A Deepening of Halloween
Oct 31, 2021
I am so grateful for this incredible community and have been enjoying a low-key weekend of cozy time at home.
And now, it's Halloween! Happy Halloween!
This macabre holiday has taken on more meaning for me since learning more about its roots. One of my teachers, Corinna Wood, writes about this time of year:
"Samhain (pronounced SAH-win) is the “holy-day” at the root of today’s Halloween holiday.
Also known as All Hallow’s Eve, Samhain marks the halfway point between autumn equinox and winter solstice. [You can] honor Samhain over three days, from October 30 through November 1 (also known in Mexico as the Day of the Dead). Many cultures consider this to be a time of year when the veils between the worlds thin. So this is a powerful time to connect with our beloved dead and ancestors. As the leaves fall, we are also naturally drawn to mourn and to grieve losses in our lives and to let go of all that we're ready to release. Over these darker months of the year, we're naturally pulled to shift our focus inward, toward self-reflection and restoration."
Along with having lighthearted fun this Halloween, I also invite you to:
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Honor your grief for what you have lost this year
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Welcome the dark corners of longing and challenging experiences
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Acknowledge whatever you feel ready to release right now
Here are two simple ways to create a personal releasing ritual:
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Fire: write out what is inside you. This could be a letter to a loved one who is no longer with you, a list of what you want to release or transform as an offering to the universe, or a letter to yourself about patterns/behaviors you are ready to release. Have a little ritual outside by making a small fire, reading what you have written out loud and then crumple up the paper, and feed it to the fire. Close your eyes. Take three deep breaths with long exhales out the mouth. Open your awareness to receive whatever drops in as a message to you from beyond. Enjoy the warmth of the fire and honor its transformative power. Enjoy some warm tea to nourish you after your offering.
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Water: find a natural object (stick, rock, pine cone, etc). Spend some time with it infusing it with your intentions about what you are ready to release (emotion, patterns, etc). Go to a body of water and release the infused object with love into the water. Then wash your hands in some of the water. Take three deep breaths with long exhales out the mouth. Pause and allow any messages from the water to drop into your awareness. Enjoy some warm tea to nourish you after your letting-go ritual.
Connecting to the cycles of the natural world is a resonant and powerful way for us to digest our experiences. This is at the heart of Ayurveda, the wisdom of life.
The darkness of this time has much to teach us. However, you choose to celebrate Halloween, honor yourself, those who have come before you, and those who are yet to come.
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