With this new moon, we enter the phase of the year that holds the darkest days and longest nights as we make our way toward Halloween. On Thursday we are entering the moon phase of the Halloween season. There will be a dark new moon on Thursday the 19th, and the next full moon will not be until November… that means that this is the witchy, dark new moon phase. For me, that means that it’s time to begin to embrace, and not run from, the darkness.
Did you know that Samhain, the pagan name for Halloween/All Soul’s Day, is balanced right smack in the middle of our journey between the equinox + the solstice?
It’s pretty amazing when we stop to recognize and understand that so many holidays follow the rituals + celebrations of the cycle of life that we find in nature. There truly is a connection, a spirit moving in + through everything. Whether we think of it as spirit, god, love, or just energy, it is literally there. We cannot deny that the transformations that occur in nature and in the animal world, occur also within us + our lives. It’s all so cyclical and evolutional.
The question is, whether we wish to acknowledge and flow with it (each in our own ways, of course) or not.
For me, it just makes sense. And as time passes in my life, as I age in years and hopefully evolve in wisdom, I become more + more connected to the rhythms of the earth + sky.
I cannot help but be in awe of the moon and ponder the power of simply paying attention to passage of time, the rotation of the earth, the “movement” of the stars in our sky, the cycles of our life, and the celebrations that tie us all together. As the years pass, I become more interested in all of the ways that all belief systems, pagans, earth-based people, cosmic-energy healers, and all the world religions seek the same thing: Connection. Meaning. Purpose.
And, so, with a wide open soul, I celebrate this new moon + the beginning of the season of darkness.
For me, this week’s new moon is challenging me to embrace all that inspires me. The ancient wisdom that I feel rising from my soul + my bones. The people that teach me about who I am + why I am here. The places that are my sacred ground.
Why not use this new moon for yourself to explore what it is that you believe? What do you feel? What inspires you? To what do you feel connected? What beliefs do you hold close to your heart? What makes your soul feel warm + whole? What, on this earth, speaks to you? What gives you meaning? What do you hear when you listen?
Samhain, the season of autumn, and these dark days that lie at the end of the year, are the perfect time to turn inward to ponder all of those questions I pose above.
If you’re like me, though, you feel like there is much to be done in this world. And, you want to get busy doing all the things. Making things right. Working for justice. Making a difference. Raising your voice. Sure, there is much that might be inspiring; but, come on, we really need to band together and get some shit done in order to turn this world around. Am I right?! *fist pump in the air*
Thursday’s new moon, which ushers in the beginning of the Halloween season and, literally, the darkest time of the year, however has other plans for us.
What if, instead of getting crazy busy trying to fix things, we just sat. Seems counterproductive, right? But, the darkness is begging us to slow down. It is challenging us to turn inward and to consider all of the forces, seen and unseen, that impact our world. It feels like this season is only about darkness + death, but within darkness there is tons of potential and with every death there is an opportunity for renewal.
Before we take steps forward to fight for justice and equality and peace, we must first pause and consider where we are right now. Here are a few things to ponder + reflect on during this dark season.
→ Share the stories of activists + inspiring people who have been trailblazers.
→ Honor those heroes + heroines we have lost this past year. Especially those who were victims of violence + those who fought to make the world a better place, both in our lives + in the larger global community.
→ Call on the help + inspiration of our ancestors. Explore who we are + where we are from.
→ Mourn our losses. Confront our own personal fears. Admit our mistakes + apathy. Commit to being an active participant in moving forward.
This Halloween season’s focus just might be: “What am I doing in this moment to benefit those who will come after me? What will my descendants thank me for when I am only a photograph on their Ancestors altars?” (Courtney Weber). And then, to resist actually doing anything right now. Instead, to just sit under the darkness of the new moon + begin this quiet, inward journey.
New Moon blessings this week, lovelies. xoxo. liz.
