The End of Summer and All Hallows Eve

I'd like to thank Celestial Elf for sharing this wonderful, informative article with us.  You can read more about Celestial Elf and his amazing machinima film work in the Artist Interview we conducted with him earlier this year.

The most magical night of the year,
All Hallow's Eve on 31st October is more important than All Hallows Day itself.
The Celts called this time Samhain (pronounced Sow-in), which means 'summer's end' and this marked the end of the Old and Beginning of the New Year for the Ancient people, as the New day begins at dawn, so the Ancient New Year begins at the darkest time, the turning point.
(The Christian clergy later co-opted Samhain not as a feast for All the dead, but only those hallowed (made holy) by obedience to God - thus creating All Hallow's Day.)

The Celts were a pastoral people and the end of Summer was significant to them because it was the time of year when their lives changed, the cattle were brought down from summer pastures in the hills and the people gathered into the communal halls for the long winter nights of story-telling, which held a very important role in earlier times....

To commemorate Samhain, the Druids built huge bonfires ( bone-fires ) where the people gathered to honour their deities with burned offerings of crop and creature.
During these celebrations they wore costumes of animal masks, horns & skins.
When the celebration was over they would re-light their home fires from the sacred bonfires as this consecrated fire would protect them during the coming cold and dark of winter.

In the Celtic belief system such turning points as the turning of one year into another, as well as the time between one day and the next, the meeting of sea & shore, were considered as very magical times.
The turning of the year was the most powerful of these times.
This was the time when the 'Veil Between Worlds' was at its thinnest.

They also believed that when their beloved people died, they went to a land of eternal youth and happiness called 'Tir Nan Og'.
At this time they held a Feast for the Dead, as it was believed the dead could return to this land of the living for just one night, to celebrate with their family, tribe, or clan. Thus the great burial mounds were opened up, with lighted torches lining the walls, so the dead could find their way & extra places set at the table for any who had died that year.

The dead were sometimes believed to be dwelling with the Fairy Folk, who lived in the fairy mounds or Sidhe (pronounced Shee) that dotted the countryside.
The Celts did not have demons & devils in their belief system, nor the concept of heaven and hell that the Christian church introduced.
The fairies however, were considered potentially hostile & dangerous to humans because men had taken over their lands.
On this night then, they might trick humans into becoming lost in the 'fairy mounds', where they could be trapped forever.
This would seem to be the origin of 'Trick-Or-Treating' & possibly of the 'Jack-O-Lantern' as well, which was used by people who traveled this night to frighten away spirits or faeries who might otherwise lead one astray.
Set on porches and in windows, the Jack-O-Lantern cast the same spell of protection over the household.
An offering (often food or milk) was left out for the fairies and spirits on the steps of the house or hall, so the homeowner or clan could gain the blessings of the 'good folk' for the coming year.


Such Halloween 'Games' as we have today clearly devolved from earlier rituals and beliefs..
Divination was practiced at Samhain and thought most likely to succeed at this time because the Ancient New Year's Eve exists outside of normal time, as the cyclical order of the universe collapses before re-establishing a new cycle, and therefore may be used to view any other point in time.
Young women placed hazel nuts along the front of the fireplace, each to symbolize one of her suitors,
& to find their future husbands they might chant:

'If you love me, pop and fly;
if you hate me, burn and die.'
They might also peel an apple, making sure the peeling comes off in one long strand, reciting,
'I pare this apple round and round again;
My sweetheart's name to flourish on the plain:
I fling the unbroken paring o'er my head,
My sweetheart's letter on the ground to read.'

Bobbing for Apples (sacred fruit to The Celtic people) evokes a Pagan baptism called a 'Seining' in which the water-filled tub is a Cauldron of Regeneration, into which the novice's head is submerged.
That the participant in this game was blindfolded & with their hands tied behind their back also evokes a 'Craft' initiation ceremony.

There are often two Halloween/Samhain celebrations,
The First, a Halloween party for non-'Pagan' friends,
& The Second a more private Samhain gathering held on Halloween night,
At which invisible friends may be present...


About the painting: 
This picture, which looks like a John Anster Fitzgerald painting and was titled 'Going to the Masked Ball', reveals the elusive nature of faeries, particularly at this time of year (Samhain) as it has been proven a fake/perhaps it was painted by the faeries themselves .....
Bought by London Art dealer who took it to his restorer, they removed the "over paint"and discovered the use of nickel titanium yellow, a substitute for the 19th-century "Naples yellow". Nickel titanium yellow was not patented until 1939; Fitzgerald died in 1906.

Dr Nicholas Eastaugh, a scientific consultant specializing in the analysis of paint, made a detailed study of the painting technique under a microscope, and compared it with known fairy paintings by Fitzgerald in Tate Britain and other collections. What he discovered, which was again hardly visible to the naked eye, was that Going to the Masked Ball lacked the precision of brushwork and finer details found in the other paintings.

