Samhain

A time of stillness of reflection and thanks before the beginning of the Celtic New Year and the continuing journey into the winter with the dark Goddess.

The Dark Realms

Through the mists of other worlds,
Through the veil between,
Come to me in dream and trance,
Come by means unseen.

Lead me through the barren land,
Where leaves and needles fall,
Lead me to the darkened heath,
Where ghosts and demons call.

Take me to the world beyond,
A world of stick and bone,
Take me to the shadow realms,
The dwelling of the crone.

Let me see the well of death,
The cauldron of decay,
Let me come to know the hag,
Once crowned the 'Queen of May'.

Wisest Hecate, dark Calleach,
Who bring us loss and pain,
Lead us through the door of death,
That we may rise again.

From 'Mrs Darley's Pagan Whispers' by Carole Carlton

May the Goddess bring you blessings this Samhain

Friday and the Sea

Continuing the watery theme as autumn progresses, we will take a look at the dread with which many sailors face Fridays if they have to begin a voyage on that day.

It was thought that witches ruled supreme on Fridays and could weald great power over the waters which may explain why so much fear built up around what is, in actual fact, the sacred day of the Norse Goddess of Love and wife of Odin, Frigga.

The renowned poet, Lord Byron, shared all the superstitions of his fellow Scotsmen but although he recognised Friday as an unlucky day, he nevertheless put his superstitions to one side and embarked upon a voyage to Greece, where he died at Missolonghi.

The British admiralty attempted to prove the absurdity of this superstition and so ordered the keel of a ship to be laid on a Friday; they named the ship Friday and launched her on a Friday. They gave the command to a man called Friday and set sail on Friday, however, although the ship was new and seaworthy when it left port, neither the ship or the crew were ever heard of again!

Take care when you book your ferry tickets!

From 'Mrs Darley's Pagan Elements' by Carole Carlton

Wales and Mid West Pagan Conference

This weekend we visited the beautiful town of Crickhowell in South Wales, where the Wales and Mid West Pagan Conference was held. What a lovely place and what friendly people. Thank you to everyone who made us so welcome. This is a part of Wales with which, until now, we were unfamiliar but it is definitely somewhere we will be visiting again.

The conference itself made for a very interesting day spent with like minded people and some of the talks were fascinating on subjects such as training in the craft & the Gods of the Greek/Roman sorcerers. The open and closing rituals were also beautifully performed. Bee's (and many others I'm sure) hard work made the day a great success.

Will most certainly look forward to next year's conference.

Ondine's Curse

In German mythology the term, 'Ondine' was used as the proper name for a beautiful water nymph who fell deeply in love with a brave knight called Sir Lawrence. The couple married and, when making their vows, Sir Lawrence stated that his every waking breath would be a pledge of his love and faithfulness to Ondine. The couple were very happy and soon Ondine gave birth to a beautiful child. From this moment on however Ondine lost her gift of eternal youth and began to age. As her looks diminished so her husband's interest in her waned and one afternoon Ondine found her husband sleeping in the arms of another woman.

Enraged, Ondine reminded Sir Lawrence of his wedding vows when he said that his every waking breath would be a promise of his love and faithfulness to her. She went on to curse him by saying that as long as he stayed awake he would have the breath of life, but if he should ever have the misfortune to fall asleep then his breath would fail and he would die. Needless to say his life was dramatically shortened.

There is a medical condition called 'Undine's Curse', which is used to describe a rare disorder whereby the automatic control of breathing is lost resulting in the need for every breath to be made consciously. If the person falls asleep then this facility is lost and they die.

From 'Mrs Darley's Pagan Elements' by Carole Carlton

The Ondine

Autumn is the season of water and symbollically is associated with maturity and a quietening of the spirit. It is protected by the Ondine, a fairy like creature who makes its abode in pools and waterfalls.

These enchanting creatures are born with the gift of eternal life but do not possess a soul and can only acquire one by marrying a human and bearing his child. In exchange for a soul the ondine loses the gift of eternal life.

Read about 'Ondine's Curse' in the next blog.

The Yew

Beneath the yew, beside the stream

Lies the land of long lost dreams,

Where through the mists of yesterday,

The lore of magic still holds sway.

Where naiads sing and ondines dance,

The human soul becomes entranced.

Beneath the yew, Beside the stream,

Lies the land Of long lost dreams

From 'Mrs Darley's Pagan Elements' by Carole Carlton

The Harvest Festival

The harvest season began of course back in August with the harvesting of the corn at which point we gave thanks to our Celtic ancestors for the festival of Lughnasadh (see earlier blog). The later Saxons brought with them the festival of Hlaefmass meaning 'loaf festival' where the loaf made from the first cut of the corn was crumbled and placed in the four corners of the barn to ensure a fruitful harvest in the year to come and to protect the gathered crops.

When Christianity came to these islands the festival soon died out as it was seen as having nothing to do with the life of Christ. Therefore the church remained without such a festival until the year 1843 when the Reverend Hawker, the eccentric Vicar of Morwenstowe church high up on the North Cornish coast, reinstated the festival following a fruitful harvest after several years of failed crops, in order to give thanks to God.

As we sit down at our tables laden with food this autumn consider offering a silent word of thanks not only to our Celtic and Saxon ancestors but also to the Reverend Hawker for reinstating an ancient and worthwhile festival