Messages In This Digest (5 Messages)
- 1a.
- A History of Halloween from Celtic Times Through Modern Day From: Silver Fox
- 2.
- A Samhain Ritual Of Remembrance From: Silver Fox
- 3.
- A Powerful Time For Divination From: Silver Fox
- 4.
- A Janus Samhain Spell From: Silver Fox
- 5.
- When the Moon Turned Red From: holly@ravenmadness.com
Messages
- 1a.
-
A History of Halloween from Celtic Times Through Modern Day
Posted by: "Silver Fox" silverfox_57@hotmail.com trickster9993
Sun Oct 17, 2010 8:13 am (PDT)
A History of Halloween from Celtic Times Through Modern Day
Source: Unknown
Ancient Origins
Halloween's origins date back to the ancient Celtic festival of Samhain (pronounced sow-in).
The Celts, who lived 2,000 years ago in the area that is now Ireland, the United Kingdom, and northern France, celebrated their new year on November 1. This day marked the end of summer and the harvest and the beginning of the dark, cold winter, a time of year that was often associated with human death. Celts believed that on the night before the new year, the boundary between the worlds of the living and the dead became blurred. On the night of October 31, they celebrated Samhain, when it was believed that the ghosts of the dead returned to earth. In addition to causing trouble and damaging crops, Celts thought that the presence of the otherworldly spirits made it easier for the Druids, or Celtic priests, to make predictions about the future. For a people entirely dependent on the volatile natural world, these prophecies were an important source of comfort and direction during the long, dark winter.
To commemorate the event, Druids built huge sacred bonfires, where the people gathered to burn crops and animals as sacrifices to the Celtic deities.
During the celebration, the Celts wore costumes, typically consisting of animal heads and skins, and attempted to tell each other's fortunes. When the celebration was over, they re-lit their hearth fires, which they had extinguished earlier that evening, from the sacred bonfire to help protect them during the coming winter.
By A.D. 43, Romans had conquered the majority of Celtic territory. In the course of the four hundred years that they ruled the Celtic lands, two festivals of Roman origin were combined with the traditional Celtic celebration of Samhain.
The first was Feralia, a day in late October when the Romans traditionally commemorated the passing of the dead. The second was a day to honor Pomona, the Roman goddess of fruit and trees. The symbol of Pomona is the apple and the incorporation of this celebration into Samhain probably explains the tradition of "bobbing" for apples that is practiced today on Halloween.
By the 800s, the influence of Christianity had spread into Celtic lands. In the seventh century, Pope Boniface IV designated November 1 All Saints' Day, a time to honor saints and martyrs. It is widely believed today that the pope was attempting to replace the Celtic festival of the dead with a related, but church-sanctioned holiday. The celebration was also called All-hallows or All-hallowmas (from Middle English Alholowmesse meaning All Saints' Day) and the night before it, the night of Samhain, began to be called All-hallows Eve and, eventually, Halloween. Even later, in A.D. 1000, the church would make November 2 All Souls' Day, a day to honor the dead. It was celebrated similarly to Samhain, with big bonfires, parades, and dressing up in costumes as saints, angels, and devils. Together, the three celebrations, the eve of All Saints', All Saints', and All Souls', were called Hallowmas.
Modern Traditions
The American tradition of "trick-or-treating" probably dates back to the early All Souls' Day parades in England. During the festivities, poor citizens would beg for food and families would give them pastries called "soul cakes" in return for their promise to pray for the family's dead relatives.
The distribution of soul cakes was encouraged by the church as a way to replace the ancient practice of leaving food and wine for roaming spirits. The practice, which was referred to as "going a-souling" was eventually taken up by children who would visit the houses in their neighborhood and be given ale, food, and money.
