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Anora Eldorath

What makes a man a man? A friend of mine once wondered. Is it his origins? The way he comes to life?

About Me

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ASK ANORA: ADVISE COLUMN PAGAN
I've recently launched my advise column on myspace as a beta test before we move it to an ezine format. If you have a question please feel free to send it via myspace mail or you may send it more anonymously through yahoo to [email protected] . I will not be putting your screen name, real name, or magical name. Sign all correspondances with how you wish to be addressed. (This will be handled much the same way Ann Landers handles her columns). I will be answering all questions via my blog with the title ASK ANORA in the title line for all to find easily. Please enjoy!
Feast of Samhain/Celtic New Year/Celebration of All Celtic Saints November 1
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November 1 is the Celtic feast of Samhain. Samhain, Gaelic for "summer’s end, " was the most important of the ancient Celtic feasts.
The Celts honored the opposing balance of intertwining forces of existence: darkness and light, night and day, cold and heat, death and life. The Celtic year was divided into two seasons: the light and the dark, celebrating the light at Beltane on May 1st and the dark at Samhain on November 1st. Therefore, the Feast of Samhain marks one of the two great doorways of the Celtic year. Some believe that Samhain was the more important festival, since it marked the beginning of a new dark-light cycle. The Celts observed time as proceeding from darkness to light because they understood that in dark silence comes whisperings of new beginnings, the stirring of the seed below the ground. Therefore, the Celtic year began with the season of An Geamhradh, the dark Celtic winter, and ended with Am Foghar, the Celtic harvest. The Celtic day began at dusk, the beginning of the dark and cold night, and ended the following dusk, the end of a day of light and warmth. Since dusk is the beginning of the Celtic day, Samhain begins at dusk on October 31. Samhain marks the beginning of An Geamhradh as well as the New Year.
Whereas Beltane was welcomed in the summer light with joyous celebrations at dawn, the most magically potent time of Samhain was at night. Oidhche Shamhna, the Eve of Samhain, was the most important part of the celebration. Villagers gathered the best of the autumn harvest and slaughtered cattle for the feast. The focus of each village’s festivities was a great bonfire. Villagers cast the bones of the slaughtered cattle upon the flames. (Our word bonfire comes from these "bone fires.") Personal prayers in the form of objects symbolizing the wishes of supplicants or ailments to be healed were cast into the fire. Many sacrifices and gifts were offered up in thanksgiving for the harvest. With the great bonfire roaring, the villagers extinguished all other fires. Each family then solemnly lit their hearth from the one great common flame, bonding all families of the village together. As they received the flame that marked this time of beginnings, people surely felt a sense of the kindling of new dreams, projects and hopes for the year to come.
The gods drew near to Earth at Samhain, as at all the turning points of the Celtic year. The Celts believed that Oidhche Shamhna was a very holy time, when the boundaries between our world and the Otherworld were broken and the dead could return to the places where they had lived. Many rituals of Oidhche Shamhna involved providing hospitality for dead ancestors: Celts put out food and drink for the dead with great ceremony, and left their windows, doors, and gates unlocked to give the dead free passage into their homes. Bobbing for apples, another traditional Samhain pastime, was a reference to the Celtic Emhain Abhlach, "Paradise of Apples, " where the dead, having eaten of the sacred fruit, enjoyed a blissful immortality. Swarms of spirits poured into our world on November Eve, but not all of these spirits were friendly. Celts carved the images of spirit-guardians onto turnips and set these "jack o’lanterns" before their doors to keep out unwelcome visitors from the Otherworld.
In the agricultural year, Samhain also marked the first day of winter, when the herders led the cattle and sheep down from their summer hillside pastures to the shelter of stable and byre. The hay that would feed them during the winter must be stored in sturdy thatched shelters, tied down securely against storms. Those destined for the table were slaughtered, after being ritually devoted to the gods in pagan times. All the harvest must be gathered in -- barley, oats, wheat, turnips, and apples. Peat and wood for winter fires were stacked high by the hearth. It was a joyous time of family reunion, when all members of the household worked together baking, salting meat, and making preserves for the winter feasts to come. The endless horizons of summer gave way to a warm, dim and often smoky room; the symphony of summer sounds was replaced by a counterpoint of voices, young and old, human and animal. Divination of the events of the coming year was another prominent feature of Samhain. Celts used hazelnuts, symbols of wisdom, to foretell the future.
There was also a lighthearted side to the Celtic New Year rituals. Young people would put on strange disguises and roam about the countryside, pretending to be the returning dead or spirits from the Otherworld. Celts thought the break in reality on November Eve not only provided a link between the worlds, but also dissolved the structure of society for the night. Boys and girls would put on each other’s clothes, and would generally flout convention by boisterous behavior and by playing tricks on their elders and betters.
For centuries Christian people have commemorated the intercommunion of the living and the dead in the Body of Christ by honoring the dead who had professed faith in Christ during their lives, especially those who had crowned their profession with heroic deaths. Historic documents show the observance of a festival of martyrs as early as the year 270, although no month and date are attached to it. In the 4th century, an observance of this type is noted on the date of May 13th. John Chrysostom, who died in 407, says that a festival of All Saints was observed on the First Sunday after Pentecost in Constantinople at the time of his episcopate. It is believed by many scholars that the commemoration of all the saints on November 1 first originated in Ireland, spread from there to England, and then to the continent of Europe. That it had reached Rome and been adopted there early in the ninth century is attested by a letter written by Pope Gregory IV, urging that such a festival be observed throughout the Holy Roman Empire.
With the rise of Christianity, Samhain was changed to Hallowmas, or All Saints’ Day, to commemorate the souls of the blessed dead who had been canonized that year. The night before became popularly known as Halloween, or All Hallows Eve. In Scotland and Ireland, Halloween is known as Oíche Shamhna, while in Wales it is Nos Calan Gaeaf, the eve of the winter’s calend, or first. November 2nd became All Souls Day, when prayers were to be offered to the souls of all who the departed and those who were waiting in Purgatory for entry into Heaven.
Many ancient Celtic customs proved compatible with the new Christian religion. Christianity embraced the Celtic notions of family, community, the bond among all people, and respect for the dead. Throughout the centuries, pagan and Christian beliefs intertwine in a gallimaufry (hodgepodge) of celebrations from October 31st through November 5th, all of which appear both to challenge the ascendancy of the dark and to revel in its mystery.
Chant for Samhain A year of beauty. A year of plenty. A year of planting. A year of harvest.
A year of forests. A year of healing. A year of vision. A year of passion.
A year of rebirth. A year of rebirth. This year may we renew the earth.
Let it begin with each step we take. Let it begin with each change we make.
Let it begin with each chain we break. And let it begin every time we awake.
http://allsaintsbrookline.org/celtic/samhain.html[/
MAGI-Magicians Against Global Imperialism
I am Anora Eldorath a child and servant of the Divine, a Student of Life, and the High Priestess in the Student of Life Tradition and co-founder of the Cove of Light, along with my husband Awen .

