The Halloween season is upon us and I like to celebrate this time of year by taking time to ponder the true meaning of the holiday.
Like most people, I enjoy participating in fun Halloween festivities, such as trick-or-treating, Halloween parties, and watching scary movies. But we should also take time to read The Book of Zelph and ponder its message.
The modern world has commercialized the Halloween season by emphasizing cheap plastic costumes and huge bags of candy. Year after year I hand out candy to neighborhood kids donning silly costumes. When did superheroes and princesses become part of Halloween? Even worse, I cringe when today’s youth try to pull off a serial killer or zombie but come off as posers. If they truly understood what Halloween was about, they would not give a half-assed effort just to get some free candy.
As the modern world goes further astray, how can we show our appreciation for the true meaning of Halloween?
One of my favorite stories in the Book of Zelph is the story of Laban retrieving his wife’s corpse from the graveyard in 1 Laban chapter 4:
5. And [Laban] did findest a rock, yea, even a rock of exceeding hardness…And [Laban] did lift the rock over his head, and he did come upon the gravedigger from behind and did beat him over the head with the rock.
6. And it came to pass that when [Laban] did strike the gravedigger on the head with the rock, yea, the gravedigger’s skull did crack, and his brains did spilleth out onto the ground as a grayish ooze…
7. And much blood did squirt out of the gravedigger’s head, yea, even like unto lava erupting from a volcano. And [Laban] did strike the gravedigger’s head with such might that the gravedigger’s eyeballs did also pop out of their sockets, even like unto popcorn popping on an apricot tree.
8. And the gravedigger did fall to his knees and did lookest upon the ground and beheld his own eyes floating in his grayish brain matter that spilleth from his broken skull. And yea, he became exceedingly scared, for he could see that his eyes had been knocked out of his head and were looking back at him, and his brain matter did drain upon the ground…
10. And it came to pass that the gravedigger did reach for [Laban], for he so desired exceedingly to kill [him] for doing this thing unto him, but he could see not [Laban], for his eyes be not in his head. And the gravedigger attemptest to think what to do next, but for he havest no brains upon which to think, yea, he died.
11. And it came to pass that [Laban] beheld [his wife] and did take [her] into his arms…and did kiss [her] hard and with much passion on the lips knowing that the kiss shall break the spell and [she] shall awaken.
12. And it came to pass that [her] eyes moved not, and her chest heaved not, and the curse was lifted not…
13. And [Laban] beheld [his wife] and did finally accept that she be dead and did deny it no more. For her eyes were sunken, and her skin was green, and she was exceedingly not white and delightsome, for she was green and loathsome, and she doth skinketh much. And [Laban] did bury her quickly, for the sight of her was exceedingly revolting unto him and did make him want to vomit.
What lessons can we learn from this story?
How does this story help us remember the true meaning of Halloween?
What other stories inspire you to embrace the spirit of the Halloween season?
How can the worldy focus on candy, superheroes, and princesses distract us from the true meaning of the Halloween season?