Our Fabled Nest

Halloween/Samhain is upon us! My most favorite holiday/sabbat and time of the year! There’s a literal magic in the air. The golden, amber and crimson leaves are dancing through the crisp air. Soups, stews, chowders are all on the menu along with buttery grilled cheese and fresh autumn goodness like apples, pumpkins and gourds! Fairs and festivals abound, and the cooler weather is begging us to wrap up in warm sweaters while sipping hot cocoa. Even though the world is slowly falling into a beautiful winter slumber, I am feeling more alive than any other time of the year! Mid-autumn sings a cozy warming lullaby that calls to my soul more than any other season.

We celebrate Halloween and all things spooky season all month long. Halloween should never be settled to one day. There are one too many spooky movies to be watched, and there are pumpkins and apples to be picked! Too many glorious foods, snacks and treats to be made (and eaten!). We have a scavenger hunt, Hallow’s Egg Hunt for the fur kids, pumpkins are carved and crafted, and ghosties are painted. We really revel in the glory of such a magical time. October is perfect!

While we chose to celebrate Halloween all October, I keep Samhain just for the 31st. This is the most magical day of the year for Pagan folks! We see it as when the veil between our world and the otherworldly plane are the thinnest. It’s the easiest time for our ancestors, and spirits to visit from beyond the veil and it’s a perfect time to celebrate and honor their memory! Samhain does take a more somber approach; I prefer to keep it lighthearted. Yes, they have passed on, but we keep them alive in our hearts with memories, stories and beautiful tokens they left for us. So, for us, we are celebrating their beautiful existence. My ancestors are not just their names, stories or where they’ve been – they’re the very reason I exist…. all of their loves led to my generation. That’s a powerful thought. I keep their spirits alive not because I live in the past but because I celebrate their wisdom, strength and knowledge they’ve passed down to me. It’s an unbroken linage of love and even though they are no longer earthside, I know they are guiding, whispering encouragement and celebrating those little victories right alongside me. It’s a beautiful recognition: we are all made of up of those that came before us.

We have all heard of Dios De Muertos, the day of the dead. Mexico celebrates this on November 1st. They are celebrating their loved ones very similarly to how I celebrate Samhain. Once finding out their customs are not specific to one day and learning different aspects are celebrated on different days, I now incorporate on October 28th the return of the animal spirits from their tradition. A simple candle, a dish of both food and water are set out to welcome animal spirits. Both beloved pets, land animal spirits and other wandering animal souls are not only celebrated but welcomed.

Samhain is pronounced Sow-win and yes, I know that looks nothing like the way the word is spelled. Gotta love Irish Gaelic words! Samhain the final of the three harvest festivals and the last of the wheel of the year. It marks the beginning of the darker part of our year and some even call it the witches new year. The Celts divided their year into half. The lighter half consists of Beltane, Midsummer, Lughnasadh and Mabon. While the darker half begins with Samhain, Yule, Imbolc and then Ostara. With the word Samhain literally translating to “summer’s end”, we are celebrating the end of the harvest; the end of this “year” and the commencement of the following. Cheers!

A lot to take in for many humans who don’t celebrate or know of Pagan practices. I, however, have been doing my thing (AKA path) for a good five years now. Learning as I grow, changing what no longer fits my values or if I learn something that is more aligned with my practice, I’ll add it… this is no one size fits all kind of operation. While I typically don’t discuss religion other than the sabbats on my blog, I find typical religion stifling, contradictory and the more I’ve learned the more I’ve realized my beliefs do not lie there. I don’t like ideologies that have designated boxes, nor believe I should box in my path.

With it being Samhain, I thought I’d elaborate a bit more on the magical side I chose daily in my life. While I guess witch would describe how I live, I have a hard time calling it as so. For centuries women and men have been innocently convicted then tortured and killed all because people are so close minded. Many immediately think of witches as evil Satan worshipping, animal sacrificing horrendous “things”. Or those children devouring creatures or the evil that lurks in the woods. Let’s not be judgmental, shall we?? I am here to say that is not at all true! Witches are healers, teachers and learners of both the magical world and the mundane. Witches see the world through a different lens. Witches rely on intuition, some up above kind of guidance and a beautiful connection knowing we are all here for a soul purpose. Witches are wise, old souls searching for a way to make our sad world a little better for the whole. Above all else, whichever path we chose, witches know that we are the catalyst for making our dreams come true. I just do me, day in and day out. Honoring the cycles of life, the lunar cycles, connecting with the ebbs and flows of the seasons and sabbats, honoring nature and take nothing for granted. I love cookin’ up some kitchen magic and celebrating magic in the mundane… nothing evil about living a meaningful magical existence celebrating and honoring how magical life really is!

