Sluggy's Pages!

Volume 2, Issue 7 - Samhain 1997

Welcome to Sluggy's Pages. This is Shining Lakes Grove's kids' page. It comes out eight times per year, with information and activities for the young folk and their parents. We encourage you to send us any seasonal stories, poems, art, games or puzzles for us to include in this newsletter. Editor is Mama Moon: (313) 439-0434 or send mail to: 38 Neckel Ct., Milan MI 48160.

Lore Corner

• To the ancient Celts, Samhain was the beginning of the new year. The name Samhain, which is pronounced like sow-en or saween, means end of summer. It's still used in the Irish calendar for the month of November.
• Samhain was such an important holiday that the Christian church had to create three days of holidays to replace it; All Hallows Eve which gives us the name of Hallowe'en, All Souls Day which is the day of the dead, and All Saints Day.
• The first jack-o-lanterns were made in England out of a turnip called a "manglewortzel" which could be carved much as we carve pumpkins.
• One origin of dressing up for All Hallows is to fool any nasty spirits who came along with the beloved dead; you try to look as much like them as possible so they'll follow you, then you can lead them out of town and leave them.
• This is also the tradtional time of year to hold a 'feast of the dead'. This can be anything from a full course meal where places are set at the table for deceased relatives and friends, or to simple leaving of cakes and wines by the fireside on Samhain night.
• This is the time of year of the apple harvest. Apples have always been magically important. When they are cut in half horizontally it reveals hidden within it's core a five-pointed star. Apples also have a history of being used for healing, especically for getting rid of warts. The most typical method is to cut one in half, then rub both halves over the wart, then put the two halves back together and bury them in the earth as you ask for the wart to waste away as the apples does.
• Apples are also sacred to Manannan, who is the god that guides the dead to the otherworld. He gave a branch of silver apples to Cormac macAirt, which rang like bells when shaken and caused anyone who heard them to forget their tiredness or sadness. It is said that apple is the "fairies' wood" and any young woman who sits by a fire of applewood at Yule might get pregnant.
• Samhain is also a traditional time of divining the future. Often the divination was carried out with fruits of the season, such as hazelnuts or apples. Young girls would divine the names of future husbands by writing the name of each boy they knew on a nut, and then roasting them by an open fire. The first nut to jump would be the name of the first boy she would marry. Apples were used for the same thing. It was cut into 9 equal parts. 8 of them were eaten, and the 9th was thrown over the left shoulder. She would then turn around to see where it landed and catch a glimpse of her future husband.
• In addition to marking the new year and the time when the dead come to visit, this is also the last of harvest. We harvest nuts and roots and other late crops like apples, but especially, we "harvest" the meat for the winter--in olden days, the animals which couldn't be kept for the winter were butchered about this time and others were brought in from pasture. The meat fed the family all winter, while the animals on the other side of the wall, since the barn ajoined the house, helped to keep them warm. Nowadays, we may still have a great feast, and some folks keep the "meat harvest" by going out hunting.

Ana's Playhouse

Since Samhain is the traditional new year of the Ancient Celts, this is a good time to start construction of a Circle of the Year. We can keep track of each special time of year as it passes, seeing how the season's flow into each other, and how the whole cycle comes to a completion after twelve long months, only to start anew.

For this project you will need a large poster board, a ruler, a pencil and a something to make a circle with, such as a large bowl, a pizza pan, or a long piece of string. First, trace a circle in the center of the poster board. If you are using the piece of string, tie one end of the string around your pencil. Then hold the other end of the string in the center of the poster board, and, while holding the string tightly in the center, draw a circle with the pencil by holding the string taught. Once the circle is drawn, use the ruler to divide it into eight sections, like the picture below.

In the upper right most corner, write the words Samhain, October 31. In the circle, write a little of what this time of year is like for you. What is the weather like? The trees? Is this a fun time, or a scary time?

Outside the circle, you might want to draw a picture of an animal that you think is good for this time of year, or you could paste a picture of one. What animal would you choose? A bat, an owl, a wolf?

Or if you'd rather, you can choose a picure of something else that reminds you of this time of year. You can add as many pictures as you like.

When you're finished be sure and keep it in a safe place, so that we can add to it at Yule. By next Samhain it'll be complete!

Family Traditions: Yule

This time of year is a time of giving. Every year, our family tries to give gifts full of life. Usually they consist of baskets of fruits and nuts, or fresh baked bread. One year we gave everyone on our list a small houseplant. We also have a holiday feast, and invite all our family, and friends who may have no other place to go. My husband cooks a huge meal, complete with turkey or ham, potatoes, stuffing, and all the trimmings. I usually make pumpkin pies or bread. AFter dinner we're all too full to move, so we sit back and relax with each other, the children playing with their new toys, all of us thankful for this wonderful time together.

We always have an artificial tree, mostly because we feel there aren't enough real tree's left standing outside. We also planted an evergreen in our front yard, and now each year we decorate it as well as the artificial tree inside. Sometimes we even put colored strings of lights on our two ficus trees, or around the windows. The blinking colors create a happy, glowing mood. If it's not too cold out we might take a ride in the car after dark, to enjoy the other decorated homes in the neighborhood.

This year, on the winter solstice, we plan on getting up and outside to watch the sunrise, (unless it's cloudy or much too cold). This is the time of year of first light, and to see the first glimmering rays breaking the darkness should be a most magical moment, something we can look back on during the rest of the year. If you can, try to get up and catch sight of it. Try to remember exactly how you feel as you watch. Check your local newspaper for the sunrise time.

Samhain Song

Dance with us
Dance with us
Our Beloved Dead
Dance with us
Dance with us
Ancestor and Friend
Dance with us
Dance with us
Honored Ancient Ones
Dance with us
Dance with us
Until the night is done.

Coming Attractions for Yule

Shining Lakes Grove Yule Cards

Help support the Grove! Available for 65 cents each, or $6 for 10 (plus shipping). To order, contact Rob Henderson at (313) 487-4931, or via robh@cyberspace.org. Find him at SLG events to see what the cards look like.

Grove Food Drive

Once again, we're helping the needy by donating food stuffs to a local charity. Please bring some dry or canned goods to Samhain, yule, or any Grove event in between.

Gift Exchange for Yule

There will be a gift exchange for the children. Please bring a gift of no more than $5 to the ritual, marked for a boy, girl, or either.

Yule Ritual

Saturday, December 20th, Friends' Meeting House, 1420 Hill St., Ann Arbor
2-5 PM

Come join us as we commune with each other and our gods. As always, there will be a raffle, child care, a potluck, and post-ritual hot-tubbing.

Grove Play Date

Saturday, December 27th, Toledo Zoo
12 noon

Join us on an expedition to the Toledo Zoo, and stay for the lights! Meet at noon at the parking lot of the Big Boy in Milan. (exit 25 on US-23)

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