Tomorrow is Samhain and we would usually be having a big family witchy-fest but unfortunately my sister-witch Lisa has come down with an awful cold. We are pretty bummed about this and will have to scale back the festivities considerably without her presence in the circle.

Thus my plans are for my casting (I always do a Halloween spell), then the Samhain ritual itself, the dumb supper (to celebrate the dead) and finally the bonfire to close out the night.

It’s been so cold at night too it should be a lovely night for a fire. The frost is on the pumpkin, as they say!

This is my first Samhain as a widow so it will be interesting to see what kind of feelings I pick up on. I will actually relish the silence during the dumb supper and I hope all of my loved ones who have passed on are there in spirit. Especially one of them.

Photo(L-R): me, my brother Ray, Lisa’s daughter Krystina and Lisa

My brother Ray married his wonderful witchy woman Lisa on October 18th. I officiated as the High Priestess and performed an entire pagan ceremony. It was just beautiful.We were outside at the best man’s home in an appropriate cathedral of trees with a lovely koi pond right near the gazebo where they were married. Dan, my brother’s long-time best friend was best man and Krystina, my new sister-in-law Lisa’s daughter was the maid of honor.

It was a small gathering, just family and friends, about 30 people all together. We had a reception with an extraordinary seafood feast (and even some vegetarian food for me!) and then went back to Dan & his wife Peggy’s home for a pirate themed after-party that was great fun.

For some of the guests (Lisa’s family) it was their first experience at a pagan ceremony and everyone was really taken with it. I have included part of it below.

 

 

Blessing

To the Goddess and God we thank you for your presence at this divine rite

May your lives together be joyful and content,
And may your love be bright as the stars
Warm as the sun, accepting as the ocean,
And enduring as the mountains.

We come now to the close of this event, and for Raymond and Lisa, the beginning of a new life together. We offer to them and to each of you this blessing:

By the earth that is Her body,
By the air that is Her breath,
By the fire that is Her bright spirit,
By the living waters of Her womb,
The circle is open but not broken.

The peace of the Goddess and the God go in your hearts.
Merry meet, and merry part, and merry meet again.
Blessed be!

 

I love all the witch sabbats but none more so than Samhain. This is the one sabbat where I pullout all the stops!

I love to decorate the house, prepare the dumb supper, add spooky music to the festivities, have a big bonfire and eat tons of candy though I doubt that was part of the traditional pagan Halloween.

Last year we had a great time, three witches at the feast (or feastival as we called it) and this year we might even add an additional bit of fun to the holiday by sharing it in the woods with other witches at the following celebration:

Florida Pagan Gathering Samhain ‘08

When: Nov. 6th. 2008 - Nov. 9th. 2008
Where: Altoona, Florida

Dance with the Ancestors

Event Details: Join us at the Florida Pagan Gathering in 4 days of Pagan Community Spirit. FPG is hosted in the heart of the Ocala National Forest at Camp Ocala. Held twice a year at Beltaine and Samhain, the Florida Pagan Gathering is a place of Spirituality, Imagination, Growth, Learning, Rambunctious Good Times, Artistic Revelry, Perfect Love and Perfect Trust where Pagans, young and old, new and current, Solitaries, Covens, Eclectic and Traditional can enjoy a community free from the mundane worries of modern society.

At FPG Samhain 2008 we will be hosting well known Pagan authors Dorothy Morrison, Kristin Madden, Ann Moura and M.R. Sellars.

Joining them for her first ever appearance at FPG will be Deborah Lipp.

Plus, a special musical concert with Wendy Rule!

Other Events and Activities at FPG include:
* Workshops hosted by our Headliners and local Pagan teachers
* Nightly Drum and Fire Circle
* Friday Night Concert featuring Wendy Rule
* Main Ritual hosted by Belladonna of Iron Oak
* Bardic Circle
* Sweatlodge
* Men’s Lodge and Women’s Tent
* Labyrinth
* Kid’s Crafts and other Activities
* Celtic Games
* Swimming and Canoeing and much more!

Send me an email if you are local and think you might be attending and you can meet up with me and my sister-in-law!