Magickal greetings,all!
Can you feel it?! Outside? It’s getting a little chillier at night and the winds that blow make you take notice that maybe a sweater was in order. The trees are changing color…green is giving way to shades of brilliant reds, yellows, oranges – and, as you go by, some leaves are falling to the ground and crunching underfoot. Soon those leaves will be in piles and the joyous sounds of children (and, of course, adults) will echo through the neighborhood as the piles are destroyed by gleeful jumpers.
This is my favorite time of the year. Not because of candy treats but because of the magick, the ghost stories, and the veil between the worlds is growing ever thinner. There will soon be the faint smell of wood burning, and children’s laughter as they choose their costumes and dream of bags full of candy treats that will soon fill their tummies.
Pumpkins are all of a sudden for sale everywhere. Not yet carved, they still seem to smile and beckon to passersby to stop and buy one for $3 or 4 for $10. Soon they will be on porches and stoops, carved into faces and other spooky things.
This is the season…the Season of the Witch. October 31st marks our highest holiday. As mentioned earlier, the veil between the two worlds has made it to its thinnest point – enabling all who wish to speak with their Akhu (beloved dearly departed). Divination seems easier at this time of year because of that thinning veil. Our Akhu, loved ones who have passed, seem closer.
Asking them to assist with whatever form of divination chosen is often done. Some of the more common firms of divination used are: scrying in water which is in a dark bowl, Tarot cards, oracle cards, flame staring, runes, tea leaf reading stones/crystals, stick throwing – too many to name! Whatever you feel most comfortable using!
Cats are, of course, invited to partake in the festivities and ritual. I have four – they wander in and out of my ritual space all the time. Some sit for a spell, quietly observing, sometimes appearing to see something I can’t. They will cock their heads back and forth in a way that makes me believe they really do see more than I ever do!
Enjoy Samhain this year, in the darkness of the night, when the children have safely made it home after trekking through the neighborhood. Take a moment to breathe in the scents of not only the outdoors but also the indoors as your incense burns and your candles flicker mysteriously. Enjoy the sense that your blessed Akhu are with you and living you and may be attempting to send you a message.
Enjoy this celebration of the Fall!
Bright blessings!
The Wheel of the Year has turned – to a time when our ancestors and many people still today, gather all they can to make it through the coming harshness if Winter.
Samhain, October 31st, is the Wiccan New Year, our Day of the Dead (which is celebrated in Mexico on November 1st). Many rituals performed on this evening include much reverence to those who have passed. A “dumb supper” (an extra plate of food at the dinner table) is generally put out to welcome all who may visit.
The altar is filled with candles and photos, momentos, written memories of our Akhu.
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