Messages from Beyond: How Spirits Communicate During October’s Thinning Veil

October carries a hum that stirs the spirit world awake. The air thickens with mystery, and unseen presences draw near as the veil between worlds thins. This is the season of whispers, of signs, symbols, and sensations that remind the living that death is not an ending but a doorway.

Across traditions, October has always been known as a time when ancestors visit, spirits linger, and magic quickens. During this sacred season, messages from beyond become easier to perceive. Dreams turn vivid, shadows seem to shimmer, and intuition sharpens into awareness.

But how do spirits truly communicate? Their language is subtle, woven through the elements of life itself, sight, sound, scent, and synchronicity.

The Veil and the Spirit World

The veil is a liminal boundary, a veil of energy separating the living from the realm of spir

its. It grows thin around Samhain and Día de los Muertos, when the balance of light and dark shifts and ancestral remembrance reaches its peak. This thinning allows energy to flow more freely, creating a bridge between planes.

The spirits that cross through this time are often ancestors, guides, or entities of memory and emotion. They do not always appear in obvious ways. Instead, they speak through intuition, energy shifts, and natural signs, ways that require quiet perception rather than logic.

Common Ways Spirits Communicate

1. Through Dreams and Visions: Dreams are the most natural realm for communication between the living and the dead. In the dream world, boundaries dissolve, and spirits can appear as guides, loved ones, or symbols.

Messages often come as repeated imagery, keys, doors, animals, or glowing light. These symbols carry emotional resonance more than direct meaning. Keeping a dream journal through October allows these messages to reveal patterns and insights over time.

2. Through Scents and Sounds: Scent is one of the strongest links to memory, and spirits often use it to announce their presence. The faint smell of roses, tobacco, incense, or a specific perfume can signal that a familiar energy has entered the space.

Similarly, gentle sounds, a door creaking at a specific moment, soft knocks, or music starting unexpectedly, can mark spirit movement. These occurrences are not always dramatic; they are subtle echoes of attention and acknowledgment.

3. Through Nature and the Elements: Spirits use the language of nature because it is the original conduit of energy. A crow cawing three times, sudden gusts of wind, or flickering candle flames can signify a message being delivered. Water, especially in scrying or reflection, may reveal images or sensations tied to a spirit’s intent.

During autumn, leaves may fall in patterns resembling names or symbols; feathers may appear in sacred spaces; or small animals may behave unusually. When nature stirs in synchronicity with one’s intuition, it often signals a presence communicating through the elements.

4. Through Objects and Electricity: Spiritual energy interacts easily with technology and physical objects. Lights flickering, radios turning on, or clocks stopping at significant times are classic signs of a visiting spirit.

Objects that belonged to ancestors, jewelry, rosaries, heirlooms, can act as conduits of their energy. When these items move or feel charged, it may indicate that the spirit’s essence is near.

5. Through Intuition and Emotion: Perhaps the most profound communication occurs internally. Spirits often impress emotions or thoughts upon the living, planting gentle knowing rather than audible words. This “clairsentience” manifests as warmth, chills, or sudden clarity.

Trusting these impressions is key. Doubt can block the connection, while openness allows messages to flow naturally. When a feeling arrives that carries comfort, peace, or familiarity, it is often an ancestor reaching out with love.

Creating Sacred Space for Communication

To receive messages safely, intention and boundaries are essential. Not every energy that crosses the veil is meant to interact. Creating a sacred space ensures that communication remains clear and protective.

To prepare:

1. Cleanse the space with smoke from rosemary, copal, or frankincense.

2. Light a white or ancestor candle, anointed with Samhain or calendula oil.

3. Speak aloud: “Only those of light and love may cross this threshold. I welcome messages of wisdom, not of fear.”

4. Sit in meditation and listen. The quiet between breaths is often where the voices of spirit reside.

A bowl of water can serve as a mirror for scrying or to reflect subtle energies. Soft music or gentle drumming helps maintain rhythm while allowing the spiritual frequency to rise.

Offerings and Gratitude

Just as the living appreciate acknowledgment, so do spirits. Offerings strengthen the bond and ensure balance. Traditional offerings include:

• Fresh water (for clarity and renewal)

• Flowers, especially marigolds (cempasúchil)

• Food or drink once loved by the departed

• Candles to light their path

When the ritual concludes, speak words of thanks and dismiss the spirits respectfully, closing the veil with the same intention with which it was opened.

Signs of True Connection

Not every sign is spiritual, but true spirit communication carries distinct qualities: peace, warmth, and synchronicity. Messages from loving ancestors bring guidance, not fear. They inspire strength, forgiveness, or comfort in times of uncertainty.

If messages cause confusion or unease, grounding and cleansing are advised. Protective herbs like rosemary, rue, or bay can help seal the aura and realign the energy body.

Closing Reflection

October’s energy is a reminder that death is not an end, it is transformation. The living and the dead are two parts of the same eternal rhythm. To receive messages from beyond is to recognize that love outlives the body, that wisdom echoes through time, and that remembrance itself is a form of communication.

As the veil thins, the world grows quiet, and through that silence, the whispers of spirit can finally be heard.