Samhain

Chapter 7 of Trickster God -a ritual in the park

Samhain

  The first to pull into the gravel parking lot next to the Willow Tree Shelter at Riverside Park that cold blustery Oct. 31 evening were Annie Flowers, high priestess of the Bardic Temple Coven, Jim Hanes, and Rob Wagner-Hanes, in Jim and Rob's green van. All three, wearing jeans, warm sweaters and knit caps, climbed out of the van and began hauling boxes full of stuff to the solid stone shelter which faced a willow and sycamore-lined stretch of Clearwater Creek.

  “Potluck food on that table, box for food pantry donations over there, let's set up the table for the dead next to the fireplace,” Annie ordered the two strong bulky men, newlyweds who'd hand-fasted at the Summer Solstice that year.

  “The ritual circle?”, Jim asked.

  Annie surveyed the scene. Behind the shelter was a maple, birch, and hickory woods. A grassy area, covered with wind-blown dead leaves, stretched from the shelter down to the fast moving creek.

  “That grassy area over there looks the flattest. Creek's in the west so set the Quarter alters up accordingly. Rob, help me haul the center alter from the van.”

  By the time Rob and Annie got the heavy oak alter table hauled to where she wanted it the rest of the coven members had arrived: Steve and Linda Mackenzie with twelve year old daughter Mandy in tow, local radio personality, Angel Loveland, and car mechanic, Tom Henson. After depositing hot or cold potluck food and food pantry donations in the appropriate places they helped set up the four elemental altars to the spirits of East, South, West, and North. Annie and her high priest, Jim, were setting up the main altar with candles, incense, athames, real deer antlers, other ritual tools and decorations.

  Kat, the black shepherd mix, Black Angus, and Sophi MacTire pulled into the lot in Kat's old Toyota.

  “Hey, guys. Wish I'd thought to wear something that warm,” Annie called out as the two women and the leashed dog approached the ritual area.

  Kat and Sophi were wearing the fur-lined robes Lord Faolan had given them in Faerie and were already grateful for the warmth they provided as gusts set the dead leaves dancing and swirling about.

  “So you guys are joining us again? We'll make Pagans out of you two yet,” Jim Hanes said with his usual big grin.

  “Not tonight. Just watching tonight,” Sophi said.

  “Why? You've joined circle before.”

  “I'm armed and Annie says no weapons in the circle,” Kat explained.

  “Are we expecting some trouble? Right-wing nuts?” an anxious Linda Mackenzie asked while giving Mandy a hug.

  “Oh, Mom!”

  “No vigilantes, at least I hope not,” Annie assured her coven members. “Sophi thinks there's a Faerie gate in this park and something spooky might come out of it tonight.”

  The other coven members all stopped what they were doing to stare at Sophi.

  “And she says she's not pagan,” honey blonde Angel said with a laugh. “Yet she believes enough in Samhain spooks to bring her cop friend here for guard duty.”

  By this time the reddish glow that showed where the sun would be if the dark clouds didn't obscure it was getting close to the horizon in the west. Other ritual participants were arriving: Pagans of diverse paths, some wearing costumes ranging from Renfair garb to fairy wings, pagan friends and family members, and a few just curious folk who'd never been to a Wiccan ritual before.

  “Long time no see.”

  “Wouldn't miss this ritual for anything.”

  “Great place for a ritual. Even got firewood delivered for the fireplace. We'll need it tonight.”

  The last one to arrive strode in like he owned the place, wearing what looked like an SCA Viking costume, complete with a warm wool cape fastened at the left shoulder by a gold brooch. Red hair and beard, amber eyes that seemed to flicker, the only concession to anonymity Loki had made was that he dampened his power enough to keep from alarming the other participants.

  “I don't believe you're here,” Kat whispered as he passed her and Sophi on his way to the ritual area.

  Angus however greeted the God with enthusiastic fawning and licks which were rewarded by the deity scratching him in his favorite spot between his ears.

  Loki nodded to the two ladies and smiled his sly smile.

  “Annie invited me,” he said.

  “I did,” said Annie, clad now in her red ceremonial robe, who had walked over to greet her powerful guest. “Of course he was disguised as a woman at the time. So, who shall I introduce you as tonight?”

  “I kind of like Lars Deason,” Loki replied with an engaging grin.

  “Hey, need some help here. Can't get this fire going; wood's a bit too damp,” Mandy's father called from the shelter where he was trying to use a Bic to light a fire in the stone fireplace.

  Several of the Pagans and a Nordic god walked over to where he struggled with the plastic lighter.

  “I believe I can help,” Loki said. “Lars Deason, friend of Annie, Sophi, and Kat,” he added when Steve looked up at him.

