October 12-4, 2019
Full Moon in Aries
Gateway to Samhain/Halloween/Hallowmas/Dia de los Muertos
The last harvest, the Celtic New Year
This is a powerful moon in fiery Aries, opening the gateway to the Celtic feast of Samhain, pronounced "Sow-in" and meaning "Summer's end," which honours our ancestors & is the last full moon of the yearly lunar cycle. The veil between the worlds thins & spirits can pass amoung us easier than at other times. It was traditionally believed that the faeries & otherworldly beings could also pass amoung us. This Full Moon brings a spark of surprise with sudden revelations & while the urge to withdraw at this time of year may begin to be stronger, this particular Full Moon might be the perfect time to go to a costumed event or work on your last harvest of the year. Going to a pumpkin patch or other fall celebration is another option. Or get out your Halloween decorations & go to town.
Look back to your goals & dreams at Yule last year or Imbolc in February. What seeds did you plant at Spring? What grew? What didn’t? What are you happy about? What do you want more of? Less of? Celebrate your accomplishments this Full Moon! Then prepare to snuggle in for winter to dream up ideas for the coming year.
Mercury is about to go Retrograde for the last time this year as well on October 31, so its time to backup digital information and devices and prepare for this 3 week time of revise, revisit, review, and retreat from actively pursuing communication, business, and technology. Prepare and hope for the best and don't get stressed about snafus in all of these things.
For us Kelts/Celts- pronounced with a hard “K” please- I’m not talking about a sports team who uses an incorrect pronunciation- it is time to set up our ancestor altars. While I don’t worship my ancestors per se, I do honour them as guides, especially at this time of year. In my tradition, these altars stay up until the next full moon because Samhain is a season, not a day. It starts now, on this Full Moon & I clean up my ancestor altars, add special offerings & decorations, then they stay set up until the next Full Moon. Real Samhain is the Dark Moon in between these 2 Full Moons, so this year it is on October 27 in my tradition.
It’s no surprise that there are other celebrations in different countries around the world & religions at this time of year that also celebrate the last harvest & honour ancestors. I see this as a sign of the seasonal universality. For the Celts, the last harvest was often berries & nuts, and the hazelnut reigned supreme! It was the nut that bestowed wisdom so these were often added to many recipes, roasted by the fire, and even used as divination tools. There are numerous stories of the hazelnut bestowing wisdom & knowledge throughout Celtic folklore, one of the most famous involves the great warrior Fionn MacCuil. The Celts also carved turnips and other root vegetables to light the way for their ancestors, and the Irish brought that tradition to the USA when they emigrated here, but found that pumpkins worked much better and were more plentiful at some point, so that is why we have jack-o-lanterns as part of Halloween now.
This year was my first big apple harvest. I planted these trees 8 years ago as saplings & finally all 3 produced fruit this year. All heirlooms: Wolf River, Arkansas Black, & Hidden Rose. I’ll be busy canning & making all things apple in the coming weeks. I absolutely love doing all of these kitchen witcheries, as my husband calls them!
This is also the time of year when many loved ones often choose to leave this realm for the next. The month of October for me is dotted with many Deathiversaries of family members, most notably my dad on the 27th. As sad as these can be, I try to focus on the happy memories & do a little something memorable for them, no matter how small. I meditate in front of my altars each day, even if it’s for a minute or two. I light candles. And if I feel like I need to cry, I give myself space for that because it’s all part of the grieving cycle. Our society has distanced itself so far from death & grief, however, the ancient Celts allowed this time of Samhain, or "Summer's end" for that. Ancestor stories were told around fires to keep their memories alive, as families and tribes gathered for festivals that lasted several days. I love to have friends & family over for a annual Samhain Supper too, and do lots of divination readings this time of year , for myself & others. Let me know if you'd like to schedule one.
For me, this is the end of a yearly cycle & a time to let go all that no longer serves me. It’s a time of releasing, meditating, divination, drawing inward, & dreaming in the new. It’s a time to rake leaves, carve pumpkins, sit around cozy fires, cuddle with black cats & walk dogs, sip hot toddies & apple cider, crockpot cooking, & snuggling with my handsome hubs & little family. It’s probably my favorite time of year & I adore Halloween, which grew out of the traditional Celtic festival of Samhain. Contrary to some misinformation, Samhain is not associated with evil. It is a time of reverence, community, family, introspection, harvest, & celebration.
Wishing you Brightest Blissed Blessings, Full Moon Magick, & Sacred Samhain Wishes!
Bhrigha