Samhain

[MOD66]

This is the holiday (for lack of a better word) that one can commune with the dead, am I correct. Assuming that I am I will keep talking. For those that know me I have a lot of trouble with my past mainly things dealing with my Abusive, Perfectionist, b*****d of a father. I’m currently going to a program called Ala-teen (for Teens who are affected by Alcoholism in a family member or close friend) and one of the steps (same as AA's steps) is:

Alateen - a day at a time page # 368

8. Made a list of all persons we had harmed and became willing to make amends to them all.
9. Made direct amends to such people wherever possible, except when to do so would injure them or others

Thus I would like to talk to my father and basically make amends to him and apologize for hating him for so many years. If any one knows any was to contact the dead and are willing to share them that would be great. Note: I am waiting till Samhain to do this because of the significance.

If I am totally off about Samhain then let me know.  

[Nihilistic Seraph]

That's very noble of you Twack.

You are right, Samhain is a time when the dead are much closer to the world where we live now. It would be perfect for what you would want to do.

If I'm stepping over the line let me know, but also, if you want to be sincere about making amends with him, you may want to stop thinking about him with anger. All it does is hurt yourself.  

[The Bookwyrm]

Nihil has a definate point; htere's still some pretty major hostiliy present, so you may need to work on that. There's not much sense in trying to make amends if you're not sincere about it, and if you're still thinking of him as an "abusive, perfectionist b*****d", you're not going to be very sincere.

As for ways of contacting the dead, there are a few ways of doing it. You can invite them into your cicrle, or you can attempt some journeying. If you invite them into the circle, then you'd invoke the same way you'd call on a the elements, or a god/goddess; you may not get a whole lot of back and forth discussion, but you will be able to say what needs to be said. If you journey via meditation, then you're going to have a better chance of being able to have an actual discussion; I know that's what I do on a yearly basis now, and it can be very moving.

Another trick you might try is writing a letter. Then burn that letter on Samhain and scatter the ashes.

A word of warning, though: Becareful what you wish for, especially when it comes to spirits on or around Samhain. You can talk with the dead any time, it's just easier at Samhain because the veil is thinner, which means that they have an easier time coming across from their side to ours. Be sure you're ready to contact your father, because he may just decide to stick around, and if you're not ready for, it can be pretty upsetting to have a spirit you're not prepared to face hanging around.  

[MOD66]

Nihilistic Seraph

If I'm stepping over the line let me know, but also, if you want to be sincere about making amends with him, you may want to yuop thinking about him with anger. All it does is hurt yourself.

no your not stepping over the line, your right and i have been trying to not think of him harshly. I try not to be hostile when i think about him, but I am having a lot of other problems in my life and when i get upset i feed of other things that make me upset and rembering him and a whole $h!t load of other things came up.

Gypsy Blue

As for ways of contacting the dead, there are a few ways of doing it. You can invite them into your cicrle, or you can attempt some journeying. If you invite them into the circle, then you'd invoke the same way you'd call on a the elements, or a god/goddess; you may not get a whole lot of back and forth discussion, but you will be able to say what needs to be said. If you journey via meditation, then you're going to have a better chance of being able to have an actual discussion; I know that's what I do on a yearly basis now, and it can be very moving.

Another trick you might try is writing a letter. Then burn that letter on Samhain and scatter the ashes.

A word of warning, though: Becareful what you wish for, especially when it comes to spirits on or around Samhain. You can talk with the dead any time, it's just easier at Samhain because the veil is thinner, which means that they have an easier time coming across from their side to ours. Be sure you're ready to contact your father, because he may just decide to stick around, and if you're not ready for, it can be pretty upsetting to have a spirit you're not prepared to face hanging around.

Thanks for the advice on contact methods, and yes as Nihil said i need to work on my relations with my father and not be filled with hate every time I think of him  

[Nihilistic Seraph]

The fact that youo're working on it is great. Keep up the good works Twack. Walk with the Gods.  

[The Bookwyrm]

Best of luck, hun. I hope it brings you the closure that you're seeking. *hugs*  

[DR490N]

samhain is considered to be the time when the walls between this world and the otherworld(all other planes of existance really) is the weakest. it's said that the dead return home to visit their families, though i do not neccessarily agree with this, having yet to se it myself and believing that one can easily communicate with the dead at any time, this is the traditional scottish/irish celtic belief. the ancient celts also believed that there was an island off to the west of Ireland, and that this island was only visible on samhain, and that this island was the place that the dead went to. for a very long time, dying was referred to as "going west". so, if you wish to communicate with your fatehr, you should either get a psychic, or if he hasn't passed to the other side yet, contact him yourself. you can do this any time.  

[Nihilistic Seraph]

DR4GON, Samhain is actually more considered to thin the veil between only this world, and the land of the dead. (WitchVox). If you have a source saying otherwise though, I'd love to see it.