  “Sure. I'm Steve and that's my wife, Linda, and our over precocious daughter, Mandy.”

  “Am not. And he's kinda cute,” the twelve year old said.

  “You're not old enough to notice that I'm cute,” Loki told her.

  Mandy pouted and decided to go join some of the other kids that had come with parents to the festivities.

  Loki took the Bic and lit the fire with a deft movement of his hand. The fire caught with a big “poof” and a flare that caused onlookers to hastily step back.

  “I guess you're good for something after all,” Annie said as they all headed back to the ritual area.

  The Trickster God just smiled.

  Annie and her high priest, Jim Hanes, explained to the guests how they should enter the circle and what they would be doing that night. Then, just as the hidden sun was setting beyond the gurgling creek, the Bardic Temple's open Samhain ritual began.

  Sacred space was cleansed and created. Participants, including Loki, entered “in perfect love and perfect trust”. Quarters were called and colored candles in glass jars were lit.

  When Annie and Jim had trouble getting the God and Goddess candles to stay lit in the gusty wind, Loki again came to their aid. His nimble fingers traced a sign in the air which only Annie and her two friends standing guard just outside the circle noticed. Only Sophi could see the fiery trace it left behind in the air. But after that the candles stayed lit no matter how hard the wind blew.

  Just as the altar candles were finally lit the sound of eerie hounds and pounding hooves came from entirely too close. The wind blew stronger, whistling through the forest trees. Angus answered the baying hounds with anxious barks of his own.

  “The Wild Hunt rides tonight. Don't worry. They will not come near our circle,” Loki told the worshipers.

  Several of those in the circle gave him a puzzled look. But when the eerie cries were heard again they did not feel like arguing the point. Maybe The Wild Hunt really did ride in Riverside Park that night.

  Ancestors were honored, the harvest was celebrated, the ancient Crone and her Consort were revered. The rest of the ritual proceeded without incident, unless one counted the loud shuffling sounds and guttural cries heard in the woods, cries which caused those in the circle to grab the hand of the one next to them. Many gave a silent sigh of relief when the Deities and the Quarters had been dismissed.

  “Merry meet, and merry part, and merry meet again.”

  “I'm kind of glad 'Lars' showed up tonight,” Sophi whispered to Kat as they joined the others heading for the warmth of a feast and a cheery fireplace.

  “Me too, girlfriend.”

  Soon everyone was seated at wooden tables or huddled about the fireplace, eating casserole offerings both for meat lovers and vegans, candied yams, caramel apples, pumpkin pies, and other delicious offerings to the Pagans and at least one hungry God. Rob Wagner-Hanes told scary stories to children at one end of the shelter, stories punctuated with strange nighttime sounds that set the young ones squealing and screaming, whether in delight or fear was not certain. Lars Deason taught a group of adults who were helping him finish off the last of the ritual mead a Norwegian drinking song that was just a touch ribald.

  Kat, Annie, and Sophi sat at a table, the dog at their feet. Kat kept slipping Angus pieces of the chicken casserole she was eating.

  “He's enjoying himself,” Sophi said as they watched the mead quaffing crowd.

  “Why is he here? He already delivered his message to each of us,” Kat replied.

  “Feels like he came here to protect us,” Annie replied.

  Another eerie cry sent shivers through almost everyone gathered in that place.

  “Don't know why he would, but I think I'm kind of glad of it,” Sophi admitted.

  In spite of the warmth of the fire and of the company, the unnerving sounds encouraged the crowd to disperse as soon as they'd eaten. Altars and ritual tools were taken down and loaded into the van. Trash was cleaned up and deposited in the appropriate containers. Loki sat by the fire and watched them work. There was very little leftover food to pack up. What the pagans and their friends had not eaten, Loki had consumed.

  “Coming, Annie?” Jim asked as he and Rob got ready to leave.

  “No, I'm going with Kat and Sophi. We need some girl talk time.”

  “Sure. See you at Meetup next week.”

  “Don't guess he needs a lift,” Kat said as they watched Loki who was actually helping by putting out the fireplace blaze.

  “So, whose place do we go to?” Annie asked.

  “How about mine?” asked a resonate accented voice behind her.

  All three women started. Even Angus gave a small yelp. No one had been aware of Loki's approach, he was just suddenly there.

  Loki traced a complicated sigil in the air over them. Sophi could see the path of fire it left behind and wondered if the others could too. There was a rush of power and an anxious bark. Then they were in another place, no longer anywhere near Riverside Park or Clearwater.

Reviews

[ladybythelake]

Blessed Be and Merry Meet. Blessed Samhain.

[J. Espedal]

A blessed Samhain to you too.

[ladybythelake]

Thank you