Samhain

Working Front to Back until further notice.

"October 31st, Marks the Third Harvest of meat slaughtering all animals that would not be able to survive the harsh winter ahead and the Celtic New Year and is recognized as the start of the New Year by almost all Pagans, and has renown as the day when the veil between the worlds is thinnest."

Title the page, you can write it in English or Witches Alphabet. Call it All-Hallows-Eve, All Souls Night, Halloween or Samhain. Whatever you prefer.

To start this page, draw a Jack-O-Lantern.

We are not writing a Ritual, some things should be taught and not written down. But if you choose you can record a ritual after the rest.

For detailed information read here.

First and Foremost it is a feast and celebration

Make notes on your Altar, herbs you use. Deities.Incense recipe or Anointing oil.

For me the strongest connections to Samhain are Cranberry, Pomegranate, Pumpkin, Apples, Cinnamon, Corn and Pork. But that won't be the same for everyone. Put some thought into it. Here is another bloggers post that is a great reference.

Rituals

This is a subject I mention, with some slight hesitation.

Rituals play important roles in both sacred and secular life. The way you prepare for your day is a ritual. The way you travel to work is a ritual. Holiday celebrations are rituals. Rituals serve as links between past, present, and future, providing a sense of order and continuity. Pagan rituals take you out of the mundane realm and bring you into the magical one. The steps of a ritual build energy and enable you to release it toward your goal.

A ritual is like a spiritual instruction book. Ritual participants express a desire or goal to the universe. The environment, words, movements, and objects involved in the ritual raise energy and direct it toward that desire or goal. In effect, each participant becomes part of the Magick.

For me discussing it in great detail is approaching lines established by my Oath.

So here the first blank page following your name I ask that you diagram/draw the wheel of the year.

You have the option of explaining the diagram on the following page, but personally I leave out the explanation. 

Now, this next bit is going to be spread over the next several weeks as it deals with a great many of the religious aspects of the Craft.

The Pagan calendar is often referred to as the "Wheel of the Year", emphasizing the cyclical nature of the world around us. A beautiful deference to the life cycle; Life, Death and Rebirth. As the wheel turns each Sabbat or holy day reflects in its celebration, some of the most essential aspects of life.

The Pagan Holidays are based on four Greater Sabbats and four Lesser Sabbats, alternating about six weeks apart. The Greater Sabbats are based on Pre-Christian Fire Festivals that were held in Europe on fixed days of the year. The four Lesser Sabbats are celebrated on the Equinoxes and Solstices.

Also coming into play is the celebration of the Esbats, or Lunar Festivals for the New and Full Moon all acting in concert to shape our faith.

Your Name

I know some of you may have been disappointed by last weeks small break, but we are picking up where we left off, still at the front.

By now you have your own name that you are using for craft work, on this page you are entrusting that name to your Book.

Using the Witches Alphabet.

Like a Priest standing before the Altar you are declaring yourself.

Writing Vertically near the spine of your BoS capture your craft name. On the page itself define your path. This can be as poetic or simple as you like.

"Witch of the Wood"

or

"Keeper of secrets, observer of the ancient ways. I give myself to the old Gods."

Blessing

Still at the fore, I wanted to take a moment of your time. As we enter October we can feel the changes in the natural world as the world cools and the trees become dormant leaves are falling and night comes earlier than even it did last week, life becomes more fragile and people start withdrawing because of Cold and Flu season. This is the evidence we see in the natural world that the Veil between the worlds is becoming thinner we are much closer to the other-world, to death than we would otherwise be during warmer months.

I know I haven't called out the Sabbats in this Blog yet, and I have not been unintentionally remiss. While it’s important to honor the ebb and flow of seasonal patterns so that you can adapt yourself to these shifts its not the focus of this blog today (might tough on everyday spirituality later). However, when you try to keep the same pace year round, you stop noticing subtleties, and patterns that make your life rich. One event seems to blur into the next.

We are coming up on the most vital and beloved Sabbats for Witches, Samhain the Celtic New Year it is a magical season and very important to re-establish your connection with the spiritual world while grounding yourself with the sensation of the physical world. This is a very fortuitous time, magically for what I had planned. This entry will be very ritualized. Go back to that post I made in May/June on the Ritual and get yourself ready, pour libations: either wine, apple juice or chamomile tea work lovely.

Braid together Rosemary and White Sage and smudge your BoS and yourself, ground your energy into its pages. Make an offering and relax while the smoke dissipates.

I know, not much for you to do, but vital just the same.