October

Samhain draws closer, and so does my birthday.

October is my favourite season for so many reasons.

It is the true start to fall, when you can really see the days shortening, and are forced to snuggle up by candlelight in blankets and warm jumpers. When warm baths filled with cinnamon and clove, are a weekly ritual. Pumpkin pie being made in the kitchen, and tea constantly boiling.

When a drive through the country is a feast for your eyes.

Hues of green, yellow, brown, orange, red.

Watching the flowers, and trees go into hibernation - seeing them wither and burrow deep beneath the earth, and finding life beautiful.

Spicy hot chocolate, and chai tea lattes.

Toffee apples.

Bats and pumpkins can be found all throughout the house.

We start to retreat inwards, into that hermit state of being.

Reminiscent of the tarot card - embracing the dark, and the power within ourselves...with the hope to come out shining in the spring.

Here is a little chant to recite at these times;

"Burrowing like the rabbit
Or the bear beneath the ground.
The winters hush upon me
I do not make a sound.
Let the world keep spinning,
Without me for a space,
I am turning inward
In search of peace and grace."

This is perfect for setting yourself up for meditation, or when the outside world just gets a bit too hectic for you.

Samhain

The Pagan new year.
A sabbat to honour our ancestors, and those who've passed over. A time when the veil between this world and the next is thinnest.
A time for reflection; look at what we can leave behind us, and what we can take forth into the celtic new year.
A time when we welcome the Crone aspect of the Goddess, and the Horned God.

Traditionally this time in the Wheel of the year, is great for séances, or ancestoral meditation. It's also important, to give thanks for the harvest we've received in the old year, and ask for protection in the upcoming winter.
As a fire festival it is the perfect time for a bonfire, and working fire magic. A long nature walk, enjoying the autumnal changes you see, is for some enough to honour in the new year.

The best thing about Witchcraft is that their are no right or wrong ways to practice, as long as what you do harms none. Annually the way I celebrate the different sabbats changes, but there are some things that are routine now, and my rituals wouldn't feel correct without.

Here is a list of my must haves for my Samhain Celebration;

• An Apple (to cut in half, segment some to eat, and then bury the rest in the earth)
• An Orange Candle
• A Black Candle
• My Rose Quartz Chunk (which I used in a goodbye ceremony for my faithful childhood dog, Sheba. I use this to meditate upon, and connect with her and others passed)
• A Paper and Pen (To write down all the things you wish to banish in the new year. I then burn them.)
• Tarot Deck
• A Small Pumpkin
• Wine (To drink to the Crone and The Horned God)

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The Veil is thinning -
The invisible curtains are being drawn aside.
Whispers filter through.
Voices of those long passed, are carried on the wind;
Caught in the tumbling leaves.
Ghostly presence occupies space,
The Spirits walk among us.
Now is the time for divination,
The hours to ask for guidance.
When the moon is high in the night sky,
Raw energy can be harnessed.
Loved ones beam at you unseen from the curtains shadow,
Opaque and shimmering.
Answer the voices,
Hone in your power,
This shared energy...
The bewitching hour.
Feel them
See them
Use them.
Be grateful and reward them.
Pull your cards knowing that today they have decades, centuries, of magic and energy penetrating them from the Otherside.
Turn your runes with assertion.
Sip your tea, and gaze at the stories the leaves have to tell.
Open your mind,
But...
More importantly,
Open your heart.
They're waiting...

Glastonbury Wild Hunt

Yesterday I was lucky enough to travel to Glastonbury for their first Wild Hunt, in honour of Samhain.

There were Morris Dancers, Performers, Dragons, Ritual Speeches, and a Bonfire.

The atmosphere was electric with pagan goodness. The turn out for this event was incredible.

You can get a good idea of it's size from this video (sorry about the quality) The dragons were definitely a highlight of the event. We had to follow them up through the wonderful town of Glastonbury, to the bonfire ground near the Tor.

There was drumming and stamping, howling and cheering.

We took over the whole town. Antlers and cloaks were everywhere you looked. People sporting our Samhain lanterns, and others with their canvas drums, giving us a marching beat. The traffic was stopped for us and the dragons. People were leaning from their windows to see us.

Witches and Proud!

Half way to the Tor their is a spring, said to be healing. There is almost like a temple, where there is silence save for the running water. Candles are lit at different altars which are dotted around what can only be described as a cave. People bathing in the healing waters, whilst others are meditating in the darkest corners. Offerings of jewellery, and feathers left in a china bowl.
It was humbling to be in such a place.
I did however ignore the sign that told me no photography or mobile phones were allowed, and snapped some sneaky shots. Only to be rewarded with my phone crashing the second we exited the cave, and not returning to life until we arrived at the bonfire site.
*message received*

They had a lady collecting prayers and the names of loved ones who'd passed on, onto bits of paper, so they could be added to the bonfire, as part of the ceremony.

Another highlight for me was this incredible speech made by 'The Green Man' - I only caught a segment of it, but his words were so powerful. I got lost in them, and the emotion of what this event signified.

This was the first time there's been a Samhain celebration this big in Glastonbury, or of this nature in the UK. It was incredible, and I'm already booking holiday to go next year aswell. The wonderful people who made this happen, did a beautiful celebration for Beltane this year, with a maypole, and a big fire. I hope to attend that next year also.

This truly was a magical experience for the solitary witch. With so many magical and spiritual people in one place, the very air around us seemed on fire. There was no shame, no judgement, just joy and remembrance. An honouring to the gods, the wild hunt, and to our ancestors.