…as always, you are brilliant!!

The True Spirit of Halloween, for Real Witches

Halloween is here again. Pumpkins deck our porches and Witches in pointy hats swoop across the walls of classrooms and offices. Children accost one another, asking “What are you going to be for Halloween?” and grownups stock up on candy.

But for real Witches, Halloween has a deeper, spiritual meaning. Who are the real Witches? Those of us who practice the pre-Christian, nature and Goddess-centered spiritual traditions indigenous to Europe and the Middle East. For us, Halloween, or Samhain (pronounced Sau-in) to use the old Celtic term, is our New Year — the end of harvest in agricultural communities and therefore the beginning of the new cycle. At this time, we say that ‘the veil is thin’ that separates the seen from the unseen, the world of the living from the world of the dead. So this is the season when we honor the ancestors, mourn those who have died this year, and celebrate life.

Here in San Francisco, our Reclaiming tradition of Wicca (another term for the religion of the Witches) creates a big, public ritual, with art, music, poetry and dance weaving together to create sacred space. We name those who have died this year, and offer a chance for mourners to grieve with the support of our community. For us, death is a natural part of life. We acknowledge the sadness of our losses, but death itself is not something to fear. It’s simply one stage in the great cycles of birth, growth, death and rebirth that to us are sacred.

The heart of our ritual is the spiral dance, when over a thousand people dance together in a double spiral that symbolizes rebirth and regeneration. Moving together, passing one face after another, we enter together into a state of deep connection and ecstasy.

This year marks the Thirtieth Anniversary of our Spiral Dance ritual–and of the publication of my book, “The Spiral Dance: A Rebirth of the Ancient Religion of the Great Goddess.” In those years, our community has grown from a handful of us celebrating in our living rooms to an international network. Thirty years ago, information about Wicca and the Goddess was difficult to find and most Witches practiced in secrecy. Today, books, music, videos and networks abound — in part thanks to the internet. Wicca and our related Pagan traditions have begun to take the place they deserve among the spiritual traditions of the world.

So this Halloween, we urge you to take a break from the ghouls and the ghosts and learn something about real Witches. Below are links to my website, where you can find my books, including my latest, “The Last Wild Witch,” a picture book for young children published by Mother Tongue Ink, as well as many other resources. Enjoy, and may this season bring you comfort in grief, hope in sorrow, a strong vision for the future and the strength, support, and resources you need to act in service of what you love.

http://.starhawksblog.org/

On my blog for October 28 you will find many links to videos about Halloween and our Spiral Dance ritual.

www.reclaiming.org
Our website for our international network. Find classes, rituals and community contacts near you.

www.reclaimingspiraldance.org/
Information, history, pictures and videos from the Spiral Dance.

www.witchvox.com
Witches’ Voice–a great resource for general information on Wicca and Paganism.

BLESSED SAMHAIN/CALAN GAEF to all of my dear friends that celebrate it. I have so much to be thankful for this harvest, and you are all included in those thanks! May your new year be blessed by the Lord and Lady with brilliance and abundance!!

For all celebrating, have a safe and happy Halloween!

Namaste.

Upon Each Samhain

When you come I sense your presence
I put my hand out in the air
A moment, then, we stand united
Palm to palm while waiting there.
I miss you most upon each Samhain
When the boundary turns to sheer
We share these hours until the dawning
Then bid farewell until next year.

My Sister Priestess in the Sacred Mists wrote a beautiful piece in her journal about the topic of Initiation.
Today, we welcomed several of our brothers and sisters into the Priest/esshood of the Sacred Mists, as they Initiated to the First Degree. I offer them the warmest of congratulations and welcome them into the Coven and the Service of the Lord and Lady with all my heart.

Naturally, this started me thinking about Initiation and what this means to me, and what this means to the larger Wiccan community.

I think that there is a need to stress the seriousness and importance of what Initiation is and what it means. It is not simply a ritual to welcome someone into a group like joining a sorority or fraternity. It isn’t just being accepted by a coven, or awknowledging the end of a period of study with a ritual. It’s not like a convocation, either. Initiation is nothing less than crossing a spiritual threshold, pulling back a veil and moving to the other side, with no ability to turn back. It is taking a Sacred Oath to the Gods and Goddesses, and to all of the Universe. It is an unending bond between you and your coven mates. It pledges loyalty to your Tradition and a serious decision to walk that Tradition with honor, joy, honesty, and sincerity.

