Samhain - All Hallows Eve Attunement

Channelling & manual by Jean "Gina" Myrner

Attunement Samhain - All Hallows Eve. The last night of October, the last night of the Celtic calendar, a pastoral and agricultural "Fire Festival" or feast, Samhain Sabbot coinciding with All Hallows Eve.

"Samhain is symbolized by the bonfire, jack o lantern, and cauldron.

It is believed to be a Celtic word which loosely translates to summers end. In the Christian calendar, it is known as All Saints Day or All Hallows Eve. This has been shortened in modern times to Halloween. Also it is sometimes called the Festival of Apples or Feast of the Dead."

"Samhain is the one of two times in the year when the veil between this world and the next is at it's thinnest, a powerful time for divination and contacting the spirit realm.Samhain is the only night when it is believed spirits of the departed have the ability to visit relatives and loved ones. A place was set at the table in their honor, and to this day, some Pagans still reserve a place at the feast or a place a plate of food on the doorstep for any passing spirits to enjoy. All spirits must return to their resting place by the first crow of the cockeral." (Excerpt - Pagan Wheel of the Year by Farhad Najafi)

All Saints Day (All Hallows - hallow is an archaic English word for 'saint'), November 1st, is a Roman Catholic holiday to honor all saints. The festival begins on All Hallows Eve the last night of October. Although it is a joyous day, it is also the eve of All Souls Day and in Medieval times it became customary on this day to to pray for the dead.

During the three days between October 31st, and November 2nd, we see Pagan and Christian religious observations intertwined. Superstition struggles.

The Halloween Bonfire HistoryThe practice of lighting large fires dates back to roots of Halloween in the festival of Samhain which celebrated summer's end and the beginning

of the dark season. Samhain also marked the end of the old year and the beginning of the new. On the eve of Samhain, young people would go from

house to house asking for food offerings and kindling for the Samhain fires. The following day, the traditional day of Samhain, November 1st, people

would extinguish their hearth fires and gather together to light large fires on sacred hill tops in honor of and to make offerings to the gods.

Personal and symbolic items were burned as offerings for relief from sickness or bad fortune.

The Celtic peoples who celebrated Samhain believed that the time between the beginning and end of the years was when spirits could travel freely

between this world and the spirit world. Some spirits were good and they would help people divine the future. Others were evil spirits and would

bring misfortune on whomever they encountered.

The sacred fires were believed to have the power to scare away these evil spirits and people stayed close by them often wearing costumes of animal

heads and skins as disguises to frighten those spirits and ensure their safety.

As the great fire died it was considered good luck to take an ember and carry it home to relight their hearth fire. They often carried these embers

home in holders made from turnips or gourds in which they carved faces in the hope that the faces would scare away any evil spirits that may be

lurking along their path. Over the years,stories were created to teach the young this practice and provide moral lessons.

On the following day, the ashes from these sacred fires would be spread over the fields as protection against spirits who would cause the next season's crops to fail.

A Happy Halloween

Halloween also spelled Hallowe'en is an annual holiday celebrated October 31st. It is now largely a secular celebration with some religious overtones.

Irish immigrants carried versions of the tradition to North America during Ireland's Great Famine of the 1840's.The day is often associated with orange and black, and is strongly associated with symbols.

Halloween activities include trick or treeting, jack o' lantern carving, dressing in costumes and wearing masks, attending parties, bonfires, and setting up scarry displays/decorations using images of ghosts, goblins, witches, black cats, bats, spiders etc. .

In this Halloween greeting card from 1904, divination is depicted: the young womanlooking into a mirror in a darkened room hopes to catch a glimpse of the face of herfuture husband.

Irish Jack-o'-lantern from the early 20th century.

