Krampus

 Krapus is the stuff of nightmares.  His name comes from the German and is translated as ‘claw’.  This counterpart to jolly St. Nicholas is the son of the Underworld Goddess Hel from Norse mythology.  

Human in size, he traditionally bears a dark and hideous mane, his body covered in matted fur and hellish burning eyes.  With a head possessing horns and the all too familiar sharp fangs from his gaping mouth, his is a frightening visage during this holiday season.  

Shaking his bells and chains, he hurries down the streets and lanes swatting at children with his birch bundle and peeks into windows in search of those who were naughty not nice.

Christmas celebrations in Germany begin to get underway in early December; the 6^th of the month is known as Krampusnacht or Krampus Night.  A shoe or a boot was traditionally left on the doorstep by the child of the house in hopes that it would be filled with goodies. To peek under the shade was risky business as Krampus was about and he knew all to well if that child had misbehaved.  The family would explain to the quivering youngster that "there would be no last minute reprieve and it would be down, down to the Underworld with you if Krampus discovers how naughty you have been!"  Alas! Krampus night was forbidden eventually by the Catholic Church, not because it was frightening for children, but due to its pagan origins.

 However, never fear, the tradition has been revived in parts of Germany and the Festival of Krampus is alive and well.  Children are still subject to a light swat and a scooping up but the Underworld condemnation has been replaced by feasting and merriment.

Perchten Pagan Festival

Perchta or Berchta, also known as Percht, is a goddess in Southern Germanic paganism found in the Alpine countries and means "the bright one".

The word Perchten is the commonly used when speaking of her entourage; it also refers to the type of masks worn in the mountains of Austria that are animal or fantasy-like.  

During the 16^th century it was believed that the Perchten took two forms, some were beautiful and benevolent bringing prosperity and good fortune to the inhabitants.  However, there is a darker more demon-like variety of Perchten known as 'Schiachperchten' who were terrifying.  They possessed ugly faces, protruding eyes, sharp fangs and tail of a horse; these were the ones that were called upon to drive out any demons or ghosts from the village.

A form of exorcists for home security, this particular form of Perchten were invited into the home in order to find and drive out any ill-spirits that might be hiding, causing misfortune and havoc for the inhabitants.

The tradition continues as part of the holidays of Salzburg and Austria today.

Perchten Pagan Festival

Silent Supper

We've traveled another year full circle. Once more we set the table offering comfort and reassurance to those who gathered from the other side.  The guest list has grown with the passing of another year; that night my mother stood silently among the Beloved Dead. 

Every year we willing offer our home as a respite to our ancestors and friends; for on Samhain night the dead move comfortably among the living. The energy in the house changes, as it always does, to accommodate invited guests who need no formal introduction.  

At evening's close the warmth between us was strong and heartfelt through the growing and billowing veil; and once more we bid goodbye comforted in the knowledge that this evening will lovingly come 'round again.

Photos by Aurora Raven all rights reserved.

Between the Worlds

While traveling through Scotland last autumn, I came upon this in the wall of headstones.  As  I photographed the surroundings I was reminded of the following poem from Shakespeare, the whole atmosphere was very evocative of Hekate.  Granted, she does not hail from this part of the world, but graveyards have no real geographical location especially when we stand between the worlds.

Now it is the time of night

That the graves all gaping wide,

Every one lets forth his sprite,

In the church-way paths to glide:

And we fairies, that do run

By the triple Hecate's team,

From the presence of the sun,

Following darkness like a dream,

Now are frolic: not a mouse

Shall disturb this hallow'd house:

I am sent with broom before,

To sweep the dust behind the door. (V.i)

A Midsummer's Night Dream

                                                      Greyfriars Kirkyard Edinburgh Scotland

Beyond the Veil Supper

The year has turned its circle,
The seasons come and go.
The harvest all is gathered in
And chilly north winds blow.
Orchards have shared their treasures,
The fields, their yellow grain,
So open wide the doorway~
Thanksgiving comes again!
~Old Rhyme

We set the table for loved ones beyond the veil, giving thanks for all they've done for us; for without their aid, their love and care, we would not be where we are today.

 

The Almighty Dead

The River of Blood is the ancestral pool that we, as humans, belong to; this is our bloodline to the Almighty or Beloved Dead.

Understand that within Traditional Wytchcraft, we do not hold that those on the other-side are hovering around us, or that they live in another realm waiting for Samhain to draw near....on the contrary, they are part of the land.  The Land and the Dead are One.

What that means is that the Almighty Dead are literally the powers within the land; not addressed as aunt, uncle, grandparents or departed children, but as energies with abilities both mundane and magical.

Their knowledge is based on their experiences; all the ancient lore is derived from their beliefs, aspirations and fears.  All that knowledge is available to us through a practice we call Tapping the Bone.

As guardians, the Almighty Dead hold all the information of what they witnessed, achieved and aspired to in their life.  All that information is still pulsing through the energy of nature, in a different language, one we learn to understand. 

The Dead were once as we are now, what they breathed out, we now breathe in; the sweat that evaporated from their bodies as they worked, loved and fought became the river we draw water from today and the soil in which we grow our food contains their remains.

Some ancestors are addressed as the Spirit of Place; they are the lineage of the land which contains their vibration; when we call for aid and insight our answer may not come from the spirit of a distant relative but instead through totems, the wind or the call of a hawk overhead.

When we honor the Mighty Dead in ritual, we honor the collective energy of those who were, those who are currently passing into the ether and those we will eventually become.