9 Magical Things to Do in October

Before you celebrate Halloween or Samhain, celebrate October with these fun ideas.

There’s so much to love about October.

The closer we get to the 31st, the thinner the veil becomes.

What veil, you ask? The veil between the worlds of form and spirit, seen and unseen, known and unknown.

Each day of this most magical month, this veil fades just a little bit more, until Halloween (and the ancient harvest holiday of Samhain in the Northern Hemisphere, the spring holiday of Beltane in the Southern) when it is at its most tenuous and threadbare.

Samhain/Halloween is the traditional end of the bright, expansive harvest portion of the year, as well as the dawn of the year’s final months – which is why we associate it with death.

Beltane/Halloween is the portal to the bright half of the year and the year when we feel closest to and most aligned with the fairy folk and the realm of the fae. (In some traditions, the faerie realm and the realm of the dead are in fact one and the same.)

Either way, this is a liminal, luminous time.

Bravely embrace the sweet, the magical, and the mysterious. Enter the portal. Awaken to magic. Open up to change.

Here are some October activities to help you make this your most magical October yet.

1. Place a Pot of Marigolds Near Your Front Door

In both India and South America, marigolds are associated with the transition from this realm to the next. They make the heart smile by reminding us of the deep and profound love we feel for our loved ones who are no longer with us on this side of the veil. Their bright optimism shines light into the darkness, harmonizes the spirit, and fills the soul with joyful sweetness.

Place a pot of marigolds near your front door to uplift the energy, protect your home from negativity, and welcome in sweet and beneficent spirits from the other side.

2. Create an Ancestor Altar

It’s truly incomprehensible how many ancestors you have. It’s also mind-blowing to consider that every one of those ancestors had a unique and multi-faceted life. Each of them had strengths, challenges, passions, and experiences all their own, and yet not so different than yours.

And all these ancestors have joined forces to create the miraculous person you see in the mirror.

Even though your ancestors may not still be here in the physical world, they are still here: in your DNA, in the earth, and in the universal energy that surrounds, guides, and motivates you.

October is the perfect time to honor them by creating an altar with old photos, candles, flowers, and anything else that feels right. When you strike up and nourish a relationship with your ancestors in this way, you’ll likely discover they still have a lot of wonderful support to offer you, and they’re happy to do it.

3. Work with my Halloween Forever Oracle

I am having so much fun with my HALLOWEEN FOREVER ORACLE.

The artwork is so vibrant and evocative of the velvety magic of this glorious month, and all the messages are perfectly attuned to the thinning of the veil.

Do readings for yourself and your friends to receive guidance on everyday issues in perfect alignment with the energies of October, Samhain, and Halloween.

Check it out and get it here.

4. Go for a Walk in a Cemetery

Put your cemetery walking shoes on: it’s the absolute best time of year to go for a stroll through one of these serene, luminous, and under-appreciated park-scape-portals-between-the-worlds.

(This is a picture of my cousin Em of Survival Guide walking through Green-Wood Cemetery when we were on tour in 2016.)

5. Decorate a Ceramic Skull

What could be better than adorning your house with festive ceramic skulls?

Well, I’ll tell you. Adorning your house with festive ceramic skulls that you decorated yourself.

Get yourself some vibrant craft paint, of course, but also consider sequins, pressed herbs and flowers, sticky jewels, and sparkles.

6. Eat Apples

Apples are magical things: they grow in abundance on the sacred Isle of Avalon, they are beloved by unicorns, and they are blessed by the goddesses Venus and Aphrodite. And while apples are often good, apples in October are a whole other thing – provided you make sure they are from a fresh crop, and preferably picked from an orchard just down the road. (Or perhaps an adjacent region, so check your farmers’ market.)

Eat that apple mindfully. Open up your senses. Taste the sweetness and feel the magic.

7. Sweep and Adorn Your Ancestors’ Graves

I am all for aimlessly walking through a cemetery just for the heck of it.

But it can also be wonderful to go to a cemetery with a purpose.

If there’s a cemetery that contains friends or ancestors, bring a broom to sweep their graves.

You might also like to bring along a pot of flowers and anything else you’d like to offer as a gift.

Or, perhaps, play some music. Where I live in California, there is a wonderful mariachi band that sometimes plays for the cemetery inhabitants throughout the night.

8. Revamp Your Black Wardrobe

Black is a power color. It neutralizes negativity, grounds excess energy and anxiety, and aligns us with the vast power of the Great Holy Mystery.

And it looks so good in October.

Visit thrift or consignment stores for a sustainable and affordable wardrobe revamp.

9. Wear or Meditate with an Opal

Opal is the October birthstone, and it’s also known as the stone of souls. Like October itself, Opal helps sensitize us to the unseen realm and the spirits on the other side. Wearing or meditating with an opal will help you see beyond the veil while attuning you to the magical frequencies of this powerful time.

Did you try any of these activities, or do you plan to?

Do you have your own favorite go-to activities for this time of year?

Please share your thoughts and experiences in the comments below.