According to the Celts, Samhain was the time when the veil between this and Otherworld was believed to be at its thinnest: when the spirits of the dead could most freely mingle with the living once again. They believed the Lord of the Dead, would come that night to take up into the afterlife the souls of those who had died during that year. Like many other pagan traditions, the holiday was eventually Christianized in order to honour the dead, including those newly ‘absorbed’ saints. In its original Elder Faith form it was much more dangerous and threatening – a weird period of dread and ill-omen; a time of gloom and mourning for the dying year and the Mighty Dead.
 
At this time of the year, some of the Old Ways tell that certain ‘portals’ between the worlds require physically closing once they have been opened to prevent unscheduled souls being sucked through before their time. These portals must be marked with a propitiatory rite of a soul passing through before the way can be closed or the gates will remain open to trap the unsuspecting. It has been suggested that ‘dabblers’ mucking about with things they do not understand can create this type of ‘gate’ that preys on the unwary because the ‘dead’ are often hungry for life. Here we find disembodied entities, such as those of the Unseelie Court of the luchd-sidhe, who simply hate the living.
 
The Seelie and Unseelie Courts of Scottish fairies are a particular feature of the folklore of that country; the clear separation of the faes into good and bad groupings that are entailed is almost unique in folklore. The Unseelie Court was used to describe the darkly-inclined faere and no offence was deemed necessary to bring down their assaults. As a group (or ‘host’), they were thought to appear at night and assault travellers, often carrying them through the air, beating them, and forcing them to commit such acts as injuring cattle. In Scotland, they were seen as closely allied with witches.
 
As we can see there is quite a bit of dangerous stuff out there which is not so much ‘evil’ as hungry. The gates themselves aren’t evil, neither are those who open them indiscriminately – just shamefully foolish and irresponsible. This day marked the beginning of the dark, cold winter – a time of year that was often associated with human death. Which is why Celts believed that on this night – before the ‘new year’ – the boundary between the worlds of the living and the dead became blurred – and dangerous!  So plenty of propitiatory observations need to be performed to keep the malevolence at bay … because on this night they observed the ‘end of summer’ when it was believed ghosts of the dead returned to earth. In addition to causing trouble or damaging provisions and livestock, the people also thought the presence of these otherworld entities made it opportune for the Druids (the Celtic priesthood), to make predictions about the future. For a people entirely dependent on a volatile natural world, these prophecies were an important source of guidance during the long dark months to follow.
 
In its most common form it was seen as an agrarian festival held to placate the Ancestors, to propitiate any malevolent forces; to please the gods (and those ‘saints’ who replaced them), and as a clear distinction between the joys of harvest and the hardships of approaching winter:
 
As current Chief Druid, Eimear Burke (OBOD) commented: “There’s that notion now that Samhain marks the beginning of the Celtic New Year. Think of all the people that have invaded us. We, Irish people are not Celtic, there are no generic markers. But the Celts when they came, did leave their culture – including music, stories and languages – and their festivals. On this night [Samhain] the Calleach (the Crone) comes to strip the leaves from the trees to quicken the decay of the flesh of the year, so that it may feed the new life to come. We can also ask her to take the unwanted aspects of our personal year away, so that these too, might be transformed.” [Irish Country Living]
 
To commemorate the ‘new year’ and the first day of winter, there were enormous sacred bonfires; it was the time when the night became longer than the day, the last apples were picked, and the year began again with its dark, winter half. When the Earth rests it is sometimes called Trinoux Samonia, or ‘Three Nights of the End of Summer’. Originally a Druid festival, it was observed on either day (31st October/1st November) as the Celts measured the day from sunset to sunset. In the Celtic seasonal tale, The Wasting Sickness of Cuchulainn, it was observed for a total of seven days – three before and three after the feast of Samhain – marking the dangers of Otherworld at that time of the year.
 
“There is a marked danger of venturing too far into Otherworld. There is the risk of trespassing upon someone else’s ‘turf’ and getting lost. There is the risk that the dead will not let you go; that someone was not ready to leave life and will like yours all too greatly. There is the risk of wandering too far from your body, since to go that far into Otherworld to reach the lands of the dead, one may lose all awareness of the body’s physical surroundings. If something were to happen, there would be no way of knowing,” warns Ronnie Ellis, formerly taibhsearan for his clan.
 
