Sacred Samhain

Tonight the veil is thin. Tonight we remember those who have gone before. Tonight the Goddess takes on a duel aspect, on the one hand She is the expectant mother who will give birth at the next festival of the Winter Solstice and on the other She is the Dark Mother - the Wise Woman. This is the Crone who asks us to journey within to explore our shadow selves and to give that aspect as much reverence as the sunnier side of our nature which is more often the aspect we portray to the world.
It matters not which face of the Goddess turns to face us, Her other aspects are always there and just because they may not be visible to the naked eye does not mean they fail to exist.

'In the marriage bed
Your Goddess lies,
Her youthful eyes
Still shine behind an ageing veil......'

From 'The Mermaid' - Mrs Darley's Pagan Whispers

Golden October

October is a month of contrasts, beautifully warm days with a dusting of frost to begin and end. The month begins with green leaves and ends with the forest floor covered in a blanket of gold. Christmas goods may be in the shops but for those who follow the seasonal wheel, the most important event in the Pagan calendar happens this month- that of Samhain. Here the end of the old and the beginning of the new is celebrated and those who have gone before are honoured and remembered as remnants of their wisdom are recalled in the flames of the Samhain fire.
In the heavens this month we have a treasure trove of meteor showers, beginning with the Draconids on the 8th and 9th in the North West after midnight. It is a sparse shower however with around 10 meteors per hour. On the 21 and 22 the Orinoids shower us with around 20 meteors per hour of yellow and green fireballs and is best viewed in the east after midnight. On the 29 Uranus is at its closest approach to earth and can be seen all night due south.
For more information on the festivals Read 'Mrs Darley's Pagan Whispers', visit 'Mrs Darley's Herbal' shop in Bewdley Museum, Worcestershire, or visit www.arcanus.co.uk for courses and workshops.

Beauty comes in many forms

We all revere youth and fresh faced beauty and spend thousands of pounds trying to recapture that which all too fleetingly flies away. What we often fail to realise however is that beauty is present in many forms - a well lined face - silver hair - a knarled and naked tree - a barren field of rich dark soil and the inner beauty of the soul. At this darkening time of year, when the light is fading and the earth turns to rest, rejoice and give thanks for the gifts of the crone.
The following is an excerpt from a Samhain poem in 'Mrs Darley's Pagan Whispers'. The book will tell you what happens next.

The Mermaid

Intermittent moonlight
Silvers her greying hair
And I become aware
That the woman I live with is ageing.
Upon a once perfect canvas,
Lines are worn
Where time has drawn
Its hand across her face.
I yearn for youth and beauty,
One to excite
And bring delight
To satisfy my longing......

The Birch Moon

The new moon is due at 20.55 today and was known by the Celts as the 'Birch Moon'. It was under this moon, during the sacred festival of Samhain (now Halloween) that the journey of sacred inner awareness was practiced and was mirrored in the natural world as it too entered a time of rest and retreat.

The birch moon was seen to hold a promise of things to come as during this month the Samhain celebrations saw the dying of the old year and the beginning of the new. Birch was also seen as having protective qualities, a useful tool to see the old tribes through the dark days to come.

Read more: 'Mrs Darley's Moon Mysteries'

Heavenly October

Another exciting month in the heavens is in store as the Orionids meteor shower explodes across the early morning skies after midnight on the 20/21st October. This is however a difficult shower to predict and may be visible any time between the 17 th and the 25th. It produces around 20 meteors per hour of yellow and green which often appear as fireballs.

Jupiter can be seen in the east from the 13th just below the moon as it sets, but on the 27th it reaches its closest point to earth, therefore through a telescope some of its largest moons may be visible.

It is a month which sees the end of British summertime as we move back to GMT and also one which heralds the end of the old Celtic Year at the festival of Samhain (Halloween) . This is a time to put to rest all that no longer serves us and one which offers us the opportunity to create a new and fertile space in which to live and thrive.

Samhain

A time of stillness of reflection and thanks before the beginning of the Celtic New Year and the continuing journey into the winter with the dark Goddess.

The Dark Realms

Through the mists of other worlds,
Through the veil between,
Come to me in dream and trance,
Come by means unseen.

Lead me through the barren land,
Where leaves and needles fall,
Lead me to the darkened heath,
Where ghosts and demons call.

Take me to the world beyond,
A world of stick and bone,
Take me to the shadow realms,
The dwelling of the crone.

Let me see the well of death,
The cauldron of decay,
Let me come to know the hag,
Once crowned the 'Queen of May'.

Wisest Hecate, dark Calleach,
Who bring us loss and pain,
Lead us through the door of death,
That we may rise again.

From 'Mrs Darley's Pagan Whispers' by Carole Carlton

May the Goddess bring you blessings this Samhain