The astrological Samhain

November 1, 2012 By

 

Until the rise of the neo-Pagan phenomenon of the mid to late twentieth century, I think it’s safe to say that most Americans had never heard of Samhain (pronounced Sow’-en), the ancient Celtic autumn festival.  It is likely that our modern celebration of Hallowe’en developed to take the place of the ancient festival.  The Christian All Hallows festival to honor the souls of the saints that had passed on was originally celebrated in May but was moved to November 1st in 835 by Pope Gregory IV.

In any case, the Samhain festival celebrates the dead and it is said that the veil between the worlds is at its thinnest at this time, making it easier to communicate with those on the other side.  Feasts were held in which the dead were invited to participate, and in later times costumes were worn to protect against malicious spirits.

Samhain is one of the “cross-quarter” holidays that fall between the Solstices and Equinoxes.  Astrologically, the Solstices and Equinoxes mark the entry of the Sun into the cardinal signs of initiation: Aries at Spring, Cancer at Summer, Libra at Autumn and Capricorn at Winter.  The cross-quarter periods occur at 15 degrees of the fixed signs, with Samhain in the sign of Scorpio, the sign that corresponds to death and rebirth.

Technically, Samhain this year occurs on November 6th when the Sun reaches 15 degrees Scorpio. In the northern hemisphere there is a sense that darkness is descending and we begin retreating to the shelter of our homes where the pathwork of the inner life can take place.

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Samhain – a day of remembrance

October 30, 2011 By

Samhain (an ancient Gaelic word pronounced Sow’-en) is the ancient Celtic holiday that has come down to us as Hallowe’en (derivation of “All Hallows Eve”).  Although it is associated today with witchcraft and doings of the devil, in pre-Christian times Samhain was simply the time when the veils between the worlds were at their thinnest.  It was a time of reverence for the process of death and the mysteries of life. The astrological Samhain actually occurs at the midpoint of Scorpio which is the “cross quarter” between the Autumnal Equinox and the Winter Solstice and falls on November 8th this year rather than October 31st.

The women that some now call “witches” were the wise women – the ones who understood the mysteries of the stars, the ones with an affinity to the healing powers of plants…the ones who helped to heal the sick and comfort the wounded.  The ones whose power came directly from nature and bypassed the power structures of the Church and were therefore dangerous.

“History is written by the winners,” and therefore most of us were never told these tales of the brave and wise women and men that were healers of souls and teachers of the spirit. Instead, we were fed stories of evil witches and devil-worshipping pagans that were meant to frighten the masses into toeing the line of the political and religious establishment.

Samhain is a time to remember the dead, and I can’t think of a better way to remember our ancestors on the path of spiritual growth and wisdom than to watch the Burning Times Documentary.  This is a beautiful film that depicts the struggle of women and men to survive the long period of the Inquisition that lasted several hundred years, and is an inspiration to continue to fight for the right to worship and honor the divine in all of Its many forms.  If you can’t view the flash movie, visit the direct link here.

 

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New Moon in Scorpio, October 26 2011

October 26, 2011 By

Scorpio New Moon October 2011The New Moon occurs when the Moon conjoins the Sun, beginning a new lunar cycle.  Scorpio is the sign of emotional fearlessness and demands that we find pure and complete acceptance of ourselves at the deepest core of our being, so the Scorpio New Moon denotes a time of inner renewal and self-honesty.

The Scorpio New Moon on October 26th takes us even deeper into the Underworld of the psyche and emotional realms. By this time there are four planets and luminaries in Scorpio: The Sun and Moon, and Mercury and Venus. There is no escaping the necessity of reaching into the abyss of our own interior world, but the rewards are great as we discover the treasures that lie buried underneath the veneer of our own consciousness.

This New Moon has a number of harmonious aspects that will facilitate the shedding process that is a hallmark of the Scorpio experience, including a trine of the Sun to healing Chiron that helps to remove any obstacles which prevent us from achieving that lofty goal.

A square from Venus to Mars in Leo suggests potential stress in our relationships, but also enhances sexuality and the excitement of Scorpio that Mars (traditional Scorpio ruler) brings to the table. Mars is in a harmonious sextile to Saturn at the New Moon which helps to provide stability and an environment where new plans under the New Moon may be devised.

