SAMHAIN or HALLOWEEN is also known as
All Hallow's Eve, the Witches' New Year or the Third Festival of the Harvest
SAMHAIN, pronounced "sow-en", marks the beginning of the cold months or winter. It's primary elements are endings and beginnings, change, reflection & reincarnation. Celebrations are: Honoring the Dead, Honoring our Ancestors, the Wisdom of the Crone and the Death of the God.
ANIMALS: Bat, cat, owl, jackal, stag, scorpion, heron, crow
SYMBOLS: Cauldrons, masks, balefires, besoms, bats, owls, ravens, jack o'lanterns, autumn flowers, ghosts, gourds, Indian corn, oak leaves, pomegranates, corn stalks and of course, witchs and black cats.
COLORS: black, orange, brown, golden yellow and red.
FOODS: Apples, cider, meat (this is the meat harvest), nuts, pomegranates, potatoes, pumpkin bread, pumpkin pie, pumpkin seeds, squash.
GEMSTONES: Carnelian, jet, smoky quartz, bloodstone,obsidian & onyx
HERBS: Acorns, apples, allspice, catnip, corn, dittany of crete, flax, fumitory, heather, mandrake, mugwort, mullein, nightshade, pear, pumpkin, sage, wormwood.
We also add to this list, thistles, turnip, grains, gourds and ferns.
INCENSE: Copal, sandalwood, benzoin, sweetgrass, wormwood, mugwort, sage, myrrh or patchouli
TOOLS: Cauldron, besom, tarot, obsidian ball, pendulum, runes, oghams, Ouija boards, bowl with black ink or water or magick mirror.
GODDESSES/GODS: Crone goddesses, gods of the underworld or death including: Anubis,Arawn,Arianrhod, Astarte, Baba Yaga, Beansidhe, Cerridwen, Cernunnos, the Dagda, Demeter, Hades, Hecate, Hel, Horned God, Inanna, Ishtar, Isis, Kali,Kore, Lakshmi, Lilith, Macha, Mari, the Morrigan,Nephthys,Odin, Osiris, Pomona, Psyche, Rhiannon, Sekmet, and Teutates.
CUSTOMS & MYTHS: In England, it was the custom to go "a-souling" on this night, asking for little "soul cakes" and offering prayers for the dead, in return.
In the British Isles, lanterns carved out of turnips were used to provide light on a night when bale fires were lit, and all households let their fires go out so they could rekindle from the new fire.
Another custom was the Dumb Supper in which an extra plate was laid for the dead and the meal was eaten in silence. Bobbing for apples, roasting nuts in the fire and baking cakes that contained tokens of luck were methods of telling the future. Bobbing for appples was a divination for marriage. The first person to bite an apple would be the first to marry in the coming year. Apple peeling was a divination to see how long your life would be. The longer the unbroken apple peel, the longer your life was destined to be.
WORKINGS: Banishing, sex magick, release of bad habits, fairy magick, divination, astral projection, past life work, dark moon mysteries, mirror spells (reflection), casting protection, inner work, clearing obstacles, uncrossing, creative visualization & contacting those who have passed on.
The History of Halloween & Samhain
The fantasy and folklore of All Hallows Night
The old beliefs associated with Samhain never died out entirely. The powerful symbolism of the traveling dead was too strong, and perhaps too basic to the human psyche, to be satisfied with the new, more abstract Catholic feast honoring saints. Recognizing that something that would subsume the original energy of Samhain was necessary, the church tried again to supplant it with a Christian feast day in the 9th century. This time it established November 2nd as All Souls Day -a day when the living prayed for the souls of all the dead. But, once again, the practice of retaining traditional customs while attempting to redefine them had a sustaining effect: the traditional beliefs and customs lived on, in new guises.
All Saints Day - All Hallows
All Saints Day, otherwise known as All Hallows (hallowed means sanctified or holy), continued the ancient Celtic traditions. The evening prior to the day was the time of the most intense activity, both human and supernatural. People continued to celebrate All Hallows Eve as a time of the wandering dead, but the supernatural beings were now thought to be evil. The folk continued to propitiate those spirits (and their masked impersonators) by setting out gifts of food and drink. Subsequently, All Hallows Eve became Hallow Evening, which became Hallowe'en--an ancient Celtic, pre-Christian New Year's Day in contemporary dress.
