Death and Dying with Nature
This time of the year that is now infested with plastic cauldrons and sparkly witches hats. This festival that has seemingly lost itself in consumerism is actually an amazing time to celebrate the Summers ending and fully prepare for the dark months ahead.
Pronounced sow-in or sam-hayne it means end of Summer and is the time of the final harvest. This is the beginning of Winter and a time when time and space are suspended and the thin veil between the two worlds is said to be lifted.
Traditionally a time to communicate with ancestors and tradition also teaches that the aid of spirits and guides from the other world is easily enlisted at this time. The sense of the dark being a good time to hone the skills of divination and psychic ability.
It was originally known as the “Feast of the Dead” and in Celtic tradition was celebrated by leaving food offerings on altars and doorsteps. Candles were lit and left in a window to help guide spirits home. Turnips were hollowed out and carved to look like protective spirits.
More and more over the years I have turned to the old traditions and this has become a favourite. I don’t only use it to honour my ancestors and to welcome in their wisdom. I also use this and all the turns of the wheel of the year to tune into the cycles of nature. It really works for me and my energy.
I no longer push hard through the darker months, I try now to slow down and truly appreciate the season for all it represents. I noticed how I had begun to plan my next three months of business with the support of these cycles and it felt so aligned with who I really am.
At this particular festival, I start to look at what is dying or already dead in my life and in my work. I try to understand what needs to be honoured so that it may be released. I allow the turn of the wheel to take away what isn’t working any longer and return it to its source, back to Earth.
Working in this way, allows me to be guided by the ebb and flow of life. This is a much simpler way to move than I did in the past. So many times I clung on to things that didn’t serve me and it showed up in my body as tightness and tension and force.
I love nature and it always felt like a home when all around me was chaos. Here I could sense, play, explore and be guided. Hours sitting watching trees and spiders webs completely oblivious of time.
Working in this way, we remember that we are nature. A part of the intricate web of life that we often see ourselves as separate from. We begin to notice the important role we play and work with our sense of purpose. This is the essence we came in to this World with, our true nature. This is how we begin to return to the “oneness” that we all long to feel and belong to.
Heading into the Winter season, try not to fear the death and the dying of what is no longer present within you. Try to understand that death and decay are just a part of life as growth and expansion. The trees, plants and all other living things need both energies and so do we.
Then, when the sunlight comes again. We see its beauty in more glory and with more gratitude than ever before.
