Amid all this chaos, I am one of the lucky ones because my power was restored after 4 days. 13 days into this catastrophe, much of Morris county and huge swatches of NJ still remain without power, with the average night-time temps being in the low-to-mid 20's. Throughout the state, trees are still entangled with powerlines, and many roads remain blocked. A new FEMA center just opened today in Broadway, NJ (Warren county). Schools are still closed, and even Doctors Without Borders, the International humanitarian-aid group best known for conducting emergency health care interventions in war-torn countries, set up a makeshift clinic for Hurricane Sandy victims in one of New York’s worst-hit communities, The Rockaways. Transition energies have certainly grabbed our attention!
Hurricane Sandy's arrival at Samhain - followed closely by Winter Storm Athena - does not feel like a coincidence. Samhain is often referred to as the Celtic New Year - it marked the end of Summer and the beginning of the fallow time of year when the Crone aspect of the Goddess was celebrated. Traditionally, it was a time to embrace the darkness, the chaos, the death cycle of plants and nature. It is the time of year to follow the pattern that the trees follow: slowly and steadily shed our outer ornaments, thicken out our skins as the tree bark does to prepare for the coming bitter winds, ice and snow, and pull our energies within. Slowing, Rooting and Releasing is the order for the fall, and Samhain is the pause between.
At one time in pre-recorded history, Halloween, All Soul's Day, and The Day of the Dead were considered a three-day month all to itself, and it stood apart from the rest of the year. "Freeing the passage of three sunrises and sunsets from the written calendar added to the otherworldly feel of this triad of days. Indeed, unbound from a predictable, calendric rhythm, these three days inspired devotion to the unknowable and invisible, the chaotic and surprising." Pausing exists in the most basic rhythms of nature and the universe. Just as the waves at the shore have a distinct yet brief 'pause' between inwave and outwave, so does our breathing have a distinct 'pause' between our inbreath and our outbreath. So, as we come to the end of another yearly cycle, it is most fitting that we stop briefly and embrace the void between one year and the next.Celebrating Samhain!
"Samhain (pronounced Sow-en), dates back to the ancient Celts who lived 2,000 years ago. Contrary to what some believe, is not a celebration of a Celtic god of the dead. Instead, it is a Celtic word meaning "summer's end." The Celts believed that summer came to an end on October 31st and the New Year began on November 1st with the start of winter. But the Celts also followed a lunar calendar and their celebrations began at sunset the night before.
Many today see Halloween as the pagan holiday. But that's not really accurate. As the pagan holiday of Samhain is on November 1st. But their celebrations did and still do, start at sunset on October 31st, on Samhain Eve. During the day on October 31st, the fires within the home are extinguished. Often families would engage in a good "fall" cleaning to clear out the old and make way for the new. Starting the winter months with fresh and clean household items.
At sunset on October 31, clans or local villages begin the formal ceremonies of Samhain by lighting a giant bonfire. The people would gather around the fire to burn crops and animals as sacrifices to the Celtic deities. It was a method of giving the Gods and Goddesses their share of the previous years herd or crops. In addition these sacred fires were a big part of the cleansing of the old year and a method to prepare for the coming new year.
During the celebration, the Celts wore costumes, and danced around the bonfire. Many of these dances told stories or played out the cycles of life and death or commemorated the cycle of Wheel of Life. These costumes were adorned for three primary reasons.
The first was to honor the dead who were allowed to rise from the Otherworld. The Celts believed that souls were set free from the land of the dead during the eve of Samhain.
Not all of these souls were honored and respected. Some were also feared as they would return to the physical world and destroy crops, hide livestock or 'haunt' the living who may have done them wrong. The second reason for these traditional costumes was to hide from these malevolent spirits to escape their trickery.
The third representation was a method to honor the Celtic Gods and Goddesses of the harvest, fields and flocks. Giving thanks and homage to those deities who assisted the village or clan through the trials and tribulations of the previous year. And to ask for their favor during the coming year and the harsh winter months that were approaching.
In addition to celebrations and dance, it was believed that this thin veil between the physical world and the Otherworld provided extra energy for communications between the living and the dead. With these communications, Druid Priests, and Celtic Shamans would attempted to tell the fortunes of individual people through a variety of methods. For a people entirely dependent on the volatile natural world, these prophecies were an important source of comfort and direction during the long, dark winter. "
Samhain Sweet Potato Pumpkin Soup
2 sweet potatoes or yams, peeled or scrubbed, and diced
1 medium onion, chopped
1-2 cloves garlic, minced
2 TBS. butter or olive oil
4-6 cups vegetable broth or stock
1/3 cup canned or fresh cooked pumpkin
Freshly grated nutmeg and ginger to taste
Salt to taste (optional)
1/2 cup light cream
Cook the potatoes, onion and garlic in the butter or olive oil for several minutes until slightly golden. Add broth or vegetable stock to cover vegetables and bring to a boil. Simmer until potatoes are soft, about 25 minutes.
Add the pumpkin, nutmeg, ginger and salt and puree this mixgture in batches in a blender or food processor. Add in the cream and return the mixture to the saucepan. heat, thinning with more broth if necessary, to make a creamy soup. Serve in small pumpkins, with a dollop of sour cream, if desired.
(Sources: "Herbal Rituals" by Judith Berger; http://www.paganspath.com/magik/samhain-history.htm; "Celebrating the Great Mother" by Cait Johnson and Maura D. Shaw;)
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Note: Any remedies or information listed on this newsletter are from historical references and used for teaching/educational purposes only. The contents are not meant to diagnose, treat, prescribe, cure or substitute consultation with a licensed health-care professional. This information has not been evaluated by the Food and Drug Administration.
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