When the Fallow Time is too Dark: Seasonal Affective Disorder by Lynda L. Warwick, Ph.D.

As Pagans, we pay attention to the turning of the Wheel, and celebrate each season in its time. Between Samhain and the Spring Equinox, as the sun retreats and begins its slow return, we turn inward. Along with handling family holiday obligations, we also spend time reviewing the past year's harvest, deciding whether this year's seed bore the fruit we had hoped and preparing for the next year's planting. It can be a time of quiet reflection, meditation, and personal communion with the Lady and Lord of the dark time of year.

For some people, turning inward at this time means tipping down into depression. Seasonal Affective Disorder ruins a lot of peoples' fall and winter, making them feel depressed, irritable, tired and unable to enjoy the holidays the way they want to. Over the past ten years, it's become more common to hear people say as the holidays approach and they get stressed, "I have Seasonal Affective Disorder." It's not always true. Seasonal Affective Disorder is a kind of depression that occurs every year, or almost every year, beginning in October and usually getting better in March, which is not related to holiday stress or seasonal lifestyle changes. Many people feel down when the summer is over and they are no longer doing the fun things the long hot days allowed. They may see fewer friends, and have little to look forward to in terms of vacation.

Sometimes people are exhausted by the time summer goes. Children may (finally!) have gone back to school, or college may have resumed, or the pace at work may have picked up after Labor Day. Sometimes the house is quieter, and a person who has been depressed in the summer now has the time and quiet to notice it. Sometimes people feel the shadows of childhood sorrows when the holidays come--even though their lives may be different now, people tend to see their families over the holidays, and that's often a mixed blessing. Memories of family at Thanksgiving and Christmas are not always pleasant, and they can bother people at a low level, where they may not even realize it's bothering them. Some people celebrate the holidays at a fever pitch, hoping to make them different from what they remember, and wear themselves out as a consequence. Finally, if people have had painful things happen around the holidays, such as the death of a loved one, loss of a job, or painful divorce, they may feel more depressed as the anniversary dates approach. True Seasonal Affective Disorder is most commonly seen as a form of Major Depression, which occurs more years than not from childhood on, is not associated with holiday stress, seasonal unemployment, etc., and which gets completely better once the dark time of the year is past. In order to count as an episode of depression, symptoms must have lasted at least two weeks,

and must include at least five of the following problems over that time: depressed mood most of the day, almost every day; markedly diminished capacity for pleasure or loss of interest in things once enjoyed; significant weight gain or loss; insomnia or too much sleep almost every day; feeling highly restless or slowed-down nearly every day; fatigue; feelings of worthlessness, poor concentration and memory, and recurrent thoughts of death or dying. If someone does not get feel better around March, or gets depressed at other times of the year as well as in the dark time, they may or may not have SAD. In any case, the number of depressive episodes that happen during other times of the year must be substantially less than those that occur during the dark time in order to have the diagnosis. Less commonly, people experience manic episodes with the same kind of seasonal regularity, where their need for sleep decreases, their energy and speed of thoughts increase, and they may feel boundless excitement. Other people have mood symptoms regularly during the summer part of the year, although this also is rare.

What can be done about this illness? There are a number of alternatives that may help. The least intrusive is the use of a "light box", which provides extra hours of full-spectrum light when it is dark outside. Just as many animals and plants respond to the number of hours of sunlight as the days get longer or shorter, some people do too. Where bears get ready to hibernate as it gets colder and darker, and birds fly south, people may start to produce lower levels of neurotransmitters, particularly serotonin. Low serotonin produces sleep and appetite disturbance (too much or too little), lack of the ability to feel pleasure, decreased interest in sex, and often a sense of irritability or depressed mood. Cuing the sensors in the brain with extra light every day can help restore shut- down serotonin production. Light boxes can be found on the Web at a number of sites that also educate people about the different capacities available in different price ranges. There are travel-size boxes, lights built to look like desk lamps, and large panel lights.

