TIME FOR A GOOD SCARE

Thursday, October 30th, 2025

Dundas Square, Toronto

It was ten years ago that I began my US walk starting from Boston in New England.  By the time I reached Middle Atlantic in Pennsylvania, it was Halloween time.  Homeowners had really spruced up their properties with all kinds of ghoulish décor.  I recall walking by a countryside home where the place was elaborately done up.  A man from the UK travelling for business stopped to see the spectacle and remarked, “Boy, here everyone really gets into it,” meaning in Europe the event is rather toned down.

Uddhava and I had gone to Canada’s famous castle, Casa Loma, where young folks were lined up for a spook experience in the massive Gothic-style edifice.  At the intersection across form the castle, we met with a towering fellow (approximately 6’5”) dressed up as a zombie or a goon (something like that).  It appears that people will go to any lengths for a good scare.  The entrance fee at the door is $45, which is a whopping amount for students. 

Life is a bit monotonous when there is little or no participation in bhakti (devotional activities).  To fill in that gap of excitement, these Halloween activities exist for that reason.  One might consider that even the Supreme Lord Himself lovingly conjures up dramas filled with ‘hair raising’ events in the form of His lila (pastimes).  They are definitely not cheap thrills and are worth the effort to investigate and to meditate upon.  They may appear far-fetched, but their fanciful and fantasy-like qualities are most captivating. 

MAY THE SOURCE BE WITH YOU

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