winter

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

Autumn Equinox 2025

~ Ashley ~ 44 Comments 

The autumn equinox;
A festival of thanksgiving,
A gateway into winter.

Hokku and photographs by Ashley

Can you believe it’s the autumn equinox?  It’s that time when day and night are of equal length and the earth is in perfect balance, but from today, daylight reduces and the nights grow longer.

The flowers in our garden are showing their autumn colours, and some are already closing down.  Winter is before us, and I am stepping back from blogging for a while, taking some time to reflect on my next steps.  I’m sure I will still publish at Samhain (end of October/beginning of November) and at the winter solstice (21st December), so until then, thank you for following my blog and making all your wonderful comments.

Here’s a short verse I found on the internet, which says so much about celebrating this ancient festival:

Blessed be the turning wheel,
Blessed be the waning sun,
Blessed be the harvest of soul and soil.

Ashley 🙏

Early Winter

~ Ashley ~ 76 Comments 

Early Winter

His breath,
Cloaks every surface;
Father Sky.

For a few days last week, we awoke to fog and mist.  On one of those days after breakfast, standing in the garden, it felt as if the sky had fallen to earth; the air was full of moisture, everything was damp.  Later I took some photos and wrote the verse above.

Today, as I prepared to publish this, I received posts of particular relevance.  Harini in India, writes about a dream and her wish for a bit more rain, and Rosaliene in the USA, introduces her readers to another wonderful poet.  Here are the links:

Snow on the plateau

“Waiting for Rain (Again)” – Poem by Jamaican Poet Tanya Shirley

I have been re-reading some chapters of Robin Wall Kimmerer’s wonderful book, Braiding Sweetgrass: Allegiance to Gratitude.  She writes that like many Native peoples across the world, her own Potawatomi sunrise ceremony is rooted in gratitude. At school they would give thanks to all the waters of the world, for quenching thirst, giving strength and nurturing the life of all beings.

May we all be grateful for Earth’s bounty.

Ashley

Samhain 2024

~ Ashley ~ 38 Comments

samhain 24 original

Winter

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

Today, we are midway between the autumn equinox and the winter solstice and in the Celtic tradition this time is seen as the start of winter.  Known as Samhain (pronounced sow-ein) it is the end and the beginning of the Celtic new year.  As the darkness grows it is believed we are reborn.

If you are a regular visitor to my blog you already know that in my writing I follow the cycle of seasons, echoing the ancient spiritual pathways.  Now that I’ve begun drawing again I hope to follow the same seasonal cycle.

From reading and study, the colours of this seasonal festival are black representing death, ending and the spiritual world, orange suggesting life within death, and purple for wisdom and insight.  Here in the northern hemisphere we feel the effects of the earth’s tilt away from the sun and I hope that my interpretation of this in my sketch echoes the phenomenon.

It is a time to remember ancestors, family and friends who have passed away but also a time to prepare for the winter to come.

Ashley

Winter Solstice

~ Ashley ~ 31 Comments 
The dim light of afternoon
Quickly fades;
The shortest day.
just after sunset

It’s the Winter Solstice today, the shortest day, and the longest night of the year.  From this day onwards the daylight begins a slow and initially almost imperceptible lengthening.  Whatever religion or culture one follows, surely this day is worth celebrating?

Up from the earth,
Down from the sky,
The circle of life surrounds us.

With the light increasing, there will be within us an awakening: the dark turning into the light; a notion that the hibernation of winter will end; the old year is dying and a new year is being born.

Stand in the circle,
Dance in the light,
Embrace our place in the cosmos.




Ashley