Around the worldIrelandHalloween is significant cultural event in Ireland where it is widely celebrated. It isknown in Irish as Oíche Shamhna (Irish pronunciation: ee-hah how-nah), literally"Samhain Night." In the Irish language, Samhain is the name for the month of November.Pre-Christian Celts had an autumn festival, Samhain (Irish pronunciation:, from the Old

Man samain, "End of Summer," a pastoral and agricultural "fire festival" or feast, whenthe dead revisited the mortal world and large communal bonfires would hence be lit toward off evil spirits.Costumes and masks being worn at Halloween goes back to theCeltic traditions of attempting to copy the evil spirits or placate them.HistoryPope Gregory IV standardized the date of All Saints' Day, or All Hallows' Day, onNovember 1 in the name of the entire Western Church in 837. As the Church day beganat sunset, the holiday coincided exactly with Samhain. It is claimed that the choice ofdate was consistent with the common practice of leaving pagan festivals and buildingsintact (e.g., the Pantheon) while overlaying a Christian meaning, however no reliabledocumentation indicates such a motivation in this case. While the Celts might have beencontent to move All Saints' Day from their own previous date of April 20, the rest of theworld celebrating it on May 13, it is speculated without evidence that they were unwillingto give up their preexisting autumn festival of the dead and continued to celebrateSamhain.TraditionsOn Halloween night, adults and children dress up as creatures from the underworld (e.g.,ghosts, ghouls, zombies, witches, and goblins), light bonfires, and enjoy spectacularfireworks displays — in particular, the city of Derry is home to the largest organizedHalloween celebration on the island, in the form of a street carnival and fireworksdisplay. It is also common for fireworks to be set off for the entire month precedingHalloween as well as a few days after. Halloween was perceived as the night duringwhich the division between the world of the living and the otherworld was blurred so thatspirits of the dead and inhabitants from the underworld were able to walk free on theearth. It was believed necessary to dress as a spirit or otherworldly creature whenventuring outdoors to blend in, and this is where dressing in such a manner for Halloweencomes from. This gradually evolved into trick-or-treating, because children would knockon their neighbours' doors in order to gather fruit, nuts, and sweets for the Halloweenfestival. Salt was once sprinkled in the hair of the children to protect against evil spirits

PolandAll Saints Day In Poland, the Czech Republic,Sweden, Finland, Slovenia, Slovakia, Lithuania, Croatia, Austria, Romania. Moldova,Hungary and Catholic parts of Germany, the tradition is to light candles and visit thegraves of deceased relatives.

All Saints Day in an Oswiecim cemetery, Poland, 1st November

RomaniaHalloween in Romania is celebrated around the myth of "Dracula" on October 31. InTransylvania and especially in the city of Sighisoara, there are many costume parties, forteenagers and adults, that are created from the US model. Also the spirit of Dracula isbelieved to live there because the town was the site of many witch trials; these arerecreated today by actors on the night of Halloween.SwedenIn Sweden, All Hallows Eve (All Saint's Night, Alla Helgons Natt) is a Christian, publicholiday which always falls on the first Saturday in November. It is about lighting candlesat graves and remembering the dead.When the American non-Christian Halloween was introduced in Sweden it wascelebrated on the same day as All Hallows Eve. This is due to a misunderstanding whenthe retail business organizations introduced Halloween in the mid-1990s. Many Swedesare unaware that Halloween in English-speaking countries is a non-Christian holidaycelebrated on October 31.Traditions such as trick-or-treating, masquerades and other typically American Halloween traditions are not very popular, and are especially disliked by older people as the holiday is supposed to be a day of rememembering the dead. The origin of All Saints' Day began somewhere during the fourth century. People would gather to remember all the martyrs who died.

"The challenge of sainthood is to go where love takes me."

