Samhain–A Pagan Blog Prompt

Samhain – (pronounced sow-win) is the Gaelic festival marking the end of the harvest season and the beginning of the winter.  It is also known as the third harvest.

What does Samhain mean to you?

Well I can say that before I began to study and read on my current path I didn’t even know there was a thing as Samhain.  I always knew the day, October 31st as “Halloween”.  Even growing up in a Lutheran home we were allowed to celebrate it by dressing up and going trick-or-treating.

We were even able to celebrate it in school which no that I think about it was strange.  I still see the time of the year as Halloween from the perspective of the retail side and the kids coming by for Trick R Treating.  But now I also see it as the time to remember those who have passed beyond the thin veil.  To let go of things past and look toward the future.

How did/will you honor it?

Unfortunately this year I was not able to honor the Samhain part of the day.  Economic limits and time constraints didn’t lend to getting candy and decorating the house.  All of this also prevented me from attending any sort of organized gathering or ritual. 

Maybe next year.

Do you separate your Pagan rituals from your modern Halloween traditions?

Yes and No.  Yes the performing of the Samhain ritual is separated but I incorporate decorating the house into all of it.  It is so hard to tell what is for ritual and what is for decorating for the sake of Halloween.  I don’t bother to separate that part out.

 

Thank you Sunfire for this quick prompt from Pagan Blog Prompts.  It is nice to get to writing again.

Environment and Ritual Setting for The Dumb Supper Observance at Samhain

The Dumb Supper can be an important aspect of the Samhain observance. It can focus your attention on the fact that the time when the veil between the worlds is thinnest has come again.

Keeping in contact with those who have gone before, no matter how long ago or how tenuous that connection may be, is invaluable in one’s daily life in terms of having some wisdom in one’s decision-making and sense of personal responsibility.

Arranging the supper table with an extra place setting and then asking the ancestors to attend the supper is a mark of respect to them. When you can sense they are present, make a point some time during the Dumb Supper to request a sign from them regarding some aspect of your life and how you might approach the concern you have in order to resolve that situation. Often, they will touch your life in your dreams, and they will take you up on your invitation, at this time, to do so. Keep a pen and pad of paper close by your bed for several weeks so that you can write down what you learned, as it will probably be lost quickly when you wake up.

The use of some calming music during the Dumb Supper lends itself, along with silence for all those attending, to maintain a state of meditation, respect and openness to communication with the world beyond. There is no need to hurry the meal as it is also a time of reflection. Just let it take its normal course. At the end of the meal, take a moment to thank the ancestors for attending and then bid them farewell. This is the end of the observance, and your normal routine can return.

Bright Blessings!

Ron Ivins