THE DARK MAGIC OF ALL HALLOWS EVE

Come with me All Hallow's night

We'll frighten everyone in sight

Such pranks for once, are justified

And fun and frolic amplified.

 Samhain, All Hallos Eve, Halloween, Dia de los Muertos (which falls on October 31st) is deep Autumn. Crispy-cold evenings with leaves blowing underfoot and the smell of woodsmoke. Long dark nights with clouds scattering overhead. Chilly mornings that lift damp fingers to a veiled sun.

Samhain is a time of change-for letting go of the old and making way for the new. For many who practice earth-based traditions, it is the turning point of the year, the dark half of the wheel, a time to reach through the veil and communicate with the otherworld.

It is a time for going within to the darkness, into our shadows, and meeting ourselves and those who have gone before....remembering that death is just a phase of our journey.

To celebrate this magical season, we carve jack-o-lanterns and make pumpkin bread from our garden pumpkins. We decorate our home with dried leaves, apples,  pumpkins, Indian Corn, masks, and witches (lots of witches)! We burn spicy-scented candles and take time for reflection in their flickering light.

MABON APPROACHES

As a child I understood the season changes through the portends of nature....the black and orange fuzz of a wooly bear caterpillar foretold the nearness of Halloween, and legend had it that the thickness of her coat foretold how cold the upcoming winter would be. Apple picking meant the end of summer and the beginning of crisp, sweet Autumn. To this day, Fall remains my favorite season. And, I now also know this season-shifting time as 'Mabon', or The Autumn Equinox.

'Mea'n Fo mhair' (which is what the Druids called Mabon), honors the Green Man, God of the Forest. Offerings of libations to the trees in the way of cidars, wines, herbs and fertilizers are appropriate at this time. 

At Mabon the light and dark once again sit facing each other with equal sway. The coolness of the darkness has come to soothe our sun-drenched brows, but we have not yet descended into the dark half of the year. Here in Wisconsin, we are nearing our first frost, but, the days are still balmy and pleasant; yet on the wind I can smell Autumn.

There is something quite alive about Autumn, even though it marks the first 'deaths' as the tilt of the earth takes the northern hemisphere away from the sun. The summer dogs days have passed and it is time to snuggle in, in preparation for winter's coming chill.

THE WITCHES' SPELL

"Hoity-toity! Hop-o'-my thumb!
Tweedledee and Tweedledum!
All hobgoblins come to me,
Over the mountains, over the sea:
Come in a hurry, come in a crowd,
Flying, chatting, shrieking loud;
I and my broomstick fidget and call---
Come, hobgoblins, we want you all!!
I have a pot of mischievous brew..."
Ruth Bedford

I love everything about Fall: warm fuzzy sweaters, crisp, sweet fallen leaves, carved pumpkins, fantastical Halloween outfits, and tart apple pies. I adore the rich autumn colors: bittersweet, warm forest green, and deep burgundy. I spent a glorious day yesterday putting away all my summer decor, and turning my home into an autumn wonderland. Garlands of glittered leaves, pumpkins of all sizes,  gourds and lovely indian corn. And...WITCHES everywhere! A universal creature of which fairy tales are written, and spells are spun, the witches might be my favorite part of fall. I feel a special kinship with these magical wise women and have been collecting them for years. I have wooden, resin, clay, cloth and paper mache witches. They gather in the nooks and crannies of my home, where I allow them to work their magic. You can almost hear them cackle in warm spirited salutation, "Come at my summons-come to me".