It's FREEZING outside this morning. The days are getting shorter and this morning we had frost on the ground. in just a few short days Samhain will be here.
Today I wanted to schedule a post to share my final Saturday Craft-tacular with the Samhain's Siren project. This week I decided to do a little bit *older* craft, in that I wouldn't recommend this for younger children. This is a great introductory craft to get started into the art of Pyrography.
Remember that not only will this post show you detailed photos and instructions but you also get a chance to win the finished product. Head over to the Samhain's Sirens blog and enter to win!
Each entry also gives you an entry into the grand prize!
For my last Witchy Wednesday I’m writing a post about one of
the major Sabbaths, Samhain.
Samhain (SOW – WIN) is a Gaelic festival marking the end
of the harvest season and the beginning of winter and has often been called the
Celtic New Year. Though popularized and
celebrated by children around the world as a day to get scared and get candy,
Samhain is a very important religious/spiritual holiday for many Pagans.
Some Samhain customs include bonfires, turnip lanterns and
leaving food out for any relatives that may return to visit on the night where
the veil between the living and dead is thinnest.
The wearing of costumes and staying close to
home were ways in which humans could “guise” or ward off harmful spirits. Sometimes totems or little trinkets were use to assist in this warding.
Photo Credit - Renee Olson - Protection Ward
Honoring those that have passed and making a fresh start are
typical events for Samhain. Including
divination, spell casting and contact with the dead are popular. Putting out offerings such as soul cakes or whiskey are popular. When adding my offerings to the Goddess Hecate I set out Leeks, Garlic, Honey, mushrooms and sometimes a bit of wine.
Photo Credit - Renee Olson - Offerings to the Goddess Hecate
To me, Samhain holds three very important meetings. One, celebrating new things to come and
sweeping out the old year are key in my rituals.
Photo credit - Renee Olson - Hecate Altar
Secondly, my ancestor altar is one of my
prized possessions. I have it set up on
a 100 year old server that my grandmother gave me. It’s adorned with photos of those family
members whose energy I would like to pull back into my home.
Photo credit - Renee Olson - Ancestor Altar
Finally, my husband and I had our hand fasting
ceremony on Samhain. This year is our 10
year anniversary and we plan to renew our commitment to each other. I talk about our hand fasting in the Samhain's Sirens' Blog Extravaganza which is being published today. There will be a giveaway of a hand fasting cord. A hand fasting cord is an elaborate or very simple rope or cord that is tied around the wrists in a sign of commitment.
Photo Credit - Renee Olson - Hand Fasting Cord
Not every Pagan celebrates Samhain, and some non-pagans
do. It’s a really great time of the year
when Mother Earth changes her robes from the bright summer colors and bundles
up in her whites and grays to watch the seeds and earth rest for the winter. The snow and ice come in and freeze the
ground welcoming Yule and slowly the wheel continues to turn.
Photo Credit - Renee Olson - Wheel of the Year
For me, the wheel of the year is a magical thing and showing
it off in your home or office when you can is a wonderful way to remember the
seasons and how much our ancestors relied on this wheel for their very
survival.
Photo Credit Renee Olson - Wheel of the Year
As we sit in the aftermath of the devastation of the natural
disaster, Hurricane Sandy we have to remember but we are just a tiny speck on
this great big planet and we need to remember that this earth is our mother and
as such we should respect and honor her throughout the entire wheel.
So Thursday Tirade is going to be about stuff that just
annoys me. I’m going to try my best to
keep it clean and not use this day to do any damage. These posts are completely my opinion and not
representative of Pagans, Witches, Wiccans or Hecateans in general. It’s what I think.
That being said today I’m going to focus something that
REALLLY REALLY annoys the heck out of me.
If we look at the calendar that is used in many countries today we see
that it is a Gregorian calendar. Our
calendar has changed many times over the years but still based on the old Roman
Calendars. Even the names, January –
named for the god Janus, March for the god Mars and so on. Our days of the week: Monday for Moons Day,
Thursday for Thor’s Day. The calendar we
use today is Pagan.
So what’s a calendar -
So we see that the calendar has started to sculpted and
molded into something different. In
general Pagans follow the cycles of the year and celebrate the calendar; some
by following what is called the Wheel of the Year. In my path, I’m not big on following each of
the days but there are a few that are especially significant for me. More of what I feel drawn to, and less of “You
better honor this day” sorta thing.
As a small child I was raised in a small town with small minds. We were taught that KISS the rock band were
really “Knights In Satan’s Service” and that Christmas as an evil pagan
holiday.
NOTE there is swearing in this video! Here's a clip of a couple people talking about the KISS issue.
Forty years later I’m back in
that small town and now the minds have changed, but they’re still just as narrow. Slowly over my limited years I've watched as
Ostara is now celebrated in the local churches with “Spring Flings” and “Egg
Hunts” for the kids. Now I’m as much for
a party as the next chick but exactly at what point did the little bunny roll
the stone away and help Jesus rise from the grave? When exactly did eggs come into your
faith? Yeah that’s what I thought.
I won’t outline each of the holidays that have been taken
and changed to suit the needs of others; instead I’ll go to the MAIN one that
is really PISSING ME OFF.
Like witches around the world when October 1st
rolls around, my whole mind set changes.
Life starts to take on a different meaning for me. I get to smell pumpkin and see the leaves
change. The air gets a bit crisper and
that familiar feeling of seeing your breath is starting to happen. Samhain is an amazing time of the year. I love it.
I also love that we have several holidays that fall side by side and I
can be extremely respectful of the different cultures.
Here in my little town, so is something else. Churches across my town are having something
called “Harvest Festival” or “Jesusween” …
guess when it is? No come on guess.. RIGHT!
October 31st. I get to
see their little church signs say things like “Family Harvest Festival, A safe
place for your family”. I understand you
need to drum up business, but please, leave this one, this last holiday that
you’ve not bastardized alone. Do they do
that? No, the next thing I see is giant
billboards for “Judgment House”. For
those not familiar with it, it’s basically taking the ole Halloween Haunted
House and changing the “scary” scenes for scenes of “Sinners” in hell or going
to hell, or being tortured. And our
typical sins are represented, abortions.
Our Holidays have even become the subject of Songs –
If you want to scare your followers into acting a certain
way, that’s your business. Please try to
stop dragging other religions down in the process. And please PLEASE let me have what’s left of
my October.