As with any New Moon, this is a fertile time to plant seeds of a new venture that will flower when the Moon is full.  But because we’re talking about Scorpio here, the new venture is about letting go rather than taking on something new.  In what areas could you use more direction in your life?  Where is your quest for superficial comfort keeping you from becoming the person you know you are meant to be?  These are questions for the Scorpio New Moon.

There is magic and mystery during this time of Scorpio.  It’s no accident that the Scorpio Full Moon occurs around the time of All Hallows Eve and Samhain when the veils are thin.  Enjoy the mystery, and celebrate the magic!

For daily planetary updates, please visit my Facebook and Twitter pages.

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Into the underworld, and Venus ascending

October 30, 2010 By

Halloween truly is a pagan practice, and most people now recognize that this so-called holiday is actually rooted in the old Celtic festival of Samhain. Although Halloween is commonly celebrated on October 31, the festival of Samhain is a cross-quarter holiday that occurs at the midpoint between the Fall Equinox and the Winter Solstice on November 7.

Astrologically, Samhain (along with the other cross-quarter days of Imbolc, Beltane and Lughnasad) is celebrated at the midpoint of the fixed signs of Taurus, Scorpio, Aquarius and Leo. Fixed signs are the signs of power – like the square, their stability and fixed nature leads to a buildup of energy that opens up a doorway to an explosion of raw power. In Scorpio, that power is directed within, fearlessly exploring the invisible dimensions of life and reaching across dimensions to discover what awaits there.

Samhain was celebrated as the New Year in pre-Christian Celtic lands, and it was thought that during this time the veil between the worlds was at its thinnest. Communication with the dead was widely practiced during Samhain rituals, not surprising because of the association with Scorpio and the underworld of darkness that it rules.

When Christianity attempted to subsume the pagan Celtic festivals into Christian holidays, All Saints or All Hallows Day was established on November 2 with the night before being the Eve of All Hallows which has come down to us as Halloween. Participants still celebrate the souls of the dead during Hallows Eve, but now the creatures from the other side were reviled as evil. Wise women became the evil witches; offerings of food and drink were left out for the dead souls to placate their evil spirits.

Sig Lonegren from Glastonbury writes about Samhain and Scorpio:

So as this Samhain approaches, what is ending in you? What do you have inside that it is time to let go of? No healing is complete until you get beyond recovery. Use Samhain to take the thirteenth step: Transformation. In the Tarot, the thirteenth card of the Major Arcana is Death, and it is ruled by Scorpio. Samhain occurs in Scorpio. The card of Death doesn’t necessarily mean physical death (though it can mean that), but more productively, it can be seen as an inevitable heavy change or transformation. Something old must be gotten rid of to make room for something new to be able to come in. Use the magic of this time to say good-bye to an old habit or addiction, an old relationship, or anything else it is time to leave behind.

Scorpio is the sign of death and the underworld, and in the face of death we must let go of any artifice and emerge exposed and living in Truth.  However, the rising of Venus as the morning star this week suggests the potentiality now for re-emerging into the world of light and grace.

Venus as the morning star is also called Lucifer, the light bringer.  Venus is in Scorpio now, where she forces us to face the Truth about our relationships to others and to ourselves as well.  In order to advance in our personal and spiritual evolution, we must face all Truths about ourselves, even if these Truths force us into darkness, and re-emerge into the light where the darkness is transmuted into awakening.

This is a powerful time of discovery and unfolding in which we are simultaneously descending into the darkness of raw power and ascending into light and Truth.  This can be excruciatingly difficult if we hold on to any false protections, and ecstasy if we let go into the bliss of awakening.

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Punkie night!

October 28, 2010 By

Punkie NightBeth Owl’s Daughter reminds us that tonight is “Punkie Night,” an ancient celebration from Somerset England which is celebrated by the carving of pumpkin-like mangolds.   Beth writes, “Throughout Somerset, locals use the term “spunky” to refer to Will-o-the-Wisps — a ball of light seen at night rising up from a marsh or bog.”  In Christianized England these “spunkies” were thought to be the souls of unbaptized children who wandered eternally through the night, but the pagans saw spunkies as being trickster sprites; the carved and lit pumpkins were meant to turn the tables and trick the spunkies.

