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Author Topic: Halloween/Samhain Plans?  (Read 5898 times)

anonymus

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Re: Halloween/Samhain Plans?
« Reply #15 on: October 31, 2016, 02:08:05 pm »
Quote from: shadowsiren;197941



 
If it makes you feel better, I haven't been able to make any plans either because of multiple things in my life exploding these past couple months, so lots of fires to put out.

Cabal

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Re: Halloween/Samhain Plans?
« Reply #16 on: October 31, 2016, 04:45:42 pm »
Quote from: anonymus;198396
If it makes you feel better, I haven't been able to make any plans either because of multiple things in my life exploding these past couple months, so lots of fires to put out.
I will be watching horror movies all day. Since the conversion to Saxon Polytheism, I don't celebrate Samhain spiritually anymore. I would take my daughter trick or treating, but it's Monday, and I only have her on the weekends. I will do a little ritual and prayer for my ancestors tonight.
"In Hell, everybody loves popcorn."

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Re: Halloween/Samhain Plans?
« Reply #17 on: November 01, 2016, 12:43:36 am »
Quote from: shadowsiren;197941
... oh, look, it's me again being nosy about your holiday plans :whis:

 
Just got home from it. Halloween in NYC is *awesome*.

I always dress up, usually something that lets me lose myself in the character. This year: the Hawk of War (alongside my sister, who to this day even in our fifties, often masquerades with me for Halloween, this time as the Dove of Peace. Photo to follow tomorrow, perhaps).

We marched in the massive parade that travels through downtown every year, surrounded by marching bands and samba bands and New Orleans jazz bands and rhythm sections, as wild images come to life spring at you from all directions, from pop culture and fairy tales and horror stories (including, this year, politics) and alien invasions...grown ups indulging in the fanciful for one night of abandon as the walls between worlds grow thin.

Like I said: awesome!
The first song sets the wheel in motion / The second is a song of love / The third song tells of Her devotion / The fourth cries joy from the sky above
The fifth song binds our fate to silence / and bids us live each moment well / The sixth unleashes rage and violence / The seventh song has truth to tell
The last song echoes through the ages / to ask its question all night long / And close the circle on these pages / These, the metamythos songs

Altair

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Re: Halloween/Samhain Plans?
« Reply #18 on: November 01, 2016, 12:51:32 am »
Quote from: Altair;198441
This year: the Hawk of War (alongside my sister, who to this day even in our fifties, often masquerades with me for Halloween, this time as the Dove of Peace. Photo to follow tomorrow, perhaps).



The first song sets the wheel in motion / The second is a song of love / The third song tells of Her devotion / The fourth cries joy from the sky above
The fifth song binds our fate to silence / and bids us live each moment well / The sixth unleashes rage and violence / The seventh song has truth to tell
The last song echoes through the ages / to ask its question all night long / And close the circle on these pages / These, the metamythos songs

SunflowerP

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Re: Halloween/Samhain Plans?
« Reply #19 on: November 01, 2016, 01:03:07 am »
Quote from: Altair;198442

 
Wow, those are amazing costumes. (And I am all in favor of siblings who still play together in middle age; my sibs and I do different kinds of things, but there's often an element of play.)

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Re: Halloween/Samhain Plans?
« Reply #20 on: November 01, 2016, 05:41:19 am »
Quote from: SunflowerP;198444
Wow, those are amazing costumes.


They really are! Seriously creative.

I was a bit sad this Samhain - it felt really lonely. I was contrasting the Jewish holidays I do with Shai's family, with the very solitary way I do Samhain and Imbolc and Midwinter. And thinking of the big communities doing Diwali, listening to the fireworks while I was having my fire on my own. I might try to start bringing in some family customs that Shai can do with me. At the moment, the most they can do is hang out with me around the fire that I have after rituals. I also need to work on things I can do around the fire, because that felt decidedly "I must have a fire" obligatory. I do enjoy the ritual things I do every year, but I need to do more like Chatelaine that brings in (mini)community! Especially when I can't easily do rituals with my grove at the moment, with my body not playing nice.

