Samhain - Life, Death, Rebirth

Samhain begins at sundown on 31st October, on All Hallows Eve (Halloween), and ends at sundown November 1st. Although back in Celtic times, the celebration spread over 3 nights of feasting. These feasts consisted of:

1. The End of the Harvest
2. Honouring the Animals
3. Honouring the Ancestors (Family Bloodline, those that have passed)

Although you don't have to follow these three feasts exactly, you can honour them in whichever order feels right for you, and celebrate what you want to celebrate and acknowledge. It could be one of the three nights you'd prefer to honour the Goddess and God, or maybe dedicate a night to Persephone and Hades and honour all those who have passed into the Underworld for their transformation before their rebirth.



Samhain is primarily about Life, Death and Rebirth. Symbolised by the apple, which goes through it's own cycle every year. The Apple grows fat and juicy, drops to the ground where it will die off and decay into the earth. Spending time in the earth through winter, it will transform and grow anew (from it's seed). In the Spring, it will shoot up anew as a seedling, and grow into a tree, which will later bear fruit - and we are back at the beginning of the cycle - the falling Apple.


Samhain is also the Celtic New Year, life from the past year has just died, now is a time of transformation in the dark, like a caterpillar in a chrysalis, life will be reborn anew in the Spring. Now is a good time to get rid of anything you no longer want in your life, and embrace any changes you want to make in your life. It's also a time to evolve and grow as a person, perhaps spend the winter months learning a new skill, crafting old things into new things, transforming things both within and without.


At this time of year, in many cultures, it is considered the time when the veil between this world and the spirit world is at it's thinnest. For Mexicans, it is a time for honouring the dead, as they celebrate "Dia de Los Muertos - The Day of the Dead". They make altars in the home, with skeletons or calaveras, foods and drinks as offerings to their deceased loved ones. They welcome their dead back home, to celebrate and party with them, so glad for them to be back with them. It is a time of happiness and joy. For them, death is nothing to be feared, but celebrated. The Mexican Day of the Dead takes place on November 1st, and usually goes on until at least the 2nd of November, so why not incorporate a little Day of the Dead theme celebrations on one of your feast nights?



Samhain should be celebrated and enjoyed It is a special and often the most favourite sabbat of the year. So however you choose to celebrate Samhain, enjoy this special time.

Mabon - The Autumn Equinox

For me, Mabon feels like it is more to do with celebrating Autumn, welcoming it's arrival. We are on the pivotal point when day and night are equal - there are equal amounts of light and darkness in our lives. This second harvest festival is closer to American Thanksgiving day, and seems to have the most in common with it. Although we can give thanks at Lughnasadh, the first harvest festival, we seem to be giving thanks mostly for the grain harvest, and some early berries. A big thank you for the good in our lives. At Mabon, I think we are being thankful for both the light and the darkness. For if we did not have the bad (dark) things in our lives, we would not truly appreciate the good (light) things in our lives. So we give thanks for the good, but also acknowledge the dark things in our lives that we would not usually want to acknowledge. Without the bad, we cannot truly appreciate the good. I found these words on About.com's Pagan Wiccan website, I find them inspiring, and they may be something you want to incorporate into your own celebrations or rituals:

Demeter, Inanna, Kali, Tiamet, Hecate, Nemesis, Morrighan.
Bringers of destruction and darkness,
I embrace you tonight.
Without rage, we cannot feel love,
Without pain, we cannot feel happiness,
Without the night, there is no day,
Without death, there is no life.
Great goddesses of the night, I thank you.

The Autumn Equinox is a time to think of the myth of Demeter and Persephone. Demeter loses her daughter, Persephone, who is kidnapped by Hades, the Lord of the Underworld. He keeps her down there for the next 6 months, while her mother Demeter is overcome with grief. She roams the earth, which now becomes cold and all life dies as the world feels her anguish. After 6 months, Hades eventually agrees to release Persephone. But only after he has tricked her into eating 6 Pomegranate seeds, one for each month of each year that she will have to stay in the Underworld. So each year afterwards, Persephone has to once again leave her mother and spend half the year in the Underworld with Hades, as Demeter once again mourns the loss of her daughter, and life on earth withers and dies, until Persephone's return next Spring. It is a beautiful story that explains the cold and the winter very well.


