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The winter season of the ancient Celts. The Celts divided the year into four quarters: Samhain (winter), Imbolc (spring), Beltane (summer), and Lughnasadh (autumn). The Celtic year began in November, with Samhain. The Celts were influenced principally by the lunar and stellar cycles which governed the agricultural year - beginning and ending in autumn when the crops have been harvested and the soil is prepared for the winter. Samhain Eve, in Erse, Oidhche Shamhna, is one of the principal festivals of the Celtic calendar, and is thought to fall on or around the 31st of October. It represents the final harvest.
Bonfires played a large part in the festivities. Villagers cast the bones of the slaughtered cattle upon the flames. [The word bonfire is thought to derive from these "bone fires."]. With the bonfire ablaze, the villagers extinguished all other fires. Each family then solemnly lit their hearth from the common flame, thus bonding the families of the village together. Like most Celtic festivals, it was celebrated on a number of levels. Materially speaking it was the time of gathering food for the long winter months ahead, bringing people and their livestock in to their winter quarters. To be alone and missing at this dangerous time was to expose yourself and your spirit to the perils of imminent winter. In present times the importance of this part of the festival has diminished for most people. From the point of view of a tribal people for whom a bad season meant facing a long winter of famine in which many would not survive to the spring, it was paramount. Samhain is also a time for contemplation. Death was never very far away, yet to die was not the tragedy it is in modern times. Of signal importance to the Celts people was to die with honour and to live in the memory of the tribe and be honoured at the great feast.
This was the most magical time of the year; Samhain was the day which did not exist. During the night the great shield of Skathach was lowered, allowing the barriers between the worlds to fade and the forces of chaos to invade the realms of order, the material world conjoining with the world of the dead. At this time the spirits of the dead and those yet to be born walked amongst the living. The dead could return to the places where they had lived and food and entertainment were provided in their honour. In this way the tribes were at one with its past, present and future.
On the level of cosmic event, the rising of Pleiades, the winter stars, heralds the supremacy of night over day, the dark half ruled by the realms of the moon.
In the three days preceding the Samhain month the Sun God, Lugh, maimed at Lughnassadh, dies by the hand of his Tanist (his other self), the Lord of Misrule. Lugh traverses the boundaries of the worlds on the first day of Samhain. His Tanist is a miser and though he shines brightly in the winter skies he gives no warmth. and does not temper the breath of the Crone, Cailleach Bheare, the north wind. In this may be discerned the ageless battle between the light and dark and the cyclic nature of life and the seasons. In parts of western Brittany Samhain is still heralded by the baking of kornigou. Kornigou are cakes baked in the shape of antlers to commemorate the god of winter shedding his "cuckold" horns as he returns to his kingdom in the Otherworld. When the Romans made contact with the Celts, they added their feast of the dead to Samhain. The Christians subverted the recognition of Samhain to honor the saints, as All Saint's Day on November 1st and named October 31 as All Hallow's Eve. This latter became a secular holiday by the name of Hallowe'en. Although using different nomenclatures, all of these festivals and feasts are celebrating the accessibility, veneration, awe, and respect of the dead.
Then perhaps we should have another culture's view on the day !
While the money-making and party-throwing opportunities of Halloween thrive across Asia, the festival also shines a spotlight on the region's profound relationship with the afterlife. From traditional markets to modern entertainment districts, major cities across Asia are looking to cash-in on "All Hallows' Eve." In Hong Kong, markets bulged with lanterns, masks, fake pumpkins and costumes that were quickly snapped up, while online game developers, cinemas and department stores splashed special offers and products in Seoul. Children in the Philippines trick-or-treated at the Manila home of former president Joseph Estrada, while in Beijing, Bangkok and Hanoi, the night of dressing up in disguise is simply seen as an expatriate party. Apart from the money to be made and the fun to be had, Halloween's celebration of the afterlife appeals to Asians' deeper relationship with the supernatural, said Hong Kong-based cultural commentator Nury Vittachi. "Ghosts are very big in Asian culture and there is a deeper understanding and interest in their place in society," "You can have a relationship with them, you can make friends with them. In the West, ghosts are nearly always bad things, but here they are on your side."