The tradition of dressing in costume for Halloween has both European and Celtic roots. Hundreds of years ago, winter was an uncertain and frightening time. Food supplies often ran low and, for the many people afraid of the dark, the short days of winter were full of constant worry. On Halloween, when it was believed that ghosts came back to the earthly world, people thought that they would encounter ghosts if they left their homes. To avoid being recognized by these ghosts, people would wear masks when they left their homes after dark so that the ghosts would mistake them for fellow spirits. On Halloween, to keep ghosts away from their houses, people would place bowls of food outside their homes to appease the ghosts and prevent them from attempting to enter.
Evolution Of A Holiday
As European immigrants came to America, they brought their varied Halloween customs with them. Because of the rigid Protestant belief systems that characterized early New England, celebration of Halloween in colonial times was extremely limited there.
It was much more common in Maryland and the southern colonies. As the beliefs and customs of different European ethnic groups, as well as the American Indians, meshed, a distinctly American version of Halloween began to emerge. The first celebrations included "play parties," public events held to celebrate the harvest, where neighbors would share stories of the dead, tell each other's fortunes, dance, and sing. Colonial Halloween festivities also featured the telling of ghost stories and mischief-making of all kinds. By the middle of the nineteenth century, annual autumn festivities were common, but Halloween was not yet celebrated everywhere in the country.
In the second half of the nineteenth century, America was flooded with new immigrants. These new immigrants, especially the millions of Irish fleeing Ireland's potato famine of 1846, helped to popularize the celebration of Halloween nationally. Taking from Irish and English traditions, Americans began to dress up in costumes and go house to house asking for food or money, a practice that eventually became today's "trick-or-treat" tradition. Young women believed that, on Halloween, they could divine the name or appearance of their future husband by doing tricks with yarn, apple parings, or mirrors.
In the late 1800s, there was a move in America to mold Halloween into a holiday more about community and neighborly get-togethers, than about ghosts, pranks, and witchcraft.
At the turn of the century, Halloween parties for both children and adults became the most common way to celebrate the day. Parties focused on games, foods of the season, and festive costumes. Parents were encouraged by newspapers and community leaders to take anything "frightening" or "grotesque" out of Halloween celebrations. Because of their efforts, Halloween lost most of its superstitious and religious overtones by the beginning of the twentieth century.
By the 1920s and 1930s, Halloween had become a secular, but community- centered holiday, with parades and town-wide parties as the featured entertainment. Despite the best efforts of many schools and communities, vandalism began to plague Halloween celebrations in many communities during this time. By the 1950s, town leaders had successfully limited vandalism and Halloween had evolved into a holiday directed mainly at the young. Due to the high numbers of young children during the fifties baby boom, parties moved from town civic centers into the classroom or home, where they could be more easily accommodated. Between 1920 and 1950, the centuries-old practice of trick-or-treating was also revived. Trick-or-treating was a relatively inexpensive way for an entire community to share the Halloween celebration. In theory, families could also prevent tricks being played on them by providing the neighborhood children with small treats. A new American tradition was born, and it has continued to grow. Today, Americans spend an estimated $6.9 billion annually on Halloween, making it the country's second largest commercial holiday.
Silver Fox
"It is all true, it is not true. The more I tell you, the more I shall lie. What is story but jesting Pilate's cry. I am not paid to tell you the truth."
Jane Yolen; The Storyteller
- 2.
-
A Samhain Ritual Of Remembrance
Posted by: "Silver Fox" silverfox_57@hotmail.com trickster9993
Sun Oct 17, 2010 8:14 am (PDT)
A Samhain Ritual Of Remembrance
Unknown Author
The Altar should be provided with:
a lighted black or orange candle
a jack-o-lantern
a chalice filled with wine or cider
a plate of bread
Incense and burner (the incense should be nutmeg, sage, or mint)
Ritual Tools
Photos of lost loved ones
Slips of paper with the names of those you wish to remember written
on them.
A bonfire or large brazier with a fire
Consecrate a circle and call the quarters.
Recite the following Prayer:
The Circle is complete
Once again we stand at the End and the Beginning
It is the time of the waxing of the Night
But we fear not, for our Lady is strong
It is the time of the waning of the Day
But we fear not, for our Lord waits to receive us
The door between our world and the world of the spirits is open
We remember now those who have gone on before
I remember__*name of loved one*__. (say what you loved best about
them). Be at peace.
