Blessed Samhain

Blessed Samhain to you all. I wish you many blessings. While many have just began following a Pagan path in the past year, some may not be fully aware of what this holy day is actually about.

We have heard the phrase "day of the dead" or maybe you have heard that it is a time to honor our ancestors but that is about it. This is a holy day that goes back quite a long time.

For our ancient Celts, they had 2 holy days they observed, Samhain and Beltaine, and to them this was when the veil to the Otherworld thinned which allowed communication with our ancestors.

I always write about each Sabbat, and I encourage my students to write about it as well. They give a little push back in the beginning because they think they will be writing about the same thing every holy day - but it's not. Every Sabbat brings us different occurances. Some years it may be simple, while others require deep transformation. One think I have learned in this past year is what is truly valuable to me. Even the astrology is pointing to us changing our preceptions and seeing through the b.s. to reveal clarity and truth.

At Samhain we enter the dark half of the year. This is when we go inward, learning lessons, tweaking things to work better, honing up on our gifts, and a time to rest and heal. It is a time to gather with family (blood or chosen) more, evening outdoor fires with toasted marshmellows and smores, cuddle time on the couch, and so forth. We definately have it so much better than our ancestors and I feel that at this time of year it is important to remember the sacrifices that they made for us. Things have truly changed since those days and now we are finding ourself in a major transition much like the transitions of the past. There is a lust for more power from the power-hungry; there is the rising of peoples around the world demanding liberation from oppressive forces. One thing is for sure, the old and outdated dogma that much of the religions hold must be looked at. Any religion that treats one poorly because they are a woman is not welcomed in a highly intelligent society. Personal liberty should be available for all, but until evolution happens there will be more conflict.

The day before Samhain, Mars moved into the zodiac sign of Scorpio. Mars is at home here and he is very powerful. This is about moving forward, focused and determined, facing fears and slaying our personal demons. There is so much I feel this Samhain will bring us, and I feel more clarity will be had - ready or not. This Samhain vibrated a number 10 which can be seen two ways (just like Samhain) a beginning and an ending. The number one is about independence, individuality while the number zero represents all. So here we have one perfecting thier skills, gifts, art to share with the world. This is about benefiting all. Here we have an completion. It is the understanding that you can still be your individual, unique self while still being in relationships. We must all understand how important alone time is, but we do not have to alienate ourselves. We certainly have a new energy here, and I believe the next two months will bring some intense energy.

Please check out my youtube channel for the Astro-Update for this week. I will be talking about all these different energies we are in now, explaining how this can all aid us in our Earth walk.

I wish you all a blessed Samhain, may you reap what you have sown.

Brightest Blessings,

Priestess Sirona Rose