(^140) A Wiccan Bible
This Holiday speaks to us of insuring that last year’s matters are complete and are
put to rest. It’s when you make sure the storm windows are all closed and you have
extra stores (money) to pay the utility bills that rise as the temperature lowers. Gener-
ally speaking, my store does not accept new business contacts or expand our merchan-
dise offering during this time of the year, going instead with the tried and true. Many
covens do not take on initiates during this time, for the same reason.
But this is so much more the case after Samhain. If we have not done business with
you before, we will not start a relationship during this time of the year, asking instead
that you contact us again after Bealtaine. Why? Because the Pooka will surely destroy
all attempts to harvest between Samhain and Bealtaine. While it may sound incredibly
superstitious, ancient lore warns that the Pooka will curse all crops not taken in on the
night of Samhain. While I do not believe some dark force roams the countryside look-
ing for that last pumpkin to curse, the story of the Pooka does well to remind us that
this is a time for new beginnings and as such, we are best to move on.
In its aspect as being the day on which the veil between worlds at its thinnest, we
can compare this day to Mardi Gras. No, it is not so much the day that is between the
last and the new year, but it is the last day of that transition. This is much the way Fat
Tuesday is not the whole of Mardi Gras, but it is the last and most celebrated day.
Which brings us to our ancestors and why they are celebrated on this day.
Like no other Holiday, Samhain speaks to us about death, thus reminding us of the
value of life. On this day, it is considered common courtesy to invite our passed relatives
back into our lives by preparing their favorite meals, telling their stories, and calling their
names to the night. Candles are placed in bowls of milk and honey to invite wayward
spirits. And what do we tell them when they arrive? That while we miss them, we know
that we will be with them again, and for now we celebrate the days we have left.
Couples—When a couple addresses the grief of loss together, there is a symbiotic
bond made. Yes, the member experiencing grief is most comforted, but the relation-
ship between the two is strengthened, thus bringing benefit to both members. It is some-
times easier for a person to share grief and honestly address the issue with someone to
whom that person is intimate.
In keeping with the theme of reflection, this is an excellent time for a couple to
enter into their Book of Shadows their hopes for the new year, as well as to look back
at what they wrote last year and discuss both successes and failures. It is also a time to
reflect on matters that didn’t make it into the book of shadows over the past year.
Grievances and problems can be discussed, settled, and then written on a piece of pa-
per for use in an outsider offering. This can be done simply by placing them into a
burning fireplace.
Coven/Household—Where some would celebrate this Holiday solemnly, as one
would a funeral, I say this more than any other Holiday is a time to dance and sing,
showing those in our line that we enjoy and appreciate the gift of life that they be-
stowed upon us. What better way to do that than with kith and kin?
Standing in a circle, the host and hostess begin the Dance of the Dead by calling
forth to the night the names of those who have come before, especially their mothers
p WB Chap 08.p65 140 7/11/2003, 5:52 PM
barré
(Barré)
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