To most, Halloween is a time to dress up in costumes and celebrate the creepiest time of the year. To others, such as those who believe in Pagan spirituality, it is a sacred holiday representing the end of the harvest and the beginning of the New Year. 

In Flagstaff, the Goddesses of the Cinder Moon congregate each third Wednesday of the month to celebrate a particular goddess of various representations. The Crone, which is a blanket name for any woman or goddess who is aged and wise, symbolizes “the end,” and was the focus of the gathering on Oct. 15.

“There are three phases to Wicca: maiden, mother and crone,” said Madrone, founder of the Goddesses of the Cinder Moon. “In the Western culture, we don’t pay a lot of respect towards the Crone. All the stereotypes of the Crone are the hag and the creepy old witch who’s going to feed you a poisonous apple. The Crone is demonized because she doesn’t serve the sexual or maternal interests of patriarchy.”

Paganistic Wicca entails the belief that each person is part of the earth and therefore, everyone is a god or goddess. Rather than a purpose of going into the afterlife, the purpose of a witch is to respect and take care of the earth, making the Goddesses of the Cinder Moon an eco-feminist Wiccan group. 

Candles, incense and a skull rest on an alter for dedication during the Goddesses of the Cinder moon's ritual to celebrate the Crone. Halloween is a sacred holiday for Pagans as it is the end of the harvest and beginning of the new year. - Bryan Kinkade/ The Lumberjack

“Dianic Wicca is goddess-based traditionally and only invites women to join,” Madrone said. “Though this group is technically Dianic Wicca, it is open to all sexual identities, races, religions and sexes but we only work with goddesses because there is so much out there for male divinity; we want to focus on the feminine divinities and what their teachings have to offer us.”

Paganism as a whole is a very independently practiced tradition. Most pagans hold rituals within the privacy of their own homes and only share it with their loved ones. Groups like the Goddesses of the Cinder Moon establish a sense of strength for each other and a source for spiritual growth.

“It really helps me have a central place to practice my faith with people who share my beliefs,” said Dana, a senior theater major, who wishes to keep her last name anonymous. “Finding people who do the same thing really helps me feel more comfortable.” 

Halloween developed from Samhain (pronounced sow-wen) and many of the traditions honored on Halloween are originally from old Pagan traditions. Similar to the Mexican Day of the Dead, Samhain is considered the time of year where the passageway is thinnest between the living and dead worlds. Skulls were kept from wise family members who had passed and their spirits were invited to speak through the remnant of their past life, much like the skeletons that decorate houses throughout October. Hollowed-out pumpkins and other gourds were lit with candles and served as an invitation to a feast to those who had passed on.  

“The traditions and rituals we celebrate are intricately designed to help us be in tune with the goddess we are studying,” said a member of the Goddesses of Cinder Moon who wished to keep her identity anonymous. “We use brooms a lot, symbolizing energy being swept away in the beginning of a ritual and it ‘cleanses’ the Circle for the goddess we are invoking. At the end of a ritual, we ‘undo’ the Circle, and releasing the energy inside of it unto ourselves.”

While many Pagans celebrate mainstream Halloween in conjunction of Samhain, they remind themselves of the sacred nature of the holiday. Using tools such as the broom, cauldrons to collect the positive energy, knives to cut through the barrier between the two worlds and mirrors to receive messages from the other world, the group celebrated Samhain early, honoring the harvest and invited spirits into the Circle in attempts to receive advice and guidance for the upcoming winter months. 

“Although there is a lot of group work, it still remains very individual,” the anonymous  member said. “You’re still focusing on your inner goddess and thanking the Crone personally while in the presence of others. It’s very moving.”