Samhain -

( 31 October )

The late autumnal festival of Samhain is a time to rest, regenerate and dream, as the divide between worlds fades away.

Samhain is a cross-quarter festival and the counterbalance to Beltane. The final harvest of berries and nuts is gathered and the nutritional sap of the plants returns to the Earth. The light is going as the days shorten and darkness takes over.

The veil between the worlds thins in this season and it\’s an ideal time to communicate with the world of spirits, to the divine and prophesy.

Veil between worlds

According to Celtic belief, people didn\’t actually die but moved on elsewhere. Samhain was a time when their spirits could slip back to visit this world. This thin veil between realms also allows the fairy folk to come into your world and make mischief!

Samhain represents the powers of death and darkness, but the Celts were not afraid of these forces and regarded them as important and as meaningful as the forces of light.

Samhain in the modern world

Unable to repress the people\’s strong allegiance to the dark energies of Samhain. the Christian Church renamed the festival of All Saints Day (November 1st) to honour all saints, known and unknown. In later times, the day following Samhain also became known as All Souls or All Hallows, when people would pray for the dead.

For the early rising Celts, days began in darkness which is why many of our modern-day celebrations start on the Eve of All Hallows. The combination of the Celts\’ Eve and the Christians All Hallows gives us \”Halloween\” on 31st October. Thus, the church\’s fear of the dark powers has moved the emphasis towards making fun at this time. Children\’s games such as making jack-o-lanterns survive only as a light-hearted reminder of Samhain.

Halloween Activities

$\"\"$ With all the fun at Halloween, you can still lay a more meaningful emphasis on what you do. By dressing as a witch you are imitating the wise Crone, whose conical hat draws up the energy of the and assists in thinking. The hat\’s brim sends out the crown\’s will, and, because people\’s noses and ears never stop growing, the witch\’s long nose represents the wisdom of age.

Vegetable Lanterns

$\"\"$ Another popular tradition is carving a Halloween lantern. The customer originates from the belief that these scary-looking lanterns would ward off ghosts and evil spirits.

Children can have fun carving Halloween lanterns from pumpkins. the sweet flesh can then be used for making a pumpkin pie.

Apple Bobbing

$\"\"$ Many of the traditional Halloween games such as \”bobbing for apples\” derive from Druidic rites that used the sacred apple for access to the otherworld. In Celtic lore, Avalon, the mythical Land of Apples, was once an island. To reach its shores involved a long and treacherous journey through marshland. The fruit of Avalon was thought to give the gift of knowledge and immortality.

Practise Scrying

$\"\"$ Samhain is a good time of the year to practise scrying and take a glimpse into the future. First, you should make sure that you have a quiet room in which to relax and meditate in order to get your mind into a sufficiently dream-like state. Once you have achieved a completely relaxed state you can attempt scrying.

Samhain