I am a bit sad to see the sun start to wane earlier and earlier - especially on my current work schedule - but I love the gathering crispness of the air. And Hallowe'en is an all-time favourite from long before I knew it as Samhain. All the kitschy, spooky pumpkins and ghosts, orange and black, dark purple and lime green, witch hats and spiderwebs. I love it all. A lot of my witchy/pagan friends joke that Hallowe'en is the time to "buy all the decorations we'll use year-round".
I spent most of my morning out with my wife and a good friend, walking in the woods, chatting about things, exploring off the beaten path. I have a little cozy spot near the ocean in one of our local parks, and I was finally able to take them there and show them. I collected acorns, and periwinkle shells and beach glass to decorate with, and left handfuls of birdseed as an offering in thanks.
When I got back, I did some tidying, then took a cleansing shower with soap I bought from the new withcy store that just opened in my City. I dressed in clean, fresh pyjamas, and got to work.
I set my Samhain altar up this year and things are a bit more grim than normal. The main altar which has been decked out for Samhain has a rather strong focus on the "death" aspect - in the tarot sense, of big change coming through.
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| Except the spoopy little pumpkin. <3 |
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| Don't mind my toes. |
I took the time to completely dismantle my summery altar, clean and dust, really go through everything carefully. I had Wardruna's "Helvegen" playing on loop (it is a funeral dirge, technically speaking) and burned Kyphi on charcoal. I chose some items from my collection of altar baubles I am no longer using - to pass along to someone else--sacrifice and letting go.
As I got started in arranging things, I took note of the wind picking up outside - it was supposed to "shower" this afternoon, and never really did - but as I got into my altar working, a sudden clap of thunder startled me, and the rain came down hard. Can't get much better than a passing thunderstorm when doing something a little sombre, but a little grand, too.
I have had visions over the summer, of an owl bearing a lantern, leading a processional of ghosts, essentially - so I made sure to factor both my little tealight lantern, and my favourite owl figures, into the altar, emphasizing that role as a psychopomp. My stag sculpture, chestnuts, pine cones, are all symbolic to me of the change in nature - the "death" of the natural world as winter draws near.
After all was set up, I snuffed the incense, and lit my candles. I shared a little bit of fudge as an offering to my ancestors and deceased relatives (we all have a huge sweet tooth), and asked for their guidance and aid during the big changes coming in my life over the next little while.
I then did a small small blot to my gods with a bit of whiskey, and rounded up all of my old herbs, sand, salt, incense dust, old charm bags and everything that is past its time - to "libate" outside.
It feels good to be back.
