Day 17 ~ Samhain and Symbolism

Almamia Cienfuegos, Blurring the Veil, Footprint Ghost, Jack the Ripper, Magaly, Monster Cookies, Pagan Culture

Happy Wednesday!! How has your week been so far? We've got LOTS more to offer and are giving you some great information from Magaly...

In today’s discussion, Magaly Guerrero, from Pagan Culture, dances around All Hallow’s Eve, societal views, and symbolism.

Blurring the Veil

“Modern man does not understand how much his ‘rationalism’ (which has destroyed his capacity to respond to numinous symbols and ideas) has put him at the mercy of the psychic ‘underworld.’ He has freed himself from ‘superstition’ (or so he believes), but in the process he has lost his spiritual values to a positively dangerous degree. His moral and spiritual tradition has disintegrated, and he is now paying the price for this break-up in worldwide disorientation and dissociation.”

— Man and His Symbols by Carl Jung

When I agreed to join the Samhain’s Sirens wicked goodness, I was sure I was going to write about All Hallow’s Eve from fictional and realistic points of view. Then I reread Carl Jung’s Man and His Symbols (for the umpteenth time), and the quote above took over my thoughts. I couldn’t see myself posting about nothing other than what the writing evoked in my heart.

Jung’s words reminded me of what has been happening to All Hallow’s Eve, Samhain, El Dia de los Muertos, Halloween… as time goes by. For some, it only means handing out sweets and watching scary movies. Others have elaborate rituals where they attempt to contact the dead. A few—okay, me—sit back and bask in the sparkly glow of one the last celebrations most of society still enjoys as a whole, even if not as a homogeneous group.

Fine! So many people have no idea that they wear costumes in order to confuse the ghosts that might follow them home, or that on October 31^st the veil between worlds is so thin that the chill that caresses the back of their necks might be more than just cold breeze; but seeing children dressed up and trick-or-treating and Witches celebrating the occasion gives me hope. I want to believe that, eventually, the blurring of the veil will be so obvious that no one will be able to miss it.

I wish, I wish, I wish for the day when the eyes of man’s rationality will be opened wide enough to allow the societal soul to reclaim its instinctive roots. Dream on, you are probably thinking, some things are just impossible. But you see, I’m a Witch, and my lot banished ‘impossible’ a long time ago and replaced it with ‘difficult, but never unachievable.’ Besides, we all know that wishes are easier to make true when there is belief, imagination, and while riding the magical high of the upcoming Witches’ New Year ;-)

The Giveaway for Wednesday

Three books that celebrate family tradition, myth, and The Wheel of the Year:

~ “AlmaMia Cienfuegos: a Story of Blood, Scars and Nightmares,” by Magaly Guerrero

~ The Power of Myth, by Joseph Campbell with Bill Moyers

~ The Witches’ Sabbats, by Mike Nichols

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Today's Recipe

Free N Fun Halloween

Monster Cookies

They may look monstrous, but the only thing scary about these cookies is how delicious they are! As fun as they are to bake as they are to eat, these monsters are created from chow mein noodles to resemble a furry appearance while featuring uniquely crunchy texture kids and adults alike will enjoy.

Ingredients

Chow Mein Noodles

White Chocolate Almond Bark

Green Food Coloring

Yellow Candy-Coated Chocolates

Mini Chocolate Chips

Red Decorator Icing (in the tube)

Instructions

Melt the white chocolate almond bark according to the directions on the package adding a few drops of green food coloring. Set aside a tablespoon of the almond bark.

Pour the melted almond bark over the chow mein noodles to coat.

Spoon the coated chow mein noodles into a greased mini muffin pan and put in your refrigerator to set.

Use the tablespoon of melted almond bark to adhere the yellow candy-coated chocolate candies to the green chow mein. Then adhere the mini chocolate chips to the yellow candy-coated chocolate candies to create the pupils of the eyes.

Use the red decorator icing to pipe on a funny monster mouth. Allow time for the chocolate to set.

Wednesday's Crafty Corner

All Kids Network

Footprint Ghost Craft

This Halloween craft is a simple paper craft, so there is very little mess and the materials are always on hand. It's also a fun way to capture just how small your little one's foot is this Halloween season! We made a whole family of footprint ghost's this year - and it was a great way to work in a quick Halloween-themed lesson in comparing sizes as well. Enjoy!

What you'll need:

Construction paper

Crayons

Glue stick

Scissors

Googly eyes

How to make your Footprint Ghost Craft:

Trace around your child's foot and cut their footprint out.

Glue the footprint onto a piece of construction paper.

Cut two arms out of construction paper (the same color as the ghost) and glue them onto your ghost.

Draw a face onto your ghost.