Happy Halloween and Samhain to you! Beyond the candy and costumes this day has a ton of spiritual significance. Many cultures throughout the world celebrate similar things during this time of the year - Samhain (ancient Celtic holiday), The Day of the Dead on November 1st, All Hallows Eve, etc. Many people believe that this time of the year is when the veil between the physical world and the spiritual world is thinnest. Part of this has to do with the decreasing daylight - spirits can slip in and out of the physical world under the cover of darkness. The other part has to do with the ending of the summer season. Samhain roughly translates to "summer's end." This is the time of the year when we harvest the crops from the spring/summer season and the trees show us how lovely it is to let the dead things go.
Death (a natural part of life) is mostly feared in Western society. Other cultures actually celebrate death, appreciating its intricate and inherent tie to life. If we view things cyclically (and we know this is how nature actually operates) we don't have to fear death - it is just part of the cycle. Things are constantly ebbing and flowing, growing and dying, morphing and changing. The only constant is change. Halloween/Samhain/Day of the Dead is a chance to celebrate this nature cycle. It's a celebration of what was and what is to become. It's a time to remember our ancestors - all of the millions of people who have come before us - and your personal relatives.
We can use this time of the year to clear away the outdated and unhelpful and make space for the new. The Sun in Scorpio is truly the perfect pairing for these holidays. Scorpio rules death, rebirth, regeneration, growth, transformation, the metaphysical realm, the occult, secrets, motives, taxes and inheritance. Scorpio is not afraid of the dark - in fact she welcomes it - knowing that the dark is just as important as the light. Use the medicine of this zodiac sign to remind yourself that you can get through anything. As they say - God/Goddess won't give you more than you can handle. Although this energy can feel heavy, emotional and tough to navigate there will soon be a shift in the air. Even tonight we have the Last Quarter Moon in Leo - a bright, bubbly fire sign. This is a great accompaniment to any Halloween festivities you may be participating in. Fire sign Leo reminds us that the Sun is always there - even if it's behind some clouds or shining on a different hemisphere :).
November heralds some big things astrologically speaking. The Scorpio New Moon clocks in on November 7th one day before Jupiter enters the sign it rules - Sagittarius - a vibrant and happy homecoming on November 8th. Venus finishes up its retrograde journey on November 16th - ironically the same day Mercury in Sagittarius shifts to retrograde. The Gemini Full Moon falls one day after Thanksgiving on November 23rd. Stay tuned for more about November's astrology in subsequent posts.
Spiritually the transition between October (a number 10 month) to November (a number 11 month) brings us heightened access to the spirit realm and higher levels of consciousness. Repeating numbers are significant in numerology and a series of 1's are said to represent a powerful time of manifestation. Watch for this on November 1st and again on November 11th. Whatever/however you choose to celebrate this day - I hope it brings you clarity, power, health and happiness!