The Season of Samhain Dark/Light

Ideas for honouring the Season of Samhain:

• Plan a “dumb supper” for your ancestors. Plan a meal alone or with friends/family and make a plate up for the ancestors. Honour your ancestors with tales of family members who have passed on, or by telling a story of a famous ancestor.
• Hold a candle-light vigil. Turn off all of the lights and stand in complete darkness for a few minutes. Reflect upon those who have passed on recently and reflect on your ancestors. When ready, light the candle and dedicate it to them. Place the candle inside a jack-o-lantern and place it outside with an offering of food, to help your ancestors find hospitality. Alternately, you could place a lit flashlight in your window to help guide the ancestors.
• Think about all that has happened this past year. What have you succeeded in doing? What lessons have you learned?
• Make plans for the upcoming year. What would you like to have achieved by this time next year?

The Coming of Fionn MacCumhail to Tara
As translated by Lady Gregory

And after [travelling and learning], Finn being but a young lad yet, made himself ready and went up at Samhain time to the gathering of the High King at Teamhair. And it was the law at that gathering, no one to raise a quarrel or bring out any grudge against another through the whole of the time it lasted.

And the king and his chief men, and Goll, son of Morna, that was now Head of the Fianna, and Caoilte, son of Ronan, and Conan, son of Morna, of the sharp words, were sitting at a feast in the great house of the Middle Court; and the young lad came in and took his place among them, and none of them knew who he was.

The High King looked at him then, and the horn of meetings was brought to him, and he put it into the boy’s hand, and asked him who was he.

"I am Finn, son of Cumhal," he said, "son of the man that used to be head over the Fianna, and king of Ireland; and I am come now to get your friendship, and to give you my service."

"You are son of a friend, boy," said the king, "and son of a man I trusted."

Then Finn rose up and made his agreement of service and of faithfulness to the king; and the king took him by the hand and put him sitting beside his own son, and they gave themselves to drinking and to pleasure for a while.

Every year, now, at Samhain time, for nine years, there had come a man of the Tuatha de Danaan out of Sidhe Finnachaidh in the north, and had burned up Teamhair. Aillen, son of Midhna, his name was, and it is the way he used to come, playing music of the Sidhe, and all the people that heard it would fall asleep. And when they were all in their sleep, he would let a flame of fire out of his mouth, and would blow the flame till all Teamhair was burned.

The king rose up at the feast after a while, and his smooth horn in his hand, and it is what he said: "If I could find among you, men of Ireland, any man that would keep Teamhair till the break of day to-morrow without being burned by Aillen, son of Midhna, I would give him whatever inheritance is right for him to have, whether it be much or little."

But the men of Ireland made no answer, for they knew well that at the sound of the sweet pitiful music made by that comely man of the Sidhe, even women in their pains and men that were wounded would fall asleep.

It is then Finn rose up and spoke to the King of Ireland. "Who will be your sureties that you will fulfill this?" he said. "The kings of the provinces of Ireland," said the king, "and Cithruadh with his Druids." So they gave their pledges, and Finn took in hand to keep Teamhair safe till the breaking of day on the morrow.

Now there was a fighting man among the followers of the King of Ireland, Fiacha, son of Conga, that Cumhal, Finn’s father, used to have a great liking for, and he said to Finn: "Well, boy," he said, "what reward would you give me if I would bring you a deadly spear, that no false cast was ever made with?"

"What reward are you asking of me?" said Finn. "Whatever your right hand wins at any time, the third of it to be mine," said Fiacha, "and a third of your trust and your friendship to be mine." "I will give you that," said Finn.
Then Fiacha brought him the spear, unknown to the sons of Morna or to any other person, and he said: "When you will hear the music of the Sidhe, let you strip the covering off the head of the spear and put it to your forehead, and the power of the spear will not let sleep come upon you."
Then Finn rose up before all the men of Ireland, and he made a round of the whole of Teamhair. And it was not long till he heard the sorrowful music, and he stripped the covering from the head of the spear, and he held the power of it to his forehead.

And Aillen went on playing his little harp, till he had put every one in their sleep as he was used; and then he let a flame of fire out from his mouth to burn Teamhair. And Finn held up his fringed crimson cloak against the flame, and it fell down through the air and went into the ground, bringing the four-folded cloak with it deep into the earth.

And when Aillen saw his spells were destroyed, he went back to Sidhe Finnachaidh on the top of Slieve Fuad; but Finn followed after him there, and as Aillen was going in at the door he made a cast of the spear that went through his heart. And he struck his head off then, and brought it back to Teamhair, and fixed it on a crooked pole and left it there till the rising of the sun over the heights and invers of the country.

