Category: Language and Culture
Samhain: Halloween, Winter Nights, All Hallows Eve - October 31st
Samhain (*Note: Samhain is pronounced sowen, soween, saw-win, saw-vane
or sahven, not sam-hayne)
Halloween, Winter Nights, All Hallows Eve - October 31st
Other names for Samhain include Samhuin, Samain, Saman, Oidhche
Shamhna, Hallowe'en, Halloween, Hallows, Hallowtide, Shadow Fest,
Allantide, Third Harvest, Harvest Home, Geimredh, Day of the Dead
(Feile na Marbh), Feast of the Dead, Spirit Night, Candle Night,
November Eve, Nutcrack Night, Ancestor Night and Apple Fest.
Christian names for it include All Hallows Eve (although some churches
fix that as November 7), Hallows Eve, Santos, Devil Night and Mischief
Night. It is also called Martinmas, but that is properly the name for
the actual cross quarter day which occurs when the sun reaches its
power point in Scorpio. Some church calendars fix November 11 as
Martinmas.
Samhain (Summer's End) is one of our four Greater Sabbats, the highest
holy day of witches. It is a cross quarter day, situated between
Autumn Equinox and Winter Solstice. Samhain is a major festival with
several aspects. It is new year's eve for witches, as well as our
third and final harvest festival. Samhain inaugurates Winter, is the
final chance to dry herbs for winter storage, and a night when fairies
supposedly afoot working mischief. It is also the Day of the Dead for
us as it was for the Celts, Egyptians and ancient Mexicans, the night
when we remember our loved ones and honor our ancestors. We also
celebrate reincarnation and note the absence the Sun (the god), who
will be reborn at Winter Solstice as the Child of Promise.
Astrologically, Samhain marks the rising of the Pleiades.
Late October was the nut harvest for Celts, and the time for salting
winter's supply of meat. Scholars disagree on this, but many fix this
date as the Celtic new year. November 1 is the actual date of Samhain
but like other Celtic derived festivals it is celebrated on its eve.
November 1 is New Year's Day for witches, as it was for the Babylonians.
One of the four greater Sabbats, of the Wiccan/pagan year. For the
Celts, Samhain was the feast of the dead in Pagan and Christian times,
its arrival signaled the close of harvest and the start of the winter
season. Fairies were imagined as particularly active at this season.
Also called Feile Moingfinne (Snow Goddess). The Scottish Gaelic
Dictionary defines it as "Hallowtide. The Feast of All Souls. Sam +
Fuin = end of summer." Eliade's Encyclopedia of Religion states as
follows: "The Eve and day of Samhain were characterized as a time when
the barriers between the human and supernatural worlds were broken...
Not a festival honoring any particular Celtic deity, Samhain
acknowledged the entire spectrum of nonhuman forces that roamed the
earth during that period."
Samhain is the Wiccan New Year. This is the time of year when the veil
between the world of the dead and the world of the living is said to
be it's thinnest. Spirits and souls of loved ones are said to have
more power and ability to visit us. This is the time of year for
remembering and honoring our dead, and many people will leave a plate
of food and a glass of wine out for wandering sprits. (This is often
called the Feast of Hecate) Samhain is also a time for personal
reflection, and for recognizing our faults and flaws and creating a
method for rectifying them.
In the Celtic Tradition, the year begins at Samhain, this is the most
powerful night of the year to perform divination. Divination is done
in many forms but all seek to establish a look ahead, whether the
answer appears good or bad. Samhain is also considered to start the
reign of the God or the dark time of the Year when the Sun goes lower
each day and begins to weaken.
Decorate your altar with photographs of dead loved ones, pumpkin
lanterns, oak leaves, apples, nuts and sage. Incenses associated with
this festival include nutmeg, mint and sage, and the colours black and
orange.
Samhain is celebrated as the Dia de los Muertos in Mexico (Day of the
Dead--usually held on November 1) and All Saints Day (also on November
1) by the Catholic church.
