Sahmain 1998 Newsletter Meaning of Samhain

"I am the one who calls to you at the end of your journey. After the day is done, my children find their blessed rest in my embrace. I am the womb from which all things are born." (Tigereye and PAN Volume 2, Number 1)

Samhain (pronounced "sow-een" or "sow-in"), occurs, for us in the Southern Hemisphere on April 30th. Some people choose to celebrate Samhain on its traditional Northern Hemisphere date of October 31st, and others choose to celebrate Old Halloween, which occurs when the sun has reached 15 degrees Scorpio (in the Northern Hemisphere). Whichever date your tradition chooses to celebrate Samhain on, you can be assured that it is a powerful time of year for many reasons as we will see. Samhain literally means "summer's end" or "November", and after the hot summer and Autumn we have had this year, Australian Pagans can look forward to cooler times to come.

We enter now the dark half of the year, the sun is descending to its rest, and we are facing the Crone until the maiden is reborn at the Spring Equinox in September. At this time we stand, separate from the world, looking back at the past, but also looking forward in time. It marks a time of introspection and turning our thoughts and energies inwards for a rest during winter.

Traditionally this was the time of year when the cattle and livestock was bought in to protect them from the winter snows and frosts, and when some of this livestock was killed to feed the people in the family or village through the cold winter months where fresh food was scarce.

It is often said that the veil between the worlds is thinnest on Samhain night (as it is at Beltane). The dead are invited to return to feast with their loved ones, and it is a time to remember those that have passed from this world. A place is set at the table, and a "dumb supper" is provided to offer sustenance and comfort to those who join us on this night. The food also gives nourishment to those who are still wandering between the worlds, waiting for their time to be reborn or their time to rest. Many also leave a chair out, so that the ancestors can rest their weary selves before travelling further.

Many people place pictures of loved ones on their altar and remember them in this seasons rituals. Some people will leave a candle burning all night in a window (or a safe spot so that nothing catches on fire!) to help guide those souls who are looking for rest.

Because the veil is thin, Samhain is considered to be the best time of year for practicing forms of divination. Tarot cards may be read, along with other oracles. Meditation can be done by focusing on the Wheel of Fortune tarot card, seeing what you can learn about the cyclical nature of life and of fortune itself.

Samhain also marks the beginning of the new year, it is a time to take stock of what you have achieved, and what you need to say goodbye to before the new year turns in. It is also a time for making some "new years resolutions" for the coming cycle of the wheel of life. It is a time to reflect on the cycle of life, to reflect on our own mortality and to confront our fears of dying.

Some people make "Jack-o-Lanterns", by carving out a pumpkin. Traditionally a turnip would have also been used. An old legend says that the candle flames that flicker on Samhain night are being touched by the spirits of dead ancestors. The candle flame is also for a practical purpose - to see. All household fires were extinguished on this night, to be rekindled from the main bonfire when it was lit.