~ 1 ~

Samhain (pronounced sow-en} is a Gaelic festival of the Dead, Meaning "Summer's End" and is a celebration of the end of the harvest and the start of the coldest half of the year, harvest and shadows... Traditionally, Samhain is celebrated from sunset on 31 October to sunset on November 1st, and according to Irish mythology, Samhain was a time when the doorways to the Otherworld opened, allowing the spirits and the dead to come into our world thus the saying that the "veils are thin". If we look directly across the wheel we see Beltane which is essentially a summer festival for the living, whereas Samhain is a festival to remember and celebrate the dead. Samhain has long been associated with death and the constant turning of nature's rhythms, life, death and re-birth... This is why Samhain coincides with the end of the growing season, as we witness our gardens becomes covered with falling leaves, the once green vegetation turning brown and stalky and dying back from the killing frosts that are now coming during the cold nights, and where death is literally in the air. This seasonal death carries with it a nostalgic earthy smell that we all have come to cherish and love, as it marks an inward time for each of us so different from the busy summer season now past. During Samhain, it is said that the veil is thin between the world of the living and the realm of the Dead is very thin and thus we are more able to communicate with each other. of course shamans have always been able to communicate with

Oct 31st-November 1st Samhain-Honouring our Ancestors

Day of the Dead, All souls Day/ All Hallows eve....

~ 2 ~

their ancestors and those who have not properly crossed over whenever and wherever, but during this time when life and death are so close at hand it is easier to feel our ancestors close by us. For those unfortunate few who have lost loved ones in the past year, Samhain rituals can be a beautiful opportunity to bring closure to their grieving and to further adjust to the cycle of life. How did we get from there to Halloween? During Christianity's time of rapid growth as the dominant religion throughout Europe, Samhain time took on Christian names and guises such as "All Saints Day" or "All Hallows" which commemorated Christian saints and martyrs. The date for All Souls' Day was set on November 2nd and celebrated as a remembrance for all of the souls of the dead. Now, later on when the Christian Spaniards came to to Mexico and saw that the indigenous customs of honouring the dead were happening around the same time of year they too also appropriated and mixed them together thus creating the birth to the Day of the Dead/ Dia de los Muertos, in early November. Yes, Samhain shares the ancient spiritual practice of remembering and paying respects to our ancestors but the history of each one of these celebrations is so distorted we usually have no idea that they are even separate things... So lets chat about Halloween now shall we...... Halloween is short for "All Hallow's Eve" which is celebrated on October 31, and although they happen at the same time of year AND share roots in end-of-harvest celebrations, it is important to know that Halloween and Samhain are not actually the same. These two celebrations differ mostly when it comes to the spiritual and practise of each celebration. In contemporary North America, Halloween is basically celebrated as a secular folk holiday, similar to it's kissing cousin, "Thanksgiving". Halloween is widely and publicly accepted and celebrated in homes and schools, and given the cultural melting pot that makes up North America, many ethnic heritages as well enjoy the party-time aspect of Halloween. Halloween has de-volved to become a sugar laden consumerist tradition under the guise of a family-oriented holiday, but the truth of the matter is that Halloween, at it's core, is a combination of ancient pagan traditions honouring the dead. The concept of of "Trick or treat" actually came from a time when poor children went around form home to home asking for soul cakes. A soul cake is a small round cake which is traditionally made for All Hallows' Eve/ All Souls' Day to commemorate the dead in the Christian tradition. These

