Compare and Contrast Essay

Halloween vs. Samhain

 

Read any history of Halloween, and you are apt to learn that the holiday is a descendant of Samhain (pronounced Sah-win), formerly the Celtic New Year, observed in the late autumn. Wicca and other Neo-Pagan religions, most of which began in the twentieth century, consider themselves to be reclaiming the ancient festival, which they call by its Celtic name. Some pagans celebrate one or the other, but some of us celebrate both of them. Indeed, celebrations of Halloween and Samhain can easily be combined, and they often are. Though Halloween as we know it is a descendant of Samhain, and contemporary Samhain reclaims many of the trappings of Halloween, they both are and are not the same holiday.

During the harvest season we all like to decorate with corn stalks and pumpkins, we make pumpkin cookies or cakes, assorted fruit or vegetable breads. Some of us attend parties where we drink apple cider or dunk for apples. All of the foods here are traditional bounty from the earth. In the old Celtic versions of Samhain, it was a tradition to set out food and drink to welcome the ancestors that might cross the thin veil between the worlds. The Celts also carved faces in large turnips (pumpkins, native to the Americas, weren’t introduced to Europe before the time of Columbus) to ward off any evil spirits that might be passing by as well.  In Halloween celebrations, this custom lives on using pumpkins to carve Jack o’lanterns. Though many people who celebrate Halloween today do not believe in evil spirits, the jack o’lantern still makes a festive decoration.

Halloween is a secular cultural holiday, which falls on October 31st every year, everywhere. The theme is a playful look at death and human fears of death. Costumes often connect with death, fright, or both. As a child, I celebrated Halloween like most American children. I dressed up, went out, and gathered candy and other goodies and my children will as well in addition to our pagan traditions. In older times costumes were once part of another tradition that some chose to wear to scare others away that may try to harm or “trick” them; this is in no way related to paganism. The ghosts, goblins, and devils that some people associate with paganism are just plain false. We pagans believe in Gods and Goddesses and there is no evil entity, such as the devil, or a place such as Hell.

 Samhain is more of a holy day for Pagans, but not just one day, more like a period of about ten days to two weeks. It is one of the most powerful times of year for magick (“magick” is the work done in ritual, using natural energies, as opposed to “magic”, which is defined as what happens only in fantasy or illusion). It is a day for pagans to remember those loved one who have passed and also to celebrate the bounty of the earth in the final harvest of the year, which makes it in many ways like Thanksgiving. It is on Halloween night that many believe that the veil between this world and the other one is more transparent so we get messages from the other side more clearly. Some also believe it is the start of the New Year. It is a time to honor and remember the dead, to honor our own mortality, to hold rituals, and a time of merriment and fun.

Whether one decides to celebrate Halloween, Samhain, or both, this time of the year is amazing and there are so many great traditions to enjoy. I hope this has been informational and I would like to wish you a fun-filled harvest holiday. Remember safety first and Blessed Be!

 

Illustrative Essay

Is the Lunar Effect a Myth? 
The term "lunar effect" (occasionally referred to as the Transylvanian effect) is the belief that there is a connection between stages of the lunar cycle and the behavior of animals, including humans, that cannot simply be explained by the difference in light levels. Examples of the belief have even dated back to ancient Assyrian/Babylonian writing. Many scientists would like to debunk this theory claiming that it’s little more than astrology or myth. Is this phenomenom real? Let’s look at some facts.

Does the full moon drive people crazy? Madmen were once considered to be moonstruck, hence the term "lunatic". The term was derived from the Latin word luna, meaning "moon”. In eighteenth-century England, a murderer could plead 'lunacy' if the crime was committed during the full moon and get a lighter sentence as a result! In one such case, Charles Hyde was actually able to avoid murder charges by claiming that the lunar effect made him go crazy. At the University of Miami, psychologist Arnold Lieber and his colleagues decided to test the theory. The researchers collected data on homicide in Dade County (Miami) over a period of 15 years -- 1,887 murders, to be exact. When they matched the incidence of homicide with the phases of the moon, they found, much to their surprise, that the two rose and fell together regularly for the entire 15 years. As the full moon approached, the murder rate rose sharply; it distinctly declined during the first and last quarters of the moon. To find out whether this was just coincidental, they repeated the experiment using data from Cuyahoga County in Ohio (Cleveland). Again, the statistics showed that more murders did indeed occur at the full and new moons.

Does the moon effect a woman’s menstral cycle? The word "menstruation" is etymologically connected with "moon". The terms "menses" and "menstruation" are derived from the Latin word menses (month), which in order relates to Greek mane (moon) and to the roots of English words month and moon—reflecting the verity that the moon takes near to 28 days to rotate around the Earth. The theory of lunar phase fertility is generally credited to Dr. Eugene Jonas. In the 1950s, Dr. Jonas tried to find an explanation as to why so many women became pregnant while practicing the rhythm method. The fact that these women were becoming pregnant at a time when they weren't supposed to be fertile lead to reason that maybe women had more than one fertile period during a month. Not surprisingly, Dr. Jonas was met with skepticism from scientific world. Since his theory cannot be proven by modern-day scientific reasoning, many choose to dismiss the idea of having two fertile times as nonsense. However, a British study done on lunar phase fertility found that men's sperm counts significantly increased during their lunar fertility period. Another study showed that women who practiced abstinence during both their biological and lunar fertile period were 98% effective in preventing pregnancy. This is a pretty significant increase from the 75% effectiveness rate of being abstinent only during your biological fertility period.

