I have been studying Celtic Shamanism for quite a while and am about half way through my Bardic training. Eventually I will complete the Druidry course, but it is a ways out.
Bards are storytellers, poets and musicians. Since Celtic society was an oral tradition, they were also the keepers of tradition, of the memory of the tribe.
One of the areas I struggle with is poetry. It has become a standing joke within my circle that when we come to poetry, I go blank. So, maybe I’m beginning to “get it” because as I was going to sleep last night, I was creating a Samhain poem.
For those who are unfamiliar with Samhain, it is the Celtic New Year. It is also the time of year for communing with your ancestors as the veil between our world and the Otherworld is at it’s thinnest.
So, here it is. Remember, I’m not claiming to be a poet – yet :-), so be gentle.
A Samhain Celebration
by Debbie Gent
The leaves are falling, the harvest is done.
Samhain arrives with the setting sun.
The bonfire is lit and offerings ready.
The smell of the incense makes me feel heady.
This is the time the veil is thin,
From the Otherworld, we call our kin.
“Ancestors one and all,
We ask you now to hear our call.
I am Deborah, daughter of Loretta, daughter of Rose”
And on and on the reciting goes.
One by one, the clans arrive
And soon the party begins to jive.
In typical reunion style,
We party on for a long while.
Singing and dancing, stories and boasts,
Interspersed with many toasts.
And all too soon the party ends.
We say goodbye to our departed friends.
To the Otherworld they return,
Until the year makes another turn.
And as the fire begins to burn out
Through the veil I hear one last shout…
“Samhain blessings – From my clan to yours”
Until next time (an no more poetry for a while)-
Mitakuye Oyasin (A Lakota prayer reminding us we are all related),
Debbie