A powerful temporal landmark within the wheel of the year, there is magic and transformation in ‘The Fall’. Of course there is, we all feel it!
Samhain/Soween/Calan Gaeaf is the third and final of the three pagan harvest festivals, a time when our ancestors would have harvested and prepared a variety of foods and essentials needed to sustain them over the harsh winter months.
My Autumn Songs
Poets and songwriters have always been inspired by the autumnal splendour, including myself, hence my songs For Those Who Brought Us Here, honouring the ancestors, and the latest song Autumn’s Spell from the Otherworld EP, inspired by an extraordinary experience proving to me just how thin the veil to the otherworld really is!
Here’s a link to my music video of the song For Those Who Brought Us Here, followed by the lyrics.
This is our time to remember,
By hearth-fire and welcome of bread.
So we gather and stand upon red leaves,
With deep memory and love for our dead.Under the chill of winter’s breath,
We give thanks to what was before.
Like the dormant life of the magical seed,
We await the springtime once more.chorus:
So, lift high the lantern’s living light,
The dark part of the year,
And sing our songs and celebrate,
For those who brought us hereThis ancient story of decay,
This Earth on which we stand,
Of mud and stone, and blood and bone,
So sacred, be the land.Green energy withdrawn,
down in dark Earth,
Down to the source and the core,
And the gusts of the wind, Turn the wheel of this year,
Soon the lambs shake their tails once more.So, lift high the lanterns’ living light,
The dark part of the year,
And sing our songs and celebrate,
For those who brought us here.We stand at the threshold between life and death,
“For Those Who Brought Us Here” by George Nicholas (c) 2009, from the album “Wild Soul”
The otherworld mists start to clear,
And in the flickering shadows, born of the fire,
We see our ancestors appear.
Embracing the autumn
In this season I feel a distinct transformation deep within, my thinking, dreaming, art and creativity and energy decline and take a downward flow, as with the sap within the trees, as the Earth prepares to be dormant and heralds the end of the annual cycle of life and growth.
However, I always make the most of this time of year and the decent into darkness, of anticipation, and pre-conception, because I always know new life and new opportunities and ideas will emerge from beneath winter’s heavy cloak. I’m also mindful that the fertile darkness will germinate all “potential” and will quicken the seeds of imagination.
My advice for this time of year would be to turn your attention inwards, begin building your personal development and self exploration, imagination and vision. I wrote more about this in my previous blog post, A Soul Journey at Samhain.
Commercial Halloween Madness
A big distraction for us this time of year is that our consumer society constantly propagates and bombards us with heavy commercialism concerning Halloween festivities! It’s hard to escape the stress and anxiety, especially if you have children.
To me this Hollywood commercialism has jaundiced and diluted the very essence of Samhain/Soween/Sav-wen/Calan Gaeaf. This distraction leaves me with a heavy heart. So many miss the opportunity to use this time to respect all those who have gone before and give honour “to those that brought us here“.
That said, I understand the attraction for people want to come together and celebrate, to party and to generate social communities especially with children, and indulge in the party games and trick or treat activities.
For me though, I just welcome the quiet solitude, reflection and the chance to honour those who were once here, but now continue on with their own Soul Journey, as my song For Those Who Brought Us Here clearly expresses.
“Lift high the lanterns of living light, the dark part of the year, and sing our songs and celebrate, for those who brought us here.”
The Challenge of Loss
On a personal note….. 2023 presented itself with multiple challenges and hardships I had to try and overcome, that tested my resolve and belief systems to the hilt, and to this day my mind still wrestles with finding comfort and acceptance of our finite existence, and the harsh truth life presents to us.
The loss of my father Ray, followed by my close friend Kev and then my wife Linda numbed my senses and ability to function properly day to day. A further 3 deaths had me reeling and exhausted drifting into an existential angst. Six deaths in six months were leaving me insecure about what the next day would bring. My nights were endless and dark, interrupted only by the warm and glowing embers of my log burner and the erratic breathing of my tiny Yorkshire terrier and soul mate Jimmy. It was Jimmy that was the glue that kept me falling apart, my anchor, my hope, and his unconditional love, not moving from my lap from sunset to sunrise.
Seeking gratitude and trying my best to count my blessings for the people and things still in my life, I find out through my local vet that Jimmy has a serious heart condition and could be gone at anytime, any day. Jimmy is still with me at present, for now at least, I refuse to relax, because I can’t, he is the antidote to all that has happened, he will be the full stop after the sentence… I hope.
My youngest daughter Katie will testify that this year put other obstacles and dilemmas in our way, and is still doing so to date. Throughout the year I have had to hold fast to the promise of new beginnings, of the return of the beautiful springtime, and the bountiful pregnant Earth and all its gifts. My sober thoughts keep me grounded, simple thoughts, helping me to realise nature is and always has been red in tooth and claw, the truth of bones, and of course the coming and going. But, there is some comfort in believing all souls share this song, even those in unborn time, and those now beyond this time. It is important and respectful to remember and honour the ancestors.
There is no better time to do so than now.
Header image of druids is an original painting by George Nicholas: “The Ritual” (c) 2014 available here
For more information about George, including his collected articles here on Pagan Song, his bio, and links to George’s sites on the web, check out George’s page on Pagan Song.
You can read many more articles about Samhain, by the diverse blogger/musicians of Pagan Song, on our Samhain Page.
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