"I try not to worry about the future - so I take each day just one anxiety attack at a time." ~ Tom Wilson

 Dark Night/Samhain

2024
October 31st, Thursday

I could regurgitate the history of Samhain...although I can add less widely known facts of this sabbat, but instead, I decided to put forth a different perspective...mine...for I was born into a family of witches devoted to Hecate.

I find the energy of Dark Night to be utterly captivating. The vibration is deep, dark, and pervasive, but somehow very intimate & peaceful. The veil is at its thinnest and doors that were closed, open.

In my trad, we don't refer to October 31st as Samhain, but rather as "Dark Night" or "Witch's Night." Our family coven's legend has it that Hecate spoke of October 31st in those terms...and who am I to contradict the Queen of Witches?

I do find that bit of coven history to be believable, for after all, Hecate has no ties to the Celts/Irish/Scots...she's prominent in ancient Greece and Italy, but also, she is thought to have manifested first in ancient Egypt where, she was portrayed as the mother of Heka - the Egyptian word for magic and for those who conducted magic. In Egypt, she was known as Heqit (Heket or Hekat) a fertility & midwife goddess.

Hecate also made her presence felt in Germany, Africa and in the Black Sea area, notably, ancient Anatolia.

Hecate was an ancient dark Goddess before the Olympian gods conquered and took power, She was the only Goddess that Zeus allowed to keep her authority and powers, one of which she shared with him, that of granting or denying what she wished for humanity. There are other references to Hecate and the Norse gods...it's said that she had some dealings with Loki.

Hecate was given space in other gods temples, such as a round stone altar dedicated to the goddess was found in the Delphinion (a temple dedicated to Apollo) at Miletus.

The oldest known direct evidence of Hecate's cult comes from Selinunte (near modern-day Trapani in Sicily), where she had a temple in the 6th–5th centuries BC. There is much evidence that ancient Italy was the birthplace of witchcraft, so it's not at all unusual that the Goddess of Witches held sway there.

The more common take on Samhain is that it marks the end of the 3rd & final harvest, a day to commune with & remember the dead and a celebration of reincarnation. None of the aforementioned holds relevance for the sabbat I celebrate.

Dark Night seems barren... the fields are empty from the final harvest, but life is resting just beneath the surface. Nature has issued its clarion call for restful sleep and to dream of what is to come.

For my family, Dark Night is about many things, one being the past, present & future...seeing the past exactly as it was, and understanding how it brought us to the present and how what transpires in the now will lead us to the future. And that brings us to divination and divining what we need to know to advance spiritually and gain insight in other areas both in the present and what lies in our future. Dark Night is when our psychic ability can be enhanced.

This night is the perfect one to enact a spell for protection for home and family, especially children.

Dark Night asks us to look back at our successful ventures & our failures, acknowledge them, take pride in what we have achieved & re-examine why, at times, we failed.

This is a night to seek wisdom.

Life is a series of crossroads, and a guidance ritual can be performed as to which direction to take. Light can be shined to bring clarity to a situation or laser focus brought to bear on a revealing truth.

Herbs/plants/resins/oils to be used in this night's spell/rite are carefully chosen & tailored to the purpose, and I always include at least 1 sacred to Hecate.

Weather permitting, magic/ritual should be performed outdoors.

Speaking of doors, Dark Night is a sabbat where a door(s) can open...it's up to us whether we walk through the entryway or not.

For me, Dark Night is a time to lay myself bare before my Mother Hecate. I acknowledge the actions/words I regret & seek Her take on those incidents. I pose questions on current situations & Her wisdom as how to handle them... and of course, whatever guidance She has to impart, moving forward.

However you celebrate this sabbat, know that I send out loving energy to all here. Should you seek wisdom, answers, or blessings, it's my wish that you find what you seek.