Wishing Everyone a Blessed Samhain / Beltane

[Lark]

The holiday is almost upon us.  What are you planning to do to celebrate it?

We'll be celebrating our coven Samhain this Saturday night.  For us Samhain is the most solemn of the Sabbats.  This is the time that we set aside to remember our Ancestors and our Beloved Dead.  Our ritual is geared at remembrance and saying goodbys.  And this year quite a few of us have someone special we will be saying farewell to.  For me, remembering Branwen will be part of the ritual.  It can be a difficult ritual, but it is also a very healing and cleansing one.

So what are the rest of you doing?

-Lark-

[Ara]

Monday we're going to a haunted house.  Then I signed myself up to work a community haunted house on Tuesday.  Nothing like scaring the Whoozits out of little kids to make the year seem right.  

After that, my sister and I are probably going to sit outside, drink apple juice, light candles and look at the moon.  It'll be nice to have a quiet night with her.  It will be the first time we'll both be getting away from the play to have quality time together.

Always
~Ara

[Rowan CedarWolf]

We too will be holding our Samhain Rite this Saturday. We read a euolgy of Osiris written by one of our group, he is taken from the main altar and placed on the ancestor altar. We too include a remembering the dead, thier names are place into the cauldron to await rebirth. We each take a turn to stand a few moments in front of the scrying mirror, we also take about four different decks of tarot/oracle cards shuffle them all together and place them face down in a basket, we then pass the basket around the circle and we each take a card, and try to figure out what we are being shown, after some tie of personal contemplation we go around the circle and tell what card we drew and what we think it means and the others in circle offer what they think it may mean for you. There is more involved than this, but this is the main workings of our ritual. If anyone is interested I can post it here if you would like.

[NachtSorcier]

Samhain and Halloween (it's commercial counterpart) have always been my favorites.  I have not yet lost anyone very close to me, so I never have anyone to put much thought into, though I do take a few seconds to think about the few people I do know who have passed away.  

My main ritual action is to say invocations over black candles representative over the Goddess of the Underworld and the Fallen God, then say a few words about rebirth as I light a white candle from the black God candle and place it into the cauldron, which represents rebirth within the Goddess' womb.  I then write something down that I wish to banish from my life and burn it in this white candle, if I have something very important nagging me.  

Two years ago, I really had to smile when I did this.  I was always very jealous of my best friend, and it was this that I wished to banish, so I wrote it down, burned then note and concentrated very hard on my desire.  Suddenly, I heard a dog howling.  I'd always heard that hearing a dog howl was a sign of death.  I had never heard a dog howl like that, especially not in a suburban neighborhood, so I took it as a sign that They were listening to me and smiled in spite of myself; indeed, I was never jealous of him again.

I always end the ritual with a meal of cider and a ripe red apple, though this year I think I'm going to try a pomegranate instead.

Blessings to all,
Christophe

[Brenin]

This year is a big one for my Coven.  Our High Priestess had to move away, sadly, so she will be missed.  It is also the half year mark for our one dedicant, and the one year mark for me as an initiate!

One of us turned her back yard into a pumpkin patch this year.  She had an amazing harvest, so we will have jack o lanterns and pumpkin dishes (not to mention just pumpkins) grown by her.  Lots of food... We always have lots of food.  We plan on doing divination this year, so I am bringing my Runes.  We'll have a fire going, outside, and probably sit around for hours telling stories of loved ones and drinking mead.

I very much look forward to Samhain each year.  Not many in my Coven were too familiar with Branwen, except what I told them, but I will be putting something to remember her on our ancestor alter... She played a great part in who I've become, and I will always remember her!

I ramble again... Heh, can't help my self.

Be well~

Brenin

[Anonymous]

I'll be getting together with the gang and we'll do something creative, have a feast and then do ritual.  It's pretty much an all day thing, which is nice since we don't all get to see each other all the time.

[Anonymous]

Well I'm at uni during the day, so that will involve tea drinking and work deferral activities.

In the evening I'll be having a meal with my [non-Pagan] house mates.  They're interested and supportive of my 'strange ways' and we'll be setting an extra place at the table.  This starts my informal marking of the day.

Next I'm 'dressing as a Witch' *clears throat* (Jeans and a t-shirt?) to see a friend's band gig.  

Later I have set some time aside for a simple ritual, some divination and reflection.

A veritable hotch-potch of activity.
Oh and there'll be pumpkin lanterns.

BB to you all in your endeavours.

Npf

[Beith]

Blessings to you too Lark!

I'm not sure what I am doing, it's a strange & uncertain time for me at the moment and I thought I may try spend some time on my own putting the past to rest and contemplating the future (heavy stuff :?)!

Things which I like to do at Samhain are remembering my ancestors, even the ones I didn't know, remembering those who have crossed the veil and  I often hold a ceremony where I write down anything I do not wish to take into the new year with me and burn it on the fire.

Anything involving lots of fire and candles is good this time of year as it is getting darker!

I also think of my family in the southern hemisphere celebrating Beltane and try not to get too jealous!!

Blessed be to you all,

B

[Brenin]

My Coven's Samhain ritual was written, and I was asked to sing in ritual... I have never been able to sing in front of anyone (many have heard me by accident, however... Open windows).  I'm nervous, but I think this will be good for me... Now if only someone could tell me for sure what I am supposed to sing so that I can practice!

[Beith]

Hee hee once you start singing you won't stop, trust me!  It's just getting over the whole 'I can't sing' illusion.  In most cultures, if you said that people would just look at you and say 'Well, you can TALK can't you?!'

Zimbabwean proverb - 'If you can talk, you can sing.  If you can walk, you can dance!'

Have a great Samhain!

BB

[Fillionous]

Greetings, and thankyou Lark for a blessed Samhain. May all here have a beautiful and magical night.

My evening is likely to be somewhat broken - very little can be planned in a household with a 21 week old baby and a husband who has little time for either kids at the door trick-or-treating (or as he puts it 'begging with menaces') or more spiritual / pagan matters, regarding them as a waste of time or somewhat wierd.

Never the less I hope to be hospitable to callers, calm with my husband, caring to my babe and grab a few minutes to light a candle, remember those that have traveled the wheels of life before, listen to the messages that they may bring and make ritual note of this special time.

Wish me luck!  :?

Be bright, be bold
Fillionous
- now going to carve that pumkin -