Samhain (October 31)

Samhain is approximately 6000 years old and is known by the names All Hallows Eve and Halloween.  The Celtic meaning of the word is ‘Summer’s End�?and this holiday sits opposite Beltane on the wheel. 

These two days are high holy days celebrating the unending spiral of death and life. It is on Samhain that the veil between worlds is the thinnest and it is on this night that we honor the dead, focus on transformation, regeneration, divination and getting ready for the winter to come.

Samhain is considered the end of the Witches�?Year as well as the beginning of the new year.   In the Wheel of the Year every ending is a beginning and it is on this night that we let go so that we can welcome all that is to come. 

Spiritual energies are high this night which makes it a good time to practice some form of divination or scrying; and for meditation. For many this is a time out of time while the Crone mourns the loss of her love.

It is our tradition to set an extra plate at our evening meal for those that have gone before.  As the evening slips into night, the food on this plate is set at the edge of the woods to feed traveling souls.

You can celebrate the lives of those that have gone before by taking out pictures, visiting their graves, researching your family history or remembering times that you shared.  It is also custom to burn a candle in the window to light the way for those souls crossing over and to carve Jack-o-Lanterns to frighten bad spirits away.

One of my most favorite celebrations, Halloween can last more than one night with costumes, pumpkin carving contests, decorating gourds, and just enjoying a magical night that has stood the test of time.