Author: Joanna van der Hoeven
Reblog from SageWoman: Samhain and the Ancestors
digital artwork by Pumpkin Photography, available on devianart
Reblog from my post over at SageWoman’s blog channel – Samhain blessings to you all!
What with the rage of the storm St Jude passing over our area on Monday morning, we were without power for a couple of days (as well as being without land line phones -mobile masts were also out). At this time of year, when the clocks have gone back and the nights are drawing in, the change can be quite dramatic, especially when you are living without power.
The weather had turned cold in the evenings, but luckily we have a fireplace, so the evenings were spent gathered around the hearth, with the darkness all around just outside the circle of candle and firelight, and the wind howling outside. Pretty much confined to one room in the light and warmth, we took the time to simply be – to sit together and watch the flames dancing in the darkness.
Preparations had to be made before the light began to fail. Food was prepared in the daylight, and the candles and fire readied for when darkness fell. There’s nothing worse than being caught out in pitch blackness, looking for a match or a torch and stumbling in the darkness. Time was very much in the forefront of my mind – I had to make sure things were ready. The days and nights seemed to stretch in length, without the distraction of any media to divert our attention away from the inky blackness outside our windows.
Outside, when it was safe enough to go out, we looked up and saw even more stars than we can usually see. Living as we do in a rural area near the coast of the North Sea, we have a pretty amazing night sky as it is, without very much light pollution. These last few nights were something really special. We also noticed just how many planes were in the sky as well – an alarming number, all things considered.
At this time of year, the ancestors are often in my thoughts – in Druidry, we have the ancestors of blood, of place and of tradition to work with. I felt even more connected to the ancestors of the past, without any electricity, filling my days with manual work and enjoying relaxing by the fire in the evenings. My blood ancestors hummed in my veins as I watched the flames in the fireplace, seeing lines stretching off into the darkness of the past and stretching to include hundreds, thousands of people who have gone before. The ancestors of place were all around me, and the very real notion that the living are walking, working, living and loving on the bodies on the dead was very real to me. The bodies of all flora and fauna who have gone before provided this very land upon which we live, and at this time of year when it appears that everything is slowly dying to the coming winter, it really hit home. Every morning I was also reminded of the life amidst the world of the dead, as the stags were calling to their does, and the rutting season beginning here upon the heathland. The ancestors of tradition opened up my mind to all that was occurring around me, allowing me to see and experience the mysteries firsthand. I wondered what the future ancestors would experience from our legacy.
When our power did finally come back on, in the early hours of the morning a few days later, I physically felt it. Fast asleep, I awoke in the darkness that was not quite so dark, wondering why I had just sat up in bed. I felt a buzzing in my body, as if everything around me was humming. Looking out the window, I saw that our neighbours across the street had their outside light come on, and that the darkness was not so thick, both inside and out. I could feel the electricity come back on. The heating then came on, and I listened to the sounds of the furnace firing up, and the house creaking under the sudden change in temperature. I was a bit saddened by the return of electricity – it meant that deadlines were now due, that work awaited me when all I wanted to do was retreat into hibernation mode. It meant that we would have to make a special effort not to sink back into the luxury that is electricity, and to not take it for granted. (I was, however, very much looking forward to a hot bath in the morning).
I welcome the darkness, with the rest after a long and busy summer that it brings. I look forward to the shortening days until the winter solstice, when the evenings stretch into hours of sacred time and sacred space. I will fill these hours with meditation, with ritual, with remembrance, instead of ignoring the darkness with the buzzing of electricity and the drone of the media. I will remember our days spent closer to the ancestors, and will welcome the connection to them in the growing darkness.
http://www.witchesandpagans.com/SageWoman-Blogs/samhain-and-the-ancestors.html
Early Samhain celebrations!
We had our big Hallowe’en Hafla (belly dance party and performances) last night – here are some videos of my dance company – students, professionals and… me! Group dance choreographed by my students, solo was improv. x
Samhain Musings…
Samhain, the time when the veils between the worlds are thin… I’ve been wondering about this term of phrase lately. Why, on certain dates of the year, should the veil be thinner than at other times? Is there even such a thing as a veil between the worlds?
More and more I lean towards the negative – that there is indeed no veil, that the dead and the living walk side by side. That there is no Otherworld, that the Otherworld and this world are all the same – it’s only our perception of it that makes it “other”. We like to separate things, we human beings, to classify and put them in a place where we can understand them from a stand-offish perspective. I would posit that, looking at nature, nothing is that simple, or can be tied so neatly to an idea.
