Happy Samhain!

I've been studying Paganism for the past couple months. Mostly because I'm coming to terms with the fact that I've probably been a Pagan but not fully realized it until recently.

I've always liked this time of year. Halloween turning to Thanksgiving turning to Christmas. This whole part of the year never really felt like the year about to close more than a new year ready to start. It sounds weird to say out loud and to write, but it's true. Especially when the sun light hours are decreasing and there's more dusk and night. To me, there seems more life energy turning inward now that makes everything seem...magickal? Or maybe all those years of school and college made fall seem like the start of the year, huh?

I never really believed all the devil business. Growing up, it always seemed like a way adults made children mind them. Or at least in my house. Halloween should be a celebration of the first harvest. Thanksgiving should be a celebration of the final harvest. The Celtic festival of Samhain should be a time to remember family and friends who have passed away before you. If I were to actively celebrate it, I'd like to have honored my grandma and my uncle. My grandma was a farmer's wife and my uncle really loved gardening - especially vegetables. Every summer, he'd plant around 200 tomato plants and he'd can all of them into sauce or whole tomatoes. There wasn't a time where us kids weren't somewhere pulling weeds out of the gardens.

Before I stray too much, there is a point (believe it or not). I've always been aware of Earth as a vital living evergy that gives back what it takes in. The seasons, the currents...it all has a powerful connection. When I think of past Halloweens, Thanksgivings, and Christmases, I'm all too aware of how that connection is still intact and how much we carry on those traditions. In my studying of Pagan traditions and how many or all became Christianized, that connection remains...magickal.

With that in mind, I wish everyone a Happy Samhain. Honor the spirit of someone who is no longer with you in this life. Carry on a tradition or two.

Blessed be.







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