Friday, May 4, 2007 at 1:01am
Baba Yaga boo!
Column: Outing the Goddess Within
We just celebrated Halloween here in Australia ... no, not the kind of Halloween that Hallmark created — that season of commercial hype, crazy costumes and the chance to dig out that makeup you wore to the gym in the '80s. We did it more subtly ... by pretty well ignoring it.
By "ignoring it," I mean, there were no ghoulies wandering the streets; there were no hacked pumpkins in front yards; and there wasn't a single person looking to get a little something in the sack.
The candy sack, that is. Which is kind of a shame, really, because I can think of 10 reasons why trick-or-treating is better than getting something in the other kind of sack.
Even if you're married, you'll still get some;
The scarier your makeup, the more chance you'll score;
It's perfectly OK to leave as soon as you've got some;
Fantasizing about someone else is OK, because you're all someone else;
You can sit on a porch for a breather if you get tired;
You never have to do the same person twice;
It's kind of fun if the kids join in the moaning and groaning;
Even when the goodies get stale, you can still enjoy them;
Remaining anonymous is normal;
You can do everyone in the neighborhood!
Now, of course, heathens may have ignored Halloween in the Southern Hemisphere, but not the Pagans. No matter what they call the festival — Samhain, Shadowfest, Martinmas, Old Hallowmas (even Halloween!) — they celebrated the threshold of winter and the implied open invitation for the dead to mingle with the living.
Not that the return of souls is anything to be frightened of. In fact, there are plenty of resources out there showing that you've got more reason to be afraid of some live people. ... The good (dead) people of Brisbane, for example, celebrated with a zombie walk a little early on April 1, but I think they were just joking. The April Fool's thing is a whole other story, though, but I ain't about to argue about it with a (live) dead person.
No, no, no ... you can't be afraid of dead people. On the contrary, the lesson of the old Slavic crone goddess, Baba Yaga, is that it is only through examination of our dark side that we can hope to be reborn. It is in crossing the comfort zones and visiting our shadowed selves that we can empower ourselves spiritually, psychologically, emotionally and physically to be reborn again.
Her energy is particularly prevalent at this time of year, as she is the goddess of death and birth who sings while sprinkling corpses with the Water of Life to let them be reborn. I'm not sure what it is that she sings, but I'm fairly certain it wasn't "Somewhere Over the Rainbow."
Or maybe it was! Who can say? In any case, she may have sung over corpses, but I say each to their own. In fact, I feel that it is quite a positive energy — rather than looking back with regret, one can look forward to new opportunities ahead.
I think this energy is carried over from ancient times. ... Imagine: You've just finished the hectic work of bringing in the crops; you're pooped; the good wife has stocked up on soup, and your mate has stocked up on beer; and it's Samhain. Now that the harvest is in, it is the perfect time to give gratitude to the goddesses of harvest, ponder achievements and look forward into the coming year. Hence, Samhain is also a time to speculate about the future.
Popular tools for divining the future included mirrors, crystal balls, flame and Persephone's pomegranate/apple, whose seeds form a natural pentagram. Many single women enjoyed using an apple to divine who their future husband would be. Herewith, the method:
Spell to divine future love
Depending on your apple-peeling skills, you could need up to a basket of apples (be prepared to bake apple pie!). Begin by blessing your apples with a chant to Persephone.
Maiden of virtue and dark skies
Let the shapes materialize
Show me clearly what's to come
As I will, so be it done.
Peel an apple in one continuous piece. If the peel breaks, finish your task and try another one. Once you have a complete, unbroken peel, throw it over your left shoulder onto the kitchen floor. The peel will form the initial of the name of your future life partner. If you know who it might be, don't be shy — invite that person over to share your Samhain feast (and lots of apple pie).
— — —
Anita Ryan-Revel is the author of "The Goddess Guide to Chakra Vitality," aimed at helping you connect with your beautiful, sassy, intuitive, lovable, sacred and authentic self. She has incorporated her journey into hundreds of articles, countless websites and numerous books, many of which can be found at her website, Goddess.com.au. You can read more of her columns here. © copyright 2007 by Anita Ryan-Revel.
