Life. It is a huge cycle. Birth and Death. Yeah, living is great. Weddings and Wiccanings the bomb...but what about those Crossing overs, Funerals, Grief Counseling? Yeah, that ain't so hot is it?
In our Western Culture we either romatisize death through horror flicks or Gothic sensibilities or we tend to sweep it under the carpet. Ignoring little telltale signs like skeletons, road kill, brown leaves (we even sweep these up and bag them to be taken away). We shuttle our elderly off to the nursing home, and we act as if decaying, death, and all that comes with it is a mental disease called morbidity. I am here to tell you it is not.
As a Pagan we celebrate the Dark Mother. My best bud Allison seems to be an expert on her...but myself I tend to hold tight to the Dark God. I have learned alot from the Dark mother do not get me wrong...but I find that the Dark God is where I am dwelling right now. The God that puts me on the boat and rides me to my destination. The god that recalls for me my life in the form of Thoth. The God that when I die I greet and judges my actions as either pleasing or needing rectification; Osiris. So here I stand; with new information and wonder; what should I do? I decided to share with you all today some gathered stuff I have in my BOS about Dark Gods and herbs, etc.
Death and the Modern Pagan
by
Melissa Pinol
Even though they may look forward to
an afterlife in heaven, many people traditionally view death with fear and
distaste. Death is sometimes seen as a tool of the devil, or as a force sent by
God to punish sinners. Hurricanes, earthquakes, and others natural disasters
are sometimes called "Acts of God", as if God had nothing better to
do than sit up in heaven conjuring up disasters to punish unbelievers.
Part of this fear of death comes
from the belief that we have only one life to live, and death is really the
end. Mixed in with this fear is a large amount of uncertainty. When someone
dies, how can they really tell where they will go? In this article, I will
attempt to explore the alternate perception of death held by many modern
Wiccans and Neopagans.
Gods of the Gateway
The Earth-Based, Goddess-Centered
Pagan traditions, including Wicca, have a very different attitude toward death
in general. Most of the Pagans I have spoken to over the years believe in
reincarnation in some form, so that death is seen as a change, a "shedding
of the skin", rather than the end. For this reason the snake that sheds
its skin is viewed as a symbol of rebirth rather than as a symbol of evil.
Pagans see life and death as two sides of one coin; one leads into the other,
unendingly.
Deities of birth and sexual passion
are often associated with death as well, because death is the gateway into
another life. Nothing is permanent, and at the end of suffering there comes
peace, rest, and the opportunity to start over again. Many Wiccan traditions
believe that the souls of the dead rest for a while in an Otherworld called the
"Summerland" where they are healed of the traumas of their last life
before being born again.
Pagans also tend to see the natural
world as a system that was set up in the beginning (or evolved, depending on
your view) to function a particular way. We are part of that system, but not
the rulers of it, nor does it single us out for special attention. The Earth is
a dynamic unit, every function is important to all living creatures.
When Earthquakes happen, the
movement of the tectonic plates helps to maintain a temperature that can
sustain life on the planet. Sometimes cities are destroyed in the process,
sometimes the quakes will happen in a completely uninhabited region like
Antarctica. It's not personal. Those who are killed are comforted in the arms
of the Goddess and given another chance next time. Diseases occur because the
process of evolution created many types of diverse life, and some of those
types of life are harmful to others. Again, it's not personal.
Creation, movement, and the ongoing
process of change leads to both death and new opportunities for life. When
forest fires occurs, new plants and trees have the opportunity to grow. In
Hindu mythology, Shiva the Destroyer dances on the burning ground before coming
together in Sacred Union with the Goddess to create anew.
Ancient mythology and religion is
filled with literally thousands of deities that combine both creation and
destruction within their aspects. In Wiccan theology, the Goddess is triple in
form, appearing as either the Maiden, the Mother, or the Crone. The young
maiden who symbolizes new life and potential, the Mother who gives birth to
all, and the Crone who cuts the thread of life and scythes down old growth are
all aspects of the same being.
