A personal reflection of the themes of Samhain and how I will be tapping into the energy of the season. When it comes to Sabbats I never view them as a stand alone day within the wheel of the year, but rather a period of time within the wheel of the year. I lean into the energy and themes of the Sabbat. They mark a transition in nature and although we are not so dependent or connected to seasonal changes in our modern world, if you pause and look more closely at your environment it is possible to pick up on those changes that connect you to the natural rhythm of life and death, change and transition. Allow them to guide you, tap into those energies and utilise them to learn about your own natural rhythms and how to achieve balance and harmony in your life.
I usually start feeling an energy shift a week or two before the Sabbat date occurs and I will begin to think about the energy and themes of the coming Sabbat and how it fits into what is occurring in my life or within my inner-self. I will lean into this energy during the weeks that follow until I feel the energy shift into the next Sabbat or natural seasonal change.
For me, Samhain has always felt like it is a time to slow down, to rest to huddle under a blanket staring into the flame of a fire without feelings of guilt that I should be doing something. It’s cosy nights, spent with loved enjoying the feeling of togetherness and warmth against the cold elements of the outside world (both physical elements and the cruelty that exists within the social world). It is a time of retreat, an opportunity for introspection and reflection. A time to look within, a time for shadow work in which I delve deep within to find what is hidden in my unconscious that I have been trying to deny.
All that being said this year the energy feels different my very new business has been on hold for well over a month while I was away from home, and it feels very much like I am starting from scratch. I can’t slow down and rest, I don’t have the time to spend on introspection, meditating and journalling in front of a cosy fire. More to the point I don’t feel I want to do that, my focus is very much on growing my business. My mind is full of ideas and plans and to-do lists and I am excited to put everything into action.
This caused me to feel a little off, that I wasn’t connecting to the energy of Samhain in my usual way. So I spent this morning at my altar trying to tap into my own energy right now and how I can work with the energy of Samhain to guide me at this time.
I realised the energy and themes of Samhain had a lot to teach me and there is a lot I can lean into and work with. The main things I learnt today :
Lesson 1
Samhain invites us to take stock and assess not only what we have, but also what has worked and what did not work in the past year. I can take this on board and assess what has worked in the business so far and what has not. What things do I need to change or let go of in order to thrive? Not only practical undertakings and business decisions but perhaps more importantly my mindset. What limiting self beliefs are holding me back?
Lesson 2
Samhain teaches the importance of rest and recuperation, out of darkness comes new life and renewal. My repeated pattern of behaviour so far has been to work on, think about and stress about my business all day everyday seven days a week. I then experience burn out and become disheartened, I procrastinate, stop working on it completely, and distract myself with the other things I tell myself I need to do. During these periods I am not relaxing and recuperating I am avoiding. I need to achieve a consistent healthy balance between work and relaxation. I need to understand that time to rest and recuperate is essential to a successful business. Out of periods of rest and relaxation, energy is renewed and new ideas can emerge.
What I will be focussing on in the coming months:
- Taking stock of what has worked so far in my business and what has not worked. What I need to do differently, what changes are needed in order to take it forward and for it to thrive.
- Self-assessment and introspection to discover any self-limiting beliefs I hold that are holding me back. I will then work on banishing those negative, unhelpful mindsets in order to make room for a new positive mindset that will support me in becoming the best version of myself.
- I will be working on creating more balance between work, relaxation and other areas of my life, to avoid burnout and periods of avoidance.