Connections
The In-Between – Samhain
Originally published in November2016.
There are special in-between times in life that are filled with power. Twilight is such a time, as is dawn. Those magical moments in each day when it is neither day nor night… Birth is also an in-between time, as is death. Each of these in-between times marks a border, a space of transition. They are special times when the ancients believed magic is likely to occur.
Here in the northern hemisphere, we find ourselves on the boundary between autumn and winter. This is yet another potent in-between time. As the sunlight fades away and our nights begin to lengthen, the ancient Celtic people celebrated Samhain (Sow-in). Some tribes celebrated Samhain at the 1st new moon after late harvest (October 25th this year). Other tribes chose to celebrate at the 1st full moon after harvest (November 8th this year).
The Celtic celebration of Samhain was a way to acknowledge and honor the transition out of the light half of the year and into the dark half. The Celtic people believed that the veils between this world and the next are very thin at Samhain. Those that have departed this Earth are close at Samhain. This made it the perfect time to celebrate the gifts of the ancestors, and to celebrate the endless cycles of birth – growth – death – rebirth that are an integral part of Nature.
In this sacred and magical in-between time, spend a few moments acknowledging and honoring all that has happened in the past year.
Honor everything you have “harvested” this year.
Consider what you hope to “birth” and “grow” in the year ahead.
Bow to your ancestors and thank them for giving you this life.
Offer love and prayers to loved ones who have transitioned.
Thank the light of summer and embrace the dark of winter.
Celebrate the Magic of Samhain.
Divine Feminine, Creator and Mother
“It’s been said that the Mother
Earth was the first Indigenous
Woman.
After all, she is the original life
giver. Her blood our fresh water,
flows like so many veins and
capillaries, forming rivers and
tributaries that sustain us.
We evolved to exist in unison,
forever linked and connected as
relations. We are a part of her,
star-dust children of the Sky and
Earth.
She is the Divine Feminine,
Creator, and Mother.
There is no humanity without
her.”
~Ruth H Hopkin
A World Without Butterflies
‘I do not want to live in a world without butterflies.
Without the intricate eyes and velvety wings,
graceful splashes of color dancing on the breeze.
Airy, delicate keepers of hope.
Metamorphic symbols of change, growth, maturation.
… I do not want this world without the butterflies.
I could not bear the wailing of flowers.’
~Christina M. Ward,
‘A World Without Butterflies’
Lost
Stand still. The trees ahead and bushes beside you
are not lost. Where you are is called Here,
and you must treat it as a powerful stranger,
must ask permission to know it and be known.
The forest breathes. Listen. It answers,
I have made this place around you.
If you leave it, you may come back again, saying Here.
No two trees are the same to Raven.
No two branches are the same to Wren.
If what a tree or a bush does is lost on you,
you are surely lost. Stand still. The forest knows
where you are. You must let it find you.
–David Wagoner,
Collected Poems, 1976
🌎♥️
image: Wheelhouse
by NancyL
Ditch the Lawn
“If half of American lawns were replaced with native plants, we would create the equivalent of a 20 million acre national park – nine times bigger than Yellowstone, or 100 times bigger than Shenandoah National Park.”
~Doug Tallamy
🌎♥️
Do Something
A Sacred Bond
“Knowing that you love the earth changes you, activates you to defend and protect and celebrate. But when you feel that the earth loves you in return, that feeling transforms the relationship from a one-way street into a sacred bond.”
~Robin Wall Kimmerer,
Braiding Sweetgrass
🌎
NASA Image of Mama Earth
taken by Apollo 11
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