Winter begins around November 1st according to the ancient Chinese calendar. Here in the West, we now celebrate Halloween at this time of year, although more and more people are also paying attention to the festival of the past: Samhain. This was a three-day (and night-long) festival with all sorts of rituals to celebrate this energetic transition in the year.
Samhain (Samhuinn) was seen as the true end of summer – after this, the summer energy is no longer felt for six months. You can see that the summer energy has truly disappeared outside: usually around the end of October, the leaves begin to fall rapidly from the trees, and a warm day in early November feels very different from a warm day in early October.
On Samhain, you can reflect on the beginning of a new cycle. The return to the darkness can even be compared to a return to the energetic womb of the Lower World/Otherworld (terms used in shamanism to refer to both the subconscious and the Spirit World), where energy is nourished and returns when it has become sufficiently powerful.
Everything that grows in the darkness is valuable. Not only the seeds, but also the source of our vitality lies in the subconscious, where it is not limited by the rational impulse of consciousness. The part of our consciousness where poetry or art is created is also seen as connected to this energetic womb.
This period is therefore an invitation to soften, to connect with what is nourishing for you. In both the West and the East, this is a period in which there is much room for divination: meditating on what the future might bring and reflecting on the past year so that you can absorb all the lessons hidden within.
Do-In during this period: - Calm exercises, performed gently. - When you feel stiffness, explore what your body is trying to tell you. - Reflect on the past few months: what seeds have you planted, what have you harvested?
Divination exercise: You'll need: an oracle card deck or a tarot card deck. Meditate on the past year. What lessons have you overlooked? Draw a card from your deck. Without reading the booklet, look at the card carefully. What insights does it give you? Meditate on this week. What lessons have you overlooked? Draw a card from your deck. Without reading the booklet, look at the card carefully. What insights does it give you? Meditate on the coming year. What seeds do you want to plant and what energy do you want to radiate for the good of everyone and everything? Draw a card from your deck. Without reading the booklet, look at the card carefully. What insights does it give you?
The future—that which is most likely and logically follows the present and the past—is not always the most desirable. Working with your oracle cards or tarot cards in this way helps you learn all the lessons from the past and adjust your path toward your most desirable future.