Likewise, the God can appear as the
Green Man, symbolizing new growth, the Lord of the Animals, wild and sexual,
and the Dark God or Sage, the Lord of Winter who carries the dead through the
gateway. In some mythologies, he takes on the even more fearsome aspects of
Lord of the Wild Hunt, the one who hunts down and carries off souls who may not
be willing to move on to their new lives voluntarily.
The ancient Irish even portrayed a
figure, the Sheila-Na-Gig, which combined death and sexuality together in one
being. The Sheila-Na-Gig commonly appeared as a withered crone spreading her
legs and displaying her sexual parts, a shocking figure to modern
sensibilities. The Sheila-Na-Gig was considered a powerful protective symbol,
and was carved on doors to ward off evil. This symbol was so important to the
Irish that they were reluctant to give it up with the advent of Christianity,
and Sheila-Na-Gigs have even been found on the doors and walls of old Irish
churches!
Hecate, the three-faced Goddess of
the crossroads, is said in one ancient Greek invocation to be "strong to
shatter every stubborn thing". Deities who are strongly associated with
death are also deities of change and transformation, another manifestation of
rebirth. Death is the greatest transformation, but there are also
transformations that occur within life that are equally terrifying.
Wiccans and other Pagans do not
avoid these energies, but invoke them and work with them carefully and
respectfully. The "Stubborn things" that the Goddess shatters are
often personal illusions. It is when you avoid dealing with these illusions
that you begin to have problems: self-denial, addictions, interpersonal
problems, and lack of motivation. Change is essential to the process of
continued growth.
The Last Sacred Space
Just as we do rituals to celebrate
life, Pagans also hold rituals to honor the dead and the aspects of the divine
that deal with death. On October 31st, we celebrate Samhain (pronounced Sow-in
or Saw-wain), the Celtic New Year. At this time, we gather to honor our
ancestors and other Beloved Dead. Many Pagan traditions prepare a special feast
for the dead and invite them to come back and eat with us, a practice very
similar to the Day of The Dead as it is still celebrated in Mexico.
We recite the names of the dead and
talk about their lives, their deaths, and the way we felt about them. Many
Pagans act as if the dead were literally present and talk to them directly,
perhaps also taking the opportunity to tell them things that we did not have
the opportunity to say while they were alive.
At this time, we also recognize that
the old year and the summer have died, and the older, darker aspects of the God
and Goddess now reign. We welcome these essential, sometimes frightening beings
and acknowledge their ascent into power for the duration of the winter months.
We dance with the deities and the dead, feast with them, and wait to receive
any visions or insights that they may bring with them.
With their radically different view
of death, it is not surprising that Pagans often deal with literal death in
their own unique way. In the Pagan community, as in many other communities in
recent years, there have been deaths from cancer, AIDS, and other incurable
illnesses. Rather than trying to avoid being around sickness and death, Pagans
often gather in hospitals and hospices to surround the dying person with love
and support, even to the extent of sometimes irritating the medical staff who
wants only "Immediate family members".
Efforts are often made to remove a
hopelessly terminal person from the hospital to a home environment where they
will be allowed to have all the visitors they want and perform their own death
and transition rituals without interference from outsiders. If this is not
possible, efforts are made to carry out the dying Pagan's wishes even in a
medical setting. I personally know of several people who literally died in
Sacred Space created surreptitiously in the sterile hospital environment by
their supporters, who made every effort to stay with them up to the very end.
The dying person is touched, sung
to, talked to, and allowed to discuss their fears and feelings about their
passing. This is radically different from the way in which most modern
Americans die, and is probably a lot closer to the way our ancestors dealt with
death. Even in the last century, people commonly died at home surrounded by
their extended families.
At some point in the last hundred
years, attitudes shifted. Death became a taboo subject, a distasteful thing to
be avoided and left in the hands of medical personal, much to the detriment of
those who were actually going though the death process. Though people today
usually do not have large extended families to offer support, the Pagan
community has tried to recapture that sense of compassionate involvement by
creating an extended family of our own.
This voluntary involvement in the
death process can even extend to pets, and I have known of many Pagans, myself
included, who had to make the painful decision to euthanize a suffering,
gravely ill pet. Instead of leaving the room and letting the vet take care of
the "distasteful" process, Pagans will commonly insist on being
present during euthanasia to comfort the pet and ease its passing, often
holding it in our laps during the actual death.
