Halloween

Samhain 2026

~ Ashley ~ 33 Comments

 

In my back garden, the hedge looks amazing: privet, ivy, beech, and holly, all so colourful on this bright, sunny morning!  November and Samhain mark the beginning of winter in the old calendars.

I couldn’t complete my artwork for this period, so instead I’ve added the photo above from the garden this morning.  It is a wonderful morning, with the low sun still strong enough to lift our spirits.  Looking back over the last 12 months has me wondering about the next chapter in our lives.  It has been a difficult time for us, as we adjust to ongoing health issues and, of course, growing older.  Samhain, Halloween, is a time to remember our ancestors and all those who have passed.  It is a time of remembrance and gratitude for the gifts of life our ancestors passed down to us.  

Gorse Ogham stick

According to Yuri Leitch’s book The Ogham Grove*, gorse is the 1st herald of Samhain.  Common Gorse, Ulex europaeus, is the 17th letter of the ancient Celtic alphabet, O (Onn), and while it is a shrub rather than a tree, it can grow to around 2.5 m.  Its bright yellow flowers are coconut-scented and usually appear between January and June. On grey winter days, it is a treat to find it in flower.  Its leaves are spiky and needle-like.  It occurs along woodland rides and in under-grazed pastures.  Its very spiky nature provides good protection for small birds.

Depending on your locality, gorse is also known as whin or furze.

Wounding thorn,
Fire in winter;
Golden gorse.

Ashley

*The Ogham Grove by Yuri Leitch. ISBN 9781517653637

Samhain 2023

~ Ashley ~ 32 Comments

samhain 23

Here on these islands we have just turned the clocks back by one hour, leaving summer time behind and moving into the months of shorter days and longer nights.

Who reading this, hasn’t heard of Halloween?  It is also Samhain, the end and the beginning of the Celtic New Year.  In Japanese culture, it is the season of Frost Falls (October 23-November 6).  An important time, no matter where humans are in the northern hemisphere.  A magical time!

Darkness grows -
An ending, a beginning,
And renewal.

5 elder samain

I have added another piece to my set of Ogham sticks: elder, Sambucus nigra.  It is the 15th tree in the Celtic Tree Ogham and is known as a tree of regeneration and wisdom.  It is also known as a tree of endings and beginnings.  I’ve almost completed my set of Ogham sticks and am looking into different ways to continue my tree journey.

November to March is an ideal time to plant trees.  I collected and planted some beech seeds last November and already they are several inches high.  This year I’ve planted some conkers from a horse chestnut tree.  These trees will be too big when fully grown to plant into my own garden but I’m sure others would be glad to have them, once they are a few years old.  A few years ago I grew some oaks from acorns: two of them I planted with permission on a small island in Lough Neagh so I must return there and see how they are doing.  If you would like to plant trees from seed, here is a link you might like to follow (Plantober):

https://www.internationaltreefoundation.org/

Again, I need to thank Glennie Kindred for her book Sacred Earth Celebrations.  It now has a permanent place on my desk.  Here is a link to her website:

Home

Ashley

 

Samhain

~ Ashley ~ 36 Comments

It’s the ending and the beginning of the Celtic year also known as the Autumn Cross-Quarter or Halloween.  A magical time when the veil between the seen and the unseen world becomes thin; when the line between matter and spirit is blurred.

It's almost dawn,
As the grey sky
Reaches down to the earth.

In the garden,
The rain washes every leaf
And dimples the dull puddles.

Sacred moments,
As Mother Earth reveals herself,
Communing with the world, and me.

I will be taking a break from posting here but plan to return for the Winter Solstice on the 21st of December.  However, I shall continue to read and comment on those regular blogs that I follow.  Until then, keep well and safe.

Ashley