Hello all!  I found this on Netscape earlier and thought you may find it
kind of neat.  It gives the Pagan Federation's view on the story and
traditions of Hallowe'en.  <shrug> I thought it was kind of neat, and it's
time we had a discussion on Hallowe'en/Samhain.  What does everyone else
usually do for it?  Do you have any traditions that you would like to
share?  Well, here's the text: 

There are some people who find Hallowe'en a frightening time. We as Pagans
appreciate it as a time of positive celebration to be enjoyed. Most Pagans
refer to it by its Celtic name, Samhain (pronounced sow-en) It is the
season when cold winter approaches, the trees become bare and the nights
darker. This was the Celtic equivalent of New Year's Eve, a natural time
for looking back at who had died in the previous year and making
divinations to see what the New Year might bring. In a time when not all
cattle could be overwintered, the remainder would be slaughtered,
providing a surplus of meat. The resulting feast would help put on some
fat to see one through the winter. 

When Britain converted to Christianity, many of the old festivals and
religious sites were taken over and renamed. Thus the All Saints (All
Hallows) festival remember the dead at the same period as the old Samhain
and on the continent many Christians picnic at their family tombs. 

As Pagans we celebrate life, but recognise that death is a part of that
cycle of natural seasons, each to be remembered in turn. Thus the hag /
crone aspect of the Goddess associated with Samhain should be balanced
with the Maiden and Mother aspects at Spring and Summer respectively.
There are just as important but not commented upon so much in general. The
festival survives in many native folk songs and traditions, from the
burning barrels of Ottery St. Mary in Devon to the Antrobus Soul Cakers of
Cheshire. We believe that remembering the dead is more sinister than
Remembrance Day and that children should be allowed to confront the
concept of death in a safe way, just as they do by watching slightly scary
TV programmes. This does not mean that we support indiscriminate 'trick or
treating' to the elderly or strangers. We consider it better that schools
and families arrange safe exchange visits under adult supervision. It is
good to see the revival of traditional activities such as ducking for
apples and pumpkin lanterns. 

Adults can join in the fun as too, with this an appropraite time (between
one year and the net) for divination, be it by astrology, tarot, runes or
other methods. It is a favourite time for fancy dress parties as well. We
want young and old to enjoy this time of year, but not to forget its
origins. 

For Pagans it is a major religious festival, at which they connect into
their personal vision of the God and Goddess. Pagans follow a variety of
paths but generally love and respect the natural world, acknowledge a
Goddess as well as a God and try not to harm anyone in either thought,
word or deed. 

Okay...there we go...comments?  In light of the previous articles about
Hallowe'en and Samhain, I happen to like this one.  :-)

36 responses total.

*uckin' cool--I'm first! <gloat>
Anyway, I prefer this article to the 2 a few items back. Congrats on the
re-format, selena! ;)

        Um.. no, this one she put in in the proper format.

Same difference.

        As an aside, for you Gnosticism fans, there's a huge archive in both
Germany and the Netherlands including the Coptic Gospel of St. Thomas and 
the Qabbalah and several commentaries on it.  I'll dig up the URL if anyone's
interested.

I have noticed that this year Samhain falls on a Saturday, and I was pondering
having a Samhain ritual.  Tenative thought though.

Oh, great!  So there's no avoiding a conflict between trick-or-treating, a
Wiccan Samhain ritual, and a Druid one, depending on who uses which date. 
Cloning, anyone?  <sigh>

I wish.  But I understand clones can only be made from young cells.  The aging
process does SOMETHING to clonability.

As far as date is concerned, October 31st according to our current (expletives
deleted) 12 month calander.

rather than cloning, why not simply go to planning meetings and suggest that
certain dates be avoided?

        Cells differentiate and specialize.  You want to work with an egg,
generally, as the host, since it's easiest to remove DNA and re-implant new
DNA in a single cell.  Anything past the symmetrical blasosphere is right out.

My parents have given the go-ahead for the ritual, with the stipulation that
we aren't to scare the trick-or-treaters.  I don't think that will be a
problem since the fire pit is in the back yard AND behind the forest.

E-mail me and I will send written invitations with more detailed information
about when we'll get started.  I hope to have planned an Agenda for the ritual
by then.  Just a reminder, if there a fewer than four people, including me,
then the ritual is off.

        You're not allowed to SCARE trick-or-treaters?  Man we've made a mess
of the holiday.

Not allowed to scare them due to what we will be doing in the ritual that is.
But she didn't even need to say that.  It's not like I'd even think of saying,
"O, we're having a human sacrifice."

After that show in the Elemental item, I must specifically FORBID jazz's
presence if that being exists anywhere in close proximity to me. 
Congratulations, jazz, you've made an enemy!!

        Mmmm, you don't seem to be in a position to "forbid" me anything, but
nonethelss, yippie skip.

Excuse me, Bjorn?  
Please moderate your tone in this conference, and work out conflicts in
private mail or discuss them peaceably here. 
Thanks.

People are more than entitled to forbid others from being around them.
It's called a no-contact order.
*shrug*

Yeah, but much as I like Bjorn, I don't see how it's practical in a
conference...unless he meant "Don't address me or my comments."

He didn't. He forbade John from coming around him IRL. 

Well, in that case, of course he's entitled.

        It's somewhat redundant, however.

Yeah. 
!Set Drift=OFF
!Set DriftLock=ON
>>ENTER ANTIDRIFT PASSWORD: ********
>>DRIFT LOCK ON

Despite the fact that my twit filter for conferences isn't working, I think
I have had enough cool down time.  I hope the same can be said for those I
made angry.

I'm glad, Bjorn.  I enjoy your pstings.

Wow a samhaine ritual soon eh??? Well I also have a Heceta Night comming up
too. The important thing to do is to contact the local police and tell them
that you are having a ritual if it is outside even in the back yard. other
wise it is possible to have a Cop raid if the police are called by the
neighbors. It is good to talk to the cops and explain what is hap;pening so
the best thing other wise I can tell you storys of cop raids that are not fun
to be in. I was involved in the raid on a local crafters ritual in the back
yard of there tralor park lot. We had a screen tent up and no one called them
to tell them what twas happening and the neighbor hood teens made up wildd
storys and we ended up lookeing into the bad end of a few cops guns.

Was that the one in Brighton?

No, that would have been the one in Sumpter Township, in 1994,
if memory serves.  I think I still have the article from the
Ypsi Press (the *original* one, not the AA-News-in-disguise that's
published now) which interviewed their High Priest.

If anyone was refering to my hosting off a Samhain ritual, I'm sorry to say
that is still called off.

Due to televisions backwash of the theme of death, I have been inspired to
re-open the invitation to my Samhain ritual.

Cool.  I'm looking for a relatively small ritual to attend...many of them
are just too huge for me. I'm intrested.

Yeah . . . now I guess I'll go buy colored bricks to place at the elemental
"corners".

Seems that I also have to decide what I desire to ask Joanna and any other
blood-relative spirits who wish to communicate with this side of the viel,
or are simple willing to grant me and audience.  I also need to think of a
maaner that is at least 95% safe in which to invoke the goddess Hel.

um...over 4 is ok...I'm just saying that 10+ is too big.

How about this: Minimum 4, Maximum 13?

sounds great

Looks like my ritual my turn out to be only dual, but that's okay.  Even
though I don't know who else I want to join us, I'm not going to call it off.
This ritual needs to be performed for my sanity.  Now I need to throw together
some sort of Agenda over the next 3 days.

So...how did it go?

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