HALLOWEEN: We are TRICKED not TREATED

I love fall. I love the colors of fall and I LOVE Halloween. I know many Christians frown on Halloween for it being a pagan holiday. Hell, even our days and months are named after gods and goddesses and our capital, D.C, has large statues of naked gods and goddesses and kids playing dressup and eating candy is of the DEVIL. Let's not get into Easter and Christmas being on pagan celebration days. TRICK.

As my favorite holiday approaches, my heart aches for the children unable to participate in the fun due to financial concerns. Yes, even candy has succomb to INFLATION. Overall, candy is 10.8% more expensive this Halloween season than last year, according to an analysis of NielsenIQ data conducted by progressive think tank Groundwork Collaborative and shared first with CNN. That’s nearly quadruple the overall rate of inflation. In 2024, Halloween candy prices only rose 2.1%, the analysis found.The price of chewing gum and candy has risen 39% since February 2020, according to the Bureau of Labor Statistics. Last year, 52% of the total volume of Halloween candy sold in the U.S. was made of chocolate, according to Dan Sadler, a principal for client insights at the market research company Circana. But in the 12 weeks ending Oct. 5, chocolate accounted for 44% of the Halloween candy sold in the U.S.

Campaigning for office a year ago, standing in front of a table loaded up with bags of flour, cartons of eggs and gallons of milk, President Donald Trump told voters, “When I win, I will immediately bring prices down, starting on Day One.” The overall cost of food at home has ticked up between 0.2% and 0.4% almost every month since January, according to BLS tracking. One exception was in April 2025, when prices went down 0.1% from the month before. All those tiny increases have added up to a 3% increase in food prices year-over-year. TRICK.

Rather than addressing the rising cost of living, Trump has sown chaos and pushed policies that hurt working families. His plan to shut down the Consumer Financial Protection Bureau—our only watchdog against predatory practices by big banks and corporations—will drive up costs for everyday Americans. Meanwhile, he continues to prioritize tax breaks for the wealthy while ignoring critical issues like housing, child care, healthcare and grocery prices. Parents are in food lines at food banks due to government shutdown. TRICK.

These days little thought is being given to the plight of Americans and even less thought is given to the children of America. The Trump administration is pushing for no vaccines which are critical for children, their education is being formulated by Evangelicals and higher education is discouraged, SNAP benefits for the most vulnerable children is being stopped along with vital healthcare needed for children who catch every bug, and their parents are facing financial ruin from the government shutdown. Why would anything fun like Halloween be left for them to enjoy when this administration seems to enjoy the American people suffering?

All of the happiness and joy in America is being SUCKED out by Donald Trump and his supporters. Hate and racism is a steady DRUMBEAT these days coming directly from the White House. Little ears are listening and little eyes are seeing. Are children witnessing EVIL instead of enjoying CANDY this Halloween? Children are of little concern for them because they have no money to extract from them with Trump's countless use of the White House for his personal GAIN. TREAT.

HEY! AMERICA! You're getting poorer while your president and his family are getting RICH. Trump once said children don't need alot of presents at Christmas time. Remember that? While HE gifts HIMSELF daily. TREAT.

Parents rail against the demonic customes children wear for one night while Trump has his demon custom on daily. He is a frightening monster terrorizing the United States. He is TRICKING the Right and TREATING himself to more wealth and adoration from his supporters for his cruelty to Brown and Black people (I can never say this enough).

While the church cry SINNER for those who enjoy Halloween, they HITCH their Godly wagon to a person like Trump as we ALL suffer economically. Well, not all. Those in charge of the government will have their checks and healthcare. Well, they should. They work so hard for the people! TRICK.

As the government remains shutdown and flights are cancelled and federal workers fired, Trump is building a multi-million dollar ballroom to dance at taxpayer expense. MAGA counters with, Obama built basketball court. REALLY PEOPLE! TRICK.

The only one receiving a TREAT are the rich who are getting richer during this administration. While tummies of children will be rumbling with hunger, Trump acquires more TREATS for himself as he flies around the world making deals for himself and family. The Trumps have on their costumes and candy bags in hand wherever they go. They are offering TRICKS or TREATS to leaders around the world. They PAY to PLAY with the United States and that isn't evil in any way right? TRICK.

Christians have been sounding the alarm against those who hate God. Now their MASCOT is a culmination of every sin possible and has been indited and crimally charged. His Christian followers see no SIN in him, only Democrats and Halloween loving children without a felony record. TRICK.

So, yet another big blow for children living in an evil ADULT world. Fun and joy are not for America right now. Fear and anger are ruling. It is a time to be frightened by little ghosts and gobblins. Instead we are frightened of our OWN government to the delight of the Right and Evangelicals. TREAT.

The Moon Matters

Do you think you know about the moon? Do you even care about the moon?

In our day to day lives, we rarely take time to look upward at the heavens. The sun rises and sets without any fanfare and the moon is paid little attention with its constant presence in the sky out shined by the sun. But there was a time in history when the MOON MATTERED.

The Next Full Moon is Thursday morning, Oct. 17, 2024, at 7:26 a.m. EDT and it's a Supermoon; the Hunter's Moon; the Travel Moon, the Dying Grass Moon, or the Sanguine or Blood Moon; the start of Sukkoth; Sharad Purnima, Kumara Purnima, Kojagari Purnima, Navanna Purnima Kojagrat Purnima, or Kaumudi Purnima; the end of Vassa and Pavarana; the Thadingyut Festival Moon; the end of the Phaung Daw U Pagoda Festival; and Vap Poya.

