The fall is upon us, and the veil between the worlds grows thin again. It is Samhain, and the dead walk among us. We at Widdershins decided to take a different tack this year. Instead of talking about the dead themselves, we decided to focus on the messengers of the dead, the beings who communicate with those expired and often lead the newly dead to their final rest. And the results were surprising.
Normally, if we think of these messengers at all, we think of the Grim Reaper: skeletal, black robes, a scythe, you know the guy. Descended from Charon, the Greek ferryman, he is our usual model. But research turns up different images. The sirens, traditionally thought of as beings of seductive and dangerous beauty, appear in a new role. Hermes, often thought of as the FTD florist of the Gods ("don't just say it, say it with flowers!"), takes on a new majesty as He is seen in His rightful role as the god who led people to the underworld. In these new forms, we suddenly see death in unexpected places.
We also have some Samhain holiday writing. A ritual for your pleasure and two pieces on the meeting of the World Trade Organization (WTO) — a different mask for death.
At Samhain, death and rebirth come together. This issue marks the birth of "Stellar Magick," our new astrology column by Donna M. Pinkston, and an ending herein for the old column, "As the Planets Spin," by Elisabeth von Zahring. We at Widdershins would like to thank Elisabeth for creating her column for us all this time. It was highly imaginative and very entertaining, but the readers voted for a more traditional approach. We're very happy that Elisabeth will stay on doing her extremely useful equinox and solstice forecasts.
We haven't escaped death yet; the theme for the next issue (Yule) is dying and reborn gods. Submissions are due December 1. Send us articles on the subject if you have them — we like different takes on pagan ideas. We're also always interested in seasonal writing.
Okay, it's Halloween. Go out and scare someone. We are witches and magicians here. We're entitled.
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