Looking Beyond The Veil: Samhain 2022
With every step, there is a crackling of leaves underneath our feet and pumpkins and lights grace the fronts of homes. Crisp breezes blow outside while we cozily warm ourselves inside; all these things signal that Samhain is finally upon us, my witchy lovelies. It would be a lie to say that this is not one of my very favorite times of the year, though it is also one of the most difficult sabbats I feel. It is a time of deep and somber reflection and confronting yourself in honesty, which can be very tricky terrain indeed. It is also a time when we experience vast surges of different and powerful energies coming at us from a lot of directions due to the thinning of the veil between our plane of existence and others. It is important during this time to protect our energies as we tap into the healing that can come from this
Samhain Soul Searching
Beyond the ties to shadow work, Samhain is also considered the beginning of our new year. It is a time when the seeds we have sown in this past year have either blossomed, flourished and been harvested or they stagnated and it is time to decide what to keep and what to discard.
As solemn as this time of year can be, I also think that it is a wonderful to focus on brainstorming plans for next year, as well as a time for deep self love and self care. As much as we are going into what would normally be considered a “barren” season, I like to think of it as an opportunity to stockpile our strength, so we can delve fully into how to make our wildest dreams realities in the upcoming year.
Ritual: Letters from beyond the veil
For many of us in the Pagan communities, Samhain is very much associated with death and honoring those that have passed on as much as it is about personal shadow work. The shift in energy at this time of the year is palpable as the barriers between this plane of existence and the next begin to thin, which allows our ancestors to communicate more easily with us, and us with them.
For Samhain this year, I wanted to draw from the energy of this thinning of the veil and invite our ancestors to help guide us down the path towards our best, truest selves. To do this, we are going to be writing a letter to ourselves from our passed on loved ones.
You will need:
A journal or piece of paper
A pen
A candle and a lighter or matches
A memento or photo of the ancestor you are choosing to guide you.
To begin, you will want to find a safe and quiet spot and get yourself comfortable. Light your candle and take a few moments to center yourself and focus on the candle flame. If you haven’t already, you can take this time to cast a protective circle to ensure only energies you want are allowed in to your ritual. You may also put on some soft background music at this point if that helps you center.
Once you’ve grounded and centered, begin to hold or look at the item you chose to represent your loved one. Take some time to enjoy memories of them and keep the things your are worried about or questioning in your mind and when you are ready, invite them to provide you guidance by using to call below or your own call:
As the veil wanes, we draw closer to those that have crossed
Allow this gentle candle flame to guide you to me as I ask for guidance from you
My beloved (enter a name and/or title here of your loved one)
I honor and welcome you.
At this point, you will begin writing your letter. Take the time to really feel what your ancestor is trying to guide you towards and write down any words or phrases that come to your mind. If your final product doesn’t look or read like a fully fledged letter, that’s ok. What is most important is the listening and feeling of the guidance and the wisdom, so be sure to write down all that you feel is necessary.
Once you feel like you’ve completed the letter, take this moment to read it either silently or aloud. If you’d like to use a divination tool to clarify any points, you can absolutely do so now. If you feel any other pulls to write more after this, do feel free to. If not, now is the time to thank your ancestor for their assistance and release them with the call below or your own words:
Thank you for honoring me with your loving wisdom
Beloved (enter name and/or title here)
Though we must part, we do so in peace and in love
Until we meet again, farewell.
At this stage, you may close your protective circle and blow out your candle or allow it to burn a bit longer if you feel inclined.
