Hallowe'en Rant 2002

HALLOWE'EN 2002

from a mostly Pagan
and respectfully irreverent perspective...

Witchery -- to some the word conjures images of mystery and power;
others simply embrace it in the beautiful yet ordinary trappings of daily life.
More simply, witchery implies recognition of magical power in our lives.
Magic is everywhere.
It arises in the passage of a book that evokes emotion,
in the aroma that revives long-forgotten memories,
in certain qualities of light and color.
All these bring magic to our lives by altering our perception.
-- Kerry Cudmore 10/2002, The Witches' Quarterly --

Ev'ry W'man has a lil' Witch in 'er...

Thus spoke my Maternal Great Grandmother...

It was many years ago, in my Grandmother's kitchen one sultry, late summer afternoon when the air was thick with the odor of thyme and sage wafting over a pot of chicken and dumplings simmering on the stove, where steam hovered like a specter on still air, where flies buzzed monotonously around the back screen door, where iridescent beads of condensation ran down the white granite pitcher and dime store ice tea glasses in little rivers pooling silently on the table, where I sat quietly sipping heavily sugared ice tea and listening to the prattle of the Old Women gathered there.

Old Women with short, permed haircuts in cotton print dresses.
Old Women with a fine sheen of perspiration under their noses.
Old Women with time-lined, care-worn, bright-eyed faces.
Old Women with gnarled hands, stiff joints and swollen ankles.
Old Women housed in stout bodies plump with life.

It was one of my favorite things to do when I spent the last few days of summer with my Grandmothers. I would sit quietly and listen... virtually invisible... which is why I was tolerated in their circle, I think. I listened intently while my Great Grandmother, my Grandmother, my Great Aunt and assorted other Old Women relatives and Old Women friends talked freely and seemingly non-stop of Women's concerns - of children and other relatives and assorted town folk and menfolk whose hi-jinx made them worthy of kitchen table discussion in Little Town Texas.

They talked about Life.
They cried about Life.
They laughed about Life.

They spoke about Life with respectful reverence.

Life's Woes...
Life's Joys...
Life's Little Moments of Wonder...

They talked about their children and grandchildren - their successes, their failures, their marriages, their divorces. They talked about births and deaths. They talked about gardens and flowers, the planting of things, the harvest, the cost of bread or a length of cloth. They talked about cooking this or that delectable dish in simple southern kitchens where home-grown, home canned and made-from-scratch meant something - something good and wholesome. They talked about sickness and how to cure it. They talked about health in a manner that indicated their own well-being was secondary to the health of those in their charge. They meant it. Health was something one was grateful to have in one's old age. They entered into good-natured debate over the best cures for this or that ailment, sharing and disseminating information gathered from who knows what source or experience - you know, the proverbial Old Wives Tale cures. They swore by the time-worn remedies that did not come over-the-counter from a drug store for a baby's colic, fevers, headaches, rheumatism, shingles, and grouchy stomachs. They discussed how, interestingly enough, to tell the sex of a child by the way a woman carried it. As far as I know. My Great Grandmother never missed naming the sex of a child.

I was, very simply - eavesdropping in on Life.

Life's Magic.
Life's Mysteries.
Life's Music.

Yes, it was Life's music - a music which thrummed about the table and filled the kitchen in a crescendo of layer upon layer harmony plucked from the instruments of Old Women's soft tears, quiet sighs and cackling laughter.

In ancient times or olden days as my Great Grandmother would say, knowledge and tradition was passed on from generation to generation by literally speaking the words over and over - by communicating the Craft of Life - the pragmatic rules of simple survival - to the next generation. It is known as Oral Tradition.

Modern day, self-proclaimed Witches say this is how they learned their Craft. Traditional Witchcraft they call it, and perhaps it is, but if it is, then it was spun around a kitchen table much like the one which sits to this very day in my Grandmother's warm century old home.

This fundamental piece of furniture, the kitchen table was adorned not with the accouterments of magic one would expect but with the rudimentary accouterments of life - salt and pepper, honey and sorghum and sugar, wildflowers poking helter-skelter out of a brown glass pill bottle picked by grubby, childish hands.

Ev'ry W'man has a lil' Witch in 'er...

I do not remember what prompted it, but I do remember that statement fell impertinently on my little ears. I remember the moment of stunned silence as the congregation of Old Women mulled this over in their minds. Witches were they? Then I remember their sudden, united chuckle that erupted into wild, uninhibited laughter - every one smiling and nodding soulfully at the other as that conspiratorial Old Woman's look passed between them, glances which welcomed and embraced the idea of Witchery in their midst.

Witches we are then - they seem to agree - So Be It!

Little did I know as I sat with elbows akimbo on the table and legs swinging to and fro, sticking uncomfortably to the vinyl of the chair that summer afternoon - listening, that they, the Old Women were passing on their own tradition, their own Craft, their own brand of homespun knowledge and experience - to me. I, in turn was absorbing their Old Woman mysteries like a sponge. I was being indoctrinated into their Craft.

This was my induction into The Craft of Womanhood whose business is the Craft of Life and sometimes Death, but always it is the business of Renewal. I say it again Women's business is The Craft of Tradition and Witchery, Mystery and Magic.

Ev'ry W'man has a lil' Witch in 'er...
Every Woman is a Witch.
I believed it then. I believe it now.

I believe every Woman has the capacity to tune in to the great mystery. Life. I believe every Woman is a part of that great mystery in and of herself. I believe every Woman has the power of intuition. I believe every woman is a psychic of some degree depending upon her willingness to focus on and accept matters that may lie just outside what is considered the realm of possibility. I believe every Woman has the courage to direct her life in a positive manner and affect the lives of those in her charge in like manner. I believe Women survive despite the demons that lie in wait along the path set before them and despite those disparate creatures that sneak up from behind. I believe Women are the original vanquishers of evil.

