Obscure Mythology Chapter 19:

Samhain, Celtic festival, Wiccan sabbat.

Well I think I have the Chapter correct, finally, of course I have to go back and fix all the incorrect ones but that isn’t as important as getting this project done. Just seven more chapters and I will have posted an A-Z entry of obscure mythology and then I can finally get into other intriguing and mysterious posts and research. I did start this blog a few months back as a place to find such topics as the unexplained, mysterious, strange, unusual and of course Mandela effect as well and I will get to those things I just need to see this project through first. I can’t stop on Chapter 19, I’ve come so close to the end of the alphabet, I just hope everyone can hang on for a few more weeks. Once I have the Obscure Mythology project I will delve deeply into my favorite subjects like the Voynich manuscript, ancient aliens, anomalies on the moon and Mars, etc. I will warn you all now that I have become less and less interested in the Mandela Effect for one simple reason, It has become too mainstream! Now anyone with a bad memory or a  Mandela Effect for one simple reason, It has become too mainstream! Now anyone with a bad memory and a youtube channel is screaming Mandela when a product changes its name or a new species of animal is discovered, etc. Don’t get me wrong, I do believe that there is something to it and it does deserve to be researched and exposed but the way it is happening now is the way the flat earth conspiracy theorists are being treated. By bombarding youtube and social media with all things Mandela the community is actually harming it more than helping it. I got into a very long winded and pointless argument with one popular Mandela theorist when he posted a video claiming that King Tut’s crwon had changed in this universe because it now had a snake and a vulture. Without going into the exact details I politely told him he was wrong and that the dual crown signified a unified (Upper & Lower Egypt) and had been part of Egyptian culture for thousands of years but because this guy had no prior knowledge and did absolutely no research, he automatically assumed it was a Mandela effect, he then made a five minute video saying how this dual crown must be a Mandela Effect. Four thousand people viewed it within a few hours and just like that this guy spread his theory to a bunch of gullible people. This is what is wrong with the Mandela community and why I took a step back from it. I won’t be associated with all these greedy youtubers that are only out for views and cash. I want to spread the truth and try to figure out why it’s happening not perpetuate the idea that the Mandela community is just another tin foil hatted group of crazy conspiracy theorists. There is truth to it and its existence but right now it is being treated more as a joke than a mystery. Alright, enough on that for now, after my Mythology project is done I will dive much deeper into all of these anomalies throughout the world. I chose Samhain as my S entry for a few reasons, the first being that it is associated with Halloween which is the only “holiday” I acknowledge and actually sort of enjoy, the second reason is because I identify as a Wiccan if I had to write down what my religious beliefs are and lastly because it fits in with much of what I have been saying about how Catholicism stole and incorporated numerous pagan rites into their own dogma. So let us read what the Mythology dictionary says about Samhain.

Samhain: Celtic: a festival on October 31/November 1, the Celtic New Year

This was the one occasion when the Otherworld became visible to mortals. The gates were opened so that those who had been wronged by those still living could exact vengeance. It was adapted by Christianity as St. Martin’s Mass or All Hallows, and the night of October 31^st became Hallowe’en, a night when demons are let loose on the earth to entrap the innocent.

(Dictionary of Mythology, an A-Z of themes, legends and heroes. J.A. Coleman)

I know everyone knows what Halloween is but not many really know the history or its origins. There are numerous stories and myths from all over the world about how our ancient ancestors revered and honored their dead. A ritual in South America (the name of the ritual and the tribe escapes me right now) saw people dig up their deceased and mummified relatives and parade them around town, even throwing a large banquet for them before placing them back in their tombs or graves when the ritual was over. Other ancients used to bury their dead under the floors of their homes. Archaeologists have uncovered some of these ancient homes with two or three generations of family buried beneath the main floor of the domiciles. Humans have always been fascinated and scared by death and perhaps these rituals helped put death in perspective and I suppose when you interact with the deceased in the ways they did perhaps it helped them to remember the dead that way keeping them alive eternally in their hearts and minds. Of course when it comes to the Catholic church they had to make it a scary unhappy holiday so you had a reason to run to the church for help and salvation. They took an elaborate celebration of the dead and tried to turn it into another way to control and cause fear among the populace. I was fortunate enough to be in Key West, Florida back in the early 1990’s and one of the most memorable events I witnessed was the celebration of Fantasy Festival, which is celebrated on All Hallow’s Eve. It is an amalgamation of Halloween, Samhain, Mardi Gras, Voodoo and more. I don’t know the true origins of Fantasy Fest or if it is still celebrated but I can tell you it was the closest thing to an ancient celebration that I have seen. People were dressed in elaborate costumes, others wore skeleton masks and costumes, all while dancing, singing and drinking throughout the night. At midnight a massive parade travels down the main street and the party gets into full swing. It was quite the sight especially for an 18 year old kid from Northern Wisconsin. I digress as usual. I wanted to show how our ancient ancestors respected their dead but also how the mainstream religions stole and absorbed these rituals for their own advancement.

Well, I suppose I rambled on enough for today, I hope you enjoyed it and continue to come back and read my posts and I do promise to get back into the strange and mysterious once my alphabet is complete! Until then, take care, respect each other and nature and above all question everything and do your own research. Never take someone’s word just because they have a youtube channel or thousands of followers on social media, there is much more going on out there than meets the eye and the only way to find the truth is to look for it. Have a great day and as always: PEACE!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

                                 above image: Costumed revelers at Key West's Fantasy Festival.