Samhain
Card: Pumpkin, The King Of Ghosts
*chuckle*
**********************
Every year, I write a special entry for this holiest of nights: the night of Samhain.
This is my favorite night of the year, for what it represents and just because I feel in tune with it more than any other night (and you all know how I LOVE the evening time!).
My usual task is to find a bit of information and write a composition about the meaning of the day and it's folklore, addint a little of my own philosophy and thoughts poured into the words.
This year, however I might not have time for such, since I have my net down and I'm at work and will be working like crazy for the next two days. So, I figured I could go back into my entries and find one of my old posts to inspire myself.
Imagine my surprise when I found out last year I did not post such an entry, mainly because of my depression and my problems with *love*, but also because of another bunch of reasons. Also, you should know that I have deleted my journal for two times already, as a desperate attempt to sometimes leave the past behind... The third time, however, Matthew commited the outrageous crime of hijacking my journal and deleting it from the very beginning. No matter how enraged you are with someone, that is something which you should never do, to invade someone's personal treshold like that... there's a whole bunch of story behind that, too, including the way he hacked my mail account and deleted all my friends from my messenger... but that was a long time ago and I don't really feel like going into it now.
*sigh*
Anyway... on to the stuff. Today, I shall write this entry as if it was the first time ever. So, enjoy my gift in this night of all nights which is by many called, All hallow's eve.
Samhain...
In the early days, many pagan tribes such as the Keltoi, the Vilki, the Wicca and the Gaul, celebrated this day as the evening of Samhain.
Samhain marks one of the two great doorways of the Celtic year, for the Celts divided the year into two seasons: the light and the dark, at Beltane on May 1st and Samhain on November 1st. Some believe that Samhain was the more important festival, marking the beginning of a whole new cycle, just as the Celtic day began at night. For it was understood that in dark silence comes whisperings of new beginnings, the stirring of the seed below the ground. Whereas Beltane welcomes in the summer with joyous celebrations at dawn, the most magically potent time of this festival is November Eve, the night of October 31st, known today of course, as Halloween.
The Last Harvest. The Earth nods a sad farewell to the God. We know that He will once again be reborn of the Goddess and the cycle will continue. This is the time of reflection, the time to honor the Ancients who have gone on before us and the time of 'Seeing" (divination). As we contemplate the Wheel of the Year, we come to recognize our own part in the eternal cycle of Life.
Communicating with ancestors and departed loved ones is easy at this time, for they journey through this world on their way to the Summerlands. It is a time to study the Dark Mysteries and honor the Dark Mother and the Dark Father, symbolized by the Crone and her aged Consort.
Originally the "Feast of the Dead" was celebrated in Celtic countries by leaving food offerings on altars and doorsteps for the "wandering dead". Today a lot of practitioners still carry out that tradition. Single candles were lit and left in a window to help guide the spirits of ancestors and loved ones home. Extra chairs were set to the table and around the hearth for the unseen guest. Apples were buried along roadsides and paths for spirits who were lost or had no descendants to provide for them. Turnips were hollowed out and carved to look like protective spirits, for this was a night of magic and chaos. The Wee Folke became very active, pulling pranks on unsuspecting humans. Traveling after dark was was not advised. People dressed in white (like ghosts), wore disguises made of straw, or dressed as the opposite gender in order to fool and scare the Nature spirits. Also, huts were ritually decorated with masks and various herbs to keep the Fae folk and ill spirits away. The jack-o-lantern itself was invented at this time as a mean to keep the foreign spirits away with representations of an older God and to lead the spirits of the dead back home.
This was the time that the cattle and other livestock were slaughtered for eating in the ensuing winter months. Any crops still in the field on Samhain were considered taboo, and left as offerings to the Nature spirits. Bonfires were built, (originally called bone-fires, for after feasting, the bones were thrown in the fire as offerings for healthy and plentiful livestock in the New Year) and stones were marked with peoples names. Then they were thrown into the fire, to be retrieved in the morning. The condition of the retrieved stone foretold of that person's fortune in the coming year. Hearth fires were also lit from the village bonfire to ensure unity, and the ashes were spread over the harvested fields to protect and bless the land.
The Samhain fires continued to blaze down the centuries. In the 1860s the Halloween bonfires were still so popular in Scotland that one traveler reported seeing thirty fires lighting up the hillsides all on one night, each surrounded by rings of dancing figures, a practice which continued up to the first World War. Young people and servants lit brands from the fire and ran around the fields and hedges of house and farm, while community leaders surrounded parish boundaries with a magic circle of light. Afterwards, ashes from the fires were sprinkled over the fields to protect them during the winter months -- and of course, they also improved the soil. The bonfire provided an island of light within the oncoming tide of winter darkness, keeping away cold, discomfort, and evil spirits long before electricity illumined our nights. When the last flame sank down, it was time to run as fast as you could for home, raising the cry, “The black sow without a tail take the hindmost!”
