Thoughts and plans for the upcoming festival.
(Image description: A photo of items on a table. A short, black candle with pumpkins and the word ‘Samhain’ is next to a bundle of herbs, a small crystal ball on a stand, orange-colored rune stones, and small ghost candle. A plume of smoke hovers in the aid behind the objects.) Credit: Photo by Daizy Isumi on Unsplash
With the way the calendar falls this year, the time I will be observing Samhain won’t be until later this week. This post is something of a to do list and reflections on the spiritual New Year that Samhain serves as.
As usual, the festival functions more as a season than a celebration set to only certain days. The time of Samhain Eve until sunset on November 1st is the time I do a flamekeeping shift. Fire is associated with bonfires, but I’m aware that a light is kept on for any ancestors who may be traveling during that time. With Brighid’s role as a midwife and who can be seen as involved in the rebirth process, I feel this is an appropriate use for the lantern I use during my shifts.
Following Samhain, I aim to participate in Nine Days for Brighid and focus not only maintaining my prayer routine, but also focusing on cleansing and protection, given how much of an active time of year it can be spiritually.
With the start of November, the days seem to be getting cooler, so embracing the warmth of the hearth on a metaphorical level feels important to do. Hearthcraft still continues to be important to my developing path, and figuring out how different practices interweave with each other is a fascinating and valuable process.
The new moon also occurs on November 1st, so there will be some overlap between my honoring Brighid and Brigantia and giving offerings and devotion to Nodens, as I consider the darker part of the year as especially affiliated with Him.
I’m still in the process of building my ancestor veneration, but it is becoming more defined as I figure out who I want to honor and the best ways to do that. Some include family members, but I’m also finding ancestors of spirit who have influenced me and who I am.
Lastly, the ogam reading I do will give me a contemplative focus from Samhain until Imbolc next year. I don’t know what that might entail, but I hope to learn from it and sit with with whatever knowledge might be found within the reading.
Until then, may your deities and ancestors bless you this Samhain season!
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