Blessed Upcoming New Year from Witchcraft Dawning!

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*Editors Notes:

I give fair warning!  This Newsletter will be quite lengthy and come 
in MULTIPLE SECTIONS.  We figured, it's the New Year, it only happens once a year, so let's go out of this year with a Bang!  So what can you expect in this Newsletter?

Well.........  You'll find an excellent overview of Samhain by Ralph. 
 There is a out line to a Samhain Ritual, and some information on 
herbal lore and medical uses to prepare you for the cold and flu 
season that is breathing down our necks at this very moment! *smile* 
And pretty much whatever else I can squeeze into these pages.

In my "spare" time (Phsa, right!) I put together an EXTENSIVE article on Samhain history and celebration for the site.  Check out 
http://www.oocities.com/CollegePark/4885/samhain.html for a lengthy 
rendition of Samhain traditions and history.  More than you'd ever 
want to know!

As always, we are completely open to questions concerning the material in this newsletter or on the site and welcome you to email us.  

Wishing you the Best of Years,
Markus

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*Samhain/Halloween: "A celebration of the natural cycle of death
and rebirth".


Many people think Samhain and Halloween are two different names for
the same celebration. In a way this is true, but for the most part it is not.

Samhain, usually pronounced "sow-win", not "sam-hain", was the name of the Druid/Celt celebration that honored the summer's end and beginning of winter season. In actuality, it was the end of the sacred wheel of the year with November 1st being the beginning of the New Year.

Samhain is also known as "The Feast of the Dead" because it is the 
celebration with which the Celts traditionally gave reverence to and 
"visited with" their departed ancestors, family members and friends.

The Druids/Celts were primarily an agricultural people who celebrated the yearly high point time of harvest. The daylight began to shine for a shorter period of time, and the darkness of night began to stay longer. Winter was now well on it's way with the summer and fall seasons drawing to a close. This was known as Samhain. It was believed that the physical world came closest to the spiritual world at this point in the year. The Celts believed it was the time of year that the veil between the physical and spiritual worlds was at it's thinnest, and this was the cornerstone on which the Druid/Celt observation of Samhain was celebrated.

With the veil between the physical and spiritual worlds at it's 
thinnest, it was believed that deceased ancestors may roam the earth 
or even visit their families. Great care was taken to show reverence 
for the deceased. Entertainment in the form of house to house musical and acting performances where provided. Skulls were placed outside of homes, extra places were set at dinner tables and favorite dishes of deceased ancestors or family members were prepared. At this time, it was also customary to make preparations for the upcoming winter season; such as preserving food, bringing the livestock in from the summer fields and preparing for life indoors. For the Druids/Celts, the time of Samhain was one of the most sacred times of the year.

Halloween is a word with which the celebration of "All Hallows Eve" 
became associated. The ancient Roman Catholic, or Orthodox Christian, Church tried to combat and ultimately destroy the Druid/Celtic observation of the Samhain celebration. At the time of it's origin in the 7th century A.D./C.E., "All Saints (Hallows) Day" was celebrated in mid-May. In the 8th century A.D/C.E., Pope Gregory III mandated November 1st as the day to celebrate the already existing church observance of "All Saints (Hallows) Day". This decision was made in an effort to combat and suppress the existing Druid/Celtic Samhain celebration. 

The Druid/Celt celebration of Samhain had no preset conditions on the dead that people chose to honor or reverence. The church, in an 
attempt to "christianize" the Samhain celebration named "All Saints 
(Hallows) Day" as the day to honor those martyrs who gave their lives in the name Jesus and/or the church.

By the time Pope Gregory IV was in the Vatican, the Samhain 
celebration still had not been eliminated, so he mandated "All Saints (Hallows) Day" as an observance that was to be held in the highest rank by all members of the church. 

As Christianity spread throughout Europe and the British Isles, so did it's attack of Druid/Celtic beliefs and observances. The tradition of displaying skulls outside the homes in respect for the deceased was replaced by the displaying of carved out turnips, lighted by candles inside of them. When the Irish Potato Famine disaster struck Ireland in the 17th century A.D./C.E., vast amounts of Irish people came to America. With them, came their celebrations, observances and Samhain tradition of carving out turnips. However, America was abundantly occupied by pumpkins rather than turnips.

