Halloween

The sun is in Scorpio and the colours of Mars (one of Scorpio's rulers) are in all the trees (in the Northern hemisphere). Within Scorpio is the star Antares - or anti-Mars, showing the dualistic nature of this planet. It is the place of Mars to look into the mirror and become a reversal of itself, finding profound depths in the process. Mars is the pioneer, the warrior, the gladiator. The spirit of Mars in Scorpio is to sting itself to death, opening the deepest wounds in itself to find new possibilities - even though they may spell death, but still to move relentlessly on.

This is transformation, ending life in violence to bring new life. So there are two manifestations of Scorpio, firstly the desert scorpion, depicted to resemble the severed tail of the dragon, an erect serpent vigorous and dangerous, a symbol of earthly energies. Secondly the eagle, symbol of the sun, a spiritual messenger who can gaze into, and fly into the light and remain unharmed, fearless against corruption as death has no sting for this mythical beast. The other sign of Scorpio is Pluto, the planet of transformation itself.

Halloween is more traditionally the time to make 'New Years Resolutions' than our modern 'new year' at the end of December.

Halloween is a time for merrymaking and feasting, sitting up late and jumping over fires to make wishes. Folklore believes Halloween to be the night when your guardian angels are being changed over and that there just might be a moment when you are in 'danger' and without a spirit protection. This 'danger' has translated to modern day dressing up as ghouls and ghosties and the like. Running about and asking for sweets, 'trick or treating' is an import from the USA and another demonstration of how ancient rituals are bent to the service of consumerism.

There are many ancient games associated with this time, making 'Halloween cake', divination by nut popping on the fire and other seed based lovespells, wood faggot divination, apple bobbing and so on. In ancient times people would make 'The Halloween Man' (or woman (except for guilty secrets about witch burning in Europe)) to be burnt in the fire, hence casting off the old self of the old year. They would put pretty things onto the figures, bags of sweet smelling herbs, a tiny crown and burn it with the passing of the year, then letting the fire go out to be relit for the next year. This ritual was assimilated into 'Guy Fawkes night'in the UK and the original meaning dissipated.

The making of a 'Lucifer Lantern', originally a turnip rather than the 'Americanised'pumpkin still continues. The vegetable body represents the earthly human body, which should be buried on Samhain to return to clay - a reminder of our own mortality. The candle inside the head is the eternal undying and activating spirit. The triangles of eyes and mouth are symbols of our heavenly aspirations, a charm against seeing, speaking or smelling (if your lantern has a nose) evil in the next year. (my son drew this from Saturday morning cartoons).