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Michaelmas by C.

Thomas Hutcheson The period of time around the autumnal equinox is a time many associate with harvest festivals. Visions of gourds, baskets of apples, and berry cobbler come to mind when the word Fall is uttered. Soon the trees will be giving up their green in a slow succession of days and weeks, painting the hills with fiery colors. Like lumbering phoenixes, they will put on a fine show before sinking into the brown desolation of late Autumn and early Winter. Communities, from schools to churches to towns, all like to put on their flannel and gingham and do-si-do at the turning of the seasons. Apple-bobbing, 4-H shows, and tables filled with all of the hearty fare needed to fuel the bodys furnaces during colder days will be everywhere. Certainly, that sense of seasonal communion is important. But what other meanings does this time of year hold? On September 29th, many Catholics will be celebrating the Feast of St. Michael and All (Arch)angels (or some variant name thereof). While the inclusion of the All Angels part is a fairly recent addition (prior to the mid-twentieth century certain archangels had their own separate feast days)1, the celebration of Michaelmas, as this day is often called, has been happening since at least the medieval period. In the pre-Gregorian calendar, Michaelmas fell in early October, around the 11th of the month. Some of the old traditions associated with this day included: The making and eating of the Bannock Cake in Scotland, often with a silver coin in it to bless the lucky one who found it (providing one didnt choke on the coin) The cooking of the stubble goose in Ireland and England The settling of accounts and debts The election of the reeve from the local peasantry2 An end to blackberry picking What has witchcraft to do with Michaelmas, though? Is there something more than an agrarian crop-gathering celebration to be had here? I would answer an emphatic yes. Michaelmas is a day specially suited to the work of a witch. It is one of a peculiar set of holidays throughout the year which belong on the witchs calendar. Paddy Slade, a country witch in the UK, includes Michaelmas in her liturgical year3. Calling on St. Michael is commonplace for some traditional witches, such as renowned strege like Lori Bruno of Salem, Massachusetts4. But why do I include Michaelmas in my craft? The whys of Michaelmass inclusion into my craft calendar are based very much on its namesake: Saint Michael the Archangel. One of only three archangels explicitly named in modern versions of the Bible (and then only Catholic versionsProtestant copies omit Tobit from canon, which is the only book to mention Raphael by name), Michael is a particularly powerful divine being. He is described in the Revelation of St. John as the one who defeats the mighty dragon (or serpent) which leads the armies of rebellious angels in their war on heaven5. Of course, that dragon is commonly called Satan in Judeo-Christian stories, or sometimes given the diminutive title of devil. This is where the witchs sense of the sublime should start to twitch and tingle. For many traditional witches, the Devil is a guide and

teacher, a Master of liminal spaces. He is not the Great Adversary spoken of in Biblical testaments. However, the association of this between-the-worlds Master with serpents or dragons is not entirely unfounded. In Luciferian craft, the Lightbringing Master of the craft is sometimes said to have bred with Eve to produce Cain and the line of the witchblood6. Certainly in many chthonic traditions the serpent was uniquely situated as a creature which could slip between the world above and the world below, thus linking the Living realm with that of the Dead. So if Michael truly did defeat a creature which at least bore some connection to the Master of the craft, why celebrate a holy day or days in his honor? The short answer is that the casting out of the serpent is not the whole story. To look deeper into this Mystery I turn to the apocryphal Book of Enoch (which is not entirely apocryphalit is still accepted as canon by the Orthodox Church of Ethiopia, and referenced in the epistle of Jude several times, thus showing it s antiquity and its influence). In Enoch, we learn the expanded story only glossed over in Genesis 6, in which divine beingsangels, also called Grigoricome to earth and intermingle with human women. The resulting children are giants, the Nephilim referred to in Genesis. In Enoch7, we learn a great deal more about these angels and their offspring. Azazel, the ringleader/spokesperson for these fallen angels, is responsible for the corruption of men by teaching them arts such as smithcraft and the use of cosmetics. Fundamentally, Azazel and his fellow Grigori bring illumination or fire to humanity, fulfilling the role played by so many of mankinds tragic heroes (Prometheus, for example). For this, they are cast out of Gods favor, much the same way the serpent mentioned in Revelation is cast out. It becomes clearer and clearer that a connection exists between many of these stories: the serpent in the garden which tempts Eve with forbidden knowledge, Azazel bringing humanity fire by intermingling his blood with human women, and the dragon of Revelation (also associated with fire and the corruption of humanity). So again, if Michael was the opponent of our Light-bringing craft progenitor, why celebrate Michaelmas? At this point it is worth taking a deep mental breath and stepping back from the whole story. From a distant perspective, without the Master/Serpent/Azazel/Devil/etc. being cast out (or rather, choosing to become a spirit of the Earth and Underworld and not a spirit of the far-removed firmament), our craft would not exist. Michaels battle with the Dragon becomes a not only necessary part of the crafts mythological history, but in fact a very good thing. On one level, Michael is celebrated because of his tremendous might and his ability to protect humanity. On another level, Michael is celebrated for delivering to humanity a wise teacher and guide between the realms. Michaelmas is, then, a time when many particular craft activities would be appropriate: The setting of wards/protective spells and amulets (in conjunction with the Michaelic protective function) 8 The exercise of manual crafting, particularly anything related to smithcraft, cosmetological, or talismanic magic Celebration of the Master of the craft, and the kindling of fires in his name

Workings that deal with hidden or forbidden knowledge, such as finding treasure (literal or figurative) The telling of devil talesThe Devils Sooty Brother from Grimms, or Jack & the Devil stories from American folklore are good examples

