18 • THE WEBSTER TIMES • Friday, <strong>November</strong> 2, <strong>2012</strong> www.webstertimes.net Halloween not only holiday celebrated on Oct. 31 HALLOWEEN continued from page 1 Haynes, owner of Some Enchanted <strong>Evening</strong>, this year’s holiday is particularly personal. “It will be the first Samhain since my father passed. I thought he’d live to 90, and he surprised me. All of us, really,” she said. She’ll set up an altar in his memory “and tell him the things I need to tell him. … I truly believe he’s one of those people who will make himself known.” In Pagan tradition, that’s possible because the “veil between the worlds” is thinnest on Samhain. Citing Llewelyn’s annual Witch’s Calendar, Southbridgian Nancy Shields observed that the actual date this year is Nov. 7, since that’s the halfway point between Mabon (the Autumnal Equinox) and Yule (the Winter Solstice), although the day is often celebrated on Oct. 31. She noted the modern Pagan calendar is actually a blending of two ancient systems: the Germanic tradition of celebrating the solstices and equinoxes, and the Celtic tradition of celebrating the RE-ELECT “cross-quarter” days (those halfway between solstices and equinoxes). Combined, they give eight major holidays, termed “sabbats” — Yule (Dec. 21), Imbolc (Feb. 2), Ostara (March 21), Beltane (May 1), Midsummer (June 21), Lughnasadh/Lammas (Aug. 1), Mabon (Sept. 21) and Samhain. Pagans also often gather on the 13 full moon nights annually (termed “esbats”), although actual practices vary somewhat among groups. Often, those who are first discovering Pagan ideas and practices participate in groups that are more ritually-oriented and even hierarchal (with formal initiations, priestesses and priests, for example), and some of the beginner books talk about ritual tools, ranks and ceremonies at length. But it’s common for people to evolve into more eclectic, personal and informal ways of expressing themselves over time. “There are many, many, many Pagan paths. If you need a path with signposts on it, you can find one,” Shields said. “But our connection to the divine should be personal, and no one has the right, ability or authority to stand between us and the divine.” Diane Nuckle, an herbalist and former owner of Sturbridge’s Earth Spirits, agreed, noting she wasn’t particularly ritualistic to start with. She said she used to do “light ceremony,” with drumming, singing and the like with a few friends, but now tends to just “live with the plants” and thank them for their gifts as a routine lifestyle. Although Nuckle said her practice is influenced by Native American ideas, the ideas that humans have a kinship with Earth’s other species, can communicate with Nature, that Nature’s resources are gifts not property, and that we are responsible for how we treat Earth exist in numerous societies. Shields, for example, noted she finds the same concepts in ancient Celtic tradition. That tradition is where Samhain itself originated, although similar holy days can be found worldwide. On that night, Celts believed the spirits of ancestors could come visit the living. If friendly, people left them gifts (a token plate of food PETER called the “dumb meal”) to honor them; if not, they left such gifts to placate them, and sometimes wore costumes to invoke the strength of animal spirits for protection over the next year. “The Celts saw the time from Samhain to Imbolc as the ‘down time,’ when people were just surviving,” Shields observed. According to “The Myth of Samhain” page at www.religioustolerance.org, the term literally means “summer’s end” in Gaelic, reflecting the fact that ancient Celts saw just two seasons, summer and winter. Since the 18th century, Samhain has been widely misunderstood, especially among conservative Christians, as being a “god of the dead,” but no deity by that name has been documented among the hundreds of known Celtic deities (most of them localized to specific groves, springs, rivers, etc), the page notes. In part, that comes from a long mainstream belief that darkness equates to spiritual danger or evil, but there’s no such equivalence among Pagans. “The energy in a Samhain circle is different — stronger, but it’s also more subdued, quieter, darker,” Haynes said. “It’s different from the rest. Most holidays we celebrate life, try to encourage the plants to grow… but this one is more relaxing, calming, waiting for the spirits to come to us. You’re comforted because you’re so close to them. Darkness is not a bad thing; black is for protection. But it can seem scary for people who aren’t aware of that.” Shields agreed, saying Samhain “tends to be low-key” for her, unlike the other holidays. (She particularly likes doing something public for Imbolc after a couple months of cold, typically joining the regional EarthSpirit Community event.) “It’s my point of view that it’s more of a solemn holiday, where we connect with our loved ones not on this plane anymore,” Shields said. “… It’s a time for taking stock and seeing where you are.” Gus Steeves can be reached at 508- 909-4135 or by e-mail at gus@stonebridgepress.com. DURANT STATE REPRESENTATIVE www.PeterjDurant.com Working Hard for Charlton, Dudley, <strong>Southbridge</strong> & Spencer State Representative Peter Durant has a proven record of supporting… Jobs Local Aid Education Senior Citizens Veterans & Affordable Healthcare ❏ ✓ Co-sponsored & Help Draft Road to Opportunity Jobs Package. ❏ ✓ Voted for Affordable Healthcare Plans for Individuals & Families. ❏ ✓ Supported More Local Aid for Education, Public Safety & Roads. ❏✓ Voted to protect Adult Day Healthcare funding for Seniors. ❏ ✓ Voted for the Valor Act to help our Veterans. RE-ELECT PETER J. DURANT STATE REPRESENTATIVE <strong>November</strong> 6 th ! Peter Durant is a Proven Leader in Good Times & Bad His Opponent has Unfortunately & Sadly made the Tornado a Political Issue; So let’s set the record straight… • Durant toured the damage and visited with those harmed. • Durant assisted victims of the tornado. • Durant participated in the cleanup & relief efforts. • Durant joined other state & federal officials in support of disaster funds for <strong>Southbridge</strong> & Charlton. • Durant spearheaded & initiated efforts to include disaster funds in House Supplemental Budget for Charlton when they were being left out of receiving any. Paid for by Massachusetts Republican House PAC, PO Box 353, North Reading, MA *www.masshousegop.com* Not Authorized by the Candidate or Candidate’s Committee
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