Samhain's Blessings: Seeing with the Eyes of the Soul
Samhain blessings to you all.
Samhain is the Celtic festival that celebrates the beginning of Winter on the Wheel of the Year. It marks the death of the old year and the beginning of the new. In Celtic lands, it was a time when all the harvests were in and livestock was slaughtered for the winter months. It is also a time when the veils between the worlds are thin and the spirits of the dead walk abroad and are honored. In most ancient cultures, people honored their ancestors as well as feared their uneasy ghosts. While we still celebrate Samhain on October 31st -- November 1st, astrologically it occurs on the power gate at 15* Scorpio, which occurs on November 6--7 due to precession.
We celebrate Halloween (All Hallows' Eve) and dress up as those very ancestors and ghosts, taking on another persona for a night, but without knowing and honoring its real purpose. The Catholic Church celebrates All Saints' Day on November 1st and All Souls' Day on November 2nd in memory of these ancient celebrations. And of course, the Mexicans celebrate Da de Muertos, the Day of the Dead, a day to remember and honor those family and friends who have died.
Perhaps more than ever, Americans need to celebrate these holidays because we need to face the fact of death with a different attitude. Our corporate culture hurries by Halloween and shifts right in Christmas -- the renewal and birth of the Light. Don't want us to dwell too long on death, do they? Our western society so often tries to get us to ignore that death is a part of life -- just look at how patriarchal white men can't deal with the death of their power and the sharing of it with women, other cultures and races. Masculine consciousness is afraid of death -- because it thinks it means 'the end' rather than seeing it as a stage in the cycle of Life. It wants to hold onto its life, even if it causes death and destruction to everyone else. And that is exactly what patriarchy is doing -- causing the death of our planet and of our people, rather than letting go of its power so a new way of living can be born.
This is what our American government and its economic overlords are doing right now. They are struggling to maintain their power, here and around the world. As we come to the end of America's 1st Pluto cycle in 2021-23, centered on our obsession with wealth and our need to dominate the world, we are experiencing the worst aspects of our culture as those very structures breakdown and decay. This is known as the Sunset Effect: as things start to fundamentally change, there is a backlash and the old tries very hard to maintain itself. (In the Book of Revelations, this is symbolized by the old Dragon who wants to kill the New Life that the Woman Clothed with the Sun gives birth to. Or in Greek Myth, this is Chronos eating his children rather than letting one of them take over. ) But it is doomed to failure. Life will see to that. So while we're struggling through these last few years against the corporate zombie apocalypse, know that as you let the old patriarchal rules die within you, the cosmos is also working to make it so in the outer world.
Americans have been given a chance to awaken to a new reality -- or return to the reality of the myth we were brought up with, of America as the land of the free and the home of the brave. With this summer's total solar eclipse running through, and only through, North America, we have the cosmic go-ahead to embody the feelings and imaginings of the mermaid rising up out of the ocean to take on human form. She embodies all our longings and hopes that a free, peaceful, creative life is possible here on Earth.
With the 2012-15 square between Uranus in Aries and Pluto in Capricorn winding down, it's now up to each of us to engage in the hero's journey and overcome the obstacles the old patriarchy is throwing in our way. And we will do it. Have no doubt. But not without going through the hard work of meeting those obstacles head-on. We are not entitled to more of Mother Earth's resources than others. We have to grow up and learn to share the wealth. We have to realize that we are all in this together. We have to sacrifice our old life-style of conspicuous consumption and entitlement and work to create a more perfect union that asks each of us to be responsible citizens and engage in our communities to make sure we're all pulling in the same direction -- A SUSTAINABLE FUTURE.
Stop wasting water. Save electricity by shutting off lights and unused electronics. Walk or bike when you can. Bring your own bags to the grocery store. Car-pool. Use renewable energy if your electric company allows for it. Stop eating meat altogether -- or at least beef, which contributes a lot to greenhouse gases and takes up too much of our farming needs. Go to your town council meetings and know what's happening in your town or city. Band with others to help create the changes that need to take place if we are to reverse the damages to our environment and heal Mother Earth. She will survive -- our children won't. That's the best way to be compassionate -- to think of others as we enjoy the benefits of our lifestyle. I saw a bumper sticker today. If you want peace in the world, work for justice. We are here this lifetime to bring a new balance into the world, so that the entire human family as well as Mother Earth can prosper.
Scorpio and Samhain
Having the Full Moon so close to Samhain boosts Scorpio's purpose into high gear. Scorpio is the sign that demands that we learn to shed what's old and no longer serves our life. Since Scorpio is a water sign, it means we have to shed those emotional wounds that we hug close to the chest -- the hurts, betrayals, the jealousy and anger that derail us from being able to open to others. Just as in winter we gather together to help each other through the dark and cold, so Scorpio needs and wants to engage on a deep level with others about the important things in live. It's all about shared values that we can grow with together.
So let's look at how Samhain embodies the essence of Scorpio.
Samhain, the Day of the Dead, the great Goddess Hecate of the Crossroads and dark Hades, Lord of the Greek Underworld.
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