As for the Isle to the West, I did some poking around, and came with three places. Tir na nOg, Mag Mell, and Avalon. Avalon is considered tobe a real place, with a name that pretty much tranlates to "Isle of Apples" (Wiki on Avalon). The other Isles are considered lands of the dead, but neither mention anything about being visible only on Samhain. (Tir na nOg and Mag Mell)

To me, Tir na nOg and Mag Mell seem quite similar, maybe a variation of the same myth, the way you'd get variations on the same deity between the different Celtic tribes. Could Blue perchance clarify things?  

[The Bookwyrm]

Nihilistic Seraph

DR4GON, Samhain is actually more considered to thin the veil between only this world, and the land of the dead. (WitchVox). If you have a source saying otherwise though, I'd love to see it.

As for the Isle to the West, I did some poking around, and came with three places. Tir na nOg, Mag Mell, and Avalon. Avalon is considered tobe a real place, with a name that pretty much tranlates to "Isle of Apples" (Wiki on Avalon). The other Isles are considered lands of the dead, but neither mention anything about being visible only on Samhain. (Tir na nOg and Mag Mell)

To me, Tir na nOg and Mag Mell seem quite similar, maybe a variation of the same myth, the way you'd get variations on the same deity between the different Celtic tribes. Could Blue perchance clarify things?

Actually, Tir na nOg, Mag Mell and Avalon are all different names for the Celtic Otherworld, being Irish, Scottish and Welsh respectively. On Samhain in Celtic belief, it was believed that access between the worlds was made easier, we could cross over there and that they could cross over here. It wasn't that they were more visable, it was that they were more easily accessable. In Ireland, it was believed you could catch a glimpse of the Otherworld on Samhain through the Sidhe (fairy mounds that were reputed to be home to the Dannan folk).

Avalon is at once held to be bother a real place and the Otherwold; the physical location is believed to the Glastonberry Tor, while the more mythological has its roots in the much earlier Welsh Otherworld, Annwvyn (or alternately spelled Annwyn). Avalon is a later adadptation, and became popularized in the Arthurian sagas. 3nodding  

[Nihilistic Seraph]

*coughcoughMarionZimmerBradleyresurecteditcough*  

[The Bookwyrm]

Nihilistic Seraph

*coughcoughMarionZimmerBradleyresurecteditcough*

Oh, don't even get me started on her! *hate hate hate* She completely bastardized the Arthurian Saga and ruined Morgan LeFay. Stupid whiney feminist authors....

But on a side note, she was unfortunately on to something when she placed Avalon on Glastonberry; there's archeological evidence to suggest that there was once a swamp or marsh surrounding it, and more reliable literary resources also place the fabled ilse there. wink  

[MOD66]

Gypsy Blue

Nihilistic Seraph

*coughcoughMarionZimmerBradleyresurecteditcough*

Oh, don't even get me started on her! *hate hate hate* She completely bastardized the Arthurian Saga and ruined Morgan LeFay. Stupid whiney feminist authors....

But on a side note, she was unfortunately on to something when she placed Avalon on Glastonberry; there's archeological evidence to suggest that there was once a swamp or marsh surrounding it, and more reliable literary resources also place the fabled ilse there. wink

Morgan LeFay you mean the nice lady from the magic tree house series...im kidding dont kill me gonk but yah that has her displayed completly wrong...and i read every one of thouse books when i was 8-11 stressed  

[DR490N]

whoops. i apologize for my miswording of things. i'm working off of memory here and was pretty tired when i wrote that. sometimes i dont remember things so accurately. sorry there.  

[Nihilistic Seraph]

No prob 3nodding  

[The Bookwyrm]

Twack

Gypsy Blue

Nihilistic Seraph

*coughcoughMarionZimmerBradleyresurecteditcough*

Oh, don't even get me started on her! *hate hate hate* She completely bastardized the Arthurian Saga and ruined Morgan LeFay. Stupid whiney feminist authors....

But on a side note, she was unfortunately on to something when she placed Avalon on Glastonberry; there's archeological evidence to suggest that there was once a swamp or marsh surrounding it, and more reliable literary resources also place the fabled ilse there. wink

Morgan LeFay you mean the nice lady from the magic tree house series...im kidding dont kill me gonk but yah that has her displayed completly wrong...and i read every one of thouse books when i was 8-11 stressed

I actually couldn't finish the books (if we still talking about The Mists of Avalon). One of the few books I've actually had to put down and could not go back to. There's just something about taking a character, portray her as complaining about being a pawn and how all of her good intentions backfire and calling the progressive and positive that just kills me. Especially when that character was much strong before, albeit evil. But what's wrong with that? A man can be evil, so why can't a woman? Arthur faced many evil men! GAH!

Sorry, off topic...

DR490N, no worries on the slip up. wink I spent two years in various Celtic lit and history courses before I got a solid idea on what it was about. It's a confusing subject by times, especially when you're being faced by multiple versions of it.