Sanhain

[Tara Pelton]

Samhain means "summer’s end” in Gaelic and is the beginning of the Celtic New Year. The celebration began with the lighting of ritual bonfires atop Tara. One can see all of Ireland from atop the Hill of Tara.

Seeing the opening fires at Tara, people lit fires were lit atop every hill in the land.

So began the tradition of lighting bonfires for Samhain festival thousands of years ago. The tradition of bonfires atop the hills of Ireland is still celebrated to this day.

Although we are not lighting fires in our respective hills, we are lighting the fire of our passion, gaining strength, wisdom and sense of community that will be our security in the long months ahead.

It is also a time to honor those who have come before us and to open ourselves to their wisdom, teaching and guidance that is passed to us at a spiritual level. A collection of this wisdom and culture is expressed in the photos, videos and blogs of our members.

Please tell us how you are celebrating Samhain! Please share with us your thoughts, your costumes and your inspiration!

[Lindy Elric]

thank you. I've been rather busy since I last logged on. I've moved, had to learn to budget, and found a possible Fae for a mate. Blessings for the new year. Thank yoy, Locke, for approaching me as a friend on here...might I ask for an Elven Blessing? the gates are still fairly open, because of Yule, so...

[Nevin]

I've been thinking of Finn McCool and how he stopped the 23 year burning of Tara by defeating the dark fairy Allen... I met a young man from the town near Tara and Newgrange and he said, "Tell the world about the the great warriors, the Finnias (the people of Fin) who could run through the forests with out making a sound" He said this three times in our conversation. I later learned that it was said that Fionn was a scribe in one of the last four Atlantian temples (the Temple of Falias that stood on the Island of Tenerife according to Sykes) and that Finn brought the stone (The Throne of Tara) from that temple to the hill of Tara. I can't help but feel there's a connection to the Elves here somewhere.... Fionn, Finn, Falias, Finnias....