I believe Women possess the tools to break beyond the boundaries of the mundane and the ability to embrace with a whole heart that which is cast off or deemed unworthy by others. I believe Women are a storehouse of knowledge - not book knowledge but life knowledge. I believe Women reinvent themselves with each new generation and that Womanhood is a never-ending cycle of evolution toward something more pure, more beautiful and more enlightened, that we are all contributors to something great and vast and powerful which will reveal itself as the best of ourselves - in a better time - a future place.

...I have to digress and interject here that I don't necessarily think that Witchery is gender specific. Men are quite capable of great intuitive powers and extraordinary feats of wisdom and magic but Women own a part in the great scheme of things that is exclusively their own territory and it is with Women that this discourse is concerned.

As I walk my own path I find that a look over my shoulder every now and then does the soul good. It is easy to stay grounded in this life if you remember from whence you came. So, that is what I do come every Samhain (Hallowe'en). By remembering the ones (both living and departed) who have come before me - my Womenfolk, Grandmothers, Aunts, Mothers, Sisters, and Women friends I find the courage to carry on. Thus grounded, I can focus upon those who have and will come after me - Daughters and Granddaughters. We are all Maiden - Mother - Crone in our own season and in accordance with our own will and purpose. We will be remembered by those with whom we have shared our lives and who have partaken of our traditions -- our Craft.

Yes, I remember well and most fondly those Old Women gathered around the kitchen table, the ones for whom Witchery was merely a stamp on the validity of their fruitful and purposeful lives. It was a brief glimmer of the true purpose behind their never-ending toil in the mundane world - a world that often treats Old Women as if they are truly Witches.

I am grateful for those Old Women - their ever guiding presence in my life, for their gifts of magic and mystery, tradition and witchery, for their sense of mischief and good humor. And I am thankful for the memory of their Women's Witchy laughter ringing in my head like it was yesterday...a recollection that has me smiling, even now...

So, here I respectfully offer:
Bright Blessings
To Old Women
Witches One and All
Blessed Be!

Respectfully yours in caliginous chaos
An it harm none – do as you will…
Octoberwych
© 2002 (text revised 2018) All rights reserved

Hallowe'en Rant 2001

HALLOWE'EN 2001
Just for the record: I have not written a rant for Halloween 2001

Like the rest of the nation and perhaps the world my thoughts are focused elsewhere and filled with the tragic images and events of

September 11, 2001

May we respectfully remember those lost to us...
May we show our support to
the families and friends
and especially the children
who have lost so much...
May we gain strength and inspiration
from their bravery and courage and sacrifice...
~~~
May we stand tall and strong and determined
to face the challenges which lay before us...
in the American Way...
with truth and fairness as our guide.
May we nurture her strengths
and strengthen her weaknesses so that
she will always be a
Land of the Free
and
Home of the Brave.
-- John Wayne --
May we all strive to be the best Americans ...

Peace and Joy Be With You
This Halloween Season 2001
Blessed Be!

© 2001 all rights reserved

Hallowe'en Rant 2000

HALLOWE'EN 2000

A Much Maligned Holiday
From a mostly pagan
and respectfully irreverent perspective...

This starry night no spectre shows,
No magic flame of bonfire glows;
But all around I feel them close
In ghostly company.
From Night in New Forest by Doreen Valiente

Shall we begin?

I usually try to avoid the influence of pop culture when I consider a topic but since I do not live life with my head buried in the sand that is near impossible. One evening recently I settled down to watch the Hallowe'en episode of the WB2 TV show Charmed (you know the one, with the three lovely sisters who are Witches with amazing magic powers) which, I might add, I find a bit light weight but about as entertaining as anything else on TV these days. By the way, I do not tune in to shows like this to analyze their authenticity or search for misrepresentations in the subject matter - I do not understand why anyone would demand that much from a commercially motivated media.

Anyway, at the onset of this particular episode there was a modest attempt to banish the stereotype of the Hallowe'en Witch as intolerable. A statement I can only assume was aimed at appeasing any modern day Neo-Pagans, Witches and Wiccan communities who might be tuning in. I am not sure it fully satisfied this agenda because by the end of the episode the Charmed Ones had whole heartedly embraced the stereotype, even succumbing to the temptation to fly around on a besom/broom with one of the beauties silhouetted against a full moon. Oh me!

I recognized the quandary presented though, because I am all too familiar with it. It has been brought to my attention that this web site (The Wyching Well - now the October Country USA blog) should be all-of-this or none-of-that depending with whom I am talking rather than just an exercise for my imagination and an amusing past-time. How do you gracefully represent Hallowe'en as a cheerful celebration without offending those who consider it a religious or at the very least, serious occasion? And if you cater solely to the serious aspect of the day you run the risk of annoying those who are simply present for the goodies and fun.

Hmmm... It is not as easy as it sounds. Is it? Today, it is really hard to be conscientious (without resorting to the horror of political correctness) and still be able to enjoy just being yourself. I am not sure why we bother (most of the time I do not) but sure as we did not - there would be someone here front-and-center pointing a finger at you and me saying, "I find this or that offensive!"

Moving along now... that's another rant...

I think the answer lies in whether or not you (the official, fully costumed Hallowe'en nut case) can embrace Hallowe'en (the orange and black, sugar-coated American holiday) with all the stereotypes and not give a hoot whether the Neo-Pagans or Wiccans or modern day Witches are chanting and dancing around a bonfire.

Or, whether you, the Neo-Pagan/Wiccan/Witch can attend to the business of Samhain (end of summer) celebrations without feeling guilty about not getting up in the middle of ritual to trick-or-treat the small invasion of neighborhood kids who are certain to label you a Grinch Witch or worse if you do not turn on your porch light at least for little while.

And, I always wonder about those of you out there who are simply going through the motions, who do not care one way or the other about Hallowe'en except that it costs you a couple of bags of candy and at least a small amount of space on the editorial pages of the newspaper (with people debating the pros and cons) for a few days.

I think the reason difficulties arise when commercial realism and spiritual ideologies -- like Hallowe'en vs. Samhain -- clash is that folks most often tend to take themselves and their beliefs and so it follows, their holidays, a bit too seriously. We DO take our holidays seriously in the USA or at least the time off allotted for them. Don't we?

However, on October 31 you get fireworks times three when the forces who observe this day for various reasons clash...

And these groups are:
1) those who love the commercial elements and celebrate Hallowe'en for the pure, childlike fun of it
2) those who are spiritually inclined and observe the day as Samhain, the Witches New Year
and
3) those others aka BT/Bible Thumpers who simply cannot resist meddling in order to promote their own agenda whatever that may be.

When you factor in this third combustible element (BT), then you really are stirring a whole new batch of worms into the pot. The result of this volatile Witches Brew is a specifically nasty brand of intolerance - especially when holidays for different factions, unfortunately, coincide with one another, for instance, when Hallowe'en/Samhain falls on Sunday.

What I find particularly amusing in this scenario is that you have those who celebrate Samhain at odds with those who celebrate Hallowe'en. Why? Because, I am told (by Pagans), Hallowe'en perpetuates and promotes the negative aspects of the day and casts a big black shadow over Samhain. Aspects, that the third element, the Bible Thumpers, assign to the holiday including its cast of stereotyped characters. So, you have modern day Witches getting angry at Trick-or-Treaters over being portrayed as evil, ugly hags - a mythos derived from the puritanical ranting of the third element involved.

Trick-or-Treaters get a bad rap
from modern day Witches who get a bad rap
from Bible Thumpers
who will not tolerate Trick-or-Treaters or Witches
who have a low tolerance for Bible Thumpers
and so on...

Talk about a vicious circle! Holy Widdershins!

So, what do you do when you find your spiritual occasion or holiday butting heads with another of equal importance which happens all too often in the USA? I mean Hallowe'en isn't any more about Samhain and modern day Witches than Santa Claus is about the birth of the Christ Child aka Christmas. You either celebrate one or the other or somehow magically combine the mysteries to accommodate the whole in America. It is just how it is done. So out goes the lighted plastic baby Jesus figurine in the front yard next to Santa and Frosty. No big deal - right? One might go crazy trying to disassociate from one to focus on the other.

Hallowe'en Witches vs. Pagan/Wiccan Witches, now there's a toughie! How do you separate the two in your mind or to their satisfaction? Well, here's a thought that may be perceived by some as an over-simplified answer.

One is fiction. One is not.
'Nuff said...

Or is it enough? Let us pretend for a moment that you are really informed and well-read on the subject. When you picture authors and self-proclaimed Witches -- Margot Adler, Starhawk, Janet Farrar, Silver Ravenwolf, Doreen Valiente or even the guys Scott Cunningham or Isaac Bonewits - what do you see? Real people? Professional people who could be your neighbors? Or do you see a toothless, wart-ridden hag on a broom and a scruffy bearded guy in a dress and pointy hat?

