Samhain

Previously, I wrote about the upcoming Pagan festival day, Samhain, and how the emphasis is on honoring one’s ancestors. After posting that, a friend asked me a simple but important question. Nowadays, when many people don’t make it a practice to ritually honor their ancestors, how is that done? How can we ritually honor our ancestors?  

(Note: I use the word “ancestor” loosely in this post. These don’t have to be family. They can be close friends who have passed, for example.)

Dumb Supper

One method is called the “Dumb Supper.” The word “dumb” here is an archaic way of saying silent, as will become apparent later. 

There is no required menu for a Dumb Supper. Some make Soul Cakes (visit here for a good recipe). However, any dish will suffice. If you have a specific ancestor in mind, I would recommend using their favorite dish if they had one.

Some recommend decorating the table in black. Black tablecloth, plates, and so forth. If you don’t have such, nearly every Halloween and party supply shop is loaded with them. However, black is not necessary. It is important to ensure each seat is fully stocked with salt, pepper, and so forth, whatever the color, so that no one feels the need to ask for something during the meal. As you set the table, there should be one seat at a place of honor where no one sits. This seat is for the ancestor(s) that you’re honoring.

The area should be designated as a sacred space. This can be by invocation, prayer, incense, or other methods. This can be done before or at the start of the supper. All phones should be silenced, and radios/ televisions turned off. If you’re hosting a Dumb Supper, you may want to remind the participants of the need for silence before it begins.

How it concludes depends on the host. One way is when each person finishes, that person sits quietly. Then the host silently motions that all may leave the table simultaneously. 

Alternative Ritual

If a Dumb Supper is impractical, something as simple as pausing to focus on the memory of an ancestor works also. If you have a photo, place it on a table, possibly next to a candle. After lighting the candle, speak from the heart. Express any feelings of gratitude. 

Conclusion

Samhain isn’t an alternative to Halloween. While Halloween started as a Christian holy day, for many, it’s now a secular festival without religious implications. So feel free to enjoy some spooky Halloween fun after your Samhain event. Life goes on despite our losses.

(The website Learn Religions was my source for a Dumb Supper.)

The Thinning Veil

Halloween is fast approaching. For most contemporary Pagans, this day is about more than just dressing up, watching spooky movies, and trick or treating. It’s also a sacred high festival day known as Samhain.

Samhain (pronounced SOW-ahn) has Celtic roots and means “Summer’s End.” It’s a time when the boundary between our physical world and the Otherworld thins, allowing easier interaction between the living and the spirit realm. Contemporary Pagans refer to this as the “thinning of the veil.”

I find the metaphor of the “veil” to be apropos. Imagine reality as a room with a veil hanging down from the ceiling dividing it in half.  The sheerer the veil, the easier it is for the occupants on both sides to interact with each other.

A positive aspect of the thinning veil is that it makes communication easier with deceased loved ones and other helpful spirits. It’s a great time to honor one’s ancestors, find closure with the deceased, and contact the spirit world. 

Unfortunately, some find contact with the deceased frightening.  Interacting with the deceased, even the benevolent dead, reminds us of our mortality and is frightening for many. The frightening aspects of the thinning veil play a significant role in the spookiness that permeates modern, secular Halloween.         

So with October 31st right around the corner, make plans to celebrate both Samhain and Halloween. Have some spooky Halloween fun. Yet also, make sure to set aside time to honor your deceased loved ones and the spirit world by celebrating Samhain.  

Shadow of the Black Rose

In a previous blog post I wrote that many Dark Pagans prefer dark aesthetics. I’m proud to announce that I’m associated with a new website dedicated to that preference: Shadow of the Black Rose.

Shadow of the Black Rose is a monthly website that showcases Dark Pagan, Dark Magick, and Dark Subculture creators such as bloggers, authors, artists, musicians, and more. Our goal is to give these creators an outlet to share their work and ideas with the rest of the world.

I encourage you to check out Shadow of the Black Rose.

The Philosophy of Dark Paganism

“Deep into that darkness peering, long I stood there, wondering, fearing, doubting, dreaming dreams no mortal ever dared to dream before.” - Edger Allen Poe, The Raven

As I walked through a Halloween store the other day, I came across a placard with the above quote from Poe’s The Raven. When I saw the placard, I knew I had to buy it for it truly spoke to me. 

Several years ago, I decided to write a book. I can’t say that my dreams were like “no mortal ever dared to dream,” but they were the product of peering into the darkness of the Self. My dream of being published became a reality today with the release of my book The Philosophy of Dark Paganism by Llewellyn Worldwide.

In my book, I explore Dark Paganism as a philosophical worldview. In it, I explore self-knowledge and autonomy as part of creating a meaningful life. To aid the reader, I provide nine principles to aid in individuation and achieving a state of well-being, which the ancients call eudaimonia. 

Of my book, Raven Digitalis, author of A Witch’s Shadow Magick Compendium and Esoteric Empathy, wrote:

“Differing from ‘black’ magick or baneful sorcery, this deeply intelligent and honest book explores darker magickal elements through a lens of Neopaganism. Focused on self-development by way of shadow, the reader is given an opportunity to cohesively improve themselves and search for life’s greater purpose. I have never experienced a book like this. It is packed to the brim with educational references and citations, all of which boil down to a metaphysical perspective. The author’s refreshing approach encompasses solid academic history and philosophy alongside practical theory aimed toward self-empowerment. The shroud of darkness is enchanting...why not take a peek?”

You can purchase my book from Amazon and from Llewellyn.com.

Dark Aesthetics

“We live in a dark and romantic and quite tragic world.” - Karl Lagerfeld, fashion designer

Dark Pagans have a well-earned reputation for preferring dark aesthetics. Not only Dark Pagans but many people show a passion for this ‘dark allure.’ No time of the year is more accepting of dark aesthetics than Halloween, which caps off October. 

 What drives so many Dark Pagans and others to have a dark allure?

Many people who don’t have a dark allure think everyone who prefers dark aesthetics is obsessed with death. Indeed, some have this obsession. However, for many, dark aesthetics help remind us to enjoy life; for one day, it will end. 

According to Jungian thought, dark allure arises out of the Shadow Self. As part of the unconscious mind, the Shadow always speaks in symbols, myths, and dreams. For some, dark tropes and attraction to the macabre and dark subcultures arise out of the repressed desires and traits found in the Shadow. 

However, there are those for whom dark aesthetics are more than manifestations of the Shadow. While it might arise from the Shadow, many use dark aesthetics to access and integrate the Shadow as part of their individuation. In this case, the dark allure encourages personal growth.  

It’s been proposed that the dark allure might have a spiritual origin. The occultist Konstantinos holds that each person is born with a different soul type. There are those, according to Konstantinos, who are innately drawn to dark aesthetics while others find it repulsive. Konstantinos believes that such soul types as dark and light are set during a person’s afterlife before rebirth. 

Obviously, there are many different reasons someone might have a dark allure. There is no one answer. It’s good for each of us who share this dark allure to reflect on its meaning for each of us individually. As Socrates said during his trial, “The unexamined life is not worth living.”