Author: A Solitary Pagan

What began with the Druids and ancient Celtic villagers dressing as animals or as frightening creatures such as ghosts and wandering the edge of their settlements in groups evolved into the moving ritual theatre known as mumming. Along with singing traditional songs, sometimes those who performed also took on traditional costumes. In South Wales, men and boys would dress as women while singing of ...

Not all the fearsome things stayed outdoors, however. People took great care to prevent faeries from absconding with human children or livestock on Samhain night. Cradles and animals received a sprinkling with holy water or parents might hang a Parshall, a special type of cross, above the child’s bed. Parents placed a dead ember from the fire or iron in an infant’s cradle. Older children might hav...

In attempts to explain what prompted the legends of the Wild Hunt, scholars looked to natural phenomena for explanations. As storm gods, Odin/Woden represented natural phenomena and storms, especially storms common just before winter. Some scholars thought that early Pagans interpreted thunder and howling storms as the Wild Hunt breaking into this world and giving chase to its prey. Another theory...

Along with the Black Pig, folk might encounter the Dullahan, or sometimes ghosts, not always of the friendly departed. The Black Pig, often associated with the White Lady, served as a diabolic image. Irish families often considered this pig an incarnation of the devil. In one Welsh ritual, when the bonfires went out, those tending it ran away shouting, “The cropped black sow seize the hindmost!”Th...

This poppet will help you land a new job, get a promotion, or achieve that special goal. You will need to make a doll out of a piece of your clothing. Coarsely grind equal amounts of the following herbs: cinnamon, bay, marigold, orange peel, rosemary, witch hazel. Fill the poppet with the herb mixture and sew up the opening. Affix a full length photograph of yourself to the front of the poppe...

A poppet is a doll fashioned from cloth or clay to represent a person or persons at whom a spell is directed. The cloth doll is usually stuffed with Spanish moss, to give it form, and herbs that correspond with the primary intention of the spell. When clay is used, small amounts of the primary herbs are crushed and then mixed in with the soft clay. Photographs, hair, nail clippings, and clothing b...

Fashion small sticks of applewood into a human frame and cover with green cotton cloth to form the poppet. Fill with the following coarsely ground herbs: angelica, eucalyptus, ginseng, life everlasting, peppermint, spearmint, and wintergreen. Attach a photograph of the person to be healed to the poppet. Begin the spell during the waning moon. Place the poppet on your altar next to a black candle. ...

To the ancient Celts, Samhain marked the most important of four Celtic fire festivals. Located halfway between an equinox and a solstice, it is one of four cross-quarter festivals. Every year on the first frost after the full moon in October, families allowed their hearth fires to burn out. At this time, they brought back herd animals from grazing and completed gathering the harvest. After the fir...

Those who live in towns and cities can partake in the most famous Halloween tradition: trick-or-treating. Every year, usually during hours set by the municipality, parents or older siblings take costumed youngsters door-to-door to ask for candy. In return, the neighbours distributing candy get their very own costume pageant delivered to their door. Along with this tradition comes a tradition many ...

In some traditions, witches may divide the year not only by eight solar and agricultural holidays but also by the Kalends. We celebrate twelve months of the year by the common calendar, plus a special thirteenth month for Samhain. These month cycles are associated with different totemic spirits. Each month is assigned an animal, a bird (or other flying creature), and a tree. Samhain’s totems are T...

People who celebrate Samhain or Halloween in rural areas often partake in slightly different traditions. In some areas, houses are too sparse for trick-or-treating to be practical for families with children. Often in those situations, community members gather in public schools or community buildings and host a communal Halloween party. Along with treats, children get to play games such as apple bo...

MANY PAGANS CELEBRATE modern Samhain on October 31, the same day as Halloween. Some, however, prefer to perform their observances on the full moon closest to the sabbat date. Others consult almanacs to determine the official astrological cross-quarter day. Often it is a quiet, solemn occasion in private Pagan households. Many see it as the most important ritual of the year. Families with small chi...