Ink Motions with Shara Lanel

 

The Sabbat Samhain

By Shara Lanel

 

Samhain, often said to be pronounced “Sow-in” is the sabbat of the New Year for most Wiccans, the name coming perhaps from the Irish Gaelic word for “summer’s end.” This is at the time we celebrate Halloween (“Hallowed Evening”). The veil between worlds is said to be the thinnest at this time, thus its association with death and divination. This was the time of the very last harvest, when the less healthy animals were slaughtered so that the healthier animals had more feed to survive until spring. Therefore Samhain was a feast day. At this time the Horned God dies and the Crone aspect of the Goddess reigns until Yule when the God is reborn, promising the return of the light.

The Norse god Loki, the trickster, is considered at his height during this time, perhaps having something to do with our handed-down tradition of trick-or-treat. And the goddesses Hekate and Cerridwen are often associated with Samhain because of their crone/Dark Mother/Underworld goddess aspects.

Since the veil between the world of the living and the dead is thin, Samhain is a great time to set out plates of food for our ancestors, perhaps in front of a window lit with a candle to light their way. We may also try to contact them for divination purposes. We may wear masks of our ancestors to help. We can also share our experiences of the past year with our passed loved ones, such as writing a letter to them with our accomplishments and failures of the past year, which can be cathartic for the living.

One of the key elements of Samhain, when all seems dead or dying, is the reminder that the Wheel of the Year turns and all will be reborn again at the Yule sabbat.

Resources:

Sabbats by Edain McCoy

Celebrating the Seasons of Life: Samhain to Ostara by Ashleen O’Gaea

The Real Halloween by Sheena Morgan

Halloween by Silver Ravenwolf

An article on simple Samhain rituals: http://hubpages.com/hub/Simple-Samhain-Rituals-and-Traditions

I have also have pins to Samhain/Halloween pics and info under two of my Pinterest boards:

http://www.pinterest.com/sharalanel/witchcraft/

http://www.pinterest.com/sharalanel/october-celebrations/

 

 

A TWISTED MAGICK  Blog Tour needs a fab prize at the end, don’t you think? How about a $20 Amazon gift cert! Comment on any of my blog posts during the tour, then refer to the contest page (http://sharalanel.com/2013/09/05/enter-to-win-amazon-gift-card/) on my Shara blog to get yourself entered to win! I’ll draw the winner on Nov. 1^st.

 

My links: http://sharalanel.com/

https://twitter.com/sharalanel

https://www.facebook.com/SharaLanelFans

http://pinterest.com/sharalanel/boards/

 

Author Bio:

Shara Lanel’s novels are always full of suspense and hot romance, whether set on the moon or in a Mexican jungle. She resides in Richmond, VA with a clingy dog, an action-oriented son, and a handsome hubby. Don’t put her in the kitchen, unless you want to burn it down, and her green-thumb is hit-or-miss, but she excels as a bibliophile, hoping she never has to pack up and move, since her hubby might see just how many volumes she really has.

 

 

BLURB for A TWISTED MAGICK by Shara Lanel:

 

Shylah, a small-town teacher, has put her arcane history behind her, until two students are murdered occult style. Her Wiccan religion is outed. She loses her job and deals daily with ridicule. The obvious thing would be to leave town, but she refuses—she’s innocent.

 

Gabriel is a PI from California dealing with his aunt’s cold shoulder. She wants him to fly to Virginia to solve his cousin’s murder, but he doesn’t have the money or the time until he breaks a big case he’s been working on. Now his cousin’s case is three months cold with one hot witchy suspect and no proof. As soon as he sees Shylah, he wants her, for a lot more than just questioning.

 

Gabe has the power to make Shylah’s insides melt and her judgment fade. She knows he can bring her down if he discovers the twisted magick of her past, but every time he touches her, she can’t say no. She needs to get him to see past prejudice and help her find the real killer. Together, they make magic in more ways than one.

 

A Romantica® paranormal erotic romance from Ellora’s Cave Twilight line.

 

BUY LINK: http://www.ellorascave.com/a-twisted-magick.html

 

EXCERPT from A TWISTED MAGICK:

 

“I’d like my fortune read, please.”

Shylah startled, both from the sound of a voice where there hadn’t been one for several minutes, and also at the familiarity. The deep, velvety voice flipped a switch in her body, from off to on. But what was Gabe doing here? How had he even found out about her new business? She slowly looked up, mentally squaring her shoulders. What new tact would he try today?

He gazed at her herbs and candles. “Got any pot in there?”

She sighed. “Why are you here? I thought we were done talking.”

“Like I said, I want my fortune told.”

“How did you even find me?”

He grinned as he pulled out the chair opposite her. “My hotel had the Richmond and Charlottesville papers, so I saw your ad.”

“My name’s not in my ad.”

“I have my ways.”

That worried her, since she didn’t want other Smith Creek residents finding out about her side business.

She looked up again and found him staring at her intensely. Disconcerted, she gestured for him to sit and slid her drawings off the table and into the bag underneath. “What sort of divination are you interested in?”

“What do you usually do?”

“Well, I have a crystal ball if you want the total ambience. I have the tarot or runes, which are the most popular, or I can scry into a mirror. Do you have a specific question in mind?”

He turned the chair around backward and sat down. Why did men do that? “Yes, it concerns the truth about guilt or innocence.”

Shylah grimaced. “I think we’ll use the cards, which will give you something tangible to look at.” She slipped the deck out of the silk bag again and handed the oversized cards to him. “Shuffle them slowly while concentrating on your question. But you can’t expect me to give you a reading admitting to my supposed guilt. That would be counterproductive on my part, don’t you think?”

“I didn’t say it was your guilt or innocence I was thinking about.”

“No?” She lit an incense cone in a tiny brass censer. “Pull the curtain closed a bit, okay?”

“Not all the way?”

“I like potential customers to know I’m in here, even if I’m giving a reading.” She took the cards from him, grazing his fingers and wondering at the tingle she felt. It was a schoolgirl tingle, the kind you get when you’re working with the boy you have a crush on. She hadn’t felt that tingle since high school.

The table was covered with a black shawl with Chinese calligraphy on it. She spread the cards out in the classic Celtic Cross formation, and the first thing she noticed was the death card in the future position. The death card usually meant extreme change, not literal death, but as Shylah peered at the cards and took in their vibrations, she realized that this card might mean literal death. Her face froze. Who? Was Gabe going to die? She looked up into his strong face, masculine jaw and cheekbones, kissable mouth, mahogany eyes. Once she got past her immediate attraction—again—she thought she saw an unnatural shadow across his face. She let her eyes un-focus so she could see it better.

It was a skull.

“What’s the matter? This card with the grim reaper isn’t good, is it?”

“Someone’s going to die.”

 

BUY LINK: http://www.ellorascave.com/a-twisted-magick.html