(repeat as many times as necessary. As you finish with each name and
remembrance, throw that persons slip of paper into the fire.)
Unto those I have named, from whose eyes
The veil of life has fallen,
May there be accomplished the Divine Will.
Whether they be granted absorption into the Infinite,
Or to be united with their chosen and preferred,
Or to be in contemplation,
Or to be in peace,
Or to achieve the labor of reincarnation
On this planet or another, Or in any Star, or any creature.
Unto them may there be accomplishment of their True Path.
I give this bread to the Fire
Throw the bread onto the fire.
As a remembrance of the lives that have passed.
I give this wine to the Fire
Pour the wine onto the fire.
As a remembrance of the blood that no longer flows.
Isis Guide my friends and loved ones.
Isis Guard them on their journey.
Osiris Receive my friends and loved ones.
Osiris Strengthen them on their journey.
So mote it be!
Meditate as long as you wish. Close the Circle and put out the fire.
Silver Fox
"It is all true, it is not true. The more I tell you, the more I shall lie. What is story but jesting Pilate's cry. I am not paid to tell you the truth."
Jane Yolen; The Storyteller
- 3.
-
A Powerful Time For Divination
Posted by: "Silver Fox" silverfox_57@hotmail.com trickster9993
Sun Oct 17, 2010 8:15 am (PDT)
A Powerful Time For Divination
New Worlds Issue: NW065
By: Lisa Finander, Acquisitions Editor: Astrology, Tarot, Divination & Shamanism
Excerpt is from Crystal Balls and Crystal Bowls by Ted Andrews
http://www.llewellyn.com/bookstore/ article.php? id=1203
Halloween, All-hallow-even, All Hallow's Eve, Samhain and All Saints' Eve are just a few of the names given to celebrations occurring on October 31st. Although they all share similarities in their festivities, I am going to focus on some of the Celtic customs related to Samhain.
Samhain begins at dusk on October 31st and is the Celtic New Year's Eve. The God of summer is defeated and the God of winter and death now presides over mother earth. This is a special day, the time of year when the veil between the world of the living and the dead is the thinnest, and a time when the communication between these worlds is the strongest. This has its good and bad points, depending on if the visiting spirits are welcome or not!
When inviting loved ones home that usually reside in the Otherworld, it is customary to either set an empty place at the table with food and drink for deceased relatives or leave it outside for any traveling souls returning to the places they once lived. The belief is that the souls nourish themselves on the soul of the food provided. Bonfires (from the English bone-fires) were lit, allowing the dead a place to warm themselves by. Doors, windows and gates were unlocked to make sure their long-awaited guests knew they were welcome. Jack-o'-lanterns (originally carved turnips) were prominently displayed to protect the living and scare away evil spirits. The carvings depicted protective guardians living in the spirit world.
Samhain is also a time when the ordinary rules of society don't pertain, challenging the established order and introducing chaos. People dress up in costumes switching conventional gender roles, wear masks that emulate spirits or departed ancestors, and both worlds celebrate together.
During this transformational period between light and dark, and life and death, there is an opening — a pause in time when magic is believed to be at its strongest, making it a perfect time for divination and seeing what the next year holds. It's a great time to expand your intuitive skills. You could plan your own divination party and give yourself a "New Year's" reading to boot. Llewellyn has a variety of books and products on the different forms of divination.
A great tarot deck to add to your collection and especially appropriate for Halloween (with more skeletons than you can count) is Tarot of the Dead by Monica Knighton. This Otherworld-friendly deck uses Pens for Wands, Coffins for Cups, Pistols for Swords and Reels for Pentacles.
At the beginning of November, Mexico celebrates "Day of the Dead," or Dia de Los Muertos. While the specific dates and observances vary depending on the region, the core of the holiday is the same — to honor family and friends who have died. Cemeteries and homes are decorated with flowers, and offering tables are laid out with gifts of food, clothing and anything the loved one enjoyed in life. Some believe this is a time set aside for remembrance, while others believe that the dead literally return in spirit for a visit, communing with the family and enjoying the essence of the offerings left for them.
