MELODY VAUGHAN
Samhain – welcoming in the dark
We’ve reached another point in the year – Samhain – which held such significance for our ancestors, and which offers us a chance to reflect within the context of this seasonal change.
It is a time of change, a time when we move between worlds – of light/dark, abundance/scarcity, living/dead. It is said that at this time there is a thinning of the veil between our material world and the spirit world. This porosity invites us to commune with those things that have passed, or those things we notice are in the throws of dying. Things within ourselves, within the world around us.
How are these themes showing up in your life and your practice right now?
Where do you notice resistance to this seasonal shift? Which aspects within your life and your practice are demanding you cling to the energy of the lighter seasons?
Where do you notice a need to shift into a slower way of being, during these darker months?
What needs composting in your world? What things need to be released and metabolised into something new?
What change is present in you at the moment? What are you feeling drawn towards?
How could you support yourself, and others, during this time of transition and into the darker half of the year?
What gentle, nourishing, sustaining activities might you need to welcome into your life to help with this?
Samhain, for me, always feels like an invitation to meet the reality of where we are, to look into the darkness and to try not to be afraid of all the change it brings.
The reality of the world at the moment means that darkness is at our door no matter what the seasons are doing. It can feel overwhelming to be witnessing so much suffering, so much destruction, to see a potential future where humanity struggles to survive.
The darker months may pull us to turn inwards, and this retreat may feel like safety and a way to cope with the terrors that surround us. But I invite you to not look away, to not turn away, but to turn towards. To find that place in you that grieves, that loves, that feels so deeply, and search it out in others. To find communities of people who share your care for others and this planet, who are willing to allow these feelings to be expressed and heard, who are there to support you as you find ways to move from feeling helpless to feeling empowered to act, in whatever way you are able.
This time last year I wrote a blog post called Staying tender-hearted in these times. Reading it now I can see that so little has changed, materially, politically, in our world, but emotionally, energetically, we are coming together in so many ways, and standing up for a better future. I have more hope this Samhain.
If you are interested in exploring the possibilities that exist within you/your creative practice to contribute to new futures rooted in justice and care, get in touch to find out more about the mentoring work I do.
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