And Aillen’s mother came to where his body was lying, and there was great grief on her, and she made this complaint: —

"Ochone! Aillen is fallen, chief of the Sidhe of Beinn Boirche; the slow clouds of death are come on him. Och! he was pleasant, Och! he was kind. Aillen, son of Midhna of Slieve Fuad.

"Nine times he burned Teamhair. It is a great name he was always looking for, Ochone, Ochone, Aillen!"

And at the breaking of day, the king and all the men of Ireland came out upon the lawn at Teamhair where Finn was. "King," said Finn, "there is the head of the man that burned Teamhair, and the pipe and the harp that made his music. And it is what I think," he said, "that Teamhair and all that is in it is saved."

Then they all came together into the place of counsel, and it is what they agreed, the headship of the Fianna of Ireland to be given to Finn. And the king said to Goll, son of Morna: "Well, Goll," he said, "is it your choice to quit Ireland or to put your hand in Finn’s hand?" "By my word, I will give Finn my hand," said Goll.

And when the charms that used to bring good luck had done their work, the chief men of the Fianna rose up and struck their hands in Finn’s hand, and Goll, son of Morna, was the first to give him his hand the way there would be less shame on the rest for doing it.
And Finn kept the headship of the Fianna until the end; and the place he lived in was Almhuin of Leinster, where the white dun was made by Nuada of the Tuatha de Danaan, that was as white as if all the lime in Ireland was put on it, and that got its name from the great herd of cattle that died fighting one time around the well, and that left their horns there, speckled horns and white.

As you can see, Finn did well for himself that day, and it won him the leadership of the Fianna!

Other great events happened at Samhain, including the landing of the Tuatha De Dannan at Eire and the securing of victory over the Formhori by the mating of Morrighan and Daghda.

On the eve of Samhain, just before the second battle of Magh Tuireadh (Moy Tura), Daghda found the Morrighan, washing herself at a river in Sligo. She had a foot on either bank and was washing her hair, which fell in nine tresses. The two had sexual intercourse and thus joined the forces of Leader of the Land and Goddess of the Land. After their mating, the Morrighan gave the Daghda all the information he would need to defeat the Formorian hosts. She also promised him that she would do her part by striking fear into the Formorian warriors.

Upon the victory of the Tuatha De Dannann, Morrighan proclaimed her prophecy, which many use today to bless groves and such:

The Morrigan Prophecy

After the Second Battle of Mag Tuired,
the Morrígan spoke a prophecy of peace and prosperity.

The original Irish text is given first,
after follows an English translation by Seán Ó Tuathail.


Fáistine leis an Morrígan

Sídh go neimh

neimh go domhan
domhan fo neimh
neart i gcách
án forlán
lán do mil
míd go sáith
sam i ngram
gae for sciath
sciath for dúnadh
dúnadh lonngharg
fód di uí
ros forbiur beanna
abú airbí imeachta
meas for chrannaibh
craobh do scís
scís do ás
saith do mhac
mac formhúin
muinréal tairbh
tarbh di arcain
odhbh do crann
crann do thine
tine a n-áil
ail a n-úir
uích a mbuaibh
Boinn a mbrú
brú le feabh faid
ásghlas iar earccah
foghamar forasit eacha
iall do tír
tír go trácht le feabh ráidh
bíodh rúad rossaibh síoraibh ríochmhór
sídh go neimh
bíodh síornoí.

The Morrígan's Prophecy

Peace to (as high as) the sky
sky to the earth
earth beneath sky
strength in everyone
a cup very full
a fullness of honey
honour enough
summer in winter
spear supported by shield
shields supported by forts
forts fierce eager for battle
"sod" (fleece) from sheep
woods grown with antler-tips (full of stags)
forever destructions have departed
mast (nuts) on trees
a branch drooping-down
drooping from growth
wealth for a son
a son very learned
neck of bull (in yoke)
a bull from a song
knots in woods (i.e. scrap-wood)
wood for a fire
fire as wanted
palisades new and bright
salmon their victory
the Boyne (i.e. Newgrange) their hostel
hostel with an excellence of length (size)
blue (new) growth after spring
(in) autumn horses increase
the land held secure
land recounted with excellence of word
Be might to the eternal much excellent woods
peace to (as high as the) sky
be (this) nine times eternal

Translation Copyright © 1993 John Kellnhauser
May be reposted as long as the above attribution and copyright notice are retained.

However, most people miss out on the second part of the prophecy, which is not as positive…

I shall not see a world that will be dear to me
Summer without flowers
Kine will be without milk,
Women without modesty,
Men without valor,
Captures without a king...
Woods without mast,
Sea without produce...
Wrong judgments of old men,
False precedents of lawyers,
Every man a betrayer,
Every boy a reaver
Son will enter his fathers bed,
Father will enter his son's bed,
Every one will be his brother's brother in law....
An evil time!
Son will deceive his father,
Daughter will deceive her mother.

