Weekly Features

THE WEEKLY SHAMAN

Once upon a time Halloween was the Celtic New Year, a threshold time. Common belief holds that Halloween stated out as the Celtic Year by the name of Samhain (pronounce Sow-unn) which translates as ‘summer’s end’. For this was the beginning of winter when the harvest had to be brough in and surplus livestock had to be slaughtered. There were only enough grains to keep certain amount of the livestock alive through the coming winter months. Thus, Samhain became the New Year for the Celts and the transition from the old year and into the new. With the dying away of the old year and the birth of the new, Samhain became associated with death and resurrection. With the slaughter of the surplus livestock and the clear blight of winter Samhain become connected to both death of the old year and dying away of the natural world. 

Being the threshold time of the New Year and betwixt and between the Celts saw it as a time when the doorway between the land of the living and the world of the dead becomes open when shades of the dead can wonder about. One of the favorite haunts of the dead is the crossroads, which is a threshold place, not being one road but are four directions at once. These places of confusions can be an uncanny place where both the living and dead. And being a threshold also helps it become a doorway for all types of supernatural beasties to cross over into our world. Thus, Samhain is an especially dangerous night for all manner of traveling especially over the crossroads. Being a place of confusion helps make the crossroads a favorite hunting ground for vampires, werewolves, ghosts, goblins, and devils. It also was seen as a popular place where black magic rituals might be performed on Halloween.

Interestingly, on Christmas Eve the total peasants would meet at these uncanny intersections to listen to the prophesies given by the rits of the dead. Such predictions would allow the peasant on how to prepare for the coming year. During the Christian era the church set out to erect shrines dedicated to various saints in attempt to devilish association of the crossroads.