Neo-pagans seem to be quite the jolly bunch: little in the way of dogmatics, a connection to natural living, a sense of the spiritual within the everyday; all-in-all, not a bad mix.
This week, while most of us will be doing something fun and/or unusual on Halloween, the neo-pagans (including those who follow the various practices of witchcraft) will be performing rituals celebrating the end of the year, chanting, acknowledging the closeness of the spirit and physical worlds - and having fun.
The four Witches' Sabbaths concern themselves with the movements of light and darkness in the yearly solar cycle. They correspond to the four seasons, coming mid-way between each season. Brigid falls on February 2 (or thereabouts; all days quoted here are approximate). On this day, witches burned the evergreen boughs they had placed in their houses on the Winter Solstice (December 21) to urge the return of the sun from its yearly bout with the forces of darkness. It was also the beginning of the planting season in the Mediterranean, where many of these customs originated.
Beltane, at the beginning of May, celebrates procreation; conceiving a child near this date means a birth in February, a time when there is little other work to be done in the fields. The bonfires on this day cause couples to celebrate sex and the beginning of life. The sun approaches its height, fields are producing food, and all is light and joyful.
Lammas, on August 1, warily greets the time of darkness. The busy harvest time occurs now; fields left fallow on purpose are gleaned for their herbs and seeds. People begin to preserve food for the Winter months.
And, then there is Samhain, the time where darkness takes over. Spirits of the Dead move closer to their living relatives and friends. People eat sweet foods in order to bring some joy into a time of coldness and darkness.
These four Sabbaths have less import to most modern communities, where subsistence is not a daily struggle. However, those neo-pagans who have some sort of gardens going are able to live their lives within the old ways, at least partially. They can watch the progress of the seasons and experience the interplay of life and death with a clear understanding that it is Nature's way. Their Creed, "Blessed be," finds fulfillment in the cycle of the year.
So, when the rest of us are dressed up as ghouls and goblins (MFoD is partial to ghouls), spare a few moments' thought for those for whom Halloween night is a sacred occasion. And know that your joy in the unusual, your bewilderment, is shared by them, and cherished by them as well.
This week, while most of us will be doing something fun and/or unusual on Halloween, the neo-pagans (including those who follow the various practices of witchcraft) will be performing rituals celebrating the end of the year, chanting, acknowledging the closeness of the spirit and physical worlds - and having fun.
The four Witches' Sabbaths concern themselves with the movements of light and darkness in the yearly solar cycle. They correspond to the four seasons, coming mid-way between each season. Brigid falls on February 2 (or thereabouts; all days quoted here are approximate). On this day, witches burned the evergreen boughs they had placed in their houses on the Winter Solstice (December 21) to urge the return of the sun from its yearly bout with the forces of darkness. It was also the beginning of the planting season in the Mediterranean, where many of these customs originated.
Beltane, at the beginning of May, celebrates procreation; conceiving a child near this date means a birth in February, a time when there is little other work to be done in the fields. The bonfires on this day cause couples to celebrate sex and the beginning of life. The sun approaches its height, fields are producing food, and all is light and joyful.
Lammas, on August 1, warily greets the time of darkness. The busy harvest time occurs now; fields left fallow on purpose are gleaned for their herbs and seeds. People begin to preserve food for the Winter months.
And, then there is Samhain, the time where darkness takes over. Spirits of the Dead move closer to their living relatives and friends. People eat sweet foods in order to bring some joy into a time of coldness and darkness.
These four Sabbaths have less import to most modern communities, where subsistence is not a daily struggle. However, those neo-pagans who have some sort of gardens going are able to live their lives within the old ways, at least partially. They can watch the progress of the seasons and experience the interplay of life and death with a clear understanding that it is Nature's way. Their Creed, "Blessed be," finds fulfillment in the cycle of the year.
So, when the rest of us are dressed up as ghouls and goblins (MFoD is partial to ghouls), spare a few moments' thought for those for whom Halloween night is a sacred occasion. And know that your joy in the unusual, your bewilderment, is shared by them, and cherished by them as well.
Image: thephora.com
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