Another event at Samhain is what is known as the Wild Hunt. This lore comes to us from England and Wales.

It is said that at this time, a group of spirits go on a wild and chaotic hunt to gather up lost souls and lead them home. An honourable pursuit, actually, but one that would seem downright frightening to the mortal person. A great hunter leads the Wild Hunt, such as Gwynn Ap Nudd, King Arthur or Herne.

Mara Freeman gives an interesting theory in her book “Kindling the Celtic Spirit7” at how the cries of migrating wild geese might have been interpreted by our ancestors as the unearthly yelping of the infamous white dogs with red ears that accompanied the hunters as they rode to gather the lost souls home!

This lore is also known in Scotland when the spirit hunters carried hawks on their wrists (explaining the noise) and rode Westward with their catch towards Tir na h-oige (Land of Youth) and Tir fo thuinn (Land Under Waves).

Using this lore, this is a good time of year to pray for those many lost souls that we hear about and hope that they get to accompany the Wild Hunters home to rest! At your Samhain rituals, say a prayer for the Lost Souls so that they too may find their way home.

This is the time when we invite the dead to feast with us and then say our goodbyes for another year. Some ideas for doing this are via the “Dumb Supper” or a feast that is held with friends and family with an extra tale setting for the ancestors; or via lighting a candle in the window the guide the dead home.

A well known tale of Chaos told at this time of year is the Scottish tale of Tam Lin.

Tam Lin was a man who was enchanted and taken away by the Fearie Queen. His love, Janet, missed him terribly and around the time of Samhain, he found a way to contact her.

“Every seven years, the queen must pay a fee to Hell, and this year that fee will be me!” he said. “But, the Faeries will ride by tonight. Cast a circle of protection around yourself with holy water, and as we come riding by, grab me from my horse and hold on to me until they pass no matter how much it will hurt or scare you!”

Janet promised to do so and went to the place Tam Lin had told her to await him. She sprinkled the holy water around her in a circle and waited.

The Faery Host came riding by and Janet saw Tam Lin. She pulled him off his horse and held on for dear life.

The Faeries turned him into an adder, a bear and a number of other frightening things before they rode by and he was finally left a naked and trembling man in Janet’s arms. She had won back her love through her courage and had prevented him from being taken to Hell by the Faerie Queen.

Questions to ask yourself at this time of year:

1. What have I accomplished this year? What did I set out to do last Spring that I have reaped the results of? (Look at these things and evaluate the events)
2. What has been dogging me that I need to find closure with? Is it the death of a loved one, an argument with a friend, a bad habit, a stale relationship or even a bad job?
3. Who am I remembering this year? (Ancestors, departed friends and family, a beloved pet who has passed on, etc.)
4. What lost souls are out there who need to find their way home? How can I help them do so? (Say a prayer for them or light a candle)
5. What ideas do I have for plans for next year? What would I like to accomplish by this time next year?
6. What can I do to find peace and comfort during the time of Winter? How can I help others?
Darkness and Light
Questions to ponder in the dark or in the light:

1. Take a little inventory of yourself and write down your dark and light aspects.
Dark side: I get really angry sometimes and I would consider this a dark aspect. I tend to not like people who are bossy or insist that they are always right.
Light side: I am a care taker. I love children and can't believe how some people treat them. I love animals, helping others, and happy things. I love nature and love to be in it. Light keeps me happy.

2. Take a deeper look at your dark and light aspects. Do you see them personified? If so…who are they? What do they look like? Who are they to you? What do they inspire within you or cause you to do?

3. How can these aspects be of benefit to you right now? How have they been of benefit to you in the past?

4. Have you ever experienced a time when you have been seriously out of balance? How did that affect you in your life (physically, in your career, in your family, etc.)

I have had many bout's with depression. This caused me to not be so kind, to have difficulty with my kids and others in my family, and to not want to work, help others, or even take care of myself. This was difficutl for everyone, not just myself and caused problems within my own household along with others who new me outside of my household. It was difficult for all involved and I still feel deep regret for much of what happened during this time, mostly for the difficulties it caused my children.

5. How did you regain your balance?

I decided that I just could not be that way any longer. I visited a doctor who helped get me back on track. i will never go back to this again though sometimes it feels like it would be easier to give in, but I don't. Now i treat myself when needed with meditation, asking the goddess for help, and herbal remedies in tea.

6. How can you attain balance in your life today?

Now I meditate to keep balance and if I need more help, i use herbs for specific needs in my tea.

How can utilize your dual aspects of dark and light?

I think that i can successfully use my darker aspect to help motivate me when I need to get things done that I don't necessarily want to do. I have also used my darker aspects to help me write spells for things that I need help with or things that I need to accomplish.