Our tradition began when the kids were in school. We, as working moms, scheduled time off to watch the kids in the Halloween Parade, help out in the classrooms for Halloween Parties, and, of course, celebrate the Witches’ New Year by casting our wishes to the universe for a charmed life.
Twenty years or so later, we still gather around our cauldron of coffee and pull out the Tarot Cards. We take turns cleansing and drawing cards for our spread, then deciphering the meanings we find positive aspects in each spread.
We light a fire in the firepit, sprinkle a bit of Holy Water, or smudge the area with White Sage. We cast away all the lookie-loo spirits that try to sneak in, and we ask for our ancestors to join us. We invoke their memories on the Holy Day of Samhain, the time of visits from our beloved dead. We tell stories about how our loved ones above made us laugh, or recall valuable lessons we learned from them. We also look for and share times when we had signs from them.
It all sounds a bit woo-woo, but it is important to take the time to be with your friends and share these intimate passages of life. Death is a difficult subject for most, but knowing that death doesn’t mean being gone helps us find joy instead of sorrow.
We brew a second or third pot of coffee, for this Samhain rally lasted ALL DAY, not our typical 2 hours or so. It was a long time coming that we had to gather. We missed each other a lot this past year. Between busy lives and family changes, work and relationships, vacations, and exhaustion, it was challenging to meet this past year. But we made up for it.
I am very grateful for my friends and our special TBC time. . . oh, what is TBC? Well, it’s Three Bitches Camping. That’s us, and it forever will be. Even one day, when we become the beloved dead.
So Mote It Be, and a Blessed Samhain to All!