Beltane / Halloween
Thinning of the Veil
There are two points in the year where the veil between our human selves and the spirit world are thought to be thinnest, enabling connection and communication with the other side.
Halloween is infamous for being such a time, with its origins dating back over 2,000 years and its roots deep in Celtic history. In the northern hemisphere this time is also known as Samhain, marking the end of harvest season and the onset of winter, a time where the world begins to quieten and turn inward, a time of rest, reflection and death, releasing what no longer serves and resting in preparation for life once again returning in the autumn. Hence Halloween being a time to celebrate and remember the dead.
The name Halloween was introduced by Christianity around the 8th century, when the Catholic Church introduced All Saints Day on the 1st November, hence 31st October became known as All Hallows Eve, with some of the original pagan rituals maintained to appease the masses.
Here in Australia the popularity of Halloween is building, because who doesn’t like to dress up and eat copious amounts of sugar while calling it a celebration?!
In truth though, if we follow the true Wheel of the Year, here we would celebrate Halloween on April 30th and Samhain.
October 31st marks Beltane in our hemisphere, the height of spring and the approach of summer.
Again the veil is thin, granting us more readily available access to those who have passed, but with the energy of spring this is also a time when communication with faeries and elemental spirits and energies is optimal.
This is a time of fertility, creation and passion, celebrating the sacred union between God and Goddess, spirit and matter. This is the time for celebrating life, growth and abundance and lighting fires for purification and blessings (though check to see if there are any fire bans in place in your area first).
The Maiden and the Green Man are symbols of this time, representing the purity of the maiden (and maybe a hint of naivete) and the Green Man symbolising the cyclical nature of life, rebirth and the new growth of spring.
Ultimately this a wonderful time to honour and release what was, honour and connect with those who have passed to the other side of the veil, and to connect with nature, embracing its joyful creativity and abundance, ripe with the promise of what is to come. Remember that there is so much to this life that is not experienced with the naked eye, but more so with awareness, with our subliminal senses, with our intuition.
Reconnect with nature, its consciousness, its vibrancy and all that it has to offer, the wisdom of the trees and the water, the constancy of the earth beneath our feet.
When we recall that all of nature is alive, that it contains wisdom and consciousness if only we listen, then we will walk upon this earth and treat her inhabitants with more care and respect.
Happy Beltane, beautiful souls x