Samhain Newsletter
Samhain Greetings my friends,
The time period between Oct 31st and November 2nd is on the most widely celebrated ancient traditions that honors our ongoing connection with our ancestors. This includes those we knew in this lifetime, beloved great or great- great ancestors we’ve heard about, as well as ancestors from millennia ago. Samhain, meaning ‘summer’s end’ heralds the thinning of the veil between the seen and unseen worlds. Most of us have heard about or participated in the tradition of the Day of the Dead, celebrated in the US, Mexico, and South and Central America for a long time. It is a deeply significant celebration because folks can more easily connect to their loved ones who have passed. Samhain is about ancestors’ love and support of us rather than the fear-based portrayal of goblins and ghouls who are out to get us.
The scary images became popular starting with the Middle Ages after the Church began to put on ‘morality plays’ to terrify people into resisting sin (by the Pope’s or priests’ definitions) and this led to the buying of Indulgences to save one’s soul by guaranteeing your sins would be forgiven for a price. Disconnecting the people from trusting their connection to the love and good counsel of those in the spirit world was a tragedy that led to their complete dependency on powerful (and often greedy) authorities who abused that power regularly. We all know about the horrors of the Inquisition that continued for over 500 years.
Slowly, the honoring of our ancestors is returning as an alternative to Halloween. Many folks now create altars similar to the traditions from the Day of the Dead and use marigolds on altars or to line a pathway for beloved ancestors to pay us a visit. It is time that we all recognize our sovereign right to our personal connection with Spirit and cultivate the most valuable source of love and wisdom, untainted by profit motives or prejudice.
I invite you to create your own rites that celebrate Samhain, those that honor your own way of connecting to Source. Invite special friends to co-create together and enjoy the love and support.
Many Blessings of Samhain, Linda
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