Autumn is here and, in some places, the Goddesses of Winter have proven a bit impatient and brought early bursts of snow. Here in Delaware, the brilliant light of summer is stretching into the long shadows of Autumn. The air is more crisp and our temperatures are definitely trending downward. If we close our eyes and center, we can feel the urge to slow down, to focus inward, to take deeper breaths, and longer pauses. Tapping into the soul of the transition of the season allows us to honor inner and outer changes, and puts us in alignment with the natural order.
Samhain is the beginning of the Celtic New Year, sometimes called the Witch’s New Year on October 31. Traditionally, the night of All Hallow’s Eve is associated with celebrating the Ancestors and a time when the veils between our world and the Otherworlds are considered to be at their thinnest.
Even in non-Pagan traditions, celebrations for All Soul’s Day, All Saint’s Day, and Dia de los Muertos are occurring at the same time. Going back to ancient times, the graves and final resting places of the dead would be decorated, including favorite foods and treasured objects of those who had passed, and families would spend a night (or several nights) in vigil at the burial place. Part of this was to honor the Ancestors and part of this was to appease the spirits of the dead so that they would not create negative energy, or even physical illnesses, in the living.

As we prepare for our own nights of worship and communion, we seek connection to our roots, our Ancestors – a remembrance, a glimpse, a whisper from those who have passed on. We honor their lives and gather in community to share and remember. We invoke the Liminal Goddesses to grant us safe passage on these wild, magickal nights and to allow messages through the thinning veils. Our offerings recognize these Goddesses and our loved ones who have passed into the embrace of the Dark Mothers.
This week our Goddess Calendar certainly reflects the Dark Mothers … the Isis of Mourning; the Orisha Yewa who represents the corpse in its final resting place and the process of decay; the Scottish Nicnevin leading the Wild Hunt. Need some Samhain inspiration? Our new MotherRoot Ezine is 76 pages all on Samhain! Read more and download here: MotherRoot Samhain Ezine by Kimberly Moore & Marisa McCall.
The energy of Samhain is further intensified by a Full Moon Blue Moon in Taurus that is 100% full on Saturday at 10:49am eastern. Stay tuned for our Blue Moon posts coming this week to talk about the ways to work this Moon to the fullest! Baba Yaga will be our Goddess for MotherHouse Goddess Temple Circle and Meditation in November.
How are you celebrating Samhain? Join us in the MotherHouse Facebook Group and share your Samhain celebrations!
Wishing you all a Blessed Samhain and Autumn Season!
xo Kimberly
JOIN ME FOR …
Goddess Within Mentoring Circle – Registration closes 11/13.
Goddess Wheel of the Year Readings for Samhain, Solar Returns, New Year, or anytime
MotherHouse Goddess Temple – Samhain Cerridwen Circle with Guest Priestess Brandi Auset – Archive Available!
The Beloved Dead: 30 Days of Ancestor Magick – start anytime!
“What must I give more death to today, in order to generate more life? What do I know should die, but am hesitant to allow to do so? What must die in me in order for me to love? What not-beauty do I fear? Of what use is the power of the not-beautiful to me today? What should die today? What should live? What life am I afraid to give birth to? If not now, when?” ~ Clarissa Pinkola Estés
Rituals, Practices, and Workings for Samhain: Ancestor Veneration, Automatic Writing, Channeling, Chthonic Offerings, Connecting to the Dark Goddesses, Crossroads Workings, Deep Banishing and Release Work, Divination, Grief/Sorrow Healing, Honoring the Dead, Labyrinth Practices, Magick, Mediumship, Necromancy, Parting the Veils, Past Life Exploration, Protection Practices, Scrying, Honoring Transitions
Goddesses of Samhain: Baba Yaga, Cailleach, Cerridwen, Cihuateteo, Coatlicue, Dea Tacita, Dhumavati, Erinyes, Freya, Hekate, Inanna/Ereshkigal, Ixtab, Kali, Kalma, Lethe, Libitina, Ma’at, Mania, Maman Brigitte, Mictecacihuatl, Mnemosyne, Nephthys, Nicneven, Nyx, Obba, Oya, Persephone/Demeter, Proserpina, Santa Muerte, Styx, The Greek Fates, The Morrighan, The Norns, Xtabay, Yewa
Adornments & Offerings for the Altar: Acorns, Ancestor Foods, Apples, Apple Wood, Carnations, Gourds, Chestnuts, Ears of Corn, Fall Leaves, Grain, Lilies, Marigolds, Mums, Photos and Pictures, Personal items that belonged to or remind you of your Beloved Dead, Pomegranates, Pumpkins, Root Vegetables, Seeds, Soul Cakes
SAMHAIN SEASON BLISS
Samhain Oil & MIster Bundle by Kim at Murphy’s Essentials – I want to bathe in it. Organic grapeseed oil and Essential oils of Patchouli, Frankincense, Cassia, Sweet Orange, Tangerine, Sage and Mugwort. Kim also uses CBD with her blends on special request. Contact her for more information – info@murphysessentials.com. Personally, I use the Sweetgrass and CBD roll-on for my hands and it is a miracle.
Dendritic Opal from the Wintertide Collection by Gail Jessen – Altars of Metal and Stone – I am obsessed. Dendritic Opal brings awareness, presence, and room for spiritual growth, as well as clarity of action and balance of life. Did I mention that I am obsessed?
Hex the Patriarchy Tea by Blackthorn’s Botanicals – on the way and on my Bliss list for Election Day and … forever. A discerning Witch that I know also recommends her Meditation Balm (beeswax and coconut oil balm with oakmoss absolute, lavender, and petitgrain, and mugwort grown in Amy’s garden). PLUS, Amy also has a new book, Blackthorn’s Botanical Brews , just out this month.
Witch’s Moon Magazine by Renee Starr – Ancestors Issue – 81 pages of gorgeous Samhain Season Ancestor articles. ‘Tis the Season!
Luna 2021 from She Who Is Art– Lunar Calendar download for 2021
BOOKS FOR SAMHAIN SEASON
Honoring Your Ancestors: A Guide to Ancestral Veneration by Mallorie Vaudoise
Restless Dead: Encounters between the Living and the Dead in Ancient Greece by Sarah Iles Johnston
Spirit Speak by Ivo Dominguez, Jr.
The Mighty Dead by Christopher Penczak
The Pagan Book of Living and Dying: Practical Rituals, Prayers, Blessings, and Meditations on Crossing Over by Starhawk
The Social Life of Spirits edited by Ruy Blanes and Diana Espirito Santo
JUNGIAN/ARCHETYPAL PSYCHOLOGY
The Dream and The Underworld by James Hillman
Jung and the Ancestors: Beyond Biography, Mending the Ancestral Web by Sandra Easter
Hauntings: Dispelling the Ghosts Who Run Our Lives by James Hollis
SAMHAIN
Sacred Herbs of Samhain by Ellen Evert Hopman
Samhain (Lewellyn Sabbat Essentials)
DEATH RITES & CUSTOMS
From Here to Eternity: Traveling the World to Find the Good Death by Caitlin Doughty
The Wild Edge of Sorrow: Rituals of Renewal and the Sacred Work of Grief by Francis Weller
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