The Chinese Yue Lan, or Hungry Ghosts, festival falls just a few weeks before Halloween. Families mark the day with picnics at the graves of loved-ones, even setting them a place at the meal to ensure their happiness. Other rituals include burning gifts the ghosts may want. Modern offerings range from paper versions of iPods, designer suits and airline tickets to a representation of a domestic servant. Graves are swept and presents are even burned for ghosts who do not have relatives to look after them, for fear they may become angry. This trepidation about an avenging afterlife was perhaps most acutely seen in Thailand, where many locals said the souls of those killed in the 2004 tsunami haunted the coastline, driving away Asian tourists. However, this strong link to the afterlife can also cause tensions between traditional values and the growing popularity of Halloween. Lai Chi Tim, a professor in Chinese religions at the Chinese University of Hong Kong, said many Chinese are left bemused by the festival. "In Chinese religious traditions, it is not understandable why the ghosts have to become part of Halloween," he said. "The underworld is not a source of amusement. Chinese people believe that when you pass away, spirits are still living in this world." The bemusement can lead to suspicion. Vittachi recalled a story of students at Beijing University giving out invitations to a Halloween party, dressed in skeleton costumes. As they were trying to drum up business, they were questioned by police, who ordered them to stop, adding: "You cannot practice your religion here."
Despite the rare cultural clashes, many cities will prepare for the celebration with good humour. "It is a good excuse for a party, and who doesn't like a party?" Vittachi said.
By Guy Newey AFP
A Testament.. .
"Contrary to what those who choose to persecute or lie about us wish to believe, Wicca is a very peaceful, harmonious and balanced way of thinking and life which promotes oneness with the divine and all which exists. Wicca is a deep appreciation and awe in watching the sunrise or sunset, the forest in the light of a glowing moon, a meadow enchanted by the first light of day. It is the morning dew on the petals of a beautiful flower, the gentle caress of a warm summer breeze upon your skin, or the warmth of the summer sun on your face. Wicca is the fall of colourful autumn leaves, and the softness of winter snow. It is light, and shadow and all that lies in between. It is the song of the birds and other creatures of the wild. It is being in the presence of Mother Earths nature and being humbled in reverence. When we are in the temple of the Lord and Lady, we are not prone to the arrogance of human technology as they touch our souls. To be a Witch is to be a healer, a teacher, a seeker, a giver, and a protector of all things. If this path is yours, may you walk it with honour, light and integrity.
Wicca is a belief system and way of life based upon the reconstruction of pre-Christian traditions originating in Ireland, Scotland, and Wales. While much of the information of how our ancestors lived, worshiped and believed has been lost due to the efforts of the medieval church to wipe our existence from history, we try to reconstruct those beliefs to the best of our ability with the information that is available. Thanks to archaeological discoveries, we now have basis to believe that the origins of our belief system can be traced even further back to the Paleolithic peoples who worshipped a Hunter God and a Fertility Goddess. With the discovery of these cave paintings, estimated to be around 30,000 years old, depicting a man with the head of a stag, and a pregnant woman standing in a circle with eleven other people, it can reasonably be assumed that Witchcraft is one of the oldest belief systems known in the world today. These archetypes are clearly recognized by Wiccan as our view of the Goddess and God aspect of the supreme creative force and predate Christianity by roughly 28,000 years making it a mere toddler in the spectrum of time as we know it.
Witchcraft in ancient history was known as "The Craft of the Wise" because most who followed the path were in tune with the forces of nature, had a knowledge of Herbs and medicines, gave council and were valuable parts of the village and community as Shamanic healers and leaders. They understood that mankind is not superior to nature, the earth and its creatures but instead we are simply one of the many parts, both seen and unseen that combine to make the whole. As Chief Seattle said; "We do not own the earth, we are part of it." These wise people understood that what we take or use, we must return in kind to maintain balance and equilibrium. Clearly, modern man with all his applied learning and technology has forgotten this. Subsequently, we currently face ecological disaster and eventual extinction because of our hunger for power and a few pieces of gold.