A mockery was made of the old Druid/Celtic beliefs of deceased 
ancestors visiting their families, with people dressing up as spirits and passing through neighborhoods. There has been no evidence or record that the modern practice of "trick or treating" occurred prior to the advent of Christianity. Instead, it is common belief that the early Christians participated in pranks and door to door "trick or treating" in mockery of the old Celtic beliefs of spirits roaming the earth at this time of year. The Christian view of the roaming spirits leaned towards "evil and ghoulish", while the Celtic view was one of honor, respect and reverence. The Celts held no acknowledgment of the concepts of heaven or hell, and they did not think these roaming spirits to be "good or bad". After all, the Celts believed that their deceased ancestors were coming to spend time and visit with them, and they looked forward to that.

Today, the practices, celebrations and observances of Halloween ("All Hallows Eve") are sharply divided. Many of the Christian sects observe and celebrate "All Saints (Hallows) Day" and  "All Hallows Eve", or Halloween", by participating in the modern practice of "trick or treating" and visiting grave sites of departed family and friends.

The more fundamental Christian sects view Halloween as evil, and some have even gone so far as to say that participation in the festivities is an abomination of God. They believe that Satan takes advantage of the frail human condition by using his malicious trickery to seduce humans into doing things that God does not want them to do. Specifically, the reverence of anything besides Jesus is guarded against.

Many of the earth sacred and pagan groups regard Samhain as did the 
Celts. Ancestors are remembered and preparations are made for their 
visits. Samhain is the time when the veil between the physical and 
spiritual worlds is at its thinnest. The use of all of the forms of 
divination, spiritual consciousness and growth are considered to be at their height. Samhain is the time to review and reflect on the events of the past year. Individuals look at the past year's sorrows, mistakes, accomplishments, lessons learned and find closure releasing the negative and taking the positive with them into the new year. The old has reached the end of its cycle, and the new is ready to come to the forefront.

Peace, light and love be with you however you choose to celebrate this special time of year.
May your path be abundantly blessed, both for you and from you!

Ralph

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*Samhain Ritual

Prologue:
Samhain (pronounced Sow-en) crowns the Celtic New Year, a day to 
expunge the previous year's unwanted elements, while retaining the 
valued achievements and lessons.  The strongest way to accomplish this is performing a ritual with a finality that you are able to begin the new year with a clear, positive, and strong foundation.

This ritual is ONE way to go about bringing in the New Year.  Any of 
its aspects are free to be altered for your specific personality 
and/or supplies; I encourage you to change it to fit you better!  More importantly, understand that there is no "wrong" way to do this, except if you don't enjoy yourself. *smile* Keep it fun! No one is going to lop off your head if you don't do it word for word.

Materials:
Pen and Paper
2 Candles (One White, One Black)
Ritual Water (Sea water, or some other naturally flowing source, is 
ideal, but tap water with salt is fine if no other source is readily 
available)
Incense and Censer
Chalice or Bowl (whichever comes first)

Ritual and Meanings:
Kneel before the laid out materials, use an alter if you like, but a 
simple table or floor space is fine.  The general layout should be: 
Black and White candles in the center with some space between them, 
the Chalice with water and the Incense in between the candles, and the Paper and Pen just before the Chalice and Incense.

Take up the pen and paper and write down all the events, thoughts, and emotions of the past year that you no longer want to have an influence on the upcoming year.  (Fight with your boss or parents? Be done with it.)  Make the list as long and detailed as necessary.  Obviously, some people have had worse years than others and their list will be longer.  The list defines the intent of the ritual, specifying EXACTLY what is going to be banished.

When complete, fold the paper a few times while suspending it over the incense.  The Incense represents the element of Air and is a 
facilitator of Purification.  In history, whenever there was dead 
(either from natural death, war, or sacrifice) to be disposed of the 
bodies were burned and the smoke would rise, carrying away the 
essence, or spirit, of the dead.  Thus, we mirror this understanding 
in our simple ritual, allowing the smoke to carry away the unwanted 
parts of last year.  Some would ask why Fire isn't the purifier, but 
that will be addressed in a short moment.

After folding it, lay the paper down and sprinkle a few drops (DON'T 
SOAK!) of water on the paper and also encircle it with water using 
your finger. Be sure to keep your focus on the intent. The Water, 
obviously, is the Element of Water, and will bind the emotions you 
included in your letter (i.e. Anger towards boss.)  Water is often 
used to represent the emotional parts of life, just like the Cups Suit (cups hold water) in the Tarot.

