Written by Penny McFarlane, Author & Holistic Therapist
Penny McFarlane is an ex-teacher, author, children’s therapist and holistic complementary medicine practitioner. With an MA in Professional Writing, a post-grad diploma in Dramatherapy and registered qualifications in Yoga, Kinesiology, Reflexology and Reiki, she combines, through her books, the two things she loves best are writing and healing.
Samhain, coming at the end of October, is the season of endings. It is the end of the Celtic year and the end of the outer cycle of growth in nature. The year has come full circle, and in our last article, we return to our roots to begin the period of rest and reflection. This time, however, having completed our activities for the year, we hope to be going back into the darkness fortified, more accepting, with more understanding of life just as we celebrate the seasons of nature so we can learn to accept and glory in the seasons of our lives.
From now on, the emphasis will be on the inner. In days gone by, it would have been celebrated by families meeting up before the weather became too bad to travel. There is a sense of rejoicing, thankfulness, and acceptance, as well as chaos, mischief, and fun to be had before the harshness of winter draws everything in.
As always, we can rail against the passing of time, of the season of youth, of outward expansion and growth or we can acknowledge, accept and learn from what nature is telling us and have reverence for its deep reservoirs of wisdom.
1. Connect deeply with the rhythmic heartbeats of the earth
In this last article, we look at how everything in life happens according to its own natural rhythm. There is no sense of fuss or force in the way night follows day, one season follows on from the next or our outgoing breath succeeds the incoming. Our ancestors were much more in tune and accepting of these natural cycles of life and celebrated their turning points with ritual. They saw how the cycle of the seasons was reflected in the pattern of their own lives with the birth and hope of spring, the blossoming of summer, the maturing of late summer, the decline of autumn, and the death that signals the rebirth of winter.
Go out into nature, face northwest, and breathe in the qualities of late autumn: the coldness and hardness of life dwindling back into itself to conserve its energy.
Feel your own energy returning to your core. Give thanks that the season of pushing outwards and upwards is over and that from now on for the next few months the emphasis will be on conserving, maintaining and protecting so that the new time of expansion can emerge with renewed vigour in the spring.
2. Connect deeply with the rhythmic heartbeats of our lives
By fully understanding and accepting the lessons and blessings that each season brings we can honour and celebrate each turning point in our lives. This exercise may help us do just that.
Take a very large piece of paper (wallpaper is ideal) and, using different coloured pens at random draw a line to represent your life from birth to the age you are now.
Again, intuitively, using different coloured pens mark against the line the high and low points in your life to date. Take some time to remember the springs: the times of hopes and plans, the summers when things blossomed, the maturing times of harvest when children were born or plans came to fruition, the autumns when lessons were learnt and reflection was needed and the ‘little deaths’ of the late autumn/winters when loss and grief had to be faced and dealt with.
If you use a different colour for each of the ‘seasons’ you may begin to see a pattern emerging.
If you wish you may continue the line for the life you want to have.
3. Connect to your innermost depths
Another cross-quarter festival, the energy this time changes from the dwindling decline of late autumn to the stillness of winter: the season of withdrawal from all that is outer, upward, forward moving into that which goes within, spiralling downwards into a central still point. It is the time for visioning, dreaming, and connecting to our ancestors and our root energy. Now it is not only important, it is imperative that we make time to rest, to allow the seeds of rebirth of our next year’s plans to incubate, ready to be manifested at the winter solstice.
As at Beltane, the veil is thin between this world and the next, especially at dawn and dusk. It is a time of magic, and for magic, when everything is not always as it seems. With its rising mists, low, golden sunrays and smoky colours, Nature herself reflects this strangeness. As the year itself breaks down so boundaries dissolve and chaos reigns as sprites (or, nowadays Trick or Treating children) play tricks on the human world.