Many supernatural creatures became associated with All Hallows. In Ireland fairies were numbered among the legendary creatures who roamed on Halloween. An old folk ballad called "Allison Gross" tells the story of how the fairy queen saved a man from a witch's spell on Halloween.
Allison Gross
O Allison Gross, that lives in yon tower
the ugliest witch int he North Country...
She's turned me into an ugly worm
and gard me toddle around a tree...
But as it fell out last Hallow even
When the seely [fairy] court was riding by,
the Queen lighted down on a gowany bank
Not far from the tree where I wont to lie...
She's change me again to my own proper shape
And I no more toddle about the tree.
In old England cakes were made for the wandering souls, and people went "a' soulin'" for these "soul cakes." Halloween, a time of magic, also became a day of divination, with a host of magical beliefs: for instance, if persons hold a mirror on Halloween and walk backwards down the stairs to the basement, the face that appears in the mirror will be their next lover.
Halloween - Celtic Day of the Dead
Virtually all present Halloween traditions can be traced to the ancient Celtic day of the dead. Halloween is a holiday of many mysterious customs, but each one has a history, or at least a story behind it. The wearing of costumes, for instance, and roaming from door to door demanding treats can be traced to the Celtic period and the first few centuries of the Christian era, when it was thought that the souls of the dead were out and around, along with fairies, witches, and demons. Offerings of food and drink were left out to placate them. As the centuries wore on, people began dressing like these dreadful creatures, performing antics in exchange for food and drink. This practice is called mumming, from which the practice of trick-or-treating evolved. To this day, witches, ghosts, and skeleton figures of the dead are among the favorite disguises. Halloween also retains some features that harken back to the original harvest holiday of Samhain, such as the customs of bobbing for apples and carving vegetables, as well as the fruits, nuts, and spices cider associated with the day.
Modern Halloween
Today Halloween is becoming once again and adult holiday or masquerade, like mardi Gras. Men and women in every disguise imaginable are taking to the streets of big American cities and parading past grinningly carved, candlelit jack o'lanterns, re-enacting customs with a lengthy pedigree. Their masked antics challenge, mock, tease, and appease the dread forces of the night, of the soul, and of the otherworld that becomes our world on this night of reversible possibilities, inverted roles, and transcendency. In so doing, they are reaffirming death and its place as a part of life in an exhilarating celebration of a holy and magic evening.
Info from about.com
If you pare an apple all in one piece on Samhain night and allow it to fall to the ground untouched, it will spell out the initials of your future love.
Hazelnuts were tossed into divination patterns by the Druids and then buried to honor the old gods: Draw a small circle about one foot in diameter on the ground in front of you. Take thirteen nuts and shake them around in your cupped hands while concentrating on your question. Gently toss the nuts in front of you. Those that land directly in the circle have the most bearing on you. If more land in the circle than out of it, you have a right to be concerned about the question you asked. Study the nuts for patterns which you can interpret. For example, if the nuts are all pointing in one direction this could be an indication of a direction you need to take your problem. If they appear in the form of a familiar object, use that information to apply to your question. Occasionally they might fall to appear as letters of the alphabet which you can relate to your question.
Scrying is the art of gazing into an object while focusing your mind on one particular question or issue. The objects used usually have reflective surfaces, such as mirrors, water, or crystals. To scry, focus your mind on one issue or question and soften your focus or gaze - but do not stare - into the surface of the object. After some time, visions should form. These may come either as entire scenarios played out with all the detail of a high-tech movie, or they may be only symbols that you will have to interpret for yourself.
Unlike other divinatory devices the Ouija board does not use the collective unconscious as the source for answers, but relies instead on asking unknown spirits to take over the device. Opening such a portal without having any control over who or what comes has its risks, but you will have to decide for yourself if they are worth it or not.
With practice in meditation and sustained concentration, your altered states can become longer and deeper, and at these deeper states (the theta and delta levels) you can do more advanced work, such as astral projection and regression. These are very natural states. The only difference is that you are seeking to gain control of them. The key to these techniques is in learning to concentrate for increasing periods of time on one idea only.
