Until sunset tonight, November 1st, we celebrate Samhain (pronounced sow-wen) aka Samhuinn (so-ven), the start of the Celtic winter, 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, 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 will 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 year, a time of contemplation and renewal, and honour your ancestors of blood, bone and spirit.
Create an ancestral altar, adding pictures or mementos of loved ones who have passed.
Light a candle today for your ancestors of blood, bone and spirit, and for those who have recently passed.
Journey or meditate with Mother Earth, 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.
An old Irish blessing for Samhain (and Halloween!):
At all Hallow's Tide, may God keep you safe From 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.