Celebrating Samhain, With My Non-Pagan Family.
By: Artemis Inks
Tags: Paganism, Witchcraft, Spirituality, Pagan, Samhain

Celebrating Samhain, With My Non-Pagan Family.

Honoring your Witchy life without intimidating those around you.

Photo by Paige Cody on Unsplash

Growing up, like many kids, I looked forward to the day of Halloween. I loved the spooky and magical ambiance that Halloween brought, but it always felt empty. I had no idea why we were celebrating the dead in this way, for any other reason than — that’s just what everyone else did. Over time, I grew and learnt about Paganism and Witchcraft. I found my deities, my path, and my true witchy self. Suddenly Halloween changed into Samhain and seemed less pointless. My family, however, less so. Holidays are a wonderful time to spend and celebrate with family, So of course, I was sad not to share this significant holiday with them.

I come from a very open-minded and accepting family. Our motto is ‘if that’s what you want to do, just don’t hurt anyone or make a mess.’ I began talking about my Pagan interests over time and surprisingly, my family was interested. I’m not sure they’re ready for making a family altar or start praying to god and goddesses just yet, but they love a good activity! So here is how I celebrated Samhain with my non-pagan family.

The Heart Begins at the Stomach.

Every celebration in my family is surrounded by food. Every birthday, Christmas, graduation, and anniversary comes with a large family meal. (I’ll let you make your own deductions about my family based on that statement) Each celebration in the Pagan calendar follows nature and what the soil produces during that season. Finding recipes that correspond with the time of year is a perfect tradition to keep up either alone or with your friends and family. This year my mum and I got stuck in the kitchen! Sharing family recipes is a tradition during Samhain, so mamma cooked up her famous casserole and I whipped up my apple crumble. Cozying up on the floor, with steaming pots, plates of food lovingly prepared throughout the day, my family dived in and felt our stomachs warm heavily.

A family meal is the least intimidating way to celebrate with your non-pagan family. And if you’re family don’t enjoy a good meal, I don’t think I can help you!

A Step and a Breath.

Ted the Cavpoo in his Halloween jumper!

As a Pagan, my life follows the natural pattern of the seasons. It’s important to take a breath and spend time in nature. Mother Earth protects and provides for us. But with new technology and fast-paced living, it’s easy to forget where we come from. Going out for a walk without phones or music playing in your ears is another calming way to pay thanks to the word we live in and truly notice what’s surrounds us. With CoviId-19 still in play, it is vital we stay home whenever we can. But we all need to stretch our legs and a change of scenery from time to time. So be careful and plan your route. Have a chat with your loved ones about what’s going on in your lives and maybe even take a furry friend with you! This year we took our furry dog Ted for a stroll. We told him he couldn’t go trick or treating but we could show off his funky jumper from afar.

Busy Hands for Quiet Minds.

My mum and I are creative nuts and love nothing more than good art and craft! Making a Witch’s Ladder is a wonderful and calming activity you and your family can complete. You could even do it whilst watching the telly! After a trip to the arts and crafts shops, I and mamma picked out three colors of wool that corresponded with our desires for the upcoming year. Have a look into what each color means and pick what’s best for you! After our big meal, we sat down and measured the wool to our height. We tied the end and braided away! To my surprise, my little brother even wanted to join in! We laughed about the difficulty of braiding and talked about how we hoped to manifest our desires. My brother is logic and science-based type of person, but even he enjoyed the pretty colors and the idea of making goals.

Make a Wish.

If you managed to do all of the above, chances are, your family is pretty much in the Samhain spirit. So this is a little more mystical. Write down your wishes for the next year on a piece of paper (or maybe some bay leaves). Light up a fire and burn your wishes. The smoke will take your desires up to the deities and let them know what your heart truly desires. I and my family used this time for quiet reflection. We didn’t ask one another what we were wishing for. We knew we all had private and emotional wishes that sometimes are better left unsaid. But watching the paper alight and our words be released into the air, that was a sense of hope.

It can be lonely, being the only witch in the family. I’m the only one who gets excited about a full moon or panics when I see a fairy circle in the garden. But my loving family accept me for all of my wonderful witchy weirdness! Sharing these holidays and moments with them just brings us closer together. And it's an excuse for another big meal! So just give it ago! Suggest these activities to your loved ones. The worst that could happen? They say no thank you and you do them on your own.

So blessed be!

And happy Samhain!

-ARTEMIS INKS