For the past several hundred years, the image of the Witch has been mistakenly associated with evil, heathenism, and unrighteousness. In my humble opinion, these misconceptions have their origin in a couple of different places. To begin, the medieval church of the 15th through 18th centuries created these myths to convert the followers of the old nature based religions to the churches way of thinking. By making the Witch into a diabolical character and turning the old religious deities into devils and demons, the missionaries were able to attach fear to these beliefs which aided in the conversion process. Secondly, as medical science began to surface, the men who were engaged in these initial studies had a very poor understanding of female physiology, especially in the area of a women's monthly cycles. The unknowns in this area played very well with the early churches agenda lending credence to the Witch Hunters claims and authority. The fledgling medical professions also stood to benefit greatly from this because it took the power of the women healers away giving it to the male physicians transferring the respect and power to them.
Unfortunately these misinformed fears and superstitions have carried forward through the centuries and remain to this day. This is why many who follow these nature oriented beliefs have adopted the name of Wicca over its true name of Witchcraft to escape the persecution, harassment and misinformation associated with the name of Witchcraft and Witch not to mention the bad publicity the press and Hollywood has given us simply to generate a profit. We do not sacrifice animals or humans because that would violate our basic tenant of "Harm None." Anyone who does and claims to be a Wiccan or a Witch is lying. Pagans see the divine not in one god but in all of nature and in simple, ersonalised rituals, they worship its mysteries.
Being a pagan in 21st century Britain is nothing to do with black cats and magic. Not all pagans are practising wiccans, and those who want to put a hex on an enemy always bear in mind the Law Of Return -anything you put out you get back threefold. In many ways the pagan path is a natural progression for anyone who cares about ecological issues and is disaffected with conventional religions. It's gentle, keeps you in tune with the rhythms of the landscape, and encourages individual responsibility."
Blessed be
This weekend the clocks turn back one hour.
The best way to remember the change is this:
In spring the clocks leap forward; in autumn they fall back.
Just a few seasonal words - until I return in a week or two.
Following a trip to Jorvik and with a rejuvanated computer.
O Autumn, laden with fruit, and stained
With the blood of the grape, pass not, but sit
Beneath my shady roof; there thou may'st rest,
And tune thy jolly voice to my fresh pipe;
And all the daughters of the year shall dance!
Sing now the lusty song of fruit and flowers.
- William Blake, To Autumn, 1783
There is a harmony in autumn, and a luster in its sky, which through the summer is not heard or seen, as if it could not be, as if it had not been!
Shelley.
Delicious autumn! My very soul is wedded to it, and if I were a bird I would fly about the earth seeking the successive autumns.
--George Eliot
In the beginning God covered the earth with broccoli, cauliflower and spinach, with green, yellow and red vegetables of all kinds so Man and Woman would live long and healthy lives.
Then using God's bountiful gifts, Satan created Dairy Ice Cream and Magnums. And Satan said "You want hot fudge with that? And Man said "Yes!"And Woman said "I'll have one too with chocolate chips". And lo they gained 10 pounds.
And God created the healthy yoghurt that Woman might keep the figure that Man found so fair.
And Satan brought forth white flour from the wheat and sugar from the cane and combined them. And Woman went from size 12 to size 14.
So God said "Try my fresh green salad".
And Satan presented Blue Cheese dressing and garlic croutons on the side. And Man and Woman unfastened their belts following the repast.
God then said "I have sent you healthy vegetables and olive oil in which to cook them".
And Satan brought forth deep fried coconut king prawns, butter-dipped lobster chunks and chicken fried steak, so big it needed its own platter. And Man's cholesterol went through the roof.
Then God brought forth the potato, naturally low in fat and brimming with potassium and good nutrition
Then Satan peeled off the healthy skin and sliced the starchy centre into chips and deep fried them in animal fats adding copious quantities of salt. And Man put on more pounds.
God then brought forth running shoes so that his Children might lose those extra pounds.
And Satan came forth with a cable TV with remote control so Man would not have to toil changing the channels. And Man and Woman laughed and cried before the flickering light and started wearing stretch jogging suits.
Then God gave lean beef so that Man might consume fewer calories and still satisfy his appetite.
And Satan created McDonalds and the 50 cent double cheeseburger. Then Satan said "You want fries with that?" and Man replied "Yes, And super size 'em. And Satan said "It is good."And Man and Woman went into cardiac arrest.
God sighed ......... And created quadruple by-pass surgery.
And then ............ Satan chuckled and created the National Health Service.