When someone mentions Witches do you envision the trio from Charmed or the trio from Disney's Hocus-Pocus? What answer one comes up with here is most likely based solely on one's experience and familiarity with the subject and that, in most cases, is directly related to one's exposure to current trends and pop culture - isn't it?

These pesky folk who allegedly perceive modern day Witches as evil because of dime store Hallowe'en stereotypes and Hollywood hype would have to be clueless wouldn't they? I think it is more likely and far more insulting that regular folk simply dismiss modern day Witches as a bit wacky and don't bother themselves beyond that. Now some take offense to not being taken seriously and granted, this particular problem becomes a very real problem when confronted by modern day Witches on their jobs and in other aspects of their lives. But, as with most things - education is the key - isn't it?

Then, there is the problem of that 3rd element again, poking around where (in my humble opinion) they do not belong and basically using Hallowe'en as a soap box. This faction refuses to be educated. Bible Thumpers are all too prevalent this time of year, using the media and other forms of hype to distribute their prejudicial propaganda that Hallowe'en/Samhain and anyone who celebrates it is evil with a capital E.

At no other time of the year do you get bombarded with good vs. evil rhetoric as at Hallowe'en. (Heads up folks! Witches do celebrate other holidays you know.) You do not hear BT's attack the iconic images of the Easter Bunny or Santa Claus, do you? Are they up in arms at the Summer Solstice, a celebration that for Pagans is equal in importance to Samhain?

So why I ask - pick on the Great Pumpkin?

In my opinion, because of the immensely popular imagery - it is a thinly veiled autocratic (not to mention lucrative) and opportunistic attempt to attack other religions and/or other spiritual paths that exist outside the mainstream fundamentalist agenda. So what else is new?

We, of the -- collective Witch mind -- can take a little comfort in being the proverbial thorn in their backsides... though, can we not? As long as they are thumpin' them Bibles...

We know
They know
We are not going away.

I remember once-upon-a-time when church sponsored haunted houses complete with ghoulish preachers and sinister nuns did not use the occasion to capitalize on fundamentalist political agendas about the perceived evils in this world. There were no Hell Houses using in-your-face political-oriented anti-abortion, anti-gay, anti-death penalty, anti-witch scenarios as their main focus rather than the fiction of ghouls and vampires, Witches and spooks - Oh My! I find this particular tactic extremely distasteful. I object to the insinuation that Hallowe'en even in the abstract is somehow related to the ills of the world.

I, for one - as with many other holidays embrace combined aspects of Hallowe'en/Samhain and completely ignore the neurotic ravings of the third element. Shoo! BT! Shoo!

With that said, I love the Trick-or-Treaters! I love the stereotypes! Pumpkins turned Jack-O'-Lanterns! Ghosts! Assorted Monsters and Wickedly Grinning Witches! I do not try to separate the two - it is impossible! With a little careful planning you can squeeze both the fun aspects as well as the spiritual into the day. I grew up loving this time of year - the sights, the sounds, and the smell of it. The stories! The masquerade!

I never really grew out of Hallowe'en. Rather, I believe I have grown into it. Someone told me you are supposed to get over it, but I never did. And then, I found Samhain which explains the spiritual side of the occasion that I could never put a name to before. When all of it finally came together, I realized that I was more at home in a Punkin' Patch than any other place in the world.

It is true, so now it is Hallowe'en at my house all the time - at least in the basement room (Gramma's Witch dungeon as my grandson calls it - HA!) from which I work. It is where I sit typing this lunatic missive. The decor of the room is Witch Provincial. I have lost count of the pieces in the Witch collection accented with a growing population of Jack O' Lanterns, Ouija boards and tons of metaphysical books and Witch stories and other spooky elements that would be enough to set Martha Stewart on her ear (fortunately I am immune to the MS bug). Yep! I am right at home and downright comfortable in this gauche Witchy atmosphere. It suits me.

With that said, the point of the matter and the rather abrubt end to this diatribe is if celebrating the duality of the season means that I have "embraced" the stereotype, then I say…

SO-BE-IT!

Respectfully yours in caliginous chaos
An it harm none – do as you will…
Octoberwych
© 2000 (text revised 2018) All rights reserved

Hallowe'en Rant 1999

Halloween 1999

from a mostly Pagan
and respectfully irreverent perspective...

On a personal note:

As a child of the season, a child of late October...

Lying on the lawn still warm from the late summer sun, searching the skies for the appearance of the constellation Scorpio I awaited with eager anticipation the onset of Autumn which signaled the impending arrival of my late October birthday, the Fall school carnival and yes, Hallowe'en.

It thrilled me to see those first few fallen leaves skittering down the windy street. And after a hot Texas summer, that first blast of chill Autumn air was all the more welcome. Nose pressed against my window, I wondered at the glow of the full Harvest moon seeming to hang just out of my reach and kept watch for the first sign that old Jack Frost had kissed the pumpkins.

I looked up the date of the Autumn Equinox in my Grandmother's Farmer's Almanac every year, puzzling over the curious symbols and trying to decipher their mystery.

HALLOWEEN - I loved the sights, the colors, the sounds, the smells, the stories, oh just the very feel of it!

HALLOWE'EN!

The leaves have burned to gold and red
the grass is brown, the old year dead,
But hang the harvest high, Oh see!
The candle constellations on the Halloween Tree!
from The Hallowe’en Tree – Ray Bradbury

This one night in all the year belonged to me, I thought, as I skipped down dusty suburban streets in some gaudy, dime store costume and mask, little brother and two bags of candy in tow. Those are good memories.

I am not ashamed to say, I totally identified with Linus in the pumpkin patch. I believed it Charlie Brown!!! I loved the idea of the Great Pumpkin!

Since the position did not seem to be taken, I imagined I was the Witch of the South. Glenda was my Auntie from the North. I became the Pumpkin Queen of trick or treat. That's it! The Punkin' Queen of Hallowe'en! Little did I know that one day I would grow up to be the Pumpkin Witch of Hallowe'en and here I am! Punkinwych! Or, as I am known these days – Octoberwych.

Hallowe'en belonged to me! I owned it! And yes, I still do.

It was much later in life that I became aware of some of the other connotations assigned to the tradition of Hallowe'en. Such connotations led to my ongoing exploration of associated myths, legends and history about Hallowe'en, research initially conducted to prove or disprove religious claims from certain well-meaning Bible Thumpers of my acquaintance. Oh yes, these good folk were hell-bent on changing my wicked ways, determined to convince me that Hallowe'en and all its trappings was evil incarnate.

