In my younger years I became very interested in Pagan religion and once celebrated Samhain on the eve of November the 1st by way of a Wiccan ceremony.
We lit candles and invoked the Gods and Goddesses. We ate apple and burned sage. We were surrounded by boughs of trees and mini pumpkins. We took sips of wine.
Samhain is the the time to honor the Crone and the final harvest of the year. The Feast of the Dead was celebrated in Celtic countries. Single candles were lit in windows to guide spirits home. People dressed in white or dressed as the opposite sex to fool the spirits. The "wee folk" or fae were highly active and played tricks. Extra places were set at the dinner table for the spirits of ancestors.
I, personally, adore Autumn. I like the significant change of the leaves dying and changing colours. I like that life slows down. It is a sign of growth that is different than Spring. Beauty takes on a different form. Beauty is death. Beauty is calmness. Beauty is sleep. The Beauty that exists in the Fall is stark, it is naked. The twisted branches cannot hide behind leaves and flowers. The birds shamelessly eat as much as they can to fatten up. The ground freezes and frost sets in, causing us to bundle up and wear gloves and hats and warm sweaters.
We celebrate love in the Autumn and Winter. We find reasons to share time with our loved ones, to feast and to eat. We give gifts to bring light to gloomy, cold days.
Enjoy your final harvest tonight.
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