Samhain (pronounced Sow-in or Sahm-hayn), known most popularly as Halloween, marks the end of the third and final harvest, is a day to commune with and remember the dead, and is a celebration of the eternal cycle of reincarnation. Samhain is the most coveted sabbat by many Pagan traditions.
A little background on Pagan holidays. The Sun marks the year at four clear points called the Quarter Days – in the Northern Hemisphere. These days: Winter Solstice, Spring Equinox, Summer Solstice, and Autumnal Equinox. The Celts divided the year in to eight by inserting the four Cross Quarter Days at October 31st (Samhain), February 1st (Imbolc), May 1st (Beltane) and August 1st (Lughnasad). These points are roughly half the number of days between the Solstices and the Equinoxes. Each of these days is considered a sabbat. A sabbat is a holy days among Celtic Pagans.
Pagans believe in both a Goddess and a God. The focus of most pagans is on the Goddess and she was found in trinity in the Celtic world. As a Virgin, we first see her at Imbolc as Bride. She has a Mother aspect, both Beltane and Lughnasad – times of fertility and harvest. It is here at Samhain that we meet the Goddess in Her third aspect, one that causes the most problems for many of us: the Crone.
In the European traditions, Samhain is the night when the old God dies, and the Crone Goddess mourns him deeply for the next six weeks until Yule. Part of the image of the witch and her cauldron comes from the Celtic belief that all dead souls return to her cauldron of life, death, and rebirth to await reincarnation.
There is another, aspect of the Crone: the wise old woman. Our Grandmothers (and Grandfathers) carry the wisdom of our people. We have seen many similar messages from Ghostdancer’s Way and from Infidel Pig (miss you!) on the Native American respect for wise elders. We need to respect those older women, the Clan Mothers, those that helped choose the Chiefs among the ancients. All of the Celts had a council of elder women who chose their kings and war leaders. We need to redevelop ways of incorporating Crone energy in to our lives.
Taliesin, the most famous of the Welsh Celtic magicians, received his magic and inspiration from the Crone Cerridwen. For a brief overview of Cerridwen I would invite you to read a summary at my blogspot.Mountain Cerridwen
This a special time for Pagans. It is believed on this night the separation between the physical and spiritual realities and the veil of communication is thinnest. It is a time for dimensional openings and workings, it is a somber holiday, one of dark clothes and thoughts for the dead. It is a time to remember our own ancestors and those special people who have died. Pagans believe it is a time of endings of relationships and bad situations. It is the time when one can see the glimmer of hope in the future.
As a Pagan I will wear black for Samhain / Halloween and take time to remember those that went before and touched my life.
As we light candles for the Sabbat – please add names to this our remembrance of those that went before.
These I remember:
My Paternal Grandparents
My Maternal Grandmother
My Uncle – that was like a father to me
My Step-Son
My First In-Laws
My Husband’s Mother and her Sisters
Blessed Be
A very fine summary SallyCat. And you say you are a novice! Pshaw!
I have been blessed over the years. I have only lost one good friend, Fred. Fred was a closet case. He could not come out because his father would have freaked and Fred could not do that to him. So Fred went to truck stops to satiate his desire in secrecy. Fred got Hepatitis. But he could not face this. So he did not seek treatment until he was almost dead. By then, it was too late and he died en route to a hospital for a liver transplant. I lived in France then, and could not come home for his funeral. I never did have a proper goodbye. So here’s a candle for Fred…We all loved you.
That was many years ago, but I still miss him. As I have said I have been lucky, up until last year when my daddy died. My dad was one of the coolest people on earth. Y’all would have loved him. He was incredibly intelligent and a diehard liberal to boot. He was an expert on H.G. Wells, a brillian historian and a futurist to boot. He treated everyone with respect and dignity and never condescended to people not as sharp as he. He always had time to listen and always forgave. He was sometimes too harsh on my brother, and he did have a quick temper, but his strengths far outweighed his faults. On November 2, 2004, I called my dad in tears and he understood and cried with me. On November 17, 2004 he died. I have no doubt that 11/02 helped kill him.
This candle is for my Daddy. I miss you terribly, but I can feel you with me too.
Blessed Be.
Kama I mourn with you for Fred and for your dad. I hope I’m not understanding this right that you feel partly responsible for your daddy’s death. I’m sure that can’t be true. I don’t think people are killed so easily. Peace to you and yours.
Oh no…I don’t blame myself. I blame Bush and all of his neocronies! The stress of thinking he had another 4 years of this bastard for a prez no doubt contributed to his death. While I say this in jest, I think there is a grain of truth in it.
Oh, November 2, duh! Sorry for being so dense.
My mother, Dorothy, who left me this year
And some of those who left me in previous years:
My father, Robert — 1970
Kerry (friend) — 1972
Sharon (friend) — 1994
And for the 2000+ Americans and unnumbered Iraqis who have passed over in the past 3+ years…
Too often I reflect on my personal losses and memories – thank you for reminding us all.
A separate candle will be lit for the soldiers that have died in Iraq and Aghanistan. A separate candle for the citizens of those countries that have died in these conflicts.
All of my grandparents
My brother
of my favorite aunt who lived with us and who taught me to be proud to be an intelligent, independent woman; so I’m especially appreciative of having this knowledge about Samhein. And yahrzeits are also celebrated by lighting candles in memory of the loved one.
Remembering Aunt Nancy and
my grandparents
my Father
my best friend Billy
my aunts and uncles
my cousin Judy
my cousin Sherry
and all the dogs who have brought me such joy and friendship.
Barb-my murdered coworker
RD-died of lung cancer
Patty-my friend who committed suicide last year
Papa Ray-my surrogate dad who died in a plane crash
My sweet Lil, my grandmother
Mama Micki
All those who were killed at Tiananmen Square in ’89
All the ones whose names I do not know.