Both the dressing up and the bonfire dancing is what brought up the old wives' tales of witches and demons dancing around the fire in this sacred night.
Samhain was a significant time for divination, perhaps even more so than May or Midsummer’s Eve, because this was the chief of the three Spirit Nights. Divination customs and games frequently featured apples and nuts from the recent harvest, and candles played an important part in adding atmosphere to the mysteries. In Scotland, a child born at Samhain was said to be gifted with an dà shealladh, “The Two Sights” commonly known as “second sight,” or clairvoyance.
Apple Magic:
At the heart of the Celtic Otherworld grows an apple tree whose fruit has magical properties. Old sagas tell of heroes crossing the western sea to find this wondrous country, known in Ireland as Emhain Abhlach, (Evan Avlach) and in Britain, Avalon. At Samhain, the apple harvest is in, and old hearthside games, such as apple-bobbing, called apple-dookin’ in Scotland, reflect the journey across water to obtain the magic apple.
Dookin' for Apples:
Place a large tub, preferably wooden, on the floor, and half fill it with water. Tumble in plenty of apples, and have one person stir them around vigorously with a long wooden spoon or rod of hazel, ash or any other sacred tree.
Each player takes their turn kneeling on the floor, trying to capture the apples with their teeth as they go bobbing around. Each gets three tries before the next person has a go. Best to wear old clothes for this one, and have a roaring fire nearby so you can dry off while eating your prize!
If you do manage to capture an apple, you might want to keep it for a divination ritual, such as this one:
The Apple and the Mirror:
Before the stroke of midnight, sit in front of a mirror in a room lit only by one candle or the moon. Go into the silence, and ask a question. Cut the apple into nine pieces. With your back to the mirror, eat eight of the pieces, then throw the ninth over your left shoulder. Turn your head to look over the same shoulder, and you will see and in image or symbol in the mirror that will tell you your answer.
(When you look in the mirror, let your focus go "soft," and allow the patterns made by the moon or candlelight and shadows to suggest forms, symbols and other dreamlike images that speak to your intuition.)
Dreaming Stones:
Go to a boundary stream and with closed eyes, take from the water three stones between middle finger and thumb, saying these words as each is gathered:
I will lift the stone
As Mary lifted it for her Son,
For substance, virtue, and strength;
May this stone be in my hand
Till I reach my journey’s end.
(Scots Gaelic)
Togaidh mise chlach,
Mar a thog Moire da Mac,
Air bhrìgh, air bhuaidh, ‘s air neart;
Gun robh a chlachsa am dhòrn,
Gus an ruig mi mo cheann uidhe.
Carry them home carefully and place them under your pillow. That night, ask for a dream that will give you guidance or a solution to a problem, and the stones will bring it for you.
Once the roman empire started spreading Christianism all over Europe, they forced most of the pagan community to convert, otherwise being executed. This brought up that most of the pagan festivities were covered up and transformed into holy christian days. As such, Samhain was changed to Hallowmas, or All Saints' Day, to commemorate the souls of the blessed dead who had been canonized that year, so the night before became popularly known as Halloween, All Hallows Eve, or Hollantide. November 2nd became All Souls Day, when prayers were to be offered to the souls of all who the departed and those who were waiting in Purgatory for entry into Heaven.
Down here in Mexico, the "day of the dead" is celebrated in Nov 2nd. A day in which offerings to the dearly deceased are made. People often make altars for their dead and visit graveyards to leave fruits, flowers and various kinds of other food for the dead to "come out and eat". This mainly for two reasons: One, because of the christian "all souls day" and the other because ancient Aztecs and Mayans had a very defined cult to the dead. One must always remember the ancestors, as they not only leave their valuable teachings behind, but are also watching over us at every time.
When the colonization of America came about, the irish, scots and brits brought these traditions with them, and that's the reason why today we still celebrate the "Halloween"
To the ancient days of Yore
Goes the silent prayers for
To remember young and old
To praise innocent and bold
Dragons and Angels soar the skies
Going through forests and mountains high
Elves and fairies heed the calls
As the stars shine and darkness falls
Come, join me in this holiest of nights
Leave behind your worries and frights
Come, drink from the goblet of ages
Write your poems and your lines in these pages
Come, sing and dance until eve
Do not sulk and do not grieve
Respect all that was, that is ald will be
For we praise Samhain, at the foot of oak trees
Merry meet, and happy Samhain to you all
And blessed be ^_^
*chuckle*
**********************
Every year, I write a special entry for this holiest of nights: the night of Samhain.
