Samhain Correspondences

Quote:
"Eye of newt, and toe of frog,
Wool of bat, and tongue of dog"
"Adder's fork, and blind-worm's sting,
Lizard's leg, and owlet's wing"
"For a charm of powerful trouble,
Like a hell-broth boil and bubble"
"Double, double, toil and trouble,
Fire burn, and cauldron bubble"
-- By William Shakespeare --



Names: Third Harvest, Samana, Day of the Dead, Old Hallowmas
(Scottish/Celtic) , Vigil of Saman, Shadowfest (Strega), All Hallow's Eve,
(that day actually falls on November 7th), Martinmas (that is celebrated
November 11th), Samhuinn (Scottish), Calan Gaeaf (Welsh), Calan Gwaf
(Cornish), Oi Houney (Manx)

Date: 31 October or when sun is at 15 degrees Scorpio.

Meaning/Age: Celtic, “summer’s end.” Second oldest unbroken holiday in the
European world, is approximately 6,000 years old.

Symbolism: Third Harvest, the Dark Mysteries, and Rebirth through Death. The
Goddess as Crone laments the death of her lover as her new lover quickens
Deep within her womb. It is a time when the veil between the living and the
Dead is at its thinnest.

Themes: Death, passing beyond the veil, standing outside of time,
Regeneration, transformation.

Popular Mythos: Demeter and Persephone, Descent of Inanna, Cerridwen’s
Cauldron of Transformation, Feeding the Morrigan, Sniggling the Cailleach,
Festival of the Dark Goddess.

Taboos: Travel After Dark, Eating Grapes or Berries

Animals: bat, cat, dog, owl, raven, crow, stag,

Stones: Black obsidian, jasper, carnelian, onyx, smoky quartz, jet, and
Bloodstone

Mythical Beings: Pooka, Goblin, Medusa, Beansidhe, Harpies, Fylgiar, Peryton
And Erlkonig.

Incense: Cinnamon, frankincense, heather, lilac, rosemary pine,
Passionflower, rue, mint sunflower and ylang ylang

Oils: Apple, bay, camphor, cinnamon, frankincense, heather, lilac, mint,
Pine, rosemary, and ylang ylang

Colors/Candles: Black, brown, golden yellow, orange, red, silver, and white

Symbols/Decorations : Apples, bat, berries, besom, black mirror, candles, cat
Cauldron, crystal ball, divination tools, dried flowers, gourds, oak leaves
Acorns, grains, masks, nuts, photographs of the deceased, pine cones,
Pumpkins, representation of the Goddess in Crone form, pomegranates,
Scarecrows, scythes, crows, colored leaves, Indian corn

Tools: besom, cauldron, tarot, obsidian ball, pendulum, runes, ogham, Ouija
Boards, black cauldron or bowl filled with black ink or water, or magick
Mirror

Herbs and Flowers: almond, apple leaf, autumn joy sedum, bay leaf, calendula
Cinnamon, Cloves cosmos, garlic, ginger, hazelnut, hemlock cones, mandrake
Root, marigold, mums, mugwort (to aid in divination), mullein seeds, nettle,
Passionflower, pine needles, pumpkin seeds, rosemary (for remembrance of our
Ancestors), rue, sage, sunflower petals and seeds, tarragon, wild ginseng,
Wormwood

Foods: Ale, apples, beets, cider, corn, cornbread, cranberries, fresh meats,
Gingerbread, herbal teas, mulled wine, nuts, pomegranates, pumpkin pie,
Squash, and turnips

Deities: Crone aspect of the Goddess... Hecate, Cerridwen, Arianhod,
Persephone, the Morrigan, Edda, Lilith, Arawn, Caillech, and Nefertum.
Sacrificial/ Dying/Aging Gods, Death and Otherworld Gods.

Activities/Ideas: balefires, leave food offerings (and candles in the
Windows) on altars or outdoors for the dead, bobbing for apples, drying of
Winter herbs, cleansing and renewing the protective energies of your
Household, rites for the breaking of bad habits, leave milk and honey for
The fae folk, choose and enthrone a Winter Queen and King the counterparts
Of the May Queen and King, have a dumb (mute) supper and invite your
Ancestors, extinguish the "hearth fire" of your home and then re-light it
From the Samhain Sabbat Fire or cauldron, bury an apple or pomegranate in
The garden for spirits passing by on their way to being reborn, give acorns
As gifts, carve a pumpkin and empower it to repel negativity, build your
Altar out of hay bales, visit the cemetery, keep a fire lit or a candle
Burning all night to honor and welcome the dead,

Magick: Wisdom, death, dark magick, divination, ending, hidden beginnings, initiation, insight, loss, mourning, mysteries, neutralization, past-life recall, release, rebirth, rest, scrying, spirit contact, teaching transformation, understanding, and wisdom