Samhain
Samhain is upon us once again. The night where the veil is at its thinnest and boundaries become blurred.
If you’ve been reading my blogs over the past seven years, you’ll know how important a point in our annual energetic cycle I find it to be, especially for us Irish and those who feel an ancestral affinity to the Celts.
Samhain was the most important festival of the Celtic calendar, marking the end of a year and the start of a new one. The Celts saw the cycle as being night into day, hence we celebrate Halloween on the 31st of October but the actual day of Samhain is November 1st– beginning during the darkness in those early morning hours, into the light of dawn.
Being a fire festival, communal bonfires were of huge importance with the greatest of the Samhain bonfires at Tlachtga in Co. Meath, a tradition that continues to today.
The Celts would honour their ancestral line by inviting their ancestors into their homes and preparing food for them (and then ritually sharing it with those in their community that needed it) on this night. Again, a tradition that is consciously carried through by many of us to today- and unconsciously by a vast amount of people who go trick or treating on what, in the main, is now called Halloween.
“If you look deeply into the palm of your hand, you will see your parents and all generations of your ancestors. All of them are alive in this moment. Each is present in your body. You are the continuation of each of these people.”
Thich Nhat Hanh
We can look at Samhain as a night associated with boundaries- existing in the space between years (the Celtic new year’s eve), between the light and dark halves of the year (summer and winter), between night and day (happening in the early hours of Nov 1st), between this world and the Other (the line between the living and dead being blurred).
It exists in the space between all these important cycles- suspended between so many beginnings and endings- giving a feeling of timelessness or a great pause.
Utilising the energy of this ‘great pause’ to set your intention for the new cycle, whether you see it as the start of the new year or just the beginning of the month, can be very supportive.
A nice practice you may like to try is to light a candle in the approach to midnight on the 31st, acknowledging your ancestors as you do so and setting your intentions for this new cycle. Then just sit and be in the energy of that light in the dark for a few minutes.
It can be a night that feels quite chaotic to those sensitive to the energies of things beyond that which we see and it can be quite challenging to feel grounded. Because of that, my offering to you this year is a meditation I created with Andrea Maxine Frade on connecting to Earth. It is downloadable so you can listen offline, and both Andrea and I hope you find it a supportive tool in connecting to the Autumnal element of Earth.
May we all honour our connection to the past knowing that it IS past so may be released. May we be present to our here and now and know that we as individuals are the creators of our future. And may we build our future from a foundation of self-love, self-respect and with love and gratitude for those who came before and those who will come after.
Wishing you a beautiful and peaceful new cycle.
Le grá, Laura
7 comments on “Samhain”
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Resounding Power 
I like your closing summary Laura. Maybe Samhain can be a sacred pause to center in the now and gratitude for what was.
Beautifully said Brad, yes! 🙏
Thanks.
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I feel quite calm, Laura. There is a kind and peaceful, even graceful energy today.
Glad to hear it Amy Rose! Just had a look at your most recent posts- absolutely stunning pics, that graceful energy certainly comes through 💚
Thank you, Laura, ever so kindly! Autumn certainly is glorious where I live and I’m more then happy to share the glow I have witnessed. Much love and blessings to you! xo