October is upon us and autumn can
finally be felt in the air. Samhain quickly approaches to bring another year to
end. Many pagans, witches, and Wiccans recognize this Sabbat as the end and
beginning of the year. But I would like to offer a different point of view,
Spiritual Retrograde.
We can all agree the Wheel of the
Year is a circle and we live within the cycle of that circle “with no beginning
and never ending” as the enchanting Circle
Within a Circle song reminds us. If this is true, how are we celebrating
this old Sabbat as an ending or beginning? How is this “New Years”? Did our
ancestors celebrate Samhain with this intent?
Sir James George Frazer, the
Scottish anthropologist often considered one of the founding fathers of modern
anthropology, popularized Sir John Rhys’ theory that Samhain was the “Celtic
New Year,” but did acknowledge that the evidence for such is inconclusive.
Ronald Hutton, the English historian, says the evidence is flimsy. The evidence
consists of Rhys’ inference from contemporary (modern) folklore containing
customs with what he felt were “associated with new beginnings.” He also found
that the people of the Isle of Mann sometimes called October 31, “New Year’s
Night.” Other evidence includes calendars that place Samhain at the beginning
like that of the Gaulish Coligny calendar. However, these calendars are
lunisolar and contain a great deal of Roman influence. They are attempts to
synchronize the solar year with lunar months. I have found little evidence in
my research to suggest that the ancient Celts followed this type of calendar
prior to Roman influence.
We do know the Celts began each day
at dusk rather than sunrise, thus the dark preceded the light. Some debate remains about this suggesting the
commencement of each day began at midnight or when the moon was high. We also
know the Celts celebrated four festivals; Samhain, Imbolc, Beltane, and
Lughnasadh -- none these being solar in nature despite being labeled “fire
festivals.” It is suggested the Celts celebrated the solstices and equinoxes
but little evidence supports this. Because the Celts were mainly a pastoral
people and not agriculturally focused, it is my belief they did not celebrate
the solar holidays as a people. Rather, farmers recognized these holy days that
held little significance to the nobles that held festivals.
I conjecture the ancient Celts
celebrated Samhain as a festival to honor the dead; to cleanse, bless, and
sacrifice livestock for the survival of the people through winter; to gather
the tribes for trade and politics before winter, and to honor the turning of
the spiritual cycle inwards, Spiritual Retrograde.
People would return home for the
long dark winter after ensuring they had everything they needed to survive the
cold months. During this time they had little to no contact with the community
or teachers until Imbolc or perhaps even Beltane. Their spirituality would thus
spiral inward, or in retrograde to the forward motion of perceived physical
time. It is this retrograde motion that magically causes the veil between this
world and the world of the Otherworld to thin so as to allow for easier
communion with deities, fairies, and those who have passed on from this world
ensuring that people still grow and learn despite their separation from
community.
Modern times provide many of us the
luxury of not becoming separated from our community but we still need and
desire the easy communication with our deceased loved ones. We have also
incorporated the solar holidays into our neo-pagan practices. Me being a
neo-pagan, neo-Celtic Wiccan and the engineer of my own spiritual traditions
and beliefs, I set the parameters of my belief.
For me, Samhain marks the point of
the year our spirits spiral in retrograde to the universal cycle of the Wheel
of the Year causing the veil to become thin. The thinnest point of the veil is
on Samhain night or the night of the dark moon closest to this day, this year
falling on November 3. Our spirits remain in retrograde and the veil thin until
Winter Solstice, or Yule, when the Sun is reborn. During this time of the year,
the God rules from the Otherworld with the Goddess by his side, both in their
dark aspects. Because the God and Goddess have designed our spirits to spiral
in retrograde creating a thinned veil, we can more easily communicate with them
and feel their love through the darkness of the Otherworld and the darkness of
winter. This is why as pagans we embrace the darkness and do not fear it; for
we know love exists even without light. The spiritual retrograde is also why,
in my belief, many pagans feel it appropriate during this time of year to cast
their circles in widdershins.
This is how I have come to
understand the turning of the Wheel and the integration of what I know of the
ancient Celts and the modern practices of Wicca. I assert that although the
label of the “Witch’s New Year” makes the holiday appear more festive and less
scary in the eyes of non-pagans, Samhain is not New Year’s. The Wheel is a
circle, no beginning, never ending.
Blessed Be,
Kevin Red
Patrick
Kevin Red Patrick is a seeker at Temple of
the Sacred Gift – ATC. Raised in Memphis, TN, and educated at the University of
Mississippi. His pagan path began at the age of thirteen after understanding
that his views of life, spirituality, and sexuality did not align with his
Christian upbringing. He has followed an eclectic Wiccan path with strong
Celtic influences for twenty-two years. Divine direction led him to TSG-ATC in
December of 2012, where he is now receiving formal training with aspirations of
becoming clergy. He now lives in Southaven, MS with his partner of thirteen
years and two dogs.
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