From: The Bard Area: Metaphysical To: All 19 Aug 94 08:11:42 Subject: Hallows 5 UpdReq tale, but that story may be corrupted by medieval interpolations. Were this story pre-Christian, as is intimated, I dare say we would find black -pigs- (an animal sacred to the Underworld) or -cattle- (one of the indicators of great wealth) being requested, not black -sheep.- As for the Irish Druids practicing 'trick-or-treat,' (and killing or cursing people who didn't "treat") .... once again, we have no hard evidence. The only real evidence of solicitation for gifts and treats on All Hallow's Eve seems to be found only in Christian times. Margadonna: It was believed that Halloween was the gathering time for unsanctified spirits; due to this belief a cult of witches devoted to the worship of Satan sprang up, during the Middle Ages. They held periodic meetings, called Witches Sabbaths; the most important of which was All Hallows' Eve. At this sabbath the Prince of Darkness would appear, to mock the coming feast of the saints. The popular thought was that the witches would hold orgies at these sabbaths; and that they would be accompanied by their black cats, and that they would fly them on broomsticks. Uh-huh! And all of this information from the 'Malleus Maleficarium,' Cotton Mather's 'Wonders of the Invisible World,' and other such books written by witch-hunters of notable credulity and superstition. This is rather like taking what the Nazis wrote about the Jews as the truth. I also seriously doubt that the supposed belief in Halloween as outlined above was the reason for the "witch-mania" of the 12th thru 17th centuries CE (the greater part of which happened in Germany) though the practices outlined above seem to have only come into real popularity -after- the publication of the various anti-witchcraft books and tracts. The sexual sadism and lack of true Christian values of the leaders of the witch-hunts should be obvious to anyone. Margadonna: With some variations the basis of the Jack-O'-Lantern is as follows: There was a stingy drunkard of an Irishman named Jack; who tricked the Devil into climbing an apple tree. Then Jack quickly cut the sign of a cross into the trunk of the tree; thereby preventing the Devil from climbing down. Jack made the Devil swear that he wouldn't ever come after Jack's soul again or claim it in any way. However, this did not stop Jack from dying and when he did he was not allowed into Heaven, because of his life of drinking, being tightfisted and being deceitful. And because of the oath the Devil had taken Jack was not allowed into Hell either. "But where can I go?" asked Jack. "Back where you came from!" replied the Devil. The way back was windy and dark. The Devil, as a final gesture, threw a live coal at Jack straight from the fire of Hell. To light his way and to keep it from blowing out in the wind Jack put it in a turnip he was eating. Ever since Jack and his "lantern" has been traveling over the face of the earth looking for a place to rest. Tract 1: (Jack o'Lantern): An ancient symbol of a damned soul. "Jack-o'- Lanterns were named for a man called Jack, who could not enter Heaven or Hell. As a result, he was doomed to wander in darkness with his lantern until Judgment Day." Tract 2: The apparently harmless lighted pumpkin face of "Jack-o-Lantern" is an ancient symbol of a damned soul. They were named for a man named Jack who could not enter Hell or Heaven. As a result, he was doomed to wander in darkness with his lantern until Judgment Day. Fearful of spooks, folks began to hollow out turnips and pumpkins and to place lighted candles inside to scare away evil spirits from the house. This is a nice little 18th Century Irish folk myth, variants of which have been heard as explainations for the will o'the wisp, but hardly hard evidence for anything other than the wonderful Irish talent for making up stories .... and as a professional folklorist, I have learned to look very hard at any supposed folk story written down in the 18th and 19th centuries; the authors/collectors had a tendency to 'improve' on the supposed 'bad literary qualities' of the stories and songs. Percy, for example, ("Reliques Of Ancient English Poetry") was notorious for such bowlderizations, and many were guilty of taking stories down from wandering story-tellers, who did not just tell folktales, but tended to make up stories out of whole cloth, on the spot, as often as not. Also, look at the changes in emphasis within the three tracts quoted. Margadonna gives the folktale pretty much straight. Tracts 1 and 2, however, extend the story further to give the jack o'lantern the meaning of an "ancient symbol of a damned soul." If this were true, we would find it in the Christian iconography of Western Europe, or the pagan carvings, or somewhere in graphic representations. It is notable by its absence, even as a carved turnip. I should remind everyone that the pumpkin is a New World vegetable. While I have no hard evidence of when it was popularized in Europe, we have evidence of other New World vegetables being grown and eaten in Western Europe as early as 1550 CE, but even that is quite some time after the Christianization of Western Europe as a whole. The hollowing out of a turnip to serve as a makeshift lantern would be simply a clever way to solve a technical problem in the absence of available metal. I would also point out that the Big Bad Druids in England adopted Christianity with NO killings of Christian priests! There are no authenticated English martyrs from the time of the Druids in Britain. One would expect such a blood-thirsty belief system as the Druids are represented to be to have killed the missionaries as fast as they arrived, when, in fact, they gave them land, listened to them, and adopted Christianity with very little trouble at all. The only British martyrs date from the Diocletian persecutions by the Roman Empire. 