A simple Samhain observance.
(Image description: A photo of a light blue, metal lantern. The lantern has a heart-shaped glass panel. A lit candle is shining inside with a dark background around the lantern.) Credit: Photo by Cathal Mac an Bheatha on Unsplash
For Samhain, I held a flamekeeping shift to honor Brighid. A realization I had was that part of Samhain also falls on All Saints’ Day, so that works nicely with St. Brigid. With recent events, the festival was more of a somber occasion than what might be about all things eerie and fun for many Pagans and Polytheists.
A while ago, I talked about my cat Mystic being ill, and she passed earlier in October. As such, I left her a saucer of milk as an offering of hospitality to her. I also shared a meal with family.
Later on, I had lit my lantern and offered Brighid water, incense, and a poem. In contrast to other poems I’ve shared, this one felt more conversational in tone. I’ve posted it below.
Heart to Heart
My hear is weighed.
As much as I would like to,
no guising or Hallowtide frivolity
has lifted my spirits.
I wonder, after Ruadan passed,
did Your father ever try to
raise Your spirits, so that
Your bright fire shone like the sun once more?
Or did He sit quietly with You?
To listen,
to talk,
to simply be?
I like to envision His doing that for You.
The truth is, Time doesn’t heal all wounds.
It scabs and it scars.
Eventually, these will fade,
perhaps even the memory.
All I can do is to hold
these things in my heart, my soul,
is to sit with them,
listening,
talking,
simply being.
With them and with You.
Afterward, I did a three feda reading for the next few months until Imbolc. I received Ruis, Lus, and Úr. As with any reading, this one could have varying interpretations, but I have a general idea of what these feda mean.
The first part concerns passionate emotions, so it may mean I need to try to avoid letting my emotions get out of hand in stressful situations. However, its proximity to Lus, a letter I see as strongly connected to Brighid, may indicate pouring my passion into my devotions to Her. How it relates to Úr is also uncertain. It could indicate some manner of transition over the next few months. Time will tell what the overarching meaning of these foci are.
Additionally, NaNoWriMo (National Novel Writing Month) has officially started, so now is time to begin on my novel (or whatever work it will turn into). I will do my best to keep you updated on my progress.
Have a blessed and happy Samhain season!
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