The Wheel of the Year — Samhain and Its Lore

Samhain (pronounced SAH-win), also called All Hallows Eve, All Souls, and Halloween, takes place on October 31st and is one of the most important Sabbats in Wicca. It is both the beginning and end of the Witches’ calendar, similar to New Year’s Eve.

The Themes and Practices of Samhain

The Goddess takes on the role of Wise One at Samhain, and so it is a time to practice divination and seek wisdom. The God leads the Wild Hunt to collect the souls of the dead. It is the end of the old year, the beginning of the new, and a time when the veil between the worlds is thin.

Many Wiccans set aside some time after sunset on October 31st. They perform divination using Tarot cards, runes, or whatever tools they prefer. Black candles are lit, which represent the passing year, and give those celebrating this holiday a time to reflect on the last turn of the Wheel of the Year. Thanks is given to the Goddess and the God for the past year.

White candles are lit to represent the year which has yet to unfold. Celebrants are given the opportunity to think about what they hope to achieve. They then ask the Lady and the Lord for blessings in these matters. Often, divination will be used to attempt to see into the possible future of these hopes and dreams.

As a part of the Wheel of the Year, Samhain is the time when the God perishes in Wiccan lore. The Goddess morns Him, but knows that She carries His seed within Her, and that He will soon live again.

Some symbols associated with Samhain include:

• Scythes
• Bones
• Jack-o-lanterns
• Dark mirrors

The Feast of Samhain

Traditional foods at this time include many types of game, such as pheasant, partridge and hare. Seafood such as oysters and scallops are common also. While these things were wild and therefore inexpensive in the days of old, today they can be somewhat expensive.

Seasonal vegetables are often cheap and widely available, such as Brussels sprouts, cabbage, parsnips, peas and winter potatoes. Apples and pears are usually fresh as well.

Some feasting suggestions for this holiday are:

• Potatoes cooked in their jackets, either plain or stuffed.
• Lightly cooked vegetables, perhaps with cheese or herbs to add variety.
• Sausages are traditional since they were a way or preserving meat though the winter.
• Spare ribs, or pork belly strips served with chutneys.
• Pumpkin soup or a pumpkin pie heavily laced with cinnamon and nutmeg.
• Baked apples.
• Fortune cookies, while not Wiccan in origin, allow a type of uncomplicated divination.

Feasting With Children at Samhain

 

Children are notoriously hard to please when it comes do dinners and feasts. However, there are some foods that can be dressed up to help please the younger crowd and still fit in with the Samhain theme. Some of these are:

• Zucchini cut lengthways with zigzags and painted with tomato purée. These can be roasted and used as monster mouths.
• Mini pizzas can be decorated to make ghastly faces.
• Black pasta can sometimes be found at this time of year, and often entertains the children.

Beverages For Samhain

 

There are many beverages suitable to Samhain that can come right off the shelves. Red wine is great and often used to honor the Goddess and the God. Brandy or sugar can be added for a little more flavor. Harvest Mead, a rich blend of fruit and honey, is another popular drink at this time of year.

 

For family events, non-alcoholic cocktails are a perfect substitute. Fruit juice and carbonated beverages are also a good idea. Food coloring can be added to entertain the little ones, even if these drinks are milk based. For those who like sweets that are a little ghastly, red dye can be added to milk and ice cream, making a vampire’s blood drink.

 

Celebrating Samhain

 

There are many ways to celebrate Samhain. There are celebrations, both religious and secular, that are celebrated around the world on this night; Halloween, Guy Fawkes’ Night and All Hallows’ Eve, are just a few examples. For the most part, they reflect some version of the feast of the dead.

 

One very contentious subject at this time of the year for some Wiccans is trick-or-treating. For those families that choose to participate in this practice, it can be highly entertaining for the children. A simpler idea for children and the young at heart is bobbing for apples, either in water or on strings suspended in the doorway.

