Samhain & Witches' New Year

Reflections & Writing Prompts

Samhain is a Gaelic word used to describe the ceremonial time when the last of the harvest has been reaped and the veil between the worlds becomes thin. Land begins to quiet as leaves fall from deciduous trees to nurture soil and provide nesting sites for moths and butterflies. Much of our medicine moves underground and into roots, while bears, bats and other hibernating creatures get ready for their winter rest.

Samhain might appear on calendars as October 31st in the Northern hemisphere, but in Gaelic tradition this fire festival can be anywhere from the end of October through mid-November. The date is informed not by a calendar, but by nature.

Wiccans and pagan practitioners often refer to this ending (and new beginning) as Witches’ New Year. In the ninth century, the celebration was incorporated into the Christian calendar as All Saints, or All Hallows, on November 1. In Mexico, where Día de los Muertos (the Day of the Dead) is celebrated, monarch butterflies signify celebration as millions descend upon their overwintering sites of oyamel fir tree forests in a small mountainous area of the country. According to the lore of indigenous Purépecha of Michoacán and the Mazahua of Estado de México, the migrating butterflies carry the souls of their ancestors visiting from the afterlife.

Photo by Alex Guillaume on Unsplash

Whether you celebrate Halloween, Samhain, Witches’ New Year, All Hallows or Día de los Muertos, there is something mysterious about this time of year. Something that evokes imagination, speaks to transition, and touches upon our fears.

On Halloween, many of us dress up, moving among the disguised so ghosts don’t recognize us. We place fierce pumpkins on our doorstep for protection and to keep watch, making sure unsavory spirits stay away.

In the temperate regions, it is the end of the growing season. A time to harvest roots — both literal and figurative — take stock of our year, shed what we no longer need, and move into a space of restoration.

Reflecting on traditions, lore and the nature of this time of year, I wondered, are there ‘ghosts’ or ‘shadows’ in my life I’m trying to hide from? As I reflected, I created writing prompts for a group I facilitate and thought I’d share them with you here, too.

First, take a moment to scan these prompts and if there is one or more that resonates, I encourage you to set at least 15 minutes aside in a quiet place to listen to your body and free-write (I recorded a meditation for paid subscribers recently that may also help as you transition from what you were doing and get in the zone). If you explore these prompts, I’d love to hear about the experience and anything that might have come up for you.

WRITING PROMPTS:

🍂 What have I harvested this year that I feel grateful for? What seeds did I sow? (Reflect not only the seeds and intentions you planted on purpose, but the fruits that appeared unexpectedly. It can be easy to fixate on what didn’t happen and miss what did.)

🍂 How do I feel during the dark, cold time of year? What do I love about it? What aspects of it do I fear? How might I prepare my body and space for the inevitable change?

🍂 What am I ready to compost? What does it mean to begin again? 

And finally, I invite you to write a letter to an ancestor… or a goodbye you wished you’d said or need to say.