Samhain

 

Hi lovelies, 

today I want to share some information about Samhain with you. 

Samhain, like Beltane, is a very magical time. The veil between the seen world of matter and the unseen world of spirit becomes thin. It is a time for communication with the ancestors, a time for divination, omens, portents, and seeking to understand the inner mysteries. It is a time to drift, dream and vision, a time for inner journeys connecting  to the wisdom within yourself.

This is the Summer’s end and the beginning of winter. It is the end and the beginning of the Celtic new year, affirming rebirth in the midst of death and darkness.

The Underworld and darkness became a place to fear, and the Celtic understanding of its regenerative aspect became lost. 

Darkness was important to the Celts. To them it was as important as the light. Darkness and death had power that they did not fear. Here at Samhain, as the Earth is plunged into its darkest time of the year, the Celts blessed the seeds whose germination in the dark would once again bring life when the sun returned. They communicated with their ancestors, believing deceased family members could visit their loved ones at this time of the year when the veil between the worlds is thin.

It was thought that others could also slip through the gap in space-time : the faerie, the sidhe, hobgoblins, elves, and other mischief-makers. This is the root of Halloween’s „mischief night“.

Bonfires were lit on the hilltops, the tumuli and burial mounds of the community’s past. All the other fires in the community were put out and then rekindled from the bonfire. Later, each village or household had their own bonfires.

 In Wales, omens were read from white stones, which were thrown into the ashes of the fire and then interpreted the next morning by the marks found there. Halloween apple games grew out of the Celtic believe in the apple as holy fruit, sacred and magical, a means to immortality, death and rebirth. The western paradise of Avalon, known as apple-land, was ruled by Morgan, Queen of the Dead. In the Celtic myth, the apples of the goddess, signified a sacred marriage and a journey to the land of death and rebirth. 

Womb and tomb were closely linked in the Celtic mind, this explains why so many tombs of this period and earlier had tunnel entrances leading to a dark inner chamber.

It is a time of death and decay, death of the old, and within this, knowledge of rebirth. It is a time of force adjustments that, once accepted, reveals a new set of possibilities, a new phase, a new power to life. Like its counterpart Beltane, Samhain brings a mystical energy that we can use to explore and understand ourselves better.

Use this time for inner exploration, astral travel, deep meditation, contacting your deepest wisdom. Slip beyond  the rationale and the logical. Explore the wild edges of yourself, beyond the seen and the known and the safe.

So what can you do on this day?

 

-If you have the possibility, visit a long barrow, burial mound or a tumulus in your area. They are often found in the high places connecting and linking ley alignments and the old Dragon paths. 

Here is a link where you can find burial mounds, chambered tombs, stone circles, and much more, from all over the world :

http://www.megalithic.co.uk

 

-You could also try scrying, light some candles and fill a dark bowl, or even silver if you prefer with water. Let your eyes glaze out of focus, stay relaxed and breathe slowly and deeply. You may find you slip out of normal time and become aware of seeing images in the mind or on the surface of the water. 

 

-Something else, that we do is to make a winter king, this is very simple, just gather a few sticks, and bind them together in form of a man. He will be in our garden until Beltane, then we will burn him in the fire, and scatter the ashes around our garden.

 

-You can also visit your ancestors on the graveyard, or go to the nearest graveyard and leave some offerings, like apples for example, for the forgotten ones. 

 

-You could also build a little shrine in your garden, that looks like a dolmen, and put a candle and offerings in it to honor the ancestor of the land. 

When you serve your meal, prepare a plate for your ancestors as well, leave the plate until the next day

 

Above you can find my video for Samhain with a bit more information and  a Tarot Spread that you can use for your Samhain Reading.

 

 

Many Samhain Blessings, I wish you a wonderful time

Much Love and Blessings

 

Blossom