I don’t know what it is about Somerset and adjacent Wiltshire: these magical places are the sites not only of Avebury and Stonehenge, but also of most of the world’s crop circles. In any case, modern day “spunkies,” called “orbs,” are frequently found in new crop circles and there is much speculation about the nature of these balls of light.  Are they UFOs?  Are they conscious beings?

I’ll be writing more about Samhain which is celebrated by contemporary pagans in lieu of Hallowe’en on October 31st; the actual astrological date of Samhain is when the Sun reaches 15 degrees Scorpio which this year will be on November 7th.

Watch the video below to see orbs at work.

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The Rehabilitation of Guy Fawkes

November 5, 2009 By
Guy Fawkes day is celebrated on November 5, to mark the foiling of a plot against the Protestant English government that occurred in 1605 and 1606 by a group of conspirators including Mr. Fawkes.  The holiday is celebrated with fireworks and bonfires and the burning in effigy of Guy Fawkes as a symbol of rebellion against the State.  Guy Fawkes was just one of the conspirators, but evidently he is the one that confessed the names of the others under torture.
Oh yes – and coincidentally, the ancient Celtic celebration of Samhain, typically on November 1, is also celebrated with fireworks and bonfires.  What a convenient way for the Protestant hierarchy to disguise the Festival of the Dead from its pagan roots and put a secular spin on the day, using the intense energy of the mid-Scorpio period to bolster pro-government feelings.

The reputation of Guy Fawkes has been rehabilitated over the years, and he is now seen by many as a freedom fighter and was honored as 30 of the 100 Greatest Britons in 2002, just after David Bowie.

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Happy Samhain/Halloween/Day of the Dead!

October 31, 2009 By
Those who decry Hallowe’en as a pagan holiday are, of course, correct!  In medieval Europe the pagan (country) people celebrated the the midpoint of the fixed signs as periods of power.  These times correspond to the fixed signs of Aquarius (Brigid in February), Taurus (Beltane in May), Leo (Lugh in July) and Samhain (pronounced Sow’en) in October for Scorpio.  These times exactly between the solstices and equinoxes, and are called the “cross-quarter” days.
At Samhain it is said that the veils between the worlds grow thin, and it becomes easier to communicate with the souls of loved ones who have passed on.  They are also more easily able to offer advice, and divination is a key part of Samhain festivals even today.  Samhain marks the beginning of the dark half of the year, after the balance of light and dark at the equinox.
The actual festival of Samhain is November 1, and now corresponds to All Saints Day in the Catholic church which celebrates the dead, but only those who have been beatified.  The rest of the dead are celebrated on All Souls Day on November 2.
In Latin America there is a similar festival called the Day of the Dead, or Dia de los Muertos which corresponds to the Catholic festivals.  Similar festivals are held in Spain and in Brazil, and presumably derived from the adaptation by the Catholic Church of the Samhain festival.
Astrologically, the entry of the Sun into Scorpio in the northern hemispheres marks the return of the dark time, where we are drawn into the darkness of our own psyche to discover the treasures that lie there, ready to be harvested.  In the southern hemisphere of course the nature of the experience is different because the days are getting longer rather than shorter.  (Amazingly, chart readings for my clients in the southern latitudes are still quite accurate, despite the difference in weather correspondences!).
So delve deep and mine the treasures that lie within your own soul. This fearless trip into the Underworld is the lesson of Scorpio!
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Happy Hallowe’en!!

October 31, 2008 By

pumpkinMost people know by now that the holiday we now celebrate as Hallowe’en comes from the old Celtic holiday called Samhain (pronounced Sow’-en).  There are many “Days of the Dead” celebrated around the world at this time, when the veils between the worlds are said to be thinner and the living can communicate across those veils to the dead.

The fact that this holiday takes place in Scorpio is no accident.  The actual Samhain holiday is astrologically based and occurs at 15 degrees Scorpio which will put Samhain on November 7, smack in the middle of the Sun’s travels through Scorpio.

Scorpio is ruled by Pluto, the Lord of the Underworld, and under the influence of Scorpio we gain an intimate familiarity with Death and Rebirth.  When we are faced with Death our experience of Life becomes more profound.  When we understand that life has an end, we have a much greater appreciation for its mysteries.

As you delve into the mysteries this Hallowe’en, don’t forget to vote!!

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