Finally, take the paper and burn it, first in the black candle, then 
the white.  Turn as much as possible into ashes, but don't burn your 
fingers doing it; duh *smile*.  It would help if you had some type of tool handy to hold the tip of the paper while it burns completely.  Again, be sure to keep your focus on the intent.  The Candle meanings are founded on multiple levels. First, the colors, black and white are used to signify Balance (the center principle of Witchcraft).  The Incense and Chalice are placed between the candles to symbolize their Balance as well.  Second, the Fire, is the achiever, bringing the Finality to the last year by burning the unwanted area, and THEN the smoke carries away the bad.  (Note: this is why fire is not the purifier, it is allows the smoke to "escape," and marks the finality.)  Lastly, the candles include the element of Fire into the ritual.

When the list is completely burnt, put the whole of the ashes into the Chalice with the ritual water, then take a small sip from it.  The drinking of water and ashes is partaking of your sacrifice, a 
recognition that part of your life will be gone, making way for the 
new, and a bonding of yourself to what remains from the previous year.

The rest of the water and ashes pour into the soil from which a plant grows.  This plant can be of any kind, a house plant, a wild rose bush, an oak tree, etc. The idea here is the traditional "as without, so within" principle.  The aid of the water and ash in the growth and development of the plant will facilitate the same within yourself.

With this, close your ritual as desired according to your Tradition 
and practices and clean up.

Clean Up:
When you clean up, the Chalice should be wiped, not washed, and the 
candles should be snuffed out, not blown out.  To wash or blow out is traditionally considered disrespectful.  Disrespectful to whom depends on your Tradition (i.e. disrespectful to Ancestors, God/Goddess, and/or the elements itself.)

The traditional practice of cleaning up so that no one would be aware that any ritual was ever performed on that spot comes from fear of persecution, but it is always good practice to clean up that well just out of courtesy others that use the same area. 

Other Issues:
Your own personal words should be added. Include them for every step 
if you wish, or only for a few, or whathaveyou.  I omitted any words 
because I wish to encourage your own creativity and keep it 
interesting.  Also, I feel if I added the words, beginners would 
believe it imperative to perform word-for-word and this would make it too mechanical, and, consequently, less effective (not to mention, less fun.)  Feel free to be as poetic as you wish, and to dedicate it to whomever you wish (i.e., Ancestor, or God/Goddess.)  Tradcrafters do not use magick circles because the whole house is seen as purified and guarded and therefore we have no use of them.  If your Tradition does use them, simply cast the circle in the beginning and close it after you clean up.  Similarly, tradcrafters do not generally do rituals skyclad (in the nude.)  Clothing does not inhibit the flow of energy, however, if you would rather do it skyclad, either because of tradition or personal preference, so be it... go for it.  

I can't think of anything I may have missed, but perhaps I didn't 
address a question you had.  I therefore leave it open for you to 
email me with any questions that may arise: witchdawn@hotmail.com

Peace,
Markus

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*Household Herb Stocks:

The following list is the top 19 herbs that can help you get through 
winter with minimal trouble and, should a cold or other ailments 
arise, allow you to eliminate them quickly!  Why did I pick 19?  Well, there's just so many Top 20 lists out there,  I thought I'd be 
different!

These are in alphabetical order and selected based on their 
availability as well as their effects.  Most should be on the shelves of you local supermarket in the spices/herbs section.  Up here in the Northeast, a small container runs  you about $2 to $3 (of course, we have the most expensive prices in the States,  so it's likely to be a tad cheaper elsewhere.)  Nothing major and it is well worth the perchance, because, when used right, you should NOT go through an entire stock in one Winter's season.  Most of this information is cited from Ashlynn's Grove Herbal Database at 
http://paganism.com/ag/herbs/disc.html  Should you want any other 
information on herbs, that is the place to get it!

Names, Applications, and Effects are listed, and the definitions of 
applications and other terms can be found at the bottom of this 
article.

Please! If you know you are allergic to any of these herbs, do NOT use them, and should you suspect any reaction may come from using any of them, simply DON'T.  Ask your physician before you do so to be positive it's safe.

Here's to making everyone's Winter a bit less of the 
coughy-sniffy-sneezy-stuffy-head-fever-so-you-can't-rest Winter:

1. Agrimony (Agrimonia gryposepala)  Local Name: Church Steeples
Infusion of the leaf and flower in a relatively strong dosage and 
drank will help with the cold/flu symptoms of coughs and soar throats.

2. Alecost (Tanacetum balsamita) Local name: Costmary
A tea made from this plant will relieve phlegm buildup, upset stomachs and colds.  It will also help deter hunger, so should you be out shoveling many driveways, a short nibble on this will help you keep the stomach from grumbling.

