Samhain 2007

Autumn Heather

Mon 11/19/07

Samhain, the Festival of the Dead, traditionally takes place for most Witches and Pagans on October 31st. There are some branches within our traditions that take Samhain as a three day event, marking the transition of time between the Light days, and the beginning of the Dark days. This is the time of year we honor those loved ones who've passed to the Summerlands. This can be done with altar representations or a 'Dumb' supper �?where you set place settings for the loved ones, and make their favorite foods. You eat in silence, writing down any thoughts that might be messages from those loved ones. This is also known as the final harvest. A time when farmers would make sure they had enough grain for the winter, not only for themselves, but also for any animals they had. They would also decide at this time which animals would be slaughtered before the coming cold. Fire and other burnable items (such as peat) would be gathered in earnest to be stacked up for the coming cold. For the ancient Celts Samhain indicated the official beginning of the winter, of the dark. Some cultures used this time to perform special divinations. An example of this would be an apple being peeled, as the peel landed on the floor, the shape of the letter it would be closest to would be the first initial of the person you are to marry, or a couple of egg whites dropped into a glass. The shapes they formed would indicate the number of children they were to have.

This high holy Sabbat day has several names such as Sambain, Samhein, Samain, Samonios, Samhuinn, Samfhuin, La Samon, Shadowfest, All Hallow's Eve, Martinmas, Hallowmas, Blood Harvest, Calan Gaeaf, Third Harvest, November Eve, Ancestor Night, Nos Galon Gaeof and Halloween just to name the few that I found listed on Wikipedia.

Colors that are most typically associated with Samhain are black, orange, white and red. Black to ward of negativity, and aids those crossing.  Orange simply for good luck in the coming year. White is symbolic of a higher spirituality, and in relation to leaving the physical body. Hence this time of year when we honor the dead, having the yin and yang of black and white counterbalancing each other. Red is for energy and strength.  The strength to finish the final harvest, the energy to get ready for the coming winter. The color also represents the Sun God, as he prepares for his rest.

Some of the herbs that can be associated with Samhain are allspice, comfry, dandelion, nightshade, mugwort, catnip, frankincense, basil, yarrow, lilac, ylang-ylang, clove, camphor, mandrake, straw and sage. So many smells, tastes associated with this special time of year, and all of them wonderful. Even with Yule quickly approaching I hang onto these scents for as long as possible. Clove, allspice, sage all sing to me the spirit of the season. I even have a spray for the shower that is Ylang-Ylang based that I use daily during this time.

We called upon Cerridwen and Arawn from the Welsh pantheon. Cerridwen's role is often times represented by a cauldron. Arawn, Welsh King of the Otherworld and Lord of the Wild Hunt, is also said to be the owner of a cauldron with magickal powers. Seems these two fit together quite nicely. We said goodbye to Arawn, thanking him for his gifts during the season.  We gave thanks to the wise Crone, and to all that she means to us. We honor and respect their struggle and celebrate the passing as we await what is new to come.

I did some research on the story that I've heard most often associated with Samhain, the Goddess's descent into the Summerlands. There are versions of this story in many cultures across the world. The basic outline is that the Goddess, wishing to know love, descends to the Summerlands to learn of love, and all things magickal. In some versions of the story, the God rescues her, in others, the God is the Lord of the Underworld, and he shows her everything, only to make her promise to return each year to learn anew. I found reading Gardner's version fascinating, but some call its authenticity into account. Whether its 100% or based on generations of story telling from cultures all over the world doesn't matter. This story is timeless, and it is yet another part of what makes Samhain such a multi-faceted day.

Samhain plays an important role in my everyday life as it is the day of my husband's birth, and the day we chose to be married. My main altar spends most of the year with Samhain type décor, and I have a specific Halloween style altar that I've been building on for years. I truly believe this is the threshold to the new year. Being in the desert, the change of the seasons isn't always visually evident. However for Samhain, there is a chill in the air. The sun sets sooner, the darkness enveloping us as time moves forward. There is no doubt as to what is happening. Night time comes alive, and magick is defintely a foot.

References

"Arawn - Wikipedia." Wikipedia. Nov. 2007. 11 Nov. 2007
<http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Arawn>.

"Ceridwen - Wikipedia." Wikipedia. Oct. 2007. 11 Nov. 2007
<http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Cerridwen>.

"Samhain - Season of Death and Renewal." IMAS. 17 Nov. 2007
<http://www.imbas.org/articles/samhain.html>.

"Samhain - Wikipedia." Wikipedia. Nov. 2007. 14 Nov. 2007
<http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Samhain>.

Serith, Ceisiw. "The Legend of the Descent of the Goddess." Ceisiw
Serith's Homepage. 2003. 15 Nov. 2007
<http://www.ceisiwrserith.com/wicca/legendofthedescent.htm>.

The attachment is also uploaded into my pictures folder on the Lesson's
site.

samhain.JPG