End of Summer... and a Clean Sweep!

"Call upon the Goddess and God to protect you and teach you the secrets of magic.
Ask stones and plants to reveal their powers - and listen."

 

Scott Cunningham - American author on Wicca and Pagan rituals

The Third and final Harvest of the year has come to pass, as the trees change their colors and the wind sweeps the leaves. One by one they gently fall, orange, and yellow, and red. My neighbor told me autumn fills her heart with sorrow, as it reminds her of the setting sun... and the setting life. Funny, how a time of year so enchanting can bring such grim thoughts. Do you know what I told her? I said she has no reason to be sad. No reason to fear. For it is not Death approaching, but a Rebirth through Death.

She just smiled that same old smile she's been giving me ever since Michael and I moved in next door. Then she offered to lend me a hand with the decorations. Jack-O-Lanterns and apples, to welcome the magic and protect us from the spirits. Black, orange, white, silver and gold, the colors that filled my house. The colors of Samhain. Mint incense to help us focus our minds. The scent of Samhain. An obsidian necklace for me and a ring for Michael. The stones of Samhain. Miss Picksby, the lady at the end of the street, pronounced us crazy and lunatics. Michael thought it was funny. So did I.

So, what is Samhain and how did we celebrate? 

Samhain (pronounced Sam-hayne) means "End of Summer". The dark winter half of the year commences on this Sabbat. Generally, people celebrate it on the 31st of October, as a Halloween celebration, but some traditions prefer November 1st. Me and Michael took the 2nd date, as it is also the date of my birth. It is one of the two "spirit-nights" each year, the other being Beltane. It is a magical interval when the mundane laws of time and space are temporarily suspended, and the Thin Veil between the worlds is lifted. 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.  

It was funny in a way, as on the day of Samhain I read the Tarot for Michael and drew The Crone, shown in her Dark Aspect of Death. In the cards I use, there is a river that flows behind the Dark Goddess, the river that takes us to the Summerlands. Michael, more of a joker than a believer, makes funny "Dresden Files" references, but I've come to accept that a thick-headed man will never be a true Consort to the Goddess. Too much testosterone. Too much love, as eerie as that may sound. Not that it matters. She Weaves in her own way...

Funny, but as ridiculous as it may be, now that I think about it, Michael's "Dresden Files" reference might not have been as off as it originally sounded. Have you red the books? In their lore, the Courts of Faery are separated into the Summer and Winter Courts. And an old saying says, that Fey come out to play on the "Feast of the Dead".

Originally the latter 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. 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 the Nature spirits. 

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 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. 

Not much of that original tradition is still preserved... but if you believe, then the Goddess will still reach to you and bless you, as the spirits rise and the Fey play their pranks.

Did we see any Fey this year? No, we did not. But there were pranks, and there were candles, and there was a Celebration. Miss Picksby brought a pumpkin-pie to our house, while our friends Monica and Carter provided wine and songs to pick up the mood. I made sure we had both beef and pork, and that offerings were made and the spirits were welcomed as they deserve. The night ended with just me and Michael... and you would not like to know those details. 

But do you know what makes the modern celebration differ from the Old one? The morning after and the domestic cleaning that comes with it. Luckily, Michael was kind enough to provide us with some professional cleaning services providers, for as much as I love being a housewife, I will never be a good cleaner. Only a descent cook.

But you can't have everything, can you?