Halloween, Day of the Dead, All Souls Day, and Samhain show the desire to commune with the beloved dead is universal in all human cultures, yet it is expressed in beliefs and traditions as diverse as the societies which practice them. We’ll consider the way in which this time of the “thinning of the veil” has been honored and made sacred by just a few of the more familiar cultural and ethnic celebrations. We will also explore the distinctly human vision of “what lies beyond” and why it matters.