All of this may seem very Near Eastern, and as a person more interested in American witchcraft than anything pulled from the Biblical holy lands, I at first dismissed the idea of including Michaelmas in my calendar. There is a Catholic connection to the holiday (which I could tolerate due to my Ancestral practice, which features many very devout Catholics, and even a nun or two), but Catholicism isnt a majority religion in the USA, and particularly a minority faith in the South where I live. Louisiana, of course, is an exception to this rule, but Catholic churches are not nearly as numerous in Tennessee as Protestant houses of worship. So what then is the connection with American magical practices? The ethnic makeup of America is incredibly diverse, but a good number of its founders came from only a handful of countries: mostly the UK, Germany, Holland, etc. Most of those countries had long-standing traditions relating to Michaelmas (such as the warning not to pick blackberries after Old Michaelmas for fear of being poisoned by the devil who spat on them). Some celebrations were overtly religious, some were more vestiges of folk practices combining the harvest festivals with a few handy fragments of religion. Additionally, many of the slaves who came to the United States did so through ports such as New Orleans, or from the Caribbean islands, both places where the influence of lay-Catholicism shaped their spiritual and magical practices. For example, the Feast of St. John is still celebrated in New Orleans by Voodoo practitioners, conveniently right after Midsummer. Throughout the early growth of America, such lay-religiosity (or more specifically, lay-Christianity) became commonplace in many communities. Gerald C. Milne, in his book on German Appalachian folk magic, discusses a masking tradition called Belsnicking which is similar to some of the masked riding practices done up to the 19th century in Britain at Michaelmas9. Such practices , once given a foothold on American soil, were stripped of labels like Catholic or Protestant, and treated as community affairs. So, too, has Michaelmas become something new, with only marginally spiritual connections: the Harvest Home or Homecoming celebration. Though stripped of its name, it still lingers in the folkways of America. I simply find the word Michaelmas binds the whole package together nicely, symbolism and all. As a final point of interest, Id like to address the question What has Michaelmas to do with harvest time? Is it a mere coincidence that these two festivals abut each other so tightly? Again, a little distance adds perspective to the tale. If harvest time is the time when the fruits of the field are gathered home, what then is left? The tradition of the stubble goose, eaten in the UK at Michaelmas, gives a good hint. The fields are shorn of their growth, and only stubble remains. From the point of view of the land, all it worked to produce has been reaped, its gifts to humanity are spent, and it must now die over the coming months until the revitalizing fire is kindled at Candlemas. The spirit of the land, often represented as a Land Serpent, is then slain at this time, or at least mortally wounded (with a true passage into the Underworld occurring after the Wild Hunt at Hallows). The victory of St. Michael is complete, and humanity reaps its benefit. It is worth remembering, however, that

Michaels conquering of the Dragon also means that once that bringer of divine fire sinks into the Underworld, we will be without growth and sustenance until he rises again. Who then are you cheering for? What we celebrate when we celebrate Michaelmas is strength: the strength of St. Michael to defend those who call on him, the strength of the Master in his draconian and serpentine forms bringing us new light, and the strength of people to survive and prosper. As witches and magical folk, we can also celebrate our own strength. We, too, possess the powers of Michael to protect and defend, the powers of the Master to slip between the worlds, and the power of the earth to bear good fruit and die with dignity. For all of that, I raise my glass and drink a toast to Michaelmas.

Notes & References

According to CatholicCulture.org, [b]efore the reform of the General Roman Calendar today was only the feast of St. Michael. St. Gabriel was observed on March 24 and St. Raphael on October 24. The liturgical calendar listed on that site provides a great deal of information on Sts. Michael, Raphael, & Gabriel.
2

Alices Medieval Feasts & Fasts (http://mw.mcmaster.ca/scriptorium/alice_site/michaelmas_more_end.html) This site has lovely overviews of several medieval (and witchcraft-connected) holidays.
3

Paddy Slades The Encyclopedia of White Magic, an account of the festival year followed by Ms. Slade and her local band of country pagan folk, includes an entire chapter on Michaelmas. Her charmingif somewhat genteelaccount of the holiday includes many quaint and curious customs, such as blackberry kittens.
4

Ms. Bruno has mentioned St. Michael and her appeals to him on several episodes of the weekly witch chat show Hex Education, which she co-hosts with fellow Salem witch Christian Day. The broadcast/webcast of the show is done every Sunday night from 10pm-Midnight, EST, with digital podcast uploads of complete episodes usually available within 24 hours. See www.blogtalkradio.com/HexEducation for more information.
5

Revelation 12:7-9 - And there was war in heaven: Michael and his angels fought against the dragon; and the dragon fought and his angels, And prevailed not; neither was their place found any more in heaven. And the great dragon was cast out, that old serpent, called the Devil, and Satan, which deceiveth the whole world: he was cast out into the earth, and his angels were cast out with him.
6

Several authors on various branches of Luciferian and/or Traditional Witchcraft connect the bloodline of witchcraft to Cain. Some further reading: The Pillars of Tubal-Cain, by Nigel Jackson & Michael Howard. Charles Lelands Aradia also draws connections between Lucifer & Cain as part of its mythos.
7

The Book of Enoch, Chapters XII-XVI, addresses much of the story of angelic intercession and connubial relations with humankind.
8

If it bothers you to think of Michael in terms of protecting you, due to his Judeo-Christian associations, theres no reason you cant invert the symbolism and think of yourself as putting up wards to protect you from Michaelic aggression.
9

Mr. Milnes fine work (Signs, Cures, & Witchery) also talks at great length about other aspects of early-to-current American witchcraft. Indeed, much can be learned about the extent to which Christianity and witchcraft shared the stage during early colonial spiritual development from his book.

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