Do's and don'ts in celebrating

[NoSuchCreature]

Alrighty. I'm making this thread in the interest of how I celebrated 10-31 and knowing what was and wasn't legitimate practice or a slap in the face to whoever the procedures was directed toward.

I would first like to say that my Pagan library is a tad "thin," but I like to think I've got the gist of how you honor your maker(s). I'm relatively nondenominational, but I have a firm belief in the existence and necessity to respect the "little folk," so anything seasonal that I do is generally in their honor.

So naturally, if I wanted to give a friendly gesture toward whoever ran things behind the material curtain in my area, I thought it was only necessary to acknowledge Samhain, for the sake of it being the believed day when the living and spiritual worlds were blurred the most.

Well, as it so happened, I had been storing some pure rainwater for a little while, and thought a night like last night would be perfect to serve as a small equivalent of a sabbat feast. So I took that outside and created a small circle as best I could with just my finger, both opening and closing clockwise and acknowledging the forces of the four directions as I went.

I then decided that, rather than recite rehearsed poetry of some sort, I would be more sincere to give my thanks as it came to my head, to insure what I said was what I meant, acknowledging the entire earth as a beautiful, motherly body and the spirits of nature as her aids.

After taking a few sips of the rainwater, I closed the circle, imagining the energies within to be focused into the remainder inside the bowl, and poored that on a sapling, in the interest of returning the energy that I'd taken back to its source, so that I may do the same another time.

Both before and after sitting down for this, I softly admitted aloud that I was relatively ignorant of proper ways to acknowledge the spirits of nature, and asked forgiveness for any errors and to take it as respect nonetheless, and, assuming I was worth it, help steer me in the right direction so that I could do this right the next time.

After this was all said and done, I sat down to notice an unusually bright star to the southwest, and gazed at it for a while, and I could have sworn I saw a tiny blr of dusty yellow light low to the ground once or twice. I later laid down and closed my eyes and began to hear music off in the distance, but only when I head my head to the ground. While I was next to the house while doing this, nobody was playing any music, and the only tv in the house was playing the Simpsons. This music seemed to have a steady drum tempo, and most peculiarly, seemed to be a trance beat, of all things! When I got up and looked to the room with the tv on, I couldn't even hear the music anymore, and thought it best to go back inside, chuckling at the possibility that the "locals" had adopted my music tastes.

All of that being said (and a big apology if that was too long to read, as well as if there was a thread for this sweatdrop ), I'd lastly like to point out that whenever I do things like this, I always get the idea that I just insulted the way things really work, and that I didn't do it right.

Which brings me to my question- of the relatively experienced people here, were there any errors in particular that I would have been better off to have fixed? How could I have fixed/avoided these? And overall, did I really achieve what I wanted (gratefulness to the Mother and her children) in doing this "ritual," if I can even call it that?

Thank you for any response, and deepest apologies and wishes of compensation if I've just insulted an entire community with malpractice. ^^;;;  

[LadyEladrin]

It sounds like a beautiful ritual that you performed. Since you're an admitted eclectic, there's no right or wrong way to do what you did. You did what felt right and good to you and personally, I think that's the best way to honour the Divine.  

[NoSuchCreature]

3nodding

Another thing I'd like to note- I generally didn't ask for anything while doing all this, except that I could have clearer indications of their presence. I think I got my wish. whee

Oh, and unless I'm just throwing myself head-first into make-believe, I think I can now certainly confirm that there are people (for lack of a better, more colorfully broad term) out there that watch me and have come to share preferences, if making their own songs in a dance style is any hint. xd I'm even willing to bet the drum tempo was in sync with the earth's magnetic pulse.  

[Ayita]

It sounds to me like nothing went wrong. Being eclectic myself, I celebrate in my own way. Whatever feels right. I think ceremonies can be a little too rehearsed and formal.

I didn't actually "celebrate" or perform a ritual on Halloween. I let the day be in remembrance..  

[Half_Pint]

That sounds awsome I am eclectic aswell This 10/31 was the first time I had ever celebrated it as a holiday other than the trick or treating bit I realy didnt know what to do so all I actually did was I harvested pommegrantes from a tree I grow. The first one I picked I buried in the ground I loved the feeling I got very sad and extreemly happy at the same time. It was wierd becuase my mind told me exactly which one to pick and exactly were to bury it. I went slowly and savored the smell of the upturned earth and after I buried it I ate one of the pommegranets that split itself on the tree. After that I jsut kind of sat with nature. I did all this in this area of my grand-pas backyard which I have come to feel is my own so I didn't bother with a circle becuase its in something that used to be a cow pen and I have allways felt safe in there, dont ask me why I really dont know. Any constructive critisim on what I did is requested.  

[WebenBanu]

It sounds like you had a really wonderful experience- thanks for sharing it with us!^_^ You approached the situation with all due respect and humility, put everything you had into it with sincerity, and the gesture was returned in kind.