201434369420143436942014343694201434369420143436942014343694718 From: The Bard Area: Metaphysical To: All 19 Aug 94 08:12:08 Subject: Hallows 6 UpdReq Phillips: The uninformed Christian has no idea that there truly are demonic spirits which are contacted and activated as people call out to them in jest or in seriousness. Every act around Halloween is in honor of false gods, which are spirits in the realm of the Satanic. Those who have been deeply involved in witchcraft and who are now free, declare that even those who say they worship spirits of nature are in actuality contacting the Satanic realm without knowing it. Phillips: Through the ages, Halloween has gone by various names but all have been tributes to the same dark force, Satan. There is no place in the life of the Church or the Christian for such participation. One could make a comment about the 'haunted houses' sponsored by various Fundamentalist Christian groups that, (to use one local group's as an example) first show a lady smothering a baby and saying "I couldn't stand its' crying anymore" and then show what purports to be a 'typical' abortion, in graphic detail, and -not- saying in advance to people what was about to be shown to them, and with a man dressed up as a 'demon' at the door! (news broadcast, 10:00 pm Ch. 10 Phoenix, AZ, 31 Oct. 1992 CE) Phillips: To pray for the dead is against scripture. If one knows Jesus before death, their spirit is already with the Lord. Paul says to be absent from the body is to be at home with the Lord, II Corinthians 5:6. If one is an unbeliever at death, the scripture says there is no second chance as it is appointed unto man once to die and after that the judgment. Therefore, prayer for the dead is in opposition to God's Word and a pagan practice that became "Christianized". While living, one must make a choice "for" or "against" Jesus and that determines the destination at death of the spirit. No amount of prayer can reverse the decision made on earth by the person concerned while they were alive. Obviously, Mrs. Phillips is a hard-line Protestant, and here her anti- Catholic agenda comes on quite strongly. Phillips: Although the outward forms of such worship disappeared, the belief in these deities did not. They found an outlet during the Middle Ages in the open practice of witchcraft which is presently enjoying a revival in many countries, including the U.S. In Germany the occult is considered more prevalent than in the Middle Ages. The deistic cults held periodic meetings known as witches sabbaths, and it is the same today with October 31st being of more importance. The "deistic cults?" The -what-? Does she mean the so-called witches, or does she mean the Unitarians? In this context, the statement is essentially meaningless. It should be remembered that the accusation of "witchcraft" was a common means of attacking proto-Protestants, such as the Albigensians and Stedingers, or, through the practice of informers receiving a percentage of the "take," of getting your hands on your neighbor's land and money. The word "witch-hunt" is a very ugly word indeed, smacking of mobs and lynching more than the Love of Jesus. Killing your neighbor (or hassling him or her because of their beliefs) is not loving him .... or loving Him either. Phillips: The Bible instructs us to have nothing to do with the deeds of darkness. Both Christian and Jew are forbidden to participate in the occult practices listed in Deuteronomy 18:10. Necromancing is the delving into contacting the dead. God said all such practice was an abomination to Him. Phillips: Some may reply, "But we only do this in fun...we don't practice witchcraft." That which represents Satan and his domain cannot be handled or emulated "for fun". Such participation places you in enemy and forbidden territory and that is dangerous ground. I make no statement as to the validity of these paragraphs. Each Christian must decide for themselves whether dressing up in funny clothes and asking for candy from the neighbors is 'satanic' and 'necromancing' or not. Allowing your children to dress up as mass-murderers and as villains from the Hollywood slasher movies may or may not be 'satanic,' but it certainly is stupid. Making such creatures objects of 'hero-worship' might not be giving the kind of message to children that necessarily enables them to become sober, productive adults. I will say that Jesus Himself hung