My three-day festival has just started, which is nice. :) I celebrated the Morrigan and Dagda last night; tonight is for the ancestors; tomorrow is for Cailleach Bhearra.
"We're all stories, in the end. Make it a good one, eh?"
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Wanderer894

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Re: Halloween/Samhain Plans?
« Reply #21 on: November 01, 2016, 07:28:23 am »
Quote from: shadowsiren;197941
... oh, look, it's me again being nosy about your holiday plans :whis:

...............

I didn't do much at home yesterday, partly because I stayed late at work to help with the Trunk or Treat for the kids. Evening consisted of a night run (which was actually kind of fun - I got to see how the neighborhood looked with all the decorations) after dinner, and then I improvised a short ritual to welcome the wandering souls and any deities which might be wandering around as well. Left a snack for them, just cheese, crackers, fruit, and some beer, and spent some time playing DDO.

It was later on that I got to the more serious part of the night. Again, improvised ritual. Offerings to Diana, Hecate, and then to Elen of the Ways. I spent the past year trying to learn what I could about her, and it wasn't until last night that I felt ready to try and work with her. (I also dressed up as her for the Trunk or Treat at work in a veiled nod to the fact that I was ready to work with her.) We'll see how that goes.

Had a little candy, meant to nibble on some orange chocolate chip biscotti but by the time I remembered I was just ready to go to bed. Nothing planned for tonight really, just going to try and get back into incense experimentation, meditation, and play some more DDO.
« Last Edit: November 01, 2016, 07:28:56 am by Wanderer894 »
I love a good metallurgical take on the phrase "What the F---?"

Castus

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Re: Halloween/Samhain Plans?
« Reply #22 on: November 01, 2016, 07:45:12 am »
Quote from: shadowsiren;197941
... oh, look, it's me again being nosy about your holiday plans :whis:

In all seriousness, though, I'd love to hear what you've got planned.

On the non-religious side of things we'll do our normal. That is we'll go to the Trick-or-Treating activity at my husband's work and also the Halloween activity put on by the church that the majority of my family are members of. (Those are both this week) On Halloween itself we'll go out to dinner - family tradition dictates that we go to Chili's. Largely because when this tradition started forever ago I was pregnant and the only thing on earth that sounded edible were their chicken crispers with honey mustard sauce... and since then it has morphed into a thing - and then come home, turn off the outside lights (not that we really get trick or treaters where we live) and eat a bunch of candy while watching It's the Great Pumpkin Charlie Brown.

Religious/Spiritually... I've got nothing. Zilch. Nada. I want to do something but I'm drawing a complete blank. About a month ago I had a spiritual meltdown as I moved to the next stage of grieving as related to leaving my childhood religion behind (not something I'd been aware I'd been undergoing until it happened, tbh. That was a fun day...) and haven't done any formal observances/rituals since then. Largely because said childhood religion is really big on rules/formal observances/signs of faith etc and I realized that I was trying to superimpose those rules on my new path... which, no. So I've kind of just focused on getting my crap together this past month. Still got a long way to go but I'm starting to feel like I've got my feet under me again.

TL;DR - I've got fun family plans and am currently drawing a blank on the spiritual side of things and am searching for something to spark an idea. You?

 
I ended up getting drunk as a skunk for Halloween.

So there's that.
“Castus, meanwhile, goes straight for the bad theology like one of those creepy fish that swims up streams of pee.” — Darkhawk

“Believing in the Lord means you are connected to me no matter when you are poor, sick, or struggling in a relationship. I am always with you. I want you to believe that. The future is uncertain, and much suffering awaits. However, the mission of the believer is to live life doing their best, no matter what the circumstances.” — Ryuho Okawa

Hippie-Witch

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Re: Halloween/Samhain Plans?
« Reply #23 on: November 01, 2016, 11:54:46 am »
Quote from: shadowsiren;197941
... oh, look, it's me again being nosy about your holiday plans :whis:

In all seriousness, though, I'd love to hear what you've got planned.