 

This is also a traditional time for scrying or divination of all kind, and many different forms of divination are used. Some enjoy attempting to see the initial of their future partner by peeling an apple in one piece and throwing the peel over their shoulder to see what shape it lands in. Other prefer to use more traditional tools such as the Tarot.

 

Many Wiccans and Pagans celebrate this season with a powerful ritual. As Sabbats are celebratory in nature, magick is generally not worked at these rituals.

 

Dressing For Samhain

 

Fancy dress is an excellent way to get everyone into the spirit of Samhain. Some Wiccans feel most comfortable in their ritual robes. Costumes are also in keeping with the spirit of Samhain. The particular costumes used do not matter, though ghoulish and ghastly costumes are more traditional. Traditional colors for Samhain include red, orange, and black. These can, of course, be incorporated into dress or celebration.

 

Samhain is a wonderful time of celebration for Wiccans around the world. It is a time of merriment and feasting, and a time to remember those who have passed from this life and into the next.

The History of Wicca — The Coming of Christianity

When Christianity arrived in Europe, there was not the immediate mass conversion that is sometimes suggested. Christianity had not evolved naturally over thousands of years. Instead, it was a man-made religion, one that took a great deal of time to reach the masses. Sometimes, entire countries would be classified as Christian when, in fact, only the rulers had converted, and often only superficially. For the first thousand years of Christianity, the pagan religions of early Europe were still highly prominent.

Attempts at Mass Conversion in Europe

One attempt at mass conversion was made by Pope Gregory the Great. He ordered the building of Christian churches on the sites of older pagan temples and groves. He instructed that all idols were to be smashed, and the sites sprinkled with holy water prior to construction to purify them of ‘unholy’ energy. To a large extent, Pope Gregory appeared to have been successful in his attempt to convert most of Europe.

Appearances can be deceiving, however. When these early churches were being constructed, the best artisans were from pagan religions. These artisans incorporated much of their own symbolism into the holy sites, symbolism which can still be seen today in churches from that era. In this way, pagans could easily go to church and worship their own deities. It was the essence, not the form, that was important to the pagans.

Claims of Devil-Worshiping in Early Europe

Christianity was gaining in strength, but slowly. It still was in its infancy, and perceived the pagan religions as a threat. It’s only natural to want to eliminate a threat. The Church had an effective way to attempt to do that, as the gods of the old religion often become the demons of the new. In the case of paganism, the God of the Hunt served well enough as the Christian Devil. He had horns and to someone who knew no better, he could appear quite frightening.

By drawing this parallel, the Church was able to brand all pagans as devil worshipers. Eventually, this label was applied to anyone who worshiped a god or gods different than the Christian one. In this way, the Church was able to justify its attempt at converting innocent people. This old stereotype has endured, and today, practitioners of many pagan religions, including Wicca, are accused of devil worship.

As Christianity grew in strength, it slowly pushed the pagans to the brink. By the time of the Witch Trials, many pagans had moved out of polite society to take up residence in the country. Though the pagans of Europe presented no threat to the Church, it wasn’t long after the claims of devil worship that the beginnings of the Witch Trials started to emerge.

The History of Wicca — Religion in Early Europe

As ancient man developed, so did religion. While the people spread across Europe, they slowly developed a belief in the afterlife as they adapted and evolved. As they evolved, the Goddess and the God of ancient times also evolved. The God of the Hunt slowly became the God of Nature and Death. At the same time, the Goddess of Fertility also became the Goddess of Rebirth.

The Development of Burial Rituals

Evidence supporting the idea that ancient man believed in a life after death can be found in the burial customs of approximately 20,000 BCE and beyond. The Gravettians were the true innovators of burial customs, burying their dead with full clothing and ornaments. They would even sprinkle their dead with red ochre, giving the skin the appearance of life.

Family members were often buried under the hearth, keeping them close to their loved ones. A man would often be buried with his weapons and tools, perhaps even with his dog. A woman might be buried with cooking implements. Everyone was given what ancient man believed he or she would need in the afterlife.