Ritual for Samhain
by Scott Cunningham
Place upon the altar apples, pomegranates, pumpkins, spuashes and
other late autumn fruits. Autumn flowers such as marigolds and
chrysanthemums are fine too. Write on a piece of paper an aspect of
your life which you wish to be free of: anger, a baneful habit,
misplaced feelings, disease. The cauldron or some similar tool must be
present before the altar as well, on a trivet or some other heat-proof
surface (if the legs aren't long enough). A small, flat dish marked
with an eight-spoked wheel symbol should also be there. (On a flat
plate or dish, paint a large circle. Put a dot in the center of this
circle and paint eight spokes radiating out from the dot to the dot to the larger
circle. - A symbol of the Sabbats, a symbol of timelessness.)
Prior to the ritual, sit quietly and think of friends and loved ones
who have passed away. Do not despair. Know that they have gone on to
greater things. Keep firmly in mind that the physical isn't the
absolute reality, and that souls never die.
Arrange the altar, light the candles and censer, and cast your circle.
Recite The Blessing Chant:
May the powers of The One,
the source of all creation;
all-pervasive, omnipotent, eternal;
may the Goddess,
the Lady of the Moon;
and the God,
Horned Hunter of the Sun;
rulers of the elemental realms;
may the powers of the stars above and the Earth below,
bless this place, and this time, and I who am with You.
Invoke the Goddess and God. (in your own way)
Lift one of the pomegranates and, with your freshly-washed
white-handled knife, pierce the skin of the fruit. Remove several
seeds and place them on the wheel-marked dish.
Raise your wand, face the altar and say:
On this night of Samhain I mark your passing,
O Sun King, through the sunset into the Land of the Young.
I mark also the passing of all who have gone before,
and all who will go after. O Gracious Goddess,
Eternal Mother, You who gives birth to the fallen,
teach me to know that in the time of the grea
teach me to know that in the time of the greatest
darkness there is the greatest light.
Taste the pomegranate seeds; burst them with your teeth and savor
their sharp, bittersweet flavor. Look down at the eight-spoked symbol
on the plate; the wheel of the year, the cycle of the seasons, the end
and beginning of all creation.
Light a fire within the cauldron (a candle is fine). Sit before it,
holding the piece of paper, gazing at its flames. Say:
Wise One of the Waning Moon,
Goddess of the starry night,
I create this fire within Your cauldron
to transform that which is plaguing me.
May the energies be reversed:
From darkness, light!
From bane, good!
From death, birth!
Light the paper in the cauldron's flames and drop it inside. As it
burns, know that your ill diminishes, lessens and finally leaves you
as it is consumed within the universal fires.
If you wish, you may attempt scrying or some other form of divination,
for this is a perfect time to look into the past or future. Try to
recall past lives too, if you will. But leave the dead in peace. Honor
them with your memories but do not call them to you. (Many Wiccans do
attempt to communicate with their deceased ancestors and friends at
this time... if you must do this... make sure you know how to handle
the energies and only do this if you are VERY experienced.) Release
any pain and sense of loss you may feel into the cauldron's flames.
Works of magick, if necessary, may follow.
Celebrate the Simple Feast.
The circle is released.
Magickal Workings:
Samhain is one of the most potent nights of the year for magick.
As a cross-quarter day it is a supernatural time, a time outside of
time, the night that is not a night, a powerful time of flux and
change. This is a good night for: candle magick - astral projection -
past life work - dark moon mysteries - mirror spells (reflection) -
casting protection - inner work - propitiation - clearing obstacles -
uncrossing - inspiration - workings of transition or culmination -
manifesting transformation - creative visualization.
Ritual Fire:
Bonfires to protect the family, coven or land through the winter
darkness - bale fire, to erase mistakes and negativity - torches to
honor the dead - extinguish all fires then kindle new fire for a fresh
start with the new year - burn incense to get the site - set the torc
tenned ablaze, a pyramid of timber called the Fire Boar; save the
ashes to use as a base for next Samhain's torc tenned - put a candle
in the window to help the spirit of a loved one find its way home -
light a candle on the ancestral altar - lanterns, jack o'lanterns or
candles outdoors to guide the way for spirits and fairies who are
abroad this night - light a fire in the cauldron for protection or
transformation.
