In recent years, there have been a number of pamphlets and books put out be various Christian organizations dealing with the origins of modern- day Halloween customs.
Being a Witch myself, and a student of the ancient Celts from whom we get this holiday, I have found these pamphlets woefully inaccurate and poorly researched. A typical example of this information is contained in the following quote from the pamphlet entitled "What's Wrong with Halloween?" by Russell K. Tardo. "The Druids believed that on October 31st, the last day of the year by the ancient Celtic calendar, the lord of death gathered together the souls of the dead who had been made to enter bodies of animals, and decided what forms they should take the following year. Cats were held sacred because it was believed that they were once human being...
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[older woman to older man]:
One-eye, Wanderer, God of wisdom,
Hunt-lord, hail, who leads the hosting!
Nine nights hanging, knowledge gaining,
Cloaked at crossroads, council hidden.
Now the night, your time, is near us --
Right roads send us on, Rune-winner.
[older man to older woman]:
Every age your eye has witnessed;
Cauldron-Keeper, hail wise Crone!
Rede in riddles is your ration --
Wyrd-weaving at the World-tree's root.
Eldest ancient, all-knowing one,
Speak secrets to us, send us vision.
[younger woman to younger man]:
Lord of Life, hail Land-Master!
God of grain that grows and dies
And rises reborn, full of richness;
Fallow fields shall yet be fertile --
Spring sap runs as stirs your phallus
Bless barren earth, let it bear again!
[younger ...
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A Cymro-Norse ritual
TOOLS: Drinking Horn
Hammer (Mjollnir)
Sword
Pentacle/Stone
Bowl of Salt
Water
Censer & Incense
CELEBRANTS:
White Priestess (Skadi)
Gold Priest (Freyr)
Red Priestess (Freyja)
Red Priest (Heimdallr)
Black Priestess (Vala)
Black Priest (Odin)
Procession, consisting of Soulers (any small number) and White Mare.
Skadi takes the sword around the circle with these words:
SHARP BRIGHT STEEL THE CIRCLE SCRIBES;
CARVING, CLEAVING WORLD FROM WORLD.
Freyja banishes the circle with the hammer and these words:
MANKIND'S FRIEND, BY MJOLLNIR'S MIGHT
BANISH BEINGS THAT BODE US ILL!
She stands in the center and to each quarter and above and below she makes the Hammer-Sign, saying,
HOLY HAMMER...
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Circle Casting
(High Priestess)
(Spoken while harvesting imaginary grain in perimeter of circle)
Birds circle hungrily overhead
As through harvested fields we tread.
The smokehouse fires and burning leaves
Their scents do spiral and interweave.
Ripples circle in our wake
As rice we harvest from a lake.
The dusty Earth now shorn of locks
Swirls as pass our fattened flocks.
Much bounty may our harvest see
As we cast, so mote it be!
Responsorial: So mote it be!
Quarter Invocations
(High Priest)
Facing East: Guardians of the watchtower of the east, we do summon, stir, and call thee up to protect us in our rite. Come to us now on the cool breath of Autumn's sigh which heralds the advent of Winter and the close of harvest time. Breathe into us the spirit ...
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