For me however the mystery over authorship of this work adds to the fascination of this very beautiful painting.

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Tarot Review: The Vampires Tarot of the Eternal Night

In the spirit of Halloween, we'd like to thank Giani for his wonderful review of "The Vampire's Tarot of the Eternal Night".
Be sure to visit his Etsy shop at:  http://www.GalleriaDiGiani.etsy.com

~~~

Lo Scarabeo has always made quality tarot decks.  Since 1987, this company has produced over 100 tarot decks.  You would think after all this time it would be tough to out do themselves, or to find a way to be different than they have already been.  Well, with the Vampire Tarot of the Eternal Night they have managed the seemingly impossible.  Not only have they produced what many believe to be the best Vampire based tarot yet, they have also found a way to increase the levels of understandings during readings.  I will get into all of that as we go.

Right out of the box, this is a most unique presentation.  And I say that literally, because the box is unlike other boxes.  Magnetically closed on the side, you essentially open it like you were opening the door to a tomb, a crypt, a lair.  Just opening the box already sets the stage for what is contained within.

The first item out of the box is the accompanying book.  The book was prepared by tarot scholar Barbara Moore, so you already know it is going to be good.

In going through the examinations of the cards, we are presented with something I haven’t come across in other tarot decks that I own.  Rather than rely on “upright” and “reversed” meanings to the cards (depending on which way they face when they are turned over), we are treated to multiple facets of reading, depending on what side of an issue you want to look at.  The Major Arcana has four facets, and the Minor Arcana has three.  

The first facet is the Darker Approach.  This is used to examine the darker side, or “shadow side” of an issue.  Both the major and Minor Arcana use this approach.

The second facet is the Human Approach.  This is for those of you who use other tarot decks.  This approach is the more basic, mainstream point of view of tarot card readings.  Both the major and Minor Arcana use this approach.

The third facet is the Light Approach.  This is for a more spiritual, evolved reading.  Only the Major Arcana uses this approach.

The fourth facet is the Divinatory Meaning.  This one is used mostly when doing simple fortune telling, as opposed to deeper meanings.  Both the Major and Minor Arcana use this approach.

To show you an example of these facets, let us pick a card from the Major Arcana and go through its facets.  I will choose The Tower, #16:

Traditionally, this card is about your belief system, until a truth comes about that could bring it all down.  At this point, the salvaging and rebuilding can begin.

Now, let us look at the 4 facets of this card, according to this deck (quoted from the book):

Dark Approach: “Stubborn and uncompromising beliefs or behaviors.  Unwillingness to accept new ideas.  A fragile rigidity.  Devastation and immobilization when challenged.”

Human Approach: “Expecting to find a truth that will last unchanged until the very end.  Building a belief system and being a bit surprised when it tumbles down.”

Light Approach: “Welcoming periodic destruction as a kind of cleansing, a trial by fire.  Pruning back the dead and useless to make way for new changes.”

Divinatory Meaning: “ A Warning: be aware of your limitations; stretching your limits may be risky.”

As you can see there are different shadings to the readings, based on which part of the problem or your psyche, you choose to use as the approach for this reading.  People will deeper understanding of the tarot will definitely enjoy having these levels to play with.  

Another interesting aspect to these cards, in which they differ from many more traditional decks, is that they don’t show the full complement of objects for each numbered card.  So, there are not 10 wands visible on the Ten of Wands, or 7 cups visible on the Seven of Cups, etc.  Instead, the artwork on these cards works to convey the overall idea of that card.

In the Rider Waite deck, for instance, the Ten of Swords will show you a body prostrate with ten swords sticking out of it.  Yet, in the Vampire Tarot of Eternal Night, they convey the same meaning, possibly even more powerfully, by using only one sword.

Now that we have shown you some of the cards, let us take a look at a couple of the suggested readings.  While this book contains some takes on established readings, they also include some readings that appear to be new, based on this deck and its ideals.  I will discuss two of them.

Dialog with Shadows Spread

Set up cards as follows:

1                        7                        4

2                        8                        5

3                        9                        6

Cards 1, 2 and 3 are the elements or aspects of your shadow self.

Cards 4, 5 and 6 are how your conscious self feels about those aspects of your shadow self.

Cards 7, 8, and 9 are the bridge cards, and show you how to bridge the gap between those two ideals, and find resolution to them.

Alive, Dead and Undead

This particular reading uses only the Court Cards and the Major Arcana.  FYI, this deck is one that uses a 4 card court for each suit (Knave, Knight, Queen and King).

Set up cards as follows:

1            4

2            5

3            6

Use the Court Cards for 1, 2 and 3.  Use the Major Arcana for 4, 5 and 6.

Card 1 - Alive - This is the alive part of your personality, the aspect that, for good or for bad, has an important role right now.

Card 2 - Dead - This is a part of you that is gone, that has been let go of.  Are you glad it is gone?  Do you want it back?  The absence of this part of you means just as much as its presence did.

