The last of the three harvest festivals; Lughnasa, Mabon, and finally Samhain. Traditionally, marking the harvest of the dried produce such as beans, seeds and pulses; which would have been drying on the plants and then threshed and winnowed ready to store over the winter as staple foods when fresh was scarce.
Samhain(pronounced sow-en), in the Wheel of The Year, marks the beginning of the dark half of the year, the feminine half of the cycle. The dark goddess awakens, the hag, the crone, the witch. Demonized by a culture that celebrates the maiden, beauty, youth, innocence, A culture that rates us on our looks, our bodies that clings to anti ageing creams, make up, plastic surgery and tells us to take hormones to deny the process the feminine rite of passage that is menopause - the coming of the wise woman.
Sometimes what we find in the darkness is not what we expect to find, and when we make space for the darkness that, my love, is when we allow for more light to emerge.
Celebrated as the beginning point of the Celtic year, Samhain was not just a day but in fact the whole month. Astrologically, from the second New Moon after the Equinox until the Full moon completes the cycle. It is believed that the veil between worlds is at it’s thinnest. The word bonfire, has it’s etymology in ‘bone fire’ where the carcasses of the animals slaughtered to feed the village for winter would be burnt for clearing and for spiritual protection. In Celtic Ireland, the fire from every hearth would be extinguished, and then relit from a huge fire started by 9 druids on the Hill of Tlachtga (pronounced Clackda). Thus marking the end of summer, and beginning of the winter.
Endings, like death, in our culture are often seen as a negative, or something we’d like to avoid, uncomfortable and under discussed. We don’t have a framework in our society to look at them through a lens of ease, of comfort or curiosity. Ritual can bring us this. To give us ways of being with seperation, transformation, a change in state a shift in energy, and to give meaning and understanding.
To allow that which we have been holding on to; maybe for our own safety, maybe because we needed it for a time, to be released. When we allow one part of our story to come to an end, it is that we can make space for the next page.
Yet, endings are so often tinged with fear, the fear of letting go, the fear of making the wrong decision, of closing the wrong door.
This comes from a society of polarization. A society of colonisation, of patriarchal systems, a linear and binary view of the world.
Far detached from the natural cycles of death and rebirth, of indigenous earth wisdom of ancestors who walked lightly and understood the rhythm of nature.
I come from a lineage of colonisers. The English, like many other nations, tried desperately to erase that wisdom which connected us, and instead decided to embrace division and conquering, capitalism, imperialism, and denial of our nature. The work of decolonization is one that needs to be done by all. It is uncomfortable, triggering and many would rather look away.
But we cannot look away from the fact our world is burning.
It is burning from a lack of connection, a lack of understanding, a fear based society, a greed based consumer society. We can all do the work that is needed, but it starts with taking responsibility for who we are, where we have come from and what the work is we need to do.
We have grown up in a system that looks to others for the answers, we do not trust ourselves, our decisions, our callings. We try in vain to fit into a way of being that goes against everything that we are, everything we have the potential to be. We all have the power to create change, and I believe that activism ,for some, begins small and it begins, with radical self care.
Delving into the darkness of Samhain, has really brought to light for me; the darkness that is being shown to us daily in the news, the media, social media, everywhere we look. We can try to avoid it but it will be there as an under current.
It can be overwhelming knowing where to even begin or how to help, It can draw us to a point that we enter freeze response and do nothing. Or look away, or pretend it isn’t real or that it doesn’t concern us (this is privilege).
So what do we do when it all seems too much but we want so desperately to see a better world? Possibly an unpopular idea from those who’ve been taught to people please, but we can’t heal the world until we begin with ourselves. We can start tending to the parts of us that aren’t able to hold the big emotions, we can tend to the parts of ourselves that feel disconnected and lonely, that feel small and scared, that feel sad and angry, that feel despair and frustration. But also to the parts of ourself that so desperately want to feel happiness and joy, that have a desire to do good in the world. To connect with, and to discover our authenticity.
We can give those parts of ourselves, time to rest, time to listen and time to be cared for. And we can do that together.
If anything in this letter sparks curiosity, or especially if it triggers you in anyway - I would really recommend putting pen to paper, and exploring this further.
The winter is time for reflection, time to pause and listen, explore and wonder. Or if you’d like to speak or ask anything further about Samhain, systems of oppression, or anything else please just send me a message, or leave a comment below.
And finally, If you’ve made it this far a word on my current offering..
Some of you joined me live, and some via the replay, for the Wild Moon Creative Workshop last month at the start of the Samhain portal, and the feedback was incredible.
I feel so filled with gratitude and joy that it sparked creativity and change for you, too. It’s been wonderful to co-create this monthly space where women are able to show up for themselves; however they truly are no matter how tired, overwhelmed, or frustrated; whether it has been a good day or a terrible one, if they’ve got the energy to explore the creative practices or simply want to show up and lie down, rest and simply gently absorb the creative energy available.
It has been truly magical so far, and I can’t wait to see you again, with the grounding energy of the Taurus Full Moon, to close the portal of Samhain and step forward into the winter.
We can do this together.
Please just drop me a message if you’d like more details about how you can join us on Sunday November 17th, or receive the replay.