In the Sacred Order of the Elder Faith, it is the time when Otherworld entities can mix freely with humans, when the liminal space between the two, is easily traversed. The displacement of the natural laws of time and place means that there is a ‘crossing over’ when all kinds of boisterous behaviour can be indulged in – which is seen as an offering of life-energy to replenish the dying year. Food was provided for the dead but these were not the grand feasts of harvest-time and Beltaine, since these were not celebratory gatherings but observances of propitiation in order to avert the anger or malevolence of the old gods. Turnips, apples and apple cider, mulled wines, gourds, nuts, beef, pork, poultry, ale – the Samhain recipes concocted from the harvest brought the community together and the Celts ate the fruits of their labours, told stories and tried to predict their fortunes in the future.
 
Needless to say, in early Celtic tradition, Samhain was closely associated with burial mounds, or cairns, which were also believed to be entrances to the Otherworld. In a Gaelic example in Fortingall, a samhnag was built on a mound known as Carn nam Marbh, ‘The Mound of the Dead’ – local lore has it that the mound contained the bodies of plague victims but is, in fact, a Bronze Age tumulus. A stone, known as the Clach a' Phaigh, ‘the Plague Stone’, crowned the mound and once the bonfire was lit, the participants would join hands and dance around it, both deosil and widdershins. As the blaze waned, the younger participants would take part in leaping over the flame. No guisers or mummers appeared in this particular tradition as the bonfire was the sole centre of attention. In the Highlands, after sunset, many of the youth carried a blazing torch and walked the boundaries of their farms in order to protect the family from the faeries and other malevolent forces. New fire, kindled from the sacred communal blaze, was then brought into each house where it was kept burning for the rest of the year.
 
Otherworld entities and malevolent forces were free to walk the land at night, causing mischief. Samhain was seen as a time when the future could most easily be predicted, and was a favoured time among Druids for ritual fortune-telling. As in other major Celtic Festivals, Samhain was a gateway, a transition from one season to the next, and, because in Elder Faith belief at the heart of every gateway is a paradox. The threshold is literally between two worlds but is, in itself, in neither/and or in both at the same time. Thus Samhain belonged to both Summer and Winter ... and to neither. It is the gateway to winter, and a magical time of passage between the seasons.
As in many pastoral societies, winter was regarded with a mixture of anticipation and dread. Samhain was the last gasp of summer ... a time of uninhibited feasting and dancing. It was a time of release; a time to let go of all unwanted baggage, fears and attitudes, just as the trees let go of their leaves. So the lives of men parallel the sacred cycles of nature. 

Hallowmas, Samhain & All That by Melusine Draco and published by ignotus books uk : ISBN 978 1 80302 514 8 : Pages 104 : UK£6.85 : Arcanum series No 11:  Order direct from https://www.feedaread.com/books/Halloween-Samhain-and-all-that.aspx
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Gateways to Otherworld
Melusine Draco
When we talk of Otherworld, we are usually referring to the world of spirit, of Fae, and the ancient Ancestors, where kindred calls to kindred and blood calls to blood. It is a separate reality, or a world that exists simultaneously with ours, but independent of it – and most true witches find that they spend their lives with one foot in the ‘real’ world and one foot in Otherworld. We co-exist in a way that enables us to ‘see’ things on the other side of the veil without the rigmarole of trance- or path-working, self-hypnosis, meditation or contemplation. To find psychic gateways or portals that enable us to step through into an Otherworld that is as clearly defined as stepping through our own front door, and enhanced by our ability to perceive the subtle-dimension – or the unseen world of spirit.
 
Otherworld is the world of ‘spirit’ in its widest possible sense as Bob Clay-Egerton explained: that there are innumerable planes of existence on different levels in many dimensions. Mankind exists, physically, in one dimension of time and space. Mentally he can penetrate to other levels. Spiritually he can reach even more. “This is similar to a trained pearl or sponge diver being able to reach very much greater depths, for longer periods, than can the untrained diver – who can, nevertheless, reach greater depths in safety than a non-swimmer. As mankind can mentally and spiritually penetrate to other levels, so other entities can penetrate to our level, in our dimension. And, as not all men and women are benevolent, so not all intruding entities are kindly; as men and women differ in intelligence, so do the entities of other planes. Thus we have a variety ranging from simple, uncomplicated ‘elemental’ entities to complex and powerful ‘deific’ or Ancestral entities.”
 
The terms gateway, portal and doorway speak for themselves, and as a witch’s magical ability develops these psychic ‘gateways’ will begin to open – maybe in one, or even several directions simultaneously. Personal advancement along the Old Craft path depends on an individual’s willingness to pass through or stay put, since these gateways open as a result of personal progress serving as an indication that the time has come to move on and climb to the next level.
   
