Grandfathers, grandmothers . . . and fathers, now.
Blessed Samhain, everyone. Feel the presence of those who have passed, for they are closer now as the darkness looms longer and the days grow shorter.
What is the most important thing the spirits of your beloved dead have been attempting to show or teach you this year (with thanks to Aisling the Bard)?
That life is about loss (which is why the Death card in Tarot is about loss and letting go). But wait, that’s not necessarily a bad thing. It’s actually a neutral thing. Life by its nature is temporal and therefore temporary. Like all things in our relative universe, including this planetary nebula (leftover from the death of a star like our Sun), we move through birth to death, and yet, and yet, Einstein’s equation still stands (E = mc squared). We simply change form, matter to energy and back again.
I still feel closer to being an orphan now, though. My childhood gone to memory along with my grandparents, the powerful intellectual presence of my father silenced (Mom’s still doing well). But there is so much to let go of, and regrets about the hows a lot of times. I feel that sadness even though I believe in the eternal cycle of regeneration of everything.
What is your personal connection to Spirit, as you define it? How does Spirit connect with you and at the end of this year, what is the primary energy of Spirit that is showing itself to you?
It matters not the season, the same feeling is always in the background if I choose to pay attention to it. It is the sense of merging with All That Is, an energetic presence that calms and expands and is indescribable, as it should be. It is Love in the largest sense of that English word.
What will be your personal Gift to Spirit, whether this is an offering made to Deity, something you will do because of what Spirit has taught you, or some other way of acknowledging the influence of the Living Dead on your own life?
Good question, Aisling. To pay attention to that universal feeling and channel it in everything I do. And to hug the souls that are both here still in the temporal realm and the ones that are merged again with All That Is. I hug my wondrous Grandpa and Nana, my Dad, and also my Mom, my siblings, my children, my spouse. All of you. Hugs! For we are together but for a short time in this consciousness. Let’s celebrate our communion!
Recently, Caitlín Matthews shared the following from her rich shamanic tradition, and I found it so profound, I will pass it on to you all:
SONG OF SAMHAIN
I am the hallow-tide of all souls passing,
I am the bright releaser of all pain,
I am the quickener of the fallen seed-case,
I am the glance of snow, the strike of rain.
I am the hollow of the winter twilight,
I am the hearth-fire and the welcome bread,
I am the curtained awning of the pillow,
I am unending wisdom’s golden thread
“Song of Samhain” from my Celtic Devotional
And as my Grandpa always said: Everything, everything happens for the best. 🙂
Really beautiful post, Joanne. (As I grab a tissue.) I’m sorry for your loss. Your cosmic cards seem especially appropriate for this topic, and invite such an ancient perspective.
These cards remind me so much of Edwin Courtney’s decks, not at all unwelcomed as I love working with them. Your post is so close to home, as having walked my own father to the veil some 7 years ago now, the feeling of mortality of our loved ones and that sense of becoming an orphan as you put is close. I try not to dwell but your post spoke to that part of me again, but again its was not unwelcomed. Thank you for this x
This was such a beautiful reflection on the questions posed, Joanne. I can feel how close to home it is right now and can relate through my own family passings. Sending love <3
This made me cry… thank you Joanne for sharing your feelings with us. I’m sorry for your loss. Hugs to you too, it is an honour to work with you! <3
Thanks all. Sorry for my late response. So glad my post resonated.