Witches Haven

Samhain

October 31st - Samhain. (sow-IN, SOW-in, SOW-een, sow-EEN) For the love of all that's holy...it ISN'T SAM HAIN. Call it Sam Hain and expect much in the way of surpressed laughter, at your expense.

Samhain is fraught with misunderstanding, urban myth and not-so-urban myth. There was no ancient Celtic Dark Lord called Samhain. It IS a Celtic celebration of sorts and like all things Celtic, it embodies both dark and light.

It was the final harvest - the culling of the herds, last chance to put up up the crops. The final countdown, so to speak, before the killing winter arrived. This is the where our ancestors got their last ya-ya's out prior to settling in, with no little trepidation, awaiting the dark of the year.

Somewhere along the line, the interpretation managed to get screwed up and Samhain became the Neo-Pagan New Year. It isn't. It is the end. The finale. The New Year belongs to Yule, not Samhain.

This is no way takes away the importance of the Sabbat. In fact? This is a most important time. It is believed that the ancestors are present and accounted for...they are available for consult. It is a time for reflection. For banishing anything negative we've accumulated during the year. Celebration as well, for sure. We've managed to make it through another cycle.

Our ancestors would have used Samhain as a chance to express their hopes, dreams for the winter. The desperate wish for a dead season that would leave them, relatively, untouched by famine and death. They would have believed the Dark Lord(s) roamed the land, harvesting their own yield - of souls. Laughing and partying hardy to hide their terror of the coming months. A most human reaction to that kind of fear.

That was then. This is now. We don't have to worry about freezing to death. We don't worry about a lack of food or necessities. So Samhain has become metaphorical. Nothing wrong with that. It is our reality. Our way of life. Removed by thousands of years from our ancestors.

Samhain is felt by most Neo-Pagans. It is felt in the air, in the atmosphere, the ethereal change of the psychic weather. Cat on a hot tin roof is a good analogy. Perhaps it is a hold over in our DNA matrix. Something believed so strongly by those who roamed this earth before us that it became an integral part of who we are.

Our little band uses Samhain to transverse the veils. We do a ritual whereby we travel beyond to meet with our ancestors, our friends and relatives who have passed over from this mortal coil. We also use Samhain as a time of intense personal introspection. We stand in front of our own personal mirror, darkly. We look at what we've done or perhaps, haven't done to achieve our soul maturity. To become the best we can be, to coin a popular phrase.

We are our own worst critics and judges if we are honest. Honesty is the key. No excuses, no laying blame at the feet of someone else. All that we do, we have chosen to do. We are gifted with free will. We are gifted with logic and rationale. No one can take advantage of us without our permission. We can moan and whine but the harsh, very harsh bottom line is that we are all responsible for our own misfortunes.

Samhain allows us to rid ourselves of our membership in the Piss and Moan Club. Banish the negative and concentrate on creating a stronger persona. One dedicated to the Great Work. To reach toward our own personal Godhead.

I am going to share an exercise that our WIPA group did in 2004; it was a very powerful excerise and some people did experience problems, so be warned.

Samhain Exercise, 2004


We cannot ignore the concept of the thinning of the veil - for many people, this is the main purpose for Samhain but it couldn’t be further from the truth.
Samhain is about endings - about new beginnings and contacting ancestors who have passed over, is not what this is - we tend to believe that when an individual passes from this realm - we should leave them in peace. If there is something that needs to be passed on…they are perfectly capable of communicating.

But sometimes, we need the comfort or the closure of communication. The following is can be a powerful exercise, so again - if you don’t feel that this is something you can handle, emotionally - then please, don’t attempt it. Simply allow yourself to meditate on your own thoughts - meditate on the things this past year as brought to you.

For those who want to allow the veil to drop - here is what we will be doing…
We will do 3 Ohms - with each Ohm allow the mundane circumstances leave your consciousness - visualize a door in front of you - it is a huge door and formidable. You will open the door and look at what lies beyond. It is a great darkness; allow your eyes to become accustomed to the darkness and you begin to see figures. When the ohms are completed - breathe normally and listen to what I am saying to you. Please pay close attention.

We will begin - take one deep breath and exhale.

Inhale and then exhale while doing your Ohm….Listen to what I’m saying.

1. Allow yourself to leave this place….
2. You are walking down a long hallway - at the end of this hallway, is a door.
It is massive with long tarnished fittings.
3. You stand before the door and you know that beyond is the underworld - the world unseen but felt, especially at Samhain season.

Breathe normally - the air around you is getting chilled. Reach out and grasp the door knob, it may feel very cold to the touch. This is your final chance to leave this place - if you do not wish to go further; turn around and walk back through the hallway and return to your friends.

Turn the door knob and pull the door open - it will be heavy. As the door pulls toward you, the air from the other side rushes past you…it is cold. The door is open enough for you to pass through - it is pitch black beyond. Allow your eyes time to adjust. As you become accustomed to the darkness - you can make out silhouettes of dim light.

Each of you will recognize a different presence. You won’t hear words - you will feel the words, the emotions. Walk through into the darkness - do not go too far in. Stand still and allow the ancestor to come to you. Do not go to them. It isn’t for you to choose who comes to you - this is not of your control.

If no one approaches then, so be it. Remain where you are - these things are not done in your time. You have no control.

The silhouette is approaching you - it nears and you feel the presence. Allow the presence to send its energies to you - feel the emotions, there is a message here. The energy being sent is stronger than any you have every felt before. This energy contains information that is important for this ancestor to give you. You have chosen to be here - it important not to turn away - it is important not to insult their memory by blocking them out. You have come to their place - they have not come to yours.

Let them feel that it is time for you to go. Thank them and bid them good bye. Watch as the silhouette draws back from you - it returns to the place from where you first saw it. When it is has gone back - you will have to turn around and walk back to the door. When you do, do not, under any circumstances, look back.

It is time for you to leave now, turn around and walk toward the door. Do not look back. Walk through the entrance way and to the other side of the door. Reach up and push it shut. It will be stiff but push hard to close it. Turn around and walk back down the hallway toward your friends and back to the this realm. Walk back and join your friends in circle.

Blessed Samhain 2009 to all.

Dark Lillith

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