Samhain: a reminder to let go and embrace the space of no-thing-ness.

As the daylight hours begin to fade, we have set the clocks back and are now transitioning from Autumn into Winter. The Winter months bring with them the gift of release, rest and regeneration. The trees do not grasp at their leaves as they fall, seeking to “hold on to what they have spent their time and energy growing over the Spring and Summer months. They know instinctively that now is the time to let go, in the full knowledge that after the rest and regeneration of Winter, the new growth of next year will follow, just as surely day follows night. 

But first comes the dying back and the rest, hibernation and no-thing-ness of Winter. This is essential in order to renew and rebuild our energy, focusing inward to nurture and restore. 

As we move into Winter we ask ourselves; 

What needs to die? 

Where do I need to drop my mask? 

What is no longer working? useful? necessary? 

What has become stagnant and redundant in my life?

Going with the flow of the seasons

In Winter we embrace the transformative notion that we can let that all die away. In these dark times we get to dream a new dream into being. 

Beginning at Samhain we are invited to reconnect with those who have travelled this path before us and ask for their guidance. The veil between the worlds is now at its thinnest, through it we can catch a glimpse of the freedom that this “letting go” will allow us to experience. 

Our modern world seeks to maintain a permanent state of Summer; always active, glossy and in full bloom. But this is an unnatural state of being, it is exhausting, and eventually feels hollow as a result. 

If we can learn to go with the flow of the seasons of the year along with the seasons of our lives we can embrace each transitional phase, including Winter, with curiosity. Now we get to “vanish” into our own personal “underworld” where transformation waits patiently for us to embrace it. Engaging in radical acts of self kindness; slowing down, allowing our “spare time” to expand. 

Ancestral wisdom

Our ancestors saw the value of “fallow times” understanding that life is cyclical, not linear. The sun rises in the East (Spring) reaches its peak in the South (Summer), sets in the West (Autumn) and then “rests” in the North (Winter). We don’t fret that the sun will not rise again at Dawn. Why then do we feel so uncomfortable at the fallow times of Winter in our lives when we are “forced” by life to slow down or even to stop and reassess?

If, like me, you find yourself in a season of wintering in your life right now, trust that you are there for a very necessary reason. Try to let go of that vague feeling of failure at not being “constantly productive”. Instead choose to rest, explore the space and embrace the darkness and alone time. 

Making Space for Stillness

From now until the Winter Solstice which marks the return of the light, we can choose to go with this flow into darkness. Even if our lives do continue to be outwardly busy by necessity. We can try to make (even a little) more space and time to be still and feel the energy of the die-back in Nature. Asking ourselves- where does this resonate for me in my own life?

Samhain is the Celtic Festival of Remembrance, the end and the beginning of the Celtic New Year. It is an affirmation that in the midst of the darkest days, rebirth is not far away. Embrace this time to dream, to drift and to vision. 

We can follow tradition and use this time for divination and connection to the ancestors, connecting to their wisdom within us all. We carry them within us, in our DNA. Now is the time to nurture our inner world, to deepen our understanding of where we are on our journey in this lifetime. 

There will always be new opportunities to begin again, but first comes the stillness, the time to review and assimilate what we have learned from this years growth phase. 

In our “Wintering” season we incubate and nurture our dreams as we return to be with ourselves in the darkness. 

Samhain Blessings

Whatever season of life you find yourself in, I wish you Samhain Blessings of reflection, rest, regeneration and restoration. 

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