It is a time to honor our Ancestors
Today we Honor Our Ancestors,
To my Celtic Ancestors, Samhain marked the celebration of the harvest season and the end of the year. Light faded quickly with each day, and the approach of the Winter Solstice grew near.
It was the season of death and renewal, of endings and the promise of beginnings. Bonfires were lit and dressing in costumes was thought to ward off the spirits.
Halloween has its roots in Samhain.
In the season of death and rebirth, it is thought that the veil between the living and the deceased grows thin, like the light. And so, it was also a time when the Ancestors were honored and remembered. Making offerings of food to the dead and the land spirits was believed to help ensure their protective presence through winter. Storytelling brought forth the spirits of the dead into the circle of the living, creating a connection between worlds.
Samhain was also a time to plant the seeds of intentions for the new year, preparing for the ritual of darkness that is to come, as Mother Earth goes to sleep and the snow and cold set in.
As All Hallows' Eve arrives and slowly grows into All Souls' Day, let's take time to honor our Ancestors, to reach back in time and re-member how close to the land they once lived.
Together, let's hold reverence for death and the coming season of winter. It is a time when Nature leads us into dormancy and rest. And we, like our Ancestors before us, can surrender ourselves to being led into the underbelly of the land, where the seeds of regeneration begin to form in newly freezing soil. Placing our faith in the rhythms of the natural world, we step into the quiet of darkness.
A simple Ritual:
Light a candle.
Speak the names of your Ancestors.
Speak the lands of your Ancestors.
(if you don't know them, that's okay)
Speak your name.
Speak your intention.
(i.e.. “My intention is to grow in my connection to you, Ancestors”).
Place a small amount of food outside for the land spirits and the Ancestors.
Beannachtai na Samhna (Blessings of Samhain)
Ame
