 I'll admit it. Halloween has always been my favourite night of the year, even as a little girl, before I discovered the Pagan mysteries. It was even more exciting than Christmas. Looking back, it's easy to see that as a young child, I was open to the magical energies of the night. I can remember running from house to house, flinging hellos and trick or treats at everyone we met. And something wonderful seemed to happen to the community, as well. Neighbours you rarely ever saw donned silly masks and sat on their front lawn, chatting amiably to parents and making comments about the parade of costumes passing by. "Oh, look at the adorable puppy. Jane, come see this precious little princess. Did you see the scary vampire?" At no other time of the year do I ever recall such a feeling of pure goodwill and sheer camaraderie. People were genuinely friendly and interested in a way they can never be at Christmastime, given the crowded malls and monetary demands of the season. I never lost that feeling of enchantment and wonder. My skin still tingles on Halloween. Yes, yes, I know that Halloween is the name given Samhain by those pesky Christians. Yes I know that they bastardized all of our harvest-y beliefs and turned our beloved Crone into a wart-faced hag. But you know what? I love all of it anyway because it remains steadfastly a beloved tradition and because we are slowly and stealthily reclaiming the ancient roots of our Pagan New Year.
Get this...right wing, Christian groups are unhappy with the name Halloween for their children's school party. Oh no, that name is too evil sounding. Never mind that's the Church's name, All Hallow's Eve. So they want to call them fall harvest parties now because that sounds so much tamer and less Pagan-y than Halloween. Oh I just laugh and laugh at the irony of it all. After all, Samhain is traditionally the Pagan festival of the third and final harvest, isn't it? If they only knew! It is also the time of the year for honouring those who have gone on before us, whether it's the ancestors or a dear friend or relative who has passed. The veil between the worlds is thinnest on this night and so communing with our beloved dead is much easier. In fact, they are most likely trying to contact us! Set up an ancestors altar or place pictures of those who are gone on your altar. Don't forget our animal friends as well. Share the pictures and memories with your child, even if they are too young to remember the person. Encourage your child to draw a picture or write a letter to someone they miss and place that on the altar, as well. Place sprigs of rosemary or a rosemary bush on or near the altar, as rosemary is the traditional herb of remembrance. You could even cut a sprig to carry in a philtre (a small bag of dried herbs and stones charged for a specific magical purpose) that day. When you have your Samhain meal, make sure to set an extra place for the spirits of those who wish to join you. When the meal has ended, set that plate outside as an offering to those travelling to the other side. You can also bury apples and nuts for the same purpose. Because pumpkins are not native to the U.K., ancient custom dictated the hollowing of turnips and setting lights in them to guide the spirits of the dead. This custom lives on with our jack 'o' lanterns. Carving pumpkins is a traditional custom on Halloween. Try saving the seeds, salting them and baking them in the oven. They are delicious. You could also dry 25 of the seeds and then, using a fine-tipped black marker, draw the runes for your child to attempt divination. This can also be done on large lima beans. You and your child could collect 25 stones of a uniform size or use small pieces of sanded wood to paint the rune symbols on. Finish with a clear coat and they will last for quite awhile. Obviously, depending upon your child's age, never leave them unsupervised with beans and pumpkin seeds. Use the pumpkin "guts" to bake pumpkin pie, bread or cookies. A great idea from Celebrating the Great Mother is to allow your child to dress up for Halloween as his or her power animal. A simple guided meditation can help them to discover what animal it is or perhaps they already know because they they have 50 stuffed lions. They could also dress as a character from your ethnic background. If you are of Native American heritage, help your child create a costume that reflects that. If you are of Norse decent, they could dress as a Viking warrior. Don't just buy the first plastic costume you see at WalMart because you've watched Shrek a million times. Be creative. I got this idea from an e-list I used to be on, called Mystic Moms and Dads. It seems such a great idea I wanted to share. I don't know who the creator is but if you do, please feel free to contact me so I can give credit where credit is due. I think you could use dried flowers and herbs, which would look gorgeous in the kitchen. Crayon shavings would also add a colorful and creative touch as they melt and blend. Items needed: fall leaves wax paper iron towel picture frame
Directions: Collect as many different colored and size fall leaves as possible! Cut two pieces of wax paper slightly larger than your picture frame. Lay one piece of the wax paper on the towel, and arrange the leaves in a pleasing design. Lay the other piece of wax paper over the leaves, and press the two together using a hot iron and moving quickly but firmly. Tape the "stained glass" to the picture frame and cut off the excess. Hang in a window for best results. Garnet References: Cabot, Laurie with Jean Mills. Celebrate the Earth: A Year of Holidays in the Pagan Tradition. New York: Dell Publishing, 1994 Johnson, Cait and Maura D. Shaw. Celebrating the Great Mother: A Handbook of Earth-Honoring Activities for Parents and Children. Rochester, Vermont: Destiny Books, 1995 Ravenwolf, Silver. Halloween: Customs, Recipes and Spells. St. Paul, MN: Llewellyn, 1999 Starhawk, Diane Baker and Anne Hill. Circle Round; Raising Children in Goddess Traditions. New York: Bantam Books, 1998
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