This is my favorite night of the year, for what it represents and just because I feel in tune with it more than any other night (and you all know how I LOVE the evening time!).
My usual task is to find a bit of information and write a composition about the meaning of the day and it's folklore, addint a little of my own philosophy and thoughts poured into the words.
This year, however I might not have time for such, since I have my net down and I'm at work and will be working like crazy for the next two days. So, I figured I could go back into my entries and find one of my old posts to inspire myself.
Imagine my surprise when I found out last year I did not post such an entry, mainly because of my depression and my problems with *love*, but also because of another bunch of reasons. Also, you should know that I have deleted my journal for two times already, as a desperate attempt to sometimes leave the past behind... The third time, however, Matthew commited the outrageous crime of hijacking my journal and deleting it from the very beginning. No matter how enraged you are with someone, that is something which you should never do, to invade someone's personal treshold like that... there's a whole bunch of story behind that, too, including the way he hacked my mail account and deleted all my friends from my messenger... but that was a long time ago and I don't really feel like going into it now.
*sigh*
Anyway... on to the stuff. Today, I shall write this entry as if it was the first time ever. So, enjoy my gift in this night of all nights which is by many called, All hallow's eve.
Samhain...
In the early days, many pagan tribes such as the Keltoi, the Vilki, the Wicca and the Gaul, celebrated this day as the evening of Samhain.
Samhain marks one of the two great doorways of the Celtic year, for the Celts divided the year into two seasons: the light and the dark, at Beltane on May 1st and Samhain on November 1st. Some believe that Samhain was the more important festival, marking the beginning of a whole new cycle, just as the Celtic day began at night. For it was understood that in dark silence comes whisperings of new beginnings, the stirring of the seed below the ground. Whereas Beltane welcomes in the summer with joyous celebrations at dawn, the most magically potent time of this festival is November Eve, the night of October 31st, known today of course, as Halloween.
The Last Harvest. The Earth nods a sad farewell to the God. We know that He will once again be reborn of the Goddess and the cycle will continue. This is the time of reflection, the time to honor the Ancients who have gone on before us and the time of 'Seeing" (divination). As we contemplate the Wheel of the Year, we come to recognize our own part in the eternal cycle of Life.
Communicating with ancestors and departed loved ones is easy at this time, for they journey through this world on their way to the Summerlands. It is a time to study the Dark Mysteries and honor the Dark Mother and the Dark Father, symbolized by the Crone and her aged Consort.
Originally the "Feast of the Dead" was celebrated in Celtic countries by leaving food offerings on altars and doorsteps for the "wandering dead". Today a lot of practitioners still carry out that tradition. Single candles were lit and left in a window to help guide the spirits of ancestors and loved ones home. Extra chairs were set to the table and around the hearth for the unseen guest. Apples were buried along roadsides and paths for spirits who were lost or had no descendants to provide for them. Turnips were hollowed out and carved to look like protective spirits, for this was a night of magic and chaos. The Wee Folke became very active, pulling pranks on unsuspecting humans. Traveling after dark was was not advised. People dressed in white (like ghosts), wore disguises made of straw, or dressed as the opposite gender in order to fool and scare the Nature spirits. Also, huts were ritually decorated with masks and various herbs to keep the Fae folk and ill spirits away. The jack-o-lantern itself was invented at this time as a mean to keep the foreign spirits away with representations of an older God and to lead the spirits of the dead back home.
This was the time that the cattle and other livestock were slaughtered for eating in the ensuing winter months. Any crops still in the field on Samhain were considered taboo, and left as offerings to the Nature spirits. Bonfires were built, (originally called bone-fires, for after feasting, the bones were thrown in the fire as offerings for healthy and plentiful livestock in the New Year) and stones were marked with peoples names. Then they were thrown into the fire, to be retrieved in the morning. The condition of the retrieved stone foretold of that person's fortune in the coming year. Hearth fires were also lit from the village bonfire to ensure unity, and the ashes were spread over the harvested fields to protect and bless the land.
The Samhain fires continued to blaze down the centuries. In the 1860s the Halloween bonfires were still so popular in Scotland that one traveler reported seeing thirty fires lighting up the hillsides all on one night, each surrounded by rings of dancing figures, a practice which continued up to the first World War. Young people and servants lit brands from the fire and ran around the fields and hedges of house and farm, while community leaders surrounded parish boundaries with a magic circle of light. Afterwards, ashes from the fires were sprinkled over the fields to protect them during the winter months -- and of course, they also improved the soil. The bonfire provided an island of light within the oncoming tide of winter darkness, keeping away cold, discomfort, and evil spirits long before electricity illumined our nights. When the last flame sank down, it was time to run as fast as you could for home, raising the cry, “The black sow without a tail take the hindmost!”
