Samhain is an ancient Pagan holiday where the dead are
honored and welcomed back into our lives, if only for a night. Samhain is traditionally celebrated on
October 31st, and it is often referred to as the ‘day without a day’ because it
falls between New Years Eve on October 30th and New Years Day on November
1st. It is believed that the veil
between our world and the one the dead inhabit at its thinnest on Samhain and
its sister holiday, Beltane. Both
holidays are wonderful days to work with tarot cards, read your tea leaves, and
watch your dreams for messages from loved ones.
For Pagan inmates, Samhain can be a particularly difficult
time. Many inmates have never processed
grief without some form of addiction or acting out to distract them from their pain. While drugs, cutting, and violence do occur
in prisons, it isn’t as easy to access, and many inmates find that those old
patterns no longer serve them. So what
do they do with this pain? Imagine never
having felt the stab of pain one gets when loosing a beloved mother ten years
prior, and to then have it suddenly leap at you while in prison. It is difficult to bear, yet vitally
important.
Some inmates carry the intense grief and shame of knowing
that they have taken a life. Others have
experienced what one inmate referred to as “a prisoners worst fear” of loosing
a loved one while incarcerated. When
this happens the inmate’s doesn’t get to hold their dear ones hand one last
time, to say I’m sorry, or to ask for forgiveness. Other inmates have the complicated emotions
of having a family member die who was also their abuser.
Tonight will mark the second time that I have been part of a
prison ritual for Samhain. My intention
is to provide a healthy representation of grief, and to be an extension of the
Divine’s love that is unconditional and beyond reason (as the volunteer I work
with is fond of saying). I want to
provide a sacred space where they can feel comfortable both feeling the joyful
memories of the past, and the sorrows of today.
We will start the ritual by grounding our energies, calling
the corners as a group, inviting the Divine to be with us, and then singing We Are The Flow.
We are the flow, we are the ebb.
We are the weavers, we are the
web.
We are the flow we are the ebb.
We are the witches back from the
dead!
After the chant, I will pass out pieces of paper that are
used as place cards for table setting.
Inmates can write the name of loved ones on the front of the card and
then write something about the person in the inside. We will have time to share memories with each
other and this portion may take a while.
This is when grief shows her face.
We will have cakes and ale and listen to a selection of
songs that have to do with the cycles of life and death. One of my favorites is Ancestors Song by the
fabulous Kellianna. She has many songs
that speak to this time of the year, and I highly recommend all of her
music.
http://kellianna.bandcamp.com/track/ancestors-song
I will end the ritual with a reading from Starhawk’s ThePagan Book of Living and Dying. On page
148-149, she has a set of prayers to be said just after someone has passed
away. I think their beauty and power
will serve us in our time of remembrance.
In Starhawk’s words
May she/he become a star
In your night sky cauldron
And be brewed back to life.
May you all have a joyous and heartfelt Samhain,
Blessings,
Chaplain Holly
Beautiful, Holly. You are a blessing.
ReplyDeleteGreat Post thank you.
ReplyDeleteThought you might like my machinima animation Samhain Song,
a celebration of this magical pagan festival
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=SXa5BMorxT0
Bright Blessings By Star & Stone ~
I used Kelliana's at mine, as well
ReplyDelete