Dios de los Muertos and Another Samhain's Sirens Giveaway!

Today is the day that Hurricane Sandy is going to hit us. Tonight, actually. The past few days have been very grey and rainy, and they will continue to be through Thursday. I was hoping for a clear night tonight so I could charge my crystals under a full moon, but no such luck. Instead, we will have 60-100km/h winds that will tear all the remaining leaves off the trees and knock things around. I hope that everyone in the path of this storm is staying safe.

It's hard to believe that Halloween/Samhain is in just two days. And then Dios de los Muertos. This is my first time celebrating both Samhain and Dios de los Muertos. Both hold great importance to me, and here's what I will be doing to honour them.

On Samhain, I will be making a small altar on our antique sideboard. It will include a picture of my father, incense to guide him home, flowers to remind us how fragile life is, and a glass of water to represent purity and to satisfy his thirst. Although, as my dad owned a liquor store for many years, I wonder if a good shot of tequila would be better suited! I will also include a candle to light his way and to represent faith and hope. I will be praying there and remembering him, burning notes and even speaking to him, as I am wont to do, in the hopes that he hears me. I feel his presence nearly all the time, and while this could be my wishful imagination, I believe that his presence will be that much stronger and easier to communicate to when the veil is thinnest.

I will be using Dios de los Muertos, chiefly a Spanish holiday full of festivity and respect for the dead, as a sort of guideline for my celebration. It takes place November 1st and 2nd to coincide with the Catholic holidays of All Saints’ Day and All Soul’s Day.

I also love sugar skulls, which began as a sweet vividly decorated in spiderwebs, flowers, hearts or swirls, designed as altar decor. Over the years, they have evolved into something much more, and nowadays are more likely to be seen as art rather than sweets. The image of the sugar skull has really become a representation of the Day of the Dead. I love face paint and makeup looks where people's faces are beautifully decked out as festive sugar skulls. I think it's a beautiful thing to accept death, to respect it and see it full of colourful life.


Day of the Dead Catrina with Roses glicee print by Greg Colligan
Also, on Samhain, I will be doing a version of an animal-honouring rite. :)

I'm sharing another Samhain's Sirens giveaway with you guys today! It comes from Deb Garnett of Twysted Thystle, a small herbal and aromatherapy company specializing in wildcrafted and homegrown herbs. This set includes 1 Cinnamon Skin Sugar Scrub, 1 Cinnamon Skin Body Oil, and 1 Cinnamon Lip Balm.


Check out the awesome artwork, all hand-drawn by one of the Twysted Thystle ladies!
I was looking around their site, and it's DEFINITELY worth checking out. I would love to have some of their loose teas, especially Chick Weeds PMS Relief and Frostbyte!

That's all for today :) I still have those Beauty from the Earth mineral eyeshadow swatches to show you, so hopefully I will be posting that tomorrow.