Users do not have to look directly into the light in order for it to work, but the more light hitting the eye, the less time is necessary in front of the lamp. Herbal and holistic remedies also include the use of St. John's Wort, which has been used for decades in Europe for mild to moderate depression. Large scale studies are in progress in this country; it's probably a good idea to research its use and to discuss it with a doctor in case it conflicts with any other medications you might be taking. As the use of St. John's becomes more mainstream, doctors are becoming more familiar with it and may be willing to discuss whether it is the best choice for you.

Studies have shown that an hour of aerobic exercise, five times a week, can help with mild depression. The problem with using exercise for more moderate depression is that people may not be motivated to work out that much if they're that depressed! Yoga, meditation, Reiki, and other forms of energy work may be helpful as well, but I am not familiar with specific studies that address their use in SAD. Finally, the class of antidepressant medications known as SSRI's (selective serotonin re-uptake inhibitors) may also be useful. SSRI's, which include such medications as Prozac, Zoloft, Paxil, Celexa, and some newer medications, work by allowing the serotonin your brain does produce to work harder before getting recycled in your brain. They can be very effective, but they usually take three or four weeks to work, they can initially cause side effects like stomach upset, disturbed sleep, or a sense of feeling "off", and they cause sexual problems in some people that don't go away until the medication is stopped. They are also expensive if you don't have insurance. However, if you've tried other remedies and still feel depressed, it's probably worth a trip to your doctor.

SAD is a hard disorder to live with, untreated, because just at the time when there is so much more to do, all you may want to do is hide under the covers. If you do drag yourself out to holiday events, you may not enjoy them, and after the holidays, there is a long, cold time until the sun starts to show up in mid-March.

If this sounds like your experience, you may want to have an evaluation by a professional. How can you find a therapist? If you have insurance, you can call the number on the back of your card to find out how to access a therapist. If you know someone who has had a good experience with a therapist, you can call the therapist and he or she can see whether your insurance will pay for services. Community mental health centers often provide comprehensive service, including therapy and medication. If you have no insurance, or if you prefer to avoid the complications with confidentiality and limitations on treatment that insurance creates, you can often arrange to pay privately for services. Many therapists have sliding scales, and people may come every two weeks in order to make payment manageable.

The good news about SAD is that when April comes, SAD should be over until the next fall. There is plenty of time to research treatment options while the summer sun shines!

Lynda L. Warwick, Ph.D., is a licensed psychologist and member of the SEF. Her website may be seen at:
www.warwick-associates.com/boston

Soulful Samhain Sundown by Jay Atwood
Early in August of this year, The High Prieste….uh, I mean The Reverend Amy Freedman of Newport's Channing Memorial Church (Unitarian) called me and asked if I would be interested in being a part of their Soulful Sundown series. She described the series as "An exploration of Spirit through the arts", and suggested that I create an evening of music and ritual based on my own spiritual practice.

Jay:      "Umm…. Amy… you know that I'm Pagan, right?"
Amy:     "Yep!"
Jay:      "So, can we light a bonfire in the church, and dance naked?"
Amy:     "Great idea! Let's talk about it."

In the end, we didn't have nudity or a bonfire, but the candle-lit church, with its hand-carved wooden chancel and soaring vaulted ceiling made for a beautiful and dramatic (if somewhat unusual) setting for our rite.

Dedicated in 1880, Channing is in many ways a very traditional 'cathedral' design. But since it was intended from the start to be a UU church, the stunning stained glass windows depict – not saints or the crucified Christ – but rather "The Sower", and images of "Faith, Hope, and Charity". Yes, even a bunch of Pagans could feel at home here.

After agreeing to do it, and deciding on a date (October 20th), we came up with the theme that became our title "A Season of Rest – A Samhain Celebration". I knew right off that I didn't want this to be the typical 'coffee-house' style event. It had to be interactive on some level. I also knew that the evening had to be both truly Pagan, and yet accessible to non-Pagan attendees. We had to bridge many worlds. I got home, and immediately called two people – my dear friend Danica Connors (who happens to be both a Witch and a theatre pro) and our own beloved Debbie. To my great joy, both of them signed on! With these two powerful women fronting the music and ritual I knew that it was going to be a special evening. Although words alone can't describe the energy of the event, here is the essence of what happened.