The energy of Samhain, therefore, if we really listen, calls us to go within, away from the bright lights, to a contemplation of the dark. It reminds us that light and darkness are equal parts of the whole and that it is by acknowledging the shadow that we know the sun is shining. As at Beltane, we are aware of shadows but now they are lengthening, blurring and merging with the background. So now, at Samhain, having wrestled with the stark grief and acceptance of the Autumn Equinox, we ask for wisdom to reach a point where we have a ‘settled story’ about the year just past. It is this wisdom that will make our journey truly productive and prepare the ground for next year’s growth.
4. Nurture your mind
The art of meditation can help us achieve this wisdom. Stilling the mind even for a few seconds can lead you towards a deeper knowledge of yourself and help you along this exciting journey of self-discovery. It is a simple progression from the breathing exercise we learnt in the article on the Autumn Equinox.
Continue your practice of the breathing technique explained in the last article until you can perform it without effort.
Gradually, I became aware of the still point between the breaths. Concentrate firstly on the pause between the in and out breath. Allow this pause to extend while your body settles and becomes still.
Then, turn your mind to the point between the out and in breath. Allow your lungs to empty completely and your body, again to become still. Let your body breathe in again when it wants to. Your mind does not need to be in control. Gradually extend these pauses and allow the feeling of stillness and well-being to flood through your body.
The best way to achieve success with meditation is not to try to have no expectations; just allow yourself to enjoy the stillness.
5. Nurture your body
Just as we are going inwards to nurture our mental and spiritual energy, so we need to preserve and protect the heat inside our bodies against the outer cold of this time of year. Although the freezing temperatures may not yet be upon us, we need to fortify ourselves against them and against the colds and viruses that often arrive with this season and the return to school and work. Our bodies crave more substantial, filling foods and there are plenty of these around now in the form of root vegetables.
Eat pumpkin or root vegetables such as sweet potatoes, swede, or turnips, which are available now and roasted, are delicious and easy to prepare.
Add spice to foods in preparation for the more exotic, richer fare of Christmas, such as nutmeg sprinkled on rice pudding or added to cakes. It needs to be used in small quantities as it is hallucinogenic and can produce palpitations.
Add cumin, cardamom, or ginger to stews and casseroles.
Use beans and lentils as a base for casseroles as a change from meat.
Take a spoonful of rosehip or elderberry syrup to help prevent colds and flu. Have a go at making your own, or if it is too late to gather the berries this year, make a list of things to look for in the hedgerows for next.
6. Throw out the old and plant for the new
According to Celtic tradition, Samhain is not only about death but also rebirth, although it may feel, in the barren hedgerows, leafless trees, dark and coldness, that death has the upper hand. No wonder then that nowadays we seek to escape from this fear, which is also prevalent among our ancestors, by switching on as many electric lights as we can in the run-up to Christmas. By doing so, however, we overlook one important point: that it is in stillness and darkness that new life begins.
Reflect on and write down anything you wish to transform or purify from the old year. Throw your papers into the fire or burn them (with care) in a candle flame.
Plant acorns or other tree seeds in pots. These are your long-term plans for next year and beyond.
And whatever you do, whatever you have discovered in the journey of these articles throughout the Celtic Year, now that we are nearing its end, remember that it is always, always ..still OK to be you.
If you would like to know more about how to live more naturally in sync with your own rhythms and those of nature, take a peek at my book Writing in Rhythm.
Read more from Penny McFarlane
Penny McFarlane, Author & Holistic Therapist
Penny McFarlane is an ex-teacher, author, children’s therapist and holistic complementary medicine practitioner. With an MA in Professional Writing, a post-grad diploma in Dramatherapy and registered qualifications in Yoga, Kinesiology, Reflexology and Reiki, she combines, through her books, the two things she loves best are writing and healing. A lifetime’s interest in the mystical and magical has led her to exploring potential: what we were, what we are and what we are capable of being. Her books reflect her mission: to reconnect people to their innermost selves; to finding peace and potential to dance on the softened edges of life.
