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All Souls

The autumnal season of remembering continues with All Souls on 2nd November. This follows on from All Saints and is the last of the three days that make up Hallowtide, a period which was particularly marked during the Middle Ages.

In her book, ‘The Celtic Wheel of the Year’, Tess Ward writes:

‘It is as if, with the darkness, our memory, our dreaming, our shadow selves and the whole cast of our inner life, comes out to play.’

Hence the playfulness of Hallowe’en and the darker evenings encouraged the winter tradition of story-telling and singing around the hearth and fire. When entertainment couldn’t be had by means TV, cinema, social media, folk had to create it for themselves.

Singing and telling stories around the fire

In order to understand the customs of Hallowtide we need to think about earlier beliefs concerning the dead. It was believed that after dying souls went to Purgatory, a kind of half-way house to either heaven or hell depending on the individual’s merits. The living could help those souls in purgatory and ensure they went to heaven by praying for them. Often this was accompanied by the ringing of bells and although this practice was banned during the Reformation it continued for many years afterwards.

Bells accompanied prayers at All Souls — Bells accompanied prayers for the dead at All Souls

In the Iron Age the dead were often buried with possessions they might need in the after-life – drinking vessels, jewellery and weapons. The remains of these can often be seen in museums and archaeological sites and provide a fascinating insight into earlier beliefs about life and death. The people of that time saw little cut-off between the living and the dead. Death was part of the ‘life-journey’; it just took place out of sight of those left behind.

Visible and invisible merge into one on the life journey

One of the customs of All Souls was to light a fire on the hearth and leave food and wine for those who had died. The Irish would leave the entrances to burial mounds open so that the dead might find their way onwards. A tradition at All Souls was the baking of Soul Cakes. These were lightly spiced, round cakes and were often given out with ale. If the householder refused a prank might be played – you can see here resonances with the ‘trick- or treat-ing’ of Hallowe’en. In their book A Year of British Calendar Customs the writers Palmer and Lloyd quote an early song that was sung as groups of people went from house to house:

‘Soul, soul, for a soul cake!
I pray good missis, for a soul cake!
An apple or pear, a plum or a cherry,
any good thing to make us merry.'

All Souls continues to be marked today. Churches will often hold services where prayers are said for those we remember. The names of those loved and lost are read aloud and often candles are lit in their memory. It can be a source of great comfort to those who mourn, whether recently or further back in the past.

Candles lit for loved ones departed — Candles lit for loved ones now departed

The beginning of November: All Saints

The beginning of November sees the beginning of winter. With the falling of nature into its winter sleep the plethora of rituals and festivals that occur in November stress that sense of ‘remembering’.

Autumn leaves create a reflective mood — Fallen autumn leaves create a reflective mood

All Saints, All Souls, Bonfire Night and Remembrance Day – the month is rich with opportunities to remember – those who have lived, those who have died; those who have enriched our lives and those whose deeds and stories have filled us with awe, wonder and gratitude.

November is rich with opportunities for remembering the saints — November brings a procession of saints

Hot on the heels of Hallowe’en, with its pranks, spooky activity and mischief, comes the the feast of All Saints. However, this is still very much a celebration. Christians believe that through baptism individuals become members one of another in Christ – members of a company of saints whose mutual belonging transcends death. All Saints is a time of giving thanks for the grace of God, powerfully at work in the lives of those who have gone before. It gives a chance to reflect on how that grace can grow in the lives of each one of us – in ordinary times as well as in times of crisis.

Stained glass windows often depict different saints — Saints are often portrayed in beautiful stained glass windows

A small boy, when asked what a saint was, said it was ‘somebody the light shines through.’ We see images of saints in the beautiful stained glass of church windows but we also often see saints in those around us as they pick up on opportunities to serve, comfort or help others. Sanctity, that quality of being sacred, of being set aside to be valued, respected and honoured, is not so much about hero-worship as about accessibility. The saints are the real folk of every age in whose lives we can glimpse heaven in our midst.

Chrysanthemums, often left at the tombs of the dead — Chrysanthemums, often left at tombs of the beloved dead

All Saints customs have evolved and vary from country to country. In Belgium chrysanthemums will be left at a tomb; in Poland, families will gather to commemorate the saints with candles, flowers and a celebratory meal; in Guatemala kites are flown to symbolize uniting the dead with the living.

In Guatemala, kites are often flown in memory of saints

So, at the time of All Saints, those who have gone before us are not forgotten but recalled; we give thanks for those who have inspired us and left the world a better place for their having been in it. Perhaps it can also help strengthen our own resolve. Often a brief prayer may be offered:

Lord, for your blessings in the past and for a vision for the future, receive our thanks and prayer. May we live our lives that we become more closely the saints you would have each one of us be.

...as saints we're meant to be — …as the saints we’re meant to be

Doorway to Darkness: Summer’s End

The end of October brings us to Samhain (pronounced ‘Sow-en’). A seemingly strange word, it comes from two old Irish words meaning ‘summer’s end.’ Samhain is more popularly known as ‘Halloween’ – the eve of the Christian festival All Hallows, or All Saints.

Full moon in dark sky — As summer ends the days become shorter and winter darkness approaches

Hallowe’en falls on 31st October and is the most important night in the neo-pagan calendar – as darkness seems to take over the world with the shorter days and weaker sunlight the night is charged with superstition. This has led to countless customs in the efforts of humans to survive the darker forces of nature.

Candles to keep the darkness at bay — Flickering candles help keep the darkness at bay

The somewhat questionable practices of mischief and ‘trick- or treat-ing’ have their roots in the creating of fantastic and hideous lanterns, carved with faces and lit with candles – all designed to look as scary as possible in order to ward off evil spirits. Samhain and Hallowe’en fires would be lit on hilltops to honour and invoke the sun’s power and to guard against the coming darkness. Death and the absence of light are two of the most embedded fears we experience; keeping them at bay for as long as possible has become a lifelong goal for many.

Spooky pumpkin lanterns with fantastic features scare bad spirits away — Pumpkin lanterns with fantastic features scare bad spirits away

But Hallowe’en has another important purpose too. It was Jung who said about shadow, that ‘one does not become enlightened by imaginary figures of light but by making the darkness conscious.’ In other words, Hallowe’en is a good time to take a hard long look at our fears and doubts, to recognise and acknowledge them before allowing the light of All Saints, the feast that comes hot on the heels of Hallowe’en, to illuminate them.

The dark doorway that comes with the onset of winter and the darker months — Summer’s end brings the Doorway to Darkness

The last day of October has been called ‘the gateway to the darkest months of winter.’ One writer has said of this night, ‘The spirits within the shadows of our minds, and those without, in the shadows of the night, were thought to be abroad. It is a time for attending to our fears, including that of death, and for remembering our loved ones. It is a time for journeying within, seeking wisdom, however hidden or feared, and seeking too the paradoxical way of peace.’

Age and wisdom brings the tools to deal with the darkness and find inner peace — A moment of repose: facing the darkness can bring peace and insight