Whispers from the Willows

Our Samhain 2017 edition

Indeed, unbound from a predictable, calendric rhythm, these three days inspired devotion to the unknowable and invisible, the chaotic and surprising."  Pausing exists in the most basic rhythms of nature and the universe.  Just as the waves at the shore have a distinct yet brief 'pause' between inwave and outwave, so does our breathing have a distinct 'pause' between our inbreath and our outbreath.  So, as we come to the end of another yearly cycle, it is most fitting that we stop briefly and embrace the void between one year and the next.

In this issue, we will re-visit the earth holiday of Samhain.

However you choose to celebrate the seasons, please remember to be gentle with the earth and mindful of her precious resources.

Green Blessings!
Donna at Willow Moon Herbals

In this issue:

• Celebrating Samhain!
• Tree Orientation
• "The Red Tent Movie
• What Am I Reading Now?

Celebrating Samhain!

"Samhain (pronounced Sow-en), dates back to the ancient Celts who lived 2,000 years ago. Contrary to what some believe, it is not a celebration of the Celtic god of the dead. Instead, Samhain is a Celtic word meaning "summer's end."

The Celts believed that summer came to an end on October 31st and the New Year began on November 1st with the start of winter. They followed a lunar calendar and their celebrations began at sunset the night before.

During the day on October 31st, the fires within the home were extinguished. Often families would engage in a good "Fall" cleaning to clear out the old and make way for the new, starting the winter months with fresh and clean household items.
 
At sunset on October 31st, clans or local villages begin the formal ceremonies of Samhain by lighting a giant bonfire. The people would gather around the fire to burn crops as sacrifices to the Celtic deities. It was a method of giving the Gods and Goddesses their share of the year's harvest. These sacred fires were a big part of the cleansing of the passing old year and a method to prepare for the coming new year.
 
During the celebration, the Celts wore costumes and danced around the bonfire. Many of these dances told stories or played out the cycles of life and death, commemorating the cycle of Wheel of Life.

These costumes served three primary purposes: 
The first was to honor the dead who were allowed to rise from the Otherworld. The Celts believed that souls were set free from the land of the dead during the eve of Samhain. Those that had been trapped in the bodies of animals were released by the Lord of the Dead and sent to their new incarnations. The wearing of these costumes signified the release of these souls into the physical world.
 
Not all of these souls were honored and respected. It was feared that some would return to the physical world and destroy crops, hide livestock or 'haunt' the living who may have done them wrong, so the second reason for costuming was to hide from these malevolent spirits to escape their trickery.
 
The third representation was to honor the Celtic Gods and Goddesses of the harvest, fields and flocks, giving thanks and homage to those deities who assisted the village or clan through the trials and tribulations of the previous year and asking for their favor during the coming year and the approaching harsh winter months.
 
In addition to celebrations and dance, it was believed that this thin veil between the physical world and the Otherworld provided extra energy for communications between the living and the dead. With these communications, Druid Priests, and Celtic Shamans would attempt to tell the fortunes to individual people. 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."

(Sources:  "Herbal Rituals" by Judith Berger; http://www.paganspath.com/magik/samhain-history.htm; "Celebrating the Great Mother" by Cait Johnson and Maura D. Shaw)

What Am I Reading Now?