Halloween Plans?

In the Middle Ages it was believed that witches communed with the devil on Halloween night, which was then known as the witches’ Black Sabbath, and that they did all sorts of heinous things on this night. It was believed that witches celebrated this sabbat by sacrificing and eating children, dining on bread made from human feces and urine, kissing the asses of cats, and fornicating with the devil and his consorts. They rode their broomsticks to secret locations where they held Black Masses during which they summoned the devil, entered into blood pacts with him, and ultimately sold their souls to him. They also plotted ways to destroy all the god-fearing Christians in their villages. In other words, this was one busy night for witches. History shows us that these misguided beliefs were drummed up by the early Christian church in an attempt to squelch any pagan rituals still being carried out, though obviously with none of the above activities as any part of them. But by the sixteenth and seventeenth centuries, these beliefs were so widespread and ingrained in the people, it was only natural and certainly no surprise that witch hunts were carried out to the degree they were.

Personally, I much prefer eating chocolate to eating children or feces, but I wouldn't mind the occasional, and most likely highly exhilarating, ride on a broomstick.

Leaf Lore

There's powerful magick in the fallen leaves on Samhain, but in order for that magick to manifest the leaves must be caught in the recipient's hands as they fall from the trees and before they hit the ground. According to folk tradition, once a leaf has touched the earth, its magick is forever lost. The tradition of catching fallen leaves began in England centuries ago and it was believed that catching a fallen leaf would not only empower the lucky grabber with great magick, but would also ensure that that person would have profound happiness for the next year and would suffer no sorrows (if only it were this easy). Upon catching a leaf, you could also make a wish and be sure by your lucky catch that it would come true. Another folk belief says that the catching of a falling leaf will bring a year of health to the recipient.

An old witch's spell states that for every leaf caught between Michaelmas on September 29th and Samhain, the lucky catcher will be granted one day of pure happiness. But once these leaves are caught, be sure to keep them outside, for an ancient belief states that you will bring very bad luck to your family and all who dwell within your walls should you bring the leaves indoors with you. Dead leaves that may blow into your house on their own through a doorway on a blustery day are perfectly safe though!

This gorgeous photo of falling leaves courtesy of Jooliree on flickr.

Ivy Leaf Lore

In England, ivy has been used for centuries to divine the future. To foretell if a member of your family is going to die within the next twelve months, write the name of each family member on a leaf of ivy and on Halloween night place the leaves in a bowl of water and go to bed. In the morning, check the leaves: if one is shriveled up, has turned black or dark, or if there is the shape of a coffin marked on any of the leaves, this is believed to be an omen of death for the person whose name is written on that leaf. A leaf with black spots portends sickness, red spots a violent death for that unlucky family member. These events, however, can all be reversed if a wise man with knowledge of protective incantations can be found to magickally help you.

Want to induce dreams of your future love? Place ten ivy leaves beneath your pillow before you go to bed on Halloween night.

Ivy is sacred to Bacchus and Osiris and is said to offer protection against all forms of evil. It's long been used in the art and practice of divination and is ritually paired with holly. It aids in fertility, brings good luck and ensures fidelity. Ivy is a powerful witch's tool, even when it isn't Halloween.

Thanks to The Pagan Book of Halloween by Gerina Dunwich and In Worship of Trees by George Knowles

Apple Lore

If you eat an apple on Samhain right before you go to bed, you won't have any illnesses during the next twelve months. Eat a slice from each of three apples on Samhain night and you'll have a year of good luck.

Bury an apple in your witch's garden, beneath the light of the moon on Samhain night, and it will feed the souls of those restless spirits wandering through the realm of the living that night. Living in the northeast, I wouldn't even attempt to dig into my cold hard earth at the end of October, but I do leave an offering of cakes out on the sundial in my garden to nourish the ghostly travelers who are out and about on Samhain night. It's far less back-breaking!

Photo courtesy of Aviana2 on Flickr.

Witches' Smoke

With Samhain just over a month away, I thought it might be interesting to write (here and there) about some of the lore and beliefs associated with it.

In Europe during the Middle Ages, it was believed that witches' homes could be easily identified by the smoke from their chimneys. On the morning of the first Monday after Halloween, you must climb to the top of a hill above your village, one that affords a good view of the whole town below. You must then watch the smoke rising from all the chimneys of all the houses and the smoke from a witch's fire will be seen to travel against the wind rather than with it, thus making it easy to spot her amongst the villagers.

I especially like this one as I live in a house that used to sit alone in a vast field. When we bought it, a great deal of the land had just been sold for new construction and we're the only ones in our neighborhood who not only live in a very old house, but also the only one with fireplaces and (obviously) chimneys, so our winter smoke stands out amongst all our neighbors' homes. If this belief were truly possible, then it would be a good thing that we have the only chimneys as far as the eye can see as given the fact that a witch does live in this house, I'd be in some serious trouble!

Thanks to Gerina Dunwich and The Pagan Book of Halloween.

Cat Nights

I love old witch tales and witch's lore and this is a good one.

The term “Cat Nights” harks back to a rather obscure Irish legend concerning witches and the belief that a witch could turn herself into a cat eight times, but on the ninth time, August 17, she couldn’t regain her human form.

With only a few hours till it ticks over to the 17th, a word of warning to all you witches out there who have pushed your transfiguration to the limit and were thinking about 'just one more time'...you might want to give it a bit more thought.

This bit of folklore also led to the idea that a cat has nine lives.