Remembrance

Remembrance

Sunlight fades as our

Ancestors gather around us.

Many seasons, many lives

Hover awaiting only our

Attention.

In their hearts, only Love,

Never to be forgotten.

Innocent or

Sinful?

Shouldn’t we always remember

Those that have gone before?

I remember as I

Light the candle,

Love is an unbroken circle.

Happy youngsters with

Adults in tow

Linger beneath the

Lowering sky.

Orange pumpkins all aglow

Watch in silence

Every soul that wanders by,

Even those unseen by the

Naked eye.

Wise Ones,

In

The

Cauldron

Hallowed, know

Everything is

Sacred and

Revel merrily

In

Samhain’s altered

Embrace.

“Samhain. All Hallows. All Hallow’s Eve. Hallow E’en. Halloween. The most magical night of the year. Exactly opposite Beltane on the wheel of the year, Halloween is Beltane’s dark twin. A night of glowing jack-o’-lanterns, bobbing for apples, tricks or treats, and dressing in costume. A night of ghost stories and séances, tarot card readings and scrying with mirrors. A night of power, when the veil that separates our world from the Otherworld is at its thinnest. A “spirit night”, as they say in Wales.” – Mike Nichols, The Witches’ Sabbats

Samhain was typically celebrated around November 1st, one of the great doorways of the Celtic year, with October 31st being the eve of the new year. Samhain marked the end of Summer, the final Harvest, and the turning of the Wheel towards the rest and renewal of Winter. It is a time to let go of the debris and baggage we have gathered throughout the year, break bad habits, and prepare ourselves to begin again on a better path.

Now is he best time to let go of everything we’ve been carrying that we no longer need so that we can find renewal during Winter, healing and new beginnings in the Spring. We cannot move forward if we are clinging to concepts and habits that are keeping us on that particular Wheel of experience. It is also a good time to recognize your personal accomplishments and good growth over the past year, choosing to carry the best forward with you. This is also the time of year when the gates between worlds are lowered, when we remember our loved ones with love and reverence, and perhaps receive advice, inspiration or blessings for the coming year from our Ancestors. Divinations, especially with apples or water, are also traditional at this time.

‎"I was born on the night of Samhain, when the barrier between the worlds is whisper-thin and when magic, old magic, sings its heady and sweet song to anyone who cares to hear it.”― Carolyn MacCullough, Once a Witch

I like to visit one of our natural waterways about this time of year. While walking along the bank, I will find a stone and whisper all the things I’d like to let go of from this year, all the little ways I’ve held myself back or the harbored hurts experienced along the way. When ready, I’ll drop the stone into the stream or river, imagining myself letting go of all those things as the stone leaves my hand. Our family always prepares a special feast this month, gathering our loved ones near. 

For us, this is a time to honor Family; old, new, or passed beyond. This is also a time to pay special attention to honoring our connection to Creator and All Our Relations. Each year, a special plate is prepared with a little of everything and placed somewhere special with a lit candle in honor of family and loved ones who have pa bank, I will find a stone and whisper all the things I’d like to let go of from this year, all the little ways I’ve held myself back or the harbored hurts experienced along the way. 

When ready, I’ll drop the stone into the stream or river, imagining myself letting go of all those things as the stone leaves my hand. Our family always prepares a special feast this month, gathering our loved ones near. For us, this is a time to honor Family; old, new, or passed beyond. This is also a time to pay special attention to honoring our connection to Creator and All Our Relations.

Those who have passed on before us may be visiting. An offering of tobacco, smudging the house and family with sage and cedar… and oft times the added incense of Oak leaves in honor of my Celtic Ancestors and the wisdom they may pass on to us are common this time of year. Special plates are also prepared for the dogs in our family, that they may enjoy the feasting in place of All Our Relations who are not physically joining us during this special meal. These are the signs of Autumn begun in our home.

“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

Happy New Year! For me, this is the time of year when I reflect upon the past and turn with the Wheel of Seasons to face the future. What lessons have I learned to carry into the new year? What mistakes or sorrows will I lay to rest?   Now is the time to allow Death to carry off these pieces of our lives that we are letting go; the ultimate change, Death is sometimes the death of phase in our lives or the death of an unhealthy situation. 

The old year dies to make way for the new, but tonight I will sit with my candles and incense long after the trick’or’treaters are tucked into their beds, remember loved ones who have gone ahead and asking for the wise advice and guidance of my ancestors. I often ponder on the many lives it took to reach through the years to find me living in the present moment. How did they live? What were their passions and their fears? What were they grateful for in their own lives?

I have much to be grateful for…my children, my husband, my friends, grandchildren and beloved souls who have slipped the veil before us yet still make the time to offer their guidance… Such a wealth of Love to encourage me through hard lessons learned, challenges met, new horizons, and all the little sorrows and tragedies that fill up the cracks and corners of Life. 

As always, I look forward to this time of renewal and rebirth although each year is different than all those that have passed before. The poem is an Acrostic and the first letter of each line spells out a hidden message. It reads Samhain is still Halloween. Witches rise! Everywhere I look, I see Nature’s loving eye and the patient renewal of the Universe… miraculous! Goodbye Summer, for another turn… Hello Autumn! May you both give and receive Love, Respect, Harmony, Healing and Gratitude from Universe and Creator during this bountiful Harvest season… Mitakuye Oyasin, my Beloved ones xo