Samhain

I feel it is important to start to share more of my journey with who ever reads this blog. I can start with the Pagan new year; Samhain 2020.

Now this is not a complete guide to Samhain, it is by all accounts my own personal experience with Samhain and how I celebrate it.

What I know of Samhain is that it is a time of the year that the spirits can come visit and deal with unfinished business. Those pumpkins you like to carve? They are the remnants of a pagan tradition to ward off evil spirits. Carve the scariest, most menacing face and the corrupt and evil ghosts won't be able to enter your house because the pumpkin will scare them off.

For a Wiccan, like me, it is our new year. I have a ceremony that I do and have done for every year except this one (because the moon was not in place for it.)

The ritual I usually do is to take pieces of paper and spend a couple weeks collecting slips or chunks of paper with the things i'm unhappy with, things that don't serve me, or things I want to work hard to let go written on them. Last year I had a full basket.

Then I take that collection of things I no longer want and I burn them. There are protocols for how to dispose of the ashes, and it changes every year for me based on the moons position and what nature allows (its very hard to scatter things to the wind when there is no wind...).

I didn't end up doing it this year because the moon was in an astrological position to make things volitile and will return everything back to you. So if i wanted to let go of an Ex, or remove a friend, that person would come back to my life in a more forceful and toxic way. So getting rid of things like financial issues, sadness, depression (i always try to get rid of that every year!) would have just come back in a more hurtful way.

Another way to celebrate Samhain is to honor your ancestors and family that has passed on. Since I live where some of my great grandparents are buried I will go clean off their grave stones and leave them pretzels & gumdrops (that's what we had at their house all the time and I remember it fondly.). I would sit with them with some candles and chat, but I don't think the church that they are buried at would appreciate a black clad woman talking to air with several candles.

Instead I go home and do that, I have their pictures on a poster board and I will meditate with them in mind wishing them good rest in their afterlife and hope that they visit everyone else.

This year I was able to visit other great grandparents and did what I normally do, clean off the head stones and wish them well. Again, I did not do this on the actual Samhain night.

My favorite thing about Samhain is that it is a night of fun and celebration. You can be sad for the passing of your loved ones, but true to the Celtic roots, you drink to their honor! I was with friends so of course we got inebriated and had so much fun. For my fellow pagans I will give free tarot readings for what to expect in the coming year, and how to approach the new challenges.

I can say with a smile that I had the best Samhain!

If you want to wish someone a happy samhain then tell them these phrases:

"Samhain Blessings!" - "blessed Samhain" - "Happy Samhain"

This marks my fourth Samhain as a Wiccan.

I do a lot of things differently for Samhain, mostly because Samhain is my Wiccan Birthday or Wicca-versary (I WILL LAUGH AT THIS MAGGIE. LET ME HAVE MY JOKE).

I committed myself to Wicca on the Samhain of 2017, with my first ritual of release, and I will never ever ever be sorry for converting to Wicca. I have some family and friends that are concerned for me for the religion I put my faith in, but I can't do anything more than I already am doing. I'm trying to share my light and positivity, in hopes that those people can see that I am truly better than I was as a Christian.

My heart hurt as a Christian, I didn't belong, I never felt loved. As a wiccan I feel there are so many forces around me loving me and giving me the kicks I need when I need them.

This Samhain I thanked each of my Matrons for their help and for giving me the strength I needed each time I called on them. Hestia has helped me when there was turmoil in the home, Hera has guided me on a path towards being the person I want to be that I see getting married. Athena has given me literal strength and I repay her by exercising more frequently. Aphrodite has shown me how to love myself truly and more deeply than before, I have actually forgiven myself more frequently than I did as a Christian. I give myself grace and love I haven't before. Melinoe is helping me to deal with my paralyzing fear of death, and showing me what the Wiccan/Pagan afterlife could be for me if I complete my earthly tasks.

To celebrate my Wiccan birthday I always buy myself a present that serves a purpose in my craft, usually something I find myself needing. This year I think I bought myself more than one present, but that's ok too!

I bought my grumpy tarot deck a new box, its behaving a little better now (not much better though. It's still an angsty teen...). And a basket that says 'Pumpkins' obviously. I needed a basket to carry my ritual items out onto the porch (where I do most rituals because I dislike the vibe of a fire alarm going off from the 18+ candles I light). And technically I gifted myself the opportunity to spend Samhain with other pagans which was INCREDIBLE.

In short, Samhain is NOT the devils birthday... it is a time of celebration, of love and of respect. A time to hold your family and friends close and celebrate life! Besides, Satan's birthday is later in the year....