Witches Tea Party ~ Under a Halloween Moon

Welcome to a Witch's Tea Party under a Halloween Moon here at Marigold Manor! I'd like to thank our hostess for this fabulous blog party, Anna at 'Frosted Petunias' for all the hard work she puts in to create something beautiful for us all to share!

Now please come in . . . don't hesitate . . . the tea's all brewed and waiting on you!

Ma cherie Mademoiselle, it is with deepest pride
and greatest pleasure that I welcome you tonight.
And now I invite you to relax, let me pull up a
chair as I proudly present - your tea!

Be my guest! Be my guest!
Put my service to the test!
Tie your napkin 'round your neck, cherie
And I'll provide the rest.

One lump, or two, perhaps even three!
Why, I only live to serve you,
of this you can be sure of!
Try the cake now, it's delicious!

Don't believe me? Ask the dishes
They can sing, they can dance
After all, Miss, they're enchanted
And a tea here is never second best.

Go on, unfold your napkin,
take a glance and then you'll . . .
Be my guest
Oui, my guest
Be my guest!

I'll prepare and serve with flair
A culinary cabaret!
You're alone,
and you're scared,
but the tea has been all prepared!
No one's gloomy or complaining
while the flatware's entertaining!

I'll tell jokes! I'll do tricks
with my fellow candlesticks,
and it's all in perfect taste
of that you can be sure of.
Come on and lift your glass!
You've won your own free pass
To be my guest!

Be my guest! Be my guest!
Get your worries off your chest.
How could anyone be gloomy and depressed?
I'll make you shout "encore!"
And send me out for more,
So, be my guest!

While the cups do their soft-shoein'
I'll be bubbling, I'll be brewing
I'll get warm, piping hot . . .
Heaven's sakes! Is that a spot?
Clean it up! I want the company to be impressed!

Life is so unnerving
For a Witch who is not serving
She's not whole without a soul to wait upon
Ah, those good old days when we were useful...

Be my guest! Be my guest!
My command is your request
It's been years since anybody's been here
And I'm obsessed
with your tea, with your ease,
Yes, indeed, I aim to please!

While the candlelight's still glowing,
let me help you, I'll keep going
cup by cup, one by one
'Til you shout, "Enough! I'm done!"

Then I'll sing you off to sleep as you digest.
Tonight you'll prop your feet up.
But for now, let's eat up!

Thank you so much for stopping by today . . . I do hope you enjoyed your visit!


Poem adapted from 'Beauty and the Beast - Be Our Guest'

'A Fanciful Twist' Halloween Blog Party

I'm so glad you stopped by today! Before we start the party I'd like to extend a heartfelt thanks to Vanessa at 'A Fanciful Twist' for hosting this party! Be sure to stop by 'A Fanciful Twist' and partake of Vanessa's yummy post as well as links to all the other party participants!

I'm taking a bit of a different route this Halloween/Samhain. I've been intrigued with the colors of Black and Cream ever since I saw a layout in the fall Better Homes and Gardens magazine (I really need to purchase that copy!). It was gorgeous and it inspired me to create outside-of-the-box . . .

This time of year always makes me turn introspective and especially so since I turned 50 last year. I'm beginning to shrug off the old stereotypes of women being past their prime and over-the-hill. I certainly don't feel that way. In fact I feel better than ever and wiser too.

Season of the Crone

Crone of Winter's spellbound cold,
in Her cauldron of black are told
secrets ancient, truths and tales:
mystery Her light unveils.

She is wisdom, She is changes:
time and space She rearranges.
In Her hands, the card of Death,
for transformation is Her breath.

Crone of Winter, Grandmother wise,
look into Her gargoyle eyes.
Let Her lessons teach you well:
life is but a magick spell.

by
Gerina Dunwich

And as this time of year always does, it conjures up images of Witch's with warts on their noses, wearing pointy hats and flying on broomsticks . . . I think it's about time to leave those out-dated images behind . . .

. . . and relish a new image of the Crone . . .

"[The Crone] holds an unspeakable wisdom in the very cells of her body. The beauty and the horror of all life are held together in love. Being with her . . . we begin to see everything from two sides - the side that is totally in life, and the side that is already dwelling in disembodied soul. The Crone helps us hold the paradox."
~ Marion Woodman ~

I hope you enjoyed visiting today and have fun popping around to all the other delights waiting for you!

The Witch's Sabbat

SophiaDawn over at 'Wandering A Wise Woman Path' shared this video on her blog and I liked it so much I thought I'd share it here on mine. Enjoy! Oh, and be sure to turn the music off at the bottom of this page before starting the video . . .