The celebration of Hallowe'en, I was told, as I made a trick-or-treat costume and plans for my very young daughter would lead to the ultimate downfall of our society. Perversion of the innocent would somehow mysteriously evolve through the immoral practice of mummery aka trick-or-treating.

Excuse me? Did I miss something? Somehow I failed to visualize how dressing up in a bed sheet, running through the streets one night a year, getting candy from kindly neighbors and visiting the church-sponsored spook house translated into devil worship and eternal damnation for me or my child, bless my skeptical, soon-not-to-be a Southern Baptist soul.

Yes, I said church-sponsored spook house… I remember them well - complete with vampire preachers, Sunday school teachers turned witches stirring steaming cauldrons and church elders parading as bloody headless ghosts. What Haunted Hypocrisy! Mind you this was before the era of politically correct perversion that has overtaken church-sponsored anti-Hallowe'en events these days.

It was about this time in my life, that the ever constant pressure from the patriarchal, dogmatic rule-of-thumb began to grate seriously upon my nerves. Never one to succumb to blind faith and being fairly confidant in my ability to digest and disseminate information on my own, I set out on a mission to dispel the evil attributed to the myth of Hallowe'en.

All I can say at this juncture is how little did I know! After a while, I became ever more positive I did not require translation of an enormous amount of information from another source. In other words, I came to the conclusion that I did not need someone to tell me what to think or believe. Imagine that! The concept of the freedom to own my own beliefs finally came home to me...

So far, and it has been a good thirty years since I began my research, I have not found a shred of evidence to change my mind about Hallowe'en. I have, however, found a good many reasons to disassociate myself from those who hysterically perpetuate the myth that Hallowe'en is evil or harmful in any way. Yep! Debunking the silly notions that pervade the Hallowe'en myth is what ultimately led me to embrace a spiritual path and way of life very foreign from my up-bringing.

So! There is kindling for your fire, Witch Hunters... Hallowe'en did indeed lead me astray... led my wicked little soul straight down the garden path to the pumpkin patch that I call home sweet home.

All rants aside, as I have said before, I do celebrate Hallowe'en with a whole heart... not as a Pagan or a Witch (I have been called both) as one would assume but, as one who simply loves the season well. If I must be labeled such, because of my affinity for this time of year I say - So-Be-It.

I start decorating around the time of the Autumn/Fall Equinox which is on or about September 22, rearranging my collection of wickedly grinning Witches and Jack-o'-Lanterns, a good many of which stay out all year.

I take special delight being outdoors at this time of year just breathing in the sights and sounds and smells of the changing season with Fall foliage drives, harvest festivals, corn mazes, mountain hikes and twilight walks that take me kicking through leaves and bathing in the soft light of the newly risen moon. And I bring some of nature's blessings indoors with me in the form of leaves and holly berries, apples, nuts, Indian corn, gourds and (my personal favorite - or hadn't you guessed?) PUMPKINS of all shapes and sizes.

And I read my old favorites again... Bradbury's, The Hallowe'en Tree and Something Wicked This Way Comes, Irving's The Legend of Sleepy Hollow just to name a few. I usually tune in to It's the Great Pumpkin Charlie Brown on TV - still one of my all-time favorites. It puts me in a jolly humor.

It makes sense to me to honor the dead on this day. Perhaps it is nothing more than my willingness to share my joy in the season. I guess you could say I view it as kind of a Pagan Day of the Dead or Memorial Day. It is a three day event, celebrated as The Day of the Dead in Mexico and parts of Texas, New Mexico and Arizona.

But, I have my own way to show reverence to the dead that is probably a compilation of customs. Sometimes I set a place at the dinner table for those loved ones who have gone on before me. I light a candle in grandmother's old teacup. I place it before a picture of my grandpas and mementos from a few beloved others. The first pumpkin I buy every year is Grandpa's pumpkin. I wind great grandmother's music box and I think about her/them. I don't just go through the motions of ritual. I really think about them. I summon their spirits and bask in the warmth of their loving presence. I feel them. I cherish each happy memory as they come rushing in upon me. It's a kind of one-on-one seance, if you will.

The point is not the ritual at all, you see - it is the purpose. I refuse to believe that honoring the memory of those beloved to me is anything but a perfect example of my love and trust in them, in death as in life. If a strange entity should appear from beyond the veil between the worlds and none ever have, then I will assume it is for a very good reason and choose to learn from the experience. There, you have it! If the practice of communing with the Dead be they known or unknown to me, who walk beyond the veil of our physical reality is evil… then, I say again SO-BE-IT!

If it means anything; I go through a similar ritual on the birthdays and death days of those departed ones beloved to me, as well. In fact; I did all of these things long before I realized they were considered Pagan rituals. How considerate of a Christian to point it out to me. Frankly, I don't see the difference between lighting a candle for my departed loved ones on the coffee table and lighting one in a chapel. Do you?

That a New Year should follow the final harvest of the year makes perfect sense to me. Actually Hallowe'en (aka Samhain - the end of summer) falls between the Autumn Equinox and the Winter Solstice. Known as a dark time, when what was fertile lies dormant for a time... it is clear that it is a time of transition.

So the wheel of the year turns, for people as well as the earth. People have happily celebrated the change of the seasons since time began, I imagine. It does not require a historian to confirm that. Think about it. We all celebrate the change of seasons whether we identify it as doing so or not. In ancient times, they named the seasons, assigned them deities, offered thanks to the Powers-That-Be under the stars and danced around bonfires under an open sky in a celebration of birth and death and life's renewal. We are really not so very far removed from those ancient ones, you know. We still mark the seasons even if we do gauge them by the onset of our favorite sports programming on TV. You know: football season, hockey season, baseball season, basketball season..., etc.

So it is easy to see how those of us; who may be just a little more in tune (mind you, mostly because we choose to be) with how we as humans relate to nature, would see Hallowe'en as descending from an ancient rite simply because of its timing... and while we may not be able to prove it - some of us just know it is a ritual as old as mankind or womankind... not inherent from some man made, over blown and distressingly distorted idea of religion - but a simple statement of the spirituality buried deep within all of us. A spirituality that seeks to communicate to each and every one of us the bond we have with nature and our place in the natural world. What else we are outside of that reality is truly insignificant.