Divination:
Samhain is a power night for divination: read the tarot cards; use the
Wheel of the Year spread to forecast the year ahead - cast runes or
the I Ching - scry in crystal balls, dark mirrors, bowls of black ink
or pools of water - swing a pendulum, asking yes or no questions - eat
an apple in front of a mirror at midnight, by candlelight, to scry
your future mate.
Meditation:
This is a good night for deep reflection and inner work. Meditation
themes include: changes, transition, endings and beginnings, passage,
return, mortality and reincarnation, chaos leading to reorder.
Spirit work:
(by invitation, not summons) This is the night when the veil is
thinnest, the gates between the worlds are open. Souls of the dead are
said to visit their homes at midnight. Possible workings include: a
dumb supper for the beloved dead - ouija - séances - trance possession
- automatic writing - bury apples as food for hungry spirits - leave
spirit plates of food outside your home - set a place for a missed
love one at the banquet or dinner table.
New Year workings:
Release the old: bad habits and toxic relationships, illness, failure
and poverty; everything you do not want to carry into the new year -
sweep negativity and out of your home - end quarrels - settle debts,
make amends or restitution if needed - spells for prosperity and
security for your family.
Faery Magick:
This is a great night for visiting the faery realm but you must return
by dawn or remain forever enchanted, unable to return.
Sex Magick:
Like Beltane opposite it on the wheel of the year, Samhain is a night
when the Goddess descends into women. This is an excellent night for
sex magick of all kinds, and the Great Rite.
Correspondences
SYMBOL: Black cat, jack o 'lantern, bat, ghost, scarecrow, waning moon.
GODDESSES: Crone, all crone goddesses, Cerridwen, Hecate, Hel, Oya,
the Morrigan, Lilith, Kali, Ishtar, Arianrhod, Rhiannon, Tlazoteotl,
Nephthys, Persephone, Beansidhe (Banshee), Inanna, Baba Yaga, Isis,
Pomona and Cailleach Beara (Brigid's crone aspect), who is reborn this
night.
GODS: Osiris, the Horned God, Herne the Hunter, Cernunnos, Anubis,
Odin, Bran, death gods, dying and rising gods.
INCENSE: Copal, sandalwood, mastic resin, benzoin, sweetgrass,
wormwood: to get the sight, to see the spirits of the returning dead.
CANDLES: New candles for the new year: black, orange, autumn colors,
or black candles for the Lord and the old year, white candles for the
Lady and the new year.
TOOLS: Besom, to sweep out the old year and any negativity it had.
Cauldron, for transformation.
Divination tools: Tarot cards, scrying bowl, rune stones, pendulum,
mirror, etc.
PLANT: Pumpkin, apple, grain, pomegranate, mugwort, wormwood, Dittany
of Crete, acorn, oak leaf, gourds, root vegetables, rosemary (for
remembrance).
STONE: Obsidian, carnelian, onyx, smoky quartz, jet, bloodstone.
ANIMAL: Bat, black cat, owl.
ALTAR DECORATIONS: Autumn leaves, fall flowers, pomegranates, apples,
pumpkins, ears of corn, sprays of grain, corn dollies, gourds, nuts,
seeds, acorns, chestnuts and images of ancestors are all appropriate.
Use whatever is in season where you live, whatever feels right and
looks good to you.
FOOD:
Gingerbread, freshly roasted nuts, nut breads, anything made
with apples or pumpkin, meat (especially bacon), doughnuts, popcorn,
cakes with lucky tokens in them, and red foods because the ancients
held them sacred to the dead. DRINK: Mead, apple cider, mulled cider,
mulled wine.
CELEBRATE: Masks, costumes - trick-or-treating - feasting and partying
to defy the coming darkness (bob for apples, roast nuts, pop popcorn)
- harvest feasts - rituals to honor the dead - Witches' Ball.
I'm a witch and of course I love Halloween hehehe.
Hi, all. Lord Voldemort, I think it's really cool that you posted all this. Are you a Wiccan, then? If that's too personal a question, I apologize, and feel free to reply that it's none of my business. Smile.
