Did you know that it’s possible to use Samhain/Halloween as a marker for the beginning of the turning of the sacred wheel of seasons? It’s the perfect reset time, actually, with its roots in the ancient, Celtic, pagan festivals of death… a necessary part of the life-death-life/rebirth cycle of nature.
So, in the northern hemisphere we have surrendered to autumn now. It’s time to hibernate. Incubate. Rest In solitude. Just as nature does.
It is the time of drawing into the deep, dark months of the year, where we dream, listen, and dive deep into the mysteries of the dark nights. Should we slow down + listen during late autumn + winter, then we will most definitely be blessed with inspiration to guide us into the new year.
The darkness is just the beginning. The unknown potential that lies dormant, but is nevertheless active beneath the surface. It’s the perfect time for dreaming, listening, planning, trusting, and waiting. No need to act right now, though. Just like nature, first, we must simply be.
With the end of the harvest, the falling of the leaves, the darkening of the days, the barrenness of the land, and the return of cold, brisk winds, the cycle of life has come to en end. All Hallow’s Eve (Halloween) is all about celebrating the ending of the harvest season. It is the season of honoring our mortality and it is the marker for us that the descent into the darkness is done. And, while it is easy to see it in nature, should we decide to live in alignment with the seasons, then it is also the perfect time to let go, surrender, and recognize that we, too, have descended down into the season of the quiet soul.
But, here’s where the real magic happens. Moving from All Hallow’s Eve on the last day of October to All Saint’s Day in the beginning of November is a gateway. It is like crossing a threshold, shifting from one year to the next as the Sacred Wheel of the seasons turns and we begin the cycle of life once again.
Now, if that sounds weird + crazy to you… since the new year actually begins on the 1st of January, then just hang with me through this post.
All new things begin in the dark. They begin with a period of waiting. Planted seeds do not sprout up the next day. Babies are not born immediately upon conception. Ideas are not made active as soon as we think them. There is much mystery + magic that happens that we cannot see that happens in the dark.
As we enter November, the descent is done. With the passing of All Hallow’s Eve + the quiet stillness of All Saint’s Day, we have completed our annual journey. Nature has completed her annual journey. The mystery of nature has cycled through its life once again. And, whether we are in the dark, cold northern hemisphere or the bright, warm southern hemisphere, a shift has occurred. The wheel has turned. And we find ourselves in the midst of death (autumn/winter) or the beginning of life (spring/summer), respectively.
For us in the north, the darkness surrounds us now. There’s nothing to do except to let go + surrender, as the leaves have done, and realize that the mystery of the changing of the seasons has led us down into the dark of our souls.
And, now, it is time to rest + reset. It’s time to let the darkness inspire us. The journey is done + now we are here. In the mystical, cold, quiet solitude of November + December. It’s time to listen, cast visions, and settle into the potential that is germinating and brewing. New opportunities. New birth. New growth will come again. We will ascend again.
But for now, we have been carried into the dark. And here we shall be for the next 7 weeks. What do we do, though, in the dark? How do we survive + endure this time?
Well, in the quiet, dreary, nordic darkness of this month, I am setting intentions to listen, sense, discover + cast a vision for how I am called to show up + embody my purpose in life for the next year. I am letting this season become the foundation + grounding for 2019. And, for me, that means rising with the new year in January in a new, higher, more meaningful way of living the wild + sacred way.
However, we can’t get ahead of myself. Before we ascend, we must dwell in the darkness. November is about the acceptance of the dark. Of being patient with the life-death-rebirth cycle. Of learning to sit in the darkness + to simply wait for the magic that is happening beneath the surface to be born.
Now is the time, in the midst of our everyday life, to just be + breathe. To come inside. To be warm, eat hearty food, to drink warm drinks, to cozy up with each other, to shift our speed way down (even in the middle of our everyday life + tasks + responsibilities). Now is the time to let the inspiration come. To cast visions, to dream, to listen, to let the darkness envelop us + fill us + inspire us. This is our time in the womb. Our time as a planted seed.
Though we may find ourselves in the death part of the cycle right now, there is much that we can receive during this time. Rest, recuperation, wisdom, insight, inspiration, vision. If we feel brave, then we will slow down + let the darkness be our companion.
A new cycle has begun with the coming of November. The sacred wheel has turned + we are starting over. And we start over in the silence of the dark. From these days of quiet solitude, magic unfolds. This time of year, this time in our lives, is necessary so that mysteries can be revealed, so that we can find new inspiration, and do the silent, secret work of preparation + planning. This is the beginning.
Soon enough the seeds will burst forth + life will return. But, for now, in the dark, there is much hidden work to be done. We can’t go directly from seed to flower. We have to let the roots dig deep + take hold. So, we have to wait. We have to trust. We have to let the wisdom of nature do her thing, both on earth and in our own souls.
If you have plans + dreams, then this is the perfect time to light candles, build fires, and dig deep. Create your vision. Make a bunch of lists. Hammer out details. Imagine possibilities. But, don’t do anything. Just let it all grow within right now. Trust the darkness to create the perfect space for potential. Soon enough things will come to fruition. But, just rest and let it be right now. Write ideas down. Ponder away. Trust the process. Take it easy, slow it down + intuit your way into creating your dreams into your reality.
It’s cold + dark outside. It’s unsettling + difficult. And it’s tough to wait. But, let nature guide you. Create coziness around you. Adjust your vision to the dark. Align your life, flow with the seasons, and you will discover a wild + sacred way of living that brings meaning to your everyday life. And, that, my friend, brings magic + meaning + healing to the world through you.
“But there is always a November space after the leaves have fallen when she felt it was almost indecent to intrude on the woods…for their glory terrestrial had departed and their glory celestial of spirit and purity and whiteness had not yet come upon them.”
― L.M. Montgomery, Anne of Windy Poplars
Happy New Year of the Sacred Wheel. xoxo. liz.
Thanks so much for this beautiful post! This is just what I needed at this very moment <3
Oh, I am so very glad that it spoke to you!! Isn’t it amazing, the timing of the universe?! xx