The Wiccan's Halloween isn't Scary

Samhain, Samana or Old Hallowmas is a Pagan -  End of Summer celebration. It is known as the final harvest and the beginning of the dark winter half of the year. Historically it had been recognized sometime between October 31st and November 7th.  In Wiccan tradition, it is one of two “spirit nights” when, it is believed - communication is possible between our world and the world of the departed, called Summerland. 

Celtic traditions, originally placed great reverence on the Feast of the Dead.  Food was left on alters and door steps for the wandering dead.  Apples and carved turnips were left along roadways. It was believed the Wee Folk became active and pulled pranks on humans, so people, dressed themselves in white (like ghosts) which allowed them to travel unsuspectingly at night, avoiding these Nature Spirits. 

Child is holding a harvested corn, not a weapon 

In preparation for winter, cattle were slaughtered and butchered up leaving a community  with visual evidence of death and survival.  Any remaining crops left unharvested in the fields were sanctioned for creature and spirit.   Bone fires were lit in the night for warmth and to burn up carcasses after the celebratory feasting meals.  The bones were offered up to the fires in a ritualistic way to pray for good blessings.  The next morning, a hearth stone from the fire predicted the family’s yearly outcome and it was then, brought back into the home.  Remaining ash was scattered on the harvested fields in a form of protection and blessing. 

These were simple times, not scary.  It was known that there was a rebirth through death and that life itself was a necessary journey. 

The seasonal darkness, the blood from life sustaining slaughter, offering treats to the dead, tricking the nature spirits by costuming one’s self and bone burning are all rather  non threatening and primal acts. 

So why, has the Halloween of today become so gruesome?  So why is everyone afraid of a Witch?  No not the Person.  Know the Culture. This is how rituals, customs and beliefs are started. 

Are the Nations United? About United Nations Day

In 1947 the United Nations Assembly declared October 24th the anniversary of it’s day of observance.  In 1971 it was declared that the day would become an international holiday and was to be recognized as a public holiday by all members of state. 

Why can't we be friends?

 Different countries adapted different dates and generally the event became blurred into some kind of recognition, during the week of October 20th to 26th. 

There are meetings, discussions, exhibits and cultural performances and it is supposed to be an opportunity to unite the Nations in solidarity.   It originally was based on the coming together to stop indignities as they applied to War. After an “entry into force” in 1945, the ratification of this founding “law” was the international equivocal assertion of Mother World putting her foot down to discipline a few wayward country offspring. 

Although not really recognized here in my Canadian City, I do take note because I personally would like to see efforts made about the lack of a global Green Awakening, noting it - as a crime against humanity. I  personally pray for war efforts to be reduced and hope that mankind may one day realize that if we can’t get along then at very least, we should try to avoid each other. 

Civility is not a difficult word.  Love can only be had - when both sides play nice. And.... wouldn't it be nice to play upon a healthy land that we all, take part in caring for?

Why some people meditate

stolen moment while on a family vacation

I meditate.  Early Hindu traditions, Veda, Taoist China, and both early Buddhism and early Judaism; had meditative practices that were recorded in antiquity.  During the Middle Ages Islamic mysticism & Hasidic Kabbalistic religions involved reflection and study.  And then along came Christianity with it’s homage to prayer.  

Meditation is simply to read, ponder, pray, contemplate and to be still within yourself.

But our minds wander, so to counteract this we repeat mantras or comments in an attempt to zone ourselves out - as in transcendental meditation. I personally have repeated (almost in desperation) heal me, nurture me, love me, soothe me... show me the way.  Meditating does not naturally come to us and we often try guided meditation by listening to a leader in a group setting, recording or memorized script.  Millions go on magical trips into dwellings, the seashore, or the heavens in search of guidance. I know I have. 

Some people meditate to experience the healing benefits; decreased blood pressure, lowered cholesterol, reduced production of stress hormones and more efficient oxygen use. Research shows it decreases anxiety, depression and insomnia, it improves the immune system.  All valid reasons.  It’s good for you. In fact,  don’t even have to do it in the lotus pose, I mostly lay down comfortably and close my eyes. 

You see our brains are mysterious things, with meditation neurotransmitters can release benefits  that no pharmaceutical drug can ever replicate.  It just takes time. Time alone. 

That’s the key to mediation.  Alone.  You rehash the wrongs you felt inflicted upon you, you question why someone cannot express reciprocal feelings, you doubt your choices, you dwell.  This isn’t what stops the mediation process but what makes you human. 

I have tried to receive spiritual messages, open and cleanse all my chakras, heal my ailments and apologize to myself.  The time I have allotted to myself in mediation is akin to solitary confinement.  I have wept.  I have known humility.  I take the time to question other’s sense of entitlement and I ask repeatedly, just to be loved.

I think some people meditate just for validation from themselves.  No spiritual essence of yourself will ever judge you and I believe, if you really want to get to know yourself - be alone. 

Why do we Worship the Dead?