However you choose to spend this day, make it a celebration and remembrance of past, present and future love. Take time to stop and honor the sacredness of all your relationships, with special focus on those we can no longer touch. May all your readings be good ones.
Another great way to stay connected to the tarot community is to subscribe to Tarot Update, Llewellyn's online newsletter. The latest issue will offer prizes for those who complete our online tarot survey.
http://www.llewellyn.com/email_ lists.php? action=subscribe
Diversity of Divination
In actuality, divination can involve any method by which events are interpreted and/or explained. Divination is more than foretelling the future. It does involve prediction, but it can also involve divining some truth or interpreting omens and signs as part of its practice. Divination often incorporates methods by which events are interpreted and explained. The most commonly recognized tools and methods in our modern society are runes, tarot, astrology, dreams and I Ching. Many strange and unusual methods of divination have been employed, from the reading of entrails to the study of cloud formations.
Aeromancy — the casting of dirt or sand into the wind to determine answers by the direction the wind takes it.
Apantomancy — observing objects that appear haphazardly.
Belomancy — divination by the flight of arrows.
Bibliomancy — consulting a passage or line in a book at random.
Catoptromancy — divination through a lens or a magic mirror.
Ceromancy — dropping melted wax into water and observing results.
Chiromancy — divination by the lines of the hand.
Crystalomancy — divination by clear globe, pool of water, mirror or transparent object.
Geloscopy — interpretation of a person's laughter.
Gyromancy — spinning and falling to the ground, leading to oracles.
Hepatoscopy — observation of a sheep's liver.
Myomancy — divination by studying the entrails or the movements of rodents.
Oenisticy — divination by studying the flight of birds.
Onomancy — divination by rearranging the letters in a name.
Ooscopy — using an egg to determine the sex of an unborn child.
Phrenology — studying the bumps and contours of the head.
Physiognomy — the study of human facial features.
Pyromancy — divination by smoke and fire.
Tasseography — the reading of tea leaves and their shapes.
Xylomancy — observation of the position of twigs on the ground.
Silver Fox
"It is all true, it is not true. The more I tell you, the more I shall lie. What is story but jesting Pilate's cry. I am not paid to tell you the truth."
Jane Yolen; The Storyteller
- 4.
-
A Janus Samhain Spell
Posted by: "Silver Fox" silverfox_57@hotmail.com trickster9993
Sun Oct 17, 2010 8:15 am (PDT)
A Janus Samhain Spell
By Edain McCoy
Thousands of rituals and spells have been composed for Samhain. On this night when the boundaries of life and death are blurred we honor our ancestors, and we remember others who have passed over that we never knew. What has been part of our past shapes our future. This Samhain we might also want to look forward. Someday we will be the past that helped shape someone else's future. Janus was the two-faced Roman god for whom January is named. One face looks to the past, the other to the future. Turn to face the west, the land of the dead and the deities, saying:
Janus, who looks into the night toward the place where spirits seek light,
bless all souls who come now as they hear it, and dance in the circle of spirit.
Turn to face the east, the point of the rising Sun, away from death and into the promise of a new day, saying:
Janus, who into the day at dawn's first glow and Sun's first ray, bless this circle without hesitation, and fear not the past nor times not yet here.
Silver Fox
"It is all true, it is not true. The more I tell you, the more I shall lie. What is story but jesting Pilate's cry. I am not paid to tell you the truth."
Jane Yolen; The Storyteller
- 5.
-
When the Moon Turned Red
Posted by: "holly@ravenmadness.com" holly@ravenmadness.com hollyberrysheart
Sun Oct 17, 2010 8:49 am (PDT)
Last night I had this outstanding vision... I've had a bit of time to
reflect on it and would like to share ...
