It’s that spooky time of year again where we stock up on toffee apples, dress up as
witches and wizards and carve scary faces into pumpkins. But have you ever wondered about the true origins of Halloween? And how bringing the spiritual side of Halloween could benefit your own life today?
The history
Halloween, is said to date back to Celtic traditions, in particular the Gaelic harvest festival Samhain (pronounced Sow-in). This marks the end of the year and the final harvest and is celebrated in between the Fall Equinox and the Winter Solstice. This time marks the ending of many things, such as the end of the growing season in farming. At this time of year, I am sure you are all too aware of the endings you see all around you; the leaves falling from the trees, the nights becoming darker, the temperatures plummeting, and you may even find your own energy levels start to drop. Samhain marked an important turning point in the wheel of the year, a time for endings, and a time for death. Death in this context is however seen as a positive, a period of looking inwards, of rest and of stillness during the winter phase.
I personally find during this time of year my need to go out and socialize decreases dramatically, I find myself wanting to spend a lot more time indoors, doing cosy things around the house. Traditionally people would do less outside at this time of year, and it would be a time for rest and recuperation. On a spiritual level Samhain represents a celebration of darkness, that is a celebration of intuition, the subconscious mind and the unseen and unexplained. It is a mystical time where the veils between the living and spirit world are said to be lifted. It’s at this time of year I find my pets start to do strange things and appear as though they can see things that are not there. During this period the ancient Celts would make good use of the thinning veil and perform rituals to celebrate those who has passed and to also tap into the wisdom of the hidden realms.
How can I bring the significance of Halloween into my own life?
Nowadays we tend not to fixate on the Celtic traditions at this time of year. But there are still many ways you can bring the Ancient traditions of Halloween into your
own life if you are feeling drawn to do so. With all the references to the Spirit world right now it can be a fun time to be open to the unknown whilst bringing in some magic and intuition into your everyday life. It is also a time to reflect and celebrate the ending of a cycle, and to release and let go of what no longer serves you. This could be lower vibrational emotions such as sadness and grief, and also energies or ties to
past situations thoughts or patterns. If you have anything that you are struggling to release and let go of why not get into the Halloween spirit and perform your own Letting Go Ritual by following these easy steps below.
Letting Go Ritual
Take some time to cleanse your energy with a salt bath, a cleansing meditation, or just by consciously cleansing your energy with light and returning to love.
On a piece of paper write down anything you would like to release from the last year, this could be a worry, fear, old pattern or situation
Now hold the piece of paper and visualise all that you wish to release is now leaving your body and into the piece of paper you are holding
In a well ventilated and safe place (preferably outside) light your paper and allow it to burn whilst you reflect on the past year and visualise all of your worries being released and letting go.
Join our annual ‘Letting Go’ Retreat or read our blog on ‘cord cutting’ to help this process. You can also have a listen to our ‘Etherial Cord Cutting Meditation’ below.
Letting go of the old can have such transformative effects on our emotional and physical wellbeing. Just as we see with the trees shedding their leaves at this time of year, we too can benefit from the power of the cycles of life. By clearing the way we can invite new and creative opportunities and possibilities into our lives. So why not embrace the spiritual meaning behind Halloween this year and see what a simple ritual could do for you.
We have our annual Letting Go Retreat every year. Next year we are holding this in a stunning venue, right on the beach in Caernarfon. Find out more on our retreats page.