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Samhain for Muggles
Oct. 27th, 2005 05:00 pmNext Monday/Tuesday marks Samhain (Sow-wayn) for us of the witchy persuasion. Also known as Celtic New Year, it marks one of the hubs of the year, the other being Beltane (May 1). It is said that the veil between the worlds is thinnest on this night, and one can speak with one’s forebears. We use this time not only to honor our ancestors, but to recall the past year and put it to rest.
This is a healthy practice, to look over one’s accomplishments and foibles; a year’s worth of trials and errors, place them in persective, then refuse to be judged by them the next day. Of course, being human, it never works out fully that way. The things we have tried to leave behind have a habit of following us anyway, and we find ourselves proudly recounting a tale of triumph, or sadly rendering a tale of woe one more time.
What we are burning in our cauldrins is not some evil spell to destroy our enemies or to make a handsome man fall in love, but our regrets and our pride, so that we may start another year with a clear mind and a loving heart. We dance and sing to remind the dead of the life they once lived and to recall those we loved who no longer present. And sometimes, if we dance and sing with love and joy in our hearts, we feel them take our hands once again and join the circle on the night when the veil parts and the worlds come together for a little while.
This is a healthy practice, to look over one’s accomplishments and foibles; a year’s worth of trials and errors, place them in persective, then refuse to be judged by them the next day. Of course, being human, it never works out fully that way. The things we have tried to leave behind have a habit of following us anyway, and we find ourselves proudly recounting a tale of triumph, or sadly rendering a tale of woe one more time.
What we are burning in our cauldrins is not some evil spell to destroy our enemies or to make a handsome man fall in love, but our regrets and our pride, so that we may start another year with a clear mind and a loving heart. We dance and sing to remind the dead of the life they once lived and to recall those we loved who no longer present. And sometimes, if we dance and sing with love and joy in our hearts, we feel them take our hands once again and join the circle on the night when the veil parts and the worlds come together for a little while.