out with a crowd that the local Pharisees did not approve of (I heard them described once as "Republicans and sinners.") perhaps because these were the very ones in the most need of Him. Holding oneself apart from the World is perhaps a good thing, but remember that we are reminded to be "in the world" as well as being "not of it." I would think that Halloween would be a wonderful opportunity to include small, easily understood tracts in the candy given to children, with more appealing and detailed ones given to teenagers that are out trick-or-treating. A smile, and a "God bless you!" will save more souls than a grumpy, Pharisaical frown. At least the two anonymous tracts offer workable alternatives to the 201434369420143436942014343694201434369420143436942014343694718 From: The Bard Area: Metaphysical To: All 19 Aug 94 08:12:44 Subject: Hallows 7 UpdReq worldly celebration: Tract 1: One successful alternative used by a number of churches is a "Faith Festival" in which children dress as their favorite Bible character and gather for a special children's service with puppets, a Christian film, or something special. This offers an ideal opportunity to explain the spiritual significance of Halloween and to encourage the children to remember Hebrews chapter 11, which features great men and women of faith who have gone before us. The "Faith Festival" can be a time to thank God for His many blessings. Tract 1: As believers, we can take this opportunity to provide a creative alternative to this celebration of darkness. In ancient Israel, the majority of Jewish festivals occurred at the same time as pagan festivals. God did not simply tell his people not to engage in pagan festivals, He provided an alternative. During every major pagan festival, the Hebrew people would take part in a God-given alternative, a festival celebrating the same general subject but with a completely different focus. I would think that All Saint's Day would serve this purpose very well indeed, and the Apostolic churches (Roman Catholic, Anglican, Greek and Russian Orthodox, Old Catholic and so forth) seem to agree. One final observation may be in order: If the holiday is of such antiquity, and survived so long into Christian times among the Scots and Irish, then we would expect to find it as a major event, or even a minor event, in the lives of the Scots-Irish of the Appalachian Mountains and the Ozarks. In fact, we do not find it there at all, even among the practitioners of "folk magic," or "witchcraft," except after the cultural assimilation of the area into the American mainstream following World War One. We would also expect to find it, along with all or most of the so- called "Druid" customs associated with it, in Medieval Western Europe. We do not. It may be safe to assume therefore that the customs now attached to Halloween entered America in the mid-19th century CE, probably with the immigrations of the Irish after 1840, and may have entered Irish culture after 1750 CE. We do not find the holiday as anything other than "All Saints'" in modern Ireland or Scotland, however, so it must be said that "Halloween" as we know it in America, with all the folk stories and urban legends attached to it, is a distinctly American phenomenon. I love to see the children, out in the neighborhood streets with their parents, dressed in funny clothing, having a wonderful time .... and mocking the Devil with laughter. I am reminded of a story a friend told me: in a class on electricity, the Professor asked the class "What should you do if you see one of your classmates being fried by a wrongly-connected circuit?" The Professor's answer was: "Point and laugh: he didn't follow directions." This Halloween, watch the children pointing and laughing. Do a little pointing and laughing yourself, and watch the Devil squirm. He didn't follow directions. ---------------------------------------------------------------------- Mrs. Phillips, and the anonymous author of Tract 2, attach bibliographies to their articles. Unfortunately, many of the sources must be regarded as suspect (for the purposes of this article) because of their author's obvious Fundamentalist Christian agendas (marked with asterisks). I have done the same with the Neo-pagan references in my own bibliography, using those so marked as references for modern Pagan and Wiccan _beliefs only_, and have checked any historical information taken from them against other references. I must also point out that bibliographies such as Phillips' and that of Tract 2 (Margadonna and Tract 1 had none) would be laughed out of a freshman High School English class. They just give names of publications, with no publishers and few dates, making it difficult to check the references for oneself. I have been able to check most of the magazine references, and the results of that check are noted below. BIBLIOGRAPHY (PHILLIPS): Encyclopedia Americana Encyclopedia Brittanica The World Book Encyclopedia (note: Ms. Moonstone's comments on these references are most interesting indeed:) "When these books and pamphlets cite sources at all, they usually list the Encyclopaedia Brittannica, Encyclopedia Americana, and