We may do a silent ritual to assist
the dying pet, creating Sacred Space and invoking deities associated with
particular animals (Hecate, the "Mistress of Hounds" for a dog, or Bast,
the Egyptian Cat Goddess, for a cat.) Seeing the suffering actually end brings
closure to the human, and the presence and support of a loved human calms and
soothes the animal, giving it a "Good death" rather than a cold,
impersonal one.
Ashes and Wailing
When death, human or animal,
actually does occur, I have noticed some observable differences in the way
Pagans deal with their feelings. In the novel Catmagic, Jonathan Barry and
Whitley Strieber erroneously claimed that "When a Witch chooses death, the
whole covenstead celebrates". Though we accept death as a sacred part of
the life process and even welcome it when it is appropriate, I have never seen
anyone rejoicing at the death of a loved one.
While we may be relieved that
suffering has ended and are not worried about punishment in the afterlife, the
deceased person is definitely missed and mourned for a time. Most of the Pagans
I have known have generally been more comfortable and open about expressing
their feelings than most of the general population, even the
"negative" feelings like grief or rage that may surface after as
intense an event as a death.
When one very well-loved Pagan Bard
died in the 1980's, his funeral was attended by both his family and the
extended Pagan community. From what I have heard, the Pagans sat on one side of
the church and the family on the other in a somewhat uncomfortable truce. It
was the Pagan contingent that did most of the crying, wailing, and heartfelt
grieving, to the visible discomfort of the more composed and stoic family.
There are reasons for these actions.
I believe that this intense, cathartic expression allows us to purge our
feelings more quickly than someone who "holds them in", and then move
on more calmly to a place of release and acceptance.
This funeral was also an example of
an unfortunate legal oversight on the part of the deceased Bard, who had often
said during his life that he wanted a Pagan funeral, and to be buried on Sacred
Pagan land. When he was killed unexpectedly in a car accident, his family
seized the body and insisted on dressing him in a suit rather than his Bardic
robes, and performing a Christian funeral.
He had left no Will to state his
wishes in this matter, and there was nothing his Pagan friends could do. Many
Pagans took heed of this incident, and are much more careful now to leave legal
documents with instructions on funeral arrangements.
At the present time, there are no
Pagan cemeteries or Memorial Parks. Though we hope that this will eventually
change, at the current time the presence of such a facility would probably
invoke feelings of discomfort or possibly even protest from our Non-Pagan
neighbors, who do not really understand our beliefs and practices. Because
Pagan groups do not generally tithe or collect dues, we also lack the monetary
assets to back such an undertaking.
As a result of this lack of formal,
established Memorial sites, most Pagans currently opt for cremation rather than
burial. Some Pagan groups chose to keep the ashes close by in a shrine or on a
memorial altar, others choose to scatter the ashes in some designated setting
depending on the wishes of the deceased. The act of scattering the ashes often
helps the survivors to feel the finality of release. As the ashes fly off on
the wind, you can imagine the soul of the deceased flying into the next world.
After someone has died, we often
perform a ritual called a "Soul Release" to bid them farewell and
help them go through the gateway into the Otherworld. This is particularly
important when someone has died an unexpected or violent death - we believe
that in such circumstances the soul may be confused and need some extra
assistance.
After we sense that the spirit has
departed, we try to compose ourselves to go on with life, but the deceased
person is still very much a part of our community in spirit. It seems the dead
sometimes become "Guardian spirits" of the particular group or
tradition they belonged to in life, and some of us believe that they may come
back to us in dreams to give advice or warnings. At the very least, they are
never truly forgotten, and are welcome back to feast with us every Samhain.