This story also reflects how we feel at this time of year. The dark months of the year are for inward reflection, rest, and renewal. It is a time of change, when we usually embark on a new phase in life, one which will change and transform us. This could come in the form of a course of study where we personally are learning something new, or it could be a change of job, as has happened to me in the past. Just like Persephone, we often feel restless before the Autumnal Equinox, there is that energy in the air, and we just can't settle, nor are we willing to remain the same. We want something new, something different. And just like Persephone, we can spend the winter months renewing ourselves and discovering new things, for her in a strange new world. We can return in the Spring with new skills and new knowledge, ready to shine in the new sun, renewed and very much alive. So consider doing something new to improve yourself and/or your knowledge.


Now is also the time of year to consider the dark goddesses, as well as to feel closer to the Moon Goddess. The Moon can be seen clearer and more often as the nights draw in. I feel a closer connection with the Moon in the darker months of the year, as she shines so brightly down at us. A great time of the year to learn more about her, spend time soaking up the Moon's rays, make Moon Water, or create a shrine / altar to honour and connect with her.


Mabon is traditionally a time of feasting, enjoying the new winter vegetables, and the fruits we are harvesting - now is the time of Bramble and Grapes, the fruits of the vine, for which we can honour the God of the forest (the Horned God), and thank the Goddess for the vegetables grown in the ground. Be thankful for this abundance of food that will keep us through the winter, but also be thankful for all the abundance in your life, your wealth, health, and your friends and family you can gather round you in this time of feasting and celebration.


Be sure to decorate your home and/or altar with autumn leaves, fruits and vegetables, scarecrows, toadstools (ornaments only I would hope!), and anything else that symbolises Autumn for you. Perhaps Autumn fairies, Autumn colours (red, yellow, orange and brown). A good source of Autumn decorations can also be found if you try looking for Autumn Wedding Decorations - there are a surprising number of beautiful decorations available. As this is the time of equal night and day, exactly 12 hours of each, you can decorate with symbols of balance, e.g. Yin Yang symbols, a black candle and a white candle, a Sun and a Moon, the Horned God and the Goddess, opposites of each other, in harmony and balance at this special time.


Favourite pastimes of the Autumn Equinox include storytelling around a camp fire (use a candle if necessary) - the spookier the better, holding a dinner feast inviting friends and family, saying thanks for what you are grateful for, or even just making a pretty Grateful List with pretty leaves and Autumn leaves making a decorative border. Another even simpler idea, is just to get out there and go for a walk, noticing the signs of Autumn. I love the leaves in the wind, the sound of rustling trees, the cool crisp air, ripening brambles on their branches, everything feels so alive. Right now I keep hearing about and seeing photos of squirrels - what better symbol of Autumn than squirrels? Especially red squirrels for their lovely Autumn colour. Whatever you do, enjoy your Autumn sabbat - it only comes once a year!

Finally Feeling Comfortable On My Path

I just realised something - for the first time on my pagan path, I finally feel comfortable knowing that I will never know everything there is to know about Paganism. It is not an easy path to undertake, it is not as simple as other religions where you have a main book or sacred text that everyone agrees holds the correct information. You ask five pagans a question, you get five different answers. And you have to figure out which answer is the correct one. The correct answer is the one that feels right for you, not for anyone else.

Today I realise that there will always be new things to learn about. I often have felt overwhelmed at all the things I do not know about my path and my beliefs. What happens when I die? Which deities should I study and get to know? How best should I celebrate a sabbat? And the amazing thing is, there are many different answers to each question. I just have to learn about them, and see which is right for me. Another amazing thing I've realised, is that these answers can change during the course of my life. What is right for me now, may not be right for me next month, next year, or in the next ten years of my life. My path will always be evolving. And that's ok!

Why shouldn't my beliefs change and adapt with me? Our personal views and opinions are formed by what we see and do, the experiences we have in life. As we go through life, we have new experiences, and as a result, we are bound to see things differently. We are an evolving species, we evolve as individuals too, in our appearance, intelligence, and beliefs too. One massive advantage to my pagan path evolving and changing through my life? I will never be bored. I will always have something new to discover. There will be new ways of doing things, I don't always have to do them the same way. I can celebrate a sabbat in one way this year, and try something new the next year. Depending on what is right for me at the time. There are many many deities to explore and learn about. There is so much to absorb and learn. Many different cultures have honoured many different deities and have many different cultural practices and beliefs. There are so many beautiful things to learn and try.