Be careful about fairy music and dances, though- it's said that humans who get caught up in them don't come back, or can become trapped in them for a long time. I don't think that the music you heard was dangerous or anything other than a gift, of course, but I feel that I'd be neglectful if I didn't mention that. I recommend reading all that you can on the fae, if you're planning on working with them. They have their own culture and can be a bit tricky if you cross them, so it was highly appropriate that you prefaced your celebration by apologizing for any unintentional mistakes and asked for guidance in the future- I'm sure that went a long way with them.

I'd tell you more, but I don't have much experience with fairies. I've read a book by Janet Bord called Fairies: Real Encounters with Little People, which you might find interesting. I'd appreciate feedback from other members of the guild who've read this one, who might be able to tell me whether this author's worth her salt.

Good luck to you, though!  

[NoSuchCreature]

WebenBanu

(Insert complimentary and thoughtful things here 3nodding )

And thank you for the thanks! whee

Ah, I've heard much about that, and I thank you again for the fair warning, but rest assured, I typically retain a safe and respectful distance from their activity and affairs, and until I happen to know any from a more trusting personal level, I'm happy to see just enough to know they exist for now. I also had that instinctive "quit while you're ahead" feeling when I heard the music. I was just entertained by the fact that they were both celebrating the time of year too and that they had their own personality for the location, and I didn't think it would be nice to spoil their party, especially since I've only just been aquainted with them.

And I haven't done what you'd call "extensive" research, but I've gotten a book or two on the topic and I've read the smaller notes about them by other authors in my general witchcraft books. By the way, if anyone has any advice on whether or not I should trust things by Ted Andrews, I would deeply appreciate it. 3nodding

I have to say though how many things were set almost like it was made for a thought-out ritual. I forgot that it was best to point toward the north, but that happened to be exactly where I looked to face the sapling that I gave the leftover energy to, for example.  

[Cerulean Crayon]

Sucellus

By the way, if anyone has any advice on whether or not I should trust things by Ted Andrews, I would deeply appreciate it. 3nodding

I read his book, Enchantments of the Faerie Realm, and found it a nice relaxing read, straightforeward, and less fluffy than Silver Ravenwolf, but that's the extent of my judgement. I'm not sure about some of his tree-spirit connections, and I disliked his meditations, but that's me.  

[NoSuchCreature]

Et_Cur_Heli

I read his book, Enchantments of the Faerie Realm, and found it a nice relaxing read, straightforeward, and less fluffy than Silver Ravenwolf, but that's the extent of my judgement. I'm not sure about some of his tree-spirit connections, and I disliked his meditations, but that's me.

That's actually the one I got myself, and honestly, I agree on all three points.

But I will say he was pretty good with the definitions of different tree-spirit personalities, if only that. I've felt generally the same feelings as described when around certain trees of my childhood (there's a birch tree at my grandparents' house that I always leave things I wrongfully took from nature or small, friendly little offerings to fae of candy with pure sugar and/or honey at its base. Neither leave a trace among the thick grass so much as a day later.

And those meditations...I'd just rather have criteria than a narration for them. He didn't give much room for creativity with those things. :/

And what was he going on about when he "shapeshifted" into the bark of that tree in a childhood game of hide and seek? That made me want to ask about his credibility more than anything...well, there was also how he did a lot on Qabbalic teachings in other books, and I noticed how he put archangels near the top of his spiritual hierarchy. Still, it was a good read. ^^  

[Cerulean Crayon]

A good read, yes. Pleasant. Hey, I got a used copy for 6 dollars, so I just went with it...Yes, his view of archangels, and the Elemental kings threw me off...you?  

[NoSuchCreature]

(Hate to pull up a 20 day-old thread, but I thought it would be the most convenient)

Okay, so I decided to use up some of the water I'd been storing in these nifty new bottles I found at a bead show (cheap, too! 3nodding ), considering I generally accept rivers and rain to be gifts from Nature's affiliates to growing life. It had been some time since I'd done my last ritual (10-31 and such), and today it looked like a storm was brewing. So I repeated the process I used last time, apologizing for any insults I gave in doing it all before and after and all that, giving my appreciations for all aid given to me previously, now, and later, and requesting that I be gifted only as much as I deserved to be.

Well, later on in the day that "storm" turned out to be a Tornado warning for the whole county. While it was still only a little windy, I went out and set a bowl down to catch any more rain that day, and while looking off to the sapling, I asked that I'd be protected from anything I deserved to be protected from. As I walked back inside, I saw a shooting star where I was gazing off towards at the time.

Watching the weather, the radar showed strong formations of what could be tornadoes later on passing on the very edge of either side of town, and we had absolutely no disruptions from the weather.

So I would like to ask: was that anything to take notice of? Were the storms redirected in some way by beings I've sought the favor of, or am I just looking for something to call "success" from a practice I feel borders on insulting to the orthodox? sweatdrop

Cerulean Crayon

A good read, yes. Pleasant. Hey, I got a used copy for 6 dollars, so I just went with it...Yes, his view of archangels, and the Elemental kings threw me off...you?

(Ack! Sorry that I never noticed this until now! ^^;;; ) Yes, that "Angelic Hiearchy" and whatnot gave me rather hefty doubts about him, given that I severely question there being a supreme leader of each kind of elemental. Saying that discarnate spirits grow and merge into higher beings, however, I have a great amount of belief in.