column
by Anita
Most pagan
festivals descend from agricultural rites and celebrations based in
Astrologically speaking, Samhain represents the midpoint between Mabon and Yule, when the Sun reaches 15 degrees Scorpio. Historically, many cultures have celebrated this time of year anywhere from October 31 until November 10. In Mexico, the Day of the Dead is celebrated for three days, from October 31 until November 2. (The Catholic Spaniards moved it to that date from the original August celebration; see www.azcentral.com/ent/dead/history/ for more information.) In Latvia, which is my ancestry and a country with strong pagan traditions, Martin's Day is celebrated on November 10. Martin's Day features children wearing costumes and going from house to house, somewhat like our Halloween. They make noise using bells, pots and pans and wooden spoons to chase out unwelcome spirits and are masked so that the spirits do not recognize them.
Samhain is the time of year when the doors between our earth and the world beyond are open, and departed friends and family can cross over in either direction. It's the time when we remember and honor our ancestors. Scorpio is the sign that teaches us about death, taxes, inheritance, ancestors and magick and opens the door to other worlds. The place in your natal chart where Scorpio falls shows the area in your life that you can transform by sheer force of will.
This force of will that Scorpio masters so well is based on the law of attraction. The law of attraction states that the energy you send out is the energy you receive back. It is the reason many rituals fail; because there remains in us a remnant of fear or doubt that we really can do what we've set out to do. Total faith, total belief is required for the success of our rituals. Often it requires a strong will to chase out all vestiges of doubt and fear from our minds. Don't waste time agonizing over so-called reality and how vocal or strong your opponents might be. When you do a ritual, you are placing yourself in a magickal space and creating your future. Develop affirmations that clearly describe your goal, using only positive statements that include a strong emotion. Feel with all your senses the magick you are creating.
Scorpio is a sign that values secrecy, and secrecy is very important in any magickal work. One of the games I used to play with my friends when we were small, called "Telephone," was to sit in a circle. One person would whisper something into the ear of the person sitting next to her. That person would pass on the sentence, which would go around the circle and eventually return to the one who started it. It was always amusing to see how much the sentence had changed after passing through the perceptions and prejudices of everyone in the circle. Everyone knows the old saying that three people can keep a secret only if two of them are dead. (Scorpio humor!) Magickal work, especially, can lose its power when you speak of it to the wrong people. They misunderstand, they tell jokes behind your back or they try to intimidate you by telling you you're being silly or superstitious. This time of year in particular, when the forces of light are fading, and the forces of darkness become stronger, we need to protect ourselves as best we can, and carefully weighing our words before we speak is one way of doing that. Talk about your magick only with people you know will support you.
Words themselves carry power when they are only used in one particular environment, for one particular purpose. When the Goodwill Games came to Seattle, I went to a play that was presented by the visiting Russians. I listened to the earphones, which translated the play for me, but removed them from time to time to see if I could understand what the actors were saying. My parents spoke Russian with one another when they didn't want me to understand what they were saying, and I only learned a few words. At one point, the woman on stage fell to her knees and cried out, "Gospodi!" (Russian for God.) Suddenly, I could smell incense, and I felt myself surrounded by old women wearing scarves on their heads, praying and singing. Years of old memories came flooding back to me, transporting me to a different time and place. I thought about the experience afterward, wondering why it had such an effect on me, then realized it was a word I'd only heard in a religious setting. The equivalent in English would not have had the same powerful effect on me -- how many times a day do you hear people say the word "god"? "Oh god, look at the traffic!" or "Oh god, stop clipping your fingernails!"
Similarly, when you reserve the use of sacred words for certain purposes, they can support work you are trying to do. When you invoke energies and feelings, then pronounce magickal words or phrases that correspond to those energies, the words themselves become charged with your magick. Later, you can simply speak the words to yourself to raise the same energies and feelings whenever you need to. For example, if you want to be able to maintain calm when dealing with certain people at work, do several meditations, breathing in the kind of poise you want to achieve. Select a word or a name and speak it at that time. Do the meditation often enough so that the word is charged with the feeling. Then, when you find yourself at work with that person, speak the magickal name to yourself. It becomes a kind of shorthand for the ritual itself.
You can find links to more Samhain information at www.witchvox.com/holidays/xsamhain.html.
Important Dates for the
Samhain Season
October 22, 6:49 p.m. PDT -- Sun enters Scorpio.
October 31 -- Sun in Scorpio, waning Moon in Gemini. This is a good time to finish projects or banish situations or relationships from your life that no longer serve a purpose. The Moon -- our feelings -- opposes the underworld god/planet Pluto at 11:52 a.m. PDT. This might cause intense emotions, possibly alternating between elation and depression. If you are doing work with relationships, be cautious on this day to avoid rousing emotional situations you might not be ready for.