Both the dressing up and the bonfire dancing is what brought up the old wives' tales of witches and demons dancing around the fire in this sacred night.
Samhain was a significant time for divination, perhaps even more so than May or Midsummer’s Eve, because this was the chief of the three Spirit Nights. Divination customs and games frequently featured apples and nuts from the recent harvest, and candles played an important part in adding atmosphere to the mysteries. In Scotland, a child born at Samhain was said to be gifted with an dà shealladh, “The Two Sights” commonly known as “second sight,” or clairvoyance.
Apple Magic:
At the heart of the Celtic Otherworld grows an apple tree whose fruit has magical properties. Old sagas tell of heroes crossing the western sea to find this wondrous country, known in Ireland as Emhain Abhlach, (Evan Avlach) and in Britain, Avalon. At Samhain, the apple harvest is in, and old hearthside games, such as apple-bobbing, called apple-dookin’ in Scotland, reflect the journey across water to obtain the magic apple.
Dookin' for Apples:
Place a large tub, preferably wooden, on the floor, and half fill it with water. Tumble in plenty of apples, and have one person stir them around vigorously with a long wooden spoon or rod of hazel, ash or any other sacred tree.
Each player takes their turn kneeling on the floor, trying to capture the apples with their teeth as they go bobbing around. Each gets three tries before the next person has a go. Best to wear old clothes for this one, and have a roaring fire nearby so you can dry off while eating your prize!
If you do manage to capture an apple, you might want to keep it for a divination ritual, such as this one:
The Apple and the Mirror:
Before the stroke of midnight, sit in front of a mirror in a room lit only by one candle or the moon. Go into the silence, and ask a question. Cut the apple into nine pieces. With your back to the mirror, eat eight of the pieces, then throw the ninth over your left shoulder. Turn your head to look over the same shoulder, and you will see and in image or symbol in the mirror that will tell you your answer.
(When you look in the mirror, let your focus go "soft," and allow the patterns made by the moon or candlelight and shadows to suggest forms, symbols and other dreamlike images that speak to your intuition.)
Dreaming Stones:
Go to a boundary stream and with closed eyes, take from the water three stones between middle finger and thumb, saying these words as each is gathered:
I will lift the stone
As Mary lifted it for her Son,
For substance, virtue, and strength;
May this stone be in my hand
Till I reach my journey’s end.
(Scots Gaelic)
Togaidh mise chlach,
Mar a thog Moire da Mac,
Air bhrìgh, air bhuaidh, ‘s air neart;
Gun robh a chlachsa am dhòrn,
Gus an ruig mi mo cheann uidhe.
Carry them home carefully and place them under your pillow. That night, ask for a dream that will give you guidance or a solution to a problem, and the stones will bring it for you.
Once the roman empire started spreading Christianism all over Europe, they forced most of the pagan community to convert, otherwise being executed. This brought up that most of the pagan festivities were covered up and transformed into holy christian days. As such, Samhain was changed to Hallowmas, or All Saints' Day, to commemorate the souls of the blessed dead who had been canonized that year, so the night before became popularly known as Halloween, All Hallows Eve, or Hollantide. November 2nd became All Souls Day, when prayers were to be offered to the souls of all who the departed and those who were waiting in Purgatory for entry into Heaven.
Down here in Mexico, the "day of the dead" is celebrated in Nov 2nd. A day in which offerings to the dearly deceased are made. People often make altars for their dead and visit graveyards to leave fruits, flowers and various kinds of other food for the dead to "come out and eat". This mainly for two reasons: One, because of the christian "all souls day" and the other because ancient Aztecs and Mayans had a very defined cult to the dead. One must always remember the ancestors, as they not only leave their valuable teachings behind, but are also watching over us at every time.
When the colonization of America came about, the irish, scots and brits brought these traditions with them, and that's the reason why today we still celebrate the "Halloween"
To the ancient days of Yore
Goes the silent prayers for
To remember young and old
To praise innocent and bold
Dragons and Angels soar the skies
Going through forests and mountains high
Elves and fairies heed the calls
As the stars shine and darkness falls
Come, join me in this holiest of nights
Leave behind your worries and frights
Come, drink from the goblet of ages
Write your poems and your lines in these pages
Come, sing and dance until eve
Do not sulk and do not grieve
Respect all that was, that is ald will be
For we praise Samhain, at the foot of oak trees
Merry meet, and happy Samhain to you all
And blessed be ^_^