Samhain, the Final Harvest

by Shadow Elf ~ 11-19-07

   Red and orange leaves fall from the trees, and the warning of winter winds chill you. Nights grow longer, cooler; some places are powdered with the season's first snow. Thoughts turn inward naturally, in preparation for the coming darkness. The world around you seems to be sighing; close to it's last shuddering breath, succumbing to the cold winter. Those vague whisperings you hear in the dark seem to grow louder, clearer, and little things, unnoticeable before become obvious and sometimes eerie to the untrained eye; lights turning off and on, doors closing and opening, the smell of an old familiar cologne that you just can't remember the name of, or where you smelled it last. You remember past conversations with loved ones, old jokes no one else understands, and the floating scent of grandma's baking in sweet nostalgia. 

   It is Samhain, Summer's End, the New Year, the third and last of the Harvest Celebrations, honored in many traditions on October 31st, though some hold ritual on November fifth, as Scorpio enters 15 Degrees. The Ancient Celts honored the dead on this day, their loved ones who had passed on to Summerland, believing this day to be one of two days spirits could pass through the veil to visit with their beloved families. They gave fruits and vegetables of their harvest in honor of their Gods, and held great feasts in which they set places for the dead to dine with them. Great bonfires were lit, and dancing was the norm, though this night was considered in the highest regard, and honored as most noble of the Sabbats. This was also a night they considered most potent for divination, and searched in numerous ways their own futures, including apples, mirrors and water scrying.
   The arrival of Christianity, and Pope Gregory, brought a new way to convert those who celebrated the Old Religion to Christianity; replace each pagan holiday with a new Christian holiday, and thus Hallowe'en or All Hallows Eve, as well as All Saints Day were born, compacted into the term, ‘Hallowmas�? Various traditions of divination, celebration, feasting and communing with the dead have come and gone since the day of the ancient Celts, and today's Halloween is filled with costumes, candy and jack-o-lanterns, for the mundane world that is. 

   Within preparation, ritual and celebration of this Sabbat, many tools to heighten energies and promote abilities are used. Among these are the colors black, for the darkness of the new moon, red for passion, orange for harvest, and silver for the new crescent moon that awaits fulfillment. Natural colors may also be used, including browns, reds, oranges and sage greens for the end of the year, and the changing of seasons. Certain herbs may be used as well, including sage for wisdom, cloves to bring comfort to the bereaved, and mugwort to enhance psychic abilities and protection.
   On this night, the Lady is in her Crone form, the Dark Goddess. The Lord is in his Sage form, the leader of the Wild Hunt and the Lord of the Underworld. Many deities are honored, and included are Hecate, patron Goddess of Witches and Magick; the Morrighan, Goddess of War and Passion; Anubis, Lord of the Underworld; and the Dagda, the Good God. 

   The Goddess on this night is the Dark Mother and Great Crone of wisdom and magick. She grieves for her beloved, the leader of the Wild Hunt, who has passed away into the Summerland, to reside there as king. In the Lady’s grief, she calls out to the Lord, and he opens the doors to Summerland this one night so that they may be together once again. 

   This time of year is very special to me, so I have done much to honor it. I’ve decorated my room and my altar in honor of the season, with gourds and red corn. I took up a few baking projects as well, including making traditional pumpkin pie from scratch, and pumpkin cookies. I felt, as I did this that I was communing with the spirits of the past, celebrating with them, in the ways they did. In my preparation for ritual, I was excited. I bathed and dressed slowly and carefully, in quiet contemplation of what my first Samhain ritual with the Light and Shadows Coven would be like. My patron Goddess, the Morrighan is honored on this night, as well as my Patron the Dagda, as they are said to be husband and wife, and both of the Tuatha de Danann. 

   The meditation before the Samhain ritual was�?amazing. I fell deeply into it, and could sense the transition through the veil. I could feel my grandfather, and my grandmothers who had passed both this past year. Then within the ritual itself, when I gave my negativities to the Goddess, it was a strangely intense moment, but I felt relieved when I went to sleep that night. My connection with the Lord increased dramatically as well. I had trouble in my past connecting with him, like I was viewing him from afar, but not it is as intimate as my relationship to the Goddess.
   Samhain is my favorite of the Sabbats, and this year’s ritual was beautiful. I enjoyed compiling the information for my essay, and preparing for my studies to begin. My dedication studies are a special beginning, for a special Last Harvest celebration.
 
*** I would also like to make a note about my altar. As you know, KnyghtSkye and I share an altar. Those things I placed were the Raven's feather, the Seahawk's feather, both of which I've found naturally, the Faery Oracle Cards, The Sage, the Dark Lady, and the Lady of the Harvest. I also added the Shaman figure on the right of my altar, three small Owl feathers I found my yard just before Samhain, and the pictures of my two grandmother's that passed within six months of one another this past year. ***
 
Many Blessings,
Shadow Elf

REFERENCES:
 
http://www.starfirescircle.com/samhain.html
 
http://groups.msn.com/LightShadowsofMajyk/samhain.msnw?action=get_message&mview=0&ID_Message=19635&LastModified=4675636892241016080
 
http://www.wicca.com/celtic/akasha/samhainlore.htm
 
http://www.spiritualworld.co.za/herbs/magicalusesofherbs.htm