I can be loving and loyal to a fault, but can also be a grade A bitch if I'm pissed off. I try to be open, honest, and understanding as often as I can, and am more than happy to share any insights or suggestions I may have, but I can quickly lose patience if someone doesn't seem to be paying attention to what I'm trying to convey. I do NOT expect everyone to agree with me all the time; I would prefer that people ask questions or correct me if I say something that is incorrect or doesn't make sense. I generally try to do the same in a considerate and compassionate manner, but I tend to have especially little patience for willful ignorance and outright stupidity. I believe we all--myself included--must sometimes do things we don't necessarily like in order to get what we need. I believe being a Student of Life means engaging and learning from all of Life--the good and the bad, not just the shiny happy stuff and nothing else.
Explanation:
Awen and I will not to meet with anyone who shows an interest in the Cove of Light without first receiving a membership form showing they have read through and understand the basis of the Cove of Light.
READ:I will not respond to those who don't contact me first via an email. I'm not responsible for how you perceive this, but I would expect that if you are true to your path you will respect that.
It is my hopes that my blogs allow you to take away a bit of a gem and enrich your life. If you are a frequent reader of my blogs it would be nice to have your name so I know who is reading. If you suscribe, please drop me a note and let me know what caused you to suscribe-which gem meant the most to you.


Layout by CoolChaser

My Interests

I have many interests. I love books, sewing, martial arts, growing herbs, gardening in general, wild life, fishing, hiking, etc. I just love living life.

I could not seem to place this on my blog as I had wanted to do so, so it is here to share. It is best viewed with sound and I do hope you enjoy our first tribute to Duncan.(You can simply pause the player by using the pause button. I have put up a thread on the blog so people can respond.

I'd like to meet:

Enlightened Masters/Avatars.

I'd like to meet those fellow practioners who are willing to be committed to friendships within SAIV and the Cove of Light. I am an open, understanding person, but I have high expectations for friendships and I do not take them lightly. Again, if you just want numbers on your friend's list and think that is all that matters on myspace then I am probably not the friend for you, for I take my friends seriously. I'm also extremely honest and will not simply coddle and comfy you with false flattery. Do not come to me after you've decided to be a friend of mine and complain, you've been forewarned.