Sometimes this transition can be difficult and painful but in magical learning, everything has a reason (and a price!), so we must never ignore the opportunity, no matter how strange or vague it may seem. The price of an Old Craft witch’s progress can seem exacting but the end result is well worth the trial; to ignore it will only result in personal loss in terms of both spiritual and magical development. In time, the same situation may return and the trial begins all over again. If the opportunity is not taken, it could be many years along the line before it occurs again, in which case there are many years lost in an individual’s advancement as it will be akin to starting anew; or it may not occur again in this lifetime.
   
Gateways or portals can appear in Circle; during meditation; or in a dream, but we should not be afraid of these blinding flashes of awareness, as they only appear when the ‘powers that be’ feel we are ready to encounter them. For an experienced witch, it may be a boot in the bustle to suggest they’ve spent long enough in a particular comfort zone and that it’s time to take the next step. Not taking advantage of these new openings will be the individual’s forfeiture, since those who have chosen not to pass through these gateways – even after many years of practice – often remain at exactly the same spiritual level as when they first began. Their magical development and the understanding of it has never altered; their progression halted due to their own fears and misunderstanding. They have tried to batter down the door for years without success; while the true Elder Faith witch finds that the gate swings open at just the lightest touch of a finger when the time is right.
 
Passing through the portal also brings awareness that there are all manner of other different currents and movements on the planet that affect us on a deeper magico-mystical level [Traditional Witchcraft and the Path to the Mysteries]. Let us consider for a moment Professor Brian Cox’s comment that every blade of grass has 3.8 billion years of history written into it. Or what we often blithely refer to as ‘earth mysteries’ that can produce a mild tingling sensation, which sets the pendulum swinging. Or a burst of warm energy in our hands and feet when we stand in close proximity to ancient megaliths.
 
To find the psychic gateways or portals that enable us to step through into this Otherworld that are as clearly defined as stepping through our own front door, enhanced by our ability to perceive the subtle-dimension or the unseen world of spirit. The terms gateways, portals and doorways speak for themselves, and as a witch’s magical ability develops these psychic ‘gateways’ will begin to open - maybe in one, or even several directions simultaneously. Personal advancement along the Old Craft path depends on an individual’s willingness to pass through or stay put, since these gateways open as a result of personal progress serving as an indication that the time has come to move on and to climb to the next level.

Gateways to Otherworld by Melusine Draco is published by ignotus press : ISBN 9781803022758 :Type: Paperback : Pages 96 : Published 3rd December 2021 : Price: €5.68 when ordered direct from Feedaread – https://www.feedaread.com/books/GATEWAYS-TO-OTHERWORLD-9781803022758.aspx
 
 
 
 
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Coven of the Scales: The Collected Writings of A R Clay Egerton
As one of our members said: ‘It was the first book I read that made me think, this is how it’s actually done …’  It was the first book published by the original ignotus press in 2002 and the first reprint title by Ignotus Books in 2016.
 Since his death in 1998, the reputation of Alastair ‘Bob’ Clay-Egerton has begun to pass into pagan legend alongside other contemporary characters such as Robert Cochrane, Michael Howard and Bill Grey. Hopefully, these collected writings will strike a responsive cord and cause the reader to think for themselves, instead of being influenced by the large amount of misinformation that is prevalent in today's occult teaching. His unique form of teaching is continued in the work of the Coven of the Scales.
It is probably easier to say what Bob Clay-Egerton wasn’t than what he was and, despite having been an acquaintance of Gerald Gardener and chums with Alex Sanders, he embraced neither Gardnerian nor Alexandrian traditions.  He was initiated into Old Craft back in 1941 and into a ritual magic order in 1943 but, contrary to popular belief, he neither knew Aleister Crowley, nor was he a member of either the Golden Dawn or the OTO.  He was a member of the Templi Satanas Luciferi which, in modern parlance was a forerunner of the Tubal Cain-Luciferian tradition that was then gaining popularity.
ISBN: 9781786109620 : Paperback : Pages 140 : €6.85
Published: 12 May 2016
Order direct from
https://www.feedaread.com/books/Coven-of-the-Scales.aspx
Also available in Kindle e-book format
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Pagan publishing has now spread across the world and there is no shortage of opportunities for writers, whether it be in print or on-line. The pagan voice is ‘heard on every wind’ and there are markets everywhere in the English-speaking world. The online community spreads the word to the furthest reaches of the globe, and book reviews give pagan authors far more coverage than they could have generated in years of traditional marketing.
 
