TWH – The Wheel of the Year is turning again. This evening in the northern hemisphere marks the beginning of Samhain, the celebration marking the third harvest and remembrance of ancestors. In the southern hemisphere, many Pagans celebrate Beltaine, the celebration of the fires of life.
Samhain marks the start of winter and the new year according to the old Celtic calendar. It is a time when the ancestors are honored, divination is performed, and festivals are held in honor of the gods.
Perhaps the best known of modern Pagan holidays, Samhain is recognized as the last of the three harvest festivals in Pagan paths that follow the wheel of the year, as well as the entrance into the winter season for those in the northern hemisphere. For many, Samhain represents a new year and the soberest days of our annual celebrations, remembering those who have crossed the veil and spending time honoring and communing with the mighty dead to bring their wisdom into the new year.
It is also, as they say, Decorative Gourd Season. [Suju, Pixabay]
During this season, other celebrations and festivals are also being held, such as Velu Laiks (“the time of spirits”) by Baltic Pagans; Álfablót – or the Scandinavian sacrifice to the elves, Winter Nights – by Ásatrúar; Foundation Night in modern devotional practices to Antinous; Allelieweziel by the Urglaawe tradition; Dziady, the holiday whose name means “grandfathers,” commemorated by Slavic Pagans; Fête Ghede by Vodou practitioners; Día de los Muertos for followers of Santeria and several Indigenous religions in Mexico and throughout Latin America; and the astrological Samhain on November 7, celebrated by some Witches and Druids.
In the southern hemisphere, many Pagans are celebrating Beltane, honoring the turn to summer. Beltane is one of the four fire festivals and often represents the optimism for a good harvest, the growing power of the sun, and fertility.
Lest we forget, there is the secular celebration of Halloween, too. This evening will be marked by various festivities as the secular understanding of the holiday focuses on avoiding the tricks laid out by goblins, fairies, and other spirit folks.
Harvest Moon [C.E. Price, Wikimedia Commons]
This year’s Samhain will be marked by the darkening of Medusa’s eye in the constellation of Perseus. The star Algol will be at minimum brightness just after sunset around 6:44 PM (Eastern Daylight Time) in the northeastern sky. But then over the course of five hours, Algol will return to full intensity.
Algol is also called Beta Persei (β Persei) and colloquially called the Demon Star or the “Gorgon of Perseus.” In Hebrew, Agol is called “Satan’s Head,” and in the 16th Century, the star was referred to as Caput Larvae, or the Spectre’s Head. In Chinese folklore, the star is part of the constellation “Mausoleum” (大陵, Dà Líng).
Algol is one of the 15 stars that have magical applications according to Heinrich Cornelius Agrippa, who discussed it and the 16 Behenian fixed stars in Three Books of Occult Philosophy. He associates Algol with diamond and black hellebore.
This year’s Samhain is also taking place during the continuing COVID-19 pandemic. As of October 30, nearly 5 million have died of the coronavirus, and nearly 250 million cases have been reported worldwide. Last year, TWH’s Nathan Hall spoke with a number of Pagan practitioners about how they are celebrating Samhain. Many will continue a special remembrance for those taken early.
TWH’s editor-in-chief, Manny Tejeda-Moreno, considered how to be “good ancestor” and how the media remembers Witches exist during the Samhain season. Sean McShee interviewed Rev. Angie Buchanan, a death midwife, last year about that final, inevitable rite of passage. Meanwhile, our news editor Star Bustamonte covered the question of the artifacts the dead leave behind – and who should properly hold them in the future.
A candle for the dead [Pixabay]
The Wild Hunt would like to wish all of our readers a blessed Samhain season. We hope that our forebears will offer us their guidance, comfort, and wisdom during this time of great transition. May the new year be brighter than the one that has come before.
What is remembered, lives.
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