~ 3 ~

cakes were baked to represent each soul that was lost over the year and placed outside along with prayers for the dead, over the years the poor children would come along and offer to say these prayers for the dead in return for the soul cakes which they would then devour, usually because they were starving. Later on in both Scotland and Ireland, young people began to take part in a new tradition referred to as "guising" where they dressed up in a costume and went around from home to home, but instead of pledging to pray for the dead, they would offer to say a poem, or tell a joke or perform a “trick” before collecting their "treat", which was usually fruit, nuts or if they were really lucky, coins. If we look at where the use of scary costumes comes from however, we must return to the middle ages and look at an ancient tradition called "Mumming" where villagers disguised themselves in costumes made of animal skins so that they could drive away evil phantoms. During this time large tables were prepared with food offerings which were left out to placate any unwelcome spirits, and over the years the tradition morphed and changed so that people began dressing as ghosts, demons and other malevolent creatures, often parading through the village and performing tricks and other forms of entertainment in exchange for food and drink. How Halloween came to North America--Guy Fawkes day: On November 5, 1606, Guy Fawkes was executed for his role in the Catholic-led conspiracy to blow up England’s parliament building and remove King James I, a Protestant, from power. After his execution a big celebration was had, communal bonfires, or “bone fires,” were lit to burn effigies and the symbolic “bones” of the Catholic pope. By the early 19th century, children bearing effigies of Fawkes were roaming the streets on the evening of November 5, asking for “a penny for the Guy.” Children eventually began dressing up for this day and enjoying it, usually not having a clue what it was all about. Later on, as these things tend to happen, colonists who were settled in America kept up the tradition of celebrating Guy Fawkes Day, and by the mid-19th century when there were large numbers of Irish fleeing the potato famine came into the country they too helped to popularize Halloween, and by the early 20th century both Irish and Scottish communities had settled and revived the Old World traditions of "souling" and "guising" in the United States and over time morphine into Halloween, with candy fuelled children running around with a total lack of understanding of it's origins. Celebrating Samhain: If we shift our focus now over to Samhain, we can easily see that it is a much more serious serious spiritual practice of honouring our ancestors, rather than a sugar fuelled re-enactment of how to be a slutty nurse on a Saturday night. Samhain was originally about the changing season, a time of letting go and

~ 4 ~

entering into the quiet inward time of the year. So what would it look like to celebrate Samhain for what it originally was?....

Forest Walking, Honouring Ancestors, Lett ing go...

In our culture, death is all too often overlooked as something we find undesirable, and something we should dread, as opposed to finding peace with it and seeking a deeper exploration of the places in our lives that need to de, or rather be let go of. To our ancestors death was an inevitable thing that did not necessarily mark an ending, but rather the possibility of another beginning, just elsewhere, a mystery that was anticipated. During this intense letting go of phase we call Autumn the earth shows us in a dramatically beautiful display just how powerful the act of letting go can be. When we let go of everything that is ready to decompose, we make space inside of ourselves for new things to take form and this is always a good thing. Autumn is a time in which we look back on what was, from seasons and lifetimes past, it is the time of dying, whereas winter is the time of death, the time of the old Calliach to reach her bony fingers out and bring the quiet of snow and ice to the land. In autumn we are invited to the most amazing fairy banquet where the food is a magical blend of wild nuts, acorn pancakes, tart apples and rich creamy

~ 5 ~

pumpkins, a time of celebration and moving inward for the long rest of the winter ahead... Take a long Walk in the Forest. Dress up for a long hike outside, bring along a drum if you wish, a journal, and a small thermos of warm tea. During your hike take some time to reflect on your past year, perhaps thinking of the things that have died off in your life so that new life could come forth, or perhaps there are some things that require letting do that you just need a little more time with, whatever they are when you feel ready find a cozy place to sit and write down your "walking reflections". As you sit also take in the beauty of the forest at this time of year, the colors, smells, sounds, and other sensations that arise in your body. In this moment know that you too are a part of the Circle of Life, death and rebirth as you grow and change on your life journey. Perhaps you will feel called to journey and ask your guide questions about things happening in your life or for answers to some of your lessons. I always find that my journey work is much more connected and powerful when done outside. As you mindfully make your way home stop to gather leaves and acorns as a soft reminder of your time in the forest. Get Creative. This is always one of my most fun parts of the season, when I get to decorate my home with pumpkins, leaves and chestnuts that I have gathered with my daughter. We have a autumn wreath that we place on our front door, along with a cauldron and other more traditional items to celebrate the season and our ancestors. One of these things is an ancestor altar..... Ancestor Altar. At our home we gather photographs and place them on an ancestor altar along with a few candles and a small plate of honeycomb and other treats. This gives us the opportunity to reflect on all they bought our family line. For myself I include small shamanic power objects that represent the ancestors that I work with as a part of my practise, and although I celebrate and thank them all year round, the season allows me to deck the halls so to speak! Food for the Dead/Dumb Supper: Prepare a Samhain dinner, and set a place at your table for for the Dead. Invite your ancestors and other deceased loved ones to come and dine with you. I have written more about her tradition of having a "Dumb Supper a little further down... Cemetery Visit: Visit and tend the gravesite of a loved one at the cemetery, or if you do not have any loved ones close by take a stroll through your local cemetery, as they are actually very peaceful places. If you notice garbage or anything that needs tending take care of it for those who can not do it themselves. Create a Community gathering: There is nothing more powerful then

