Samhain Moon Meditation: A Light in the Dark
As I type, an autumn wind causes the leaves outside my window to fall silently through golden sunlight. The invisible moon has entered Scorpio at zero degrees marking a traditional period of depth, tending and remembering. Personally, I get more than a little excited about this, because I have a nocturnal astrological chart illuminated by the moon in Scorpio, so I’ve learned to honor this transit as a particularly important time for solitude, stillness, a vigil in darkness, dream interpretation and intuition. All of which I recommend.
Tonight’s dark moon phase seems especially potent as it coincides beautifully with Samhain (pronounced “sow-in”), which began at sundown on Oct. 30 and continues until dusk on Nov. 1. Traditionally, Samhain is when the veil between living consciousness and spirit consciousness is believed to be thinnest; a time when we may commune with those who’ve gone on; a time to remember ancestors. Samhain also is the Celtic New Year, the Gaelic festival that marks the end of the harvest season, the light half of the year fades away and the darker half begins. The year ends sundown Oct. 30 and begins sundown Oct. 31, which means that these 24 hours were thought to exist outside of time.
All this to say, the time is ripe for for inner work. Humans always have recognized this darkening season when crops no longer thrive and nights turn cold, as a time of transmutation. We cut away whatever has had its season, and in so doing we begin a period of turning inward and refining. All across the globe people turn their thoughts to transitions, transformation and communication with the dead. While we share treats with costumed Halloween children, a few might recall All Saints Day or All Hallows Day celebrated November 1 by Anglicans and Roman Catholics as a not to saints and martyrs throughout Christian history. Mexico celebrates its colorful Day of the Dead, India celebrates not only Diwali, but also a season of rembrances at the river Ganga that lasts for 16 days. And in October in Madagascar, some practice Famadihana, or “the turning of the bones,” a sacred ritual that involves opening crypts, rewrapping ancestors’ bodies, and dancing with the bodies cradeled in thier arms as a way to maintain a connection through a joyful ritual.
Seems a bit strange and unpleasant, but then so are haunted houses. Possibly, we all are drawn to face our fears by Mars, the planetary ruler of Scorpio. As a warrior energy, Mars also is known for severing. It encourages us to cut away that which has had its time, making it available for transmutation. Mars’ current opposition to Pluto, the darkest “planet” associated with Hades and all that is subterranean or subconscious, makes this more than potent. Pluto is about riches and richness. Think fertile soil composted from - you guessed it - that which has served its time and will only decay if it is not transmuted into something truely valuable.
All that talk of Pluto/Hades and the subterranean makes me think of my favorite Halloween-appropriate story of Persephone, Demeter and Hekate. Most know the tale of Persephone’s abduction by Hades and her mother Demeter’s long search for her stolen daughter. Fewer know that the only entity to hear Demeter’s cries was the liminal goddess of the crossroads, the Titan Hekate.
Hekate often is depicted as a three-headed figure, representing her ability to see in all directions. She is associated with magic, witchcraft, and the moon, and is typically shown holding torches or keys. As an ancient goddess, she is beyond time and space, and ultimately becomes Persephone’s unseen companion in the underworld, holding a lantern in the darkest place.
I’ve written a guided meditation/nidra for Hekate that I’ve shared only twice. Send me an email at atrevelino@gmail.com if you’d like a recording. If you are in a dark place, I’m glad to be there holding a light in this capacity. Happy Samhain to my fellow witches and wanderers. May you go into the darkness with your inner eye wide open and lean deeply into your intuition. May your intentions winter well, and may you sever that which you no longer need without a moment’s fear or hesitation.