Music:

I truly enjoy all music. I do have my moments where I prefer one over the other but I'm fairly open minded. A few of my favorites are David Arkenstone, Josh Groben, Beethoven, Mozart, Bach, Sting, Godsmack, Johnny Cash, Prince,Duke Ellington, Louis Armstrong, ...

Movies:

The Lord of the Rings Trilogy
The Karate Kid Trilogy
Hannibal & Silence of the Lambs
Jet Li's Fearless
The Protector
The Little Princess
The Passion
Stigmata
Saw I & II & III
Dune (Both Versions)
Star Wars (All Six)
End of Days
The Three Musketeers
You've Got Mail
Pride and Prejudice (Colin Firth)
Sense and Sensibility
Mickey Blue Eyes
Age of Innocence
The Musketeer
Mrs. Doubtfire

Television:

CSI Miami
The Unit
CSI NY
Dr. Who
House
NCSI
Clean Sweep
Trading Spaces
Take Home Handyman
M.A.S.H.
Criminal Minds
The History Channel
The Learning Channel
Discovery Channel
PBS

Books:

My Own Writings
Karate Kid Philosophy

Other Books of Enjoyment
Jane Eyre
Pride and Prejudice
Dune (All 6)
Simple Abundance
Clear your clutter with Feng Shui
The Satanic Witch


Other Authors
Awen Eldorath
Edward O'Toole
The Dali Lama
Stephen Covey
Paramahansa Yogananda

Book Shops

Heroes:

Send beautiful fantasy greeting cards . They're all free, including artwork of dragons, faeries, angels and landscapes. There are also Flash e-cards, funny pictures and videos and more at Wicked Moon .

Sri Paramahansa Yogananda
Mahatma Gandhi
Siddhartha Gautama Buddha
His Holiness the Dali Lama
Dr. Martin Luther King Jr.
Dion Fortune
Mother Theresa
St. Catherine of Sienna
Elizabeth I
Catherine the Great
Awen

My Blog

I’m confused

From: The AdversaryDate: Oct 15, 2008 3:51 PMI'm a little confused. Let me see if I have this right.....* If you grow up in Hawaii, raised by your grandparents, you're 'exotic, different.* Grow up in ...
Posted by Anora Eldorath on Thu, 16 Oct 2008 05:39:00 PST

A slice of life

As I sit with my cup of tea this morning I'm trying to find the right words to begin this blog. It's a dismal day outside, the frost has hit already, the skies are grey and the wind is rustling throug...
Posted by Anora Eldorath on Wed, 15 Oct 2008 07:11:00 PST

For those in relationships

I love Rumi and this is one of my favorites. It's a wonderful reminder about what being in a committed relationship is about. Most know I don't believe two people have to be "legally" married to be in...
Posted by Anora Eldorath on Fri, 10 Oct 2008 03:02:00 PST

20 Movies that make men cry

According to a recent article in e-harmony these are the top 20 movies that make men cry. 1. Brians Song (1971) 2. Rudy (1993) 3. Saving Private Ryan (1998) 4. One Flew Over the Cuckoo's Nest (1975) 5...
Posted by Anora Eldorath on Mon, 06 Oct 2008 05:13:00 PST

Victim, Armchair, or Just Fed Up Citizen

Last night brought with it a very passionate discussion on the current state of affairs in America, and I stated very clearly that I felt that we were in a depression that was being ignored by the gov...
Posted by Anora Eldorath on Sat, 04 Oct 2008 09:44:00 PST

Lists

I found this in a group today, is this really necessary? Is this what being Wiccan has come to and is promoting now a days? Anora ********************************* ----- big ass list of the good ...
Posted by Anora Eldorath on Fri, 03 Oct 2008 02:39:00 PST

So, I wonder...

In a recent discussion I pointed out that I felt that having an interfaith discussion grouped meant we discussed and respected each other's right to our beliefs, even if they were not our beliefs and ...
Posted by Anora Eldorath on Mon, 29 Sep 2008 03:36:00 PST

So, I wonder...

In a recent discussion I pointed out that I felt that having an interfaith discussion grouped meant we discussed and respected each other's right to our beliefs, even if they were not our beliefs and ...
Posted by Anora Eldorath on Mon, 29 Sep 2008 03:36:00 PST

Bill Gates speech to HS Students

Isn't it sad that this is the best the man who gave us MS Office could offer to a group of High School students. Perhaps he never met Walt Disney. Though I do agree in personal responsibility, I don't...
Posted by Anora Eldorath on Thu, 25 Sep 2008 05:43:00 PST

Mean Girls

In watching the morning show a book called "When Mean Girls Grow Up" was featured. I've not yet read the book but I have to agree with the author's point that at some point the mean girls of our adole...
Posted by Anora Eldorath on Wed, 24 Sep 2008 07:39:00 PST