Samhain Ancestor Rite for Families with Children

Kids Prayer for Samhain

Samhain is here, cold is the earth,
as we celebrate the cycle of death and rebirth.
Tonight we speak to those through the veil,
the lines between worlds are thin and frail.

Ghosts and spirits in the night,
magical beings rising in flight,owls hooting up in a moonlit tree,
I don't fear you and you don't fear me.

As the sun goes down, far to the west,
my ancestors watch over me as I rest.
They keep me safe and without fear,
on the night of Samhain, the Witches' New Year.

Serpent Magic and Symbolism

Spring is the season of new life, and as the ground warms, one of the first denizens of the animal kingdom we begin to notice emerging is the serpent. While a lot of people are afraid of snakes, it's important to remember that in many cultures, serpent mythology is strongly tied to the cycle of life, death and rebirth.

In Scotland, Highlanders had a tradition of pounding the ground with a stick until the serpent emerged. The snake's behavior gave them a good idea of how much frost was left in the season. Folklorist Alexander Carmichael points out in the Carmina Gadelica that there's actually a poem in honor of the serpent emerging from its burrow to predict spring-like weather on "the brown day of Bride".


The serpent will come from the hole
on the brown day of Bride (Brighid)
though there may be three feet of snow
on the surface of the ground.

In some forms of American folk magic and hoodoo, the snake can be used as an instrument of harm. In Hoodoo and Voodoo, Jim Haskins relays the custom of using the serpent's blood to introduce snakes into the human body. According to this hoodoo traditions, one must "extract the blood from a snake by puncturing an artery… feed the liquid blood to the victim in food or drink, and snakes will grow inside him."

A South Carolina rootworker who asked to be identified only as Jasper says his father and grandfather, both rootworkers, kept snakes on hand to use in magic. He says, "If you wanted someone to get sick and die, you used a snake that you tied a piece of their hair around. Then you kill the snake, and bury it in the person's yard, and the person gets sicker and sicker each day. Because of the hair, the person is tied to the snake."

Ohio is the home of the best-known serpent effigy mound in North America. Although no one is certain why the Serpent Mound was created, it's possible that it was in homage to the great serpent of legend. The Serpent Mound is about 1300 feet in length, and at the serpent's head, it appears to be swallowing an egg. The serpent's head aligns to the sunset on the day of the summer solstice. The coils and the tail may also point to sunrise on the days of the winter solstice and the equinoxes.

In the Ozarks, there is a story about a connection between snakes and babies, according to author Vance Randolph. In his book Ozark Magic and Folklore, he describes a tale in which a small child goes outside to play and takes along with him a piece of bread and his cup of milk. In the story, the mother hears the child chattering and assumes he's talking to himself, but when she goes outside finds him feeding his milk and bread to a poisonous snake -- typically either a rattlesnake or a copperhead. The old timers of the area warn that killing the snake would be a mistake -- that somehow the child's life is magically connected to that of the snake, and that "if the reptile is killed the baby will pine away and die a few weeks later."

The serpent is instrumental in the Egyptian myth cycle. After Ra created all things, Isis, the goddess of magic, tricked him by creating a serpent which ambushed Ra on his daily journey across the heavens. The serpent bit Ra, who was powerless to undo the poison. Isis announced that she could heal Ra from the poison and destroy the serpent, but would only do so if Ra revealed his True Name as payment. By learning his True Name, Isis was able to gain power over Ra. For Cleopatra, a serpent was an instrument of death.

In Ireland, St. Patrick is famous because he drove the snakes out of the country, and was even credited with a miracle for this. What many people don't realize is that the serpent was actually a metaphor for the early Pagan faiths of Ireland. St. Patrick brought Christianity to the Emerald Isle, and did such a good job of it that he practically eliminated Paganism from the country.

When it comes to symbolism in general, the snake has a lot of different meanings. Watch a snake shed his skin, and you'll think of transformation. Because snakes are silent and move stealthily before attacking, some people associate them with cunning and treachery. Still others see them as representative of fertility, masculine power, or protection.

via about.com

Roman Celebration of Februalia Starts (Tomorrow)

Februalia, January 30 - February 2:

The ancient Romans had a festival for nearly everything, and if you were a god, you almost always got your own holiday. Februus, for whom the month of February is named, was a god associated with both death and purification. In some writings, Februus is considered the same god as Faun, because their holidays were celebrated so closely together.

