Welcome,
Dear one,
Back again to honor the turning of the Wheel of the Year.
Gently settle into your space and into your body.
Make yourself as warm and cozy as is possible as we drift off into the Otherworld.
I invite you through this portal of Samhain as we walk across the threshold to the dark half of the year.
Samhain,
The ancient ancestor of Halloween,
Is the last of the harvest festivals.
All has been gathered in and now is the time of getting ready for the coming chill of the winter.
Samhain is a turning point,
Halfway between the autumn equinox and the winter solstice.
At this time,
The veil between our human world and the spirit world,
Or what the Celtic people call the Otherworld,
Is thin and more easily accessible.
Journey along with me through this liminal space as we discover and connect with the spirits and the ancestors of the Otherworld.
By connecting to the memories of our dearly departed loved ones,
We keep them alive in the human world.
If you haven't already done so,
I invite you to close your eyes and bring your awareness to the ground below you.
Becoming aware of where you are in space and time,
Here and now,
And the land you are upon.
As we honor the changing seasons of the earth and the land,
Take a moment to give thanks for the spirit of land you are on today and the indigenous people who are and have tended to this land.
Now I invite you in a walk through the woods.
So whatever you need to do to get nice and warm and cozy to take a stroll through the autumn woods.
Looking around you,
You see the colors of the autumn.
You notice the autumn leaves that are still clinging on to the tree,
Slowly turning into brown and releasing.
And with each step you take,
You hear the crunching of the leaves below your feet.
The sun is setting,
It is growing darker minute by minute,
And there is a chill wind blowing around you.
As you walk further and deeper into the woods,
And as the night gets darker,
You notice a clearing in the grove of trees.
And in the midst of this clearing sits a warmly lit cabin,
A place of sanctuary among the chill around you.
And as you walk up the steps to the front door,
It gently opens and invites you inside.
And as you walk into the cabin,
You notice a shift in the energy.
You have walked through the threshold into the other world,
Into the spirit world where you can connect with your guides and your ancestors here.
In this cabin,
You are feeling safe and secure,
And the warmth inviting you to take off the bundles of your outer layers of clothes that were protecting you in the outside world.
Ahead of you,
You see the fireplace.
You feel the warmth as it radiates through the entire cabin.
As you move towards the hearth,
You see in front of the fire there are two soft and cozy armchairs inviting you to rest,
Relax,
And just be here.
Watching the fire and the hearth dance and come alive as it crackles and hisses.
You feel the warmth radiate throughout your entire body.
You turn to look at the empty chair beside you,
But then you notice it is not empty any longer.
One of your ancestors has arrived to greet you in this place.
Take them in what they look like,
The energy they are giving you.
They have arrived here to give you a message to take back to the human world.
They are here to help you move through the shadows of your life,
Move through the trauma that may have been passed down from your ancestral line,
Inviting you into deeper healing and transformation.
If you are ready to receive the wisdom from your ancestor,
Asking them what is no longer supporting you,
What can you let go of?
And allow your ancestor to speak or show you the answer.
As you look down in your hands,
You see a symbol that represents what is no longer supporting you.
And if you are ready to let it go,
Toss it gently into the fire and let the fire consume and transform it into the air.
You turn back again to your ancestor,
Asking them what wisdom you can take with you from this encounter.
And once you have received their wisdom,
You see that in their hands is a gift symbolically representing what wisdom you can take from this other world into your life in the human world.
Take that gift and cherish it.
Now the time has come to say goodbye to your ancestor.
However that feels comfortable for you to honor and respect their presence as they showed up for you today.
Once you have said your goodbyes,
You take your gift and begin to put on your warm clothes again,
Getting ready to journey back into the human world.
With each layer of clothing that you put on is a layer of protection and safety that has been blessed by the other world and will protect you as you continue to journey through life.
And when you are ready to say goodbye to this little cabin,
This little corner of the other world that you have explored,
Opening the door,
Stepping back into the woods.
And as you are walking away,
Gently looking back,
Seeing that the cabin is no longer there,
You are fully back into the human world and you walk right back into the place where you are right now,
Becoming aware of the earth below your feet,
The sounds that you hear.
And when you are ready,
Opening your eyes,
Becoming aware of the room you are in,
The physical space around you.
And maybe just taking one moment to place a hand on your heart,
Sealing in this precious moment that you had journeying through the other world and connecting with your ancestor.
May you take your gift knowing that it is a symbol of the love that has been passed down to create you.
Sending many blessings as you journey through the portal of Samhain.