Sometimes we notice that a
particular soul will stop coming back in dreams and does not seem to be present
at the feast at Samhain. We hope that their absence in an indication that they
have been born again, and see this as a cause for rejoicing. (COPYRIGHT 2009)
Well Known DARK
GODS:
Anubis
Osiris
Cerrenunous
Hermes
Thoth
Set
Whiro
(Mayan)
Yama (Hindu)
Pan (Has
this side)
Hades
Dionysus
(has this side)
Herne
Odin
The Charge of the Dark God
Copyright by Christopher Hatton
Listen to the words of the Dark God,
Who was of old called Iakchos, Donn,
Anubis, Hades, Setesh, Hoder,
And by many other names:
I am the shadow in the bright day;
I am the reminder of mortality at the height of living.
I am the neverending weil of Night
Where the Star Goddess dances.
I am te Death that must be so that Life may continue,
For Behold, Life is immortal because the living must die.
I am the strength that protects, that limits;
I am the power that says No, and No further, and That Is Enough.
I am the things that cannot be spoken of,
And I am the laughter at the edge of Death.
Come with me into the warm enfolding dark;
Feel my caresses in the hands,
In the Mouth,
In the Body of one you love,
And be transformed.
Gather in the moonless night and speak in unknown toungues;
The Dark Mother and I will listen.
Sing to us and cry out,
And the Power will be yours to wield.
Blow me a kiss when the sky is dark,
And I will smile,
But no kiss returns;
For my kiss is the final one for all mortal flesh.
WORTCUNNING: The art of learning herbs for magical
purposes
FUNERAL HERBS
-
By: Selena Fox
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Since
ancient times herbs have played a part in funerals. They've been used to
scent
graves and cremation fires, to fill amulet bags and in making wreaths to
decorate
burial places.
BASIL:
Protection, Love
BAY
LAUREL: - Communication with the dead, protection, triumph, used in
funeral wreaths.
BIRCH:
Rebirth.
CEDAR:
Prosperity, Purification.
COMFREY:
Healing.
CYPRESS:
Endings.
ELDER:
Transformation
FRANKINCENSE:
Purification, Spiritual Transformation.
GARLIC:
Protection.
HOLLY:
Renewal, Resurrection.
IVY:
Rebirth, Celebration.
LAVENDER:
Memories, Peace.
LEMON
BALM: - Immortality, happiness; used in a tea for emotional cleansing
and uplifting.
LILY:
Resurrection.
MINT:
Joy, a stewing herb.
MISTLETOE:
Protection.
MUGWORT:
Inner Sight
MULLEN:
Cleansing.
MYRRH:
Healing, Purification, Protection, Used in Mummifying.
OAK:
Strength.
PARSLEY:
- Good luck in here after; decorating tombs.
PERIWINKLE:
Immortality, " Flower of the Dead, " Placed on graves.
POMEGRANATE:
Rebirth.
POPPY:
Restfulness.
ROSEMARY:
- Friendship, purification, happiness; thrown into graves " for
remembrance, " burned as
incense, sprigs carried in funeral
processions.
ROSES:
Love Purification.
ROWAN
WOOD AND BERRIES: Protection.
RUE:
Karmic Completion.
SAGE:
Wisdom, Purification.
SANDALWOOD:
Purification.
THYME:
Purification.
WILLOW:
Releases, Cleansing.
WORMWOOD:
Transformation.
YARROW:
Protection, Healing.
YEW:
Immortality, endings; once planted in graveyards to protect bodies of the
departed.
Herbs for Death
Southern Fried pagan Style….:)
ACONITE is a
VERY POISONOUS herb, and should only be administered by a qualified healer. It
has been used to help the dying (at the time of death) transition comfortably
to the stage after death. It can be planted on a burial, and used in an incense
in ritual. The roots can be placed on an ancestor altar, especially around
Samhain.
ANEMONE
can be used in a ritual fire after the deceased has past over to encourage
reincarnation.
ASPHODEL
has traditionally grown on graves and washing the corpse. Gather in a bunch and
tie in a red ribbon to
aspurge the body
in ritual.
BASIL is
associated with love and protection, and is excellent to be used in an incense.
It is used to help bring dignity and courage to one facing death. Can be
incorporated into the ancestors' feast on
Samhain.
BAY LAUREL
is used for communication with the dead, and is sometimes used in funeral
wreaths. Can be used in dishes for the ancestors' feast at
Samhain.