The festival known as Februalia was held near the end of the Roman calendar year -- and to understand how the holiday changed over time, it helps a bit to know the calendar's history. Originally, the Roman year had only ten months -- they counted out ten months between March and December, and basically disregarded the "dead months" of January and February. Later, the Etruscans came along and added these two months back into the equation. In fact, they planned to make January the first month, but the expulsion of the Etruscan dynasty prevented this from happening, and so March 1st was considered the first day of the year. February was dedicated to Februus, a god not unlike Dis or Pluto, because it was the month in which Rome was purified by making offerings and sacrifices to the gods of the dead. Our Guide to Ancient History, N.S. Gill, has some great information on the terminology found in the Roman calendar.

At any rate, because of the association with fire as a method of purification, at some point the celebration of Februalia became associated with Vesta, a hearth goddess much like the Celtic Brighid. Not only that, February 2 is also considered the day of Juno Februa, the mother of war god Mars. There is a reference to this purification holiday in Ovid's Fasti, in which he says, "In short, anything used to cleanse our bodies went by that name [of februa] in the time of our unshorn forefathers. The month is called after these things, because the Luperci purify the whole ground with strips of hide, which are their instruments of cleansing..."

Februalia was a month-long period of sacrifice and atonement, invovling offerings to the gods, prayer, and sacrifices. If you were a wealthy Roman who didn't have to go out and work, you could literally spend the entire month of February in prayer and meditation, atoning for your misdeeds during the other eleven months of the year.

Celtic Tree Month of Elder Begins -- YESTERDAY

Let me just start off by saying "sorry" I was super busy yesterday getting everything in order for Thanksgiving that I honestly forgot to post yesterday - my apologies!
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The winter solstice will pass, and the Elder moon is a time of endings. Although the Elder can be damaged easily, it recovers quickly and springs back to life, corresponding to the approaching New Year. Called Ruish by the Celts (pronounced roo-esh), the month of Elder is a good time for workings related to creativity and renewal. It is a time of beginnings and endings, births and deaths, and rejuvenation. Elder is also said to protect against demons and other negative entities. Use in magic connected to Faeries and other nature spirits.



-The Crafty Witch

Celtic Tree Month of Reed Begins

Celtic Tree Month of Reed begins -- 

Reed is typically used to make wind instruments, and this time of year, its haunting sounds are sometimes heard when the souls of the dead are being summoned to the Underworld. 

The Reed Moon was called Negetal, pronounced nyettle by the Celts, and is sometimes referred to as the Elm Moon by modern Pagans. 

This is a time for divination and scrying. If you're going to have a seanse  this is a good month to do it. 

This month, do magical workings related to spirit guides, energy work, meditation, celebration of death, and honoring the cycle of life and rebirth.

-The Crafty Witch

Celtic Tree Month Of Ivy Begins -- Sept 30 - Oct 27

Celtic Tree Month of Ivy begins -- 

As the year comes to a close and Samhain approaches, the Ivy moon rolls in at the end of the harvest season. Ivy often lives on after its host plant has died -- a reminder to us that life goes on, in the endless cycle of life, death and rebirth. The Celts called this month Gort, pronounced go-ert. This is a time to banish the negative from your life. 

Do workings related to improving yourself, and placing a barricade between you and the things that are toxic to you. Ivy can be used in magic performed for healing, protection, cooperation, and to bind lovers together.

via paganwiccan


-The Crafty Witch

Fav Halloween Movies 2 of 7

This is actually one of the best Disney movies I have ever seen, back in the 90's Disney got to get away with racy innuendos and some mild language. This movie as a child was so scary to me and was the absolute best to watch late at night (which at that point and time was really like 10pm) curled up with my power ranger footie pajamas and my fuzzy blanket. ANYWAYS -- its such a great movie.

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Tower of Terror

Rating: UR           Length: 89 mins.               Year: 1997

Cast: Steve Guttenberg, Kirsten Dunst, Nia Peeples

Movie Description

Written and directed by D.J. MacHale, Tower of Terror is a made-for-TV production supernatural thriller from Walt Disney Television. The 89-minute film is based on The Twilight Zone Tower of Terror theme park attraction at Florida's Walt Disney World Resort, the first Disney production featuring one of its own attractions.