SwitzerlandIn Switzerland, Halloween is seen as being a pagan festival. After first becoming popularin 1999, Halloween is on the wane. People see it as an imported product from the UnitedStates, which has not recently enjoyed a good image in the country. Switzerland alreadyhas a "festival overload" and even though Swiss people like to dress up for any occasion,they do prefer a traditional element.Ueli Mäder, a professor of sociology at Basel University said that the Swiss adoption ofHalloween about ten years ago – Swiss shops stocked Halloween costumes and masks forthe first time in 1999 – came from "a need for rituals". "In a strongly commercialisedworld a need arises for meaningful experiences. I can imagine that a ritual like Halloweenwhen it is celebrated in a simple genuine way can satisfy that need." But he added: "Italso took on an exaggerated or extreme form for a while which probably turned somepeople off. Perhaps is there is a need to bring Halloween back to a more simple level."ItalyIn the traditional culture of some regions of Italy, especially in the North of the country -populated by Celts before the arrive of Romans - there were until the last centurytraditions very similar to Halloween, i.e. beliefs about nocturnal visiting and processionsof dead people, preparation of special biscuits and carving Jack-o'-Lanterns. Thesetraditions vanished completely before the feast of Halloween arrived in a new form fromAmerica.

DenmarkIn Denmark children go trick-or-treating, even though they already collect candy fromneighbors on Fastelavn, the Danish name for the Carnival which occurs before Lent.Central and South AmericaIn most parts of Central and South America, kids will pay a visit to their neighbors andyell "¡Dulce o Truco! (Sweet or Trick!)" in order to get candy and in Brazil kids yell"Doce ou Travessura!". The Spanish name for Halloween is Noche de Brujas and thePortuguese name is Dias das BruxasMany people believe that during the Day of the Dead, it is easier for the souls of thedeparted to visit the living. People go to cemeteries to communicate with the souls of thedeparted, and build private altars, containing the favorite foods and beverages, as well asphotos and memorabilia, of the departed. The intent is to encourage visits by the souls, sothat the souls will hear the prayers and the comments of the living directed to them.

Families decorating graves at a cemetery in MexicoObservance in MexicoThe Day of the Dead celebrations in Mexico can be traced back to the indigenousOlemec, Zapotec, Mixtec, Mexican or Aztec, Maya, P'urhepecha, and Totonac. Ritualscelebrating the deaths of ancestors have been observed by these civilizations perhaps foras long as 2500–3000 years. In the pre-Hispanic era, it was common to keep skulls astrophies and display them during the rituals to symbolize death and rebirth.The festival that became the modern Day of the Dead fell in the ninth month of theAzetec calendar, about the beginning of August, and was celebrated for an entire month.The festivities were dedicated to the goddess Mictecacihuatl, known as the "Lady of theDead," corresponding to the modern Catrina.In most regions of Mexico, November 1 honors children and infants, whereas deceased

adults are honored on November 2. This is indicated by generally referring to November1 mainly as "Día de los Inocentes" (Day of the Innocents) but also as "Día de losAngelitos" (Day of the Little Angels) and November 2 as "Día de los Muertos" or "Díade los Difuntos" (Day of the Dead)..

Arab Christians (Lebanon, Syria, and Palestine)Arab Christians in Lebanon, Syria, and Palestine celebrate Saint Barbara's Day or Eid il-Burbara on December 4 in a style somewhat reminiscent of Halloween celebrations inother countries. Children wear costumes and go trick-or-treating whilst singing a song.The traditional food for the occasion is Burbara, a bowl of boiled barley, pomegrantseeds, raisins, anise and sugar offered to masquerading children. Lebanese Christiansbelieve that Saint Barbara disguised herself as numerous characters to elude the Romanswho were persecuting her.Qarqe'an is a similar holiday celebrated in Kuwait and other Gulf states. The scary themeis not a part of the tradition: children dress in traiditional garb, form groups, carry basketsand sing outside of homes, receiving sweets and nuts for their effort.JapanHalloween has become popular only recently in Japan, mainly in the context of Americanpop culture. Due to the minority Christian population in Japan, the focus is on the morematerial aspects of Halloween rather than the spiritual aspects. Western-style Halloweendecorations such as jack-o'-lanterns can be seen in many locations, and places such asTokyo Disneyland and Universal Studios Japan put on special Halloween events. Thanksto the cosplay tradition in Japan, the idea of dressing up in costumes has caught on withpeople of all ages. The wearing of costumes is mostly limited to private home parties, daycare centers and kindergartens, as well as in larger cities at bars frequented or run byforeigners. On a national scale trick-or-treating is largely unpracticed.PhilippinesIn the Philippines they celebrate Day of the Dead on October 31st., but this day can alsobe celebrated on November 1st or 2nd..In the Philipines, this day, called "Undas", "Todos los Santos" (literally "All Saints"), andsometimes "Araw ng mga Namayapa" (approximately "Day of the deceased") is observedas All Saints Day. This day and the one before and one after it is spent visiting the gravesof deceased relatives, where prayers and flowers are offered, candles are lit and thegraves themselves are cleaned, repaired and repainted.

