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Weekly PathWalkers.Net e-Newsletter #104 :: PathWalkers.Net Interactive :: Helping you along your path
Other activities may include reading the tarot cards for the new year, and other traditional Halloween
things like "Trick or treating" for candy, dressing up, bobbing for apples, having a new-year party
because the wheel begins to turn again. Religious significance is that our God has once again passed on
to be reborn again at Yule, while the Goddess carries his fire from the sun within her womb. The plants,
food, herbs, trees and flowers which are associated with samhain are chrysanthemum, wormwood,
apples, pears, hazel, thistle, pomegranates, all grains, harvested fruits and nuts, the pumpkin, corn.
Darkness and whispering winds. The leaves are falling, the apples are ripe, and frost is not far off.
Samhain is fast approaching and the veil between the worlds grows thinner each night. You can feel it
in the air, in the night. The Otherworld draws ever closer to our world as the sunlight dwindles into
twilight. The ancestors, spirits of the dead, are more accessible, more approachable, during this time of
the dying of the land. A melancholy and introspective mood descends upon those who have an affinity
for this chill, dark time of endings and completion, dissolution, and eventual rebirth.
Fear tastes more piquant, more exciting in the growing gloom and shadows as the trees cast off their
colourful leaves and take on sinister, skeletal appearances. A scent fills the autumn air, an indescribable
October smell that comes only at this time-pumpkins, apples, cinnamon, dry leaves, and beer. This is
the third harvest, the last great burst of life and light before the inexorable descent of winter, and the
decline of the light into the longest night of the year-Yule. But there's still time to dance, sing, and feast
in celebration of the year's rich harvest. Bonfires, bobbing for apples, mulled cider, tricks, treats, and all
manner of sweets; Hallowe'en, Samhain, has come around once again and we all must face the darkness
together, in our own ways, the old ways.
Mirrors, bowls, and cards-this is a time to divine the next year's challenges, to scary the coming year.
Dreams grow more vivid as the shadows grow thicker and all the world sets about preparing for winter.
Omens, signs, and portents are everywhere. This is a time for foretelling's/ The sight is sharper, and
even the rocks have something to say to those who can hear them.
Storytelling and legendary; songs, ballads and poetry; this is a season for tales and nostalgia. We share
stories of the past year's exploits and surprises over steaming mugs of rich stew, hot cocoa, or mulled
wine. The whole house is filled, with the sweet aroma of baking pies and roast turkey or venison.
Friends are gathered and each shares some token or symbol of their personal harvests the tasks
achieved, the stories written or told,. the paintings completed, or other, things they have brought to
completion during the past year. Each speaks in turn and says a short blessing. Some bum knotted cords
or other images of obstacles and hindrances that have impeded them since the last Samhain. The gods
and ancestors are invoked, welcomed, thanked, and offerings are made.
Candles and salt, sprigs of evergreen and old photos-this' I is a time of quiet contemplation,
remembrance, and honouring of the dead. Plates of food and mugs filled with strong drink are set out
for the spirits of the Wild Hunt as gestures of respect and tokens of acknowledgement. Laughter and
tears, rowdy songs and silent prayers-each remembers those who have crossed over in their own way, as
befits Witches and Pagans.
Along the north wall of the dining room there is a small table prepared as an unobtrusive altar, and
without preamble or fuss each person places there some small token or photograph of their dearly
departed-some person or being whose memory or influence in their life still means something to them.
Each person quietly lights a candle for their various dead, and then they bow their heads in a moment of
silence. Memories spill forth and emotions run deep. When it is time a bell is softly chimed and all
stand. A shared moment of silence is observed, and then everyone takes a turn making a toast to their
chosen ancestor. The bell is sounded once more and everyone takes their place at the dining room table
to partake of a feast enjoyed. in silence, each guest communing with their own spirits and
remembrances.
The ancestors, the blessed dead, are honoured at Samhain as it is the time of death and dying. Whether
or not the ancestors can actually attend our rites is not as important as it is to respect their contributions
and the roles they played in making things what they are for us now. Everyone who has ever lived is
our ancestor, including those of the Craft who have gone before us the Old Ones whose genetic legacies
and spiritual heritage live on in our lineage's, traditions, and rites. We can hear their words in our
memories, we sing their songs in our rituals, we feel their words in our bones and in our blood. They
are the ones who shaped our world through their dreams, their works, and their efforts. The ancestors
are those who made us and our Craft, our traditions, and our world what it is today. In time, we too
shall be counted among the ancestors.
We honour the ancestors at Samhain as they have honoured us in the days before we were born. and as
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