A Happy and safe Halloween to all! I thought I had done this last year, but looking back in the vast "Conservative Cauldron" archives (snicker snicker!), it appears I have not. So here goes.
For Wiccans, Halloween is Christmas. Our highest of holy days, or sabbats. Halloween is an ancient Celtic holiday called Samhain (pronounced sow-en). It is the third of three harvest festivals on the Pagan calendar. I could go on with a lot of history about now, but that's not why we are here. I realize I am up against about three hundred years of history and bad publicity, but I would like to explain what Halloween REALLY is.
In addition to being a harvest festival, it is also the day in which we remember and honor our ancestors, our loved ones who have gone on to the other world. It is also the day that we believe that the veil between this world and the otherworld is the thinnest. Also, on this day, we might engage in some form of divination. Tarot cards, runes, or perhaps and old-fashioned form of apple divination.
It is also usually this time of year that the media likes to trot out the resident Witch, perhaps directly from "Witch Central", Salem Massachusetts, wearing flowing black robes and way too much eyeliner. And let's not forget the over-the-top fundamentalist Christian Pastor, who is convinced that Halloween is nothing more than an evil Pagan holiday only celebrated to corrupt and persuade "good Christians" over to the "dark side".
At the risk of being repetitious, but with the hope that I have new readers all the time, part of my job here is to educate. There is no hidden recruiting agenda. Wiccans come from every walk of life. We just want to practice our faith like everyone else. We like the fun part of our holiday, but there is also a solemn meaning to it as well. So when I am done with my ritual, I will be hungry for black and orange M&M's.
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