Samhain ~ 2011

Do you ever feel like a chicken with it's head cut off? I'm feeling that way lately. I don't know if it's because I feel the need to do some fall cleaning or if it's the myriad of projects I have on the go, or the Samhain/Halloween parties I've committed to. Probably all of the above.

One party that I'm looking forward to is one that my friend Carl and I are hosting on October 29th. My friends have graciously accepted the invitation to partake in Samhain Celebrations with me! We're having a traditional Samhain Feast complete with a roast turkey, Butternut Squash and Apple Casserole, Green Bean Casserole, corn bread . . . okay, I'll stop - I'm making myself hungry.

After dinner we'll revel, share and tell stories and then at midnight we'll be conducting a Samhain Ritual. It's the first time I've shared in ritual with my friends and I'm elated to be sharing it with friends who trust, understand and accept my beliefs. They're a great bunch! I love you guys!

In the Spirit of Samhain, I've posted two rituals to my 'Sabbats and Esbats' page. One is simpler than the other, but both are meaningful and catch the Spirit of this beautiful time of year when the veil is thin and we can connect with our Ancestors and loved ones.

Wishing you all a Blessed Samhain and a Happy New Year!!

Day of the Dead

The Day of the Dead is a holiday celebrated by many in Mexico and by some Mexican Americans living in the United States and Canada. The holiday focuses on gatherings of family and friends to pray for and remember friends and family members who have died. The celebration occurs on November 2nd in connection with the Catholic holidays of All Saints' Day (November 1st) and All Souls' Day (November 2nd).

Traditions connected with the holiday include building private altars honoring the deceased using sugar skulls, marigolds, and the favorite foods and beverages of the departed and visiting graves with these as gifts. Because the Day of the Dead follows so closely behind Halloween, sometimes they're mistaken to be the same holiday, although the two actually have little in common. The Day of the Dead is a time of celebration where partying is common.

Scholars trace the origins of the modern holiday to indigenous observances dating back thousands of years and to an Aztec festival dedicated to a goddess called Mictecacihuatl. In Brazil, Dia de Finados is a public holiday that many Brazilians celebrate by visiting cemeteries and churches. In Spain, there are festivals and parades, and, at the end of the day, people gather at cemeteries to pray for their dead loved ones. Similar observances occur elsewhere in Europe, and similarly themed celebrations appear in many Asian and African cultures.

The Day of the Dead celebrations in Mexico can be traced back to the indigenous cultures. Rituals celebrating the deaths of ancestors have been observed by these civilizations perhaps for as long as 2,500–3,000 years. In the pre-Hispanic era, it was common to keep skulls as trophies and display them during rituals to symbolize death and rebirth.

'Catrinas'

The festival that became the modern Day of the Dead fell in the ninth month of the Aztec calendar, about the beginning of August, and was celebrated for an entire month. The festivities were dedicated to the Goddess known as the "Lady of the Dead", corresponding to the modern Catrina.

In most regions of Mexico, November 1st honors children and infants, whereas deceased adults are honored on November 2nd. This is indicated by generally referring to November 1st mainly as Día de los Inocentes ("Day of the Innocents") but also as Día de los Angelitos ("Day of the Little Angels") and November 2nd as Día de los Muertos or Día de los Difuntos ("Day of the Dead").

People go to cemeteries to be with the souls of the departed and build private altars containing the favorite foods and beverages as well as photos and memorabilia of the departed. The intent is to encourage visits by the souls, so that the souls will hear the prayers and the comments of the living directed to them. Celebrations can take a humorous tone, as celebrants remember funny events and anecdotes about the departed.

Plans for the day are made throughout the year, including gathering the goods to be offered to the dead. During the three-day period, families usually clean and decorate graves; most visit the cemeteries where their loved ones are buried and decorate their graves with ofrendas ("offerings"), which often include orange mexican marigolds (Tagetes erecta) called cempasúchitl (originally named cempoalxochitl, Nahuatl for "twenty flowers").

In some parts of the country (especially the cities, where in recent years there are displaced other customs), children in costumes roam the streets, knocking on people's doors for a calaverita, a small gift of candies or money; they also ask passersby for it. This custom is similar to that of Halloween's trick-or-treating and is relatively recent.

Some people believe that possessing Day of the Dead items can bring good luck. Many people get tattoos or have dolls of the dead to carry with them. They also clean their houses and prepare the favorite dishes of their deceased loved ones to place upon their altar or ofrenda.

There are traditions all over the world that celebrate the 'Day of the Dead' and whichever way you celebrate it, I hope that you are blessed with happy memories of those loved ones that have gone before you.