For years when I wrestled with questions of religion and spirituality and sought clarity on what made meaning for me, Halloween stood out as a holiday I could fully and whole heartedly embrace with no uncertainty or feelings of discomfort. Halloween does not invoke the sort of stress that other holidays seem to call forth for me.
Halloween is all fun. Dress up and go out and play with the crunch of leaves underfoot and darkness everywhere.
Halloween is all fun. Dress up and go out and play with the crunch of leaves underfoot and darkness everywhere.
I had the good fortune of living in San Francisco's Mission District for four years in my young and carefree days and experienced the celebration of the dead, with The Day of the Dead celebrations, procession and rooms. This deepened my passion for Halloween and created a bridge from my Catholic upbringing to the beliefs and values I embraced. It was empowering and awakening for me along with Z. Budapest's Spiral Dances for women at Halloween.
Twenty years later as a parent, I bring aspects of these celebrations to my children whose ages span from seven to fifteen.
Some favorite songs:
Chorus:
Who are the witches? Where do they come from?
Maybe your great, great grandmother was one.
Witches are wise, wise, women, they say,
There's a little witch in every woman today,
There's a little witch in every woman today,
Witches knew all about flowers and trees
How to use the bark and the roots and the leaves,
When people grew weary from hardworking days,
Witches made them feel better in so many ways
Repeat chorus
Women had babies and witches were there,
To help and to feed them and give them some care,
And witches knew stories of how life began,
Don't you wish you could be one, well maybe you can......
Repeat chorus
Some people thought that the witches were bad,
Some people were scared of the power they had,
The power to give and to heal and to care,
Is not something to fear, it's a treasure to share.
Repeat chorus
A fingerplay:
A fingerplay:
Five little witches sitting on the gate,
The first one said, " oh my it's getting late,"
The second one said, "Halloween is in the air,"
The third one said, "let us take to the air"
The fourth one said, "when I finish my brew,"
The fifth one said, "my black cat comes too "
The night wind whispered whooooo, whoooo
So they put on the hats
And flew into the air,
And flew into the air,
Singing all together,
Hall-o-ween is here!
A Song:
Hey ho for Halloween!
When all the witches are to be seen.
Some in black and some in green,
Hey ho for Halloween!
Hey ho for Halloween!
In 1973, Barbara Ehrenreich and Deirdre English wrote Women, Witches and Nurses: A History of Women Healers , online and at Amazon. It is well worth the read, still timely and sheds light on healing, medicine, the role of women and the divine feminine.
Blessings!
In 1973, Barbara Ehrenreich and Deirdre English wrote Women, Witches and Nurses: A History of Women Healers , online and at Amazon. It is well worth the read, still timely and sheds light on healing, medicine, the role of women and the divine feminine.
Blessings!