My first Initiation was at Ostara 2002. I had been studying with a group called Circle of the Goddess (COTG) via distance for over two years. In a brave and brazen (and risky, “crazy” as some said) move, I flew alone to the United States, something I had never done before, to be Initiated by Priest/esses that I had never met in person but had studied with intently for some time. I was to stay at the home of my High Priest and Priestess (Who were also a married couple) in Santa Clara, California, somewhere I had never been.

To say that those first steps beyond the curtain to Initiation was life shattering, deeply moving, profoundly emotional and filled with joy and reverence would be understatements. I cannot and will not ever divulge the secret rites that I went through during those miraculous days, but suffice to say, I was transformed.

Time passed, the group disbanded, and I was left feeling adrift and like I had no spiritual compass anymore. I started an eclectic circle which did not last long. I tried being a solitary, but something felt missing. I even tried to go back to the Catholic Church of my youth, as I was feeling like I didn’t know who or what I was anymore.That didn’t work, and I found myself longing for more direction and for a place that I truly felt would be my spiritual home.

But part of me remembered who I was, and what I was called to. I practiced again as a solitary and searched for the right tradition. I finally found what was to be my true spiritual home one autumn some five or six years ago now; The College of the Sacred Mists.

As I have mentioned several times on this blog, the Sacred Mists is home to me like none other; from the moment I was exploring the College, I *knew* in my heart that I had found my spiritual home and family, and that I wanted to be a part of the Tradition when I was able. A year and a day followed, a time where I grew closer to the Sacred Mists family and my desire to Initiate grew stronger. I grew and flourished as a Dedicant of the Sacred Mists.

When Initiation was offered, I knew beyond a shadow of a doubt that I wanted to be a Priestess of the Sacred Mists. When I Initiated with several of my brothers and sisters of the Mists, it was the most pivotal experience spiritually for me; I had come home, I had drawn back the veil and seen the face of the Goddess, and felt honored, blessed, and deeply joyful to be a Priestess in this beautiful tradition.

I continued my study and service to the Tradition, and am now a Third Degree Dedicant. I know that when it is offered, my Second Degree Initiation will be an experience like none other. I take my responsibilities as a Priestess of the Sacred Mists very seriously, with reverence and awe. I see this as a calling to be a teacher, leader, and mentor to others. I’m honored to be accepted by and to be a part of this beautiful tradition that is truly my spiritual home and family.

As it says in one of my favorite quotes from “The Mists of Avalon”, which the title of this blog comes from;

“How do you write of the making of a priestess? What is not obvious is secret. Those who have walked that road will know, and those who have not will never know though I should write down all the forbidden things.”

Being a Priestess is something that you become and that you are. It is not a “job” where you turn out the lights, lock the door, and head home at the end of the day. You are a Priestess 24/7. Being a Priestess becomes as much a part of you as your backbone is. You are one that serves the Gods, that teaches and is a mentor to others. Most of all, you are one that has agreed to take on every experience in life. Phyllis Curott, a well-known Wiccan High Priestess and author, says in her book “Book of Shadows” that a shaman is like a wounded healer; you can’t learn to heal others until you’ve learned to heal yourself.

To me, this says that we will go through many trials. And I have, and will, and I have the knowledge that they are all sent to craft me to Her service. In the myth of the descent of Inanna, She has to get rid of all the external trappings that are important to her: clothing, jewels, and prestige, in order to become a Queen. So must we. Our spiritual studies mirror what unfolds in our lives, and vice versa..it is all connected. That is why it is such a serious and important decision to be Initiated; we will be changed forever, and there will be many joys but also many challenges.

I know that a Priestess is what I was born to be, what I have been created for. I remember a Priest at my first Initiation said; “With every step your feet kiss the Mother Earth. Make every step count.”

I shall try, for the honor and joy of the God and Goddess, and for the Sacred Mists Tradition that I love so dearly.