the World Book Encyclopedia. The Brittannica and the Americana ..... do, indeed list Samhain as the Lord of Death, contrary to Celtic scholars, and list no references. The World Book ..... lists as its sources several children's books (hardly what one could consider scholarly texts, and, of course, themselves citing no references)." Christian Life, October 1980* The Standard Dictionary of Folklore Babylon Mystery Religion* (note: this buzz-phrase has always fascinated me. It seems to stem from a Mr. Texxe Marrs, who has outlined quite an elaborate Sumerian/Babylonian religion that does not seem to be supported by archaeology.) The Satan Seller, Mike Warnke* (note: Mr. Warnke has been recently exposed as something of a fraud in "Cornerstone" magazine, (Vol. 21, No. 98) showing his stories of his involvement with Satanisim as being quite impossible.) Freed From Witchcraft, Dareen Irvine* Time Magazine, June 19, 1972 (note: This is actually Vol. 99 No. 25, and has a good article on the occult revival, but no reference to Halloween whatsoever.) The Supernatural, Grolier Enter., Inc. Christianity Today, Oct. 21, 1977* (note: This is really the issue for Oct. 22 (Vol. XXI No. 2) and has nothing on the occult or Halloween that I could find.) BIBLIOGRAPHY (TRACT 2): Encyclopedia Britannica World Book Encyclopedia (note: see Ms. Moonstone's comments above) "Halloween Through 20 Centuries", Ralph Linton The Book of Festive Holidays Newsweek (Feb., 1974) (note: There is an article on exorcism in Vol. 83 #5/6 Feb. 4/11 1974, but nothing on Halloween.) ---------------------------------------------------------------------- BIBLIOGRAPHY (BETHANCOURT): Adler, Margot, "Drawing Down The Moon" (Boston: Beacon Press, 1986)* Bostwick, James, "Irish Druids And Old Irish Religions" (------, Dorset Press, 1986; orig. published in 1894) Briggs, Katherine, "An Encyclopaedia of Fairies" (New York: Pantheon 1976) Cavendish, Richard, "Man, Myth and Magic" (Vol. 1 et. al.) (New York: Marshall Cavendish Corp. 1970) Chadwick, Nora, "The Celts", (Harmondsworth, England: Penguin Books, 1982) Child, Francis James, "The English And Scottish Popular Ballads" (Vol 1-5) (New York: Dover, 1965) Coglan, Ronan, "A Dictionary of Irish Myth and Legend," (Dublin: 1979) Cooper, J.C., "An Illustrated Encyclopaedia Of Traditional Symbols," (New York: Thames And Hudson, 1979) Delaney, John J., "A Dictionary of Saints" (New York: Doubleday, 1980) DeLys, Claudia, "A Treasury Of American Superstitions" (New York: Philosophical Library, MCMXLVIII) Durant, Will, "The Age of Faith" (New York; Simon & Schuster, 1950) Elder, Isabel Hill, "Celt, Druid and Culdee" (London: Covenant Publishing 1962) Graves, Robert, "The White Goddess" (New York: Farrar, Straus and Giboux, 1966) Herity, Michael and Eogan, George, "Ireland In Prehistory" (Southampton: Camelot Press 1978) Herm, Gerhard, "The Celts" (New York: St. Martin's Press 1976) Higgins, Godfrey, "The Celtic Druids" (Los Angeles: Philosophical Research Society Inc. 1977; orig. published in 1827) Keightley, Thomas, "The World Guide To Gnomes, Faeries, Elves and Other Little People" (New York: Avenel Books 1978) (nb: this is a reprint of "The Fairy Mythology" of 1880) 201434369420143436942014343694201434369420143436942014343694718 From: The Bard Area: Metaphysical To: All 19 Aug 94 08:14:04 Subject: Hallows end UpdReq Keightley, Thomas, "The World Guide To Gnomes, Faeries, Elves and Other Little People" (New York: Avenel Books 1978) (nb: this is a reprint of "The Fairy Mythology" of 1880) Lane, C. Arthur (Rev.), "llustrated Notes On English Church History" (Vols. 1 and 2) (London: Society For Promoting Christian Knowledge 1886, 1888) MacCana, Proinsias, "Celtic Mythology" (London: Hamlyn House 1970) MacCrossan, Tadhg, "The Sacred Cauldron: Secrets Of The Druids" (St. Paul: Llewellyn Pub. 1991)* Maclennan, Malcolm, "A Pronouncing and Etymological Dictionary of the Gaelic Language" (Aberdeen: University Press 1979; orig. published in 1925) MacManus, Seumas, "the Story Of The Irish Race" (New York: Devin-Adair 1921) Moonstone, Rowan (pseud.), "The Origins of Halloween" (tract) (Colorado Springs: Cult Watch Response 1989)* Oman, Charles, (Ed.) "A History Of England" (7 Vols.) (London: Methuen & Co. Ltd. 1910) Powell, T.G.E., "The Celts," (New York: Thames & Hudson, 1980) Piggot, Stuart, "The Druids" (New York: Praeger Pub. 1968) Rees, Alwyn and Brinley, "Celtic Heritage" (New York: Thames and Hudson 1961) Rolleston, T.W., "Celtic Myths and Legends" (London: Bracken 1976) Ross, Anne and Robins, Don, "The Life And Death Of A Druid Prince" (New York: Summit Books, 1989) Starhawk (pseud.), "The Spiral Dance" (San Francisco: Harper and Row, 1979)* Starkey, Marion L., "The Devil In Massachusetts" (Garden City: Anchor Books, (1969) Squire, Charles, "Celtic Myth and Legend, Poetry and Romance," (New York: Newcastle Publishing Co., Inc., 1975) Wedeck, H.E. and Baskin, Wade, "A Dictionary Of Pagan Religions" (New York: Philosophical Library, 1971) Wright, Michael and Walters, Sally, "The Book Of The Cat" (New York: Summit Books 1980) *end* 201434369420143436942014343694201434369420143436942014343694718