3. Blackberry (Rubus villosus) Local name: Brambles
!CAUTION!  PREGNANT women should NOT USE this herb!  It will induce 
contractions and may cause a MISCARRIAGE!!  Additionally, Leaves need to be THOROUGHLY DRIED to eliminate all the TOXINS before it is safe to use!  A decoction can be made from the DRY leaves and drunk for  colds, flu, sore throat, and anemia.  Roots in a decoction can be used to treat diarrhea.

4. Catnip (Nepeta cataria) Local name: Catmint/Catnep
For those of you with cats, this is a handy thing to have around.  The roots and leaves have a minty scent with cat pheromones in it, and it drives most cats crazy.  However, rats and fleas will tend to stay away from it.  To check and see if it's good... rub some between your fingers and take a whiff.  If it doesn't' have a slight minty smell, toss it.  An infusion of Catnip will treat colds, chills, fever, mild sweating, mild insomnia, nervous headaches, stomach pain, "gas," nervousness and restlessness (especially in children who tend to get antsy when cooped up in the house during a snow storm), and can also be used to treat colic.

5. Cinnamon (Cinnamomum aromaticum; Cinnamomum zeylanicum) Local Name: Cinnamon spice tree
!!CAUTION!! CINNAMON OIL may CAUSE MISCARRIAGE!!  PREGNANT women 
should NOT use it!!  Strong oil doses will cause a STRONG "burn".  
With a dosage of 5 drops to a medium pan of boiling water, the steam 
inhalations will relieve colds and congestion.  It can be decoct to 
treat nausea, diarrhea and vomiting, but this herb should NOT be used on children!

6. Comfrey (Symphytum officinale) Local name: Knit-Bone
Comfrey will increase the speed of the healing process for tissues and bones.  It contains calcium, potassium, phosphorus, and allantonin.  A poultice is applied to sores, cuts, bites, and burns to prevent infection and increase healing.  Stay away from ingesting this herb!

7. Elderberry (Sambucus canadensis) Local name: Sacred 
Elder/Black-Berried Elder
The flowers specifically can be made into a tea and drank at the start of allergy season (early spring) to build immunity for that season.  Do not use the seeds or the twigs, they are TOXIC!  The flowers bring down inflammations when applied externally, in a poultice.  

8. Garlic (Allium sativum) Local name: Garlic
Garlic ingested with Italian bread, or by any other means will help to stimulate the immune system, relieve colds, reduce stress, and improve circulation during those cold Winter days.   It also has natural antibiotic properties.

9. Ginger (Zingiber officinale) Local Name: Shen jiang (fresh) / gan 
jiang (dried) / jiang pi (peeled root skin)
A ginger tea will strengthen the respiratory system, help to prevent 
motion sickness, and aid in the fight against colds and flu.  Also 
will relieve headaches and other pains, while a gargle will soothe 
sore throats.  Added to other herbs, it will act as a booster to the 
effects of the other ingredients.

10. Goldenseal (Hydrastis canadensis) Local Name: Goldenseal
A gargle made with this herb will ease sore throats.

11. Honeysuckle (Lonicera periclymenum) Local Name: Woodbine / 
European Honeysuckle
WARNING!! PREGNANT women should NOT use this herb!!  Also, the BLACK 
BERRIES are POISONOUS!! By taking a strong infusion of the flowers and then cooking it gently to a honey-like consistency, a syrup can be made to help diminish coughing and break up phlegm. It is also good for asthma.

12. Lemon (Citrus limon) Local Name: Common Lemon
A well known cold drink in the summer, it is a good hot drink in the 
Winter to ease sore throats, colds, and flu.  A "hot toddy" can be 
made by mixing juice, hot water, honey, and a bit of Brandy.  The 
juice can be applied externally for corns and to "bleach" stains and 
freckles from the skin.  The juice, like all citrus species, is used 
to prevent and treat scurvy (Vitamin C depletion), and to help in 
cases of asthma and rheumatism.  Dry and powder the peel for 
application to wounds as a clotting agent.  Before using any store 
bought lemons for herbal remedies, be sure to remove the coating that the shippers apply to the peels.  Dip the peel several times into boiling water, scrub very gently while fairly hot with a vegetable brush.  The key is to remove all the bitter white membrane between the peel and fruit.  The oil must be removed when you candy citrus.  The oil is removed by  boiling the cut up peel for ten minutes, draining and repeated 3 times.  For extracting the oil for use, grate the fresh peels of several lemons into a coffee filter lined sieve over a small jar; squeeze the oil through.  The grated rind can be saved and used as a facial scrub.  The oil is excellent to anoint wooden objects as it is a preservative for wood; to bleach out rust stains in white linens, lay it in the sun for a few hours, then wash; or to scour your cutting board, the juice is squeezed over the area and sprinkled with salt, let it sit for a few minutes then scrub and wash off well.  Yep, all that with a simple lemon!

