acknowledged and momentarily purged in the fun and safe activities of the season.