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We know Halloween comes every year on October 31, and it's Hallowe'en - short for All Hallow's Eve.  Halloween is actually an old Pagan feast, a Celtic New Year called Samhain, or "summer's end."  What is it all about, other than Halloween costumes, candy, treats or tricks?

Halloween is a celebration of the spirits of the dead coming to visit the living.  It's like inviting all your ancestors over for a party, in celebration of their lives, and the lives they gave to us.

These days, it's not really tied to any religion.  Rather, it's a huge commercialized event, with gigantic sales second only to Christmas.  Interesting culturally, as so many people are really into hanging decorations of skeletons, jack-o-lanterns, and ghosts, and spend lots of time and money on costumes and parties.

Some people think that having any celebration of Halloween is anti-biblical, or anti-Christian in that it's feasting around dark, dead, hellish and ghoulish symbols.  I think just the opposite:  it's about renewal of faith and celebration of the living, especially with All Saints Day following.

Further, I think that honoring the "dark" shadow-side of ourselves is realistic and actually healthy.  Accepting that we're not perfect; that we make mistakes and mess up, and sin, is part of being able to resurrect and move on with living, doing the best we can.  One of my favorite psychologists, Carl Jung wrote extensively on embracing our shadow; the dark part of our being.  If we repress it, ignore or fake our shadow existence, we are inauthentic. Not being wholly ourselves can lead to illness, he taught.  His theories have been expanded upon and used now for many years, with great affect.

So be a little dark and scary.  Let that wild, dark, bad self have its day.  Just don't be too bad, and don't forget to thank God for your life.  Happy Halloween!

What dark, forgotten, scary side of YOU are you allowing to live this Halloween?  Please comment.

Join me on Twitter, too, please!  twitter.com/drnorris

In response to my Balloon Boy blog (pardon all the "b"s), we got some interesting feedback.

Thinfitnsassy (love that) wrote:  "Another reason to turn of the boob tube and not perpetuate this nonsense!"

Helen commented: "Knowledge, TRUTH and Light is POWER!"  Yeah!

Lou so astutely said, "In fact, the "better the lie", the more attention grabbing the person gets. 15 minutes of fame? or promise of misery?"  How true!

Nancy Roberts, a delightful frequent reader and comment writer put it like this: "The story reminds me of the little boy that cried "wolf" long ago. The father or whoever did this publicity stunt only hurt his cause."

Erin, very compassionately wrote, "Given the apparent consequences, too, which may prove to be quite serious, I hope (Little Falcon) will not be feeling guilty for being truthful. I hope this family can get some counseling assistance....it sounds like they could use some help."

Finally, an anonymous regular reader, not seeking any fame at all said so well, "The media needs to leave this alone, let him deal with the consequences and quit showing him so much on T.V."  Yes, enough already.

OK - I'll leave this alone, too!  It's all a bunch of hot air anyway, and way overinflated.

This whole Balloon Boy story (and seems like it was a fictional story) in some ways is shocking, but it is also not a surprise that someone would lie so thoroughly, and do almost anything to be famous in this inflated media circus culture.  Yes, without a trial and presentation of both sides it's only an accusation right now, and here in America we're innocent until proven guilty.  In my opinion, it's just part of a whole tapestry, no, a gigantic fabric of lies and dishonesty.  Media is out-of-control, and irresponsible, our culture is too weighted on money and fame as indicators of success and happiness, when people go to such lengths to attain it.

If indeed the Balloon Boy, Falcon Heene, was part of an elaborate scam to land a reality TV series, what does this say about his parents, brothers, and the world of illusion and inflation that we live in?  It is just another indicator of how we cannot trust what we see and hear.  We cannot believe in news media, and especially "reality" TV.  It's not real.  We are being sold, consumed, and commoditized, and the truth be damned.

