Loom of a Fireweaver

To honor Samhain I conducted the ritual developed by Kathryn Price NicDhàna and Raven nic Rhóisín of the Celtic Reconstructionist FAQ1. Three days before Samhain, I began scrubbing my house top to bottom, decorating the hearth and alter and baking for the feast. I felt that having a clean house was very important to Brigid, my hearth Goddess, and so I scrubbed the wood paneling on the walls, the wood floors and spent three hours cleaning the stone fireplace. Afterwards, the living and dining rooms glowed as if lit by some inner fire.

My husband and I carved a small pumpkin with our daughter and placed it on the fireplace mantle next to ears of Black Aztec Corn2 we grew over the summer. For the Samhain feast, I prepared roast rabbit, stuffed squash from our garden, apple pie and Colcannon. I filled a plate with food stuffs before we had eaten and offered it to any wandering spirits.

After we had our fill, we began the ritual outside. The ritual content was remarkably similar to ADF ceremonies. I would guess that this is because ADF rituals were created using a Reconstructionist methodology. We offered the Ancestors and Deities Scotch whisky and the local land spirits a bowl of corn. I took omens to determine if the land spirits would allow us to conduct the ritual; the omens were mixed, though not unfavorable. I believe this was because I have not spent the amount of time connecting with our land that I should. In the future I will make more of an effort to connect with the indigenous spirits around us. We lit a large bonfire and sent our energy to strengthen Tara and protect her from development.

Earlier in the fall, I had collected ghost sage from the yard and dried it for the ceremony. I walked the two acres surrounding our hose and let the smoke waft up into the many large oak trees growing around us. I wished them a safe winter’s sleep and that they would wake up refreshed and healthy in spring. I also walked the perimeter smoking the house to rebuild past protective wards. At the base of the driveway, I drew a protective sigil to ward off any unwanted visitors and feral dogs. Before bed, I offered a cup of tea and scotch to the Daoine Sidhe and thanked them for their blessings.



1. http://www.paganachd.com/tara/index.html
2. http://www.seedsavers.org/prodinfo.asp?number=1193

Ugh, I'm getting ready to take my daughter to her playgroup's Halloween party. I have a huge head ache and I really don't relish the idea of spending an hour with a bunch of toddlers, but I know she loves it, I promised her we'd go and so we're going.

I'd still love to stay home instead though.