On this All Hallows Eve, do you have the courage to look beyond the mask of the material world, into the Spirit Realm - the place of our beginning - the time of our Unborness; & the testing ground of our ending, when we shuffle off this mortal coil, only to begin again & yet again, as we strive toward the eternal…?
Take heart dear friends, for every ending is a new beginning. During All Hallows–tide we stand at the Cross Quarter between Autumn Equinox & Winter Solstice, a time when great transformations are possible - Since the veils between the worlds are so thin, the power of All the worlds are available to us. What is it like to cultivate an awareness of Death - this important human initiation - this true rite-of-passage? Can we work consciously to “Cross the Threshold”, as we do in meditation, in sleep, & ultimately in our life between death & rebirth..?
As far back as ancient Persia, Mesopotamia & Sumeria, we find many initiation myths like the Epic of Gilgamesh, & the Descent of Inanna, that describe communicating with the dead, & a journey to the underworld.
In Ancient Egypt we find: The Book of the Dead = The ‘Book of Coming Forth by Day’ or the ‘Book of Emerging Forth into the Light’; an ancient Egyptian funeral text illustrated with vignettes depicting the deceased on their journey in the afterlife. this guide was placed in the coffin or burial chamber. The Book consists of a number of magic spells intended to assist a dead person’s soul thru the Duat, or Underworld, & into the afterlife. It was written by many priests over a period of over a 1000 years! Perhaps, since in our time now we are recapitulating the Egyptain epoch, we might gain insight by looking into this text with modern eyes.
From ancient Greece we have the story of Demeter - & Persephone-Queen of the Underworld, connected to the secret festival of ‘Thesmophoria’, celebrated exclusively by women. They dressed in white robes & observed strict chastity before & after the ceremony. According to the Greek mythology that has been handed down by the Patriarchy, Demeter’s daughter, Persephone, was gathering Autmn flowers when she was taken by Pluto, god of the underworld, into his subterranean kingdom. In the ancient women’s rite, on the 1st night of ‘Thesmophoria’, this myth was re-enacted as an empowering initiation ritual of death & resurrection.
On the 2nd day, the women fasted – Part of the ceremony included lowering a wild boar, sacred to the goddess Circe & Hecate, into chasms in the earth as a sacrifice. On the 3rd night, the bones from former festivals were placed on altars & mixed with seed corn, which was then sown in the fields as a kind of magical fertilizer to ensure a good crop. Then they had a big feast. To promote the fertility of the corn, before going to sleep they would cast herbs on their beds seeking lucid dreams.
Although this festival was sacred & solemn, there was a lot of rather bawdy jokes in the style of the wild Crone Baubo, the sexually liberated Goddess of Mirth, who jested with Demeter to try & cheer her up after the loss of her daughter, & get her to bring fertility back to the earth again.
The Romans had a similar festival in honor of Ceres – goddess of the grain.
Also with the Eleusinian mysteries, we see initiation rites enacted to gain inspiration from the gods, & advice from their dead ancestors during the dark of the year.
Traditionally, the hunters are out in force. After the end of the breeding season, & before the severe weather comes to kill off many of these creatures anyway, they were taken for the cooking-pot, to supplement what might otherwise be a rather meager winter diet. When you think about it, it makes sense to let the old year die away like the plant life.
With all this death around, it is not surprising that people’s thoughts turned to human death.
From death comes new life - The Celtics call All Hallows Eve or Samhain - The New Year. Autumn is also the time of the Islamic New Year. Likewise for the Jewish folk, with Rosh Hashanah; & at the end of the High Holy days, Sukkot is celebrated, where a hut is set up to invite the ancestors - the beloved dead - & the elemental beings - to come to the harvest feast.
At this Cross-Quarter-time it is traditional to look toward the future - & to dress up as what you want to Become for the New Year. To ask questions, like: Who have I been? Who am I now? & where am I going…? Who do I want to become? And these are the kind of questions we can ask our beloved dead.
In Wales the souls of the dead are known as ‘the Silent Company’, but when they are welcomed with “bwyd cennad y meinv” - the food for the embassy of the dead - They become our helpers.
We can think of our ancestral allies in 3 ways: 1. Ancestors of the Blood – This common ancestral guide is a relative that had a positive connection with us in this lifetime - like a loving grandparent. 2. Ancestors of the Soul – This is an ancestral guide perhaps from a past life, who may have been some kind of teacher or mentor. 3. Ancestors of Humanity – These are heroes whose lives were dedicated to the service of human evolution, like Casper Hauser, or Jeanne d’Arc. They can be called upon in times of crisis, like when Dion Fortune & her group called upon King Arthur & Merlin during the 2nd World War.
Dear friends, let’s take this opportunity to part the veil – letting go of our sense bound thinking, to consciously work with our spiritual helpers in this dark time to nourish both sides of the Threshold. Let us set the table with our intention to join together in communion to celebrate the Feast of Life in all its aspects; as we build a picture of wholeness on the inner planes, which will ray out into All Worlds. ~hag
29 October - 3 November 2025 - Our Annual All Souls, members gathering, at the Mysteria Mystica Americana Grand Lodge Temple in TX USA
6 – 9 pm Saturday 8 November 2025 – Save the Date ‘cause this is our last big bonfire-prep-stir-pot-luck-communal gathering at the Lucchesi-Archer-Ginsberg homestead!We sold our house - & we’re moving to WI – around the corner from Zinniker Farm!RSVP Hazel@CogRite.com
Zinniker Farm has harvested Biodynamic Pfeiffer Wheat - If you are interested in signing up to receive a share of the harvest - Supplies are limited - Contact the Family Farm Initiative
Here’s the link to a compendium of Free Video Presentaions
If you want to support the Spiritualization of the Earth thru the Biodynamic Farming done on Zinniker Farm, you are invited to become a paid subscriber, with all donations going directly to the farm
Greetings Friend, you currently a free subscriber to Cognitive Ritual. Thank you for receiving my workings freely offered. For the full experience, upgrade your subscription. ALL donations go to support Zinniker Farm - The oldest Biodynamic Farm in America! Together we can spiritualize the Universe. XOX ~hag
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Thursday, 30 October 2025
Hallowed
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