The Connection Between Dreams and a Belief in the Afterlife

Dreams are much like death. To the outsider, you appear to be almost dead as you sleep, though you do breathe and even move slightly. And yet, upon waking, you can tell of many things. You meet people, some of whom might be truly dead, you see trees and grass and buildings, and you have a multitude of experiences, some of which are fantastical.

Others also experience dreams, as did the ancients. Ancient man would have seen dreams as evidence that another world must exist, a world that is both incorporeal and invisible. Since the dead could sometimes be encountered there, then it must be the land of the dead. And since the people here obviously had clothing and tools, then the departed must require these things in the afterlife.

The Priesthood in Early Europe

The people of early Europe practiced magick and developed a great many rituals. They had rituals for fertility, for hunting, for battle, and for ensuring the continuity of their own people. To administer these rituals, a priesthood developed. In some areas of Europe, these ritual leaders became known as the Wita.

As a group, the Wita would be known as the Witan, the Council of the Wise. In days of old, these respected people were doctors, magicians, lawyers, and priests. They were consulted by kings and emperors, and were the connection to the gods for their people.

Before the coming of Christianity, early Europe was a scattering of different pagan religions. There was no centralization of these religions, and so they evolved separately from each other. However, though these religions sometimes differed in form, they were the same in essence. And they are, in part, the inspiration for modern Wicca.

The History of Wicca — The Goddess and the God in Ancient Times

Early man was mostly concerned with survival. The people who existed twenty-five thousand years ago depended upon hunting. Only through a successful hunt could they gain food, skins for warmth, and bones for tools and weapons. Nature was the source of all they had, but it was also overwhelming. Each element of nature was ascribed a deity. There was a god of wind, a god of waters, a god of lightning, and many more. But, more important than any of these was the God of Hunting

The God of the Hunt in Paleolithic Religion

Most of the animals early man hunted for food were horned, so the God of Hunting was seen as horned. Early man also mixed magick with their basic belief in the Hunting God. Specifically, they used sympathetic magick. In simple terms, sympathetic magick is the idea that like attracts like. If clay was fashioned into the shape of a bison, and this model was ritually killed, it was believed that the hunt would be more successful.

True ritual began with the worship of the God of the Hunt. Early man would wear animal skins and antlers and play the part of the Hunting God. Cave painting of such rituals still exist. These paintings show a strong connection with the God of Hunting and his power over the hunt. This form of sympathetic magick is still performed in some areas of the world.

The Goddess of Fertility in Paleolithic Religion

Along with a Hunting God, there was also a Fertility Goddess. It is unclear which one was worshipped first, or whether they developed together. In the end, it doesn’t matter. If animals were to provide food and other necessities, those animals had to breed. If the tribes were to survive and even thrive, then the women had to have children. Fertility was an inherent part of life.

Sympathetic magick again was used to help ensure this fertility. Carvings and cave paintings have been found that resemble mating animals, and during ritual, various members of the tribe would copulate in an attempt to invoke the Goddess of Fertility. Early man was very concerned with the fertility aspect of the female form, as women were the bearers and nurturers of the children of the tribe.

The Division of the Year in Paleolithic Times

In time, the Goddess assumed an even more powerful role. With the rise of agriculture, the Goddess was said to watch over the fertility of the crops, in addition to the fertility of animals and of the tribe itself. In the summer, the Goddess was seen as the giver of life and sustenance, watching over the crops and domesticated animals. When winter came, the God took over, as hunting was absolutely necessary to survive the harsh winter months.

The year was divided into a light half and a dark half. During the light half of the year, through the summer months, the Goddess held sway. She was worshipped as the bringing of fertility, and the nurturer of the tribe. The winter was considered to be the dark half of the year. During this time, the God was all-powerful. He ruled over the animals that the tribe relied upon for food, and protected those who participated in the hunt.

The Goddess of Fertility and the God of the Hunt were the most important deities to ancient man, and continued to have some importance as religion developed in early Europe. While there were other gods and goddesses, they paled in comparison. The God and Goddess of ancient times are still honored by many people today, and these nature deities are the foundation of Wiccan worship.