Samhain is a celebrated on October 31st and has been taken on by millions around the world over recent years (ok it has been commercialized and has had the meaning completely altered) ...but even so, almost every non-pagan will recognize this celebration as 'Halloween'. Although Halloween is known for being a fun and light hearted celebration , for people of the pagan path however, this is also a very serious and important time of year. (don't get my wrong, we all- pagan and non-pagan alike- enjoy having a good laugh at this time of year) we just also celebrate the root meaning of this festival- a time for appreciating our loved ones who have passed on, giving thanks to them, along with our ancestors, for all that they have given to us. As with most of the Sabats, pronunciation does differ from person to person- I have always pronounced this festival 'Sow-en'.
Samhain is a time for remembering our loved ones that have passed on to the summer-lands, a time for giving thanks to them and for letting them know how much we love them and care about them. It is a time for looking into the past, for learning from our ancestors and listening to what they have taught us.
Samhain is the perfect time for divination, scrying and Tarot. You may hear many describe it as the time when the veil between the worlds is at its thinnest- the time when we have the greatest chance of communication with the other side- with spirit.
As the wheel of the year demonstrates, along with all of natures cycles- although this is a time of year representing death- with death comes new life...with death comes rebirth. This is often celebrated as 'New year' in many pagan traditions- following death a new life starts and with it- a new year.
Colours of Samhain
Golds, bronzes, browns, Oranges, Black- any colours assosiated with autumn.
Herbs/incense
Allspice, sage, catnip, basil, clove, camphor, apple, Myrrh.
Crystals
Obsidian, Carnelian, onyx, Amber, Jet.
Animals
Cat, bat, owl, Crow.
Things to do at Samhain
- Make a list of all the things you wish to achieve in the next year (and review last years list- have you achieved everything you set out to achieve? if not- add it to this years list!!)
- Dig out pictures of relatives that have passed on and pop them on your alter- pay them a little respect and spend a while with them at the center of your thoughts.
- Make photo albums, photobooks, collages- all of your loved ones- and treasure them!
- Scrying- this can be both fun and informative (I will be covering scrying in more detail in a future post)
Spirit work- working directly with spirit and contacting our loved ones directly is not for everyone- many people have very mixed opinions about this and it is often a subject up for debate. My personal thoughts are that as long as you are not hurting anyone, you are respectful to spirit and you have good intent - then it may be something you wish to try. I have had some incredibly amazing messages through spirit board work. I would suggest that if it is something that you are new to, then make sure you have some experienced friends with you to guide you- you may have the best intent at heart- but you cannot always choose the spirit that comes through- and they sometimes like to play with your mind a little believe me! It not only your loved ones you can connect with in this way- your spirit guides, totem animals- you never know perhaps even your goddess or god may come through- its a whole world of mystery!!
- A samhain feast is a great idea- this way you can include all of your family without 'weirding them out' too much if they are not pagan. Invite the fam over for dinner in memory of your late loved ones. Get everyone to bring old photos, old photos hold
more energy than imaginable!
- Carve pumpkins... this isnt just a commercial thing either- history tells that a candle lit inside the pumpkin left on the window ledge on Samhain night guides the spirits of our loved ones back home to us!
Dress up!! Have fun!! Just because we celebrate the core reason of samhain, it dosnt meen we cant participate in the 'Haloween' that society has created- in a way its kind of refreshing that a pagan festival has become one of the years most exciting and looked forward to days- especially for the children!! Plus its the one day we can wander around wearing our favourite cloaks and dress 'normally' and no-one would bat an eyelid! We can even take our brooms for a spin and save on the petrol!!
For me personally, if I had no time to do an of the above- the core of this celebration for me is to say thank you to my family that have passed on, to let them know that I still think of them ,that I still appreciate their presence, and most of all...that I still love them!!
Wishing you all the brightest blessings this Samhain!
