The wheel of the year: Samhain, rituals to honour the Autumn.

As I have transitioned out of hustle culture this year I have really started to lean into the cyclical and seasonal flow of life. From honouring the cycles of my body and the moon over the last few months I have really started to find a joyful and gentle rhythm to life.

We were not made to be in an endless summer of work and productivity and working with the wheel of the year can be an amazing way to exit the rat race and look after yourself better. It also brings you into the present and for the witchy ones amongst us, it’s a lot of fun. It’s also beneficial to our mental health to honour the seasons as it will help you return to your body and to nature.

I also feel like many of us feel the pull into the seasons and often reject it because of the shame perpetuated by our capitalist society if we aren’t constantly validating our existence with productivity. So I thought I would take you on a journey over the next 12 months and share some of my insights, resources and rituals for celebrating the seasons and moving through the wheel of the year which makes far more sense to me than our current calendar.

I have just bought the Llewellyn’s 2024 Sabbats Almanac as my guide for this journey and I would highly recommend as it’s filled with lot’s of lovely information from the moon cycle to recipes and craft ideas.

First up I will explore Autumn and Samhain.

Many people over the last couple of weeks have mentioned how they feel like it’s the end of the year and that’s because it is. Samhain is the end of the wheel of the year, it marks the end of summer and the beginning of deep rest as we move into Yule.

Samhain is where Halloween originated from and there are so many different ways to celebrate it that aren’t just fancy dress, parties and trick or treating. It’s said that this is when the veil that separates the worlds is at it’s thinnest, so it’s a time for remembering who has been lost and honouring our grief as well as ghost stories and carving pumpkins. I am personally not a fan of the commercial side of Halloween/Samhain but I am fan of people indulging in what they love so if that’s your thing, go for it :)

For me Samhain is the end of Autumn and the beginning of winter. On this night the Cailleach (the crone) comes to strip the leaves to quicken the decay that will feed the new life to come after the deep rest of winter. I love this concept as it makes this time of year the perfect time to reflect on the last 12 months and to let go of what we no longer want in our lives so that after we have rested we can step into the next versions of ourselves in the spring.

So right now you might find yourself feeling reflective, you might have a desire to retreat and be in nature. Maybe the unusually warm weather is annoying you because you just want to be cosy. You might also be feeling a little heavy, old grief of past losses might be calling for your attention. There could be a desire to clean and batch cook, creating your nest for the winter.

So here are some of my favourite ways to lean into Autumn & Samhain…
(All of these activities can be massively enjoyed with friends as well)

LIGHT
One of my favourite parts of this turning of the year is the light. Over the last week I have been immensely enjoying the later sunrises and earlier sunsets, there is something magical about it’s colours and textures that summer just does not have and I feel like this just gets better as we go deeper into winter.

I have also been enjoying waking up while it’s still dark to light candles and journal with lemon and ginger tea. It feels so cosy and I definitely feel we are now in candle season. I light candles most days throughout the Autumn/Winter as an act of joy and I love the light they produce in my home.

I would also massively suggest making sure you spend time outside during the daylight hours, vitamin d is so important and a brisk walk in nature never fails to make me feel better through the darker months.

REFLECT & LET GO

The trees this time of year are a wonderful lesson in letting go. They shed their leaves and their rest can look like death and in a way it is. We are terrible at letting go. We desperately hold on to past versions of ourselves, toxic relationships and stuff we don’t want or need. But how can we step into the next chapter or season of our lives without making room first?

This is a great time to journal around the last 12 months and where you are presently. What do you want to take with you into the next spring and what do you want to let go of? What do you really want? Don’t worry if you don’t have the answers yet, the asking of these questions will start the process that might take all winter before you are ready to take action. It could also look like a big clear out, getting some life admin done that has been weighing you down.

HONOUR YOUR GRIEF

Modern life has us believe that grief is linear, that time will heal all and if you just follow the steps your grief will come to an end. For me this is just not true. I believe our losses are always with us, they just become softer over time and sometimes they might creep up and demand our attention. When I speak of losses I am not just referring to people/pets in our lives who have died a physical death but all loss. From relationships/friendships to our past lives and version of ourselves.

Grief is just another expression of love and perhaps the ultimate expression of it so it’s really important to honour it and not reject it. I think it’s a really beautiful practise to use this time of year to lean into that love we have that might not have anywhere to go anymore.

You could make a small altar with some photos of people/pets you have lost, light a candle and take sometime each day to reflect on that person/pets. Don’t suppress any emotions that might come through, allow the tears and perhaps the anger to move through without judgement. You could write down what you miss about them and also some of your happier memories.

GET OUT INTO NATURE AND PERHAPS BRING IT HOME & GET CRAFTY

Nature is at it’s most beautiful this time of year. The colours of death & decay can be the most glorious and along with the light it’s my favourite time for taking photos. So getting out for walks and sea swims are top priority for me. I also love to collect things, leaves, twigs, acorns, feathers, stones etc I love to bring nature into my home which is slowly becoming one large expression of the things I love.

I have plans to go out walking in woodlands and the coast over the next few weeks and I want to go mushroom hunting (not to pick and please don’t eat mushrooms unless you really know what your doing) so I can take photos and then paint them. I also want to collect some leaves and other things to decorate my home/altar with or perhaps make into a collage. I also want to shoot some film on my old pentax so I can visually collect the magic of this time of year.

NOURISH YOURSELF

Stew and soup season is officially here. It’s also the time for walks and roast dinners and apple crumble. I absolutely love that as my summer ends I can claim back time for batch cooking and also cooking for others. Autumn was all about the bringing in of the harvest and getting ready for winter so of course food plays a big part here. It can feel incredibly wholesome to spend a day batch cooking or have a dinner by candlelight and share food.

My favourite stew is my families recipe for beef and orange stew.

I get some good quality stewing beef from a proper butcher, chop it up and brown it. Then I add an onion and some chopped carrots and let them soften. I then add half a carton of orange juice and a tin of baked beans (stay with me here) then a cup of beef stock (4 oxo cubes for me) and a couple of handfuls of pearl barley. I let the whole thing cook on a low temperature for 4hrs. It’s honestly delicious and I love it with some veg and mash potatoes and it freezes really well.

I really hope you enjoyed this blog post :) If you want to be notified of when I post new content and of any offers/retreats sign up for the email list below.