Welcoming the Winter and the Dead in a Pagan Heartland

Last night, I attended a Pagan ritual, Samhain, held to commemorate the halfway point between the autumnal equinox and the winter solstice, and to celebrate the harvest. (As it’s from a Celtic origin, it’s not pronounced at all like it looks, sounding more like SAW-wen then anything with an ‘m’.)

Held by the group Cauldron of Changes in the W.O.W. building in Eugene, Oregon, the event was a merging of the Mexican-Catholic tradition of Dia de los Muertos, or Day of the Dead, and pagan ritual. In a way, that’s fitting. Both Dia de los Muertos and Samhain traditionally honor the spirits of the departed and welcome the colder months of the year.

But it also brought up strange contrasts. Pagan, with a capital “p,” refers to modern earth-based or polytheistic faiths, often with roots in traditions that predate Judaism and Christianity.

Nevertheless, Paganism and Christianity are inextricably intertwined. I’ve met many Pagans in my career, and it seems that a lot of them turn to the religion out of frustration with dogma, male domination, and many other factors, which lead to a culture of anti-Christian sentiment. On the other hand, Christians have never been the most accepting of Paganism, with innumerable attacks on the faith for their “Satanic” practices. (Pagans don’t worship Satan, a Christian construct.)

But so much of their histories are reliant on each other. When Christianity was adopted by the Roman Empire, Pagan holidays were reconfigured to encompass new beliefs. That’s why Easter, All Saints Day, and Christmas are related to equinoxes and solstices, and why we have Easter eggs, Jack o’ Lanterns, and Christmas trees. Pagan traditions never left Christianity, and so much of Christian practice, especially in Catholicism, still incorporates it.

My favorite example is Christmas. Originally a Pagan celebration of the winter solstice, Christian leaders chose to put Christmas on this, the darkest day of the year, because Jesus was seen as the coming of the light, represented by the lengthening of days. In the Bible, it seems unlikely that Jesus was born in December. A little-known fact is that the Vatican once considered changing the date of Christmas in the Southern Hemisphere to June, to keep this symbolism.

This mingling of Paganism and Christianity was immediately apparent at Cauldron of Changes’ Witches Ball in its adoption of Dia de los Muertos. Around the dance floor were four shrines, each dedicated to an element – earth, wind, fire, water – as is common in Pagan Earth-centric traditions. At each station, congregants could write notes to their loved ones who had passed on, which would be delivered to their spirits in the Samhain ceremony.

Check out the fire shrine:

Notice the Catholic candles? Or the deer? Or the Pentagram? All are both Christian and Pagan symbols. The Pentagram has been used in Christianity to mean the five wounds of Jesus, and in Paganism for the four elements plus the spirit.

It was certainly a thought-provoking night. About a hundred people had gathered in this hall, and I was told that most of them were practicing Pagans from many traditions. Eugene, a rather liberal college town, is home to Heathens, Odinists, Wiccans, Hedge Witches, Druids, Gardnerians, and many others, whose adherents often practice alone or in small groups. Cauldron of Changes brings Pagans together a few times a year, for Samhain, Beltane, which is after the spring equinox, and a few other events that strengthen their community.

Much of the festival was a simple Halloween party, with dancing, costume contests, and even a piñata filled with bouncy balls for the children:

I felt weird being there. Everyone was in costumes, and there I was, in a button-down khaki shirt – completely overdressed. I pretty much sat by the side of the room, watching the whole night and not participating. But then again, I couldn’t participate and take good photos at the same time.

Late into the night, the ritual began, announced by the hostess of the evening, Jezebele Moonbeam. Here she is in her normal outfit, before putting on her ritual robes, next to a Mexican decorated skeleton:

The ritual began with the securing of the circle. Everyone joined hands around the dance floor, while Priestess Jezebele incanted protections so that the magic in the circle would be contained, and also not affected by the goings-on of the outside world.

Then came calling on the elements at the shrines, followed by inviting the god- and goddess-forms. Duality is a common theme in Paganism, which celebrates, the mutable, ever-changing forms of life and the world. Jezebele, who came to represent to goddess, danced in the center of the circle, chanting, while a man, representing the god, drummed.