Because the veil between the realms of the living and the dead is at its thinnest on Samhain, it is also a prime time to attempt spirit contact. These contacts are not the creepy affairs portrayed in B-rated horror films, but beautiful and meaningful communications with departed loved ones.
*I don't remember which site this information is from. If anyone knows, please contact me so I can give due credit.*
YULE
December 21
Truth About the Yuletide Season
Long, long ago, in ancient Europe and Britain, the indigenous peoples
celebrated the Winter Solstice, Yule in many different ways. Ancient
Archaeological sites throughout England, Ireland, Scotland, Wales,
the Nordic Provinces, and the Germanic Provinces, have alignments
with this date, as do Aztec and Maya ruins and North American Native
sites.
The one thing that is common among all of these is a small hole,
which light shows through only at sunrise or sunset on the day of the
Winter Solstice.
The British tribes had their festival of Yule on this day. They
decorated the houses with Holly, known to them as the "Holy Thorn"
and with evergreen boughs. It was traditional at this time to indulge
in many sweet things, as this was believed to bring sweetness into
the new year. The festival celebrates the re-birth of the sun... The
first step to a new growing season. This was the only day of the year
that the High Druid would take his golden sickle and newly made white
cloth and go out to harvest the "Oak Child" their name for the
mistletoe, which was then used both ritually and medicinally
throughout the year.
Mistletoe was considered holy, and never allowed to touch the ground.
The berries contained a poisonous substance, which in small doses
work very similarly to digitalis in heart cases, and is an anti-
cancer agent. The leaves, steeped into a tea, were considered a
strong aphrodisiac. This has lead to the modern custom of hanging
mistletoe, and kissing under it to encourage true love.
The Yule tree is of Germanic origins.
A large evergreen was dragged into the house, and decorated with
cookies and apples and wishes were hung on the tree with symbols, so
that the people in the house would have them granted in the new year.
The Gauls, a br
anch of the Celts, were the originators of the Yule
Log, which is still practiced in France today, and in some places in
Britain. The largest log available was cut and dragged into the
house. Yule continued from Sunrise on the Solstice, to the time the
Yule Log was all consumed. Merriment and frolicking were the order of
the day, and servants as well as their masters did no work.
When the invading Romans, with their new religion, (Christianity)
came north to conquer and plunder these people, they looked for ways
to incorporate their ways into their Catholicism. Many of the
Catholic Saints were canonized to keep the followers of the Ancient Gods happy.
If they could not worship their Gods as Gods, they would be allowed
to worship them as Saints, and that way the Church could control them
and cash in on their accustomed offerings. Many times the invaders,
in an effort to destroy the indigenous religion would build their
churches on the holy sites, thus getting the common people to
convert, just to be able to worship where they had for untold
generations. A tour of Ancient Churches will reveal Sheila-Na-Gig's,
Foliate Masks, and many other symbols of the old Gods, as the
stonemasons who built these structures were Pagans, and would,
knowing they, like everyone else in their area would be forced to
attend services there, added their God and Goddess figures, so that
they could worship them while bending the knee to the Roman Church.
To deny the church of Rome meant sure death, by whatever means the
local priests prescribed.
There is historical evidence that Christ was actually born in the
Spring, as there were lambs in the field, among other references,
however, the date picked for Christmas was December 25th, as that was
the first day following the Solstice that the days were noticeably
longer, and the village priests would tell their people
that the
rituals of Yule had worked, and the Sun had been re-born, another
theft from the Pagans. The modern Neo-Pagan, celebrates this holiday,
as they do the other solar and lunar holidays, with as many of the
old customs as we have access to. Many do not use the customs that
have been Christianized, but some still have the Yule Tree.
Santa Claus was once Papa Yule, who would leave presents and candy
for good children. He was Canonized as St. Nicholas, as he was
referred to in Britain as "Old Nick" who wore Antlers, and dressed in
skins, a far cry from the Modern Santa.
The Holly King, the old year, was killed in pageants by the Oak King,
dressed as an infant, symbolizing the new year taking over, and the
old one passing away.
So, as Yule approaches, and we deck our halls, altars, and our homes
with the Yuletide decorations, pause and remember the rich heritage
that this truly pagan holiday affords us. The old ways, buried under
years of deceit and oppression, still survive. Somewhere, deep inside
the collective unconscious the warm, festive memories of the ancient
past gather us all at this time of the year with warmth and happy
memories, shared with our families, both here and in the beyond.
Yule is a very old name, usually given to the person in charge of keeping the Yule Log going at the Winter Solstice celebrations throughout Europe.
The Yule Log
There is a custom that on Christmas Eve an enormous log of freshly cut wood called the Yule log would be fetched and carried to the house with great ceremony. On Christmas Eve, the master of the house would place it on the hearth, make libations by sprinkling the trunk with oil, salt and mulled wine and say suitable prayers. In some families, the young girls of the house lit the log with splinters from the preceding year which they had carefully tucked away. In other families, the mother had this privilege. It was said that the cinders of this log could protect the house from lightning and the malevolent powers of the devil. Choices about the variety of wood, the way in which it was lit and the length of time it took to burn constituted a genuine ritual which could vary from region to region.
The custom, which dates back to the XIIth century, was known in most Europeans countries, notably in France and in Italy where the Yule log was called a ceppo. This tradition persisted in Quebec as it did in France up until the last quarter of the XIXth century. Its disappearance coincides with that of great hearths which were gradually replaced by cast-iron stoves. The great log was thus replaced by a smaller one, often embellished with candles and greenery, placed in the centre of the table as a Christmas decoration.
Today, the Yule log has become a traditional pastry, a delicious cake roll, smothered in coffee or chocolate-flavoured icing and decorated with sugared holly leaves and roses.
Yule Tide
Our ancestors in Northern Europe lighted huge fires to ward off evil spirits as a beginning to the New Year. There are many traditions which have been lost or changed throughout time. In early times, the Festivities of Fire were dedicated to the sun. In Denmark, it was JUUL, Sweden, it was OEL, Norway it was JULVATTER and in Rome it was SATURNALIA.
In Scotland, the festivals were banned by the Presbyterian Church in the late 1500's, however the people continued to celebrate this festival. In 1638, the Festival of Yule was completely abolished in Scotland.
A mixture of the early Festivals combined with the Christian doctrine, plus a large dose of Victorian celebrations and we have our Yule Tide of today.
The Yule Cat
In Icelandic lore, there is a tale of a sinister and gargantuan Yule Cat, who it seems, is ready to eat lazy humans. Those who did not help with the work of their village to finish all work on the autumn wool by Yule time were not allowed the traditional reward of a new article of clothing and were threatened with being dinner for the cat!
Scott Cunningham's Yule ritual
The altar is adorned with evergreens such as pine, rosemary, bay, juniper and cedar, and the same can be laid to mark the Circle of Stones. Dried leaves can also be placed on the altar.
The cauldron, resting on the altar on a heat proof surface (or placed before it if too large), should be filled with ignitable spirit (alcohol), or a red candle can be placed within it. At outdoor rites, lay a fire within the cauldron to be lit during ritual.
Arrange the altar, light the candles and incense, and cast the Circle of Stones.
Recite the Blessing Chant.
Invoke the Goddess and God.
Stand before the cauldron and gaze within it. Say these or similar words:
I sorrow not,
though the world is wrapped in sleep.
I sorrow not,
though the icy winds blast.
I sorrow not,
though the snow falls hard and deep.
I sorrow not,
this too shall soon be past.
Ignite the cauldron (or candle), using long matches or a taper. As the flame(s) leap up say:
I light this fire in Your honor, Mother Goddess
You have created life from death;
warmth from cold;
The Sun lives once again;
the time of light is waxing.
Welcome,
ever returning God of the Sun!
Hail Mother of All!
Circle the altar and cauldron slowly, clockwise, watching the flames. Say the following chant for some time:
The wheel turns; the power burns.
Meditate upon the Sun, on the hidden energies lying dormant in winter, not only in the Earth but within ourselves. Think of birth not as the start of life but as its continuance. Welcome the return of the God. After a time cease and stand once again before the altar and flaming caldron. Say:
Great God of the Sun,
I welcome Your return.
May You shine brightly upon the Goddess;
May You shine brightly upon the Earth,
scattering seeds and fertilizing the land.
All blessings upon You,
Reborn One of the Sun!
Works of magick, if necessary, may follow. Celebrate the Simple Feast, the release the Circle.
- by Scott Cunningham, "A Guide For The Solitary Practitioner"
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