October has come and gone, as
has Bonfire Night, Michaelmas, Armistice Day and Remembrance Sunday. We are now
well and truly at that cusp of autumn and winter. The clocks have changed, it is
getting dark earlier now and it is getting colder. There is much that happens
at this time of year here in England, each of the dates above are marked in
some manner, some only in a small way and others with national observances.
As expected with the majority
of groups of a Pagan, Craft or Occult persuasion, we of the Hearth of the
Turning Wheel have experienced a busy and often demanding Hallowtide. Our semi-private
moot for members and supporters of the HTW, took place on Tuesday the 24th
of October, a full week before All Hallows Eve.
Here in the warm, convivial
setting of the Exeter Arms, a small group of us met for an evening meal, a
drink and as ever, stimulating conversation. Because of the time of year our
conversation naturally covered the festivals of the season, ancestors and
heritage. What is the meaning outside of politics of blood and soil or perhaps
more appropriately, blood and bone? That is perhaps something for us all to
ponder, to turn our minds at this time of year to our own self-identity and ask
where we stand within our greater society. These are not questions I can answer
for anyone other than myself, we each have our own answer and we each have our
own place.
On the 31st of October
I set up my home to welcome my guests, those who would be attending our ritual
observance that evening. First however, there was the setting up of my hallway,
this in preparation of the local ‘Trick or Treat’ families. Here upon a stang
topped with a horseshoe and lit candle, I hung a ram skull. At the base I
placed an iron cauldron literally overflowing with goodies and a hunting horn. A
sword and shield were positioned nearby, representing my own interpretation of
an ancestor shrine. A resin skull and a genuine roebuck skull, together with a
few velvet drapes, added to the decoration. By five p.m. I was ready to welcome
the local children.
The groups began slowly as
one would expect but soon the numbers had picked up, people even being told to
call at my home by those who already had. Such is the attraction of my
decoration, my eye for detail and I suspect, the large number of edible treats.
I can say honestly that I had not skimped and not long after six, I was running
short of sweets.
Many visitors wanted a closer
look at the sword or the horn, I was happy to oblige. Positive comments on my
display were plentiful, one woman in fancy dress like her children making the
comment; “Look at this, this one does it properly.” I wonder if she knew. I do
have an advantage, the real deal perhaps?
Not everything ran smoothly
however, the loud noise of my hunting horn frightened one young girl and one
small boy, probably on his first time out with his parents and elder brother,
was rather overwhelmed by the number of people milling about in fancy dress. It is a fun and enjoyable
evening, pleasurable to see so many children with their parents in tow, dressed
in a variety of costume choice. Not for the first time, I stood impressed by
the quality of the dressing up and I was equally pleased by how polite the
children were.
Apparently the children know
me as ‘that cool Halloween Guy.’ Well I do this every year and I have been
doing so for some twenty years now. I even have second generation ‘Trick or
Treat’ parties, some of those children who called years ago, now bring their
own children. Dear Gods, am I really that old?
On the 99th anniversary
of Armistice Day I met up with eight other friends at the Original Re-enactors
Market held on a show ground near Leamington Spa. I am a regular attendee at
these events if I can beg a lift and I thoroughly enjoy my trips there. Here
one can purchase replicas often of museum quality, ranging from leather goods,
knives, and swords, jewellery, cooking pots, glassware and pottery. Many of the
stalls sell basic craft working items, fur, yarn and fabric. Wares so specialist
in nature, it is near impossible to source them elsewhere. Why waste your money
on a plastic handled athame from a MBS fair, when here you can buy a 14th
century dagger?
It is worth noting that such
living history fairs will often feature a large number of military items. These
will range from Iron Age to the 20th century. Many an attendee and
stall holder are in uniform, a fact not without meaning or significance during
this time of remembrance. To see a Roman Legionary and a British ‘Tommy’ stand together
and observe the two minute silence on Armistice Day has a certain poignancy.
I use my trips as an excuse
to stock up on mead, at this last event there were five different suppliers,
including German and Italian meads. I also use my trips in the autumn to do a
little shopping in preparation for the Yuletide. So while at this time we
remember the past, we are also looking forward to a time of celebration with
our families and our friends.
The nights are dark and the days
are getting shorter, yet time will turn full circle. The children that at this
time call upon us in fancy dress, will one day remember us as their ‘ancestors’
and come Yule light will return.
By flesh, blood and bone, the
Chattering Magpie.
THE HEARTH OF THE TURNING WHEEL HALLOWTIDE RITUAL 2011
- 2016
The Fifth of November (English Folk Verse c.1870)
The Weeping Window
