By Caitlyn

     These holidays celebrate the growing cycles and seasons in the agricultural process of antiquity. Samhain is significant because it is the time of year when the last of the harvest is collected and the herds are culled in preparation for the long winter months.

     We inherit the tradition of the leaving candy out for children and wearing masks from the Celtic people who believed that the veil between the world of the living and dead are at their thinnest during this, the darkest season of the year. Your family’s ancestors would be able to join with the spirits of their  departed friends and enemies to walk the earth during this one brief moment of the year. The candy represents the oatcakes that were prepared for the departed who watched the living from the other side. During this holiday, masked priests disguised as figures of the underworld or creatures of nature, would guide these harmless wisps to your home and back to the Underworld. Once returned to their place of rest, these good spirits could rest for another year and benefit the living by guiding unseen forces in aid of those they loved during their lifetime.

     Conversely, on Halloween night the spirits of the good were joined by those evil, malicious and dissatisfied spirits for whom life had been unjust. It was during this time that those spirits sought penance from the living. They too would rise and return to visit former family and friends. Oatcakes and drink were left for these spirits to consume in lieu of some other terrible price that they might seek to extract. The priests would help coerce these spirits back the Underworld where they would be contained for another cycle.

     As Fall was a time for butchering the animals, the spirits of underworld were more active at this time of the year. The eminent death and spilled blood was believed to attract many of the evil spirits.

     The true message behind this Holiday is that it is the time of the year where you put your affairs in order for the New Year and release negative karma from the previous year. Ignorance of this cleansing and not preparing yourself to deal with winter, you meet with the possibly of not seeing the next Spring. In this modern civilization, we do not deal with the ruggedness of nature as intimately by raising crops and a harvest as our ancestors did. However, it is important this time of year that we make our preparations for the New Year and commit to those that have passed.

     This is the time to make our peace with the crone the winter of our life. To give knowledge that is gained from our passing from the maiden to the mother now the crone. Samhain is the time to seek portends of what is the divine will for us. Tarots to cast, palms to be read and rituals to be done to shut the door on this season and prepare for the next. With the crisp autumn air and frost on the pumpkin we should remember as the wheel of the year turns we leave this end to renewal. The spring.