Does the full moon effect sleep patterns? A July 2013 study carried out at the University of Basel in Switzerland suggests a correlation. Professor Cajochen and colleagues presented evidence that a lunar rhythm can control sleep structure in humans. Studying 33 volunteer subjects, the researchers found that subjective and objective measures of sleep varied according to lunar phase and thus may reflect human circalunar rhythmicity. Around full moon it was found that electroencephalogram (EEG) delta activity during NREM sleep, an indicator of deep sleep, decreased by 30%, time to fall asleep increased by five minutes, and EEG-assessed total sleep duration was reduced by 20 minutes. These changes were associated with a decrease in subjective sleep quality and diminished endogenous melatonin levels. Cajochen said: "The lunar cycle seems to influence human sleep, even when one does not 'see' the Moon and is not aware of the actual moon phase.”

So after all of those studies, how can people claim that there is no such thing as a lunar effect? I myself have felt that “ants in the pants” feeling that I couldn’t explain… until I looked up. “Oh it must be a full moon!” is phrase heard around the world. I’ll leave it up to you to decide for yourself. Next time there is a full moon, ask yourself “Do I feel a little crazy?”

Descriptive essay

A Moonlit Walk

The lunar cycle continues night by night, the moon is waxing, building energy and power. Only one night a month to revel in her full glory. This is a time of tremendous energy, I have to do something, anything, or I feel as if I'll lose it. I can't sleep, I can't sit still, I just have to go outside. I have to be free with no walls surrounding me, smothering me, no ceiling crushing down opressingly.

I decide to take a hike in the woods by myself. On daytime hikes I take time to contemplate my life, hard decisions, big questions... not at night! At night I free myself from all my mental burdens and just simply walk. At first I start slowly, I stare at the full moon so bright, shining its ethereal light on everything in the forest. It's like I'm in a dream. The night is bright enough to see all that is around me, yet dark enough to feel that wonderful sense of being alone with oneself in nature. After a time, I let my natural pace set in. I feel my arms and legs become warmer, pumping blood, life flowing through me. My breath comes faster, and my lungs swell with the effort. I feel so alive. Finally I come to my unintended destination, the natural spring on the back of our 30 acre hill. I take a long cool drink from the spring which I know comes straight from the underground aquifer. The water tastes of minerals and is sweet, better than anything bottled by far.

I take a seat on the grassy knoll above the spring and look out over the valley below. Covered in glistening ferns, silvery from the moonlight. Deep breaths, listen to the sounds of the forest over the constant trickling of the stream. Cicadas, tree frogs, and the occasional owl are the only sounds besides my own breathing. So soothing, I can finally relax. I never want to leave. This is where I belong.

Narrative Essay

A Child of the Moon People have many names for what I am: Pagan, Wiccan, Heathen, Witch… I don’t choose to put myself in any of society’s nice, neat little boxes. In the simplest way I can put it, I worship nature, I am a child of the moon. I didn’t always think of myself this way. In fact, I was raised as the majority of South-Western Rural Wisconsinites with Germanic or Norwegian heritage are; as a Christian (Methodist to be exact). On Sundays I bathed and primped and put on the most proper, pretty little frilly dress and shiniest shoes, and made sure my hair was neat and shiny. I went with my Grandma to the Trinity United Methodist Church, sat down quietly, folded my hands on my lap demurely, and sat obediently pretending to listen and believe the words of the good Pastor for 2 hours. I did this for many years, but never felt what they claimed I would… the “Holy Spirit” the “Love of Christ”, in fact, I felt no connection at all to the sad half-naked man hanging on his cross on the wall. I never felt that the bricks, and boards, and painted glass that made up the “House of God” were in any way sacred or special. I was always the kid in Sunday school raising my hand to ask questions or interrupt the teacher only to be shushed or reprimanded. Was I the only one that saw all of the hypocrisy in the bible, all of the discrepancies and contradictions? I felt lost, alone, and depressed by religion and spirituality as I knew it, but one night that all changed.

            I was very young, I couldn’t tell you my age exactly, but still a curious tomboy in awe of the world and everything in it. I was playing out in my yard at dusk, catching fireflies and running just to run. Out of breath, I sat down for a rest and looked up at the sky. The very last sliver of sun was disappearing behind the hill across the valley from where I sat. I breathed the crisp Autumn air and crumpled leaves in my hands, I was aware of the coolness of the grass underneath me. I was content enjoying the natural beauty all around me. I felt… at peace... happy.

             It got dark quickly, as it always does in the country (no light pollution from streetlamps and vehicles). I stared at the moon, as often did, and felt small compared to the vastness of space and the distance between it and me. I could never quite express the feeling I got at night being still in the moonlight… until that moment. It hit me… I didn’t feel alone, I felt a presence was with me, looking over me, comforting me. It was the moon! It wasn’t a big rock in the sky, it was alive and it always had been. I thought about this for a while and wondered if I was the only one that knew this great truth. It also occurred to me that maybe I already had this knowledge from past lives, maybe I had always known it.

            “Caaaitlin!” my mom called my name out the back door, waking me from my thoughts. I looked at the house, “Coming Mom!” I yelled back. In the last few seconds before I ran back inside, I made a kind of silent pact, one that felt so natural, perhaps an oath I had made before time and time again through the ages… “You are my true Mother and I am yours forever, A Child of the Moon.”

Welcome!

This blog will hopefully be informational and interesting to all who read it. Although it will have some pagan themes, I don't mean to criticize or offend anyone elses personal beliefs or sense of religion. I mean to post about lunar cycles, mainly, and their affect on my (our) day to day lives. Thank-you everyone who takes the time to read my humble ramblings and Blessed Be!