By "ignoring it," I mean, there were no ghoulies wandering the streets; there were no hacked pumpkins in front yards; and there wasn't a single person looking to get a little something in the sack.
The candy sack, that is. Which is kind of a shame, really, because I can think of 10 reasons why trick-or-treating is better than getting something in the other kind of sack.
Even if you're married, you'll still get some;
The scarier your makeup, the more chance you'll score;
It's perfectly OK to leave as soon as you've got some;
Fantasizing about someone else is OK, because you're all someone else;
You can sit on a porch for a breather if you get tired;
You never have to do the same person twice;
It's kind of fun if the kids join in the moaning and groaning;
Even when the goodies get stale, you can still enjoy them;
Remaining anonymous is normal;
You can do everyone in the neighborhood!
Now, of course, heathens may have ignored Halloween in the Southern Hemisphere, but not the Pagans. No matter what they call the festival — Samhain, Shadowfest, Martinmas, Old Hallowmas (even Halloween!) — they celebrated the threshold of winter and the implied open invitation for the dead to mingle with the living.
Not that the return of souls is anything to be frightened of. In fact, there are plenty of resources out there showing that you've got more reason to be afraid of some live people. ... The good (dead) people of Brisbane, for example, celebrated with a zombie walk a little early on April 1, but I think they were just joking. The April Fool's thing is a whole other story, though, but I ain't about to argue about it with a (live) dead person.
No, no, no ... you can't be afraid of dead people. On the contrary, the lesson of the old Slavic crone goddess, Baba Yaga, is that it is only through examination of our dark side that we can hope to be reborn. It is in crossing the comfort zones and visiting our shadowed selves that we can empower ourselves spiritually, psychologically, emotionally and physically to be reborn again.
Her energy is particularly prevalent at this time of year, as she is the goddess of death and birth who sings while sprinkling corpses with the Water of Life to let them be reborn. I'm not sure what it is that she sings, but I'm fairly certain it wasn't "Somewhere Over the Rainbow."
Or maybe it was! Who can say? In any case, she may have sung over corpses, but I say each to their own. In fact, I feel that it is quite a positive energy — rather than looking back with regret, one can look forward to new opportunities ahead.
I think this energy is carried over from ancient times. ... Imagine: You've just finished the hectic work of bringing in the crops; you're pooped; the good wife has stocked up on soup, and your mate has stocked up on beer; and it's Samhain. Now that the harvest is in, it is the perfect time to give gratitude to the goddesses of harvest, ponder achievements and look forward into the coming year. Hence, Samhain is also a time to speculate about the future.
Popular tools for divining the future included mirrors, crystal balls, flame and Persephone's pomegranate/apple, whose seeds form a natural pentagram. Many single women enjoyed using an apple to divine who their future husband would be. Herewith, the method:
Spell to divine future love
Depending on your apple-peeling skills, you could need up to a basket of apples (be prepared to bake apple pie!). Begin by blessing your apples with a chant to Persephone.
Maiden of virtue and dark skies
Let the shapes materialize
Show me clearly what's to come
As I will, so be it done.
Peel an apple in one continuous piece. If the peel breaks, finish your task and try another one. Once you have a complete, unbroken peel, throw it over your left shoulder onto the kitchen floor. The peel will form the initial of the name of your future life partner. If you know who it might be, don't be shy — invite that person over to share your Samhain feast (and lots of apple pie).
— — —
Anita Ryan-Revel is the author of "The Goddess Guide to Chakra Vitality," aimed at helping you connect with your beautiful, sassy, intuitive, lovable, sacred and authentic self. She has incorporated her journey into hundreds of articles, countless websites and numerous books, many of which can be found at her website, Goddess.com.au. You can read more of her columns here. © copyright 2007 by Anita Ryan-Revel.