Mizpah,
Again you show your ignorance of the facts.
Firstly I did not say that Samhain did not have occult overtones. I do not have a problem labelling some of the things I do as being "occult" since the word has been used to denote "hidden" practices which were only taught to those who were deemed worthy. Why don't you try reading a few books about the subject? You might then have a better idea.
Another error in your last post was that you made a distinction between witches and pagans. I think most witches would agree that we are pagans aswell as witches. Lesson One in paganism is that "Neo-paganism" is an umbrella term for all pagan based religion that has been revived - so it includes Wicca, Witches, Druids, etc. Witches are also pagan by default because they're not Christian and often witches are polytheists or duotheist.
Some historians note that Celts often dressed in grotesque costumes to ward off the evil spirits of witches, faeries and demons on that particular night. (So evidently even some pagans had a dim view of witches.) If true, it seems strange that witches would even choose this night to celebrate.
I'd be very interested to know your source for this assertion. I'd be interested to read that book. Again, modern day witches are pagans, therefore your argument doesn't make any sense. Witches follow the pagan wheel of the year, which includes Samhain, and does NOT include dressing up in grotesque costume. In fact, the ancients did dress up, as part of their mischief week in which all rules were abolished - so women dressed as men and men dressed as women etc. The skeletons and ghouls comes from the fact that Samhain is a festival about death.
I don't know why I'm wasting my breath but I suppose I will just say, please don't talk about things you (obviously) know little about and try and pass it off as fact.
Regardless of how hard followers of Wicca try to project a different image today, the origins are based in the occult.
Again, I didn't deny the association with "occult". Occult isn't synonymous with "evil". Just because something is labelled occult doesn't mean its harming people. Followers of Wicca mostly present the balanced picture - we are not all sweetness and light but we are not evil either, we recognise the light and the dark and the part they play. Contrast that with other religions who shy away from facing death, or who assert that one must avoid introspection (which is, in effect what meditation is), who don't see the balance of the universe with its polarity - well I know which religion I choose.
Sirona