by Peter Freeman

Created on: March 12, 2009

Samhuin, or as it is called in Welsh, Calan Gaeaf, Is an in-between time. The Celts saw magic in these times and places, held them sacred and performed their ceremonies around them.

The "In-between" are times and places that everyone knows but no one can put their finger on. Like the boundary between two homes. We know where it is but the exact place and the width of that precise point, where is it? Where is that spot that is neither "His" nor "His"? Midnight, there is a particular moment in time that is neither "Today" nor "Today". This is when Magic happens, at the edge of the keenest blade. Samhuin is such a time.

Spring was the time of planting; summer was the time for Harvest. Now all the crops are gathered in. Anything left in the fields will not survive so it is left for the Cailleach, the bringer of death. Not all animals can be cared for during the winter months, so a part of the harvest was to cull some of the herd and prepare and salt the meat to store it for the winter months.

Another aspect of this time of year that our ancestors were acutely aware of was that the old and infirm may not make it through the cold winter months. So it was believed that the spirits of the departed would visit the mortal world looking for those who would soon join them.

In Wales our ancestors knew this time as the time of the Wild Hunt. When Arawn, God of Annwfn, would ride out with his hounds, gathering souls who had died since the last Samhuin. This gave rise to the Christian fear of the Hounds of Hell. Though only the wicked need fear Arawn.

In the midst of this time at summer's end and the beginning of a much harsher time of the year it seemed as though the world has changed. Everyone needed to change their lifestyle to meet the demands of winter. This time of change when the abundance of summer must give way to the frugality of winter, where food must be stored and rationed, has many lessons for us today.

We are going through a change in world economy. No more summer where food grew abundantly and we simply had to reach up and pluck an apple from a tree. Now we must treasure what we have, protect our resources and safeguard those who are weak and vulnerable to this change in climate. Now is the time for a different kind of labor.

Perhaps the biggest lesson of Samhuin for us at this time is that this too is a time of Magic. We are in an in-between time where everything is topsy turvy where night is longer than day and the earth is growing colder. Now is the time to take stock of, not just what we have but who we are. Now is the time for us to use our own Magic, the magic of being human and able to adapt and change. As with the villages of old, we can pool our resources if only within our family circle, to come out of this winter stronger than when we went in.

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