(`. Samhain .`)
The Celtic fesitival of Samhain (pronounced sow-in) falls on 31 October and is the Celtic equivalent of New Years Eve. Nowadays, most of us know this day as All Souls Day, All Hallows Eve or Halloween.
For the ancient Celts November 1 marked the beginning of a new year and the coming of winter. The night before, they celebrated the festival of Samhain and during this festival they believed the souls of the dead returned to mingle with the living. On this day Herne the Hunter, an alias of the Horned God of Pagan belief, would lead a pack of spectral huntsmen in a Wild Hunt, reminding the Celts that at this time of year they had to survive by hunting instead of gathering or farming.
The period from Samhain to the winter solstice was harsh; it was a time of assessment, of making final arrangements that would help the family survive the winter, a time for excess livestock to be killed, smoked and stored in preparation. It was also the time when the veil between this world and the otherworld were thought to be at its thinnest, so Samhain was used to seek inspiration and guidance from the lands of faerie and spirit. Because of the loss of external light the Celts looked within themselves at this time--it was a time of introspection and consolation. For todays neo-pagans, it is still a time for self-contemplation, for reviewing lessons learnt during the past year, for wiping the slate clean and for ditching any emotional baggage that you may be carrying. And if you have ever lived with a neo-Pagan, you will know just how seriously they take it....
I did for several lovely years, and this year, this gOth is going to take a leaf out of her Wiccan spellbook and ditch some of my own quixotic emotive impedimenta!
(`.Album-of-the-Day.`)
'Vera Causa'
Faith and the Muse (2001)
~~~~ How to Navigate My Journal ~~~~
The Celtic fesitival of Samhain (pronounced sow-in) falls on 31 October and is the Celtic equivalent of New Years Eve. Nowadays, most of us know this day as All Souls Day, All Hallows Eve or Halloween.
For the ancient Celts November 1 marked the beginning of a new year and the coming of winter. The night before, they celebrated the festival of Samhain and during this festival they believed the souls of the dead returned to mingle with the living. On this day Herne the Hunter, an alias of the Horned God of Pagan belief, would lead a pack of spectral huntsmen in a Wild Hunt, reminding the Celts that at this time of year they had to survive by hunting instead of gathering or farming.
The period from Samhain to the winter solstice was harsh; it was a time of assessment, of making final arrangements that would help the family survive the winter, a time for excess livestock to be killed, smoked and stored in preparation. It was also the time when the veil between this world and the otherworld were thought to be at its thinnest, so Samhain was used to seek inspiration and guidance from the lands of faerie and spirit. Because of the loss of external light the Celts looked within themselves at this time--it was a time of introspection and consolation. For todays neo-pagans, it is still a time for self-contemplation, for reviewing lessons learnt during the past year, for wiping the slate clean and for ditching any emotional baggage that you may be carrying. And if you have ever lived with a neo-Pagan, you will know just how seriously they take it....
I did for several lovely years, and this year, this gOth is going to take a leaf out of her Wiccan spellbook and ditch some of my own quixotic emotive impedimenta!
(`.Album-of-the-Day.`)
'Vera Causa'
Faith and the Muse (2001)
~~~~ How to Navigate My Journal ~~~~