This is the last of our Samhain series as we are quickly being ushered towards Yule. The presence of the Mother - Holy, Blessed, Beloved, Divine - is here among us. One form of Her is the Black Madonna. She is the Dark Mother of the Golden Child. She came in quite strongly for me just before Samhain, and She was with me through the 22 hours of labor with Taliesin. I feel Her here, still. She carries each one of us in Her womb through the dark half of the year, nourishing our Dreams and bringing them forth to and for this Earth.

This is such a beautiful time of year. We have moved through the Samhain portal and are on the Otherside with Thanksgiving just days away. 

Wherever you are, whatever you do, whoever you’re with, step slightly outside the circle of activity for just a moment. Slow down. Take a few deep breaths and be the One Who Watches. Observe your surroundings with all senses - sight, touch, smell, taste, sound - bring it all in. Savor the moment and put it in your memory box.  

(excerpt from the “Bewitching Samhain 2017 Guidebook” inspired by the Samhain Season of 2017)

Samhain is a time of divination - seeing beyond normal perception into the Great Mystery. There are many forms of divination: tarot, runes, pendulums, divining wands, crystals, bird flight and more. Dreaming is one of your most innate forms of divination on this journey of embodiment because they come through you and live in you. You’ll need nothing but your Whole Self.

“If you come into your soul-rhythm, then the final meeting with your physical death need not be threatening or destructive. That final meeting will be the encounter with your own deepest identity, namely, your soul…Your death can be a wonderfully creative event opening you up to embrace the divine that always lived secretly inside you.” (John O’Donohue, Anam Cara)

...In being fully here, we are fully human, fully divine. This way of living requires a bold strength and sweet surrender as it goes against conventional complacency. It asks us to show up even when we don’t want to. It takes us beneath the surface distractions that are running rampant. It can be quite radical in that it calls us to no longer deny our heart’s desires and to find a way forward even with a broken heart... 

Burn how you will burn.
Take what you will take.
Blow how you will blow.
Teach how you will teach.
And we will learn as you burn.
And we will grow as you blow.

For those who have been affected by the fires, floods, winds, quakes, shootings and wars, i pray that you are able to find solace in Home, wherever and however it may be for you. The white ash falling on my arm as i write - remnants of homes burned to the ground by the wildfires in northern California - remind me of what once was and is now nothing but a memory. May the memories of yesterday and hopes for tomorrow, however poignant, keep you going.

The balance has shifted. We are in the afterglow of the Mabon (Autumn Equinox) - the second harvest. The work is strong and requires much of us. And the rest is coming just beyond the ninth wave.