Samhain On The East Coast

Well hurricane Sandy is coming and it looks like it's going to change plans for most trick or treaters. We are in the south east part of Ohio so we may have snow next week.

I had already decided weeks ago that we would not be joining a group this year for Samhain. I felt a need to stay home and keep it all in the family. Especially since this will be the first time we will do a ritual in our new apartment.

My ritual also involves bringing out my genealogy records. That's what I love about rituals, you can use virtually anything that has meaning to you! Have you ever used your family tree during Samhain or when evoking your ancestors? So many pages and I only know the stories of a short few; which is sad when you think about it.

Someone posted a poem on FB yesterday that I thought really put my feelings into words perfectly. I'll also be using this poem in our Samhain ritual. I do not know the author of this poem, so if this is your work or if you know who wrote it please tell me so I may give credit.

STRANGERS IN THE BOX
Come, look with me inside this drawer,
In this box I've often seen,
At the pictures, black and white,
Faces proud, still, and serene.

I wish I knew the people,
These strangers in the box,
Their names and all their memories,
Are lost among my socks.

I wonder what their lives were like,
How did they spend their days?
What about their special times?
I'll never know their ways.

If only someone had taken time,
To tell, who, what, where, and when,
These faces of my heritage,
Would come to life again.

Could this become the fate,
Of the pictures we take today?
The faces and the memories,
Someday to be passed away?

Take time to save your stories,
Seize the opportunity when it knocks,
Or someday you and yours,
Could be strangers in the box.

Will you be changing your Samhain or Halloween plans because of hurricane Sandy?

12. How do you celebrate Samhain/Halloween?

I separate Samhain and Halloween into separate parts. Halloween is just fun with my daughter. We like to dress up and go trick or treating or hand out candy. Usually Dh and I will take turns walking around with our daughter while one of us (Namely my husband) sits on the porch handing out candy. Where we use to live we didn't get too many TOTers so by 7pm he was normally indoors and we were "Stuck" with candy. Oh poor us. lol.

For Samhain we would meet up with The Circle of the Blue Moon for the day. We'd spend it participating in ritual or just hanging out talking about various Pagan topics. We made a lot of good friends that way and helped a few people along the way. Usually there is at least one or two people who need healing and the High Priestess would ask me to assist once in awhile.

Now that we are in Ohio I'm not sure what we are going to do. There isn't much money to buy candy or costumes. Though my daughter is determined to make her own costume if she has to. And I think she may have sweet talked my mother into sending her something. She's almost 10 yrs old now and I've tried to convince her to just hand out candy. After all that can be fun right? Nooo. Evidently not. She won't have it. I'm not even sure if there is TOTing in our area. I assume so since there are a lot of kids around here.

As for ritual, I have to ask Lynn from Innanas Spiritual Center if she'll be doing anything. If not, or if she is leaving town, I may just skip it this year. Or maybe I'll just bake a nice pie for Dh and enjoy his pleasure at eating something I made. Who knows. I'm a bit spontaneous and not making plans kinda gal!

Sierra Belle as Cleopatra

This is apart of 31 Days of Samhain

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