11/01/2025
The importance of understanding the roots of modern “festivals” is so important.
Many have much broader, deeper and often misunderstood meaning.
Many ancient & earth based lived experiences, became practices or traditions by our ancestors of European descent but were then claimed and shaped by colonization, and religious over culture.
Honouring the original authentic knowledge and wisdom of all indigenous ancestral ways, including those of European origin - people living attuned to the Great Mother, her kin, and the elements is part of the reclamation of Sovereignty- now.
Remembering and honouring your roots, our roots - aids in lineage healing, expansion of consciousness and an intentional reweaving of sacredness into modern life.
Blessed Samhain 🍂🙌🌀 to all !
In the Irish language, Samhain means “Summer’s End” and it is still the word used today for the month of November.
It marks the turning point when summer ends and winter begins; a season of death, truth and survival. A time when people faced the raw power of nature and the uncertainty of life itself.
The days grew short and cold. The earth fell into silence and death littered the landscape.
Plants begin to wither, trees stood bare, and animals were slaughtered for the long, dark months ahead.
Samhain was a season, not a single night of costumes and candy. It was the the long descent into darkness lasting until (Spring) Imbolc, when the first light and new life begins to stir again.
The life forces of the land that caused growth and harvest were believed to withdraw now, returning to the soil and the Otherworld beneath it.
It was a time of endings, reflection, and respect for the unseen powers that govern life and death.
Later, in Gaelic society; Samhain became one of the four great fire festivals, alongside Imbolc, Bealtaine, and Lughnasadh.
Bonfires were lit for warmth, protection, and remembrance. Druids practised divination believing that during this season the veil between worlds grew thin, and the spirits of the ancestors drew near.
Samhain also marked the Celtic New Year, rooted in the ancient understanding that all life begins in darkness, like a seed in the soil or a child in the womb.
When Christianity arrived, the Church renamed Samhain as All Saints’ Day and All Souls’ Day, turning the native spirits into demons and the ancestors into souls in purgatory.
What was once a sacred reflection on death and renewal was branded as something to fear and mock.
As conquest and famine scattered the Irish across the world, various fragments of Samhain went with them.
Turnip lanterns became pumpkins, bonfires became parties, and remembrance became entertainment.
Modern new age culture also strips Samhain of its roots and turns it into performance; “influencers” using Irish words, symbols and “witchy” trends for profit and attention. Its culture turned into content…
Samhain is not a trend or an ‘aesthetic’. It is the living pulse of the land; the quiet descent into darkness before renewal.
A time to face death with respect, to honour what has ended, and to give thanks for what endures.
To rediscover it, you don’t need fancy merch sold online; Walk the fields of the landscape and emerge yourself in it, light a candle and speak the names of our ancestors and honour the season as our forebears did.
In doing so, we remember that the old ways were never lost; only waiting to be lived again.
