Sacred Samhain

In the States, it's the week of Halloween, also known in the Wiccan-Celtic tradition as Samhain, or the "Witches' New Year." Suddenly, pumpkins are everywhere, along with animal familiars and totems of the season -- the black cat, owls, bats and all the other creatures of the night. The imagination turns to life's core mysteries, the ultimate of which is the doorway to the next life, death. It's a season of endings, with the Sun in Scorpio, the sign of cyclical transformation, likened to a snake shedding its skin.

This time of the year is more than just an excuse to eat lots of those mini candy bars (which I love) -- it's a sacred time to honor the Beloved Dead, and draw on Scorpio's deep well. The veil not only drops between those of us in physical form and our spirit ancestors, but boundaries of time get blurred into one psychically rich "present." No wonder it's considered a powerful time to do divination, such as Tarot, and also to mine your dreams and spirit messages for guidance. This year Lunar Samhain falls on November 9th, when the new Moon is in Scorpio (Exact at 6:03 EST pm). It seems fitting to call this Dark Moon, "Dead Moon," with it's potential to transform completely. It's a powerful Dark/New Moon to surrender to Scorpio's death and rebirth process, a subtle act that often requires the faith to journey through your own personal shadows.

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