Midi Playing: "Evening Falls" by Enya
This is the Celtic New Year. The walls between the worlds are thin. Now is the time to bring honor to dead ancestors. Leave food and drinks on the doorstep or altar. This is the time to put the affairs of the year in order and get rid of the things that are weighing you down. Samhain is the last gathering of harvest for the year.
The dark that the Sun has been battling all Winter gives way. Bonfires are lit, and crops are toasted with cider. The Yule log is burned in the central fireplace of the dwelling. The Yule log must come from your own personal property, or be a gift from a friend or family member. It must never be purchased. The log should be burned for 12 days before being put out. Preserve the ashes to mix with seeds for blessing next year's garden. Decorate your home with holly, mistletoe and ivy (and other greens). Keep a sprig of holly throughout the year for good luck.
This is the middle of the dark half of the year. The first signs of Spring are becoming evident. Herd animals are pregnant and your gardening tools are readied for the work ahead. Weave Brighid crosses (for home protection) out of wheat. Bake special cakes in celebration and gather your loved ones to partake in the feast.
Spring is here! Night and day are equal lengths. The birds are laying, and Winter is gone. Eggs are a sign of fertility in Spring. Paint some eggs with the symbols of the wishes you have for the coming year. You can bury them in Mother Earth who will hear your wishes. Take your loved ones on a picnic to celebrate Spring!
Beltaine is the start of the light half of the year. At midnight on May Eve, gather flowers for the home in honor of the Sun that will rise. Women get up at dawn to bathe themselves in the morning dew to sustain their beauty. It is a celebration of sexuality and love. Maypoles are erected (male symbol) and firmly planted into Mother Earth (the female). Circle dances and Maypole dances are done to energize the earth. Couples make love in secluded gardens to give energy to the earth from their activities, also. Give a Birch wreath as a gift to your lover. The element of water is honored, and the element of fire is honored by leaping over it! This is a time of love and laughter, when the sexual forces of the earth are at their strongest.
At Midsummer, we enjoy the longest day of the year. The Sun plays an important role to the Druids in healing and growth. There is an association with the Sun and water on this day. Solar altars are set up by lakes or wells, and offerings to the Otherworld are cast into the water (water is considered a way of passage into the Otherworld). Decorate a tree near a well or lake with ribbons and flowers. Dance a circle around the tree in honor of Nature. Build a fire in honor of life-giving energy.
Now begins the Sun's descent into Winter. The Sun and earth's joining brings the first signs of harvest. The god of the harvest (the Green Man) sacrifices himself so that mankind can flourish. This day is a traditional time for marriage. Gather your family and friends, and ask that today's deities grand you a fruitful year.
Day and night are of equal length once again. The harvests are now in, and the Green Man is honored for his sacrifice. Honor him by placing offerings of food and drink at the bases of trees. This is a time for the closeness of family and friends. Share in the bounty of the year. Dress in your finest clothes, set out the best table ware and feast with loved ones. Bid farewell to the bounty that has been provided, and welcome in the Great One who gives birth and delivers death.
