Happy Halloween!  The one day a year we get to wear costumes and mask ourselves, pretending to be someone or something else.  Every other day of the year we just wear invisible masks hiding our authenticity…our wholeness.  Even as a child I didn’t care much for this holiday.  I thought it was strange for a kid but the older I got I realized it was my analytical mind trying to find reasons.  I have never been afraid of horror films.  I am not scared of monsters.  I am frightened by much more than witches, goblins, and grave robbers.I am terrified of rejection, criticism, intolerance, ignorance, hatred, and an array of human emotions that create a detachment in our society.  I am crippled at times by failing and never giving my heart completely to another.  I’m paralyzed with anxiety at times, afraid of how humanity has evolved so much metaphysically (in theory) but chooses not to practice fellowship, unity, and peace.  I am not scared of spirits but those folks who are emotional vampires sucking the life from everyone around them.  Who needs a wolf man when depression lurks just around the corner in our world?  Who needs monsters when there are murders, molesters, rapists, and dictators in every country of the world?I am not frightened by the idea of the devil, but I respect and fear the evil in our world: those who speak of peace while holding on to some sort of weapon manipulating the need to control.  We’ve had hundreds of these men who want to create a better world by killing others.  That scares the crap out of me!  I am alarmed and horrified by hypocrisy, fallacies, lies, manipulation, and confrontations.  I rather hear truth, even if it’s raw and ugly at first, be hurt for a moment than be deceived later on.  But I also know the difference between being honest and just being plain ole nasty like a monster in the night.  Those things rape belief systems, trust, faith, and hope. I am deeply concerned and afraid of love disappearing from our lives with each evolving generation as they hide behind technology rather than human interaction. I am scared shitless of faith and compassion somehow vanishing from our DNA’s.  I am afraid that if we don’t start caring for the earth she will retaliate in horrific ways.  It is our home and we should be more conscious of our existence here.And, I do enjoy Halloween for the sweets.  I also live for the sweetness in my life.  I am constantly trying authentically to embrace this journey without the ghouls of sadness, violence, and destitution lurking in every corner of our world.  I am afraid of the media and how things are sensationalized to create mass fear.  I am afraid that if we don’t remove the masks we carry around every day then one day we will have nothing left.  Now that’s horror!We can’t change what we’ve done but we can change who we are at this moment.  We can take off the costumes, the masks, the armor suits and show truth to one another.  Halloween is one day yet we carry the ghouls and monsters inside all year around.  What would you do if you weren’t afraid to let go?  Truth is that knock on the door of your soul that gently says, “I carry no more baggage and I am here to stay!”  And, that’s one of the best trick-or-treat delights in life.  Enjoy the day, everyone!