BIRCH is
often associated with rebirth and reincarnation. Blessings for the deceased can
be written on birch bark and can then be buried or burnt with the corpse.
BLUEBELLS
are planted on graves to bring peace and blessings, and may also be used to
decorate the altar at the funeral, or on
Samhain.
CHERVIL can be drank to aid
one to in rituals of communing with the dead.
COMFREY
is a helpful herb to help one get over the loss of a loved one. Excellent to
plant in the garden in memorial of the deceased.
CYPRESS is associated with
endings. Can be used to ritually bathe the body of the deceased.
ELDER is
an excellent wood for a cremation pyre, or a sprig of elder can be buried with
the deceased. Elderberries are excellent to decorate the funeral altar, or the
altar at
Samhain.
FRANKINCENSE
can be burned at the funeral ritual, or in ritual while communing with the dead
for purification, and spiritual transformation.
GARLIC is
used for protection, and can be put on a grave, and cooked in dishes for the
ancestors' feast at
Samhain.
HOLLY is
associated with resurrection and renewal, and can be buried with the deceased
or used to decorate the funeral altar.
IVY can
be planted at a grave to celebrate the life of the deceased and to encourage
rebirth.
LAVENDER
should be planted in memory of the deceased either on the grave or in the home
of a living loved one to bring peace.
LEMON BALM
is associated with immortality and happiness, and can be drank in a tea to lift
spirits of the mourning.
LILY can be planted on a grave
to represent resurrection.
LOTUS pods can be used as an incense burner to
aid the soul seeking reincarnation.
MANDRAKE
root can be buried with the body to protect the spirit and send it safely on
its way. It also can be used to decorate the ancestor altar at
Samhain.
MARJORAM can be planted on
a grave and used in the ancestors' feast at
Samhain.
MINT can
be used as a strewing herb to bring joy to the mourning.
MISTLETOE
can be buried with the deceased for protection.
MUGWORT
can be drank by the dying to gain inner sight.
MULLEIN can be used to
cleanse the body of the deceased.
MYRRH was
once used in embalming, but can now be used as an incense at the funeral to
bring healing, purification, and protection.
OAK is a tree of strength, and
is an excellent pick to plant in the memory of the deceased.
PARSLEY
can be strewn on the path of where the body is being transported, and can be
planted at the grave site for good luck in the after life.
PENNYROYAL
is used to bathe the corpse to assist in the soul being reborn.
PERIWINKLE
is a herb of immortality and can be used in a funeral wreath or used to
decorate tombs. Often used in the passing of children.
POMEGRANATE
can be eaten at the ancestors feast on
Samhain
to represent rebirth.
POPPY can be used in funeral
wreaths or planted at a grave site to bring restfulness to the deceased.
ROSEMARY
can be thrown into grave sites, carried on funeral processions, or burned as an
incense. Can be used in the ancestors' feast at
Samhain, especially to commune to deceased
friends.
ROSES
represent love and purification, and are used in funeral wreaths and planted in
memory of the deceased.
ROWAN is
associated with protection. The berries can be buried with the deceased or used
to decorate the funeral and ancestor altar, and can be planted on a grave site.
RUE can
be burnt for karmic completion.
SAGE can
be used as a smudge for purification, and ingested when communing with the
dead, and to bring wisdom.
SANDALWOOD
is an excellent purification incense that can be used during the funeral
ritual.
TANSY was
once used for embalming. It can now be used to
aspurge
the temple and the body of the deceased, and used to decorate the ancestor
altar.
THYME
makes an excellent ritual cup to drink before communing with the dead, and can
be used in a ritual incense or bath for purification.
VIOLETS are appropriate
flowers for the graves of children.
WILLOW is said to ease the
soul at the time of death if it is planted by the deceased in their lifetime.
Willow baskets can be used as offering containers for ancestors.
WORMWOOD
can be used as an incense for transformational healing for the mourning, or to
bring insight to the dying.
YARROW
can be grown on graves in in the gardens of the mourning to bring protection
and healing.
YEW is
associated with immortality and endings, and was often planted in graveyards to
protect the bodies of the deceased.
