Jane and Sarah celebrate the season of the thinning veil with a Halloween special built around a new story from beloved returning writer Rebecca Barry, a published author who was recently featured again in the New York Times.

Rebecca takes listeners through Halloween night in her village. She shadow-dances under the street lamps with her ten-year-old niece, wanders through a haunted house run by her friends from the coffee shop, and ends at an ancestor altar lit by candles, where she invites her mother and grandmothers to come sit at the table. In a tender second part, her cat writes her a letter describing everything she couldn’t see that night. Rebecca takes listeners through Halloween night in her village. She shadow-dances under the street lamps with her ten-year-old niece, wanders through a haunted house run by her friends from the coffee shop, and ends at an ancestor altar lit by candles, where she invites her mother and grandmothers to come sit at the table. In a tender second part, her cat writes her a letter describing everything she couldn’t see that night.

Afterward, Jane and Sarah talk about how our awareness might strengthen Spirit’s ability to reach us. They share stories of altar objects moving on a loved one’s birthday, and of a reading in which a spirit had Sarah speaking in a Canadian accent as evidence.

Then they share a wonderful story by Valerie Fowler called “Spirits of Halloween” - the story of a young girl who learns how to manage all of the hard and unusual elements of Halloween with the power of intention.

The episode closes with a replay of part of Jane’s first solo episode, a deep dive into Day of the Dead and how to build your own altar for the loved ones you miss.

Key takeaways

• Your loved ones in spirit are not only reachable on Halloween. Seasons like this one give us a shared moment to pay attention.
• An altar is a focused invitation. Photos, flowers, and their favorite drinks tell your people “this is for you.”
• The more we notice spirit, the more room we may be giving them to show up. The relationship can feel collaborative.
• Evidence can be playful. Humor, mannerisms, and old inside jokes are often how spirit proves it’s really them.
• Grief and joy can share the same night. Celebrating life is one way of honoring the dead.
• Sometimes the sign you’re longing for is already inside you, in your stories, your habits, and the way you see the world.

Quotes

• “What if everything in the universe thinks everything else is lucky?” (Rebecca Barry)
• “You don’t need a visitation because I’m in you.” (Rebecca Barry, from the cat’s letter)
• “The monsters really are your friends.” (Rebecca’s niece)
• “My mom said if the spirit comes around and you don’t want them, just say no and they flicker out” - Valerie Fowler
• “The more that we can sense spirit, we kind of empower them to do more.” (Sarah)
• “Your loved ones love you. We love you.” (Jane)

Links and resources

• Rebecca Barry: https://rebeccabarry.substack.com/
• Perdita Finn; Substack article
• Valerie Fowler on Facebook
• Medium Curious Collective: join at any tier to attend live spirit demonstrations on November 1 with Jane and Sarah
• Clair Club
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Medium Curious Website: MediumCurious

Jane’s Website: Jane Morgan Medium

Sarah’s Website: Sarah Rathke

Podcast Instagram: MediumCuriousPod (@mediumcuriouspod)