Samhain: Honouring the Celtic New Year

Samhain Honouring the Celtic New Year

As the final harvest of the year comes to a close, we prepare to welcome the energies of winter through the celebration of Samhain. This ancient fire festival, with roots that trace back over 2000 years to the Celtic culture, signifies the end of the gathering of crops from the Summer and the beginning of a time for reflection and introspection. It reminds us to gather the wisdom & experiences from the past year as we transition into the darker months ahead.

Samhain is a time when the veil between this world & the other world thins, allowing for a deeper connection with our ancestors & the spirit world. The fires lit during this festival symbolised protection and purification, with great bonfires first ignited on prominent sites in Ireland including the Hill of Tara & Tlachtga & then communities across the land would lit their own. Where people would come together to celebrate & feast. Within each household, families would extinguish their hearth fires and relight them from the communal bonfire, signifying the start of the Celtic New Year.

The tradition of dressing up in costumes during Samhain originated from the belief that disguising oneself as otherworldly spirits would confuse malevolent entities, preventing them from causing harm. Today, this custom has evolved into the Halloween celebrations we recognise, where people don costumes and masks to partake in festive activities. The carving of turnips, which the Irish brought to America where pumpkins were found to be easier to carve, is also a lasting symbol of Samhain.

In Irish culture, storytelling is an intrinsic part of the Samhain festivities. People would visit each other’s homes in costume, and before entering, they would be required to sing a song, recite poetry, or tell a story. This practice echoes the traditions of the Bardic path and Druidism. Once welcomed inside, guests would enjoy tea or drinks and share barn brack, fostering celebration, connection and community.

Games played during Samhain festivities often included the Mound of Flour, where a cherry is placed on top, and participants take turns cutting slices from the mound until the cherry falls. Another popular game involved hanging an apple from the ceiling, where individuals, blindfolded, attempted to bite the apple with their hands behind their backs. Additionally, there was the tradition of dunking one’s face into a basin of water, hoping to retrieve money, fruit, or nuts.

Samhain as a Time of Reflection and Rebirth

In the context of personal growth and life coaching, Samhain represents a powerful opportunity for reflection and transformation. As the old year ends, it invites us to look inward, identify the patterns and habits that no longer serve us, and release them. This can be seen as an energetic “clearing” before stepping into the new year. In life coaching, this is akin to taking stock of where we are, identifying roadblocks, and setting new goals to move forward.

During this time, the boundaries between the conscious and unconscious minds are more fluid. This openness allows for profound insights to surface, offering a perfect opportunity for self-reflection and setting new intentions for personal growth. Much like the harvest, we reap what we have sown throughout the year and prepare to plant new seeds for the future.

I invite you to join me in a special Samhain ceremony on November 1st, where we will honour our ancestors, engage in shamanic journeying, and explore the wisdom that this transformative time offers.

Together, we will create a safe sacred space for reflection, connection, and intention-setting as we align ourselves with the energies of the Samhain.

During the Samhain ceremony, you will have the opportunity to connect with your power animal—a spiritual ally that offers protection, guidance, and wisdom. Power animals are archetypal beings in shamanic traditions that serve as protectors and guides, helping us navigate challenges and transitions in life. This relationship can provide strength and clarity, especially when integrating ancestral wisdom into our modern lives.

Participants will then embark on a shamanic journey, travelling through their ancestral line to connect with their lineage for wisdom, insights for their path forward. This part of the ceremony is both reflective and empowering, allowing for a deep connection to those who came before you. And where ancestral healing occurs releasing ancestral trauma & patterns that block us from our ability to bring forth what we desire & the life we wish to be living.