THE FINAL WORD ON NUTRITION After an exhaustive review of the research literature, here's the final word on nutrition and health:
1. Japanese eat very little fat and suffer fewer heart attacks than us.
2. Mexicans eat a lot of fat and suffer fewer heart attacks than us.
3. Chinese drink very little red wine and suffer fewer heart attacks than us.
4. Italians drink excessive amounts of red wine and suffer fewer heart attacks than us.
5. Germans drink beer and eat lots of sausages and fats and suffer fewer heart attacks than us.
CONCLUSION: Eat and drink what you like. Speaking English is apparently what kills you, I am off to learn FRENCH !
Morning all - first let me congratulate South Africa on there rugby union World Cup victory. One wonder's if France,[beaten semi finalists], would have succeeded where we failed? As the Australians discovered long ago on the cricket field - the English react with due deference when finishing second - we find it too difficult handling being No. 1. I must admit at this point that the rules of the Union code are as mystyfying to me as those of the american version - to confuse the world they call it football! Rugby League however is a game for real men. No scrimmaging with sweaty faces in close proximity to a collegues butt. Helmets and 80lb of padding is for whimps, the Rugby teams of St Helens, Wigan, Leeds and Bradford ect., must be the fittest and most robust athletes on the planet. Our football team, [11 men, 1 round ball], have almost managed not to qualify for next years European Cup competition. They went to Moscow and lost 2 -1 on Wednesday.
Anyone been bored enough to watch the proceedings of the CPC in Beijing? My impression is that it mirrored 11th and 12th century rule of our Kings and Nobility. Power from the top being passed down through the chains of command to the likes of you and me - the peasants! Here in Europe we like to imagine that the process works differently in a 'democracy'. If you can imagine the last 1000 years of our history being compressed into a 100, then that is what is happening in China today. Invasion - civil wars - industrial revolution - social and economic change.
History never fails to repeat itself - a fact we should accept and learn from.
While the weather stays dry I have been in the garden pruning and chopping plants ect. Yesterday I went for my flu jab - today my joints ache - one of the side effects. These jabs are incidently free on our National Health Service to silver surfers like me, having attained the age of 65.
Have a good week.
Tech Support: Hello, ... how can I help you?
Customer: Well, after much consideration, I've decided to install Love. Can you guide me through the process?
Tech Support: Yes. I can help you. Are you ready to proceed?
Customer: Well, I'm not very technical, but I think I'm ready. What do I do first?
Tech Support: The first step is to open your Heart. Have you located your Heart?
Customer: Yes, but there are several other programs running now. Is it okay to install Love while they are running?
Tech Support: What programs are running?
Customer: Let's see, I have Past Hurt, Low Self-Esteem, Grudge and Resentment running right now.
Tech Support: No problem - Love will gradually erase Past Hurt from your current operating system. It may remain in your permanent memory but it will no longer disrupt other programs. Love will eventually override Low Self-Esteem with a module of its own called High Self-Esteem. However, you have to completely turn off Grudge and Resentment. Those programs prevent Love from being properly installed. Can you turn those off?
Customer: I don't know how to turn them off. Can you tell me how?
Tech Support: With pleasure. Go to your start menu and invoke Forgiveness. Do this as many times as necessary until Grudge and Resentment have been completely erased.
Customer: Okay, done! Love has started installing itself. Is that normal?
Tech Support: Yes, but remember that you have only the base program. You need to begin connecting to other Hearts in order to get the upgrades.
Customer: Oops! I have an error message already. It says, "Error - Program not run on external components." What should I do?
Tech Support: Don't worry. It means that the Love program is set up to run on Internal Hearts, but has not yet been run on your Heart. In non-technical terms, it simply means you have to Love yourself before you can Love others.
Customer: So, what should I do?
Tech Support: Pull down Self-Acceptance; then click on the following files: Forgive-Self; Realize Your Worth; and Acknowledge your Limitations.
Customer: Okay, done.
Tech Support: Now, copy them to the "My Heart" directory. The system will overwrite any conflicting files and begin patching faulty programming. Also, you need to delete Verbose Self-Criticism from all directories and empty your Recycle Bin to make sure it is completely gone and never comes back.
Customer: Got it. Hey! My Heart is filling up with new files. Smile is playing on my monitor and Peace and Contentment are copying themselves all over My Heart. Is this normal?
Tech Support: Sometimes. For others it takes awhile, but eventually everything works when it's meant to. So Love is installed and running correctly now - OK.
