The Veil Begins to Thin: What Is Samhain?
Dear friend,
Tonight, the moon disappears into darkness — the quiet pause before she’s reborn. The Libra new moon arrives like a whisper across the veil, inviting us to balance, beauty, and becoming.
Libra asks us to soften into connection — with ourselves, with others, and with the unseen threads that weave our world together. It is a moon of reflection and harmony, the calm breath before the descent into Samhain.
As the days grow shorter and the air sharpens, this new moon marks a sacred threshold: a time to set intentions not just for the month ahead, but for the turning of the dark half of the year.
While other new moons may call us toward growth, this one calls us inward — into shadow, into memory, into the bones of what truly matters. It asks us to tend our relationships, to restore equilibrium where life has tilted off-center, and to honor what is fading even as we plant the seeds of what will rise again.
This new moon also carries a deeper exhale — the closing of the recent eclipse portal. Over the past few weeks, cosmic tides have stirred up shadow and revelation, reshaping what we thought we knew about balance, love, and direction.
As that energy settles, this Libra moon draws the curtain on chaos and opens the way to clarity. It’s a moment to breathe again, to ground, and to trust that what fell away did so to make room for something truer. The skies, at last, begin to smooth — and the path ahead glimmers with calm intention.
Light a candle tonight. Write a few quiet intentions — not for gain or striving, but for restoration, release, and reconnection.
Ask yourself:
What do I need to grieve?
What am I ready to forgive?
What am I willing to transform?
The Libra moon will hold your answers gently, even if they come as silence.
The Descent Into Samhain
We now stand at the threshold of Samhain — the Celtic New Year, the third and final harvest, and the moment when the veil between worlds grows thin enough to touch.
It is the turning of the wheel into its deepest mystery — a season of endings and beginnings intertwined.
The old year exhales, and the spirits of the ancestors rise on that breath, drawn to the warmth of hearths and candles, to the scent of bread and smoke and memory.
In the ancient Celtic lands, Samhain marked the end of the harvest season and the beginning of winter.
Herds were brought in, final crops were gathered, and the hearth fires in homes were ceremonially extinguished as fires atop sacred hills were rekindled — symbolizing both death and renewal.
It was a liminal time, when boundaries blurred and communication between the living and the dead felt effortless.
In the modern world, we still feel this pull — even if we no longer call it by name. We decorate with pumpkins, we tell ghost stories, we light candles in our windows.
Beneath it all lingers an ancient knowing: that something unseen moves among us at this time of year.
Samhain invites us to remember that we are not separate from the cycles of life, death, and rebirth — we are participants in them.
A Journey Through Myth and Memory
Over the next ten days, we’ll travel together through the rich mythic landscape of Samhain.
We’ll meet Jack, the silver-tongued wanderer who tricked the Devil himself and became the first flickering lantern in the dark.
We’ll cross the mists to the realm of the Aos Sí, the fae folk who dwell beneath the hills.
We’ll walk the sacred fires of Tlachtga, stand upon the windswept Isle of Tech Duinn, where we’ll meet Donn, the dark lord who gathers the souls of the departed.
We’ll trace Samhain’s transformation through time — from pagan rite to Halloween — and bring its magic home with modern rituals, herbal allies, and ways to honor the ancestors in our daily lives.
Each day will draw us a little deeper into the myth and meaning of this turning, so that by Samhain’s eve, we are not merely observers of the season — but participants in its sacred unfolding.
Tonight’s Ritual Invitation
As you sit beneath the dark moon, take a few moments to center yourself in stillness.
Hold a candle, a sprig of rosemary, or a cup of warm tea infused with your favorite autumn herbs. Close your eyes and breathe deeply.
Imagine the veil as a soft mist between you and all that came before — the ancestors, the stories, the parts of yourself long forgotten. Whisper your written intentions into the darkness. You can close this moment in silence or say a few words aloud, such as:
May this season bring balance to my heart, peace to my home, and wisdom from beyond the veil.
I hope you’ll join me over these next 10 days to Halloween, as we descend into the myth and magic of Samhain — a journey through shadow and story, where the old fires burn anew and the spirits of the season walk beside us once more.
Enjoy spooky season, my friend. And as always, take care of you.
Melody
