As I am sure many of you may know, I am Wiccan in my faith. And last night, Samhain (or secular known as Halloween), is one of the biggest holidays of the year for us. Well, given the message that was given last night, I felt it appropriate to pass it on here, for whomever might benefit from it.
Samhain is a ritual/holiday that recognizes the half of the year as it turns dark. The weather grows cold. The sun doesn't shine quite so bright. Trees shed their leaves. All of nature goes into hibernation to endure the seasons of lean. It is the time when the earth dies. But, just as every fall and winter it dies, it is reborn anew in the spring, and so turns the wheel of time in a never-ending cycle of birth, growth, death, and re-birth.
Wiccans also believe that on this day, the veil between the world of the living and the world of the dead is at its thinnest. It is this time that we open a window, set a seat at the dinner table, and prepare a plate for our honored ancestors and passed loved ones and invite them to join us once again. It is this time that we remember and honor our loved ones that have passed on since the last Samhain. And it is here that we shed out last tears for them and bid them a fond farewell as they transition on to the next step for their soul.
The ritual that was performed was about love, honoring the beloved dead, and then letting go so that both the living and the dead can move on on their respective paths. Because with intense grief, the spirit of the beloved stays around, out of sympathy for the mourner, and cannot move forwards. So really, it is the living that holds them back and we should celebrate the passing on of people because it is simply a transformation of form, that all things have a beginning and an end. Celebrate that they lived, not cry because they died.
"This Feast I shall leave on my doorstep all night.
In my window one candle shall burn bright,
To help my loved ones find their way
As they travel this eve, and this night, until day.
Bless my offering, both Lady and Lord
Of breads and fruits, greens and gourd."
"Every beginning has an ending,
And every ending is a new beginning.
In Life is Death, and in Death is Life.
Watch over me, my loved ones, and all of my
Brothers and Sisters, here and departed,
Who, tonight are joined together again for
Fellowship and celebration."
I know one of these days, when it is my time to leave this place, I want my wake to not be a depressing gathering of sobs and tears, dressed in black. I want all of those who loved me to come together, drink, eat, dance, and celebrate my life, not mourn my death. I want all of them to wear what they want, colorful, happy, comfortable clothing. Shed a tear if they must, but do not be overcome by grief. Tell me they love me and wish me well as I move on, and then move on and be happy with their own lives. Honor me by living their own lives to the absolute fullest, and if they are to take anything away as remembrance from my death, it is that each and every day is precious and nothing is guaranteed, so live each second as though you will never have another. Love fully, deeply, and without reservation. Laugh joyfully. Learn all you can, every day. And live to make those around you, and yourself, as happy as you possibly can. Those would be my last wishes.