One more thing before we hang up. Love is Freeware. Be sure to give it (and its various modules) to everyone you meet. They will in turn share it with others and return some cool modules back to you.
Customer: Thank you. Everything feels better already. People have often told me that everything works better if we put out hearts into it - and now I'm starting to know what they mean.
(Unknown Author)
Just remember that you're standing on a planet that's evolving
And revolving at nine hundred miles an hour,
That's orbiting at nineteen miles a second, so it's reckoned,
A sun that is the source of all our power.
The sun and you and me and all the stars that we can see
Are moving at a million miles a day
In an outer spiral arm, at forty thousand miles an hour,
Of the galaxy we call the 'Milky Way'.
Our galaxy itself contains a hundred billion stars.
It's a hundred thousand light years side to side.
It bulges in the middle, sixteen thousand light years thick,
But out by us, it's just three thousand light years wide.
We're thirty thousand light years from galactic central point.
We go 'round every two hundred million years,
And our galaxy is only one of millions of billions
In this amazing and expanding universe.
The universe itself keeps on expanding and expanding
In all of the directions it can whizz
As fast as it can go, at the speed of light, you know,
Twelve million miles a minute, and that's the fastest speed there is.
So remember, when you're feeling very small and insecure,
How amazingly unlikely is your birth,
And pray that there's intelligent life somewhere up in space,
'Cause there's bugger all down here on Earth.
Monty Python . . . . .
Whilst it is no consolation I am pleased that I am not the only one having problems out there - if replacing double glazing was not so expensive this computer would have been through the glass and gathering rust in the driveway. Well it all started when I downloaded a picture. . . . [ And before you ask it was a pretty Cotswold village cottage].. . .which I was going to send to a friend. Now if our lords and masters at msn had not a) blocked my password and b) allowed me to change said password, the firewall [ Oh yes they cashed the payment] would have zapped whatever virus hit the rig! Thanks a bunch Micheal.
In order to resolve the problem my local computer shop experts took the data down to its bare limits - a week later and I am now back to where I was 8 years ago.The machine is configured differently and I have lost all my favourite websites - the poems and endless 'blonde jokes' will be a bit thin on the ground for a while !!
I initially created a new blog which has now disappeared and hey presto this one is accessible again. The printer is a problem - it won't.
The weather has been sunny and cold here I imagine it is softening us up for a raw winter! I have just received a letter from my health centre reminding me,as a pensioner, that I should pop along for an influenza jab.Many folk when I worked had these jabs and 99% of them contracted flu soon after, so I never bothered! One by-product of being computerless is that I have 'discovered' my local public library again. I was unable to get online on one of a bank of computer's there so I took out a couple of books and have enjoyed the experience! A second consequence is that I now have lunch at the only decent eating house in the town. If I was being dramatic I would call it a Bistro its only drawback i s the huge screen on one of the walls usually showing music channel video's. I still prefer Radio, and Planet Rock is a great digital station! Since smoking has been quite rightly banned in British pubs, it is a pleasure eating and drinking in a smokeless pub!!!!
I now work,unpaid,for my local municipal council - sorting my garbage before depositing it in the correct receptacle. Brown for tins and bottles, green for garden waste , [Could nt be any other I suppose!], and the old black wheelie bin for the rest. Recycle Recycle Recycle.
One news item reminded me that it was 50 years ago that the first Sputnik orbited the planet - what an achievement - that really was the first step for mankind. How I wished my Grandfather had lived 3 months longer. He moaned when I listened to Dan Dare on Radio Luxembourg [208]. Load of rubbish - space travel - Well that is what his granddad said about motor cars and railway engines! At the time however that signal was menacing - the cold war had entered space!
I am becoming rather annoyed at the, so far, mindless minority who are attempting to find a reason,[any reason], to disrupt next year's olympics in Pekin. If they do not like China,why award the games to that country in the first place? Please don't mention human rights - The people in Zimbabwe and Burma and Northern Korea have NO rights - sort them out first....Oh, I was forgetting - they also have NO oil! The people who still live in tents and trailer parks 2 years after earthquake and hurricane also have rights - maybe there governments will remember that before the forthcoming presidential elections in Pakistan and USA?
Finally,thanks for trying to keep up with the Laird, I think I am back !
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