On the non-religious side of things we'll do our normal. That is we'll go to the Trick-or-Treating activity at my husband's work and also the Halloween activity put on by the church that the majority of my family are members of. (Those are both this week) On Halloween itself we'll go out to dinner - family tradition dictates that we go to Chili's. Largely because when this tradition started forever ago I was pregnant and the only thing on earth that sounded edible were their chicken crispers with honey mustard sauce... and since then it has morphed into a thing - and then come home, turn off the outside lights (not that we really get trick or treaters where we live) and eat a bunch of candy while watching It's the Great Pumpkin Charlie Brown.

Religious/Spiritually... I've got nothing. Zilch. Nada. I want to do something but I'm drawing a complete blank. About a month ago I had a spiritual meltdown as I moved to the next stage of grieving as related to leaving my childhood religion behind (not something I'd been aware I'd been undergoing until it happened, tbh. That was a fun day...) and haven't done any formal observances/rituals since then. Largely because said childhood religion is really big on rules/formal observances/signs of faith etc and I realized that I was trying to superimpose those rules on my new path... which, no. So I've kind of just focused on getting my crap together this past month. Still got a long way to go but I'm starting to feel like I've got my feet under me again.

TL;DR - I've got fun family plans and am currently drawing a blank on the spiritual side of things and am searching for something to spark an idea. You?


That grieving process is long and difficult. You aren't mourning a person or animal, you're mourning an idea. A group, an identity. I've been there and sometimes I feel I still am. Take care of yourself <3
I did a small ritual alone. Started with a meditation, followed by an oracle deck reading, and a simple bay leaf wish spell.
I have had a hard time with meditation in the past and, though I feel like I could have gone deeper into it, I feel successful with the tiny ritual that I performed.

I essentially received a message that told me that the ones beyond the veil are not who I grieve. I grieve the child I once was who was mistreated. In the meditation I was supposed to go to a garden, but instead I went outside of my childhood home and positioned myself outside of the tree that I used to climb, spend time with, and speak to. I saw myself on the other side of the veil, but as a child. It wasn't quite what I expected, but exactly what I needed
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Re: Halloween/Samhain Plans?
« Reply #24 on: November 01, 2016, 08:03:36 pm »
Quote from: Chatelaine;198256
I no longer celebrate Samhain spiritually, of course, but there are definitely Halloween plans. Mostly involving food.

In an almost miraculous turn of events, I have a short day at school on Monday, so I'm going to make some graveyard chocolate pud for dessert (recipe). My stepmother will make the witch's brew stew that has become a family tradition. I'll take my little brother out trick-or-treating, we'll watch Igor after dinner, and once he's in bed, we grown-ups will share some punch or cider and maybe watch a grown-up horror film (I'm rooting for The VVitch, but I may end up outvoted). It will certainly be over before midnight, so my stepmother gets her ritual time. I'll probably end up listening to some themed playlist and reading way later than I should, and it will show on Tuesday morning!

 
We ended up skipping the movies altogether, as both the little one and my dad were too tired to concentrate, and opted for an early night instead. Candlelight, cider and a bunch of short spine-chillers on the Kindle made for an enjoyable night.
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shadowsiren

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Re: Halloween/Samhain Plans?
« Reply #25 on: November 09, 2016, 01:08:23 pm »
Quote from: Altair;198442

It sounds like you had a great holiday and I love your costumes! (And that your sister still dresses up with you - that's so awesome!)
 
Quote from: Hippie-Witch;198458
That grieving process is long and difficult. You aren't mourning a person or animal, you're mourning an idea. A group, an identity. I've been there and sometimes I feel I still am. Take care of yourself <3

 I think that is definitely part of the difficulty - it's an idea and an identity. There's no closure of lowering a coffin or scattering ashes... though I'm currently contemplating holding a "funeral" by symbolically burning something that represents the old belief system and then either scattering the ashes over a local creek or using them in my garden.

In the end I didn't do anything spiritual on Halloween itself but the next day I went out and cut roses from the bushes I planted in memory of my grandmother (she loved gardening and roses and she was the one who told me stories about fairies and magic and such. I've often wondered since her passing if she was a closet pagan in some corner of her heart) and had a small ancestor honoring ceremony.

Thank you everyone for sharing your plans and/or what you did! I love (love) reading/seeing/hearing about others beliefs and practices. As odd as it might sound it is very soothing and... nourishing to get this glimpse into the spiritual lives of others.

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