Samhain is known by most folks living in America today as "Halloween" . a day of kids in costumes trick-or-treating for candy and enjoying a good haunted house if you're lucky. Although too, you may have heard of it referred to by your elders as "All hallows eve" and hear about fond memories of decorating including pumpkin carving, apple bobbing's and maybe even a trick or few throughout the night while sharing spooky stories and  folklore from generations past and lands far far away. Other common names: for Halloween include Hallowmas, the Day of the Dead, Festival of Spirits, Third Harvest, and the Celtic New Year. For those who have lacked in the symbology, the Celts regarded the concept of the carved pumpkin with a candle inside it as the Light shining from the Soul the human head as the Seat of the Soul.

 

 But, for those of the "White Hoop" especially in such times passed such as the 1600's whose bloodlines connect to such as the Norse, Wiccans and Pagans it's considered a very important and sacred Sabbath, very much in the same way as is the Wounded Knee Massacre to our tribal brothers and sisters,  Samhain has always been respected as being among the "season" to honor the ancestors who came before us such as our tribal relatives were commencing with Ghost Dance until being blatantly slaughtered while In active ceremonial ritual. Both concur in that it is during this sacred time that the "veil" so to speak between here and he nether realms is "thinnest" that is to say easiest connectible or as some say and believe, overlap even. 

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Honoring your ancestors is a very special thing to do at this time and can be done in many simple ways. Think about all those departed souls from your life, both family and friends, children may wish to remember pets even - place photographs of them on your altar. Offer them your hospitality, welcome their presence into your home.

At your Samhain feast, consider laying an extra place for them to join you at the table - cook and eat their favorite dishes, talk about them - re-member them, bring them closer. Another suggestion we make is for You and your children can also include in your alter, as well as make an offering for departed pets by leaving some dog or cat food outside on Halloween night for example, many night creatures appreciate this offering. But PLEASE be careful what you put outside - we used to put out bread and milk but are dismayed to find that this is fatal to hedgehogs which many do not know. 

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As the first official holiday of autumn, the fields are bare, the leaves have fallen more than not from the trees, and the skies are going gray and cold making  it mark the beginning of a time of indoor work, thought and craftsmanship. .Autumn is the time of year when the Earth has began to die and go dormant such as they have and we one day will as well.  As the Norse teach, it is a time to celebrate the completed harvest and honor the ancestors because without they and their wisdom teachings... We would not be nor have any we do. It is no coincidence that the "seasonal spirit" of these American holidays most common are "Halloween (October), then Thanksgiving (November), then Christmas (December)", followed by "New Year RESOLUTIONS and New Year BEGINNING... it's been the symbiology since time immortal throughout the evolution of humankind!

 

What the masses seem to no longer know is that this sabbath also honors God Odin in his Wild Hunt in Norse wisdom, as well as Gods: Coyote Brother (Native American), Hades (Greek), The Great Horned God (European), Loki (Norse), Pluto (Greco-Roman), Woden (Teutonic), Corn Father (Native American), Dis (Roman), Ghede (Voodun), Heimdall (Norse), Cronus (Greco-Phoenician), Odin (Norse), Sekhet (Egyptian), Xocatl (Aztec). And too we cannot forget to give homage to our beloved Goddesses: Hel (Norse) along with Goddesses Kali (Hindu), Keli-De (Irish), Marzana (Slavic), Nicnevin (Anglo-Scottish), Psyche (Greek), Hecate (Greek), Lilith (Hebrew),Mara (Persian), Morrigan (Celtic), Rhiannon (Welsh)

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In Europe Samhain was celebrated as a Celtic Fire festival, whereas in the Druid tradition, Samhain celebrates the dead with a festival on October 31 and usually features a bonfire and communion with the dead. American pagans often hold music and dance celebrations called Witches' Balls in proximity to Samhain. Ultimately though regardless of our DNA, this is the time when the veil between our world and the spirit realm is thin, so it's the perfect time of year to make contact with the dead in good medicine ways. With the growth and spread of Christianity as the dominant religion throughout Europe, and in turn the United States of America, Samhain time took on Christian names and guises. All Saints' Day or All Hallows on November 1 commemorated Christian saints and martyrs. All Souls' Day on November 2 was a remembrance for all souls of the dead. With the coming of Christian Spaniards to Mexico, the indigenous customs of honoring the dead at this time of year mixed with Roman Catholicism and gave birth to the Day of the Dead, Dia de los Muertos, in early November. Samhain shares the ancient spiritual practice of remembering and paying respects to the Dead with these related religious holidays of Christianity.

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Many of us celebrate Samhain over the course of several days and nights, and these extended observances usually include a series of solo rites as well as ceremonies, feasts, and gatherings with family, friends, and spiritual community. Annually KM honors the heart of the sabbath of Samhain as being under the Blue Moon.  In the northern hemisphere, many Pagans celebrate Samhain from sundown on October 31 through November 1. Others hold Samhain celebrations on the nearest weekend or on the Full or New Moon closest to this time.  But here nor there, the wisdom to be had is that every year on October 31, Samhain presents all of us with the opportunity to once more celebrate the cycle of death and rebirth, and is a time to reconnect with our ancestors and honor those who have died.  

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