Samhain

On November 1st, I received an email which ended in “Blessings for Samhain”. I smiled. I had not heard someone mentioning Samhain for quite a while. Decades ago, back in Germany I learned traditional herbalism from someone who followed the Celtic calendar. In the Celtic tradition Samhain represents the end of the harvesting season, all the work in the garden is done and now the garden and fields can rest and fairies and gnomes live there undisturbed for the winter.

It is the time of year that we quite naturally tend to look more within. Our subconscious seems to come more to the surface, memories and yearnings come up that had been forgotten, grievances and fears that had been hiding. Everything is more accessible.
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It is a great time for healing. Sometimes things happen in our lives and there is not the time nor the support to deal with them. These things sink into the depths of our subconscious which keeps them for us to work through at a later time. Now, in late fall and early winter, whatever is not healed, whatever is draining us because it is sitting in some untended corner of our soul’s garden, dares to come into the twilight of those rainy and windy days. In summer, these shadows are overpowered by the brightness of the sun. Now the outer light is less intense and in the gentle dim light of fall, shadows allow sentiments and images to come up that at other times could not. They all want one thing: They want to be seen, to be acknowledged and to be loved, just like everything and everybody on this earth.

We can honour this time of the year in taking the time to go inward, to allow things to come up. We could write them down. This often brings more clarity and better understanding. We can make a piece of art out of fear or grief or sadness, we can paint a picture, sing a song or carve something. We could do a ceremony to remember, pick one of the last flowers in the garden and put it by a candle that we light. Going for a walk while being with a memory is a good way to digest and honor it. Maybe we find something on our path that we take home with us to remind us for a while.

Remembrance Day is on November 11st. It is a time to honor the ones who fought for our country. It is also a time to remember and honor the ones that went ahead of us in our families, our ancestors. It is a time to remember the peoples who lived here before we came here. It is a time to remember and give thanks for all the animals and plants that offered their lives to feed us. It is a time to remember that all life is born out of the give-away of others.

Remembering and honoring with gratitude makes out of a time that could also be painful, a sacred time.
Sometimes the memories, feelings and pain that open up can seem overwhelming, more than we can take. Bless them and ask for help. We do not need to do things alone. To ask for help is not shameful, it is a precious gift for the one we bless with our asking.

Ask a tree, a relative or a friend. Or call me at 250 650 1662. Homeopathy is a blessing in times of pain and sadness.

Samhain has now passed. Remembering continues. I send you my love and blessings.