Taking inspiration from the natural world around us, we see the living and the dead working together all of the time, whether it is autumn, winter, spring or summer. Things are dying around us constantly – there is no specific season for it. Animals die, plants die, cells die – it does not wait for autumn. I admit, in the Fall we see the foliage around us withdrawing into itself, the leaves falling, the grasses returning to their roots, energy moving in different directions, from out into the sunlight to deep within the earth. This is not a death, however it may appear – simply a reversal of direction.
Like the double helix, energy is always moving, and never in one direction only. When everything appears to be dying here in the Northern Hemisphere, it is beginning to come to life in the Southern Hemisphere. The tides and times of life follow no one set of rules.
I may die in the autumn, I may die in the spring. Whenever I do die, my body will in turn nourish the soil, plants, fungi, animals and legion of other living beings on this planet in that great symbiosis of simply being. It does not rely on a season. I do not cease to be, either. I simply cease to be in some form or other – my body will take on a new form. My soul – I believe that too will take on a new form, if nature has taught me anything.
In our agricultural year and society here in the Northern Hemisphere, we are at the end of our harvest season, and in that time we are able to take a break as the final crops have come in. But we are still making our preparations for winter. Is there really a time to rest, to relax, before the snows come? For some animals this is the busiest season, the squirrels squirreling away their stores, for example. I’m sure our ancestors would have been busy all throughout the year, just trying to stay alive.
I’ve often thought of autumn as a time of rest, of rejuvenation. I see now that perhaps “rest” wasn’t quite right. Autumn is more a time of reflection, of going through what we have learned through the year, and through all the years of our lives. It is a time to not stop, per se, but to take stock.
Along the way, our ancestors, who are with us always, can help us, guide us throughout our lives. Having a special time of year set aside to acknowledge them is a good thing, but I would posit that we should honour where we have come from, our stories and our heritage, all that brought us to this point in time each and every day. It is not a one-off thing. Like the holiday of Thanksgiving, I really enjoy and appreciate the sentiment, but carry that same sentiment with me throughout the year.
All that being said, this IS my favourite time of the year. I love the colours, the smells, the feeling in the air of the approaching winter, the stories of summer lingering upon our lips in reflection and contemplation.
Side by side with the ancestors, I honour the season, the tides and times of life, death, and rebirth.
Review: Elen of the Ways and The Celtic Chakras
Below are my two reviews for Elen of the Ways, and The Celtic Chakras, both by Elen Sentier, a fellow author with Moon Books. You can pick up a copy of these books from either the Moon Books website, http://www.moon-books.net, or from Amazon.
Elen Sentier’s Elen of the Ways is a book full of information on this elusive antlered goddess. She provides us with background and history as well as practical exercises to journey to meet with Her, showing us this native deity in all Her glory. It deepens our connection to the land, and allows us to know our wilder selves, oftentimes hidden deep within. It breaks down the perceived boundaries between the worlds, and brings you up close and personal with this goddess of the boreal forest. She is Within and She is Without – take your first steps upon the path to meeting Her, follow Her trods, the forest beckons…
Elen Sentier’s Celtic Chakras intrigued me – I have worked with the Eastern tradition of chakras for many years, and seeing this interpretation of the concept was refreshing and interesting. I really liked the spiral concept of chakra energy, radiating from the heart centre that reflects the spiral so common a Celtic motif. It also reflected some of the Tantric teachings of flow, how it moves up and through and then back and down, as opposed to movement from the base chakra to the crown only. As a Pagan Portals book from Moon Books, it is a good, short introduction to the Celtic Chakras, which can be further explored on one’s own. I look forward to Sentier’s other works!
Sacrifice
(This is from an article that I wrote for The Druid Network a few years ago…)
Many people in the pagan community have differing ideas on the concept of
sacrifice. Here I can only offer my own view, to share with others. These words,
much as the notion of sacrifice, are a purely personal experience.
Let me first describe what to me is the difference between an offering and a
sacrifice. Offerings can be daily elements of the ritual of our lives; offerings
of incense, of songs to the dawn, food from each meal. Offerings are often given
in thanks; for the day, for the restoration of health to a loved one, for a
wandering pet’s return. For some, offerings are a return of what we have in
abundance, for example, a farmer returning a sheaf of wheat to the land, or some
of the autumn’s blackberry port that was made poured back beneath the bushes
from whence the fruit was obtained. Offerings are used to establish a
relationship, to give back for what we have received in turn from an honourable
existence. They nurture a relationship. So, in that context, what is sacrifice?