What can it harm to be aware of the cycles of nature? What can it harm to remember we are a part of that magnificent cycle whether we assign it a religious connection or not? And I suppose it would do us all well to remember we are each one a part of the whole no matter how we identify it, view it, or relate to it.

From whence we came... so shall we return...

Whether we like it or not...

So, how does one celebrate The Witches New Year aka Hallowe'en Pagan/Witch-style? A silly question... because the celebration is not validated by its outward trappings - it is a bit more mystical, if you will. Now you are thinking AHA! Gotcha! OK - if it pleases you to think so...

I will share as much as I can...

So, I/We celebrate much the same as anyone with a pulse celebrates any New Year... I start out with a little reverence and proceed to party hearty with people I love in pure unadulterated abandon!

I make the same resolution every year at the dawn of the Pagan/Wiccan New Year, October 31 and I reaffirm it on New Year's Eve, January 31. Every year I resolve to be a better person, more tolerant and helpful to others (this is about as simple as resolving to lose weight, but I do try). I banish all aspects of my character that would hinder this process, like: greed, envy, jealousy, selfishness and the worst - pride by writing them on a piece of paper and burning them, mentally releasing each unfavorable trait as they disappear in smoke and ashes. I resolve to be more in tune with mother earth, nature and my own spirit. I ask for guidance and strength from the old ones to accomplish this task. Change of an unruly nature is a tough order – sometimes. I am a Scorpio. I am told we are sort of head strong and inflexible. Ha! It is a rejuvenating, uplifting experience wherein I feel grounded, balanced, humble and wise, if only for a short time. I resolve to carry this feeling into the New Year.

Next, not always, but sometimes I consult the Tarot for insight into the future. So many people believe that what one sees in the cards (or any tool of divination) is evil and it is unwise to trifle with the unknown. But I say that the unknown is exactly what the cards are about and we see nothing there that is not a reflection of our own true self... our desires, our dreams, our hopes and aspirations.

At dusk, I turn down the lights, fire up the jack-o'-lanterns, set out the goodies, play spooky music and trick-or-treat the neighborhood kids. If I cannot be home - I leave the candy on the porch. Better Treats than Tricks! Sometimes in the past we have had Pagan celebrations disguised as costume parties and wiener/marshmallow roasts. Damn! We are clever are we not? Often we go out for a while, sometimes costumed -- sometimes not, just to be out and about among those who have joined in the revelry. Just to be a part of the night. All Hallows Night.

Before the end of the evening, we usually pop some popcorn, light a fire or all the candles in the house and watch a movie by the glow of a Jack-o'-Lantern. Young Frankenstein has been a Hallowe'en tradition around our house for several years. Sometimes, I read as the Witching Hour approaches. As I retire, usually in the wee hours of the morning I light one small Jack-o'-Lantern reserved on the night stand as our night light to safely guide us to the dawn of the New Year. And I whisper a blessing to the old ones... Just for the sake of reverence... (Whew! Yeah, I know - it is fairly wicked stuff - steeped in occult tradition - certainly not for the uninitiated... and remember don't try this at home folks!)

Finally, and on a somber note, I just have to say - for the life of me I cannot fathom the discomfort some people feel with Hallowe'en. Although, I reckon it could be something akin to the squirmy, itchy, sneezing, coughing thing I experienced while setting on a church pew. Still, while I may have been annoyed (or allergic- I don't know which)... I never once thought about torching the long-winded son-of-a-?? preacher - just wished I had brought a book or a cushion or ear plugs.

Whatever your perspective; when all is said and done, it still does not solve the problem of making claims about Hallowe'en either good or bad without at least admitting to a fair amount of speculation in the matter. Offer your opinion, state your perspective, but, Please! Do not present it as factual unless you have facts the rest of us can be made privy to. If such is the case - please inform me as soon as possible or send me the ISBN number of your forthcoming book.

It is so disconcerting to know that some folks are all too willing to believe the worst of a matter and innocent people without confronting the facts. So I have directed this closing statement to them.

I can deal with your problem concerning my spirituality. Really! But I do not meddle with your holidays - do you think you can afford me the same courtesy? It is OK with me if you and yours do not want to celebrate Hallowe'en, but some of us do. Yes, we tear up and down the streets, dress weird and get a little noisy - some of us may even dance around a bonfire with our sister-friends but, I have never had the urge to stamp out Christmas just because a bunch of carolers park on my doorstep (fa-la-la-la-la-la-la-la-laaaaa!). And, if you are going to spread propaganda, could you at least make a tiny attempt to get it right and if not that, then at least make folks aware that you are the author of that particular brand of self-righteous BS coming from your high and mighty soap box?

So much said for party poopers… honestly, sometimes I just want to thump 'em between the running lights (my Dad's old term for eyes) and say - Hey! Get a life, will ya? Quit your whining! Exercise your freedom of choice. Turn out the porch light if the little ghosts and goblins scare you and turn up the 6:00 News!

It is only one day! One very short night!

You will survive it... so many have before you...

With that said...

Happy Hallowe'en and Blessed Be!

Joyous Wishes to All Three times Three!

An' it harm none - So Mote It Be!

Respectfully yours in caliginous chaos
An it harm none – do as you will…
Octoberwych
© 1999 (text revised 2018) All rights reserved

Hallowe'en Rant 1998

HALLOWE'EN 1998

A Much Maligned Holiday
from a Mostly Pagan
and Respectfully Irreverent Perspective...

So many self-proclaimed authorities on the subject...
So little time to discredit them...
So? Whadayasay? Let's get to it!

Here witches met in olden time,
Away beyond the church bells' chime,
In worship from the ancient prime
That it was death to know.
from Night in New Forest, Doreen Valiente (1922-1999)

Good ol' Hallowe'en! So many people from all walks of life and a multitude of religious persuasions claim the origin of this overtly Americanized and as it follows, astoundingly lucrative commercial holiday is buried in the mystery-laden mythology of ancient druid, heathen, humanist, polytheistic, even satanic traditions. In other words; Hallowe'en and all that it entails, is the universal, cloven-hoof'd scapegoat of those who claim the woes of today's society can be found in the roots of an ancient evil.

