THE YEAR ENDS AND THE NEW YEAR BEGINS
The wheel of life: It is the eternal cycle of nature in accord with the seasons. And it is the quality of nature to go through the year in its ever-changing fashion. The recurring change of spring, summer, fall and winter is the reflection for us humans and all sentient beings. If we live our professional and private life in tune with nature again, we are inseparably connected to it and new levels of consciousness open up, which are essential for our own growth. Thus, the dark time is the way into the earth, where the light shines for us.
SAMHAIN
Wheel and cross
„Everything the Power of the World does is done in a circle. The sky is round, and I have heard that the earth is round like a ball, and so are all the stars. The wind, in its greatest power whirls. Birds make their nest in circles, for theirs is the same religion as ours. The sun comes forth and goes down again in a circle. The moon does the same and both are round. Even the seasons form a great circle in their changing, and always come back again to where they were. The life of a man is a circle from childhood to childhood, and so it is in everything where power moves.“ – Black Elk
In the night from October 31 to November 1 the old year ends with the full moon and the new year begins. It is the feast of the ancestors, the spirits, nature beings and the deceased, a feast of souls called Samhain. It is the night of the year when the Celts and Germanic tribes celebrated New Year’s Eve. It is a night where the veils of mist between our world and the otherworld dissolve and we connect with our ancestors, our roots, the world of the dead, the hereafter.
GODS AND GUARDIANS
A night in which the god of light Lugh is replaced by the god of death Saman. A night in which the goddesses of the underworld and winter, the guardians of souls like Cailleach, Ceridwen, Skadi, Holle, Hel, Perchta, Hecate, Ereshkigal, Nicneven, Kali, Baba Yaga, Lilith, Banshee, Mokosh, Hulda or Persephone take possession of the scepter.
Through the connection with the ancestors we merge with their sources of energy and receive their wisdom and their qualities. Simultaneously, along with our oneness with the ancestors a lot of pain and suffering may emerge just waiting to finally come into healing. Only through forgiveness with our roots can we let go. It is our task to bring peace to the ancestral line. To forgive them lovingly and compassionately because they only wanted the best for us. In doing so, we will realize that we would not have become the person we are today, had it not been for the experiences of the past.
THAT WHICH WAS IS NOT IMPORTANT
It is not important what happened in the past, but who we are today and who we want to be when we go to the hereafter. Through forgiveness we understand that only we can inflict pain and suffering on ourselves, because we allow room to this experience.
„Compassion for ourselves gives us the ability to turn condemnation into forgiveness, hatred into friendship and fear into respect for all living beings.” – Jack Kornfield
If we can forgive ourselves, then we can forgive our ancestors. All accusations and reproaches are transformed into the feeling of love, gratitude, and compassion. A healing space is created where we can let go of everything and ask the ancestors for advice, support, and help. We will experience that the past serves us in the here and now. Only through reconciliation and peace with the ancestors we can understand their behavior and see them as role models and mentors.
Samhain is one of the most important festivals within a year because it honors and worships the old year before the new year begins.
Just as nature lets go of all the leaves and retreats to the roots, it is our task to return inwards, to connect with the ancestor, to move into the silence and, protected by Mother Earth, retire to the depths of our being.
Only in the deep we get the answers to what we want to let go of. Only when we let go space for something new can be created.
ALL SAINTS & ALL SOULS
In November, the path opens which leads into darkness. It is the gate to the otherworld. A world where nature dies and life awakens in the roots. The cycle of nature reaches a point where everything withdraws back into the earth, into the depths of being, where the white-golden light is our seed. With this transient change, the time has come to connect with the earth and unite everything: light and darkness, life and death, day and night.
If we understand that in the bowels of the earth the new life is reborn every year, then we perceive the qualities that the time from Samhain, All Saints‘ Day and All Souls‘ Day to the winter solstice holds for us. It serves us for self-fulfillment, reflection, realization, and re-creation. Everything returns into the earth and everything arises from the earth.
SAINTS AND ANCESTORS
„If you trust that an angel will also accompany your personal path, you will discover what you are capable of. You will feel your uniqueness and the divine radiance of your soul.“ – Anselm Grün
Let us light a candle on November 1st, on All Saints‘ Day, so we connect with the saints. It is a festival in Christian mythology where we honor and appreciate all the saints. But it goes much deeper than that.
We appreciate and honor the sacred within ourselves. Every human being is a sanctuary because he or she embodies the divine in the process of creation and experiences the universal, unconditional love of God in death. Embalmed by the divine love we become saints.
Connecting with the saints we can communicate our concerns and they will help us. The saints are the bridges to the divine, to God. They make our lives whole again. They satisfy our longing and give us orientation in situations when everything seems dark. That is why, among other things, there are the Fourteen Holy Helpers, the patrons: Agathius, Aegidius, Barbara, Blaise, Christopher, Cyriacus, Dionysius, Erasmus, Eustace, George, Catharine, Margaret, Pantaleon and Vitus.
Through our connection with them, we are carried by the feeling of not being alone. In addition, there is the namesake Patron Saint, the Mother of God, and many others.
We are not alone.
ANGELS
There are not only the saints that surround us, but also the angels and archangels. Especially in the winter time the seasonal angel Narel, the angel of winter, accompanies us. Narel stands for „God is light“. He gives us the power to see the divine in the winter time. He helps us to grow spiritually through the winter time. Especially when letting go and releasing attachments. This is the only way for us to experience our true nature, our soul and God.
„After this I looked, and behold, a great multitude that no one could number, from every nation, from all tribes and peoples and tongues, standing before the throne and before the Lamb, clothed with white robes, with palm branches in their hands, and crying out with a loud voice: “Salvation belongs to our God who sits on the throne, and to the Lamb!“ – Revelation 7:9-10
On All Saints‘ Day we open the heavens for the heavens to unite with earth. Nothing is separated and we are not alone.
ALL SOULS
Just as the Celts and Germanic tribes commemorate the deceased on Samhain, October 31st, the Christians do on All Souls‘ Day, on November 2nd. It is a day when we light a candle again and invite them into our lives.
We can always invite them into our lives when we need their support. Through the light of the candle we show them that they are welcome and that we need their company, their assistance, and their protection.
A space opens where we can communicate with them on an energetic level. We will be grateful because they bless us and give us light in the dark days.
As the stars shine in the night, so do our ancestors shine for us.
SUPEROVERSELF MAGAZINE
“All controversy about creation, the nature of the universe, evolution, the purpose of God, etc. is useless. It does not make us truly happy. People are trying to figure out things that are outside of their understanding before they have tried to figure out: “Who am I?” But this is the only way to achieve true happiness.“
- Ramana Maharshi
