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Samhain by Yvonne Rathbone |
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Wheel
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Samhain The Goddess as crone, laments the death of her lover as her new lover quickens deep within her womb.
Samhain begins the "dark half of the year", "the small sun" or "An Ghrian Mór". Some covens echo this yearly structure by having one coven ruler (HP or HPs) rule one half of the year, and the other rule the other half. In covens with this structure, rulership is usually passed at Samhain and Beltane. In Celtic Times this was the time to bring the herds down from summer pastures. Well, more likely, this was the end of the period of bringing the herds down. Anything left out in the field after this day was considered unfit for human consumption and given to the fairies (who seemed to have no problem with it.) At Samhain, the veil between this world and the next is at its thinnest. It is much easier at this time to contact the spirits of those who have passed over. Many rituals at this time center on communion with and reverence for the beloved dead. Leaving a plate of food outside at night for the souls of the dead, burying apples in the earth to feed those who have passed on, especially those that have no one to visit during Samhain, placing a candle in a window to light the way for the dead. One of the most powerful rituals is the Dumb Supper. At this feast, plates are laid out for the dead and the living feast in silence out of respect for the dead's inability to speak. Samhain represents a point outside time. Our Godly nature is with the God outside of time and space. Through ritual and training we can become more aware of our being at once in this world and outside it. To our corporeal awareness, this is a strange time because much exists outside of what we can know while having a body. This is the place of mystery where death transforms into birth. Because at Samhain it is more possible to step outside of Time, divination is often done. Often, diviners looked to see what their fortunes will be in the following year. This knowledge would have to be internalized greatly and brought forth later because the time between Samhain and Yule was considered the "dead time", when nothing new could start. Some traditions extend this time to Imbolc. The following recipe is for a divinatory incense particularly effective at Samhain: Samhain Incense (from Scott Cunningham) 2x Sandal (p) This incense has a good balance of protective herbs (p) and divinatory herbs (d) - a good mix for this time of year. A common symbol for Samhain that is still used in the modern celebration of Halloween is the carved pumpkin or gourd. Pumpkins, as we know them in America, were not a part of the Celtic tradition. Pumpkins are a new world plant, but they are related to the European gourd. No doubt, European immigrants to America, when looking for ways to continue their customs, found the pumpkin a very good substitute for the gourd. Gourds or pumpkins, like melons and pomegranates, have many seeds and so are linked with fertility. In jack-o-lanterns, the seeds have been removed and what remains is the shell after all life has been removed. The Willow tree is often linked with grieving. We even call one species of Willow, "Weeping Willow". In this way, the Willow symbolizes the Goddess at Samhain weeping for the loss of her child and lover. The Willow is also associated with miraculous births. Diana is said to have been found in a Willow clump and the ancient Egyptians believed the same of Osiris. Moses was also found in a willow basket. The boughs of the weeping Goddess at Samhain will be made into a cradle for the Sun God at Yule. |
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