The Harvest Comes In, The Autumn Ends. The Veil is Thin — Welcome In, Spirit Friends . . .
Happy Allhallowtide and Blessed Samhain!
The Sun’s alignment with 15° Scorpio on November 6 marks True Samhain in the Northern Hemisphere — the astrological midpoint between the autumn equinox and the midwinter solstice.
In the cycle of day and night, this time is akin to the sunset of the year. It’s a time of surrender, trust, and deep introspection — a time to reflect on the past, embrace the regenerative gifts of the darkness, and honor the ancestors.
On the Wheel of the Year this moment corresponds to the Gaelic fire festival of Samhain. As the third and final autumn harvest festival, Samhain celebrates the completion of the agricultural year and the impending descent into winter.
Death looms large in the human psyche as the natural world appears to shrivel and die before our very eyes. All that was once green and vibrant, now dulls, droops and drops to the Earth — ready to be decomposed and reassembled into the humus-rich soil needed to birth life anew. At this time we’re solemnly reminded of our own mortality and of all who have gone before us — making Samhain a potent time to honor the ancestors — their victories and accomplishments, their struggles and sacrifices, and all the burdens and blessings they’ve left to us, their descendants, to embrace in deep reverence and appreciation for making our lives possible.
In modern Irish, Samhain (pronounced SAH-wane) comes from the name for the month of November, Mí na Samhna, and means summer’s end. It marks the passage into the darkest part of the year and is often considered the Celtic or Witches’ New Year.
The ancestors perceived that light emerges from darkness. Creation was birthed from the darkness of the Goddess’s womb. Day was birthed from the darkness of night. And the new year was birthed from the darkness of winter.
The modern celebration of Halloween was likewise birthed from the ancient festival of Samhain.
As each new day began at sundown for the Irish ancestors, the vigil of Oíche Shamhna or Samhain Eve began with the setting of the Sun on October 31 to mark the arrival of November. Later the Christian’s All Hallows’ Evening absorbed many of Samhain Eve’s traditions before spreading throughout the world as the abbreviated Hallowe’en.
During this twilight zone or bewitching hour of the year, the veil between the worlds of the living and the dead was considered thin. Gourds and pumpkins were hollowed out and set with candles to light the way for the souls of one’s visiting familiars. The best seats were reserved for them by the hearthside and food and drink were offered to fortify their return journey — while costumes were worn by the living to conceal their identity as mortals from aos sí (pronounced ees shee), the mischievous folk of the fairy mounds, who might otherwise spirit them away to the Otherworld.
Soul, a soul, a soul cake,
Please good missus, a soul cake.
An apple, a pear, a plum, or a cherry —
Any good thing to make us all merry.
One for Peter, two for Paul,
Three for Him who made us all.
With the arrival of Christianity in the Celtic Isles, Samhain’s customs were absorbed by the celebration of All Saints' Day or Hallowmas on November 1 and became a day to honor the saints and martyrs of Heaven who enjoyed the happy pleasure of abiding in God's presence.
All Souls' Day was instituted the following day, November 2, as a solemn day to pray for all the lost souls who were still undergoing purification in the grips of purgatory before gaining admittance into Heaven.
With the addition of All Souls’ Day, the tradition of souling was added to the season’s festivities and became especially popular in medieval England.
Impoverished soulers went door-to-door amongst the homes of the wealthy performing souling songs and rhymes and offering to pray for their departed kinfolk in exchange for charitable donations of money, food, or drink. If refused, the dejected soulers were apt to seek retribution by playing pranks on the household and deferring credit to denizens of the Otherworld.
Over time, spiced biscuit-like soul cakes became the customary offering for the promise of prayers and the practice of souling incorporated the costume-wearing typical of Yuletide guising and mumming of medieval traveling performance troupes. And eventually the combination of traditions gave way to modern-day trick-or-treating.
Come at the witching hour of eight and let the fairies read your fate. Reveal to none this secret plot, or woe — not luck — will be your lot!
The Victorian era saw a fresh revival of All Hallows’ Eve customs and rituals, as evidenced by the popularity of elaborate Halloween parties. The gatherings were an occasion for costumes, games, divination, fortunetelling, ghost stories, indulgence and general merrymaking & mischief.
Cast an intention with all your might. The winds of change blow strong tonight . . .
Intentional Ways to Celebrate Samhain Season and Deepen Your Connection to the Natural World:
- Dedicate an Altar or Nature Table to Your Ancestors; Collect & Display Their Photos & Keepsakes
- Pull Out Old Photo Albums or Visit an Ancestry Site to Learn Stories of Your Ancestors
- Visit the Graves of Your Dearly Departed
- Carve & Light Jack-O’-Lanterns to Invite the Spirits of the Ancestors to Visit and Place a Chair by the Fireside to Welcome Them In
- Prepare a Feast of the Ancestral Foods of Your Lineage
- Serve an Extra Plate of Food at the Dinner Table and Eat Your Evening Meal (or Dumb Supper) in Silence, in Honor of the Dead, then Offer the Food Back to Nature
- Take a Nature Walk in Silence and Reflect on the Cycles of Life & Death; Journal on Your Insights
- Divine an Oracle or Tarot Card Spread for Guidance as You Enter the Darkest Time of the Year
- Offer Outlived Habits & Patterns to the Transformative Powers of the Compost Heap for Humification
- Sweep Out Your Home and Replace Your Broom to Ensure No Bad Luck Follows You into the Witches’ New Year
- Learn a Souling Song
- Bake and Enjoy Soul Cakes
- Host a Halloween Party and Make Merry with Friends & Family
- Listen to Our Ancestors Playlist & Our Samhain • All Hallows’ Eve Playlist to Take Advantage of Music Medicine
- Shop our Samhain Collection of Ethically-Produced, Earth-Honoring Goods
We cannot protect something we do not love, we cannot love what we do not know, and we cannot know what we do not see, or hear, or sense. — Richard Louv
As we remember and appreciate the ways of the ancestors, we honor them. And by reimagining their customs and traditions — in ways that are meaningful and relevant to us today — we re-enchant the world for our children and our children’s children.
So come weavers of story, art and song. Let us gather together now for the time has come, to weave a new vision for those yet to come. For we are the ancestors of our great- granddaughters and sons. — Olivia Fern, Remember Why You Came
***
YOUR TURN
Tell Us: How do you intend to celebrate Samhain season? What unfinished business have the ancestors left to you? What are you offering up to the compost heap?