Now I know I no longer have to afraid of my lack of knowledge. There is no panic to learn everything at once, because I will always be learning. I can take my time, learn the things I am interested in, the things that inspire and move me. What is important to me now? And I can learn that. Right now I'm interested in learning about the Mabon / Autumn Equinox sabbat, the Green Man / Horned God deity, and the Earth Goddess / Moon Goddess. Is she the same person, two different people, or two aspects of the same Goddess? I have the time to learn and discover this for myself in my own time. My path is an inspirational one, it inspires me and makes me feel alive. What's not to love?

Right now, my words of inspiration are related to the Horned God...

"Live Wild and Free, enjoy every moment of being alive."

"And remember, all the strength you will ever need is already inside you."

The God and the Goddess are inside all of us, a part of the light and the dark, male and female, in all of us. I, as well as everyone else, have the divine spark and the inner strength within me, to take on anything I have to deal with in my life. I have the strength and energy of the Horned God within me, I can take on any battle I come across. I feel strong, and safe, for I will never be alone. Cernunnos, Herne, the Horned God, (whatever name you wish to use for him), is a Guardian and protector of all living animals, including us. We are his animals too. And I am grateful for that.

Have a Blessed and Magical Day!

What I Want To Learn

Today I have been clarifying what I want to learn. I feel drawn towards a Celtic path, and I am very interested in learning more about the Green Man, and how he is related to Pan, Cernunnos, Herne, pretty much I want to learn all about the Horned God. I have a pretty basic understanding of him at the moment, that he is lord and protector of the forests and all nature in it.

I also feel drawn to an Earth Goddess, namely Gaia. I imagine her with dark skin and green hair, coming from the dark earth itself with greenery growing from her. In my view, both the Horned God and the Earth Goddess compliment each other. I am also interested in the Moon Goddess, though find it hard to associate the Moon Goddess with the Earth Goddess, I believe they must be separate, as I believe the Moon Goddess is literally the light of the moon, and the Earth Goddess feels much darker and possibly to do with the Underworld, which I also have limited understanding of. I think both of these would be best studied in winter, when I notice the Moon more, and I have heard the Underworld is also more accessible in the winter than the summer. Perhaps it is a more appropriate time for it?

I am also studying the sabbats, or festivals, of the Wheel of the Year. So at the moment I am learning about Mabon, which is the Autumn Equinox, and falls on the 23rd September this year. So I guess I will be studying the Horned God and the Earth Goddess, along with learning about Mabon this month. Now I have a plan! Whatever you are doing, enjoy this time of year as I can now feel the chill of Autumn, the Fall will soon be here!

Lughnasadh - First Harvest & Crafts Festival

Lughnasadh (pronounced Loo-NAS-ah), is the first harvest festival. It has been celebrated by pagan cultures in England for thousands of years. Originally by the Celts (whom some people prefer to call Brythons), but also by the Saxons and the Romans. For ancient civilisations such as these, the harvest was very important. If the crops in the fields were not harvested in time, and not processed in time to preserve them, families could starve through the winter. The harvest was so crucial to them, that if anything went wrong, it could literally result in the whole community dying of starvation. They celebrated the harvest and the abundance of food available to them, giving thanks to the Grain Goddess / Earth Mother for such a good harvest. Often making a small offering of thanks to her with either the first loaf of bread they baked, or the last sheaf of grain they harvested.


Today, we notice Lughnasadh as a time when our gardens are overflowing with abundance, the berries are ripe for picking, the grass is tall and full of seed, many fruits and vegetables are ready to be harvested. Even though we don’t have to struggle to harvest our crops to keep us alive through winter, we can just pop to the local shop for another loaf of bread, it is still nice to honour our ancestors and respect them as we remember the hard work and difficulty they had to endure. We give thanks for the food on our tables, the bounty of the earth, and the knowledge that we will have enough to eat through the coming winter months.