For me, sacrifice is something that you just don’t want to give up. It hurts.
Yet, to be able to move onto the next level, to deepen a relationship further,
instead of just nurturing it with an offering, a sacrifice must be made.
Sacrifice is giving up something that is sacred to you. It can’t be easy. It
can’t be something that has outlived its purpose. It can’t be something that you
don’t really care about, or that you have in abundance. It can’t be something
that can be replaced. It has to show dedication, devotion, commitment. It has
got to hurt.
When I speak of hurting, I don’t mean physical pain, although that too in a
way can be seen as a sacrifice. If something will forever be changed because of
it, then perhaps it can be deemed as sacrifice (a tattoo, for instance). To push
through barriers of pain can be a sacrifice of what we strive for as human
beings – comfort being one of the greatest drives. Yet there can be an emotional
pain in sacrifice as well. That the physical pain in sacrifice is our own cannot
be questioned – we should never harm another being in the name of sacrifice, or
for whatever reason. If we are to sacrifice our own personal comfort, then it
must be sufficient to move onto a new level of relationship. We may not always
be willing to sacrifice, however, we can be ready to.
Some argue that time can be sacrificed, yet I would argue that if one has
come to a relationship with the god of Time, then one will find that they have
all the time in the world to attain what they wish. Time, for me, can only be an
offering, even though it can be seen as irreplaceable. Time is not a sacrifice
when it means spending more time at the local soup kitchen and less time in
front of the television – it is merely a reprioritising of time, and what is
important.
Can money be a sacrifice? Again, this for me is more of an offering than a
sacrifice for most people. Money can be replaced, for instance. Yet, if one
gives all their money to another, is that not a sacrifice? Perhaps yes, perhaps
no. For me, money can always be made, yet I live in the luxury of not worrying
too much about where my next meal comes from. So, for me, money is an offering,
much as food and time.
So what constitutes sacrifice? In my own experience, an item (so far it has
always been an item) must be thought over for hours, even days, as to whether or
not I wish to sacrifice it. If I can find other things that I would willingly
sacrifice before it, then they are not worthy. Some might think of this train of
thought as merely masochistic. Again, it comes down to what is truly sacred to
one’s self, and what one needs to do in order to progress to the next level.
Recently, I spent all night in my tepee, knowing that I had to sacrifice
something in the morning before the ritual. I knew that I wanted to go deeper
into my druidry, and that the spirits of place and my gods required it of me. I
hummed and hawed over it, wondering if I had anything else in my pack that I
could sacrifice instead of my beloved and sacred bead bracelet. I didn’t. It was
either my eagle pendant or my bracelet. I couldn’t sacrifice my wooden beaded
necklaces, they were just too easy – I didn’t have a large enough emotional
attachment to them. The spirits of place would not accept that offering, as I
felt. It was not sufficient in order to attain the deeper relationship
that I craved. My eagle pendant, after long thought, was replaceable, though I
would miss it dearly in the months that it would take to find another one. My
bracelet, however, one of a kind with many dear memories attached, was not at
all replaceable. That would be my sacrifice.
I have also sacrificed a medicine bag, and a wedding ring. None of these
items I wanted to let go, but just knew I had to if I was to progress
along my spiritual journey. I miss them dearly, but the value in giving them up
makes up for their loss, in a sense. I have a deeper understanding about myself,
about what is important to me, and by sacrificing these things to the spirits I
feel that they know me better, know my intentions more clearly, and that we have
a stronger, deeper, newer and more committed relationship for it. To me, that is
the true nature of sacrifice.
Reblog from SageWoman: Samhain Approaching
My latest blog for SageWoman’s online channel: http://witchesandpagans.com/SageWoman-Blogs/samhain-approaching.html
Digital art by Ado Ceric, http://www.adoceric.com/Digital7.php
As I sit here, writing this, the rain taps at the window, the wind howling down the street, carrying with it the scent of winter and the first of the autumn leaves. The sky is fast moving and furious – low dark grey clouds set amidst a backdrop of pure white/grey. The central heating has been turned on. The apples are juicy on the trees. The starlings are flocking together. Welcome, Autumn.