Steve Guttenberg portrays a former distinguished reporter who fell on hard times and now toils for a sleazy tabloid. His fortunes begin looking up after stumbling across a 1939 episode in which five people mysteriously disappear while in a luxury hotel elevator during a lightning storm. Buzzy Crocker (Guttenberg) and his niece Anna (Kirsten Dunst) become involved through a chance encounter with Abigail Gregory (Amzie Strickland), an older sister of one of the victims. Abigail claims to know the "real" story behind the incident, and her version intrigues Buzzy and Anna; so much that they attempt to recreate the decades-long mystery in hopes of solving it.

In addition to Guttenberg, Dunst and Strickland, other notable cast members include Nia Peeples, Michael McShane and Melora Hardin.

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Thank you to http://www.disneymovieslist.com for info

-The Crafty Witch

40 Days Till Halloween

Yep, thats right, 40 days remaining until Halloween. 

Check every-- 

Monday for my DIY Halloween Projects, everything you can make yourself and all under $5!

Wednesdays for articles Into The Paranormal and Beyond, where we talk about the unknown and gives you a different perspective on life. . . and the afterlife!

&

Fridays for Fav Halloween Movies, talking about the best Halloween movies to watch (the best from when you were a kid)


See you then


-The Crafty Witch

The Imagination

The explanation we get from skeptics and mainstream science - and who are usually people who have never experienced the shadow people phenomenon - is that it is nothing more than the active human imagination. It's our minds playing tricks on us... our eyes seeing things in a fraction of a second that aren't really there - illusions... real shadows caused by passing auto headlights, or some similar explanation. And without a doubt, these explanations probably can account for some if not many experiences. The human eye and mind are easily fooled. But can they account for all cases?

Stephen Wagner

-The Crafty Witch

Shadow People

There's a growing interest in the phenomenon of shadow people. What are they?

Ghosts? Interdimensional beings? Time travelers? Something else?

"WHAT WAS THAT?" You were sitting comfortably on your sofa reading the latest issue of FATE in the dim light when movement across the room caught your attention. It seemed dark and shadowy, but there was nothing there. You returned to your reading - and a moment later there it was again. You looked up quickly this time and saw the fleeting but distinctly human shape of the shadow pass quickly over the far wall... and disappear.

What was that? Some natural shadow? Your heightened imagination? A ghost? Or was it something that seems to be a spreading phenomenon - apparitions that are coming to be known as "shadow people" or "shadow beings." Perhaps this is an old phenomenon with a new name that is now being discussed more openly, in part thanks to the Internet. Or maybe it's a phenomenon that, for some reason, is manifesting with greater frequency and intensity now.

Those who are experiencing and studying the shadow people phenomenon say that these entities almost always used to be seen out of the corner of the eye and very briefly. But more and more, people are beginning to see them straight on and for longer periods of time. Some experiencers testify that they have even seen eyes, usually red, on these shadow beings.

The mysterious sightings have become a hot topic of conversion in paranormal chat rooms, message boards and websites, and it is given widespread attention on paranormal talk radio.

I think the main questions we should be asking ourselves are what are shadow people and where do they come from?

Stephen Wagner

-The Crafty Witch

Life After Death

"In the dawn of physical existence, men knew that death was merely a change form......"

The question of life after death has been around since the dawn of mankind. Most people do believe that there is some type of existence after the physical body is gone, and one good explanation for this is that there is no compelling reason not to believe it. What would be the point of going through this sometimes very hard life if we were just going to be reduced to dust after all is said and done? We are spiritual beings, and as spiritual beings we often manifest unmistakable signs that give us insight into the fact that our essence, or spirit, is not bound to our physical body. Intuition, perception, deja vu, strong emotions, feelings, psychic abilities, and many other common spiritual functions give strong evidence that we are somehow connected to a much higher plane than is present on the

Volumes have been written on the experiences of individuals who have come very near to death, or actually died and were then resuscitated. The descriptions of these experiences tend to be remarkably similar, despite the actual individuals being from very different religions and lifestyles. Virtually all report sensing that rather than the end, this is the beginning of their spiritual journey. Most feel warmth, serenity, and a comforting tunnel of light, and some report seeing Angels, friends, family members, and even beloved pets waiting for them on the other side.

Of course, as with most supernatural, paranormal, psychic, and otherworldly phenomena, there is no concrete proof of life after death, but spiritually, on some level, most of us likely do believe that this earth is not our only plane of existence.

Author Unknown

-The Crafty Witch