Moonstone New Age

At first glance the reed seems an unusual plant to choose, after all it's not a tree.  To understand the reed's  significance we need to look at the time of year.  One of the major fire festivals of the Celts was Samhain, a time of death and rebirth. Our ancestors didn't follow a calendar but used the signs in nature to determine when the change of seasons were happening.  They knew that when the last leaves dropped it was the time of winter and that may be when Samhain would have been celebrated . 

 It may seem strange to celebrate a time of death, but the Celts firmly believed that life and death was an everlasting re-occurring process, so that when we died, life would go on and return again.  The Celts believed that death did not stop communication with the living and that this time of the year was when the veil between the worlds grew thinner.  They placed great importance on their ancestors whom they felt could still guide them in personal and community matters. To their minds it was important to make the dead feel included. Even when the last leaves on the tree had gone, they still had the hope of new life by seeing the buds ready to burst forth the following spring.

This was their new year, and if their harvest had been bad they'd look forward with renewed hope for the following year, hence our custom of making New Year's Resolutions.  Reed month was a time when all the preparations for the winter months  had to be carried out, as well as preparing all the food, any outstanding debts had to be dealt with. If these debts were not paid then they could be taken by force by the law keepers, who dressed in disguise, hence the custom of trick or treat. 

The reed grows on swampy ground which could be considered to symbolise strong, deep feelings. The reed itself has strong connections to the underworld, hence the reason it's used at this time. Reed lamps were left burning to show the dead their way back home. 

The last sheaf of corn was dressed up as an elderly woman ‘the Carlin’ - The Cailleach (old woman) was the crone phase of the triple goddess, too old to bring new life, she guards her cauldron of rebirth, until the time she becomes maiden once more.  Like most symbols reed can mean two things it can mean shedding  that which is no longer necessary, but it can also mean keeping that which is of use.  The reed was one of the first tools used for writing which meant that words of our ancestors could be preserved.

The white hound that belongs to king Arawan, a ruler of the underworld, guards and protects its entrances, signifying preservation.  He was friendly with the Lord of the Underworld, Pwyll. It was the place of creation where life was formed and re-formed.

GAELIC
The first half of November period is known as SAMONIOS - The Seed-fall in the Coligny Celtic Calendar. The second half is known as DUMANNIOS - The Darkest Depths.

NOVEMBER - an t-Samhain. This translates as summer's end. November first is the of the festivals of Samhain or what we call Halloween or All Saints Day. It's also the beginning of winter.

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