What is Samhain

What Is Samhain


Samhain is known by most folks as Halloween, but for Wiccans and Pagans it's considered a Sabbat to honor the ancestors who came before us. It's a good time to contact the spirit world with a seance, because it's the time when the veil between this world and the next is at its thinnest.
Myths and Misconceptions:

Contrary to a popular Internet-based (and Chick Tract-encouraged) rumor, Samhain was not the name of some ancient Celtic god of death, or of anything else, for that matter. Religious scholars agree that the word Samhain (pronounced "sow-en") comes from the Gaelic “Samhuin,” but they’re divided on whether it means the end or beginning of summer. After all, when summer is ending here on earth, it’s just beginning in the Underworld. Samhain actually refers to the daylight portion of the holiday, on November 1st.
All Hallow Mass:

Around the eighth century or so, the Catholic Church decided to use November 1st as All Saints Day. This was actually a pretty smart move on their part – the local pagans were already celebrating that day anyway, so it made sense to use it as a church holiday. All Saints’ became the festival to honor any saint who didn’t already have a day of his or her own. The mass which was said on All Saints’ was called Allhallowmas – the mass of all those who are hallowed. The night before naturally became known as All Hallows Eve, and eventually morphed into what we call Halloween.
The Witch's New Year:

Sunset on Samhain is the beginning of the Celtic New Year. The old year has passed, the harvest has been gathered, cattle and sheep have been brought in from the fields, and the leaves have fallen from the trees. The earth slowly begins to die around us.

This is a good time for us to look at wrapping up the old and preparing for the new in our lives. Think about the things you did in the last twelve months. Have you left anything unresolved? If so, now is the time to wrap things up. Once you’ve gotten all that unfinished stuff cleared away, and out of your life, then you can begin looking towards the next year.

Honoring the Ancestors:

For some of us, Samhain is when we honor our ancestors who came before us. If you’ve ever done genealogy research, or if you’ve had a loved one die in the past year, this is the perfect night to celebrate their memory. If we’re fortunate, they will return to communicate with us from beyond the veil, and offer advice, protection and guidance for the upcoming year.

If you want to celebrate Samhain in the Celtic tradition, spread the festivities out over three consecutive days. You can hold a ritual and feast each night. Be flexible, though, so you can work around trick-or-treating schedules!

So for you all my special friends, may this day no matter if you are Pagan, Wiccan or non believer of the old ways have a Happy Halloween and Awesome Samhain


Jale

The American Dream

The American Dream…Does it exist anymore, or is it just a figment of your imagination? What happen that it is beyond or reach? We grew up expecting to achieve your dreams. But those dreams have vanished and very few people can achieve it. Is it all lost? Can we bring it back in your lives? I would have never thought living in a free country that something so easy is so far out of your reach. It is not all lost though. I have always been told that if you set your mind to something it will come to pass and I still believe this. We make your own decisions and we are your own person, and the choices we make are of your own making and we have no one to blame but yourselves. Everyone wants to blame someone else but their selves, mostly the government, ok maybe the government isn’t perfect but what government is. We want to blame someone else besides yourselves, not saying that things that happen in your lives is always your fault and many times it is of another source.
To be the best we want, we must take risk in life and with them risk comes ups and downs. To live the American dream we must take many risk and them risk can hurt us financially and emotionally sometime, mostly the government, ok maybe the government isn’t perfect but what government is. We want to blame someone else besides yourselves, not saying that things that happen in your lives is always your thought and many times it is of another source.
To be the best we want, we must take risk in life and with them risk comes ups and downs. To live the American dream we must take many risks and those risks can hurt us financially and emotionally sometimes. In the end it is all worth the sacrifice and risks. Life is full of dreams, we have to act on your dreams and not blame others on your failures. It’s not the government, your neighbor or even your boss’s thought. It is not the thought of your God or whoever you pray to. If we don’t act on it, it will never happen so in the end it is your fault and no one else’s so quit blaming others of your failures, it’s not all lost though. Only you can change your current situation, no one is going to bail you out of your troubles and such. If you want self pity don’t lay it on me because I will be the first person to tell you that I don’t feel sorry for you. So get off your duff and change your situation and follow your dream. Live the American dream the way you want to live it.

The Dark Lonely Twisted Road

My Life, My Darkness, the twisted road to nowhere. I try to be a good person and I am most of the time, but some people have put me down that I am not what they expect me to do. To be that law biding American Christian Citizen. What I have to follow what people expect me to do? So I do not trust the government of the world, I don't go to Sunday school and I dont attend the monthly city council or go to PTA meetings. My taste of music of Bjork, Godsmack, Lacuna Coil, and Pagan's Mind. I am me and I am not here to make anyone person in my life happy. I am here to make myself happy and thats the problem, when I make myself happy then I make everyone less happy. It seems everytime I think I am doing something right that it actually isn't right. I am scared to fall in love, I am scared of my own shadow. That If I do something that once again it will come back and haunt me. I am a Wiccan I wear a Pentacle necklace, I am put down by other Christians and non-pagan religions. I am a Witch I am going to rot in hell, when we all know that the devil was a fanstasy made up by the christian faith. The greatest story ever told is just that but a fantasy. I am sorry I am tired of people trying to preach to me, saying Wiccans is not a faith but a cult. We Pagans and Wiccans know that it is a religion, so we don't celebrate the christian God we believe in the Old Ways, ways I believe are the right ways. So I will stress my religion openly and for you Christians who saying I am sinning, that your way is the one and only way, the fact is Paganism is one if not the oldest religions known to man. So please respect my religion as I respect your religion.
So I am hurting, not know if I am making the right decision, does my darkness continue. I have visions voices and out of body experience on a daily basis. There is no switch I can turn the darkness off. I am me. I Jale, Jeff, Dale or whatever name I prefer to use at that particular moment. I want to feel love, I want to feel what life is suspose to feel like. I want to know what it is really like to live. For people to respect me, to not try to change or control, not to judge me for my faith and beliefs. The darkness falls on me like a tidal way. Is there any hope left for me, is there any spark left in my life, is there anything to live for. I know this blog is a bit negative and positive at the same time. I am tired of the bullcrap, that I must hide who I am to make other people in my life happy. Yes I am dating and I really like this person, but I do not know how to go beyond the dating part. She is very special to me and she is someone one I really adore and want to get to know more but I don't want to get hurt or hurt anyone ever again. So how does one person begin to enjoy life, I am happy with myself but I don't know how to begin to enjoy life. Is there any life left for me. Is there that special someone for me, is this lady that person. What I do know that the darkness continues, but at the same time I am happy with myself that I beleive the way I do and that I am my own special person. So I love life, but I need advice in how to enjoy it to the fullest.


Jale