As attendees approached the Church, they were merrily smudged and asperged – welcoming them to the ritual, and creating a bridge from the mundane to the magickal. Upon entering, they found themselves at a Pagan gathering, already in progress.

The chancel area was lit by beautiful autumn colored candles. Belly dancers danced in the aisles while drummers played. Peter perambulated the sanctuary spinning glowsticks – a magnificent meditation in movement. Many of Berta and Cheryl's fine photographs were also on display. Though many people didn't notice him at first, a tall figure, draped in black and holding a large scythe, stood patiently at the front of the hall – sharpening his blade, and waiting…waiting…

From out of the drums, a solo voice emerged. A chant, simple and profound, called upon The Source to "Sing through my voice! Play through my hands! Let The Way be open!" Soon, everyone joined in the song. The ritual proper was underway.

The performance part of the evening began with an ensemble reading of "Hearken Now, The Darkness Comes" – a wonderful poem explaining the history and present meaning of Samhain, intercut with Danica's soulful rendition of Loreena McKennit's "All Souls Night".

Musicians Lori Amey and Gloria Price performed an original piece based on a poem by the Sufi poet, Rumi, instructing us to "Die Inside This Love".

Chris Turner, Rachel Malone, and Yours Truly did several instrumentals on British bag-pipes, jaw-harps, fiddle, harmonica, and didgeridoo (Really!) and one traditional British folk song "Deep Blue Sea" – backed up by the Last Minute Pagan Choir.

But the heart of the evening's service was a 'mystery play' lead by the Symbios Coven.

From the back of the Church, came an aged person (Jen) wearing a heavy cloak - stooped and moving very slowly down the long center aisle. The only sounds, the click of her staff on the church floor and the slow beating of a weary heart.

The Moment had come for our patient Thanatos, who now moved from his position in the front of the hall. I must say that Shawn's portrayal of Death gave many an appropriate chill. His stylized movement, both beautiful and eerily otherworldly, made certain that all eyes were on him as he floated down the aisle to keep his appointment with the old one.

The wheel turned, the scythe swung, the beating heart stopped, and the aged one collapsed to the floor – the clatter of her staff echoing in the gothic hall. Silence.

Then, leaving the cloak behind her, she rose from the floor, now ageless and dressed in white! The soul, released from the confines of the physical body began her journey to the underworld. As she traveled on, echoing voices (based on the Forty-two Assessors of Egyptian mythology) challenged her. "Was I honest? Did I feed the poor?…" Autumn leaves fell from the 'Book of Life' held in her hands.

Finally, upon reaching the chancel, the Queen of the Underworld (Wisteria) received her. (Literally enthroned! Did I mention the really really cool carved thrones?? Don't know what they were doing in a UU church, but we loved 'em!). The Soul knelt in adoration, then rose to be embraced by Persephone who released her into the light (a simple, but beautiful effect created by shining a very bright halogen flood lamp through a side door).

At this point, Debbie addressed the audience: "Why fear ye the Dark Queen, oh mortals? From sleep we arise refreshed. From death we arise reborn. By the embraces of Persephone are we made powerful."

While Persephone and Thanatos stood in silent tableau, Lori and Gloria performed another original piece honoring the "Goddess of Death and the God of Grain". Wow.

Then, in memory of the ancient Samhain fires, Rev Amy invited everyone to come up and light a candle – "To ignite fires against ignorance and fear." (Gods, I love her! She's gotta be Pagan at heart.) Hundreds of tea lights illuminated the church – energy manifest.

After a silent meditation, Danica lead us into a final chant – this time the insanely infectious "Oh, Ma Ma Ma" that got everyone up and literally dancing in the aisles. The ritual was over. We danced to the back of the church where snacks were served while Persephone's minions passed huge plates of pomegranate seeds through the crowd.

