For those of you who practice some form of witchery or engage in spirit contact…this is the most wonderful time of the year. As Samhain (Halloween) approaches, the veil between the two worlds grows thinner and thinner making it easier to communicate with our ancestors long passed.
Samhain, which originated sometime around the 2nd century as evidenced by archaeological findings, began with the Celts in ancient Gaul. The Celts celebrated their new year at the end of the summer and as it spread, it became one of the most important holidays in Ireland and other territories which were settled by the first Celts. That would include Scotland, the Isle of Man, Wales, Cornwall and Brittany.
As you may or may not know, this celebration is centered around death and endings. The death of the summer and the onslaught of winter. The end of the light days and the commencement of the darker days. The conflict between dark and light, warmth and cold, growth and barren times. It was also considered the time when the spirits are inclined to travel from the Celtic underworld to the human world.
With the emergence of Christianity, the Catholic Church decided it was time for them to get involved and Pope Gregory rescheduled the Christian “All Saint’s Day” for November 1st to coincide with the original holiday of Samhain. Up until this point, this day was honored in May and was called “All Hallows Day” and intended to honor the Virgin Mary and other Christian martyrs. It is believed that this was the Church’s way to diminish the original Celtic celebration and force the populace to celebrate something else. Instead of honoring all their dead ancestors, Pope Gregory thought it would force them to only honor those of the Christian faith.
Ancient Celts and even modern-day Pagans, Witches, Druids celebrate this day—or night—by preparing offerings for their ancestors, faeries, Sidhs, spirits. Those offerings could be anything from seasonal fruits, wine or mead, letters, and even crops that have been harvested. The thought being that if they offered…the spirits would come and communicate words of wisdom.
The tradition of dressing in costumes for Halloween came from the days when Samhain was celebrated more widely. Back in those days, people would dress in costume so that they could not be recognized by evil spirits who may have come to steal their soul. They also lit fires under the premise that fire would keep those same evil spirits away.
As far as carving pumpkins, that tradition also came from the Celtic lands when they carved turnips. The story behind this I heard when I took the tour of the Leprechaun Museum in Dublin a couple of years ago. There was a man named “Stingy Jack” who tried to cheat the devil and lost. He was then cursed to roam the earth in an eternal night with only one coal to light his way. He then placed the coal in a carved turnip—using it for his lantern—and roamed the night for eternity.
My celebration of Samhain/Halloween will be spent in Tombstone, Arizona amongst the spirits of gunslingers, gamblers, lawmen, and ladies of the evening. I am excited to be able to spend some quality time with my brother and sister-in-law roaming the dusty streets of Tombstone and sending out my radar for any errant spirit who might be willing to chat with me. On November 2nd you will be able to find me at Books in the Desert where I will not only have my most recent release—Watermelon Moonshine—but also some copies of Samhain which is the first book in my Wheel of the Witch series. I will also be available to do mini-oracle card readings for a love donation and I might even have some spell bottles for purchase. If you are in the Phoenix area on November 2nd, please stop in and visit with our excellent array of authors of every genre. We are going to be located at the Drury Inn & Suites Phoenix Airport, 3333 East University Drive, Phoenix, AZ 85034 from 11 am – 4 pm. Stop by and see me and mention you read about the event on my blog or newsletter, and I will hook you up with some swag to take home.
Have a blessed and exciting Samhain!!
Loved Samhain. Looking forward to Yule.