Buddhist Catholic Contemplative Evangelical General Christian Hindu Jewish Latter-day Saint Muslim New Visions Progressive Christian

Beliefs

Topics

Columnists

Resource Library

Research Tools

Video

Podcasts

Thought Readers

Faith In Media Tracker

Newsletters

Ad-Free & Subscriber Log-In Subscription Support

Follow Patheos

Above and Beyond the 5 Senses

Home
About

Home
New Visions
Dining with the Dead? Bless My Soul!

Dining with the Dead? Bless My Soul!

Last updated on: October 24, 2015 at 1:53 pm by kathleenokeefe

Dining with the Dead? Bless My Soul! 2015-10-24T13:53:24-06:00 kathleenokeefe

LOGO Patheos Explore the world's faith through different perspectives on religion and spirituality! Patheos has the views of the prevalent religions and spiritualities of the world.

Zombies and Vampires are not welcome, but the dead are. Rather than mourning the deceased, let’s celebrate their memory with love because love is something you can take with you to the-other-side. And, under certain circumstances, like an invitation to a Dumb Supper, love may bring family members back from the dead, to break bread with the living.

A Dumb Supper is a serious meal meant for ghosts; your passed-over-loved-ones to be exact. A traditional Dumb Supper is served on all Hollow’s Eve in your home and on a plate at your table. It often begins at midnight with a prayer of thanksgiving, is shrouded in complete respectful silence, and culminates in a celebration of spirits. The Dumb Supper is an ancient tradition where the dead attend the living for a magical night of communion.

Dinning with the dead is another way of saying, “I love you.”

A Dumb Supper is a bridge between the living and the dead built with love and traversed by loved-ones. It is a centuries old tradition with roots in Europe and branches in America.

Most of us understand the concept of death as spirit leaving the body. But, what about the idea of spirits returning for dinner?

We regularly show our love for the deceased by talking to them at their place of burial, taking gifts of flowers, lighting candles for them in our places of worship, and displaying their pictures as a token of our enduring love. On the anniversary of their passing we have moments of silence, song, and food where we live, work, and pray.

So, is setting a place for the dead at our dinner table going too far? Those who practice the Dumb Supper on All Hallows’ Eve don’t think so. The Dumb Supper is a reverent event that discourages conversation of any kind.

Dumb Supper literally means quiet meal—mum’s the word–Shhh!

Silence during the meal is of the utmost importance, therefore electronics and motors that beep, buzz or squeak are turned off or unplugged. This includes television sets, refrigerators and freezers. No phones, cell phones, notepads or computers are permitted in the dining area during the dinner.

These special meals take place on Samhain, October 31st which is Halloween or All Hallows Eve,

also known as Halloween and All Saints’ Eve; the eve of the Western Christian feast of All Hallows’ Day. It is also a yearly celebration observed in a number of countries. This practice, celebrated worldwide, is one of the largest gatherings at the Festival of the Dead in Salem, Massachusetts.

Why would the veil between the living and the dead be thinner on Halloween day than any other? Because, intention powered by the flame of love is a powerful tool.

Perhaps Collective Intention empowered through prayer and meditation, can literally pull aside the curtain of death so the dead can once again share time and space in the land of the living in the form of a spiritual supper.

Here is how the Dumb Supper works.

The evening opens with a blessing where each attendee is guided through the veil between the worlds to the realms of the dead where no one living may speak. After the family meal is cooked, the table is set with an empty place setting filled with food. In keeping with tradition, the courses of The Dumb Supper are served backwards and the placement of everything down to the silverware is reversed as a means of weaving participants into the shadowy world of spirit. Rather than starting the meal with soup and salad, it begins with desert. It almost begs the question, “Is this an example of the saying, ‘Life is short, so eat desert first.’” Soup and salad are served at the end of the dinner, much like European dinning customs.

Photographs of the deceased are often placed on the table as an invitation; a spirituality and metaphysical first step in manifesting a desired outcome.

So this Halloween dare to celebrate life by setting a place at your table for dead family ancestors to come and enjoy a meal with living family members. You never know who will show up for dinner.

ABOUT THE AUTHOR: Kathleen O’Keefe Kanavos is a TV/Radio Host/Producer of Wicked Housewives On Cape Cod, International Bestselling & Multi-award winner author of SurvivingCancerland: Intuitive Aspects of Healing, and a 3x Breast Cancer Survivor whose dreams diagnosed her illness. She’s published in medical journals, on Huffington Post, in American Express Open Forum and has been a guest on George Noory’s Coast to Coast AM. Kat believes dreams diagnose your life. “Did you have a déjà- vu or dream-come-true?” Kat travels the country advocating for women’s issues. She taught Special Education and Psychology at USF. http://SurvivingCancerLand.com/ www.AccessYourInnerGuide.com

(all photos displayed in this article have been purchased by the author.)

Bridge- Z16EN6Ud Thoughtful-girl-praying-for-happiness_Gk2laVvd Two-sad-girls-at-a-grave_fyOthVP Halloween-designer-mask-2_fykfS6Ku(1) Religious-Stained-Glass-Window_Q19mEV Flames-flRayU9O Small-girl-blowing-stars-z1bZRNvO

Uncategorized

#AccessYourInnerGuide

A Dinner for the Dead Bless My Soul

Dead

Dinner for the Dead

Halloween

How to dine with the dead

International Bestselling autor Kathleen O'Keefe-Kanavos

Kathleen O'Keefe-Kanavos Blog on Dining with the Dead

Kathleen O'Keefe-Kanavos Patheos Blog

Spirits

vampires

Wicked Housewives On Cape coe Kathleen O'Keefe-Kanavos

Zombies

Zombies and Vampires

Previous Post

October 21, 2015

Tim Cox to the 3D Tattoo Rescue (AUDIO)

Next Post

November 2, 2015 Sophia's Wisdom in the Dream Shift of Alzheimer's (AUDIO)

Browse Our Archives

Select a Category Dreams Uncategorized

Select a Month August 2023 November 2022 September 2022 August 2022 February 2022 October 2021 September 2021 August 2021 July 2021 January 2021 November 2020 October 2020 September 2020 July 2020 June 2020 May 2020 March 2020 February 2020 January 2020 November 2019 October 2019 August 2019 July 2019 June 2019 May 2019 April 2019 March 2019 February 2019 January 2019 December 2018 November 2018 October 2018 September 2018 August 2018 July 2018 June 2018 May 2018 March 2018 February 2018 January 2018 November 2017 October 2017 July 2017 June 2017 May 2017 April 2017 March 2017 February 2017 January 2017 December 2016 November 2016 October 2016 September 2016 August 2016 June 2016 May 2016 April 2016 March 2016 February 2016 January 2016 December 2015 November 2015 October 2015 September 2015 July 2015 June 2015 May 2015 April 2015 March 2015 February 2015 January 2015 December 2014 November 2014 October 2014 September 2014 August 2014 July 2014 April 2014 March 2014 February 2014 December 2013 November 2013 October 2013 September 2013 August 2013 July 2013 June 2013 May 2013 April 2013 March 2013 February 2013 January 2013 December 2012 November 2012 October 2012 September 2012 August 2012 July 2012 June 2012 January 2012

TAKE THE

Religious Wisdom Quiz