Truthfully, I've never seen anything quite like it, and I feel honored to have been a part. Pagans, non-Pagans. Musicians, dancers, drummers, ritualists, and artists, all celebrating the season together. It was truly a group effort, and the whole was far greater than the sum of its parts. I was so moved afterward that I could hardly speak. (Thanks to Berta for suggesting a few celebratory pints and the healing power of nachos to ground me.) I'm still not quite over it.

Did I hear someone say "Beltaine"?

Thoughts on Ritual Drama by Thymele

"It is hardly an exaggeration to say that when we look back to the beginnings of European literature we find everywhere drama, and always drama derived from a religious ritual designed to ensure the rebirth of the dead world. Under ancient conditions, it was anxious work for every human group, when the harvest was over, to face the winter, when all life was gone . . . [Humans] could live only in the hope that a living and fruitful world would eventually be reborn." ~ Gilbert Murray, in his Foreword to Theodore H Gaster's Thespis, 1966

The priest/ess, more than a mundane actor, both recreates the deeds and carries the energy of the Deity or Hero as They journey to rebirth. The priest/ess plays a dramatic role in the present while re-enacting a divine or supernatural role in the eternal, thus ensuring the continuation of the seasonal/Mystery cycle through the magical language of symbolic action, "As below, so above".

The last two SEF Public Samhain Sabbats held on the South Shore contained all of the rich functions of ritual drama. Last year's "Samhain in the Woods" at Angels' Loft was a moving experiential rite designed by Arachne, Anubis and Symbios which used something similar to medieval "mansion" staging, where "spectators" had to travel from station to station, literally living the Journey of the Dead through the Underworld to Rebirth. Priestesses and priests carried the roles of Hades, Persephone, Demeter and their retinues in separate courts, to which each participant was guided in sequence on their journey. So, while each participant was given a devotional and celebratory experience of death and beyond, the priests and priestesses were at the same time part of a re-enactment of the myth of Persephone in the Underworld. For part of this year's "Soulful Sundown" series at the Channing Memorial UU Church in Newport RI, SEF member and musician Jay Atwood asked Arachne and the Symbios coven to create a brief seasonally appropriate Mystery play for the late October service he was running. The result was a dumbshow of the Soul's journey through death to the underworld. As participants in the evening looked on, the Old Person (somewhat similar to the Medieval "Everyman") was cut down by Death's scythe and the ageless Soul emerged from the corpse. As the Soul approached Persephone's Priestess and Priest, it was bombarded with the Questions of the Forty Two Assessors about the quality of the life it had lived. The Soul was then purified by the Priestess and Priest, and led into the presence of the Goddess. Once received by Persephone and given Her blessing, the Soul was then sent on to join its loved ones in the Afterlife. Those who enacted the play were standing in, in "real time", for a cycle that happens constantly and eternally. Those who watched were given potent visual and aural aids of the dramatic action and wonderful music, along with the ritual space of the church nave and chancel, for meditation and reflection.

If you've been to any of the SEF Fall Retreats or some of its public Sabbats, like this year's Samhain celebration in Newport RI, you may have noticed that these events tend to offer a mixture of ritual and performance. In fact, ritual and performance are mixed to such a degree that we can even call aspects of these events ritual drama. Having participated in several of these ritual dramas, I've been reflecting on why this particular form of celebratory practice is so spiritually compelling and emotionally moving. Here are a few of the thoughts that have developed so far.