“Ancient spirits and gods, our hearts’ rhythm calls you,” she said. “We invite you, we admire you. If you will, be with us, now.”

With that, began the spiral dance, a lively movement which represents the turn of the Earth toward the next seasonal phase. Jezebele broke the circle and began making concentric circles into the center of the floor, facing inwards, chanting, “we’re walking on their bones.” Then, she turned around, and the spiral undid itself, much happier, chanting, “we’re dancing on their bones,” as though the spirits of the dead had returned to join in the party.

Here’s a pic:

With that, the ceremony was practically over. It only lasted about 15 minutes. Jezebele went up on stage with the man representing the god-form to give a final offering of grapes, symbolizing the harvest. She cast a spell, calling on the elements to continue their protection of the congregants:

“Fire to water, air to earth
Fill this circle with your mirth.”

Here is a photo of her in her ceremonial garb, casting spells, using the element of fire:

Here’s a pic:

And so the ritual ended, with Jezebele finishing with a final exhortation to the spirits: “We ask that there be peace between us here and everafter. Go if you must, stay if you will.”

And people danced late into the night.

Today, I met with Jezebele and fellow Pagan Lala. They asked that their secular names not be revealed. A note on this:

I’ve written a few stories about Pagans in my time, and often, they won’t go on the record. They’re afraid of discrimination, which is actually quite well-founded. In fact, even in Eugene, the Cauldron of Changes event has received bomb threats at their fall gathering. In 1998, they had to celebrate outside in the rain when the threat came in the middle of the ceremony.

But, as with many things, if Paganism is clandestine, practiced by unnamed, faceless people, will things change. Jezebele says that Wicca, the practice she employs, means “to have have knowledge, to have freedom, to be able to decide what things mean for themselves.” But is that what most Americans imagine when the think of Paganism? Probably not.

This is a problem continually faced by newer religions. (I put Paganism in this category, because even though it has old roots, it has only resurged in the last half century.) If they’re pubic about their beliefs, they are derided. But if they’re not public, people think the wrong things about them. So many people want to save their own careers, but who will spread the truth of the faith? Only if a lot of people are honest about their faith will any positive change for Paganism happen in the world.

As Jezebele says, “I have the best converations with people hwo don’t knwo or are afraid. They always say things like ‘I thought you were supposed to be dancing naked and worshipping the Devil.’ So many people have no idea.”

Anyhow, I digress.

I had a pretty great, long talk with Jezebele and Lala about what’s going on in Eugene. A lot of the issues revolve around the intersection of individuality and community, which I found fascinating.

Cauldron of Changes involves about 900 people, from many, many Pagan traditions, a few of which I listed above. And, as I said, many practice alone normally.

But this inevitably creates a strain. Eugene is a rather liberal place, and has had quite a few Pagan-inspired or -friendly businesses. In the past few years, however, any have shut down because the community hasn’t supported them. Herb shops, candle shops, trinket places – they’re disappearing. They’re not being supported by the greater community, but they’re necessary to its flourishing.

“They’re the actual stewards of the networking of the community,” says Jezebele. “Experienced Pagans have everything they need to practice at home. A bunch of incense can last a long time. These stores cater to the newbies.”

Essentially, without the stores, people interested in Paganism will have fewer places to go, and the community will be more disparate than it is now. It’s not good for the future of the faith. But with the economy, Jezebele says that a lot of people in the community say they can’t afford to keep going to stores that can’t afford rising rent prices.

But this post is going on too long, and I’ll end it. First, with a quote from Lala, who got worked up when the Devil was mentioned, and whose quote I found insightful into Paganism.

“I don’t believe in the Devil or Hell,” she said. “Instead of people taking responsibility for their actions, they blame it on a deity. It’s cowardly.”

It’s funny. That’s exactly what the evangelical church in Portland said just a few days ago.

And I completely finish with a picture of the water shrine, which I thought the be the most beautiful of the four: