The Meaning of Samhain

October in Western Washington brings misty mornings that melt into golden afternoons and chilly nights. The maples scattered between the evergreens give a hint of the approach of winter by their waning display of color and carpet of buttery yellow on the earth. Farmers have completed the last harvests of the year, and Hallow'een isn't far off, with winter in close pursuit.  To children, the thought of Hallow'een brings visions of carved pumpkin lanterns, frightful costumes, and candy. Lots of candy!. To some of us, it brings visions of soaped windshields, tissue-draped trees and other adolescent mischief. And some even think of it as a time of the rise of dark and demonic forces.

But to others it is an ancient Celtic religious holiday originating in the pre-Christian past of the British Isles. Samh'ain, or in English, "November Eve," celebrated at sundown on October 31st, is the New Year of the Wiccan religion, a holy time, a time for introspection and self-evaluation, a time to honor our ancestors.

Who are the Wiccans? They are the followers of the religion of the pre-Christian indigenous peoples of what is now Northern Europe and the British Isles. Broadly classified as Pagans, they follow a spirituality based on the natural cycles of the Earth and the cosmos which originated in pre-history centered around the seasons of the year, agriculture, and animal husbandry which were necessary for survival in those times. It is a religion relatively free of rigid dogma and there are many variations. Although this religion has been often characterized as somehow barbaric and occasionally even evil in centuries past, it is actually a benign, life-affirming spirituality with a strong core of morality. In fact, Wiccan theology urges personal responsibility for one's actions, good or bad, and does not include the convenience of a "devil" or a "Satan" figure on which to blame one's shortcomings.

Samh'ain is not the name of a deity or demon as some detractors have claimed, but is actually an old Celtic word for "summer's end." In the ancient Celtic world of what is now Ireland and England the year began November 1st, and as in many early cultures, the new day began at sundown. Samh'ain was considered holy as a "day that is not a day," for it was considered a day after the end of the last day of the year, and a day before the beginning of the new year.

Wiccans usually celebrate this holiday with a ceremony honoring their holy duality, the Goddess and the God who are seen as the embodiment of all of the forces of nature, and a rite known as the Dumb Supper to honor deceased ancestors. Since all of nature is replete with the dual polarities of male and female, Wiccans envision deity as representing both polarities, as a Goddess and a God, aspects of the one unknowable creative Source.

The Goddess, who has three aspects as Maiden, Mother, and Crone or Grandmother, is honored now in Her Crone aspect, the Wisewoman, our guide in the declining years of our lives. She who demands that we take time each year for introspection and self-evaluation, She who demands we make better of ourselves in the coming year.

The God, too, who is depicted as a robust man with antlers, is honored in His aspect of God of the forests, fields, flocks and herds, was the Lord of Death and Rebirth, for Wiccans believe that as surely as the Winter brings the death of the weaker herd animals, the plants and other things, so too will the inevitable eventuality of Spring bring a rebirth and a magnificent renewal of the earth and its creatures.

The Dumb Supper is a meal traditionally of dark-colored foods, consumed in complete silence after sundown on October 31st. Places are set at the table for the deceased: ancestors, other relatives, friends and favorite people who may have passed on in the last year. Often a picture of them or some personally significant memento will be set at a vacant place at the table, while the diners think about those not present. Sometimes a Rite of Release may be conducted to benefit someone who may have died violently or by their own hand in the last year, for some Wiccans believe those spirits may not be able to achieve their eternal reward otherwise.

Most Pagans agree on many of these commonly held beliefs:

1. Divinity is immanent or internal, as well as transcendent or external. This is often expressed by the phrases "Thou Art God" and "Thou Art Goddess."
2. Divinity is just as likely to manifest itself as female. This has resulted in a large number of women being attracted to the faith and joining the clergy.
3. A multiplicity of gods and goddesses, whether as individual deities or as facets of one or a few archetypes. This leads to multi-valued logic systems and increased tolerance towards other religions.
4. Respect and love of Nature as divine in Her own right. This makes ecological awareness and activity a religious duty. 
5. Dissatisfaction with monolithic religious organizations and a distrust of would-be Messiahs and gurus. This makes Pagans hard to organize, even "for their own good," and leads to constant mutation and growth in the movement.
6. The conviction that human beings were meant to live lives filled with joy, love, pleasure and humor. The traditional Western concepts of sin, guilt and divine retribution are seen as misunderstandings of natural growth experiences.
7. A simple set of ethics and morality based on the golden rule: the avoidance of harm to other people. Some may extend this to some or all living beings and the planet as a whole.
8. The knowledge that with proper training and intent, human minds and hearts are fully capable of performing all of the magic and miracles they are ever likely to need, through the use of natural psychic powers which everyone possesses.
9. The importance of acknowledging and celebrating the solar, lunar and other cycles of our lives. This has led to the investigation and revival of many ancient customs and the creation of some new ones.
10. A minimum of dogma and a maximum of eclecticism. That is to say, Pagans are reluctant to accept any idea without personally investigating it, and are willing to adopt and use most any concept they find useful.