Now, I must admit, while most of the claims or theories put forth about the origins of the allegedly inherent evils of Hallowe'en and the iconic images associated with it are extremely entertaining (I do love a loony conspiracy theory) in truth, there is little hard evidence to support them. In fact, very little of the mythology attributed to the ancient origins of Hallowe'en can be substantiated in f-a-c-t whether your feelings are pro or con - Hallowe'en.

Speculation abounds though – does it not? One has only to type the word Hallowe'en into any search engine on the internet to come across hundreds and hundreds of links to page upon page (yes, including the Wyching Well which has moved to this blog) which indiscriminately expound upon and exhaustingly exploit the subject.

Among them are:

...pages that entertain about Hallowe'en (the ones that thrill us with spooktacular, over-size graphics and stories and down-loads) and then most try to sell us something...

...pages that claim Hallowe'en, is observed only by Satanists, Witches and Vampire cults. I suppose to the unenlightened - Hallowe'en would seem the most appropriate holiday for those dark spirited ones of a decidedly Pagan or Gothic nature. I've never had the opportunity to ask a Goth what activities they pursue on Hallowe'en and if it bears any significance for them... hmmm... perhaps another time... As for Satanists - who knows? And those pesky Pagans and Witches... well; there might be something to that part. Grin!

...pages (mostly fundamentalist Christian) that seem compelled to warn one off even the most harmless celebration of Hallowe'en lest one's immortal soul be lost. Where I ask you? In a bag of lascivious candy? Talk shows would love it... Up Next! I Lost My Soul to a Gummy Bear on Hallowe'en Night...

...pages that attempt to analyze the historical or sociological impact of Hallowe'en upon the masses throughout history (well, grad students & professors have to publish about something right?) It might as well be fun stuff.

...pages of a fundamentalist view that call Hallowe'en sacrilegious and shudder at the very thought of a Day of the Dead, El Dia de los Muertos. I ask you... Did I miss something, or isn't that [memorializing the Dead] what any Memorial Day is about?

...and pages (mostly Pagan) that proclaim Hallowe'en as The Witches New Year, a day to mark the change in the seasons, honor and commune with the dearly departed, the time of the much debated ancient fire festival known as Samhain (end of Summer) and a day deemed sacred among Druids and Pagans, Witches and Wiccans (OK - You got me - If I had to choose, I would pick this one).

Note: Samhain is pronounced (sow-in - Irish) or (sow-een - Welsh) or (sav-en - Scottish) or (sam-hane - American) - especially if you happen to be a southern Pagan from the USA - Howdy Ya'll!

Scores of books and pamphlets have been published on the topic written from every perspective under the sun both pro and con, fact and fiction. I own a good many of them. And, I suppose I would be amiss if I did not at least mention those from-the-foggy-graveyard made-for-TV and mass market appeal specials that air this time every year and seem to perpetuate one unfounded myth after another. Even the History Channel can be caught perpetuating certain myths... They are fun to watch though, are they not? I am always amazed and secretly pleased at our somewhat morbid fascination with the subject and confess I am guilty-guilty-guilty of being a colossal Hallowe'en nut. Certifiable, I am told - always have been - more so in the last few years.

Few, if any self-proclaimed authorities or scholars, (I do not care how many times they pop up with their name and credentials in subtitles on The History Channel), no matter what their angle on the idea of Hallowe'en, actually bother to support their statements with any substantial documentation or; for that matter, valid physical proof that Hallowe'en as we know it and associated elements in any form; other than the most farfetched, can be linked to ancient times, ancient cultures or, more specifically, ancient religions.

Last time I checked, there were no jack-o'-lanterns popping up in archaeological digs, no cave graffiti or petroglyphs of witches on brooms, and no spooky windsocks in ancient crypts. Alas! No magic ruby slippers can be found under houses in Kansas or anywhere! (Pardon a bit of levity - I am having fun with this.)

Now, I agree with the experts that some elements of Hallowe'en celebrations in the USA can be likened to Celtic and Irish celebrations so you history buffs out there don't get your bloomers in a wad just yet - but, the basic anti-Hallowe'en faction claims that this holiday is descended from ancient and evil sacrilegious (meaning anti-Christian) ceremonies of some mysterious long ago cult.

Fundamentalists and other religious alarmist sorts, of course, can be counted on to proselytize the virtue of their own beliefs by spouting the gospel (from cover-to-cover if need be) which allegedly reveals the dreadful true purpose of Hallowe'en that mysteriously lurks in disguise beneath the innocent layers of childhood, costumes, mischievous mayhem and candy.

According to those of a fundamentalist persuasion, their ancient scripture seemingly opposes all things Hallowe'en as if it were indeed - a rival religion... Thereby vindicating (albeit unwittingly) the opposition's claims, by its very correlation to their own religion's age and origins that it - Hallowe'en - is indeed – ancient - more importantly, an ancient religion.

They (the fundies) tell us rather loudly at times that because Witches and Demons and Magic -- OH MY! -- are mentioned (if somewhat vaguely) in their religious texts - that it is their faith and that alone with possibly the exception of your hard-earned $$$ monetary contributions that prevents evil incarnate from running rampant in the world.

YEAH, right. I ask you - does it seem to be working?

Besides, I am always distracted by the time-line on this one... Raising its ugly little head for contemplation is the age-old quandary... which came first, the chicken or the egg... day or night... Pagans or Christians... Samhain or All Saints Day... and why do we care? I have always wondered how an ancient religion or culture can be perceived as anti-Christian if it actually predates Christianity. Is it not just like a bunch of neurotic Johnny-come-lately types to present this wonderfully perplexing question for endless debate!

How many times has this line been pulled out of the hat full to overflowing with misogynist, patriarchal BS?

Thou shall not suffer a witch to live...

Please get a new line! This dire warning has lost its edge.

Being a mild skeptic at heart, the warnings perceived in this - dare I say it - questionably original material so heavily extolled (religious texts – another rant) have me quakin' in my boots about as much as a quote from The Wizard of OZ. "Gee, Toto..." At least, we can be fairly certain one of them is unabridged text... and not a white-washed, watered-down, lily-scented, version of the original...

I'm going to get you, my pretty, and your little dog, too!

Coming from a Christian background and being of a mostly Pagan’ween persuasion these days (a conscious adult choice, mind you) I find after all these years, that I really do not mind the never-ending debate. For people like me, the debate is what keeps me on my toes... makes me reevaluate my perspective from time to time... or at least every Hallowe'en.