It's our culture of illusion and lies, and inflated images that flew this likely-fabricated story.  We had our confidence and caring betrayed, yet again. If there was any reality TV in this story, it was allegedly the "reality" of con-artists.  Were the parents to blame?  On the surface, if it was a hoax, yes, they should be accountable for preying on our public compassion and concern for a little 6 year-old boy's safety, and spending emergency personnel's time and expense.  We watched in horror, thinking that a child's life was in danger.  That says something good about society: at least we still care. Supposedly everyone wants to be rich and famous.  What lengths will we go to attain it, though, is the real question.

The real reality of this story is the honestly that little 6 year-old Falcon displayed on TV.  "We did it for the story," he told Larry King on CNN.  I love that.  The truth prevailed; his innocence and honesty won out.  This stark childhood truth gives this whole false world of empty images, over-ambitiousness and clamoring for fame and riches a lesson. The truth always wins out.  God bless you, Falcon, for being the only reality on TV that day.

What do I think of "The Biggest Loser" TV series?  I think it's terrible and cruel, and merely entertainment, not a program that overweight people should do.  In its 8 seasons on the air, I have always found it to be the absolute wrong way to go about losing weight.

Why do I think and say this, after so many contestants have lost a lot of weight?  I think some of the techniques (tactics) may be unhealthy, and potentially dangerous.  Losing weight so fast puts lots of stress on the body and mind.  Going from a sedentary life to a high-pressure exercise routine is never a good idea.  Suddenly making drastic changes in eating may be too much for the body to handle.

Making weight loss a competition for fame and fortune seems exploitative, and nowhere near the best incentive to get healthy.  Using cruel "temptations" of favorite foods and high fat/high calorie items seems mean.

The "exercises" seem way too extreme to me, and grueling, designed for embarrassment and humiliation.  The trainers look way too overzealous and obsessed, and push too hard, in my opinion.

Teams and individual contestants are provided with refrigerators of their favorite "bad foods" in dining rooms, which I think is ridiculous at best, humiliating and mean in general, and likely the worst incentive or trick one could ever do to someone who is struggling with obesity and overweight.

Promotional messages and websites claim that "The Biggest Loser" is designed to promote health.  It seems to me it's only about exploitation and making millions at the expense of suffering people with eating disorders, emotional struggles, and spiritual crises.

We'd love to know what YOU think about "The Biggest Loser," and what the best way to get healthy is for you.  PLEASE COMMENT!

PS:  Some of you are seeing ads connected with "The Biggest Loser," on this website and my column.  Please know that I have nothing to do with the ads whatsoever, and have no control over them at all.  They probably show up because I wrote about the show, and they are automated, but I'm not certain of that.  NC.

After the first couple of episodes of rejection, stereotypes and televised polygamy in "More to Love," I stopped watching.  It was just too sad, and fairly stupid, I thought.  Not to mention exploitative of the female contestants, and of overweight people in general.  However, when I heard that the final episode was this past week, I had to take a last look.

I'm happy that Luke picked intelligent, sophisticated Tali over Melissa. I thought for a moment that Luke, who seemed to be a truly good person caught in a TV game-show ethos he couldn't get out of, was really making the most of a fairly awful situation.

All of the contestants were pretty.  Tali, I think, is beautiful.  Some were clearly in it to win it, and really into being on national television, and couldn't have cared less about real romance, or love.  Melissa seemed to me to be in the "contestant" category.  Tali seemed to really want to find love, and really did fall in love with Luke.

A lot of time was spent, yet again, on pointing out fat people clichés such as "size doesn't matter," and "love me for who I am" stuff.  That's all skin-deep.  A lot lot lot of time was focused on ethnic and cultural differences.  Luke's dad liked American, (Christian) Melissa, to the expense of the Israeli, Jewish Tali.  That was painfully obvious.  Luke's mother liked Tali's intelligence and tenacity.  So did I.

What I liked most in this final episode, was that intelligence and multiculturalism won out.  Luke made the right choice, and Tali, too.  They're going to make a really great couple, because they are different.  Opposites attract beautifully.