13. Mullien (Verbascum thapsus) Local Name: Velvet Leaves / Mule Ears
Mullien is excellent for treating asthma, a fact not overlooked by 
pharmaceutical companies.  Drink and infusion of the leaves daily as a preventive measure, or smoke the leaves during an attack. Also helps with pneumonia, pluersy, etc.  The inner fiber from the stalks is used to make candle wicking.

14. Peppermint (Mentha piperata) Local Name: Mint
A tea of peppermint is excellent for calming upset stomachs, and as a gargle.  Even a small stock of peppermint candies (not York's with the chocolate) like candy canes or the similar discs of candy will calm an upset stomach by chomping on a few of them.  A helpful thing to have around when the snow is too deep to take a trip to the corner store.

15.  Rose (Rosa spp.) Local Name: Varies
Rose hips are a wonderful source of vitamin C.  Add hips to tea to 
help with coughs; Rose hips and Elderberry flowers make an excellent 
cold and flu-killing combination.  A soothing lotion for burns can be made by boiling them in a little water.  Simply chew some hips to 
soften them and then press over a hurtful tooth to act as a toothache remedy.  An infusion of dried leaves is useful as a tonic for kidneys and is good to soothe headaches, and to heal low spirits. 

16.  Rosemary (Rosmarinus officinalis) Common Name: Rosemary
These fragrant, pine like needles, can be dried and made into a tea to treat stomachache, colic, headache, stress, improve memory, and colds.  It is a mild stimulant and a digestive aid, and is believed by many to boost energy and to relieve nervous depression.  It has antiseptic properties, as a external wash it will help in the healing of wounds. 

17. Sage (Salvia officinalis) Local Name: Sage spice
This common spice can be added to tea to aid in digestion, and to 
relieve the discomfort of measles, dizziness, colds, fever, and 
headaches.  An infusion made with honey makes an effective, but not so tasty, gargle for sore and infected throats.  A strong was will help with skin ulcers, rashes, and dandruff.  Rub fresh sage leaves on teeth to whiten and clean them.  It is added to bath water to tone the skin and as an aphrodisiac. 

18. Slippery Elm (Ulmas fulva) Local Name: Slippery Elm
The roots or hard wood of this tree can be infused and used as a 
gargle to soothe sore throats.  The wood is tough, so the infusion 
will have to be of boiling water, not merely hot, to loosen it up and allow its medicines to flow into the water.  Great stuff. 

19. Thyme (Thymus Vulgaris) Local Name: Thyme
This oil is extremely powerful as an antiseptic and disinfectant.  An infusion of the leaves is drunk to improve poor digestion and to treat colds, colic, whooping cough and internal infections.  Make an 
infusion to use externally for scabies, gout, rheumatism and all skin conditions.

Definitions:
Decoction -- Herbs are tossed in boiling water for a few minutes.  It is allowed to cool and drained, retaining the liquid for use.

Infusion/Tea -- Put leaves in boiling water and allow the juices to 
was into the water.  Leave the solids out!  Drain after boiling them.  Alternately, you can but the leaves in a coffee filter and tie securely shut with a string and then bob it up and down in hot water as you would a regular tea bag. 

Poultice -- Heat herbs in real hot water, place it in a wash rag or 
something then fold over the affliction.  Just solids go into the 
cloth, the water will make the more malleable.  Alternately, put the 
herbs in a wet cloth and nuke them in the microwave.  Wring out excess water but be sure to keep a bit of water in it to keep it lose.

Steeped -- Throw herbs in boiling water, turn off heat and cover, or 
nuke a mug of water and add herbs, then cover.  Drain liquid with a 
plate or knife to remove solids and drink liquid.

Tincture -- Herbs are mixed with alcohol, usually Vodka, and sit for 3 weeks. Liquid is then taken (remove the clumps) and store din jars, lasts for years.  Apply by putting about 20ml into hot water to evaporate the alcohol, then ingesting.  Not often applied to external wounds, but not an unknown technique either.  Do NOT use RUBBING ALCOHOL!!!


Joyous Samhain and Trouble Free Winter!
Article by,
Markus


    Source: geocities.com/collegepark/4885

               ( geocities.com/collegepark)