THE SONG OF SAMHAIN – 1st NOVEMBER to 31 JANUARY
I am the hallow-tide of all souls passing,
I am the bright releaser of all pain,
I am the quickener of the fallen seed-case,
I am the glance of snow, the strike of rain.
I am the hollow of the winter twilight,
I am the hearth-fire and the welcome bread,
I am the curtained awning of the pillow,
I am unending wisdom’s golden thread.
The Winter quarter of Samhain brings the gifts of restoration and renewal as the cold weather closes in, so the soul is led to more reflective depths.
It is traditionally associated with the remebrance of the ancestors, with the coming of death and the conception of new life.
In the human growth cycle, Samhain corresponds to the period of old age when wisdom, freedom of spirit and clarity are experienced.
Samhain is a good time to celebrate the lives of all wise elders, all those whose actions and ideas have brought resolution and peace, all holy ones whose sacrifices have brought new life and opened spiritual thresholds to all.
Activities for SAMHAIN/ WINTER
Practice introspection, meditation, contemplation, drawing upon the peaceful sanctuary of this season.
Shift burdens by doing something about them (e.g. make a will) or by giving up unecessary patterns.
Remember your ancestors and celebrate their wisdom – be aware of the ancestral teachers and elders of spiritual traditions, whose footsteps have kept the pathways open.
Be active, with like-minded others, in recording, preserving, living and learning about the ancient wisdom of indigenous peoples, especially those in your own land.
Cut back old growth in the garden and compost it. Dig over the soil in preparation for the Spring.
Identify the nature of the soil and rock-forms in your locality and how this affects the life-forms who live upon the land.
As you travel through the land of Winter, relate your spiritual journey to the wisdom of this season.
(From Celtic Devotional, by Caitlin Matthews, published by Gill and Macmillan, 1996)