Spiritual Meaning of October
October — the harvest month, the thinning of the veil between worlds, the month of Sukkot and Halloween — is the season when the year's abundance is gathered, when the darkness begins to increase, and when the boundary between the living and the dead is said to grow thin.
The Harvest and the Veil
October (from Latin octo — "eight" — the original eighth month; October 31/November 1: Samhain in Celtic tradition — the festival at the boundary between summer and winter, the beginning of the dark half of the year, the time when the veil between the world of the living and the world of the dead was believed to be at its thinnest, the ancestors returning, the spirits active; the Christian All Hallows' Eve/All Saints' Day/All Souls' Day placed at the same calendar point — the Church claiming and transforming the Celtic liminal date into the Christian commemoration of the dead and the saints). October is the month of the harvest completion: the abundance of the year gathered before the frost, the work of spring and summer collected before the darkness increases.
Sukkot — Tabernacles
October is the month of Sukkot (Tabernacles/Booths) in the Jewish calendar — the greatest of the three pilgrimage feasts, the harvest celebration, the seven-day feast of joy ("the most joyful feast" — Deuteronomy 16:15). Sukkot: the temporary booths built to commemorate the wilderness wandering, lived in for seven days, decorated with the harvest's fruits — the combination of gratitude, impermanence, and abundance. "The harvest is plentiful but the workers are few" (Matthew 9:37) — the harvest imagery at the heart of Jesus's ministry theology. October as the season of: the gathering of what the year has produced, the gratitude for the abundance, the acknowledgment of the impermanence of the temporary dwelling, and the thinning of the veil that invites the acknowledgment of those who have gone before.
Key spiritual meanings of October
- Octo
- the original eighth: October carrying its number from the pre-Julian calendar, before January and February were added
- Samhain and the thinning veil
- the Celtic festival of the boundary between the living and the dead
- All Hallows/All Saints/All Souls
- the Church transforming the liminal date into the commemoration of the holy dead
- Sukkot
- the most joyful feast: the harvest celebration, the temporary booth, the seven-day abundance-and-impermanence
- The harvest completion
- October as the gathering of what the year has produced — the abundance collected before the darkness
- The temporary dwelling
- the sukkah booth teaching the spiritual practice of gratitude without clinging
- Honoring the ancestors
- October's invitation to remember, commemorate, and give thanks for those who have gone before
- Spiritual meaning
- gather the harvest with gratitude, live lightly in the temporary, honor the dead, feel the thinning of the veil
Frequently asked questions
What does October mean spiritually?
October — the harvest month, the thinning of the veil between worlds, the month of Sukkot and Halloween — is the season when the year's abundance is gathered, when the darkness begins to increase, and when the boundary between the living and the dead is said to grow thin.
The Harvest and the Veil
October (from Latin octo — "eight" — the original eighth month; October 31/November 1: Samhain in Celtic tradition — the festival at the boundary between summer and winter, the beginning of the dark half of the year, the time when the veil between the world of the living and the world of the dead was believed to be at its thinnest, the ancestors returning, the spirits active; the Christian All Hallows' Eve/All Saints' Day/All Souls' Day placed at the same calendar point — the Church claiming…
Sukkot — Tabernacles
October is the month of Sukkot (Tabernacles/Booths) in the Jewish calendar — the greatest of the three pilgrimage feasts, the harvest celebration, the seven-day feast of joy ("the most joyful feast" — Deuteronomy 16:15). Sukkot: the temporary booths built to commemorate the wilderness wandering, lived in for seven days, decorated with the harvest's fruits — the combination of gratitude, impermanence, and abundance. "The harvest is plentiful but the workers are few" (Matthew 9:37) — the harvest…
What are the 8 spiritual meanings of October?
1. Octo — the original eighth: October carrying its number from the pre-Julian calendar, before January and February were added 2. Samhain and the thinning veil: the Celtic festival of the boundary between the living and the dead 3. All Hallows/All Saints/All Souls: the Church transforming the liminal date into the commemoration of the holy dead 4. Sukkot — the most joyful feast: the harvest celebration, the temporary booth, the seven-day abundance-and-impermanence 5. The harvest completion: October as the gathering of what the year has produced — the abundance collected before the darkness 6. The temporary dwelling: the sukkah booth teaching the spiritual practice of gratitude without clinging 7. Honoring the ancestors: October's invitation to remember, commemorate, and give thanks for those who have gone before 8. Spiritual meaning: gather the harvest with gratitude, live lightly in the temporary, honor the dead, feel the thinning of the veil