Sabbats Almanac: Samhain to Mabon - Kristoffer Hughes 2018

Cosmic Sway by Charlie Rainbow Wolf
Samhain

SAMHAIN OPENS WITH THE opportunity to finally break free of some of that recent karmic opposition involving the north nodes. Pluto and Saturn have disentangled themselves, and the Sun’s recent opposition to Uranus—which is still going backward—is probably one of the most influential aspects for Samhain. Expect the unexpected, because it’s likely to happen!

This has the potential to be a bit of a stressful period because of the way the changes manifest. It’s vital to concentrate on going with the flow and remain flexible in your plans—especially if you have Samhain rituals or ceremonies. Accept changes as they occur, even if they’re not what you wanted to happen. They may open the doors to something even better, although you can’t see it at the time.

This transit also incubates nervous energy. The good news is the spontaneity that this aspect brings might just be the kick you need to try something different or to start thinking outside the box. Do something a bit different in order to scratch that restless itch, or you might find yourself getting a bit clumsy or careless.

Remember that this aspect is influencing everyone, so people may be more unpredictable than usual. They could need their own personal freedom or want to try things their own way. Uranus and Taurus are both fixed here, so there’s not going to be a lot of compromise, and that’s only going to add tension and frustration to this aspect.

Venus moves into a critical degree over the two-day Samhain celebration. This brings restraint and frustration to relationships. Fortunately Venus is a swift-moving planet and will be out of this position within a day. In the meantime, take any disappointments in stride. Venus in Sagittarius is generally a positive aspect, and once it leaves the critical degree, you should be in for some interesting socializing.

Samhain opens with the Moon in Sagittarius and closes with the Moon in Capricorn. While on its travels, the Moon makes a conjunct with Jupiter in its ruling sign of Sagittarius. This is a very positive aspect indeed! It’s a wonderful Moon for socializing, and it takes some of the sting out of the Sun’s opposition with Uranus. Of course, like all lunar transits, it’s a fleeting thing. Make the most of it—once the Moon moves into Capricorn, events are going to take a turn for the more serious, and the more practical.

Mercury changes stations on the thirty-first, and Mercury retrograde is always challenging. Its saving grace is that it happens frequently enough that we’ve gotten used to its shenanigans. This time it’s retrograde in Scorpio, and that might make things a bit intense. Like any retrograde, it’s a period for the re words—review, reflect, reconsider—particularly when it comes to communication and travel plans. Don’t take anything for granted. Repeat things so that you know you understand them, and ask others to do likewise so that you’re sure you’ve been heard. Have a backup plan, just in case!

This sabbat also sees Mars making a hard aspect to Neptune and Saturn. The aspect with Neptune lowers the energy, and while this may be a good thing with that solar angle to Uranus, it also opens the doors for suspicion, guilt, and lethargy. Relationships with others seem hard going and confusing. It’s not a good time for any long-term commitments. This energy will dissipate in about a week, so try to defer anything important until then.

I find the Saturn aspect intriguing, for it was very similar back around Beltane—the opposite festival on the wheel. Look back at what was happening then; with Saturn being the Lord of Karma, anything left undone may arise again, on both a personal and a global scale. There’s certainly a week or so of stress around this transit.

Saturn sextile Neptune is pretty big news, for the influence of this aspect will be around for several days. The energy of Neptune is creative and dreamy, while the energy of Saturn is practical and hard working. The two combined mean that there’s a good chance to make dreams a reality, to take plans and make them manifest.

This aspect should see complex issues disentangling and a sense of reliability seeping in when it comes to intentions taking form. Things that were uncertain—and possibly daunting or challenging—become less intimidating. It’s easier to take things at face value, because the faces are now becoming clearer. Stability is on the increase, and headway is made through issues that were once standing in the way of progress.

There is a chance that this aspect might bring to light any weaknesses or flaws when it comes to getting projects off the ground, but it should be easy to turn this into an asset. After all, if you know the foundation is wobbly, you can fix it at the beginning, making it a sturdier structure. Remember, Saturn is the disciplinarian; if you ignore this initial failing, it will more than likely return to haunt you with an even bigger problem.

Samhain Ceremony: A Dumb Supper

In the Mabon ritual we honor the dead as those who had left their earthly bodies behind. In this Samhain ceremony, we’re honoring the dead once again, but this time it is as the spirits of all those who have gone before. Samhain is opposite Beltane on the Wheel of the Year, and some traditions saw these dates as the pivotal forces and more important than the solstices and equinoxes.

This ceremony invites the dead to come and mingle with you. Many different paths had a “silent supper” or a “dumb meal” (dumb meaning silent, in this instance, not foolish) at this time of year, where they picnicked on the graves of their departed and feasted with them, or set a table at their own dinner table. This is something you can do alone or with a group; the requirements are the same.

There’s not a lot of ritual prep to do for this one. You simply carry out your Samhain activities as usual, but when it comes to the food, it’s more of a formal sit-down meal than a socialize-and -mingle occasion. Prepare a place for the dead, and serve the food and drink as you would if there was a person sitting there. If you like, you can choose an ancestor and place their photo at the place setting.

What makes this meal different is that no one is to look or to talk to the dead during the course of the repast. No one is to speak to anyone else. This is done reverently, in silence. Spend your time communing with the spirit that has graced you with their presence. Listen to what they bring to you, and pay attention to the influence it has on you.

At the end of the meal, silently clear away the untouched food and drink from the position where the spirit was sitting. Take them outside and leave them for the fairies and nature spirits to consume as they will. Only then can the conversation resume. If you’re doing this as a group activity, it may be helpful to discuss your thoughts and feelings. If you’re doing it by yourself, you might want to journal the experience.