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The custom of wearing Halloween masks is believed to be rooted in the centuries-old Celtic belief that masks would hide a person’s identity from ghosts who roamed the earthly world as the days shortened into winter.
Today, Halloween is synonymous with costumes and masks. Donning the clothing of another character, we assume that character’s persona.
Like playing dress up as kids, we experience how it might feel to be someone or something else. We participate in fun and jest, yet it might be interesting to ask ourselves…
Of the perhaps hundreds of choices of costumes and masks, why do I choose the one I do?
What are the aspects of this character that attract me?
Are there traits of this character that I want?
Who does the mask create for me that is different from who I project to the world?
How does it feel to step inside this costume, and how is that different from how I perceive myself?
Taking a few minutes to ask these questions when you’re quiet and alone will allow you time to think and reflect.
As you get to know yourself, you may find you’ve already been wearing a mask, a disguise that does not look at all like the real you but instead provides your outer world something they want to see. Most of us wear such a disguise at least some of the time. We may even have more than one disguise for particular groups of people or circumstances.
As we become aware of the mask(s) we wear, we have a choice – continue wearing the mask, or allow ourselves to be seen as who we really are. This may take patience and a degree of determination, but is easier and more natural when fueled with an inner sense of being authentic.
The ancient Celtics would gather in community and dance in costume around huge bonfires to deceive the ghosts. At the end of this ritual, they would light a torch from the bonfire, carry it home, and use it to start the flame in their own home hearth for the winter. They believed this would continue to protect and sustain them through the coming months of winter cold and darkness.
Perhaps this is the essence of our custom of jack-o-lanterns. We decorate the exterior surface, and even create a mask. But when we clean out the inner gunk and light a flame inside, others can look through the outer mask to the inner light. And what happens to the outer mask of a jack-o-lantern with a strong and persistent flame of light inside? It shrivels and eventually falls away, leaving only the light to illuminate its authentic brilliance.
Self-Help Tip: Holding your little finger fuels your inner light of authenticity. Just gently wrap the fingers of one hand around the little finger of the other hand and hold for as long as you like, as often as you like.
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