Wednesday, October 20, 2010

Samhain / Halloween

Samhain, also know as Halloween, All Hallows Eve, and the Witch's New Year is the last of the harvest festivals and a time of dark mysteries. It's a time for new beginnings, reflection, and honoring the dead.

In the tarot, the Death card represents change; an end to something which has served its purpose. While not all changes seem good in the moment, change is necessary in all things. This season is the beginning of the end of the Wheel of the Year. After Halloween we change our clocks back, bringing more of the dark to our days, and prepare for Winter. As anyone who lives in colder climates knows, Winter is the dead season when the landscape is bleak. All the plants and animals, even the Sun, go into hiding and wait to be renewed come Spring. This is the quiet time.

On Halloween we carve and light Jack o' Lanterns as both protection for ourselves and guidance for the dead. We dress in costume in order to blend in with or ward off the roaming spirits. And we hand out food to children dressed as all manner of things! So this Halloween, enjoy all the revelry and goings on with the abandon of a child, but also take the time to consider the other side of this day. Remember lost loved ones and prepare for the changes ahead as the wheel continues to turn.

~ Heathen

2 comments:

The Artful Gypsy aka Wendy the Very Good Witch said...

Lovely post....about my favorite holiday! :o)

Róisín said...

Great wee post! I love to see people keeping up the old ways and letting the world know there's more to Halloween than just candy and decorations :)