To begin with, what is ritual drama? Specifically, it is religious ritual or public worship that has been expanded by sections of dramatic presentation involving the impersonation of Divine or mythic figures by members of the priest/esshood. Many theatre historians look at ritual drama as the first type of theatre to emerge, originating in prehistoric times and leaving at least partial evidence in several cultures. For instance, there is the Abydos Passion play of Ancient Egypt which we know of from inscriptions left behind by participants letting us know that it was a series of ritual reenactments of the life and death of Osiris. The fact that the participants went to the expense of having monuments carved documenting their experience highlights that they were viewed as an honor as well as a religious duty, and possibly hint that they were a spiritually moving occurrence. Closer to our own times, there was the "Quem Queritis", a reenactment of the discovery of the empty tomb by the three Marys and the angelic announcement of Jesus's resurrection. This was actually performed by costumed priests around and on church altars on Easter Sunday as a way of making that sacred moment literally come to life.

While there are a number of literary and anthropological theories about the development and purpose of ritual drama, I think that those proposed by Theodore H. Gaster in his book Thespis are most

relevant to the our Pagan worldview. As the seasonally appropriate quotation that leads off this essay points out, ritual drama is closely associated across countless cultures with the agricultural and Mystery cycle of birth/death/rebirth. Gaster himself writes, In most parts of the world, seasonal rituals follow a common pattern . . . based on the conception that life is vouchsafed in a series of leases which have annually to be renewed. The renewal is achieved, however, not through divine providence alone but also through the concerted effort of men; and the rituals are designed primarily to recruit and regiment that effort. (Thespis, 17) Rituals, then, allow us to "renew our leases" and experience renewal as a organized, united group – in other words, as a community. But what function does the drama serve?

The key to the function of ritual drama lies in the idea of impersonation within the ritual context, which allows humans to literally embody the Divine, bringing the myths into our everyday realm of the here and now. Generally speaking, ritual aims at making contact with the Divine, especially those rituals of seasonal renewal.(1) There are ancient myths which tell the story of the Deity and the foundation of the related ritual practice; for example, think of the myth of the Abduction of Persephone and its relation to the Eleusinian Mysteries. By adding in the element of dramatic impersonation, these foundational myths are re-enacted and the power of sympathetic magic is added to the acts of propitiation and/or praise.

This is another key aspect of ritual drama: spectators are never passively watching, but are drawn into the action, even if only in meditation. The watchers of ritual drama are literally the chorus, the representatives of all believers, and as such, are offered instruction and insight in return for their energy and devotion. If you think in these terms, ritual dramas are held with Divine audiences in mind, not mortal ones. These dramas are votive offerings and celebratory acts. They are an act of community instruction, celebration and renewal and offer a communal experience of connection with the Divine. (2)

Notes: (1) In ancient times, ritual focused on influencing the turning of the year through propitiation and praise. Now, we may have less focus on propitiating the Gods, and focus more on acts of celebration and devotion. A full exploration of the function and purpose of modern Pagan rituals would be another full article in itself.

(2) Many thanks to Arachne, Jennifer, Morwynna, and Raven for their feedback on this article!

The giant boar Twrch Trwyth is menaced by the Hawk Warrior Menw
in the SEF's ritual drama "Culhwch & Olwen" this autumn.

The following clergy are available through the Society of Elder Faiths:

A licensed Wiccan Elder, with ministerial credentials from the Covenant of the Goddess and the Society of Elder Faiths (SEF), authorized to perform legal weddings and handfastings. Also available for other religious services and Rites of Passage. Debbie Fields-Berry P.O. Box 335, B.U. Station Boston MA 02215 dberry@bu.edu 508 839-3457

I hold legal credentials through the Covenant of the Goddess and am ordained though the Society of Elder Faiths. I am willing to travel within New England and will work with people of any Neo-Pagan tradition or non-Pagans with an earth centered focus. I require an initial face to face meeting with a couple at least 2 months before a wedding. I have also performed Wiccanings and am available for other rites of passage. Peg P.O. Box 485 Upton, MA 01568-0485 meagan@control.com 508 839-3457

SEF Messenger: The Community Newsletter of the Society of Elder Faiths
Yule 2002
Editor : Jennifer
Staff: Morwynna
© 2002 Society of Elder Faiths
SEF Members may submit news to:
news@elderfaiths.org ;
or
PO Box 30, Marlboro, MA 01752;
or
508 839-3457

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