But! It would be oh so very comforting if some reputable scientific person (excluding descendants of Frankenstein, of course) could actually produce irrefutable evidence (I am thinking DNA) to prove beyond the shadow of a doubt that:

...Hallowe'en is...
... actually THE be-all, end-all ancient high festival day of the oldest religion known to humankind (one which predates current religions by an eon or so)...

...Hallowe'en is...
... the one true path to spirituality (for those who must have their dogma), Hallowe'en - the Religion... I like the sound of it...

...Hallowe'en is...
... the true and everlasting spiritual connection to the Cosmic Cauldron, commonly known to Hallowe'en aficionados as the Great Pumpkin..., the celestial womb, the seed from which springs all life eternal...

...Hallowe'en is...
... the tragic and true story (adapted from the screenplay, of course) of how the Goddess/God met, grew horns, bred black cats and made a fortune teaching fledgling witches to fly around on brooms... and leap over bonfires without scorching their back sides... unfortunately neglecting to instruct said Witches in how to avoid the Hangin' Tree and Burnin' Times...

...Hallowe'en is...
... finally; the ultimate definition of human quintessential existence, in that our sole purpose in life should be the pursuit of personal gratification taken in the form of sticky trick-or-treat sweets and endless nocturnal revelry... just like I always thought... at least one night a year...

Well, one can dream...

But Hallowe'en is hardly any of those things. Nor, for that matter is any other greeting card holiday in the USA because to the vast majority that’s what Hallowe’en has become. What Hallowe'en is, can be conversely compared to the same phenomena that explains what we call the kabillion $$ dollar industry masquerading as religion these days in America. It is simply a product of our vast and very diverse, multi-cultural, melting pot population whose roots spring from a rich and varied compilation of European belief systems, folklore, backwoods BS and homespun, hand-me-down heritage.

Sprinkle in a fair amount of creative license, a good marketing strategy, a decent profit margin and what do you have? Yep, we have the freedom to celebrate our holidays, religious or not, HALLOWE'EN included, my friends, any damn way we please in the good ol' US of A. Not only that, we are ready, willing, and able to $$ PAY $$ big time for the privilege.

But I digress... While it is...

... possible to debunk some of the vast amount of incorrect information, misconceptions and crass speculation circulating out there about Hallowe'en, as having no basis in fact...

... and possible to deal with the misconceptions conceived more or less in fiction, whether it be from ignorance or malice or just a blatant disregard for sound journalism...

... my research concludes it is not possible to offer proof positive one way or the other of an exact and relevant origin of Hallowe'en that indicates significance within any single ancient religious or, for that matter, ancient cultural framework.

The whole p-o-i-n-t of this lunatic discourse... in my humble opinion, if you eliminate the fundamentalist religious backlash (which suits me fine) then the overall good versus evil dispute is deflated. It sort of farts and flies out the stained glass window, so to speak.

Hallowe’en like much in our American heritage and like so many of our so-called American holiday ideologies is but one of the chameleon threads that weave the fabric of our culture in bright and wondrous variety. It is like Santa Claus, the Christmas tree, Saint Patrick, and the Easter Bunny - all seemingly American ideas borrowed from somewhere else, properly restructured and reinvented for mass market appeal. In America – it’s all about capitalism you know. I call it the watered-down, warm-fuzzy, yes, Virginia... let-us-make-a-million approach.

The Hallowe'en ideology survives by constantly changing and redefining itself in terms we either enjoy and accept or abhor and reject depending on our individual willingness to allow new concepts of old ideas into our lives.

Either way - It Lives! You see? As long as there is a strong opposition to just about any idea... it will survive because there will always be someone out there to support it... if for no other reason than to prevent the opposition from dictating or censoring the same idea that under other circumstances would be more or less meaningless.

There will always be certain conceptions, ideas, and beliefs embraced by some and opposed by others.

There will always be heathens, heretics, humanists, pagans, goths and...
OH MY GOD! WITCHES!

There will always be holier-than-thou religious sorts, evangelists, fundamentalist critics and...
OH MY GODDESS! PREACHERS!

It is always either us or them. Americans indiscriminately label and categorize everything, are obsessed with what THEY are thinking and half the time cannot define the mysterious THEM in recognizable terms.

FYI: My concept of THEM is a Southern Baptist preacher and armed with that image, I have learned not to give a damn what THEY think except when it provides fodder for writing rants such as this one.

By the way: Have you contemplated your personal concept of THEM?

The nature of the Beast (that means us) is a proclivity toward intolerance for Other Beasts (that means them) who choose to behave or believe differently... and vice versa... an intolerance which breeds in intensity and seems to be directly proportionate to:

... the mass popularity and length of time a controversial idea is perpetuated...

... the size of the temper tantrum thrown by head-in-the-sand Witch Hunters who reject all ideas that exist outside their own concept of reality or egotistical control...

... and of course, how much $$ moolah $$ is to be made from it.

Hmmm... I wonder if an investor representing a religious organization, by some quirk of fate bought into the stock for a company that manufactures plastic jack-o'-lanterns - would they - having seen the bottom line - be so quick to brand them evil and eliminate them from distribution? Hallowe'en IS after all, a multi-billion dollar a year industry second only to Christmas (let us not go there!) and maybe the Super Bowl... not to overlook the big non-tax-paying business of Religion itself.

So! For what it is worth, my theory about Hallowe'en is this... whether you SEE Hallowe'en as a religious experience, a cotton candy holiday, or a reason to dress weird, go out and create mischief, or even a defining moment when you deliver the word from your soap box pulpit about the yin and yang of good and evil... rest assured, you will SEE it...

Why?

BECAUSE there is PROFIT to be made from it, silly!

BECAUSE people LIKE it...

They ENJOY it...

They WANT it...

And, in the good ol' US of A what the people want, the people get, whether they need it or not.

For what it is worth, it really does not matter if some self-righteous-stick-in-the-mud Party Pooper tries to piss on the Hallowe'en Parade.

HALLOWE'EN HAPPENS!

It is totally irrelevant if Hallowe'en has been around since the dawn of time, sprouted in some primordial pumpkin patch an eon ago, popped out of a Cracker Jack box just yesterday or from whence it came...

Hallowe'en is here and it is here to stay!

Respectfully yours in caliginous chaos
An it harm none – do as you will…
Octoberwych
© 1998 (text revised 2018) All rights reserved