Until sunset tonight, November 1st, we celebrate Samhain (pronounced sow-wen or so-ven in Irish), the start of the Celtic winter and year, the season of the dark, and the beginning of a new cycle of growth and renewal.
Samhain is a sacred time, a time to honour our Ancestors and Wise Elders… and a time of reflection, clarity, and release.
It is the time of year when the veil between the worlds is the thinnest, when we can communicate most easily with our ancestors and with those who have recently passed. Be mindful of the messages or signs you receive today, and have gratitude for the communication and support given.
How can you celebrate Samhain today?
At the turning to the Dark Half of the year, give gratitude for all you have birthed and harvested this year, and embrace this first season of the new Celtic / pagan year, a time of contemplation and renewal.
If you have an altar at home, add pictures or mementos of loved ones who have passed.
Light a candle today for your ancestors, and for those who have recently passed.
Journey or meditate with Mama Earth or An Cailleach to reflect on the past year and receive messages and wisdom from your ancestral guides, to help you see through the darkness into light, and to embrace your inner strength and courage.
A Samhain blessing for you:
At all Hallow’s Tide, may God keep you safeFrom goblin and pooka and black-hearted stranger,
From harm of the water and hurt of the fire,
From thorns of the bramble, from all other danger,
From Will O’ The Wisp haunting the mire;
From stumbles and tumbles and tricksters to vex you,
May God in His mercy, this week protect you.
– Irish Hallowe’en blessing