Susan Marie : Samhain and the Wisdom of Trees

The world is made in love and we have the incredible gift of wonder. - Asia Suler

Samhain, Halloween, Day of the Dead, All Hallows Eve. With the recent new moon, we are in the middle of a powerful time for mystery. This is a time for the Otherworld.

Samhain, pronounced SOW-in, is an Irish festival marking the end of harvest and the beginning of winter. This is halfway between Autumn Equinox and Winter Solstice. It is one of the four Irish seasonal festivals, along with Imbolc, Bealtaine and Lughnasadh. Samhain is a time when the boundary between this world and the Otherworld are easily crossed.

The Otherworld is a parallel plane, a reality that exists right by us every day. It is what shapes consciousness, spirit, and thought; it is where magic occurs and where life exists. The Otherworld is a part of Mother Earth. The old creation myths of the first peoples of this earth still hold true. In the Otherworld, oak tree, deer, human and wind all speak the same language. The tongue of spirit, interconnection and co-creation. - Asia Suler

Call Of The Forest – The Forgotten Wisdom Of Trees is a documentary featuring scientist and acclaimed author Diana Beresford-Kroeger. The film follows Diana as she investigates our profound biological and spiritual connection to forests. Her global journey explores the science, folklore, and restoration challenges of this essential Eco-system:

More here --> http://calloftheforest.ca/about/synopsis-and-trailer/

Ways to celebrate Samhain:

Get Out In Nature Take a meditative walk in a natural area near your home. Observe and contemplate the colors, aromas, sounds, and other sensations of the season. Experience yourself as part of the Circle of Life and reflect on death and rebirth as being an important part of Nature.

Imagery Decorate your home with seasonal symbols. Place an Autumnal wreath on your front door. Create displays with pumpkins, cornstalks, gourds, acorns, and apples.

Ancestors Altar Gather photographs, heirlooms, and other mementos of deceased family, friends, and companion creatures. Arrange them on a table, dresser, or other surface, along with several votive candles. Kindle the candles in their memory as you call out their names and express well wishes. Thank them for being part of your life. Sit quietly and pay attention to what you experience.

Ancestor Stories Learn about family history. Contact one or more older relatives and ask them to share memories of family members. Record them in some way and later write accounts of what they share. Give thanks. Share what you learned and have written with another family member or friend. Add names of those you learned about and wish to honor to your Ancestors Altar.

Cemetery Visit Visit and tend the gravesite of a loved one at a cemetery. Call to mind memories and consider ways the loved one continues to live on within you. Place an offering there such as fresh flowers, dried herbs, or something special to you and the deceased.

Reflections Reflect on you and your life over the past year. Review journals, planners, photographs, blogs, and other things you have created. Consider how you have grown, accomplishments, challenges, adventures, travels, and learnings. Meditate. Write about your year in review, your meditation, and your reflections.

Renovate Select an area of your home or life as a focus. Examine it. Re-organize it. Release what is no longer needed. Create a better pattern. Celebrate renewal and transformation.

Bonfire Kindle a bonfire outdoors when possible or kindle flames in a fireplace. Write down an outmoded habit that you wish to end and cast it into the flames as you imagine release. Imagine yourself adopting a new, healthier way of being.

Divinatory Guidance Using Meditation, Journeying, Tarot, Runes, Scrying, Prayer, or some other method of divination, seek and reflect on guidance for the year to come. Select something appropriate to act upon and do it.

Divine Invocations Honor and call upon the Divine in one or more Sacred Forms. Invite them to aid you in your remembrance of the Dead and in your understanding of the cycle of life, death, and rebirth. If you have lost loved ones in the past year, ask these Divine Ones to comfort and support you.

Transforming Expressions Help eradicate derogatory stereotyping with courteous, concise, and intelligent communications.

Community Connections Connect with others. Exchange ideas, information, and celebration experiences. Regardless of whether you practice solo or with others, as part of your festivities, reflect for a time on being part of the vast network of those around the world.

In Celtic philosophy, it is said that the separation between this world and the Otherworld is as thin as a veil. All we have to do is peer between the weave and a whole new aspect of reality will reveal itself to us. Known as the realm of the ancestors and the way beyond death, the Otherworld is a place of deep and life-changing knowledge. A place of mysticism, connection and consciousness-- connecting into the Otherworld can bring untold magic into our lives.

– Asia Suler

Blessed be.