Samhain

The first Season in the Celtic Wheel of the year is Samhain, which begins sometime between November 1st and Nov 8 and continues until the Winter Solstice. Samhain is Celtic New Year. It is the time of focusing upon death and the ancestors. It is a time between times when the fairy world and the world of the ancestors and our world come together. It is a time when the ancestors are honored in cemeteries, and places where the bones or ashes of ancestors are placed. Samhain celebrations always occur in cemeteries or in places where the ashes or bodies of the dead are kept.

Samhain means the end of summer. It is the beginning of the shift towards winter into darkness, celebration of the Dark Goddess. The Dark Goddess is the one who births us from life, from a material body back into the spiritual realm. She is the sister of the light mother Goddess who births us the other direction from the spiritual realm into the other physical realm. Ceridwin is an example of the dark mother Goddess who births us from the light world into the spiritual realm, Bridget is an example of the Goddess who births of from the spiritual realm into the physical world. We need to reconnect and redefine the meaning of death. Coming to an understanding and deep experience of Samhain will redefine the meaning of death for participants. In the solar traditions like the Judeo-Christian traditions, the physical realm is seen as being negative, immoral, sinful, and demeaning. In Earth based traditions both physical realities and spiritualities are equally valued. In earth-based traditions, one is "birthed", created and transformed in both directions from matter to un-matter and from un-matter into matter.

In Earth based tradition therefore this birthing from the physical realm into the spiritual one is seen as a positive and life affirming experience in joining with the ancestors and others who have gone before. In the earth-based traditions, death is seen as a continuation, and the body is eternal, yet transformed into earth, or perhaps becomes a part of a recycled form of life. In some traditions it is important for the body to be completely recycled in order for the spiritual self to be free. For example, a burning pyre burning the body frees it quicker in order for it to return to the earth. Native American and Hindu traditions have the bodies raised on elevated platforms for birds to devour, or be burned.

In terms of our group work there are certain areas where we focus during the time of Samhain. It is the time of year to focus on the inner self, the shadow self, those things not known, those things denied or forgotten, It is a time to rehearse your own death., visualize your own dying, and become comfortable with that. Go into the cave of your own dying and become comfortable and joyful with it. It is a time to remember and honor those who have gone before, ancestors, friends, or beloved, whether human or animal. It is a time to speak to those who have gone before, and to listen to them. It is a time to complete any business with those who have died. To say things that were unsaid, to hear things that were unheard. The dead ones are most present and available for this work. In earth based traditions. The distance or difference between the living and the dead is but a breath or a heartbeat. Unlike modern Christianity where that distance is immense.

The next area to focus on is that Samhain is time of endings and death, not just of people but of patterns of behavior, cycles of life, relationship issues, or aspects of self, ego states, psychological complexes. For example, ending a pattern of bullies pushing me around, or seeking validation from another person or relationship might be focused upon for ending and transformation.

Samhain is in Celtic tradition the most important of the eight festivals because it is a time of shamans, a time of walking between the worlds, between the fairy realm, the creature realm, and our realm. Additionally Samhain is very important to us as American people because death, the underworld, the Dark Goddess, what Jung calls the dark shadow are the traits and aspect of the sacred wheel that are most avoided , discounted and feared in modern culture. These aspects are basically taboo topics in our modern culture. Shamanism and Jungian psychology both emphasize the need for wholeness and balance in order to be healthy. We therefore must place more emphasis on Samhain than the other seven festival seasons that are not as denied in order to achieve balance.

Our patriarchal male culture is much more connected to the Summer Solstice and the time of honoring activity, success, the warrior, power, maleness, the King, etc.

Two more areas to cover and we will be doing this for each of the festivals. In Celtic Shamanistic Irish tradition, each of the four elements and directions have a sacred tool associated with them. These tools are mentioned in ancient Irish history. And each comes from the four sacred cities of the ethereal realms of the Fairie beings. The sacred tool of the north and the element of earth and stone is called the stone of Falall and is the tool of the elements of the power of earth and stone. Group members begin seeking and finding at Samhain a sacred crystal to purify in salt for full lunar cycle, and then this magical crystal will be ritually empowered at the time of Winter solstice as their personal stone of Felall to use in their magical work.

Ritual for Samhain
Each group will design and participate in it's own Samhain ritual. Typically the Samhain ritual occurs in de Laveaga Grove (sight of the National AIDS Memorial Grove) in Golden Gate Park where thousands of people's ashes have been spread. All traditional Samhain rituals are held in cemeteries in order to facilitate the participation of the dead. Each group member is asked to bring white flowers to honor the dead as well as the favorite foods of the particular dead that each group member is going to tell stories about and call to be present. Each group member is asked to bring pictures or mementos of their sacred dead. Each group member is asked to call upon the dead with whom they have issues to be worked through and call upon that dead person to talk with and deal with the issue.

Each group member will be called upon to proclaim that part of themselves that they wish to die. We often do a sword ritual, cutting away those things that we are giving away or wishing to remove from our lives in order to step freshly into the New Year.

Samhain is also a time of oracle and we use tarot or other form of fortune telling to identify what it is that each group member is giving up.