FOODS

Pumpkins for sale

Because the holiday comes in the wake of the annual apple harvest, candy apples (known as toffee apples outside North America), caramel or taffy apples are a common Halloween treat made by rolling whole apples in a sticky sugar syrup, sometimes followed by rolling them in nuts.One custom that persists in modern-day Ireland is the baking (or more often nowadays, the purchase) of a barmbrack (Irish "báirín breac"), which is a light fruitcake, into which a plain ring, a coin and other charms are placed before baking. It is said that those who get a ring will find their true love in the ensuing year. This is similar to the tradition of king cake at the festival of Epiphany. Other foods associated with the holiday: Apple Cider, Barmbrack (Ireland), Bonfire toffee (Britain), Candy corn, (North America), Caramel corn, Colcannon (Ireland), Pumpkin, pumpkin pie, pumpkin bread, roasted pumpkin seeds, sweet corn, Soul cakes, novelty candy shaped as skulls, pumpkins, bats, worms, etc.

Pumpkin Nut BreadPumpkin nut bread makes a wonderful snack, breakfast or dessert. This recipe makes onelarge loaf or 2 mini loaves for gift giving. The bread also freezes well. Freeze on a plate 6hours, wrap frozen loaf in heavy duty aluminum foil and return to the freezer for up to sixmonths.2 cups all-purpose flour or 1 cup whole wheat flour and 1 cup all-purpose flour, 2 teaspoons baking powder,1/2 teaspoon baking soda, 1 teaspoon ground cinnamon, 1/2 teaspoon each: salt and nutmeg, 1 cup fresh pumpkin puree or 1 cup solid pack canned pumpkin, 1 cup sugar, 1/2 cup skim milk, 2 eggs, slightly beaten, 1/4 cup vegetable oil, 1/2 cup each: chopped pecans and black walnuts (may substitute raisins or any combination to equal one cup)Preheat oven to 350°F.Sift together flour, baking powder, baking soda, ground cinnamon, salt and ground nutmeg.In a large mixing bowl, combine pumpkin, sugar, milk and eggs. Mix well. Add dry ingredients, oil and nuts mixing until just moistened. Batter will be slightly lumpy. Do not over mix.Spoon batter into well greased (use vegetable oil) 9 x 5 inch loaf pan or two 7-1/2 x 33/4 inch loaf pans, may use aluminum pans.Bake (in the middle of the oven) large loaf for 65 minutes or two mini loaves for 50 minutes or until a wooden pick inserted in the center comes out clean. Cool 10 minutes in the pan. Use a knife to go around the edge of the pan to loosen bread from the sides of the pan, invert, cool on a cooling rack or plate. Slice and serve.