I was standing outside looking up at the night sky and there was this
spectacular event going on... many people stopped to take notice
There was the moon and around the moon were several smaller moons
circling around it ... just outside the ring of smaller moons where
some sort of space crafts ... 4 of them had come to watch the event
about to take place.
the moon suddenly turned a bright red ... and moments later the moon
went black and left the space before us ... it drifted away to the right
and was gone ...
Another moon took its place... it wasn't the normal moon.... it was
another red moon that took its place and just as the red moon before it
.. it suddenly faded to black and left the space ... again drifting off
to the right until it could no longer be seen...
Looking back at the space where the moon once was .. another red moon
appeared...
I looked around and the world was a mess... chaotic .. the weather was
harsh and yet the people around me acted oblivious to what was going on.
They were dealing with the chaos and weather and yet not understanding
what was really going on...
In this vision I was very pregnant and frantic about trying to get
everyone to understand what was going on ... what was REALLY going on
... I was trying to make them "SEE". But it was as if no one
understood... and they really didn't care... sure they cared about what
was happening to themselves but not about what was happening to the
world.
Our whole world was in jeapordy .... not just their own little worlds...
but the entire planet.
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ ~~~~~~~
The creator can give us the most amazing, dramatic signs ... he can
place them right there in front of us... just above our heads and until
we open our eyes to truly see whats going on ... it will be noticed but
UNSEEN
You know... you need to care about more than just your own private
space...
What exactly are you leaving behind for your children, your
grandchildren, your great grandchildren.... Have you made your world a
better place?
Placing a larger house on it doesn't necessarily make it better ... a
new place to shop doesn't make it better, more roads doesn't make it
better
How about clean air, fresh water? Just to name a couple of things...
very important things....
Many Blessings,
Raventalker
www.ravenmadness.com
Blog: http://wordsofraven.blogspot. com/
Twitter: http://www.twitter.com/raventalker
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We are based in Western Sydney, NSW. Australia.
Located in the valley before the beautiful Blue Mountains were
we hold sacred rituals, workshops, social events and outings,
for more information see our calendar of events at Witches Meetup
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Astarte also works full time as a Psychic Counsellor, Medium,
Clairvoyant, Healer and Teacher.
If she can be of assistance to you, please see her home page at
www.earthwise.net.au
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Astarte is always sourcing new suppliers of quality pagan
related items, to purchase wholesale or even put on consignment,
she willing to purchase worldwide items for the Earthwise Store.
If you have something of interest please contact Astarte
earthwise@bigpond.com
___________________________________________________________________________
ø¤º°` Earthwise ø¤º°`
<:::::::::::::::::::::::::::::]]======0
The Worldwide Spirit of Paganism
in Australia, America & Worldwide!
Take a Look at Our Huge EBay Store
For all your Magickal & Ritual Supplies
http://stores.ebay.com.au/Astarte-Earthwise
___________________________________________________________________________
This Earthwise Book of Shadows group holds the expectation
that a tolerant, mature and respectful dialogue be strived
for in our communications with each other. Members are
encouraged to challenge anyone not adhering to these
principles and to notify the list owner Astarte if you are
offended by a posting, write to me at
earthwise@bigpond.com
Thank you.
___________________________________________________________________________
Earthwise is a world wide group.
We are based in Western Sydney, NSW. Australia.
Located in the valley before the beautiful Blue Mountains were
we hold sacred rituals, workshops, social events and outings,
for more information see our calendar of events at Witches Meetup
http://witches.meetup.com/1293/
___________________________________________________________________________
Astarte also works full time as a Psychic Counsellor, Medium,
Clairvoyant, Healer and Teacher.
If she can be of assistance to you, please see her home page at
www.earthwise.net.au
___________________________________________________________________________
ARE YOU CREATIVE?
Astarte is always sourcing new suppliers of quality pagan
related items, to purchase wholesale or even put on consignment,
she willing to purchase worldwide items for the Earthwise Store.
If you have something of interest please contact Astarte
earthwise@bigpond.com
___________________________________________________________________________
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