Samhain: The Sacred Threshold Between Worlds

As the golden light of autumn fades and the veil between worlds grows thin, we arrive at Samhain (pronounced saw-when, meaning summer’s end), the ancient Celtic festival marking the end of the harvest and the beginning of the dark half of the year.

Celebrated around October 31st, Samhain sits at the midpoint between the Autumn Equinox and the Winter Solstice: a liminal threshold where life and death, seen and unseen… intertwine. It is a time of deep soul magic, remembrance, and renewal.

The Celtic Origins of Samhain 

In ancient Ireland, Samhain was one of the four great fire festivals of the Celtic year, alongside Imbolc, Beltane, and Lughnasadh. It marked the final harvest, the time when crops were gathered, animals were brought in from the fields, and communities prepared for winter’s long rest.

The Celts believed that during this turning point, the veil between the worlds was at its thinnest. Spirits, ancestors, and faeries could easily cross into the human realm. Fires were lit to honour the dead, to guide wandering souls home, and to protect the living from mischievous spirits.

People would leave offerings of food and drink on their doorsteps, carve turnips (later pumpkins) into lanterns to ward off darkness, and gather in ceremony to honour the cycle of death and rebirth… knowing that light would eventually return after the darkness.

The Spiritual Significance of Samhain 

Samhain teaches us about endings, transformation, death and surrender. It is the season of letting go, of shedding what has served its purpose and is complete so that something new can take root in the fertile darkness of your life.

Spiritually, with the light season ending and the dark on beginning, this is a time to turn inward and reflect on the past year’s lessons, blessings, and losses. It invites us to rest in the mystery of God’s path, to listen deeply to the whispers of our intuition, and to remember that death is never an ending, only a transition we all must face.

As nature descends into stillness, so too are we called to descend… to slow down, listen, and reconnect with our own roots and our inner knowing.

Honouring the Ancestors 

Samhain is one of the most sacred times to connect with our lineage and beloved dead. The veil between realms is soft, allowing messages, dreams, and signs to flow more freely.

You might:

•  Create an ancestral altar with photos, heirlooms, candles, and offerings of food or flowers.
•  Spend a quiet evening speaking their names aloud, thanking them for their sacrifices and blessings.
•  Write a letter to an ancestor and burn it in ceremony, sending your words as smoke to the Otherworld.
•  Prepare a simple meal and set a place at the table for your ancestors, inviting their presence in gratitude and love.

Through these acts, we remember that we are never alone. We forever carry their strength, wisdom, and dreams within us. 

Simple Samhain Ceremonies 

You do not need elaborate rituals to honour this turning of the wheel. Here are a few gentle ways to celebrate:

Fire & Release Ceremony 

Write down all you are ready to release: old fears, habits, or stories. Offer them to the flame, symbolizing your surrender to transformation.

Journey inwards 

The veil is thin so it’s a perfect time for shamanic journeying. Ask your guides or ancestors what wisdom they wish to share for the coming season.

Shadow lands Meditation 

Sit in candlelight, breathe deeply, and imagine descending into the earth, into your own inner cave. Ask: What within me is ready to die, so that something new may be born? 

Feast of Gratitude 

Gather nourishing seasonal foods like root vegetables, apples, nuts, hearty stews, and share a meal in gratitude for the harvest, the earth, and the cycles that sustain life.

The Invitation of Samhain 

Samhain calls us home… to ourselves, to our ancestors, and to the sacred cycles of nature.

It reminds us that every ending is a beginning and every beginning eventually holds an ending; and that the darkness is not to be feared but embraced as the womb of creation.

When we honour the turning of the wheel, we remember that we too are cyclical, ever transforming, ever becoming, ever returning to the light.

Continue Your Journey with the Wheel of the Year 

If you feel called to live more attuned to the seasons and cycles of nature, to honour your own rhythms as sacred, then I invite you to explore The Wheel of the Year. 

This course guides you through each seasonal celebration — from Winter Solstice to Samhain — weaving together earth-based spirituality, shamanic practice, ceremony, and soul remembrance.

You’ll learn how to bring ancient wisdom into modern life through intuitive living, ceremony, journeying and self-healing.

✨ Click here to learn more and begin your journey through the Wheel of the Year.

In devotion,
Emily