4th October 2023

Hi everyone and Happy October. I love October, the nights are drawing in and there is a definite chill in the air. The shops are full of pumpkins, eagerly awaiting to be part of a window display or to illuminate a porch on Samhain [pronounced sow’ain], an ancient Celtic festival honouring the ancestors that came before us.

October is a time of death, as we see leaf’s falling from their trees and starting to decay. Our ancestors would have ensured the crops were in and stored safely for winter and the cattle would have been gathered into shelter. Death was an accepted part of life, and our ancestors would have death around them whereas, today we are slightly detached with our loved ones leaving this life from hospitals and often residential homes.

Samhain is a very special time for witches. It is the time of the year when the wheel shifts a little more as we continue the decline into the dark half of the year. But it is also the time of the year when the veil between us and our ancestors is at its thinnest. It is a time when we remember our ancestors and a time when we may communicate easily with them. I like to have photographs of my ancestors [and past pets], on a shelf where I can be reminded of those who have gone before me. Our ancestors are not only family and may include many wise people who have shaped who we are today. At teatime we will have a feast and I will set an extra place for the ancestors should they wish to join us. Fires and candles are lit at this time of the year, and I always leave a lantern burning through Samhain night, this is to help guide our ancestor’s home.

Samhain is a time for reflection, a time to acknowledge our journey is this life and to take from our journey important lessons. Samhain is also a time for celebration, a time to give thanks for what we have reaped and also to look forward. Spend time with likeminded folk, have a bonfire under the stars, toasting marshmallows and sharing stories! Make sure you rake through anything you’re going to burn carefully to make sure there are no hibernating animals. You can give thanks to the beautiful Autumnal world around you in whatever way feels right for your family. Perhaps it will be a private prayer of gratitude or a celebratory ritual in the garden, take time to look around and see the world on the cusp of magical change.

However, you choose to celebrate Samhain, have a blessed time

Sharon x