Not your typical Halloween episode.
Yes, we touch on the history—Samhain, All Saints/All Souls, and Dia de los Muertos—but this isn’t a parade of jump scares. It’s an hour about the mystery inside all of us and the quiet ways it reaches out: six yellow butterflies for a grieving mom, a grandmother’s prayer that arrives like a voice at 2 a.m., a visit in an operating room that steadies a frightened heart, a college house where the air gets heavy, and an agnostic grandfather who catches a feather at the exact moment he needs reassurance.

You don’t have to see the world the same way to meet in the middle—sometimes the bridge is built from our differences. If you’re craving an episode that honors faith and skepticism, intuition and reason, the sacred and the silly, this one’s for you. Stay for the stories; leave with a simple prompt to ask someone you love: “Have you ever had something happen you couldn’t explain?”

In this episode: Samhain’s origins; how All Saints/All Souls reframed the season; Dia de los Muertos’ heart of remembrance; personal stories from my friend Anna, my grandmother, my mother-in-law, my friend Matt, and my dad; and a closing reflection on curiosity as a spiritual practice. Southern accents included with no extra charge!

Episode Chapters

• 00:00 – A kid’s question that started it all (Halloween = demons?)
• 01:43 – Samhain: where Halloween really began
• 03:20 – All Saints & All Souls, and… soul cakes
• 04:53 – Dia de los Muertos roots: Mictecacihuatl → La Catrina
• 05:41 – Global echoes: Obon, Qingming, Undás
• 06:26 – The sacred and the silly can coexist
• 07:40 – An invitation to ask your people about the “unexplainable”
• 08:05 – Anna: six yellow butterflies and a mother’s love
• 10:57 – What Anna’s story opens in us
• 11:43 – Memama: prayer, knowing, and a near-death meadow of peace
• 24:48 – Faith shows up differently: into the OR
• 25:09 – My mother-in-law: a visit from her dad… and a rocking chair
• 37:43 – Some feel energy more than others
• 38:24 – Matt: Brunswick attic, a levitating 8-ball, and Coach Joe
• 52:26 – From haunted to humble: setting up my dad’s story
• 52:57 – My dad: an agnostic, a feather, and quiet certainty
• 1:00:25 – Closing: curiosity builds the bridge