I am glad you posted this for several reasons. I've been thinking today that I dislike what our culture has done to Halloween. While I know most of it is in good fun, I think we have made it a far darker holiday than it was ever intended to be. Though I am not a Wiccan or Pagan myself, I think they have it right on the head. Halloween is a time for celebration and remembering, not the dark and scary day we make it now. I don't feel so extremist about this that I get angry with others for their participation in the way America celebrates Halloween, but I usually don't do much myself, except my own personal things. Though I am not Wiccan, I have my own rituals/prayers for honoring friends and loved ones who have gone before me.
I also think the way our country views Halloween only furthers the misconceptions out there about witches. Wiccans and Pagans are very misunderstood most of the time anyway. I guarantee you that if you say witch to someone this time of year, they're going to think of the dark, broomstick-riding variety. So, your post clears up misconceptions, and shows what the day really is to witches.
Anyway, thanks for your detailed posts.
Lord Voldermort thank you for posting the truth. I'm heartened that someone sees Samhain, as much more than a shallow money making exercise. I wish we could go back to the true meaning of Halloween.
Regarding tenderly the paragraph of the Opening Board Post/Post #2 of Lord Voldemort, Titled: MEDITATION:
“This is a good night for deep reflection and inner work. Meditation
themes include: changes, transition, endings and beginnings, passage,
return, mortality and reincarnation, chaos leading to reorder.”
I should like to if I may give some, perhaps a few, thots personal, to share during this PASSAGE of time that is advancing through the continuum of the cycles, through the various seasons… ‘Tis lovely, most lovely a day beginning…quiet beauty and restfulness make for the lovilness so bountiful, as a harvest coming into full bloom… Ahhh ‘Tis Autumn in Michigan/usa and the gardens are full in their being ripe with plenty. The cider mill presses are at full steam with the spiced and saged aromas giving thot of so much the Thankfulness of yet this another Autumn for Springtime held it’s own time of Passages within Passages…Cycles of meeting with destiny as endings were coming into their own special advancement, graduation Time, in a manner of speaking… and too, new beginnings, as though from tiny acorns, the new Oaks contained there within and they, the seeds of bloom somehow sprouted even in the midst of the cool starry night so fog-engulfed, when stepping forth with energy aNu into a land unknown, somehow void of promise and yet fully grasping onto the new uncharted ways set before and yet with as though it were a compass held deep, deep within the inner working cells of life contained within, right to the ver’r’r’ryy core as it were..knowing only… to place one foot in front of the other and to simply…go on…moving through the next and overlapping passage(s) of Time..
Connie ~ Grace
Darren, thanks for this.
Happy halloween to the americans, and a blessed Samhain.
Blessed be,
Erin
...interesting comments Resonant a.k.a. Erin,
As an American, I like this NU idea, o.K. NEW to me idea/concept/way of thinking sparked of/by and in part by this..."Samhain: Halloween, Winter Nights, All Hallows Eve - October 31st," of this here BOARD Posting ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ that has BECOME the eve of November 1st, 2006 (Wednesday - MidWeek). *Nice of you though to say, "Happy halloween to the americans" (Thots) That was Yesterday's news ~~OR~~ way early words spoken on behalf for NEXT Year Celebrations.... ??
Blessings/Baraka
Connie ~ Grace
POST SCRIPT:
THEN taking more thot into consideration... Hmmm
So many questions... "WHY" mention of "americans" and not rest of
zeWorld's peoples/landscapes... **Then too "americans" can encapsulate NORTH and SOUTH America... hmmm, interesting thots produced...
THEN again: (Thots) Maybe where Erin a.k.a. Resonant lives there is no Halloween.....
or maybe only "americans" have Halloween...?? *Baffling ?!?!?
THEN again...(Thots) ~~~>>Instead of Commenting: Shall allow for a bit of MYSTERY to linger (in regards as to what am currently in midst of me thots)<<~~~
...Ahhh well, Time to move on. smile
POST POST SCRIPT:
TO: LORD VOLDEMORT:
THIS BOARD you have created has been one of personal interacting mental experiencing. Glad you Posted. Trust your day goes well.
(CG)