Happy Halloween! Blessed Samhain! No matter how you look at this day, it can be tiring to see the misconceptions of Wicca being thrown around with ridiculous ignorance. I wanted to send out a gentle cyber hug to all my fellow witches and remind you that you are so very important to the world.

Being in tune with the cycles of the earth, planets, time itself is a dwindling talent. To believe in living and loving, healing those who ask in secrecy and celebrating the wheel of the year is not the easiest path to walk. There are those who shun in the front door and frantically demand help from the back. These are the folks who live in fear of breaking rules that even feel awkward and wrong but refuse to listen to their inner voices for they may or may not go to some imagined place after death. Feel sorrow for these poor people. To feel so mistrustful of another simply because they do not follow the same set of rules as you must feel so confining.

On the same token, to be in tune with others' energy is exhausting, especially when their energy towards you is mistrustful and just waiting for you to show *something* to validate their idea of how bad you must be. It is hard to keep on being positive when the majority around you isn't.

You must.

You must be the keepers of the past, protectors of the future. Keep on celebrating, helping, chanting, centering and working towards doing good in life and not waiting, carefully, for death. This is the time for ritual to bring healing and strength to your families, to center our lives and remember those who have gone before us.

There is no reason to have to defend yourselves against those who insist on debate and proving themselves right. You do not have to argue or become defensive about the portrayal of our beautiful spirituality anytime but most of all now at our most sacred time of the year. Immerse yourselves in honoring your ancestors, honoring yourselves and gathering strength for the new year.

Blessings to all my brothers and sisters,

Amelia