Samhain is an ancient Celtic New Year’s celebration. Today’s Halloween comes from ancient celebration but completely misses the true purpose of it. Here is brief breakdown of what Samhain is.
- Usually celebrated from October 31 to November 1
- Celebrate the harvest and usher in “the dark half of the year”
- When the veil thins, can connect with the ancestors and deal with any grief from lost loved ones
- Time to clear out the old and embrace the new
- Time to reflect on the past year
- Time to forgive others and move on
- Ritual- let the home fire burn out and relight for the new year
What I love most about Samhain is how much you can see nature tying into the season. This time of year, the trees are letting go of the bountiful leaves that supported the trees all season. This is after weeks of majestic celebration with flamboyant fire colours of red, yellow and orange. These colours remind us that it is time to look deep within and burn away anything that has been blocking us this past year and transform anything that is ready to go.
Looking through the year, the trees drop the old leaves, and divert the nutrients from the leaves that are to fall away to the productions of buds preparing for the new year to come. The trees become bare, revealing their knots, holes and wounds, diverting their energies to healing these so they are ready to face the cold, dark and harsh months, completely empty of any burdens. There is no longer anything weighing the trees down while they potentially face the harshest environmental conditions. They head into the season and new year fresh and ready. They slow down their sap and their spirits head deep within the roots, connecting to the wisdom within the earth, to reflect upon the year that passed and the year to come. When the light returns and the heat begins to build, the sap speeds up, sending nutrients to the buds that were created in the fall, feeding them with the enlightened knowledge gleamed from the winter’s siesta. Those leaves the trees released in the fall were decomposing under snow, and with the help of the spring rain, the nutrients flow into the soil and the trees pull in that recycled energy to source it as it comes into full bloom again.
Samhain is the time of year to acknowledge this accomplishment, to celebrate the success of this process that occurs throughout the year, going from releasement to abundant bloom. Looking back, in our lives, there is so much to celebrate, all that we created, all that worked, all that didn’t, the lessons, the joys, the challenges, the journey, all play into the abundance. It is a time to look at what blocks kept coming up, what pains could we not move through, that knot our interior fabric that need healing so we can face the cold, dark and harsh months, free of burdens. Once we have done that, we are able to do our winter dreaming.
What an opportunity for us to prepare and be completely supported by our ancestors, the elementals and nature. The veil thins at this time of year to help us more easily connect to our ancestors so we can gleam some of their wisdom. The thin veil also helps us connect to any loved ones who passed this past year and resolve any issues related to them while living or in the grief. Just as the wind blows and the fall rains wash the leaves off the trees, it is an opportunity to allow the sylphs to help you clear away the mental chatter and the sprites wash away emotional pain.
Samhain reminds us that we don’t do all of this work overnight or alone. The trees take their cues from the changes in light and the dropping temperatures. They burst into colour and decide to release the leaves, withdraw their sap and allow the wind, rain and fairies to remove the leaves over a period of many weeks. When I connect to the trees, I feel they are the happiest at this time of year. They enjoy the process. They worked hard all year and celebrate their success with their leaves. So when you walk down the street, pause through the shower of leaves fluttering down over you as the trees and fairies are blessing you with their abundance. When you rake the leaves off your lawn, acknowledge your success and nature’s success.
Long ago when Samhain began, humans burned continual fires in their home and would put them out at this time of year to acknowledge the year’s end and letting go of what is no longer needed. Then they would relite it with the community celebration fire, celebrating the new year and ensure light during the coming dark months. We no longer have fire earths in our homes, but we can still partake in this ritual. Light a candle and let it burn for as long as it is safe. Let it burn out or blow it out with the intention that you are extinguishing the old year, having released all that is no longer needed. Then have a celebration and light a new candle setting the intention of ushering the new year and ensuring light for the coming months.
This is perfect to do on Halloween night. As you head off to bed, remember to leave out treats for the elementals and ancestors. When you wake in the morning, take time to connect to them to see what wisdom they have for you. Ask them what you need to retain from the previous year and where to focus your energies for the new one.
The weeks building up to Samhain are just as important as the day itself. Take time to connect to nature during these weeks, feeling into the energies and flowing with them. Talk to the elementals and see what they are up to and how you can help each other. Take time out to count your blessings, reap your harvests and plan for the next year. Don’t let this Samhain past leaving you full of tricks and no treats.
annelafrance 