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OCTOBER THE DEATH MONTH
By Anna Franklin
The hours of light have diminished; the days are short. The harvest has been gathered in, leaves fall from the trees and animals ready themselves for hibernation. The energies of growth and light are in decline, seemingly ready to fall into their long winter sleep. The spirits of darkness and cold begin to gain ascendancy and we return the land to the powers of chaos.
Among the Celt’s Samhain was a three-day festival marking the start of winter and the feast of the dead. The herds were brought down from the summer grazing and some slaughtered for winter meat. People danced around Samhain Eve Fires.
They took back brands from the fires to light their own hearths. In later times, a place was set for the spirits of the ancestors at the table, and a candle burned in the window to guide them home. Pre-Reformation Christians rang church bells all night long on Hallowe’en to speed the souls of the dead through purgatory.
The Northern Traditions had a major festival around 15th October (or possibly at the full moon) called Winters-Day, marking the start of winter. Like the Celtic Samhain, this festival honoured the dead as the Norse festival names Alfablot (sacrifice to the elves) and Disablot (Sacrifice to the ancestral spirits of fate) Show.
The Norse also called it Freyrsblot after the fertility god Freyr, and it appears to have been a combination of feasting to give thanks to the gods and goddesses for the harvest just in, to greet the winter and to honour the ancestors and land wights.
The Anglo-Saxons called November Blotmonath ‘Blood Month or Sacrifice Month’, or Windmonath “Wind Month”. Bede recorded that this was the month when the Saxons dedicated a sacrifice to their gods, the cattle that had to be killed as they could not be over-wintered. On November 1, rites for Hela, the Underworld Goddess, raised the dead. The next day, Odin rode his eight-legged horse through the mortal world.
A Norse kenning calls four men carrying a coffin an eight-legged horse.
Hodening or Wodening horses led merry parades through English and Scandinavian towns. Freya and Odin especially had power over the souls of the dead. In these night- ridings Odin was the leader of the wild hunt. In stormy, blustering autumn weather Odin rode in pursuit of shadowy deer with the Furious Host behind him.
Greek women gathered for the Thesmophoria at the full moon of October. The festival of Demeter the Lawgiver celebrated Kore’s decent and rise from the Underworld. Men were allowed to pay for the ritual, but not to participate. Women met to sacrifice pigs to the underworld powers. They sat on the ground told tribal stories, and drank herbal teas to synchronize their menses. They mixed their menstrual blood with seed grain for the autumn sowing.
MOTHER NATURE IN OCTOBER
By Ron Fox
Hi folks,
I see October as a time of final fruiting within nature and our present lives shown as the many berries and fruits around at this time, Blackberries, Rosehips, Rowan, sloe and others.
The colour red, black, and autumns orange leaves signalling the last of the harvest, time to leave behind what has been harmful to us within our lives, time to give and share with others of this world, to put what we have learned and gained to the fore and share what we have for the benefit of all around us. Just as the corn lord sacrificed himself at Herfest, these types of ideas and actions can if desired used within our lives.
We contemplated and celebrated the harvest of our successes at Herfest what our hard work throughout the year had brought us, we may now use this time of reflection to better use what we’ve gained.
As the berries show their vitality and colour, each protecting a nourished seed within they demonstrate something potentially new that may grow from within in time to come.
These seeds remind us that just as we are born from a fertilised egg nurtured within our mother’s womb many things in nature also follow the same path of conception, growth and decline. Like our lives nature engages along the same journey throughout the seasons. The Robin stands forth at this time his red breast and return to song giving announcement of his place within the world. Although winter will soon be upon us; we too may step forward to share the song of recognition stating what we gained and have to share.
As the year moves towards a time of decline we stand in a moment of recognition. Within the wheel of the year there is a quietness within all of nature around us, sunny days born of a still misty mornings, spiders webs glistening to remind us of the web of life; All things are connected.
We have acknowledged and questioned where we stand within this world at present reflecting on what we gained, what we have learned or may share with others.
In nature every seed is born with its own potential, much depends on where it falls, its environment and where it’s set to grow. Some fair better than others each seed worth no less than those falling on more fertile soil, when a seed sometimes falls on hard or baron ground it could benefit from a little nurturing, tender care, food and loving warmth. Given these things each seed can grow more fully into its true full potential.
We have all sown our seeds and grown so that we may share the bounty’s that we gained this year.
When we sacrifice something of our own that others may gain, it is not a loss but the gaining of something within. What we say and do potentially has the power to help another seed attain what it needs to grow before the dark cloak winter and death enfolds it once more within the winter time of sleep.
Sometimes we don’t realize what we have to share until we take a few moments to think and act upon what that might be.
HERB OF THE MONTH BLACKBERRIES
By Ron Fox
Hi folks,
October see’s many types of berries on show so what better herb to look at than the old favourite Blackberry. I’m sure many will have fond memories of collecting the last of these fruits as a child, like myself perhaps eating nearly as many as I picked.
The Blackberry plant (Rubus fructicosus) has a great deal of folk lore attached to it the name deriving from bramble, or brymbyl, meaning prickly.
It was also known under many other folk names such as, Bumble-Kite, Bly, Brummel, Scald-head and many others. The word ‘Scaldhead’ derived from its overuse on the odd occasion, children eating the fruit to excess; its over-ripe fruits being indigestible could sometimes cause eruptions. Used correctly, the leaves and fruit are used to treat malady of the scalp, the leaves to treat scalds. This remedy still in use throughout many parts of England to treat scalds and burns, on some occasions a spoken charm helped things along with the cure. Blackberries were also used as a charm in folk magic to treat against rheumatism, boils, and blackheads on some occasions to protect against ‘evil runes when gathered at the correct time of the moon.
As we see the whole plant was very popular for the treatment of various illnesses and life problems. The bark of its roots also considered a very good astringent and tonic, in times past used as a treatment of dysentery and diarrhoea. A very good remedy for colds and flu is Blackberry Vinegar, an excellent cordial pick me up. On a fine day gather you’re Blackberries, stalk them and put them into an earthenware jar, cover them with malt vinegar and let them stand for three days to draw out the juice. Strain through a sieve and drain thoroughly, it’s a good idea to leave this to drip through all day. Measure the juice and add a pound of sugar to each pint. Put this into a preserving pan and boil gently for five minuets, occasionally removing any scum that rises to the top. Set this aside to cool, when done bottle and cork well. It’s used by mixing a teaspoon full of the mixture in water to quench the thirst, it makes a wonderful drink when suffering with a fever, flu, or cold. The flower of the Blackberry has five petals; this brings strong associations with the Goddess, on some bushes the fruits are seen at various stages of ripeness, green, red and black, representations of the different stages of the Goddess, and the year, its association with the craft festivals can be seen and used in wine making. Wine made from Blackberries often used at Herfest, the harvest lord leaves us at this time to enter the under world, to live and rule over the Sidhe, or fairy folk. There are old beliefs that the Blackberry is a plant of the fairies, when picked and eaten after a return to the dark time of the year it’s believed to be a useful tool in contacting them. A few weeks ago I couldn’t resist picking a few Blackberries on my way home, there is an old saying you are what you eat, in shamanic terms this is seen to be true, when we eat something we take into ourselves the energies and spirit of that plant, and spirit of that place where we collect them, they were lovely sweet and ripe that day. Whilst eating, I stood and watched two water voles playing on the water front. It was a wonderfully sunny day with only nature the voles and the goddess to keep me company. That day the spirits of that plant and place gave me more than any material thing could ever do. A sense of peace and tranquillity of spirit, the sort of thing you just can’t buy.
Blessings, Ron Fox.
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