Samhain ~ Halloween... my rant for the day...

[Lise]

I briefly watched a piece on the History channel about witches. They failed to say that women were the doctors and had the healing powers which led (in part) to their demonization by the male Christian leadership.

They also failed to note that after the infamous witch burning, Europe was beset by the plague - caused by burning the cats that caught the rats that spread the plague.

It's the rule of three in action.

How wonderful to stumble upon this thread! I wish I'd found it last week. I am a midwife, and one of the things I remember and celebrate at this time of year is the memory of my predecessors who were murdered for standing up for women and children, for healing when healing was politically inexpedient.

I am of Northern European ancestry. I don't doubt that Samhein was a holy day to my ancestors, as it is to me. I work primarily with Mexican families, and have absorbed some of their traditions. I honor the divine in the Virgen of Guadalupe/Tonantzin, I celebrate Dia de Muertos. If you're ever in Chicago at this time of year, please go to the Mexican Fine Arts Museum. They have a wonderful Dia de Muertos exhibit up from late September to early December.

It makes sense to me that this is when the new year begins. We cycle through, touch spirits with those who went before, and move on to the new year. I'm grateful for the richness that learning about Samhein and Dia de Muertos has brought to my life. My sister calls me a "Polyreligion Monotheist". I took one of those internet tests, and came out essentially as I was raised--Presbyterian in my values! As Juju commented, I love it that this thread has comments from many points of belief, and all of it respectful. I bow to you. Blessed be. L.

[LBTC]

I'm glad this thread keeps rising to the top. I'm still trying to "find my voice" on this subject.

In the meantime, though, I wanted to honour each of you for your respective beliefs and for being so accepting of each other.

I knew that I hung out with a great group of gals!

Hugs and butterflies,
~T~

[mary9761]

I LOVE Loreena McKinnett, I actually saw a local dance troupe do All Souls Night as a dance piece and other related songs as well. It gave me goose flesh as they came out first with lit torches in a fully darkened theatre, they built up into a spiral dance and the power was phenomenal! The memories still give me wonderful shivers. I have many of her CDs and really enjoy the middle eastern flavour a lot of her music has as well.

I too am very glad I saw this thread and that everyone appears to be quite tolerant of our differences. The most important thing is that our love of cycling brings us together where we may never have otherwise met.

[Geonz]

I have Jethro Tull's Solstice Bells on a tape I made of WHFS back when it used to be the best radio station in the universe. Gotta find it... gotta figure out a way to digitize that stuff. I **loved** that on a holiday they would play half-hour sets of really, really diverse mixes and of course on Thanksgiving Day they'd play Alice's Restaurant. Now I rely on Mary Cliff at WETA on Saturday nights.