Day of the Dead, Festival of the Dead, All Saints Day, All Souls Day and Halloween 

Screen shot from Energy Works; spirit of design, health & lifestyle 

 Colourful macabre, painted, candied skulls embody or perhaps dis-embody the Festival of the Dead. It is a curious celebration that honors deceased loved ones. In some cultures it can last up to 3 days and most typically, follows the harvests of October or November.

 Japanese Buddhist custom refers to such occasion as Bon Festival, Inca religion calls it Ayamarca.  Peruvians, Pacific Islanders, Tonga Islands and Mexicans all have their own version. Historical research shows that even ancient Egyptians, Romans & Persians recognized their dead with celebration. Pitrupasksha in India is an integral part of the Hindu lunar calendar.

Also occurring around harvest time is All Saints Day, All Souls Day and Dia de Muertos or Day of the Dead. In Mexico it is actually a national holiday when even banks are closed. Private alters are built, decorated with sugar skulls, orange marigolds and the favorite food or beverages of the departed. Graves are visited and gifts are left for those that have left this world. Scholars have traced the origins of this modern Mexican holiday to indigenous observances dating back hundreds of years and to an Aztec festival that has been dedicated to the goddess Mictecacihuatl (Lady of the Dead). In Brazil, where it is also a public holiday, citizens visit cemeteries and churches, while in Spain, there is the addition of parades, festivals and home gatherings. Similar observances occur elsewhere in Europe, Asia, Africa and The Philippines. Throughout the world there is much feasting, singing, dancing and remembering. And of course there is Halloween.

Screen shot from
Energy Works; Spirit of design, health & lifestyle

Why do we worship so gravely, mockingly and reverent? 
 Because We Love.   Bereavement. Healthy mourning, a more celebratory way of letting go-  The Wake. Death days and festivals capture the very primal emotion of missing someone who has passed away. This act coupled by a surplus of food after harvest, visual expression of the dying season and physical death of a body, is the essence of human experience. We die. Our elders pass to the younger generation and we all have need of remembrance; because we love.

Many believe the dead will eat the spiritual essence of the food left out and that spirit, may be guided to this food - by colourful offerings of sugar skulls and candles. By donning grotesque masks and painted faces, it is believed the dead can easily integrate amongst the living, being with us, once more.

Is this odd? A desperate attempt to reconnect? Or, an incredibly cerebral way of dealing with such an emotional passage of time? Most people today know that these festivals have roots in ancient traditions that pre-date Jesus Christ—yet they have no qualms about taking part in a celebration that draws heavily on morbid pre-Christian superstitions.

Honouring past loved ones is understandable, but Halloween? "The two chief characteristics of ancient Hallowe'en were the lighting of bonfires and the belief that of all nights in the year this is the one during which ghosts and witches are most likely to wander abroad… Further, it was a Druidic belief that on the eve of this festival Saman, lord of death, called together the wicked souls that within the past twelve months had been condemned to inhabit the bodies of animals "Halloween," (Encyclopaedia Britannica)

 Did professing Christians start following ancient Celtic practices? In 610ad, Pope Boniface IV established the Feast of All Holy Martyrs, held annually in the spring. In 835, Pope Gregory IV changed the date to November 1, and called it "All Saints Day" in honor of martyrs - for their faith.

The November 2 festival known as "All Souls Day" was established based on doctrine that the souls of the faithful which at death have not been cleansed from venial sins, or have not atoned for past transgressions, cannot attain the Beatific Vision, and that they may be helped to do so by prayer and by the sacrifice of the mass" ("All Souls Day," Encyclopaedia Britannica)

What Becomes of the Dead? Many ancient religious traditions presume that the dead are somewhere other than in the grave. Many people assume that the departed dead are either in heaven, hell or some sort of intermediate conscious state. A lingering Soul. What, then, are the dead doing? The answer is neither mysterious nor spooky. In Christian faith, the dead are simply "sleeping" in their graves, unconscious, waiting to be called to resurrection. If the dead are unconscious in the grave—not alert as disembodied spirits in heaven—can we communicate with them? Many believe we can.

The afterlife sciences explore technologies - the words psychic, mediums and clairvoyants are common every day names. The Bible is loaded with angelic and paranormal experience. Religious circumstance separates the honor of deceased loved ones with that of the angry angels who followed Lucifer’s rebellion for they became demons. The Devil too, is dead. Regarding Satan with silly, spooky games that mock interaction with the spirit world is not the same as the deterioration of our human bodies, and the love lost, with death.

Halloween celebrates mischief, therefore it became an inevitable and acceptable time to settle old scores through the ancient custom of 'trick or treat,' The time of year that all the death observances occur, coincides when nature too is seasonally dying. Such recognition is ancient and primitive and not specifically pagan as proven because the majority of Festival of the Dead Cultures are Christian.

Every human person makes his or her own mark on the world. We leave behind legacies, infamy and stories. Some lives are remembered fondly as in the memories of all our beloved, and some lives leave wickedness, controversy and shame. Whether religiously pardoned or not, all of those who have passed have the potential to linger not only energetically, but also in our minds and hearts. It is no surprise, in my humble opinion, that the centuries of human existence is full of testimony regarding our willingness to worship lives past and I believe, deeply, that a magical thread of communication can remain.

