Halfway between the fall equinox and the winter solstice, when the ghosts and ghouls of Halloween appear on our doorsteps, is a time regarded in many cultures as one when the veils between this world and the next are thin or even lifted. We will mark the occasion, known variously as All Souls or All Saints Day, as the Days of the Dead and as Samhain, by remembering those who have gone before us and honoring our connections both to them and to those who will come after us.

The service will include an ofrenda, an altar of remembrance, and children and adults are encouraged to bring mementos of loved ones who have died. You are invited to place your photos, small objects, treasures and offerings of remembrance and love on the ofrenda at the beginning of each service and may take them home with you at the close. A guided writing session in the afternoon, led by Rev. Karen Hering, will invite you to reflect on memories of a loved one and, if you wish, to share those memories with others.

Rev. Karen Hering serves as consulting literary minister at Unity Church-Unitarian, in St. Paul, MN, and is the author of Writing to Wake the Soul: opening the sacred conversation within. She leads retreats and programs for writers and non-writers alike, and her forthcoming book, Living in the Between: a thresholder’s guide to personal and global change will be published in 2018. For more information, visit: www.karenhering.com.