There are a hundred books or more that will explain to you the meaning of Samhain, suggest rituals and customs or talk about how to use an apple skin to discover a future lover or spouse...

Perhaps all one needs are the basics and an open mind to discover what Samhain means on a personal level in the modern world...

Samhain (sow-wen) is the old name for the modern Halloween. In the old days it was a season, rather than a single day or night, that marked the end of summer and the preparations for Winter. Samhain would have culminated on the full moon following the first frost in the area - meaning that Samhain could have been celebrated at different times in, say, the South of England and the North of Scotland. These days we follow a calendar and I wonder if we lose a little of the connection with the Wheel in doing so.

What does this time of year mean to you? Is it a time to re-create old traditions, create new ones, or a mix of both?

Try taking a dream walk in nature, or just your local environment if you are citybound, and notice what is happening just now - the weather, the colours, the creatures you encounter, the mood, the sounds, the smells, the quality of light. Can you see a pattern, or a story, in the things that caught your attention?

Feel free to share them by leaving a comment

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