Citizen Staff/Amanda Lutey
Various items adorn an altar in preparation for a Samhain ritual. Samhain, one of eight major pagan festivals during the year, is celebrated on Oct. 31. It marks the passing of the seasons, honors the dead and is considered the begining of the new year. The ancient Celtic observation of Samhain evolved into Halloween, All Saints's Day and All Souls Day.
CAMBRIA — An ancient celebration that evolved into Halloween and All Saints Day celebrations was observed this weekend.
A couple who live south of Cambria hosted more than 15 guests at their home on Saturday night for a Samhain ritual, led by the Rev. Peter Hertzberg.
Hertzberg is the chief priest at Northern Lakes Temple in Watertown, a Correllian Nativist Wiccan Church. He said that the Correllian Nativist tradition is a blend of Native American shamanism and Celtic and Scottish mysticism.
Samhain, one of eight major pagan festivals held during the year, marks the passing of the seasons and honors the dead. Hertzberg said it is also considered the begining of the pagan new year.
“The veil is thinnest between the worlds,” Hertzberg said of why the dead are honored on Oct 31.
“A lot of things are coming back,” said Hertzberg of pagan beliefs, “Including a reverence for nature. To a Wiccan, all life is sacred.”
Hertzberg, who was raised Lutheran, said he began studying world religions while doing research for a novel he hoped to write. He started asking questions about his faith and found that Wicca was a better fit for his spirituality. He said there are many correlations between Judeo-Christian beliefs and Wicca.
He is a third degree legally ordained Wiccan priest, and said that his studies have taken him nine years. He said he has students in Wisconsin and all over the world.
“It’s not hocus pocus. It is a real religion with real beliefs,” Hertzberg said. “We’re normal people ... we’re just like everyone else out there. We have families, we have jobs, we contribute to society.”
Hertzberg said that there are two basic tenets in Wicca, “Do as you will and harm ye none.”
“We take responsibility for our own actions” said Hertzberg of the Wiccan Law of Threes. “Whatever you put out there, in energy, thought or deed, comes back to you threefold.”
He said that Northern Lakes Temple will host an international lustration, a purification ceremony, in April. The event will draw guests from across the United States, Canada, Mexico, Australia and the United Kingdom. It will have workshops, and the Rev. Selena Fox of Circle Sanctuary as the keynote speaker.
“It’s not about the destination, it’s about the journey,” Hertzberg said of life.
More about Samhain and Wiccan festivals
Samhain, Gaelic for “summer’s end” and pronounced “sau-when,” is celebrated on Oct. 31. It marks the passing of the seasons, honors the dead and is considered the begining of the new year.
It is one of eight major Wiccan days of power, known as sabbats, observed during the year. Wiccans also celebrate 12 to 13 esbats during the year, rituals honoring the phases of the moon, held when the moon is full.
Samhain celebrations evolved into Halloween, All Saints’ Day and the Day of the Dead. The roots of Halloween traditions like costumes and jack-o-lanterns can be traced to Samhain customs.
Other sabbats include Imbolc on Feb. 2, Beltane on April 30, Lughnasach on Aug. 1 and the spring and autumn equinoxes and summer and winter solstices.
The Rev. Peter Hertzberg said that when putting together a ritual and decorating a ritual space, the only people who need to be pleased are the ones who are there.
The Samhain ritual held on Saturay opened with the cleansing of the space by smudging with a bundle of dried sage. The altar include a chalice, candles, salt and water that Hertzberg said came from Salem, Mass.
Hertzberg said that while the ritual is traditionally held outdoors, Saturday’s ritual was held indoors to meet the health needs of guests.
The ritual included the calling of the quarters — facing each direction on the compass and invoking the spirit and element associated with it: east is air, south is fire, west is water and north is earth.
Candles were lit to honor the dead, an offering was shared and Hertzberg told a Wiccan creation story.