Halloween as Liminal Window Zone

The essential idea of Halloween is that it is liminal (between and betwixt), an opening between the world of the living and the world of the dead—the spirit world. Halloween is the temporal zone on the calendar that is closest to what legendary paranormal researcher Charles Fort called “window zones.” Window zones are places like haunted houses and certain power spots where the veil between the realms is thinner and entities from other dimensions can crossover into our reality.

Halloween can be considered a liminal window zone in other ways. On Halloween you have a zone of time in which the maximum number of people will blur their identity and assume a different persona through costuming. Often these costumes are not chosen at random, but reflect aspects of the psyche not usually given expression. Costumed people can experiment with being a different gender, delve into violence and death without the usual consequences, and portray themselves as superheroes or other beings that possess potent magical powers.

Surrealized zones like Halloween, Burning Man, or Comic Con, where people shape-shift into novel forms that reflect the unconscious more than conventionalized values and aesthetics, are liminal window zones where the boundary between the imaginal and what gamers call the “RW” (real world) blurs. Just as the liminal zones of dawn and dusk are seen by many spiritual and magical traditions as powerful times to express intentions and seek visions,  you may also find that synchronicity, vision, and inspiration are heightened in surreal zones. They can be temporary autonomous zones where one can shape-shift and deviate from conventional expectations. I have found these surrealized zones heighten my imagination, make visions more accessible, and allow me to feel that I am walking along edges where various realms impinge.

If you want to explore the idea of liminal window zones a bit more, here are some of my thoughts on liminality and magical doorways:

See the Zap Oracle card Liminal Space.

 Opening the Magical Doorway  (Zap Oracle card # 11)

For more writings by Jonathan Zap related to window zones, crossover effects, and other realms, go to the Surreal Zone Seciton of the Zap Oracle website.  Halloween is traditionally seen as an ideal zone to consult oracles. You can consult the 664 card Zap Oracle for free. A free membership saves your readings indefinitely.

Photos by Jonathan Zap
Top image—Zombie Crawl, Denver, 2014