November 2 -- Election Day. The Sun is in Scorpio, and the waning Moon is in Cancer, which it entered November 1 at 6:53 a.m. PST. While the Moon is in Cancer -- our country's Sun sign -- it could be a good time to meditate on favorable energies pouring in to our nation. With the Sun and Moon in harmonious aspect to one another and both in water signs, rituals focusing on the banishment of fear, negativity and ignorance would be appropriate.
November 6, at 6:02 p.m. PST -- Sun reaches 15 degrees Scorpio. The Moon is waning in Virgo. Mars, planet of action and war, squares (makes a 90-degree angle to) traditional, boundary-oriented Saturn at 9:03 p.m. PST that day. The effect is like driving with one foot on the gas pedal and one foot on the brake. The Saturn/Mars square could be frustrating for you because you might encounter opposition to your efforts. The best use of these energies is to do healing work (Virgo), to banish illness and infection (Mars/Saturn). One of the best uses for a Mars/Saturn square is to defend and protect the rights of others, especially those weaker than you.
November 12, 6:27 a.m. PST -- New Moon in Scorpio. The energy of a New Moon starts a cycle of growth. This is a good time to start new projects, especially those focused on transforming one area of your life. If you've done the preparatory work of getting rid of your garbage during the waning Moon, the New Moon can bring fresh experiences or relationships to replace those that are out of date and no longer useful to you.
November 20 -- Mercury conjuncts Pluto at 7:23 p.m. PST, at 21 degrees Sagittarius. If you need to speak in front of a large group, write lots of letters or write a long piece of work, this is a good time to do it. On the other hand, if you're not prepared for this transit, you might be unpleasantly surprised by having to endure torrents of words.
November 21 -- the Sun enters Sagittarius at 3:22 p.m. PST. The Moon enters Aries at 8:11 that morning, giving a double whammy of fire influences to the day. Exercise caution while driving and if you're working with electricity. It is a good time, though, to do anything that requires physical movement or exercise (just don't overdo it). It's also a good time to start projects that require strong will power and determination. The Sagittarius influence can give you insight into planning for the future, and the Aries Moon can give you the impetus to start something you've been postponing for a while. Since Sagittarius needs space and Aries loves simplicity, this might be a good time to sort your possessions, throw out what you don't need and put together a box to donate to charity.
When the Sun is in Sagittarius, it is a time to focus on issues such as religion, philosophy, long-distance travel, publishing or higher education. Sagittarius represents the teacher or the priest -- in fact, in ancient times the priests were teachers, since generally they were the only ones who could read. Sagittarius is also concerned with freedom of movement. Try standing in a doorway, blocking the exit to a room, then watch the Sagittarians in the room grow nervous and anxious!
Since Jupiter, the planet of generosity and growth, rules Sagittarius, the time when the Sun is in Sagittarius is a time to focus on generosity of spirit, tolerance of others' beliefs and expansion of the mind through learning.
Sagittarius is a mental sign, an action-loving sign, as opposed to Scorpio, which is deeply emotional. Any work that you are doing that requires rising above emotions should be done during the Sun's transit of Sagittarius, rather than Scorpio.
Sagittarius also rules astral travel, and during this month it's appropriate to work on sharpening your skills navigating the astral plane. For information and ideas, look for Patricia Garfield's book Creative Dreaming. You can also read Stephen Laberge's books Exploring the World of Lucid Dreaming and Lucid Dreaming: a Concise Guide to Awakening in Your Dreams and in Your Life.
November 22, 5:21 a.m. PST-- Venus enters Scorpio. Venus, planet of love and rich things, in Scorpio can make beautiful things from castoffs. Venus is in Scorpio until mid-December. Make use of this time to recycle old things that you've tired of into new.
November 26, 12:07 p.m. PST -- Full Moon in Gemini. This falls one day after Thanksgiving. The Moon is in Taurus during Thanksgiving, making it very easy to overeat (which is already easy to do on that day). With Thanksgiving so close to a Full Moon, you can expect people to try to outdo themselves by cooking fancy feasts and bringing more food than they ordinarily would. Focus your energy on the esoteric lessons of Taurus, which is the ability to distinguish between temporary pleasures and permanent values.
The Full Moon in Gemini is a good time to make connections, meet people, network and communicate. It's also a good time to write, especially works that center on Sagittarian themes of philosophy, historical analysis or religious tolerance.
November 29,
12:26 a.m. PST -- Jupiter trines
December 11, 5:29 p.m. PST -- New Moon in Sagittarius. This is a good time to start new projects, especially those that are related to Sagittarian themes: long-distance travel, publishing, higher education, and astral travel.
December 16, 9:10 a.m. PST -- Venus enters Sagittarius, and will be there until mid-January 2005. This is a good time to work on getting rid of any emotional baggage you may be carrying around.
December 21, 4:42 a.m. -- Sun enters Capricorn. This signals the arrival of the winter solstice and the Yule season. A Full Moon in Cancer follows on December 26 at 7:06 a.m.
Copyright © 2006 by the article's author