~ 6 ~

connecting with others. In our community for many years one of the families a few blocks up always set up their bbq and a small gas stove outside just before sundown and began baking hot dogs and a big pot of chili and served it to anyone who came by. Mostly they knew everyone, but every now and then some hungry soul would wander by and receive a hot bowl of chili and something to drink. There was always fireworks and a small fire going, and this is right in the city! It was always held Halloween night and so lots of candy was given out and costumes were donned, but the sense of community was the prevailing feeling. Practise dying/letting go: Take a long walk into the forest or local part and take along a pen, as you walk think of all the things you wish to let go of in your life, and for each one of these things pick up a leaf, walk and walk and walk until you have cleansed you mind of things that need to be let of. Now find a place to sit with all of your leaves and take a moment to write each thing down onto the leaf, you may need to bring along a small book to use as table to the leaves do not crumble under the weight of your pen. Lastly, find a small place to create a burial mound and placing all of your leaves on the bottom begin to pile other leaves, small sticks and stones on top of them, creating a small bone mound or burial mound. You may wish to take a moment with your mound once it is done to honour all of what once was and all of your new found space that now has room to move and grow from the letting go you are doing. If the ground is not wet you may also choose to lay down on the leaves, or bury yourself in them allowing them to settle over your body, as you breathe in the smell of the autumn air and crunchy leaves, for although this is the smell of leaves decaying, there is nothing like this smell in the world! Allow yourself to take your with this ritual, understanding that from the moment you leave the house to the moment you step back inside you are in ceremony....

Baking and Celebrat ing.. . .

Soul Cake Recipe: Traditionally poor children would go out into the village asking for soul cakes, at the beginning of the winter season, when things were becoming scarce and people still generous from the harvest would have things to make these cakes with and would offer it to them. What they represented though is far more dreadful, for they originally were cakes laid out for the dead, and if you took a soul cake you were essentially offering to eat the sins of any soul who had recently passed in that household. This is why the poor children would do it. When asking they would sing this song:

~ 7 ~

Soul Cake a soul cake My Soul, my Soul for a souling cake I pray to you missis for a soul cake Apple or pear plum or cherry any good thing will make us all merry. One for Peter, two for Paul Three for She who made us all. The lanes are very dirty, My shoes are very thin, I've got a little pocket To put a penny in. If you haven't got a penny, A ha'penny will do ; If you haven't get a ha'penny, It's Goddess bless you A soul cake, a soul-cake! Please good Missis, a soul-cake! An apple, a pear, a plum, or a cherry, Any good thing to make us all merry. One for Peter, two for Paul Three for She who made us all. Soul Cake Recipe Ingredients: 175g butter (6ozs) 175g caster sugar (6ozs) 3 egg yolks 450g plain flour (1lb) 2 teaspoons mixed spice 100g currents (4 ozs) a little milk to mix These little cakes have a small cross made on the top of each and are sort of between a biscuit and a scone and are traditionally made for All Soul's Day, which is on the 2nd of November. Directions: Pre-heat oven to 375 Cream the butter and sugar together and then beat in the egg yolks, one at a time. Sift the flour into another bowl with the mixed spice and then add them to the

~ 8 ~

butter, sugar and egg yolk mixture. Stir in the currants and add enough milk to make a soft dough, similar to scones. Roll the dough out and cut out little cakes with a biscuit cutter. Mark each cake with a cross and then place them on a greased and/or lined baking sheet. Bake the cakes for 10 to 15 minutes, or until golden brown. Cool on a wire rack and the store in an airtight tin for up to 5 days.

This is one of my most favourite versions of the Soul Cake

song by Sting--worth the watch!

Acorn Pancakes with Apple Butter: From the Blog, creative sustenance Ingredients: 1/2+ cup all-purpose or bread flour 1/2 cup acorn flour 2 tablespoons sugar 2 tsp baking powder 1/2 teaspoon salt 1 cup whole milk glug of vegetable oil 1 egg Method: 1. Mix dry ingredients in bowl. 2. Whisk together milk, veg oil and egg in another bowl. Add liquid to dry ingredients and mix quickly and roughly with a fork. 3. Heat a large skillet over medium heat. Pour a small glug of oil in pan and

~ 9 ~

spread it around. 4. Pour about 1/3 cup of batter for each pancake. Try to fit as many as you can into the skillet. 5. When the surface of the pancake gets a little bubbly, then gently flip and cook the other side for a couple minutes until browned and interior isn't doughy. 6. Top with a bit of butter, maple syrup, berries, whatever you like-but I recommend smearing them with thick Apple Butter!