According to the Royal Museums Greenwich, the “Hunter's Moon” was named by Native Americans, so named because it gives hunters longer periods of night with which to stalk prey during the fall months. All of the names for this particular moon and related festivals/celebrations would make one believe this moon is special. But this will be the third of four consecutive supermoons (and the brightest by a tiny margin).

The moon has always been viewed and painted in poetry as mysterious. Adding to the mystery of moons is the fact this supermoon is in the month when little ones and adults dress up as ghost, witches, and goblins. Did you know that the word lunatic comes from the Latin luna, because it was believed that people were more likely to exhibit aberrant behavior during a full moon? For many Pagans, the cycles of the moon are important to magical workings. It's believed in some traditions that the waxing moon, the full moon, the waning moon and the new moon all have their own special magical properties. 

Inevitably, sometimes controversially, the moon is associated with fertility, and many believe the moon's influence over love, sex, and reproduction is part of a rhythm seen in the natural world. Does a supermoon make you super sexy, super desirable, or super sexy? Maybe we should be paying more attention to the moon.

When the moon waxes, life is said to grow and abundance is present, whereas desire diminishes during its waning cycle. In New Zealand, Maori myth says that a young girl named Rona displeased the Moon so that he seized her and took her far away to him. Grabbing a tree, she dragged it with her, the tree symbolizing fertility.

In the above folklore, the moon is depicted as male, while in the majority of myths the moon is referred to as female. The moon is a feminine symbol, universally representing the rhythm of time as it embodies the cycles. The phases of the moon symbolize immortality and eternity, enlightenment or the dark side of Nature herself. The Moon is generally thought of as feminine; due to the connection between its phases and a woman's monthly cycles (that's where the term 'menstrual' comes from). As the average length of women's menstrual cycles matches the moon's 29.5-day waxing and waning cycle.

Isis is the moon goddess in Egyptian culture. N"Game is the moon goddess of West Africa. Her name translates to “the shining one.” N’Game was known for creating all of the heavenly bodies. Chang'e, is the moon goddess of China. She was married to Hou Yi, an archer and emperor. Cerridwen, commonly referred to as the dark moon goddess is the Celtic goddess of the underworld. She is the keeper of the cauldron of knowledge.  Artemis is the Greek goddess of the moon, hunting, archery and midwifery. Selene is the goddess of the moon in Greek mythology. Hecate is the moon goddess of magic, witchcraft, the night, ghosts, necromancy and of course, the moon. In the Mayan folklore, Ixchel translates to rainbow woman; she is the goddess of the moon, love, gestation, medicine and textile arts. There are many more moon goddesses, too many to name here.

Not only does the moon hold myth and mystery, but it has also crossed into our expressions. The expression "once in a Blue Moon" is derived from the rarity of the event, as it is a second full moon in a calendar month, occurring only every two to three years. There are also many people who incorporate the phases of the moon into spiritual practices and moon bathe.

A moon bath is a ritual that involves immersing oneself in the moon's energy during specific phases of the moon. It's a spiritual practice that's believed to help people connect with nature, find balance, and improve their overall well-being. Moon bathing was an ancient Indian practice that involved going outside and standing or laying under the moonlight to benefit from its healing properties. Instead of going outside like ancient Indians, today's moon bathers prefer the privacy of the warm waters of their bathtub, along with bath salts, candles, essential oils, and soothing music.

Many cultures believe the moon possesses the ability to cleanse and reset, making it a significant time for rituals and wishes. One popular belief is that wishes made under a full moon have a higher chance of coming true. People create "moon water" by leaving a glass container filled with water under the moon's light overnight, believing that it becomes charged with the moon's energy and can be used for various purposes.

In the Philippines, it is believed that no marriage should take place except during the period of the full moon, as good fortune comes only during that period. There’s also the superstition that exposing your newborn to the waxing moon will give the baby strength. Meanwhile, the Irish believe viewing the new moon through glass should be avoided, and that even the position of the new moon is important; for luck the new moon should be seen over the right shoulder, never the left.

No matter whether you pay the gray heavenly body any attention or not these days, it continues to maintain its magic and allure. No romantic evening is complete without a full shining moon and twinkling stars. Farmers no longer rely solely on the phases or stages of the moon for planting, but modern science and weather forecasts. The goddesses have long fell out of favor and few superstitions/myths remain. But the moon is always glorious. Just look up tonight.

And with the airwaves and internet flooded with politics, you may find some relief from the negative energy by going out tonight under the beautiful full Hunter's Moon and soaking up some moon rays to rid yourself of the negative energy. The chances are slim you will turn into a werewolf as many believed in the past happened during a full moon. But it is the month of ghosts and goblins, who knows what may happen.

Here are a few more beliefs about the moon.

The first time you see a crescent moon for the month, take all your spare coins out of your pocket, and put them in the other pocket. This will ensure good luck for the next month.

Some people believe that the fifth day after a full moon is the perfect time to try to conceive a child.

In some Chinese religions, offerings are made to the ancestors on the night of a full moon.

In some Native American legends, the moon is held captive by a hostile tribe. A pair of antelope hope to rescue the moon and take it the village of a good tribe, but Coyote, the trickster, interferes. The antelope chase Coyote, who tosses the moon into a river each night, just out of reach of the antelope.

The night of the full moon is believed to be a good time for divination and scrying. 

It is unlucky to have a full Moon on Sunday.

It is unlucky to see the first sliver of a new Moon through a window; you'll break a dish. And it's certainly unlucky to sleep in the moonlight, or worse, be born in the moonlight! 

It is unlucky to point at the new Moon or view any Moon over your shoulder.