Card 3 - Undead - This is that part of you that you wish was gone, that you wish you could get rid of, but that still torments you, possibly creating serious issues in your life.

Cards 4, 5 and 6 provide you information about those aspects of your personality.

As you can see, this deck is indeed very different from most and can offer you deeper levels of reading and meaning than other decks.  Whether or not you are into the vampire scene, these cards have much to offer.  I definitely recommend this deck.

In closing, I leave you with a few more images from this deck, to whet your appetite one last time.

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A First Look at Tarot
Sun and Moon Tarot Review

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Book Review: The Pagan Mysteries of Halloween

The Pagan Mysteries of Halloween

By Jean Markale, published by Inner Traditions

It is early autumn and the days are cooler, the air crisp, and night arrives more quickly. I have pulled my sweaters out from the closet and am wearing long velvet skirts. The food I buy at the farm stand is round and orange or yellow, and satisfying in a very earthy way. It is harvest time, the fields will soon be bare and most creatures will be inside somewhere (house, barn, nest, den). We are entering the cold, dark half of the year.

It is this half of the year that Halloween welcomes in, and it is these aspects of it that inspired celebration among the Celts, hundreds of years ago. As a largely agricultural people, the Celts relied much on their farms and livestock. They prepared themselves every Samhain (the original name for Halloween) for the colder months, for dwindling food and slowing growth, and for a change in daily lifestyle. It made sense to them to also conduct business affairs on this holiday, because to them, one year was coming to an end (with the finality of harvest), and another one was being conceived in the dark womb of nature. Author Jean Markale explains:

“A shepherd people, raising cattle for milk products and meat, and raising pigs, a food favorable for procuring immortality – such are the Celts, or, at least, such are the Gaels of Ireland, the Celtic people who have most authentically preserved their original traditions. Under these conditions, one cannot help but comprehend the dating of this people’s principal holiday on the full moon closest to November 1. This is the end of summer, when it becomes important to protect the herds – of cattle or of pigs – that constitute not only the wealth but also the survival of the community. … There is, however, one fact for certain: within the framework of an essentially pastoral society, the holiday of Halloween, heir of the Celtic Samhain, is perfectly at home in the calendar at the end of the summer and the beginning of winter, in the specific neighborhood of November 1.”

In addition, it was a time of shifting thresholds. The interplay of day and night, light and dark, fertility and dying away brought with it a spiritual note. Lines could be crossed, from the seen to the unseen, and vice versa.

The Celtic holiday of Samhain, originally longer than the one night of modern Halloween, was a time of heady brews. One might get wildly drunk, but for the more serious purpose of rising spiritually higher. Deals were made, between partners, between the living and the dead, or the mortal and the immortal.

“Samhain thus concerns a complete festival, during which the religious element permeates all manifestations, even those that appear to be most profane, because everything paradoxically leads to a vision of the invisible world. In some way, the festival reduces death to the state of nothingness, even if usually there is a separation between the living and the dead. During the time of Samhain, humans see the dead who have temporarily lost their gift of invisibility. We find these beliefs again in the Christian All Saints’ Day and the carnival-like rituals of Halloween, although they deviate somewhat from their precursors owing to the slow but steady evolution of spirituality during the early days of the Celtic people’s conversion to Christianity.”

This fantastic holiday, like many other pagan traditions, influenced Christian practice as Christianity spread through Western Europe, especially Ireland. The symbols we have for Halloween today - the brightly sinister jack o'lantern; the gaudy, ghostly costumes; and laughing witches on brooms, are the result of a gradual evolution of this important, ancient festival.

Through Markale's book we can find the real legitimacy for Halloween as a holiday. It is not simply about children traipsing from door to door looking for candy (or else! Trick or Treat!). It is not simply about a reverence for ancestors, or a time to let go of all inhibition. There is a reality to it that gives it a deeper presence, and which beckons us to seek its true meaning, in addition to its true history.

Jean Markale's telling of many traditional stories illustrates this history vividly and causes us to reflect on the essential nature of the holiday. Identifying, through Markale's exploration, with our pagan ancestors, gives Halloween the serious reflection it deserves. We can look now at this black and orange night and see beneath the mischievous spectacle, a holiday of changes, of reverence, of comprehension and wisdom.

This book is not always an easy read. Translated from the French, some of the writing is dry and a little stiff.  It educates more than it entertains, and informs more than it inspires. There are no fun spells to be learned here, no spooky games, and no popular tales of hauntings – as there might be in other books on the holiday. But, it is a good thing to learn the original meaning and power of our holidays, I think. The Pagan Mysteries of Halloween shines a broader light on a very popular and generally lighthearted holiday, giving it more meaning and form than what we are accustomed to.