Bread of the Dead: Bread tends to be an ancestral marker, a human construct over centuries that represents somehow the flesh and bones of those who have gone before, symbolically that is. In Samhain breads and cakes held many traditions and meanings from fortune telling to pacts wiht the fairy world, form feeding our loved ones gone and of course to feeding ourselves. This bread was usually made into a scull shape which is quite tricky, so I have found that a roundish shape with added bits on top, work quite well to distinguish what exactly it is. Recipe: 1/2 cup of milk 6 tbsp unsalted butter cut into 1/2 inch pieces 1/4 tbsp orange juice 1 tbsp orange blossom water--both of these can be substituted for Rose water if you wish to make a bread that is more for the dead and will not be eaten by humans. 1/2 tsp dry active yeast 3 1/2 cups all purpose flour or gluten free all purpose four. 1/2 cup white sugar--or coconut sugar 1 tsp salt oil as needed Butter, powdered sugar-optional for sprinkling after. preheat oven to 350 degrees In a saucepan melt together the butter, milk and orange juice or rose water. Take off heat and allow to cool until it feels safe to touch. Add the orange blossom water or additional rose water--or even Florida water--again only if humans are not eating and whisk in the eggs. Add the yeast to this mixture and let stand until it begins to bubble-3-4 min's. on a clean flat surface mix together flour, sugar and salt. Make a small round indent in the centre of the flour mound and begin a little at a time to mix the wet ingredients into ti, and using your hand begin to shape a ball of dough, adding more flour as necessary. Once you have a nice ball of dough place it in a well oiled bowl and cover with a clean dishtowel and let stand until it doubles in size.

~ 10 ~

This usually takes an hour, but once it is ready, knead it down and begin to shape your skull. Bake in the centre of your oven for 30-40 min's or golden brown. After you can brush with a little butter and add powdered sugar to make it white--do this when it has cooled a bit through or the sugar will simply melt.

Planning a Dumb Supper: A dumb supper is a dinner where a place setting is crerated in honour of the dead or our ancient ancestors. The origins of the dumb super began all over Europe as we discussed above, with immigrants bringing the concept of a big

dinner dedicated tot he dead over to America. Having said that though the Dumb supper appears to have settled more heavily in the Ozarks. During a dumb supper it was believed that for the one night, usually October 31st, the dead could return to the land of the living to celebrate with their family, tribe or clan, so extra places were set at the table and food set out for those who chose to return. This was known as a "Dumb Supper" where nobody spoke at the table while they awaited the return of their loved ones

who had crossed over to the other side, and there are variations of the ritual in different cultures all over world. However the tradition is basically the same, you set the table in reverse order that you normally would, spoons first, forks last, and all of the food would also be served in reverse. Not only that but everyone participating in the ceremony wears their clothing backwards and walks into the room backwards as well. At some point during the serving of the first course and the last course of the meal, it is said that the recently departed loved one would make contact, either verbally or by knocking, but more often then not all was silent for the evening. How to host a Dumb Supper: The menu for this kind of meal is traditionally fall fare, harvest vegetables, game meat such as venison, or a local organic roast chicken or goose will do perfectly. The same goes for desert, sweets with ginger, nutmeg and cinnamon are all welcome and of course soul cakes would always be on the menu! For drinks, mulled wine, chai tea, or hot apple cider are all wonderful seasonal appropriate

