the work of samhain

Today is Samhain, or Halloween, as it’s called by everyone else but us witches. The veil is thin, and it is time to deal with the dead. That means honoring them, working on healing any old relational wounds we still have with them, and asking them for help. As my beloved said to me this week, “Being a witch is a lot of work”. I’m particularly feeling that today. For the past few weeks I’ve been creating sugar skulls and for the past few days I’ve been creating tall votive candles with pictures of ancestors of spirit on them, all those who are our/my allies on the other side.

There are a lot of them, and the binder keeps expanding in which I keep copies of all the photos and pictures I have collected. Google images is an incredible resource! As I’ve made both skulls and candles, I’ve felt the spirits come closer, and not an hour goes by when a new name or face doesn’t emerge from the memory bank. We witches say, “What is remembered lives”, and this week, I am remembering back into life a whole passel of dead.

As I’ve been writing this, there have been two big disruptions. I had to solidify the date we plan a living wake for my friend Jeremy, and I had to pack up the sugar skull for my housemate to take to our mutual friend in the hospital who had a mastectomy today. I sent over a skull covered with pink ribbons to symbolize those on the other side who have died of breast cancer. I feel them working to keep Marika on this side of the veil.

Tonight I will dance in the Headlands, the hills looking down at the bay from the other side of the Golden Gate. I will dance with a small group of witches, holding jack-o-lanterns, in a ritual that my friend Macha has been part of creating for many many years. Names of the dead will be sung, and the beauty of this living earth will be felt.

Saturday night I will be part of putting on what we call “Dinner With the Dead”. The sugar skulls and candles will grace the tables, and people will bring food to share, food that either their dead and/or ancestors loved. We will toast to the memory of our dead, and feel them amongst us, whispering advice and encouraging us to toast the memory of this one and that one.

The following weekend I will be part of creating a living wake, celebrating the life of Jeremy, letting him know before he crosses over, what he has meant to his community. We also will introduce him to our dead on the other side, bringing pictures and asking for their help in welcoming him when he crosses over.

It’s Samhain, a time most of us Witches work hard. The alliance between the dead and the living is important. Remembering our dead helps keep the life force strong. Each year, as the Craft as grown, I’ve felt the spiritual part of this holiday gain strength in the overculture. More and more people who don’t call themselves witches are building altars and tuning into the power of remembering. It’s a lot of work, this being a witch. But what better work to be doing?