28th Oct 2006
Halloween and Samhain
One of my favorite stories about Wesleyan is about the student graduation speaker who snipped off his pony tail and said that it was time to go underground (Anne, wasn’t that your year?). He meant it was time to go underground into Corporate America post-graduation. I can only hope that worked out. It’s harder than it seems.
Halloween is my favorite holiday for similar reasons. It appears to be all about candy and Disney costumes, but it’s also an expression of the pagan holiday, Samhain, which is as old as human beings. Halloween is the above the ground expression of Samhain, which has gone underground.
Samhain is the celebration of the dead. In Selena Fox’s description of Samhain, she tells of how she takes time to reflect on the changes in nature, honors the people who have died in the year, feasts, and eventually parties. Jim and I have been doing geneological research during the past couple of months, and I think we’ll find a way to honor the people we never knew of until now.
Here’s Selena Fox’s suggestions for celebrating Samhain:
Set up an altar in your home to honor departed loved ones and ancestors, or, if you already have such an altar, place offerings and light a candle there. As done in ancient times, set a place at your table for your spirit friends and relatives, and serve them some of the food and drink you share at your Samhain feast. Throw a Come as You Were Party and have everyone dress up as they were in another life. Set lighted carved pumpkins around your home to bless it. Magically make a resolution to break out of a negative habit pattern and begin a healthier way of being. Do divination on the year ahead.
This is a time of spiritual renewal, a spiritual new year for pagans. It’s a time to let go of the old and welcome in the new. And it’s time to appreciate what’s underground.
Halloween Resources:
The Circle Sanctuary
2006 Samhain Festival: Honoring the Dead
Samhain: The Spiritual New Year
Send a Halloween Card
Make Magazine’s Halloween Projects
Homemade Halloween Costume Ideas
Homemade Makeup and Bruises
Vegetarian Recipes for Autumn