~ 11 ~

things to serve. When you're hosting a Dumb Supper your job as host can be very tricky because it means that you have to anticipate each guest's needs without them communicating verbally. Some extra things to think about are: Children: it is very hard to have a proper dumb supper with little ones that simply do not have the skills yet, not should they be expected to sit quietly with out making a sound for over an hour. The size of your table: If your table is quite long, you may think about adding a double set of things like salt and pepper, butter gravy etc to each side of the table as eating in silence means that there is no asking to pass the salt. The same goes for drink refills, as host you will need to watch your guests glasses to make sure they are full as well as if they drop a fork or napkin etc... Before the supper: Ask each guest to bring a note to their dead loves ones and ancestors to the dinner and let them know that these are to be kept private. Make sure to reserve the head of the table for the collective Spirits and make a beautiful setting there, adding a full plate of food with a small amount of everything that is being served that evening, down to the bread and desert, drinks etc.. When everyone arrives they should understand before hand that the moment they walk into the room they are in ceremony, they should also understands that if they are late they may not be let in as this will disrupt the ritual. Ideally everything is ready to go at 6:30 with guests arriving at 6:15. Each guest should know beforehand that no one may speak from the time they enter the dining room,{names are usually placed on cards so guests know where to sit and they are usually placed in order of youngest to oldest, left to right.. Each guest should be invited before hand to take a moment at the spirit chair and offer a silent prayer to the dead and be given a small tea light to take back to their seat with them. Once everyone is seated, join hands and take a moment to silently bless the meal, and no one should eat until all guests -- including Spirit -- are served. When everyone has finished eating, each guest should get out the note to the dead that they brought and in the order of youngest to oldest, go to the head of the table where the ancestors Spirits sit, and lighting their candle focus on the note that was written for loved ones and ancestors, and then once they feel

~ 12 ~

ready light the small note on fire. Make sure to have a fire proof bowl close by so papers can be placed into the bowl to finish burning. When each person has had their turn, join hands once again and offer a silent prayer to the dead and sit in silence for any messages that want to come through to settle... Everyone then gets up from their chairs and leaves the room in silence, passing by the Spirit chair on your way out the door to say a silent goodbye. The food for spirit is left overnight and then placed outside to be taken back to the earth. Festivities may happen after this, but always in another room or location.

Dios de los Muertos-Day of the Dead:

Although this Mexican festival is not Celtic in nature, over the past 15 years or so it has become more popular to celebrate it in mainstream homes. I believe that is because of our great need for more connection with our ancestors and the Mexican's have done a most fantastic job of celebrating their dead and loved ones! There was a time when I loved to add day of the dead ideas into my festivities and I even have a great number of fantastic pieces that I bought back from my yearly time spent in Mexico at my "in-loves", however once I really started to dig into the history, and to see for myself the proper reverence that the Mexican people place on their ancestors I slowly stopped adding in my distorted version and focused instead on things that came from my own culture. Now this is not to say that all the North American's who have adopted this beautiful celebration as their own are doing something wrong or should stop, it is not my place to judge, and personally I think that we as North Americans NEED to bring a deeper understanding into our realm of our ancestors. However, in doing this we need to recognize that we are appropriating others cultures, so if

~ 13 ~

we feel the call to celebrate alongside them we should do so respectfully and not for the sake of looking sexy at a party or in a Dios de los Muertos costume or big sombrero.... Learning about Dios de los Muertos for me was a wonderful experience mostly because we have so few fantastic examples of ways to celebrate our dead available to us today, which is why I am including it here even though it is not Celtic, not even close, or is it? If we look at the similarities there are actually quite a few starting with the date,

which is only off by a day, as Dios de los Muertos beginning on November 1st and Samhain ends on November 1st. The Day of the Dead celebrations that happen in in Mexico hail from ancient traditions from pre-Columbian pagan cultures, where old rituals celebrated the deaths of the peoples ancestors. These celebrations have been observed for as long as 2,500–3,000 years. As it is with most things the Day of the dead celebration that has evolved over time changed it's date from the old Aztec calendar which was at the beginning of August, and celebrated for an entire month, to the celebrations that now happen in

November. Altars, often on top of grave-sites are elaborately painted and decorated in honor of family and friends that have passed away, and are decorated with their pictures, personal objects or mementos and candles. Often the whole family sets up a small cooking area and literally sleeps there for up to 3 days celebrating and being with their community with loved ones stopping by to say hello and pay their respects. The deceased ones favourite food and drinks are lovingly made and placed on the altar, along with a trail of flowers in a path that is said to help their soul find its way back and join the celebration for the day. In this way death is not feared and tucked away as something unsanitary, loved ones are grieved, freely spoken about and remembered so that they can be sure to make it to the land of the dead and come back as ancestors who lived a good life and died a good death. In the end for myself I decided that I was only going to celebrate what I could from my own culture, but I also decided that I would not get rid of my sweet Dios

~ 14 ~

de los Muertos objects that I lovingly bought in Mexico, but rather I put them out, side by side as my way of nodding respectfully at a beautiful way of honoring the dead.

Samhain Blessings to you and your dear ones...