Every year when the golden leaves of autumn flutter to the ground, no longer clinging to tree branches, children excitedly look forward to the fun-filled occasion called “Halloween.”

It’s the only time of the year when they can gleefully dress in their favorite costumes and go trick-or-treating with friends in their communities. However, Halloween hasn’t always been about wearing costumes of superheroes, ghosts and goblins, witches and warlocks, and going trick-or-treating
for candies and treats – its origin was of a more religious nature.

With influence from different religious cultures – the Celtic holiday of Samhain, the Catholic Hallowmas period of All Saints'Day and All Souls’ Day, and the Roman festival of Feralia – Halloween was initially a time of remembrance for the passing of loved ones, when the souls of the deceased were supposed to return to Earth; it was also a time to commemorate and honor deities, saints, and martyrs.

Centuries later, the original religious significance of Halloween has mostly faded and a more secular tradition takes its place: Halloween is now a time for community building and social bonding.

In 1999, while in Los Angeles, California, USA, Supreme Master Ching Hai had joined in the celebration with our Association members. Notwithstanding, even though many have forgotten the original belief that Halloween is a time when the souls of the deceased returned to the realm of the living, the presence of spirits (also known as “astral beings”) in the human world is not a work of fiction or a figment of a group of people’s imagination.

In her lectures, Supreme Master Ching Hai has shed light on the invisible spiritual worlds, including that of the astral level, the destination of certain souls who depart from this earthly abode. The boundary between the realm of the living and the realm of the dead is not so distinct as we may think.

Excerpt from “Children of the Dragon and Fairy” Discussion by Supreme Master Ching Hai Florida, USA – May 11, 2002

On the occasion of Halloween, we invite you to enjoy a compilation of Supreme Master Ching Hai's lectures on the intriguing topics of otherworldly spheres and spirits entitled “Astral Beings.”