We are moving into the time of the deepest Dark at Winter Solstice (aka Yule or whatever holiday season you celebrate in December). There is a sense of increasing Dark energy surrounding us as the days have noticeably shortened and there is a chill, dampness in the air where we live and practice warning us that Winter will soon be upon us. (We have been known here in the Northeast to celebrate a white Samhain on more than one occasion).
Samhain has long been linked to what many term the “Thinning of the Veil” and it is often a time of year where rituals are celebrated to honor one’s own Ancestors and ask for messages of wisdom or support.

We associate this season with the Element of Water which is linked with emotions and flow for more than the fact that it is the really rainy season around here. We spend the Dark Time of the Year in more introspective pursuits such as gathering new knowledge or learning more about our personal layers and levels of what lies beneath our surface that we use to relate to the mundane world around us. This often involves a great deal of personal emotional work. It is also a time of year where learning how to stay in the flow of progress and change is important.
Water moves around obstacles eventually wearing them away. Instead of fighting against the currents of change, we work to follow our path wherever it may lead us next. We ask the Element of Water to deepen our connections with our own emotions; it is very easy after the Cross-Quarter Time of Loafmas to get caught up in all the intellectual ideas about what we do and at this time we ask to bring our hearts into the process as well.

Our spiritual practices often focus on ways to forge these connections so that all parts of ourselves are “on the same page” at the same time. Giving yourself permission to take the time to be introspective can be difficult because there is deep work involved, but the rewards when we move again into the more active times of Light can be great. We wish you a blessed Samhain however you choose to celebrate it