~ Nellie Levine 
http://northernskystudio.com/

http://fionnmara.com/

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Do You Live Near a Real Witch? I Do...

We'd like to thank Grace  for this great blog contribution!  Enjoy!

Do you live near a real witch? I do. Grace Sherwood - The Witch of Pungo, Virginia. Grace.....no relation to me Grace, I promise but I think I do have the potential to be a great witch!

More than 300 years ago, Grace Sherwood was accused in 1698 of bewitching; ruining a neighbor's crop, killed livestock and conjured storms. She was* trailed by water* by the Virginia Princess Anne County government on July 10th, 1706. They tied her thumbs to toes and dropped her into the Lynnhaven River near what is now known as Witchduck Point. I live only a few minutes from Witchduck Point. You can see her bronze statue placed at Bayside Sentara Hospital on Witchduck Point Road.

Well, back to the story, Grace Sherwood floated back up the water a sign of guilt.
That was considered proof she was guilty because the pure water cast out her evil spirit, according to the belief system of the time. If you were a witch, you would float and would not die. If you sink and drown, then you are a mortal and innocent. She was put into prison was eventually released. She lived quietly until 80.

Was she into witchcraft? Her neighbors thought so. They thought she was a witch who ruined crops, killed livestock and conjured storms and had taken her to court many times. She was also accused of using her powers to cause a neighbor to miscarry. Even though she was actually known as a healer... using the herbal crops that she grew...and a midwife who loved children and animals.

"I be not a witch. I be a healer," said Sherwood according to historical record. "Before this day be through, ye will all get a worse ducking than I."
Told you I love living so close to this legendary witch :)


Thank you so much for reading
Grace

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Mind Body Spirit Odyssey Book Review: A Witch's Halloween

A Witch's Halloween: A Complete Guide to the Magick, Incantations, Recipes, Spells, & Lore

By Gerina Dunwich

Provenance Press

You know there is much more to Halloween than jack ‘o lanterns grinning from windows, plastic bats hanging from rafters, and sticky spray-on spider webs crossing front porches. Halloween is also, of course, more than going trick-or-treating, bobbing for apples in the neighbor’s back yard, or attending a costume party. All of these elements of Halloween can be great fun, but there is meaning behind each one of them, and getting a glimpse into the origins of the holiday as well as the significance of the symbols, can be enlightening, and can enrich Halloween celebrations.

Halloween is probably the holiday with the most obvious pagan past. Gerina Dunwich is a High Priestess of the Old Religion and has authored many books on paganism, so her approach to Halloween is particularly instructive, informative, and insightful. She teaches first about the origin of the holiday, and in doing so, dispels common myths about paganism (or neo-paganism), Wicca, and other earth-based religions. For example, she quickly addresses the persistent belief that the devil has a place in paganism – in fact, paganism does not recognize such a concept. Although the devil is a popular costume at Halloween, it has only been a symbol of the holiday since the advent of Christianity. She explains how established country practices were misunderstood and manipulated, and ultimately, persecuted or banned, and when they could not be, they were altered to fit into the practices of a growing religious movement. Halloween truly comes alive when considering the background information that Dunwich provides. As a holiday, it has a rich history, and has been known by many names that have reflected its development over the years, and within various countries.

In addition to exploring the origins of Halloween, A Witch’s Halloween details fascinating superstitions, recipes, poems, rituals, myths, stories, games, spells, and beliefs, as they have been practiced throughout centuries. There are many that are worth incorporating into a modern celebration of the holiday, and there are also a few that might cause you to raise your eyebrows in surprise!

Tarot has a place in this book, of course. Divination is a fun pastime at Halloween, and for many people it is a meaningful element of their celebrations. Dunwich also explains how tarot might be used for meditation rituals that fit well with the holiday.

The book is written mostly from a witch’s point of view. Readers who already follow a related spiritual path will likely get the most out of the book, but it is certainly quite accessible to those who do not. It is a charming read that will enhance your understanding of this popular holiday.

a recipe from the book:

Samhain Cider

• 2 quarts apple cider
• 1/2 cup confectioner's sugar
• 1/2 teaspoon nutmeg
• 1/2 teaspoon cinnamon
• 1/4 teaspoon ginger
• 1/2 cup apricot brandy

1. In a large pot, combine the apple cider, confectioner's sugar, nutmeg, cinnamon, and ginger. Simmer slowly on low heat for about 15 minutes. Take care that the cider does not boil. Add the apricot brandy and then serve the cider while it is still warm. Refrigerate any leftover cider. Serves 8.

As of this posting, A Witch’s Halloween is on sale at Amazon!

~ Nellie Levine 
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Thank you to Nellie Levine for sharing this with us!

Related Posts:
Tarot Review:  The Vampires of the Eternal Night

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