The badass goddesses of Samhain
As you probably know if you're reading this blog, Samhain is a Pagan holiday celebrated in conjunction with Halloween. (By the way, "Pagan" doesn't mean Witches, necessarily. It refers to religious beliefs other than those of the main or recognized religions of a region.) Anyway, Samhain is a Celtic holiday that celebrates the end of the Harvest season and the beginning of Winter. It is celebrated on November 1st. Hmmm, what else happens around that time? All Saints Day, Halloween, Dia De Los Muertos...to name a few. It's no coincidence that all of these holidays happen at the same time. When Christian and Catholic Colonists took over a newly conquered area, they tried to mash cultures and religions together to encourage participation by the natives, and then eventually everything is one big soup of holidays.
Samhain is said to mark a period where the veils between worlds becomes thinner. There are various deities associated with death, rebirth, and transformation, which sounds a lot like Scorpio. Wait...how'd that happen? *smirk*. Here are some of the leading ladies of the spooky season and how you could honor them during their holiday...
The Morrigan (Celtic – Ireland)
The Morrigan, often appearing as a trio of goddesses, represents the cycle of life, death, and rebirth. As a warrior goddess, she presides over fate, especially foretelling death in battle. Her connection to death and transformation makes her particularly revered during Samhain.
Offerings for The Morrigan could include, anything red, red wine, red fruits, crow imagery, crow feathers
Hecate is the Greek goddess of witchcraft, magic, crossroads, and the spirit world. Given her ability to communicate with the dead and travel between worlds, her influence is especially powerful and relevant during Samhain, when the veil between worlds is thinnest.
Offerings for Hecate could include candles, garlic saffron, oak leaves. Hecate loves rituals.
The Cailleach (Celtic – Scotland and Ireland)
The Cailleach is a divine hag, often associated with winter. During Samhain, she starts her reign, wielding her staff to freeze the ground. However, she is not just a winter goddess; she also embodies the cycle of death and rebirth. (It is pronounced "Cal-ee-agh" with the "agh" sounding a bit like you're trying to clear phlegm from your throat hah).
Offerings for The Cailleach could include pebbles, feathers, bread and butter, nuts, oats, apples.
Hel (Norse)
Hel is the Norse goddess of the underworld, who presides over those who die of illness or old age. Her domain, also named Hel, is a place of peace and rest where the dead await rebirth, reflecting the themes of Samhain.
Offerings for Hel could include: dried flowers, bones, black crystals, and wolf imagery.
And here's one I feel gets overlooked often...Persephone! In astrology, Persephone is associated with the 6th house, the sign of Virgo, her Mother Demeter, and the 8th house of transformation, death and rebirth.
Persephone is the daughter of Demeter and Zeus. She was abducted by Hades and brought to the netherworld to be his bride. In her grief and despair, Demeter, (goddess of grain and fertility) ruined the harvest. Zeus forces Hades to return Persephone, but on the condition that she cannot eat anything on Earth. Hades gives Persephone a pomegranate to tempt her. She ate it, and so she is forced to spend four months of each year in the underworld. Every spring she rises and brings joy and harmony, only to return to the depths ushering in fall and winter, killing all crops and foliage, just as her mother Demeter did when she found her favorite daughter had been abducted to hell.
Offerings to Persephone could include pomegranates, honey, bread and grains, red wine and flowers.