Religious perspectivesIn North America, Christian attitudes towards Halloween are quite diverse. In theAnglican church, some dioceses have chosen to emphasize the Christian traditions of AllSaints’ Day while some other Protestants celebrate the holiday as Reformation Day, a dayto remember the Protestant Reformation. Celtic Christians may have Samhain servicesthat focus on the cultural aspects of the holiday, in the belief that many ancient Celticcustoms are "incompatible with the new Christian religion. Christianity embraced theCeltic notions of family, community, the bond among all people, and respect for the dead.Throughout the centuries, pagan and Christian beliefs intertwine in a gallimaufry(hodgepodge) of celebrations from October 31 through November 5, all of which appearboth to challenge the ascendancy of the dark and to revel in its mystery."Many Christians ascribe no negative significance to Halloween, treating it as a purelysecular holiday devoted to celebrating "imaginary spooks" and handing out candy.Halloween celebrations are common among Roman Catholic schools throughout NorthAmerica and in Ireland. In fact, the Roman Catholic Church sees Halloween as having aChristian connection. Father Gabriele Amorth, a Vatican-appointed exorcist in Rome, hassaid, "If English and American children like to dress up as witches and devils on onenight of the year that is not a problem. If it is just a game, there is no harm in that." MostChristians hold the view that the tradition is far from being "satanic" in origin or practiceand that it holds no threat to the spiritual lives of children: being taught about death andmortality, and the ways of the Celtic ancestors actually being a valuable life lesson and a

part of many of their parishioners' heritage. Other Christians feel concerned aboutHalloween, and reject the holiday because they believe it trivializes (and celebrates) "theoccult" and what they perceive as evil. Some consider Halloween to be completelyincompatible with the Christian faith due to its origin as a pagan "Festival of the Dead."In more recent years, the Roman Catholic Archdiocese of Boston has organized a "SaintFest" on the holiday. Many contemporary Protestant churches view Halloween as a funevent for children, holding events in their churches where children and their parents candress up, play games, and get candy. Jehovah's Witnesses do not celebrate Halloween forthey believe anything that originated from a pagan holiday should not be celebrated bytrue Christians.SamhainSamhain is considered by most Wiccans to be the most important of the four 'greaterSabbats'. It is generally observed on October 31 in the Northern Hemisphere, starting at

sundown. Samhain is considered by some Wiccans as a time to celebrate the lives ofthose who have passed on, and it often involves paying respect to ancestors, familymembers, elders of the faith, friends, pets and other loved ones who have died. In somerituals the spirits of the departed are invited to attend the festivities. It is seen as a festivalof darkness, which is balanced at the opposite point of the wheel by the spring festival ofBeltane, which Wiccans celebrate as a festival of light and fertility

Judaism Traditional Judaism frowns upon the celebration of Halloween."

Arab countries In Arab countries where it is celebrated, devotion is given toSt. Barbara. Saint Barbara became the patron saint of artillerymen. She is alsotraditionally the patron of armourers, military engineers, gunsmiths, miners and anyoneelse who worked with cannon and explosives. She is invoked against thunder andlightning and all accidents arising from explosions of gunpowder.

Qarqe'an Tradition similar to HalloweenQarqe'an (Arabic: قرقیعان ) is an annual tradition practiced in Kuwait and other Gulf statesduring the holy month of Ramadan (13-15 Ramadan). The tradition has existed forhundreds of years: children knock on the doors of homes in their neighborhood wearingtraditional clothes and carrying a basket to receive sweets and nuts.Qare'an is similar to Halloween, which is practiced in some western societies, but it omitsthe horror theme. As a word, Qarqe'an is derived from the word Qarqa'ah (Arabic: ,(قرقعةwhich means click or snick, the sound of iron pots carrying the sweets hitting each otherwhile serving the sweets.Children gather in small choir groups in front of a home and sing. The song is intended tocall on Alah to bless the youngest child of the family, to keep him or her healthy that themother will remain happy. The more they sing, the more nuts and sweets they receive.The Qarqe'an tradition is intended to spread love, happiness and affection among adultsand children.

Receiving the attunement do any preparations you wish.

When relaxed and ready silently or out loud say:

"I now accept attunement to Samhain - All Hallows Eve from --------name of sender. Express thanks!

Passing the attunement to others:

Send/ pass the attunement by using any method of your choice with clear intent.

(Excerpts from Wikipedia)