Even on a personal level, this is a time for reaping what we have sown these past few months. What new skills have you learnt recently? What have you been working on that the hard work is now starting to pay off for? It is also a time for planning ahead to winter, but also planning our personal lives, as nature reflects our our own lives.

We celebrate the cycle of life, death and rebirth. As we remember the cycle of nature, plants go to seed and die back for winter, only to have the plants reborn as the seeds in the earth will begin new life in spring. The cycle goes round and round.


Where deities are concerned, we generally think of the Goddess as with child at this time, and the Horned God weakens, and in some traditions, he dies now with the harvesting of the grain. (He will later be reborn as the child of the Goddess, to later grow and become her consort, and the cycle goes round and round). Right now, some paths believe as the God dies, his body becomes food for us in the grain: bread his body, beer his blood. He gives us sustenance through the winter months.


Lughnasadh is also a day to honour Lugh, the Celtic God of Craftsmen. We acknowledge our own skills and abilities, and it is a great time to spend practicing that craft and producing something symbolic of the harvest and/or as an offering to Lugh. For example, I consider myself an artist, I am grateful for this skill, so will happily spend some time drawing in honour of Lugh, and recognising this skill I am blessed with. Thank you, Lugh!

How to celebrate Lughnasadh?
Lughnasadh has traditionally been celebrated in England with country fairs, the selling of livestock and grain, arts and crafts, and festivities in the forms of games, friendly competition, feasting, music, dancing and much merriment. It is a time to gather with friends, celebrate the abundance we have in our lives, not just the food, but crafts, skills, and all things in our lives. Thank the Goddess for our gifts of food and life (gifts from the earth), and thank Lugh (Patron God of the Arts and Crafts) for your many skills and abilities.


Decorate with signs of the season - sickles, wheat sheafs, harvest decorations - berries, grapes, vines, fruits and vegetables ripening at this time of year. Make Corn Dolls, Apple Candleholders, Berry Bracelets, Harvest Wreaths and any other nature based decorations you can think of! Sunflowers and any other plant associated with this time of year. The sun is strong and full - so use colours of the season. If you don’t have all these decorations, make them. If you can’t make them (perhaps due to lack of local materials or skill), then draw them, or cut out pictures and make a collage picture to focus on. Lughnasadh is about skill and craftwork - learning new skills or expressing one you already possess.


Make delicious food, great time for bread baking, jam making, anything to do with food that is being harvested at this time of year. Enjoy eating this kind of food now too - even enjoy a bowl of cereal! Make use of any artistic and crafty skill you have, make something or try something new and learn a new skill! Enjoy fun music, dancing, jolly merrymaking - Have Fun and remember to be thankful.

Which Goddess Are You? I'm Persephone!

You are Persephone, the goddess of springtime, Earth's fertility, but also the goddess of darkness and intuition. You are creative, and can always see past the surface. Although you are moody and sometimes a bit grumpy, you are really worth getting to know, but sometimes people just don't bother. But they should!

Which Goddess Are You?

Esbats

Esbats are the celebration of the Full and New Moons. A time to honour the Moon Goddess. Each Esbat has a different name, usually named by ancient people according to their tradition, so the names differ in different cultures and times. The form the Esbat celebration takes can be inspired by the time of year, when you think about how the earth is changing at that time of the year, what it means for you specifically, and what nature is teaching you. (For help or inspiration, take a look at the nearest Sabbat to see what is happening at this time of year).


This full moon, July 15th 2011, is sometimes known as the Blessing Moon, the Mead Moon, and the Hay Moon. It arrives just a couple of weeks before the first harvest festival, Lughnasadh / Lammas. It is a time filled with abundance, and manifesting what you desire. Also a good time for divination.


Ask yourself, why do I want to celebrate Esbats? For me, it is because I have chosen to honour the Sun, the Earth and the Moon. And if I honour the moon, and call her the Moon Goddess, then surely I should honour and acknowledge the moon at her fullest and most powerful - on the full moon. Your answer will help you decide what form your ritual or practice should take in honouring the full moon Esbat. It might be a celebration, a themed drawing / craftwork, a meditation, or a full blown ritual. Like those suggested at http://PaganWiccan.about.com, (Summer Moon Rite and Full Moon Esbat Ritual). Or you may adapt and combine any of these methods. Make it your own and enjoy the celebration.