Samhain Blessings

Victorian postcard

The wheel turns again, and this time the wind begins to blow and the night time comes sooner than we want. Time to bring out coats and bundle up. Samhain is a Celtic festival, the time of year when the veil between the worlds is the thinnest. It is at this time that we think of our loved ones who have passed on to the Summerlands. It is a time of pulling back, a time of going within for deep meditation.

Samhain is celebrated in modern culture as Halloween. Samhain was originally a celebration of the third harvest, the first two being Lammas (Aug. 1) and the second being the Autumn Equinox. The final harvest is a harvest of nuts and fruits, corresponding to the ancient Roman festival of Pomona, Goddess of Fruit Trees.

It is the time of year of the crone. We meditate on Hecate.

Hecate was one of the oldest Greek versions of the trinitarian Goddess, Hecate, wise-woman, in command of all the hekau or Mother's Words of Power. Hecate was one of the many names for the original feminine trinity, ruling heaven, earth, and the underworld. The Hellenes emphasized her crone, underworld aspect. Her images guarded three-way crossroads in ancient times, becoming known as "Hecate of the Three Ways." She was invoked by those setting out on journeys. As a form of the Triple Goddess, she was associated with the moon in all three of her aspects. She was thought to be Hecate Selene, the moon, in heaven; Artemis on earth; and Persephone in the underworld. She was thought by some to be part of the Queen of Heaven trinity: Hebe the Maiden, Hera the Mother, and Hecate the crone. During the Middle Ages, she was known as Queen of the Ghostworld, or Queen of Witches.

The symbols for this time of year:

The Owl: a creature of the night, this animal is associated with the goddess Athena, goddess of wisdom. They are also thought to be messengers from the spirit world.

The Pumpkin: harvested at this time of year, the pumpkin is associated with the jack-o-lantern. In old Europe, candles were placed inside turnips to keep them from blowing out. This later evolved into the carved faces on pumpkins at Halloween. The candle represents the element of fire, but the flame also represents the spirit. Many types of spirits are said to appear to us as white light.

The Black Cat: It is though that the Egyptians were among the first to own cats as pets. In folklore cats are said to be able to sense the presence of the deceased. Black, in addition, is the color of the crone. Decorate your home with black cats to help remember to open your intuitive eye to the spirits gathering around us on Samhain.

The Apple
Apples await the harvest at Samhain. They are associated with the realm of the spirits. Hera, the Greek goddess, had a magickal apple orchard, and the apple was sacred to Hel, Norse goddess of the underworld. It was thought that the apple was the fruit of immortality and resurrection. In the myth of Persephone, Hades made Persephone eat the seed of a pomegranate (similar to the apple) to ensure her return to him. The ancient custom of wassailing the apple trees was celebrated to ensure the renewed blossoming of the fruit each year. What is left of this ancient custom involves drinking a toast with hot apple cider, usually at Yule time. However, it probably orginated at Samhain when the apples were harvested.

Let's Have Some Fun

The Halloween Tarot
Spooky Reading

Recipes for the Celebration of Samhain:

Pumpkin Bread

Fortuna Sweet Potatoes

Applesauce Nut Bread




Little Orphant Annie

by James Whitcomb Riley

Little Orphant Annie's come to our house to stay,
An' wash the cups an' saucers up, an' brush the crumbs

away,
An' shoo the chickens off the porch, an' dust the hearth, an'
sweep,
An' make the fire, an' bake the bread, an' earn her board-an'
keep;
An' all us other childern, when the supper-things is done,
We set around the kitchen fire an' has the mostest fun
A-list'nin' to the witch-tales 'at Annie tells about,
An' the Gobble-uns 'at gits you

Ef you



Don't




Watch




Out!

Wunst they wuz a little boy wouldn't say his prayers,--
An' when he went to bed at night, away up-stairs,
His Mammy heerd him holler, an' his Daddy heerd him
bawl,
An' when they turn't the kivvers down, he wuzn't there at all!
An' they seeked him in the rafter-room, an' cubby-hole, an'
press,
An' seeked him up the chimbly-flue, an' ever'wheres, I guess;
But all they ever found wuz thist his pants an' roundabout:--
An' the Gobble-uns 'll git you

Ef you



Don't




Watch




Out!

An' one time a little girl 'ud allus laugn an' grin,
An' make fun of ever' one, an' all her blood an' kin;
An' wunst when they was "company," an' old folks wuz there,
She mocked 'em an' shocked 'em, an' said she didn't care!
An' thist as she kicked her heels, an' turn't to run an' hide,
They wuz two great big Black Things a-standin' by her side,
An' they snatched her through the ceilin' 'fore she knowed
what she's about!
An' the Gobble-uns 'll git you

Ef you



Don't




Watch




Out!

An' little Orphant Annie says when the blaze is blue,
An' the lamp-wick sputters, an' the wind goes woo-oo!
An' you hear the crickets quit, an' the moon is gray,
An' the lightnin'-bugs in dew is all squenched away,--
You better mind yer parunts an' yer teachurs fond an' dear,
An' churish them 'at loves you, an' dry they orphant's tear,
An' he'p the pore an' needy ones 'at clusters all about,
Er the Gobble-uns 'll git you

Ef you



Don't




Watch




Out!

Sources

Campanelli, Ancient ways
Walker, The Woman's Encyclopedia of Myths and Secrets

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