Samhain Approaches!

Halloween is on it's way, our house is decorated with silk autumn leaves (no real ones to be had here in South Florida), silky black crows, pumpkins, sparkly orange lights, and black cats. I love this time of year, and this year I sprung for a few new decorations to really give our home that Samhain flavor. Soon I'll begin creating a menu for our dinner for our beloved dead. We held a dinner like this last year and it felt honoring of those we love who are gone as well as healing for us. Sadly, this year's honorees will include a close and very special friend who recently crossed over, a beautiful spirit who has left us too young. My daughter has been experiencing difficulty in even mentioning our friend's name, so approaching this particular dinner with delicacy will be a priority. Last year, after our special meal was over, I felt a bit sad and drained. I expect that this year will yield the same effect and I plan to hold a small, very simple personal ritual in the side garden after everything has been cleaned up and the night is winding down.

As far as engaging in Craft activities goes, I recently attended a wonderful study group with our local CUUPS group, after which I had the honor of actively participating in a ritual of blessing. Having missed quite a few study groups lately, when the call went out for people to open the quarters I gleefully offered to help call the elements of the North. Happily, one of my Temple sisters joined me, along with a quiet fellow I'd never met before. All went well that night until it was revealed that a woman in the circle had been videotaping the whole thing (a big no no in our group). When confronted, she became indignant, stating huffily that the video was her personal property. As more people approached her from the circle, she stated that she would delete the video when she got home, but my gut told me she wasn't being truthful and I advised that this would not be acceptable- it was wrong for her to have taped people without their consent in the first place. Finally, she agreed to delete the video, a task she needed help to accomplish, as she admitted she didn't know how to do this. Obviously, she had no intention of trashing the video after she returned home!

Privacy during ritual is important. While one person might feel free about publicizing his or her Pagan lifestyle, for another to do so might cost him/her a job or jeopardize a career. Additionally, there are some in the community who aren't ready or for whom it isn't practical to expose their spiritual beliefs to some or all of their family members. The web site for our local CUUPS group is definite in it's "no camera/no video" rule. Unless someone has explicitly agreed to be photographed, there should be no picture taking. Pagans are like everyone else- we hold jobs as lawyers, doctors, teachers, bus drivers, and everything other job one can think of. Some of those jobs also employ people who wouldn't be open to our way of life.

As you celebrate the turn of the year this Samhain, enjoy the company of good friends and kindred spirits on either side of the veil. And, if you're lucky enough to attend a holiday ritual, remember to be respectful of others who are doing the same. Stay in and enjoy the moment, and, unless you have been designated a photographer for the group or have been asked to memorialize the gathering with pictures, keep your memories safely tucked away in the scrapbook of your mind.

Samhain blessings.