Generally speaking, today’s paganism falls into four different elements, which in turn separates the different approaches and levels of magical practice, and subsequently, the writing. Each category requires that it should be written for, and read by, followers at that level of ‘learning’ to avoid any misunderstandings. A considerable amount of magical writing can be incomprehensible to those who have not been schooled in that particular path or tradition – so we begin at the beginning and work ourselves up through the spheres of Knowledge, Wisdom and Understanding. And we start by accepting that there is a divide between the various approaches to paganism and magical practice.
 
Animistic: The belief that everything animate and inanimate has its own life force, such as that which forms the basis of shamanism, Shinto, Aboriginal, Native American, etc.,
 
Eclectic: Selecting or borrowing from a variety of styles, systems, theories, beliefs, etc., as commonly found in modern paganism and Wicca.
 
Syncretic: The attempt to reconcile different systems of belief; the fusion or blending of religions, as by identification of gods, taking over of observances, or selection of whatever seems best in each; often producing a seemingly illogical compromise in belief. This approach is found in many aspects of Western Ritual Magic, and the initiatory branches of the European and British esoteric groups.
 
Synergetic: Combined or co-ordinated action; increased effect of two elements obtained by using them together. The combining of ancient wisdom with modern magical applications, as in the case of the Egyptian Mystery Tradition, Old Craft, the Norse traditions and Druidism.
 
Regardless of our own personal levels of esoteric learning, we need to go back to the basics of creative writing and see what tricks of the trade we can utilise. We will see why editors and publishers are inundated with submissions of a certain kind – and what we can do to give our writing ‘editor appeal’. We will learn how to develop ideas via lateral thinking, and develop the art of ‘seeing’ through an editor’s eyes, i.e. visualisation.
 
Back To Basics
How many times do we read (or heed) the advice about hooking an editor’s attention? How many writers fail to appreciate that if the editor (or publisher) isn’t hooked right from the start our submission will be rejected? And it doesn’t matter whether we are talking about non-fiction or fiction, short stories or novels, poetry or prose – it must have something to make the reader want to turn the page. If it fails to entice in the opening sentences, then we will be lucky if the professional reader even bothers to go to the next paragraph.
 
Exercise: What exactly is a hook?
It is a simple device for introducing our subject with impact, rather than long-winded preamble. That opening line or first paragraph is the most important part of the whole piece. It may be a challenging statement. A question. Brilliant use of language or analogy. Evocative description of a person, place or thing. And it doesn’t matter how brilliant the rest of our work may be – an editor isn’t even going to read it unless we’ve hooked their attention right from the start.
 
Our first exercise is to study a selection of pagan magazines or blogs. We may already subscribe to one or more; in which case we will be familiar with the differences in house-style. Begin by reading the editorial and any submission guidelines – these are included in the magazine, or found on the website – and make notes about the type of material in each publication. Into which categories do the majority of these subjects fall? Divination … herb craft … Tarot … astrology … healing … crystals … witchcraft … magic?
 
Which of these are your favourite subjects – and the one you know most about?
 
Now check the opening lines of each article and see how each writer has introduced their subject. Is it with a bang – or a whimper? Are the title and sub-title eye-catching? Do they make strong, bold statements to introduce the topic, or paint a subtler picture? Is there a clear indication of what the article is about? Make a note of those beginnings you find striking … and those that don’t raise any interest at all. Now try writing a few introductions – one or two sentences – to your favourite subject, while we have a quick look how pagan publishing has evolved …
 
Suzanne Ruthven
 
Suzanne Ruthven started her professional writing career in 1987 when she founded the small press writers’ magazine, Quartos, which ran for nine years until its merger with Acclaim in 1996 to become The New Writer.  In addition to acting as judge for national writing competitions, she has also tutored at writers’ workshops including The Annual Writers’ Conference (Winchester College), The Summer School (University of Wales), Horncastle College (Lincolnshire) and the Cheltenham Literature Festival. As a result of a successful series of workshops for The Welsh Academy, she was invited to become a full member of the Academi in recognition of her contribution to literature in Wales.  She is the author of over 50 titles in the metaphysical, country and folklore genre, and ‘ghost written’ 10 books for other writers including an autobiography for one of Britain’s leading field sportsmen, which was nominated for the William Hill Sports Book of the Year in 2005.  She is the author of the occult classic, Whittlewood, and currently of the Vampyre’s Tale series and the Hugo Braithwaite Mysteries.