Hello and welcome! It’s good to see you once more.
Come sit near the hearth with me and I’ll tell you a little of Samhain…
It is late Autumn now, maybe there has even been a taste of snow in your area. The air is crisp and cool, most trees have let their leaves go and you can clearly see their branches, reaching their bone-like silhouettes up to the sky. The veil is thin this time of year and we find our thoughts turning to our Ancestors and Beloved Dead. It is a time to recall our own cycles of life, death, and rebirth. This is Samhain, or as it is commonly called, Halloween.
It is the time of the year when it seems that the Earth herself seems to be dying. All around us final preparations for the long dark winter are evident. This is the time where we mourn the death of the God, for the fields and gardens are barren and resting awaiting the far off spring. We may want to read stories of the Crone goddesses, one particularly popular goddess being the Baba-Yaga, to get us thinking about our own turns through the Cauldron of the Goddess.
During the days leading up to Samhain or the day of, we may want to spend some time making a collage* from pictures of those gone to Summerland before us, or we may choose to simply gather some pictures or small tokens of those we miss to place on our altars. Our Samhain celebration can be a Dumb Feast where we set a place for the spirits to eat with us in silence. We could focus on divination and partnering with the spirits to see what our next turn of the year wheel holds in store. We may choose to combine a secular and religious celebration by having a light meal made from harvested winter vegetables, and grains**. Setting a place for our ancestors at the table. Holding a quick circle with simple divinations, and then costumes and trick-or-treating for the little ones.
How ever we choose to celebrate Samhain honoring our Ancestors and Beloved dead is what Samhain is all bout.
When we next visit I’ll tell you of Yule…
*Beloved Dead CollageThis craft can be as simple or complex as you wish.
Feel free to do what ever you feel is appropriate for you.
Supplies: Pictures of your loved ones (don’t forget any beloved pets), poster board, archival safe glue, various scrapbook supplies.
Poster Board Collage:Collect pictures of your loved ones that you can permanently use for this project. Lay them out on a poster board and glue them on to the poster board with an archival safe glue. Decorate in what ever manner and with what ever embellishments you choose.
Scrapbook Collage:After collecting pictures of your loved ones along with any small tokens, or stories that remind you of them, create a scrapbook page for each of your loved ones.
Framed Picture Collage:Collect framed pictures of your loved ones and set them in a pleasing display on your altar or shrine. This is good if you are not able to make a permanent collage.
**Butternut and Ham Bisque with Cranberry Soda Bread(Ham is a ritually appropriate meat to serve at Samhain, as sows are sacred to Cerridwen, however if you prefer not to make the soup with ham you could substitute a smoked tofu, or simply leave it out the soup is wonderful with or without the ham.)
Bisque Ingredients:2 tablespoons unsalted butter
1 very large sweet onion, chopped
1/2 teaspoon dried rosemary leaves, chopped
2 cloves garlic, minced
5 cups butternut squash, peeled and diced
1 cup all-purpose potatoes, peeled and diced
5 cups chicken or vegetable stock
1 teaspoon salt
Ground black pepper, to taste
1/2 cup light or heavy cream
1 1/2 cups diced cooked ham
Melt the butter in a medium soup pot or large sauce pan. Stir in the onion and rosemary. Partially cover the pan and cook the onion over moderate heat for 10 minutes, stirring occasionally. Stir in the garlic and cook for another minute.
Add the squash, potatoes, stock, and salt and bring to a boil. Reduce the heat and cover the pot. Cook the soup at a low boil for 20 minutes or until the vegetables are very soft. Remove the pan from the heat.
Using a slotted spoon, transfer the soup solids and a ladleful of broth to a food processor (do this in batches if your processor is small). Puree the vegetables, then stir them back into the broth. Stir in the pepper, the cream, and the ham, heating for several minutes before serving. Makes 6 servings.
Soda Bread Ingredients:1/2 cup old-fashioned oats
1 3/4 cups buttermilk
1/3 cup honey
2 tablespoons vegetable oil
3 cups all-purpose flour
1/2 cup whole wheat flour
1 1/2 teaspoons salt
1 teaspoon baking soda
1 teaspoon baking powder
1 cup dried sweetened cranberries
In order for the bread to achieve the right texture, you should cool it before serving, start the bread 2-3 hours before the soup.
Heat the oven to 400°. Lightly oil a large baking sheet and dust it with cornmeal. Measure the oats into a bowl, then stir in the buttermilk, honey and oil, In a large bowl, combine the remaining ingredients and make a well in the middle. Pour the liquid into it and briskly stir with a wooden spoon until the dough becomes a shaggy mass.
Let the dough sit for 3 minutes. Turn onto a floured surface and gently knead the dough for about 30 seconds. Next, divide it in half and form each half into a football shape with rounded ends. Place the loaves on the baking sheet, leaving plenty of room between them, and cut a shallow slit down the center of each loaf.
Bake the bread for20 minutes, then reduce the heat to 375° and bake 25 minutes or more until the loaves are golden and crusty and the bottoms sound hollow when tapped. Makes two loaves.
(If by chance there is any bread left over it makes a wonderful French toast for breakfast.)
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Sources:
Recipes from Family Fun Magazine October 2001.
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