Rituals, cultures & beliefs

Why does mankind celebrate, mourn, honour or symbolically participate in events? Well, I'd like to explore this with you. I personally have been interested for most of my life. Customs are unique to each culture, nationality and religion, but what happens when "we" as society have happily conformed into an "us" way of thinking? Is Christmas really all about .... what it used to be? Energy Works Mag App reports on the spirit of all types of energy belief, my goal is to bring you excerpts from some of our featured stories and add some opinions, and supportive research, of my own.

My Own Canadian Thanksgiving

Greeting Guests at my Home 

I hail from rural Northern Ontario. My memories of crisp autumn days of the 70’s, are of  decaying leaves, wood stove vapors, sulphur breath from the paper mills of Espanola and Sudbury’s own acrid smelter stacks.  Not particularly romantic, but sentimental - none the less.  

Even though my own heritage is broken, I do have shattered memories of a Finnish version of this spectacular, Canadian Thanksgiving holiday.  It’s mostly visual; abundant food and beautiful scenery. Golden glows, as the township greeted the end of yet another season. I took this vision with me as I moved to Southern Ontario. 

When my children were wee, I created an extended family experience for them.   Some how like mine, it didn’t matter if the attendees were superficially there, it only mattered that they were there. I needed volume.  Abundance.  That’s what I thought Thanksgiving was.

My Cabin greeting me "Home"

Now my children are in their later teens, and now we gather ritualistically at our Cabin. It’s location was thoughtfully chosen - half way from our home in Toronto - and my roots - the outskirts of the Sudbury Basin.  There, alone, we herald “thanks” for this primal feast.  There in the wilds I honour the fragility of the world.  One cannot see the bounties of nature unless you share your morning coffee with mist on the water, dew on the ground and an orchestra of creatures, as they greet their own day.  

Besides gathering with my own intimate group, Thanksgiving to me, has become a time of year that lends easily towards self reflection.  I have come to know that family is what you make of it; not the obligatory relations but the ones that you truly love and whom love you back.  No other commitment is necessary.  Love (as my Sister in Law; Nikki quotes from Ophra Winfrey), Love (she repeats) Doesn’t Hurt. 

This is not to suggest I linger on the losses of missing love, only to say that it makes the revelation of the love - you do have- so much the stronger.

Family and Earth.  Metaphorically,  my own little patch of garden is not unlike my own intimate group of loved ones, small is better than nothing at all.  Happy Thanksgiving!

Thanks ~ Giving

Screen Saver Shot from iPad Mag/App EW

 Thanksgiving Day is a national holiday, celebrated primarily in North America. 

There are other countries that have observances for Harvests, such as; Germany, Grenada, Japan, The Netherlands, the Australian territory of Norfolk Island and the West African country of Liberia.  In all locals, it is an occasion of great feasting, when all give thanks for the blessings of the harvest and the end of yet, another year. 

In the US it is observed on the fourth Thursday of November and in Canada it is on the second Monday of October. Thanksgiving has its historical roots in religious and cultural traditions, but today it is mostly a gathering of those, who are in whatever family unit, life has bestowed upon you.

Prayers of thanks and special thanksgiving ceremonies are common among almost all religions after harvests around the world. The Thanksgiving holiday's history in North America is rooted in English traditions dating from the Protestant Reformation, originally quite religious in nature.

In the United States, Thanksgiving holiday tradition is commonly, but not universally, traced to a poorly documented 1621 celebration at Plymouth in present-day Massachusetts; When Pilgrims, Puritans and Native Aboriginals shared together in celebration of a good harvest.   

No exact historical data is available to commemorate the first Canadian Thanksgiving, though, some scholars point back to 1578 and the explorer Martin Frobisher an English Explorer who recorded a post harvest celebration and/or Samuel de Champlain who in the early 17th Century also recorded that French settlers typically had feasts at the end of the harvest season and continued throughout the winter season, even sharing food with the indigenous peoples of the area.  It is known that New England and the surrounding area, adopted this annual celebration quite significantly and that as other immigrants arrived, such as the German, Irish and Scottish; that they too, added their cultural appetites to the festivities. 

Though other food types were served, the Thanksgiving Turkey and the Pumpkin pie have become the most iconic dishes.  Many of the American Founding Fathers had high regard for the wild turkey as an American icon, but turkey was uncommon as Thanksgiving fare until after 1800. 

By 1857, turkey had become part of the traditional dinner in New England, because it had one time, had equal recognitions as a mascot, like the Eagle. Imagine that, the Turkey as US's emblem!

Pumpkins are native to North America and were an early export.  They grow abundantly and visually, the vibrant colour of ripe pumpkins after all leaves have succumbed to frost - have become the visual proof that another season has ended.  

Quite Frankly, its all about the Meal! 

Regardless that society no longer plays an active role in the cycle of produce, Thanksgiving serves as a gentle reminder that we can and should embrace sustainable living and  allows us to make an effort to rejoice our pre winter nurturing with the group of people, we choose to call Family.

This article was published in Energy Works Magazine                                     written by Karyn Klaire Koski