My favourite season – as you may have guessed. From bright, sunny days where the sun shows the last of its strength, to watery, wind-filled days like these, it is a season of change like no other. Quick, altogether too quickly, it is over, at least the Fall is, when the leaves change and drop to the ground. After that, it seems Winter is here – only allowing Autumn a brief time of grace to shine in her beauty before all is blanketed under the dreamy cold slumber of Winter.
It is third week of October – and the hectic days of summer leading to the Equinox have long passed. I feel I can almost catch my breath – almost. The main bulk of the harvest is done – both agriculturally and in a personal sense. I have worked hard this year, and the rewards have been great. There are always disappointments – from the tomatoes that didn’t do well to the vagaries of life. But Autumn, with her beauty, captures our hearts and our minds, our attention, and causes us to stop, to listen and watch Her before She is gone.
Samhain is just around the corner. Time to let go of that which did not come to fruition. It is also a time to carry forth and collect the seeds of our new intentions – for we cannot throw these to the winds just yet. We release the dross of our lives into the flames of Samhain fires, and protect the seeds of new ideas and next year’s harvest within the larder of our souls. We cannot release everything – we must hold onto something to take us into the new year, something to sow our intentions with. It could be lessons learned, ideas that did have the time to grow, or ideas that came too late in the season to be utilised to their full potential. And so carry them over we must.
I hope your harvest has been bountiful, and that what you carry over be blessed as well. May the release of Samhain and the dreamy slumber of winter nurture you. May you find beauty and strength in this, the most inspiring and beautiful of all seasons. May the Goddess of Autumn bring you joy as she does me. x
Rhine River
In case you’re wondering why it’s been so quiet here, it’s because I’ve been cruising down the Rhine River! See photos on my public Facebook page here:
A little taster from our show…
Here’s a little taster from our recent belly dance big charity fundraiser show that we put on the other weekend – it’s my professional dance troupe, Lilith Dreaming performing Opa Cupa, and a little solo by me. Enjoy! www.eastanglianbellydancesuperstars.co.uk
Reblog: Awen and Despair
From my blog channel at SageWoman: http://www.witchesandpagans.com/SageWoman-Blogs/awen-and-despair.html
Sometimes being a Druid in today’s society can seem so futile, so pointless. When people are driving their SUV’s and other gas guzzlers to the corner store, or changing the goalposts on the UK badger cull to suit the targets that they set out in an insane attempt to murder as many of the creatures as possible; when people are leaving lights on in their home or their computers on all day because they are too lazy to turn them off, when we keep using plastic bags because we’re too lazy to carry our own into a shop, when we buy cosmetics that have been tested on animals and judge homeless people on the street as ‘good for nothing’ – how on this earth can one go on? And in the name of Druidry, no less – how can we still follow the paths our hearts take us on, when everything around us seems to be crumbling under the weight of the ills of the so called “modern world”?
We may often feel like a tiny drop of water in a vast ocean of futility. But what we do, matters, even on the most basic level. It can be horrendously despairing when we hear news of our beloved planet being raped, and we may feel powerless to stop it. I ask myself so often – what can I do?
Oftentimes, there isn’t an obvious answer. The rage and helplessness have nowhere to go. It builds up inside, until we are cynical of absolutely everything. How can we avoid this, how can we continue to walk the earth’s paths with awe and wonder when around us everything that we hold dear is being destroyed?
When this feeling hits me, and it often hits me hard, the answer is to go out. Go outside, go out in nature and find the wonder again. News from around the world can bombard us with the negative, and we can redress the balance by finding the wonder again in the natural world. It isn’t enough, however – we must still write to our MP’s about hare coursing, we must still sign petitions and protest when and where we can, we must still stand strong in our love for this planet and not merely let it all fall to pieces. But the inspiration to continue can be found by taking that time out, by watching the moonrise, by listening to the owls in the growing twilight.
Awen, that beloved Welsh word so popular in Druidry, is what it is all about. Gathering the threads of inspiration we weave into our world a better outcome, a better solution, a more harmonious approach. We take that inspiration like a person dying of thirst drinks in a glass of water – it feeds us, nourishes us and sustains us so that we may continue.
It has often been said in Druidry that we do not submit to the gods, for to do so would be suicidal. Just so, we should not submit to the negativity in the world, for again that only has one outcome. We must reach for the awen in order to hear the song again, and in hearing the song to be able to sing it, and by singing it hear others as they join in the chorus, eventually coming together with wonder and awe and beauty. For me, there is no other way.
Though I occasionally fall into despair, I reach for the awen to help me climb back out again and face the world, head on.
Down the Forest Path 