So, if you’ve made it this far and haven’t thought I’ve lost my mind- thanks for sticking around to learn more about Samhain! Our modern-day Halloween has roots from Samhain like the jack-o-lanterns. Originally, they were carved out turnips. These turnips were carved to look like protective spirits… after all it is a night of mischief and chaos. Dressing up as your favorite character nowadays is a thrill and a lot of fun. But centuries ago, it was used as a way to ward off evil spirits or fool the Fae during Samhain. We have ghost and goblins nowadays as lores, but Celts had a mysterious little creature called Puca (poo-kah). Puca literally translates to goblin. This little monster was thought to play tricks on humans as it took on the form of animals namely a rabbit or horse. There are tall tales of a Puca taking the form of a horse. He then would invite a drunken man upon his back for the ride of his life… usually terrifying the crap out of him by jumping hedges and performing “death defying” leaps. The poor soul would usually get tossed from his back by early dawn and the lad would have to stumble his way home. In New York, we have the tale of the headless horseman from Sleepy Hollow. In Ireland, there’s Dullahan. Same concept even down to the red-eyed horse. Lady Gwyn, another outlandish creature seems more terrifying than the two above. Imagine wandering around at night and you see a headless woman in a white dress with a huge black pig at her side…. shudder, right?!

My favorite part of Samhain? A dumb supper. Now, I personally hate calling it this. A feast for the dead sounds much more lovely and accurate. But “dumb” doesn’t translate to stupid it translates to silent. We don’t do a quiet meal…. none of our ancestors were quiet and I am more than happy to have a joyful talkative meal. When we do our feast, we set out an extra plate, even pull up an extra chair as a way to invite our loved ones and ancestors to join us for our meal celebrating their existence. The days leading up to Samhain, I muse over old photos I was gifted by my gram and find plenty of photos to set about. I try to connect with them and thank them for being alive. I acknowledge how proud I am of them for preserving through hardships and I am grateful I have them watching over. We talk about stories that have been passed down and who they were as a person. If I have trinkets that were theirs, always include those. I try to make it look relatively nice with candles and flowers. Celts used to leave food and drink offerings by their doorsteps for the dead wandering about on Samhain night. I leave a small plate in the forest as an offering to our land spirits and those that walked these woodlands prior to us. Another beautiful tradition was burying apples by the roadside for the spirits that had no one or perhaps were lost. Candles were also left lit in windows to help guide the ancestors and loved one’s home. This gets me in all of the feels! In the olden times, the deceased were entertained by the children and the adults would commune with them and give the latest gossip or updates from the past year. I know several ancestors who would love for me to spill the tea! After all of the merriment and feasting, the family would more than likely leave the door and/or windows open for the spirits to come in and enjoy the soul cakes prepared in their honor.

For our feast, it’s a big deal. If I had more alive people to feed it would be epic…Think 1990’s grandma’s kitchen exploded with all sorts of delicious goodies! Alas, it’s just the humans and our four fur kiddos so I scale it back a smidge. Instead of a turkey, I opt to roast a chicken with fresh herbs like sage, rosemary and thyme. Roasted butternut squash is quintessential autumn… add a marinade of maple syrup, Dijon, oil and balsamic makes it over the top. Utilize that same marinade, add extra garlic and voila! Easy flavorful roasted Brussel sprouts! Our favorite thing on this planet is cranberry sauce. I will make a batch weekly until January… super simple and it’s delicious as a side or on toast! Quick recipe of a bag of cranberries reduced with a cup of orange juice and three-quarter cup of dark brown sugar. Let it boil, then simmer until thickened…. easy peasy! Next on the menu is a small loaf of Irish Soda Bread. There is a magical art of crafting fresh bread similar to what our ancestors would have baked. Everything, for me, is magical about baking bread from stirring to kneading then that first bite of warm bread… yumm!

Dessert is always my favorite even though my sweet tooth is mostly in check. I think it’s the magic of turning basic ingredients into something amazingly delicious that makes my soul happy dance! Soul Cakes, I make specifically for those that have passed over… a simple spiced shortbread cookie. Soul Cakes are from the ancient tradition of “souling”. Poor folks and children would go round to wealthier families on Samhain. In exchange for the biscuits, they would offer blessings and prayers to keep evil spirits at bay or pray for their souls. In a way, I think of it as a weird version of Yuletide caroling mixed with those nutty Jehovah witnesses (no offense!) … it makes me chuckle to envision this! Other traditions, mark a “x” on the tops and leave them out for the deceased loved ones. I’ve been making these for years and they are completely customizable… I keep them more of a shortbread texture with cinnamon, allspice and cloves. Dried cranberries added in are so good! Pumpkins are also synonymous with this time of year and pumpkin dessert is a must! I kept ours simple with a pumpkin bundt cake and a dusting of powdered sugar. I, personally, love the nostalgia of bundt cakes… those seem vintage, old fashion and I am sure my ancestors would more than approve!

Whether you celebrate Halloween, Samhain, both or neither, this is the time of the year for cozy magical thoughts and wishes. Celebrate every day, the little things, big things and those seemingly mundane moments because they are big too! Cheers to our next adventure!